Park Perspective: From Humble Beginnings to Leadership Excellence

The morning light shining on the rural fields in Tamil Nadu, India, where Siva Selvam, MBA ’26, grew up

We all have people in our lives who inspire us to be better—to strive beyond our limits and make a difference. For me, that person was my grandfather, whom we called Thatha. His resilience, compassion, and determination were guiding lights that shaped the way I approach challenges and opportunities. My experiences with him taught me invaluable lessons about leadership—lessons that I believe can inspire and guide others.

As you read our story, I want you to consider how these lessons might resonate with your own experiences and shape your journey as a leader.

An unexpected moment of grief

One Friday afternoon in July, I was trying to figure out how many minutes I had left before my next consulting call. I needed just enough time to make a quick lunch of rice, chicken, and beans for me and my wife. A few months prior, I had been accepted into Johnson and I was just wrapping up my last week of work. The client I was about to meet with had always appreciated my candor—I wasn’t afraid to challenge their interpretations and push the boundaries of what our team had been hired to do. As I prepared for my final presentation, I was focused on ensuring everything was tied up in a satin bow.

Twenty minutes for the rice to cook, forty for the chicken to bake, and ten for the beans to sauté—that was all it would take.

I had thirty minutes to get everything ready before hopping back into my makeshift office of a bedroom. Amidst the rush, I saw a text flash across my phone’s screen. My hands let go of the baking sheet, almost as if my body itself rejected the news.

“Thatha is no more,” my cousin had typed.

Frozen in the middle of the kitchen, I lost all sense of time. My grandfather had always been a constant in my life: a symbol of strength, perseverance, and care.

Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to two Tamil immigrants, I was surrounded by his influence from an early age. My father was the first in his family, and likely his entire village, to graduate from college. At every stage of his life, he took the conventional path to ensure financial stability, which eventually led him to a role as a project manager in the Midwest.

When I was born, my mother decided it would be best for me to grow up in India with her family. Moving to a different country meant venturing into the unknown, but my grandfather was there to take me in. He had raised many children as his own, and as a high school teacher, he could provide the kind of educational environment my parents wanted for me. So, I spent the first 11 years of my life in a village with my grandparents and relatives, against a backdrop of sparkling streams, open fields, and winds as old as time.

Though his passing marked the end of an era for me, in that moment of loss, I could feel his influence steady me as I took my client’s call and booked our flights. It was time for me to return home, pay my respects, and send him off to those who came before us.

Now, I want to share three of the most valuable lessons he taught me, which have guided me throughout my career and can serve as valuable insights for anyone who aspires to lead.

Use what you have: Innovate within limitations.

My grandfather was born in a small village in Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. As a child, he faced significant challenges. He lost his father when he could barely ride a bike, and grew up in a household that struggled to make ends meet. Despite these limitations, he pursued an education, graduated from college, and, eventually, accepted the role of a teacher at a local high school.

What always struck me about my grandfather was how he made the most of what he had.

Limited resources—whether outdated technology, insufficient funding, or a lack of formal teaching materials—did not deter him. To overcome these obstacles, he would wake up early, take the bus to school, and partner with community leaders to use natural resources as teaching aids. When the school lacked proper facilities, he rallied the village to crowdsource funds to build new classrooms and bathrooms.

As leaders, we often face financial, regulatory, or resource-based constraints. The question is: how do we respond? My grandfather taught me that true leadership lies in reframing limitations as opportunities. We must innovate with what we have, adapt to changing circumstances, and find ways to create value. This mindset has guided me throughout my career, from my time as a design engineer to my work as a management consultant. In every situation, I have strived to turn obstacles into opportunities for growth.

Build and lift: Foster community for collective success.

Leadership isn’t just about individual achievements; it’s about building others up and creating an environment where people can thrive. My grandfather embodied this principle in everything he did. At his school, he was more than just a teacher; he was a builder.

As was common in his time and in many parts of the world, children as young as ten—sometimes even younger—were expected to take on odd jobs to help sustain their households. Yet, my grandfather recognized that an education grounded in math, science, literature, and practical life skills could offer them a path out of poverty. He also understood that in order for this to happen, parents needed to see their children’s attendance, not as a short-term economic loss, but as a catalyst for long-term prosperity.

So, my grandfather took it upon himself to teach parents about the importance of education and encouraged them to send their children to school rather than having them work to support the family.

In today’s corporate environment, fostering a sense of community is just as important. High-pressure workplaces can easily lead to burnout or disengagement. As leaders, we have the responsibility to create spaces where people feel valued, supported, and motivated to contribute. I’ve carried this lesson with me in every role I’ve taken on—whether leading a team of engineers or working with clients. When people feel that they are part of a supportive, collaborative community, they are more likely to go above and beyond, and the organization benefits as a whole.

Discipline without favoritism: Build trust through consistency.

At my grandfather’s funeral, I met many people who spoke about the profound impact he’d made on their lives. Former students—now doctors, engineers, teachers, and police officers—credited their achievements to his guidance.

Throughout my upbringing, my grandfather often stayed after school to provide students with extra help, but I hadn’t realized just how far his discipline and dedication went. As I came to discover, he made no exceptions to ensure his students succeeded. If someone needed extra support, they stayed back—whether they were family or not. His role as a teacher always came first and he applied his methods fairly and consistently. What might seem harsh by today’s standards was, at the time, an approach that helped his students realize what it took to succeed. Discipline and consistency were the cornerstones of his leadership philosophy.

For leaders today, this focus on fairness and discipline is crucial. We’re often confronted with high stakes and intense demands. Leaders must apply policies uniformly, from new hires to senior executives. Consistency and fairness build credibility and trust, both of which are essential to effective leadership.

My grandfather’s legacy reminds us that fairness, even when it requires tough decisions, creates a culture of integrity and trust.

Are you holding yourself and your team to the same standards? Are you ensuring fairness in how you treat those around you?

Carry the legacy forward: Apply timeless leadership principles today.

The toll of old age never diminished the impact my grandfather left on those who knew him. A sentinel, he was always watching over and guiding those he held dear. Though his once-strong frame and youthful agility gave way to frailty in his later years, his mind remained as sharp as ever. He credited this to his former students, who would stop by, even if only for a few minutes, just to check in on how their old teacher was doing.

Whether I’m engaging with my core team, collaborating with my career work group, or sharing knowledge with my peers at Johnson, I find myself drawing on the values he instilled in me. My grandfather’s quiet strength, his commitment to those around him, and his ability to inspire through action are traits that I strive to embody every day.

To all aspiring leaders: we have the power to make a difference, not just through our achievements but through the way we treat others. We can innovate despite limitations, build communities where people flourish, and lead with fairness and discipline.

My grandfather taught me that true leadership isn’t about grand gestures, but about small, consistent actions that lift others and create a lasting impact. The path of a leader may be quiet, but it is one of unwavering focus and dedication—a commitment to making the world better for those around us.

Which lessons will you carry forward?

About Siva Selvam, MBA ’26

Siva Selvam is a first-year MBA candidate in the Two-Year MBA program at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, where he is also a Park Leadership Fellow. Before business school, he worked as a management consultant at Accenture in Philadelphia, advising aerospace and defense clients on engineering and manufacturing strategies. Previously, he was an electrical engineer for classified clients at Lockheed Martin in Los Angeles and a design engineer on the 737 MAX program at Boeing in Seattle. Selvam holds a BSc in electrical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.