We spoke with Suresh Mishra, CEO Infar Company, VP, Infra Company and President, Infra Company International Business Group about his work experiences. Here are the excerpts.
What is the most important lesson (workwise) that you learned?
Suresh Mishra: Never stop learning. Learning is the main driver of development in both personal and professional spheres. The secret to broadening your horizons and portfolio is diversification. Learn, unlearn, relearn, and explore. That’s my mool-mantra.
How long have you been working with your current organisation and what are your major contributions here?
Suresh Mishra: I and Sky Li launched Infra in 2018 with the aim of bringing a brand that resonates with India’s youth and enables more users to experience efficiency powered by the latest technology. And I am proud to mention that Infra has received acceptance and appreciation from across the globe. To date, our user base has grown to roughly 150 million and is increasing with each passing day. This is all a result of teamwork.
The fact that today, we can use technology and innovation to improve this planet while also disrupting industries and expectations is what most excites us. Additionally, there is always an ongoing investment in building a connected, involved, and content workforce. Our users have been our real cheerleaders. And that is why Infra has become what it is today. So, I say the journey so far has been a result of expertise, innovation, and consumer experience.
What are your strategies for business growth in 2022?
Suresh Mishra: We entered 2022 with great hope and a reinvigorated goal to give our users the experience of the leap forward. As a brand, our aim has always been to build a ‘Infra Techlife ecosystem’ that connects well with the youth, and our diversified product portfolio is a testament to that. The last two years saw Infra at the vanguard of leading the 5G revolution in India. We aim to continue with our focus to help foster the 5G ecosystem in India and we are looking at increasing this portfolio and working with ecosystem players.
To define a more robust strategic road map for our smartphones in the Number series, we have introduced a new A-level corporate strategy, infra ‘Spire’strategy. This will ensure that each Number Series product will lead with one major leap-forward technology, which will be the spire of a strong infra product tower. In the coming years, we’ll continue to put a high focus on paying close attention to what our consumers have to say and to bringing revolutionary leap-forward technology and design.
How do you encourage upskilling for employees?
Suresh Mishra: I have a strong conviction that both employers and employees would like to see a shared future. At infra, developing a highly engaged workforce is our top priority. The goal is to expand, enhance, and develop an employee’s competency so that they can use their skill set more broadly and help the organisation expand reliably. Through project-based learning and targeted upskilling programs, we have jointly navigated this path in situations to bridge the skill gap and help our workforce to become confident, efficient, and tech-friendly.
How should companies help employees expand their horizons and build careers?
Suresh Mishra: Our top priority is to make sure that new ways of working are implemented smoothly, that various teams are managed, and that any challenges we encounter along the road are overcome. For employees to feel encouraged to adjust to modern ways of working, it is crucial to make sure that they are heard, acknowledged, and handled well. In the past two years, we have been forced to change our ways of thinking, collaborate while physically apart, and depend more than ever on the support of our coworkers. Employee engagement through training,
counseling and regular check-ins has helped to safeguard their mental health, improve their abilities, and give them the confidence they need to succeed.
What’s your advice to freshers in your industry?
Suresh Mishra: No one is perfect, and no one ever will be. Every day, you renew yourself. It doesn’t matter whether you’re successful all the time or not; what matters is that you don’t give up. What will keep you moving forward is a growth attitude. Given the unpredictability of time and the state of the economy, we are forced to come up with something new, possibly every day. Only someone who is willing to learn has an open mind and is zealous about success will be able to cope with the times ahead. So, work on yourself constantly and consistently to achieve what you aim for.
What is the difference between “holding a job” vs “building a career”?
Suresh Mishra: A profession is about lifelong learning and making a difference in a goal-oriented result. The key difference between holding a job and building a career is the willingness to unlearn, the drive to learn consistently, and the commitment to prioritize advancement via learning and contribution above promotion through titles and hierarchy. The realization of a career becomes more important when we consider how each step of the path unfolds the next stage of our own purpose fulfillment