A Reflection on Culture and Career Corner
I’ll be honest with you.
I didn’t expect this episode to hit the way it did.
Two incredible women. Two very different journeys. And one thread that tied everything together: growth doesn’t happen in your comfort zone. Ever.
Anamika, our host, sat down with Abigail, our Corporate Recruiter from the Philippines, and Sangeetha, our Voice and Accent Trainer from Chandigarh. What unfolded wasn’t just a podcast conversation. It was a masterclass in what it truly means to grow, as a professional, and more importantly, as a human being.
Two Journeys. One Common Truth.
Abigail joined IT By Design in September 2025, stepping from the familiar world of BPO and shared services into the world of MSP. A completely different industry. And yet she didn’t hesitate. She leaned in.
Sangeetha has been with us since May 2024 as a Voice and Accent Trainer. She described her journey in a way that stopped me:
“Every day here feels different. There’s always something new to learn.”
That’s not a line you rehearse. That’s something you feel. And when someone with over a decade of training experience says that, you pay attention.
So What Is the Culture at IT By Design, Really?
No policy document can answer this. Only people can.
Abigail’s answer was deeply personal. She talked about her team, her manager, and how the environment here doesn’t just push you to grow your skill set. It pushes you to grow as a person. She described a culture where you’re encouraged to grab opportunities, stumble, make mistakes, and still hold your head high and move forward.
And then she said something that genuinely stayed with me:
“I feel more mature than before when I came in here. It’s okay to make mistakes, but make sure you learn from it.”
That’s not just self-awareness. That’s humility in action. One of the five core values we live by, captured in our acronym HAPPY: Humility, Accountability, Passion, Positivity, and Your Community.
Sangeetha connected it even further. She reminded us that at IT By Design, knowledge is never siloed. It’s shared openly. Teams support each other across departments through continuous learning, feedback, and real-time application. She also brought in our service standards, Security, Courtesy, Value, and Resolution, as the everyday framework that keeps our culture grounded, not just aspirational.
What truly defines our culture?
We don’t just focus on work delivery. We focus on developing people.
The Aha Moments. Because This Is the Good Stuff.
Every time Anamika asks guests for their top life lessons, something shifts in the conversation. This episode was no different.
Abigail’s three:
- Trust your abilities.Doubt will come from inside you, from outside you, from everywhere. But if youdon’t believe in yourself first, no one else will either. Your potential can surpass everything you ever imagined. You just must let it.
- Don’t let opportunities pass you by.Stepping into the unknown is uncomfortable. Butthat discomfort? That’s exactly where growth lives. Fear will hold you back if you let it. Don’t let it.
- Turn your desire to grow into your greatest strength.Let it fuel your passion. Let it push you past your limits. Because that hunger to be better is the very thing that carries youforward when everything else feels uncertain.
She wrapped it up with something I want every leader in our community to remember:
“It’s okay to make mistakes. But make sure you stand up, hold your head high, and focus on your next goal.”
Sangeetha’s three:
- Never give up and never say never to a challenge.Challenges are not roadblocks. They are assignments. The moment you stay open and take that step anyway, even when you feel unprepared, that is when real confidence is built.
- Focus on opportunities, not gaps.This one resonated deeply because it is something I believe in and talk about in our LifeBy Design sessions. Focus on the gains, not the gaps. Ask yourself: what can I do with what I have right now? That one shift in mindset changes everything.
- Never be afraid to learn new things.Stay curious. Stay open. Whether it is a new skill,a different perspective, or a lesson from someone else’s experience, every bit adds up. The more willing you are to learn, the more adaptable and confident you become.
She said it best herself:
“Stay open to challenges, stay focused on possibilities, and stay committed to learning. That combination will take you much further than you imagine.”
The Core Value That Defines Them
Anamika asked both of them: out of the five values in HAPPY, which one is closest to your heart?
For Sangeetha, it was Humility.
“If I think I know it all, that’s where I put a stop to my own growth.”
For Abigail, it was Your Community. Because, as she said, it takes a village to grow. Your community is your guide, not your crutch, but your compass.
That balance matters. Humility keeps you teachable. Community keeps you connected. Together, they create the kind of environment where real growth becomes possible.
What This Conversation Reinforced for Me
Growth doesn’t happen in your comfort zone. You have to give up to go up.
That’s not a motivational line. That’s a lived truth.
And Anamika said something in this conversation that I think every person sitting on the fence about a big decision needs to hear.
She talked about her own choice to leave her country, step away from everything familiar, and move into an unknown territory. It was scary. It made no logical sense on paper. But she asked herself one question:
Do I want to grow or do I want to stay comfortable?
She chose growth.
And she said something that has stayed with me:
“It’s not always about winning or losing. It’s about who you became in that process.”
That’s the real measure of growth. Not the title. Not the outcome. But whether you changed as a person on the way there.
What Abigail and Sangeetha shared in this conversation is proof of exactly that.
At IT By Design, this is what we are building intentionally, every single day. Through our culture, through our core values, through platforms like Team GPS, our homegrown platform where we celebrate each other with core value shout-outs every week, we are creating a community that doesn’t just work together. We grow together.
We are not perfect. None of us are. But we are conscious. We are curious. And we are committed.
That is what makes this place different.
Not the policies. Not the processes.
The people.
