🌟Howard Gardening Story #23 – Akash, shining beyond his role

 

Have you ever seen an employee shine in ways no role could define? Akash did.

Officially, he was our Business Development Director. But in truth, he was a powerhouse of ideas, energy, and inspiration.

One of his greatest gifts was Bushido—a code of conduct for people managers that he co-created with our L&D Head. Borrowed from the Japanese samurai tradition, it translated honor, loyalty, and self-discipline into practical leadership. A masterstroke.

I will always be grateful for his steady support while we built competency centres across countries like the Czech Republic, Morocco, and the Philippines. In moments of doubt, his confidence grounded me.

But Akash’s brilliance wasn’t confined to business. He was an environmentalist whose workshops left people transformed.

I remember with deep gratitude how Akash helped me when my book was stuck at the last mile. In that moment of self-doubt, he stepped in, volunteered to be my coach, and gently nudged me past the mental blocks that finally led me to finish my book.

Though a mechanical engineer by degree, his fascination with Synaptic Transmission—the nerve-cell language of consciousness and emotion—perhaps inspired his leap into founding a leadership development company.

💡 Akash reminds us that employees are more than job descriptions. They’re treasure chests of hidden intelligences.

So, HR/CSR friends, pick up your mining tools:

 ⛏ The Pickaxe of Listening to break through silence.

 🔦 The Lantern of Curiosity to reveal hidden passions.

 🪓 The Shovel of Encouragement to unearth brilliance.

Because somewhere in your organisation, the next Akash is waiting.