The brief I was given and what I did in the first 100 days at workI was 23 when I joined Illinois Tool Works, a company that manufactured and sold industrial packaging products. Initially, I had zero interest in working there, and joined 45 days later than I was supposed to. My first boss was a formidable but positive gentleman who guided me. When the CEO asked me what role I wanted, I immediately asked for the toughest job, and was posted to Rajkot in the market development and analytics department. I had a small team there, and worked on winning them over by being their mentor. This venture into professional life taught me that the first job may or may not be perfect, but it is what you make of the job that matters.The worst mistake I madeI lied during my first job and said I was sick, and joined 45 days later. Later, I owned up to the CEO, who said I had no need to do so as my work was really speaking for me. I learnt then that it is important to speak one’s mind, and that one should never lie to cover up mistakes or lapses.The best leadership lesson I learnt only when you can help them on a matter that they are unable to solve themselves.My biggest innovationI developed a testing tool for under Rs 10,000 and proved the flaws in the ways of competition mechanism. The competitor had bought the testing tool for around Rs 2 lakh.How I managed my work-life balanceBack then, work-life balance was a utopian concept for me. It was hard work but completely solid and gratifying. The only way to blow off steam was to run—I would do this early in the mornings which ensured that it didn’t interfere with my schedule.