Never underestimate yourself and never underestimate other people. Respect everyone for who they are.
Priya Mishra is the founder and CEO of Corporality Global, a strategic management consulting firm specializing in marketing advancement. Using the Intended Maturity Model, she has worked with many business leaders to help them achieve their visionary goals. Priya works tirelessly to effect larger changes in business and society. She frequently employs novel approaches derived from lessons learned from past adversity, which she sees as opportunities to grow.
Priya Mishra is a well-known marketing strategist, keynote speaker, business leader, influencer, and entrepreneur based in Australia. She wrote a book entitled “Journey of Perseverance wherein it teaches readers that the word perseverance demonstrates everyone’s capacity to confront and overcome obstacles and challenges.
Let’s learn a little about you and really get to experience what makes us tick – starting at our beginnings. Where did your story begin?
Priya Mishra: I would say my story began when I was 7 years old. The day I wanted to get into a studio to recite poems. It took me 7 months. No one takes a little girl seriously. But I somehow convinced the entire directorate of AIR that I was the best. Ultimately, my perseverance paid off and for years after that, I was a national voice.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Priya Mishra: No. Giving up was never in my dictionary. But yes, there were times when I had to modify my strategies if I wasn’t successful with the current ones. I have written about these incidents in my book too. One particular story, recently when I tried naming my company Exante. I didn’t know that there was another company by that name. I was almost through to my registration when one day I suddenly got a notice. No intimation, no phone call, no nothing. I renamed my company and I think it is more successful than ever!
Often leaders are asked to share the best advice they received. But let’s reverse the question. What’s the worst advice you received?
Priya Mishra: Not just one. There are several. But at the gist of it – people told me that the world was so hard that I couldn’t achieve what I was dreaming. And many even told me to give up or stop. Rural India never had the kind of avenues that we see in the developed world, especially for women. But I overrode all those to be where I am today.
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Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Priya Mishra: I would define resilience exactly the way it is. No changes there. There have been people who celebrated my success, others that were jealous (sorry I have to mention this) and there were others who thought I was nothing but hype. None of these changed my mindset. I was focused on my goals, flexible to opportunities, quick to drop where I knew that things wouldn’t work out.
In your opinion, what makes your company stand out from the competition?
Priya Mishra: My work culture. I believe that my company truly uses agile. Most of the companies claim to be agile but generally do not practice it. If you peek into my organizational structure, it is highly accommodative. For those who work hard, there are several opportunities across the board. And I never give up on my employees!
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You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Priya Mishra: My father’s values, my determination, and my family’s support.
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What have you learned about personal branding that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Priya Mishra: Faith and determination. If you look around you, everyone is a personal brand. But no one reflects upon themselves that way. I only took a concept that was already existing but invisible and created a personal brand. I wish I had known that a little earlier. But it’s better late than never.
How would you define “leadership”?
Priya Mishra: To me, the true definition of leadership is to realize your employees’ full potential. I believe in giving everyone chances because you never know where you can find real gems.
Do you think entrepreneurship is something that you’re born with or something that you can learn along the way?
Priya Mishra: Both. It was my basic upbringing and my father’s teachings that drove me to become an entrepreneur. I was allowed to foster ambition and I guess I was fortunate that way.
What’s your favorite “life lesson” quote and how has it affected your life?
Priya Mishra: “Never underestimate yourself and never underestimate other people. Respect everyone for who they are.”
My aunt is a simple woman, a widow, but she was instrumental in saving my life. If God works in mysterious ways, He also teaches us humility.
This interview was originally published on ValiantCEO.
