Top entrepreneurs around the world have been known for their communication skills that have scaled their businesses to new heights. However, not every leader has been well-versed in Oxford English right from the start.
Anil Agarwal, the executive chairman of Vedanta Resources, recently delivered a speech at the Oxford Union Society. Agarwal shared a heartwarming anecdote about his penchant for the English language.
The founder said that in his formative years the only two words he knew in English were ‘yes’ and ‘no’. The 68-year-old entrepreneur said that he would use the Oxford Dictionary to translate words from Hindi into English and that he never got to study at a university.
“Growing up, I only knew two words in English, ‘yes’, and ‘no’. I would use the Oxford Dictionary to translate words from Hindi to English, and never got the opportunity to study at a university,” read the opening lines of Agarwal’s LinkedIn post.
Agarwal in his post also reminisced his journey from a small village in Bihar to London Stock Exchange which according to him was filled with many lessons, lots of hard work and self-belief.
“Yesterday, I spoke at The Oxford Union Society and interacted with the future leaders of our world. The journey from a small village in Bihar to London Stock Exchange has been one filled with many learning adventures, lots of hard work, and self-belief,” wrote Agarwal.
Towards the end of his post, Agarwal shared his advice for students. He asked students to be brave as luck favours the brave, be humble as growth happens when one looks inwards, and most importantly be flexible as there is no substitute for hard work. He ended his post by saying that he hoped he was able to inspire the students with his words as their convictions and aspirations touched him.
“My advice to the students was simple: be fearless (because luck favours the brave), be humble (because growth happens when you look inwards), and be flexible (because there is no substitute for hard work). I sincerely hope I was able to inspire them with my words because their convictions in their aspirations certainly motivated me,” concluded Agarwal.