Once upon a time, a king wanted to understand how deeply his citizens cared for others—not just in words, but in action. He came up with a plan.
He placed a massive cauldron in the courtyard and made an appeal:
“Each of you bring a single glass of milk. By evening, this cauldron will be full. We will give this milk to the children of the poor who need our help.”
All day, people came with opaque glasses made of copper, steel, clay. They poured the contents into the cauldron and moved on.
At sunset, the King’s ministers opened the cauldron.
It was filled with water. Not a single drop of milk.
Each person had thought, “With so many others bringing milk, one glass of water won’t hurt.”
This story isn’t about milk. It’s about mindset. There are two forces that shape our decisions at work and in life:
🧍♀️ Self-Interest – “What do I get from this?”
It’s about looking out for yourself. Your goals. Your growth. Your time.
👥 Shared-Interest – “What can we create together?”
It’s about thinking beyond yourself. The team. The mission. The long-term good.
Most of us carry both inside us. The key isn’t choosing one or the other. It’s learning how to balance them.
At the outset, I would like to thank you for stopping by my Blog.
I believe that there is nothing right or wrong in this world. What’s right in this moment and context may be wrong in another moment and context. This belief has inspired me to name my blog ‘Perspectives’.
Perspectives is a platform for me to share my experiences, thoughts and perspectives on various subjects. You may have a different point of view. I look forward to hearing them, these are the triggers for rich and deep conversations.
On personal front, I live in Mumbai, India. I love to read; Somerset Maugham and Nevil Shute are my favorite authors. My favorite books are The Razor’s Edge, Mrs. Craddock, Chequer Board and Gone with the Wind. I am thankful to my father who inculcated the habit of reading in me early on.
I am also passionate about traveling, I have been to most parts of India and to several countries across the globe.
On professional front, I work in Human Resources function. Over two and half decades, I have worked across multiple industries and cultures. I focus on Leadership Development, Talent Management, Visioning and Culture, Large-scale change, Employee Listening & Engagement, Employee Well-being, Inclusive work culture, HR effectiveness, Behavior and Mind-set shifts through sustained interventions
I currently lead Organization Effectiveness Function for Aditya Birla Group, a $44.3 billion conglomerate with 120000 employees across 35 countries.
I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading my blog. I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions.
Thank you!
View all posts by Padma Rajeswari