Ashok Kumar.
Academic achievement can open doors, but handling responsibility requires more than examination results. Life Skills to Reach the Top, co-authored by Ashok Kumar, explores how students, aspirants and young professionals can develop the abilities needed to make informed choices and manage everyday challenges. Its themes connect career preparation with the practical work of communicating clearly, making decisions and recovering from setbacks.
Ashok Kumar, former Director General of Police of Uttarakhand and Vice Chancellor of the Sports University of Haryana, Sonipat, brings a background in public service and educational leadership. His professional experience provides a relevant context for questions about preparation, accountability and the responsibilities that accompany ambition. His launch message placed knowing oneself at the beginning of the discussion about acquiring skills.
Launched at IIT Delhi by Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, the book covers career planning, emotional intelligence, resilience and decision-making. The event, organised by S. Chand Publishing and the IIT Delhi Alumni Association, brought together over 500 participants, with boAt co-founder Aman Gupta among the guests. The following conversation explores the book's themes through a focus on Ashok Kumar.
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Let us have a conversation with Ashok Kumar
1. Why should students learn life skills alongside academic subjects?
Ashok Kumar: Academic learning helps you clear examinations, but moving ahead in life requires more than academic knowledge. Life skills cover many abilities that help you succeed in a competitive examination, an interview or a group discussion. Their value also extends beyond these immediate challenges: they help you progress in life. That is why academics alone are not sufficient. When you develop life skills alongside your studies, you prepare yourself to reach higher levels of success.
2. Your launch message emphasised knowing yourself first. How can students begin?
Ashok Kumar: Knowing yourself is important because you need to understand what you want from life, what you are good at and what you love doing. These questions help you identify a career that is right for you. Ideally, your career should bring these three things together. When your work matches your interests, strengths and aspirations, you are more likely to find happiness and satisfaction in it. Work then becomes something you enjoy, rather than something you merely have to do. That is why understanding yourself should come before choosing a career.
3. Can someone practise leadership without holding a formal position?
Ashok Kumar: Yes, leadership is possible without a formal position. A position brings authority, and authority has a role in leadership, but a person can demonstrate leadership qualities even without it. Leadership includes building a team, showing a positive attitude, taking charge and giving direction. You can do these things without holding an official title. Consider the story of Chanakya recognising leadership qualities in the young Chandragupta when he saw him leading a group of village boys. Chanakya recognised that potential and later helped him become a king. The point is that leadership qualities can be visible long before someone holds a formal position.
4. What would you tell someone discouraged by an unsuccessful examination or interview?
Ashok Kumar: Life brings many shocks and setbacks, but a setback does not mean that life is over. If one route closes, you can find another. In the book, I mention the example of para-athlete Sumit Antil, a two-time Paralympic gold medallist. After an accident, his leg had to be amputated. Despite this life-changing setback, he found another path and became a sporting star. His journey shows that a closed route need not end your possibilities. An unsuccessful examination or interview does not close every door. There are many ways to succeed in life, so do not allow one disappointment to make you give up on your future.
5. How can young professionals become more confident communicators?
Ashok Kumar: Prepare your main point and think about what the listener needs to understand. Clear information is more useful than an attempt to sound impressive. Give listening the same attention as speaking: let the other person finish and check that you understand their concern. When you disagree, explain your reasoning respectfully. Practise in ordinary situations through concise emails, meeting summaries and conversations. Confidence grows when your contributions are useful, including when you honestly acknowledge that you need more information.
6. What should reaching the top mean to readers?
Ashok Kumar: Everyone has potential, and everyone has their own idea of happiness. I relate reaching the top to self-actualisation in Maslow's hierarchy of needs: realising your potential and achieving what you want to do in life. To me, it means reaching a point where your needs are met, you are happy and satisfied, and you can contribute to society. This applies in every field, whether administration, academics, spirituality or sport. Whatever your chosen field, if you can reach the peak of your own potential and live a fulfilling life, that is success. That is my idea of reaching the top.
More about Ashok Kumar
Kumar's work across policing and university leadership places preparation and accountability at the centre of his professional background. These experiences offer a relevant perspective on ambition, judgment and the responsibilities that accompany success.
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