Key Moments
The Power of Beyond: Breaking Boundaries, Embracing Giving, Redefine Living | Ankur Gill | TEDxSVIET
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Key Moments
Ankur Gill argues true achievement lies beyond personal success, emphasizing giving and resilience learned from a farming background over luxury. This philosophy fuels his mission to empower students, especially the underprivileged.
Key Insights
Ankur Gill's philosophy of 'The Power of Beyond' stems from his upbringing as the son of a farmer, instilling resilience and continuous effort rather than succumbing to setbacks like natural disasters affecting crops.
He transitioned from a successful corporate career to education because he felt a deep calling to address the 'pain points' he experienced and observed in the education system, particularly the lack of nurturing for students.
Gill established 'Super 60' in 2017, which offers a customized curriculum and extra monitoring, even in personal lives, leading to 100% placement of the first batch in a single company.
He founded 'Unique Community' in 2022, starting from his own room with 14 students, to move beyond skill development to skill implementation, empowering students with financial and accessibilities usually reserved for leadership.
The 'power of beyond' is achieved when one dares to go beyond their limits, transforming challenges into opportunities and achieving unlimited potential, as exemplified by their success in hackathons and events.
Gill emphasizes that true leadership doesn't require external motivation; it comes from an inner drive and a clear goal, contrasting this with followers who need constant motivation.
The farmer's son: resilience and the 'power of beyond'
Ankur Gill opens by sharing the profound emotion of reaching his TEDx stage, an achievement that took 13 years, highlighting that dreams require more than overnight effort. He introduces "The Power of Beyond" as his core philosophy, suggesting that true achievement requires exceeding one's perceived capabilities. This concept is deeply rooted in his upbringing in a farming family. Witnessing his father's perseverance through failed crops due to natural disasters, Gill learned invaluable lessons in patience, continuous effort, and resilience. Unlike those who might complain or give up, his father would simply start again. This inherent resilience, coupled with the simplicity and togetherness fostered by growing up in a village where the entire community supported children, instilled strong moral values and relationship-building skills that luxury could never diminish. These foundations taught him to look beyond boundaries and to find inspiration through giving.
The pivotal shift from corporate to education
Despite securing a good corporate placement, Gill felt an inner calling to make a more significant impact. He realized that merely reporting, managing data, and performing clerical work for the next ten years wouldn't fulfill his deeper desire to nurture lives – a calling that grew stronger over time. This led him to make an instant, albeit unconventional, decision to switch from the corporate world to education, a move that surprised many, including his colleagues and boss, who advised against leaving a stable career path for a sector perceived as having limited growth. His motivation was to address the shortcomings he'd observed in the educational system, especially the lack of empathy and support students received from faculty and administration, like the difficulty his own father faced during his initial hostel visit.
Founding Super 60 and fostering student success
Gill joined Swami Vivekananda Group of Institutions, a campus he saw as challenging and ripe for transformation, rather than a well-established institution. Within his first semester, he was promoted to Chief Hostel Warden and then Examination Superintendent. His true impact began when he was tasked with establishing counseling centers and expanding market reach, leading him to Jharkhand. Witnessing the ground reality, meeting parents, and conducting counseling sessions there solidified his mission. He initiated programs to support underprivileged children from areas like Jharkhand, despite warnings about the risks involved. This initiative, 'Super 60', began in 2017 with a focus on modern teaching methods crucial for today's industry needs. They adopted customized curricula and provided extensive monitoring, even extending to students' personal lives. The program's success was evident when the first batch of 43 students was placed in a single company, demonstrating that transforming lives was achievable with focused effort and a commitment to going beyond the norm.
Empowering students through the Unique Community
Facing the challenge of other campuses peddling falsehoods, Gill realized the need to convert his weaknesses into strengths by creating in-house solutions. This led to the idea of starting an IT company within the campus. Initially deemed impossible due to his extensive engagements and limited resources, Gill took the leap, starting the 'Unique Community' in 2022 from his own room with 14 students. They worked closely, with Gill providing training and guidance. This initiative moved beyond mere skill development to skill implementation, encouraging students to use their acquired skills to solve real-world market problems, thus transforming academic pressure into passion and generating revenue. A key aspect of Unique Community is the deep empowerment of its students; they are given significant responsibilities, including financial access and control over communication channels, reflecting Gill's belief in nurturing future leaders.
Transforming campus culture and embracing giving
Gill actively changed the traditional hierarchical approach within the campus, breaking down barriers between students and administration. He implemented a 'zero-second waiting time' policy for students seeking access to his office, encouraging them to enter anytime, even during his meetings, without hesitation. He strives to meet every visiting parent and student to understand their ground reality, viewing their tears not as sadness but as responsibilities entrusted to him. This journey, which began with a desire to change student experiences, evolved into a mission to build lives. The success is palpable: within three to four years, the community secured second prize in a hackathon in Gurgaon against 850 participating campuses, won over 16 hackathons, and conducted more than 30 community events like TEDx, demonstrating the power of starting with the intention of giving. He believes that when you embrace giving, life's defining purpose and lifestyle transform.
Leadership beyond motivation and the essence of giving
Gill asserts that leaders don't need external motivation; they are driven by an inner purpose and a compelling goal that keeps them awake at night. He contrasts this with followers who rely on motivation. He encourages everyone to discover their unique proposition, stating that true leadership emerges when you dare to go beyond your limits, allowing destiny itself to bend to your will. He advocates for mutual support, questioning why people focus on competition rather than helping each other. His core message is to break boundaries by embracing the act of giving, whether it's guiding a friend back on track or more significant acts of support. By embracing giving, individuals can redefine their living and experience a profound shift in their lives. He concludes by encouraging mistakes as learning opportunities, provided they are not repeated, and stresses the importance of integrity, urging attendees to uphold their character and that of their families, assuring them that with these principles, nothing can stop their progress.
Mentioned in This Episode
●Software & Apps
●Companies
●Organizations
●People Referenced
Common Questions
The 'Power of Beyond' means pushing yourself beyond your perceived limits and capabilities. If you want to achieve extraordinary results, you must exert more effort than everyone else, going beyond your own power to create a significant difference.
Topics
Mentioned in this video
An initiative started in 2017 to address problems in education and build children's futures, focusing on tailored curricula and industry needs.
An initiative started in 2022 from the speaker's room with 14 children, focusing on skill development and implementation to solve market problems.
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