In this personal reflection, Bhavin Manjee, partner at our New York office, shares what our core value “creating positive impact” means to him, both professionally and personally.
From lessons passed down by his father to the everyday moments that shape his relationships with clients and colleagues, Bhavin offers a thoughtful and inspiring perspective on how impact is created not only through big decisions, but through small, meaningful actions every day.
“I’m Bhavin, partner in our New York office and at Simon-Kucher, we truly create positive impact. For me, it’s a personal value. I do think a lot about how my life will matter when it’s all said and done.
Creating a positive impact is quite possibly the ultimate ambition we can strive for in our limited time on this planet. For some of us, this idea can feel like it needs to be grandiose to matter, as if we need to fix the ozone layer or save polar bears. And while that may be true, and I would even bet that some of us may achieve such great goals, I’ve come around to understanding that a positive impact and a life well lived is really not just a singular grand gesture but rather a series of small little actions that sum up to a very meaningful outcome.
One of the lessons my father impressed upon me is that you should always leave a place better than you found it. It’s such an elegant way to think about creating positive impact: leave a place, a situation, an interaction better than you found it. And at Simon-Kucher, we have the privilege of guiding our clients through some of the most complex decisions that they will make. Those consequential decisions are a huge responsibility and carry with them a massive impact. Such a responsibility requires us to commit to bringing our best to our clients and improving ourselves and those around us. After all, our success is derived from our clients’ success, their customers’ success, and the society that we’re all a part of.
But creating a positive impact is not just about the numbers. More important than the percentage growth of “x” is how we nurture inclusive and diverse teams that will then deliver outcomes. I’m struck with this wonderful quote that Maya Angelou’s famous for: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget the way you made them feel.”
Growing up, I would run errands in the community, and businesses would always ask about my dad. I’d go to the bank, and the teller would realize who my father was, and they would light up, ask about how he was doing, and treat me just a little bit special. When I was younger, I really took that for granted. But only as I got older, I grew to appreciate just how much he put importance on every single interaction that he had.
This principle has served me well in my life, especially in my professional life in dealing with our clients. The personal impact that you can have on someone is immeasurable. I take an interest in the clients and my team. It means so much to me to be part of a company with this as a core value guiding our behaviors. We encourage every single colleague to reflect on this value and really ask themselves: How can we leave this place better than we found it? How can we make a difference? That’s how we create positive impact.”