PETER VIRDEE: The Complete Singh

Role of London

Great Britain is a great country, especially for Sikhs. It’s given us many opportunities and equal opportunities. I’m very grateful and blessed to be born here. I’m not saying it’s perfect but to a great degree,  compared to many other countries, it definitely sits at the top.

What would you define as a big leap in your journey?

Growth was always organic over time, along with hard work and perseverance – it’s paid off.

What do you owe your success to?

The teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib. I owe it to my religion and I owe it to my faith – that’s played a very important role in my life. I believe success in inevitable when you have the blessings from the one above.

Have there been failures and when something doesn’t go according to what you are predicting, what do you tell yourself?

Sure of course there has – you don’t always win. It’s similar to the views I expressed on ‘risks’ and with risk comes failure at times. However, I’m fine with that… I believe it’s my failures that have given me the competitive edge in life. In my opinion, failure is a learning curb; it’s compelling you to do better and to think smarter.  I recognize my failures and re-cast it into something that is more likely to succeed; and if for any reason it’s not a success, then I tell myself that it wasn’t meant to be – it just wasn’t for me. As we say in Punjabi “Meri kismat vich nahi siga” (it wasn’t written in my destiny). On the contrary, if I have something but then it’s gone, then I say ‘something better is coming…’

There are a number of successful people that have learned from their struggles and failures; i.e. Thomas Edison, J.K. Rowling, Sir James Dyson, Michael Jordan, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein. Thus, it goes to show, persistence pays off… So while hindsight is 20/20, the perspective gained from failure is second to none.

So you let go of very easily?

Very easily – it’s important for me to be dispassionate if something doesn’t work out. I don’t get emotionally attached to it – if it didn’t work out forget it – move on to the next and look at the benefits of continuing from where you are. I have no time to do an autopsy. If it’s gone, its gone and better is coming…

Is this only with work or is that the kind of person you are?

You know this may sound a bit selfish or arrogant but that’s the kind of person I am. I’m not one to ponder on matters or contemplate what could have been – I would rather invest that energy into something more useful; and I apply that rule to everything. If something’s gone, let it go, and if it’s in your ‘kismat’, it will come back to you. A very simple formula I use every time for both my business and my personal life.

So you don’t stress or worry as much?

You know I used to worry. I would stress a lot about issues which I had no control over, and then I heard a verse in the Gurbani which says, “Sochiye soch na hove, je soche lakh vaar” and I didn’t understand what that meant at the time but once I looked into it, I realized circumstances won’t change by you worrying constantly, even if you think about it a hundred thousand times – it won’t make a difference. The scenario only keeps running in your mind repeatedly, taking different shapes and forms but it never actually happens! What has to happen will happen – there is no point worrying about issues that are beyond the power of our will, and I’m very comfortable with controlling my stress over it.

But when you have so much, taking care of everything is an even bigger responsibility. There has to be some amount of worrying there!

You delegate! When you delegate to a good team, then everything flows. This is why it is paramount to work with the right team as they represent your organization and operation in several aspects. As the saying goes, ‘behind every successful man is a great woman,’ while that may be true, I also believe behind every successful man is a great team.’ So when you are blessed with an amazing team, it makes life much easier to deal with.  When I have to give a job to somebody, I trust they will take on that responsibility and deliver the task efficiently. It’s important to me that I work with people who are competent of handling matters in a very pro-active and responsible manner. I should feel completely confident that they are not only capable of performing their role but are also capable to adapt to unforeseen circumstances should they arise. Thus, I’m very fortunate and privileged to work with a very diverse and experienced team led by ethics and integrity.