Howard Gardening Story #2 – Amit and the voice that grew

 

Howard Gardening Story #2 – Amit and the voice that grew

Two decades ago, Amit was part of our Telecom Product Centre team.

One day, he came to me brimming with energy: "Let’s start a Toastmasters Club here!"

His enthusiasm was contagious. The club was born.
And it wasn’t just another initiative — it became a movement.

Many employees joined. I remember walking up to senior leaders, personally inviting them to attend. I wanted them to see the magic, the courage, the quiet transformation in progress.

I myself was shy then. I rarely stood on a stage. And I’ve always regretted not joining.
But I didn’t want that hesitation to pass on. Not to the younger ones.

Thanks to Amit, so many found their voice. Their confidence.
And I believe that gift still echoes in boardrooms and brainstorms today.

Amit now runs a couple of startups.
It’s no surprise — he learned to lead with clarity and conviction.

📣 To HR and CSR leaders:
Could we harness this skill — public speaking, presence, storytelling — for community building too?

What if we trained our employees to become confident communicators — and then took them to schools, colleges, NGOs?

What if CSR wasn’t just about funding… but about voicing?
About empowering others to find their voice — because we once found ours?

In the end, we’re remembered not just for what we did — but for what we helped others become.

If you’ve nurtured a spark, I’d love to hear your story.

This intelligence of Amit’s (public speaking) is called Linguistic intelligence as per Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences.