Lezo Putsure ~ Inspiring Change

Not many people grow up with clear, defined goals in their minds but when they do, there is always a success story to it. Lezo Putsure knew exactly what he wanted from life right from his boyhood days. He was certain that he would join the business league someday, but interestingly from a different dimension that most of us may not be too familiar with, and yet, essentially a role that is much needed today.

He represents a generation of change that goes beyond the realm of sticking to one idea. What he really does revolves around adding value to things, people or organization. As a Change Consultant, he looks into building efficient systems and handling the whole transition of change.

The influence, he confesses, certainly comes from his late father, who was a businessman himself. Perhaps, that’s really where his base and love for the occupation began. But without a doubt, it is his own passion that has driven him to where he is today.

“I always wanted a job where I can travel, paid pretty decent, stay in good hotels…” he says, even as he earnestly talks about enjoying the job that he does, which simultaneously meets the greater purpose of motivating change for good. He has been part of this process for almost a decade now, having started off in Bangalore, where he also studied Bachelor of Commerce at Baldwin’s College and thereafter a part time MBA at St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore.

Lezo moved to Mumbai on promotion as a Consultant for Accenture in 2005, where he worked for a couple of years. Recalling this period, he expresses that moving from Bangalore to Mumbai was a bit of a culture change, owing to more ambitious mindset of people there. “I realized I wanted to do even more”, he affirms, primarily because, learning for him forms an essential part of life. And hence, he went on to study MBA from London South Bank University in the United Kingdom.

Alongside, he freelanced and did projects for clients, and worked with Chinese and European Consultants while in the UK. But along the way, he decided to come home, thinking, “If I am doing it for people outside, why not for my own people…”

Beaming still, with fresh concepts, the MBA Graduate from London South Bank University recalls connecting with Youth Net in the early part of 2011, and making special mention of the effervescent young leader, Hekani Jakhalu, he says, “Personally I believe I have connected with the right organization and the right people.” “My experience with Youth Net has just been amazing and we really want to take it to another level, where we can also perform as an organisation and touch as many people as possible”, he adds.

Consequently, he has set up his own firm under the banner, “Smarter Nagaland”, which, he enlightens, ‘is an organisation that believes in doing things smarter, by filling the little gaps that makes small differences.” Having tied up with Youth Net for all youths along with a Nagaland Career Centre, he further highlights that the Institution would focus on soft skills like communication, emails, work ethics, confidence building, with the aim to build our own Human Resource.

He loves the part of his job where he’s got the ownership, independence, flexibility, and entirely up to you how it grows. Fortunately for him, he was also exposed to relatives from outside at a tender age as he did his schooling from Dr. Graham’s Home in Darjeeling, which, might have helped in broadening his horizons to some extent.

The optimist in him believes that “as a state, we will really shine.” “We’ve got a good future and if each one of us can do a little bit for ourselves, our families, Nagaland can really do well”, he states, as he throws emphasis on the need to realise that there are lots of opportunities.

He is happy to see a small transition of change as he deliberates on how people today, understand that education and employment are very important. Towards this end, he also feels that “private jobs can do so much more…it’s slow but very evident, problems are getting older and dying out”, he exerts.

Although, in a matter-of-fact tone yet light-hearted vein he remarks, “Like they say, in England, they are all Football Experts or in India, they are all Cricket Experts, Nagas likewise are all Political Governance Experts.” Regardless, Lezo insists, “I have travelled to quite a few places around the world, but I’ve never seen any government as supportive as Nagaland Government.”

A youth-friendly government, as it is often known, he also feels that the declaration of 2012 as the Year of the Youth is a “Good Movement.” In the meantime, he is really happy about the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy, while accentuating that every organisation deserves to be generating avenue, ‘…the whole rating cycle where you motivate your best performers, and lowest performers are replaced because there are a lot of people waiting for jobs’, while putting across that “the environment here is such that even our elders keep spoon feeding us, work also becomes a relaxed thing. Outside, it’s all about innovations, strengthening, cutting out extra fat and ensuring you got right people for the right job”.

Ten years from now, it is his dream to see a really professional state. “I would like to see a Smarter State, which is more Professional and can add value, cut away fat…” he says as he goes back to indulging in future plans to build more institutes that have Management Process, Good Local and Outside Consultants.

His motto in life circles around Learning, Innovation and Change. Being an avid traveller, he also hopes to travel once in a while to see what’s happening outside, and maybe study a few short term courses and keep learning.

When asked how it feels to be based at home, the young Change Agent, fuelled by energy and passion simply states, “Just the feeling of working with my own people, trying to do small things and learning makes me happy.”