Eli Lilly India MD Edgard A. Olaizola shares his many firsts

My first guru
My parents. They not only taught me the core values of respect, honesty and compassion but also encouraged me to test my boundaries and be responsible

My first job
A junior consultant in a Venezuelan consultancy firm. I worked closely with the senior leadership team and learnt the importance of listening and timely decision making

My first boss
One of my professors who recruited me in the consulting firm. A great leader, mentor and above all my best friend. I learnt the value of training, mentorship and team work from him

My first promotion
From a junior consultant to a senior consultant. With the promotion came the responsibility of leading projects, managing big ticket clients and teams

My first disappointment
I decided to move out of the consultancy business owing to the disappointment of not being able to see full implementation of projects and outcomes

As told to N. Madhavan