Vikas Srivastava
Founding CEO
Profile:
- Preferred name: Vikas (vee-kaas) or Brother V
- Pronouns: He, him, his
- Education: MA Education, Harvard. BA Sociology, UC San Diego.
- Professional Expertise: Organizational culture, learning design, project management, visual conceptualization, conflict-mediation, social-emotional literacy, mental health.
- Work Experience: HR management, social-emotional wellbeing director, business owner and manager, educator, counselor, writer, public speaker and event/ project coordinator.
- Other: Music, poetry, cooking and gardening
- http://www.linkedin.com/in/vikaspsrivastava
The fact my work remains relevant is bitter-sweet.
On the one hand, I refer to myself as “a monk on salary” because I am able to serve people with my life’s work as a career. On the other hand, when I began developing concepts at Harvard in the late 90’s, I could not imagine they would still be in demand over 20 years later. Personal purpose, mental health, strength in diversity and conflict mediation continue to be critically relevant, scarcely available and largely ignored inside and outside the workplace.
PRXS Global became a full-time career due to the demand outside my most recent full time position as HR Employee Relations manager. I was initially given an unsolicited job offer as Director of Mindfulness serving students from preschool to high school, staff and families in a extremely low-income, under-resourced, high-violence community in the southern Bible belt.
At some point, HR viewed me as a conflict of interest because apparently I served the staff whereas HR served the company. “What if I help you retain top talent?” I asked. “Then we’re on the same team,” they replied. After that, my services were served within the department of HR.
- The first challenge was developing frameworks to work with anyone in any circumstance with no “U-turns.” I needed to reduce and simplify theories and practices so they remained secular, consistent and relevant regardless of age, environment, lifestyle or belief system.
- The second lesson was that “do’s and don’ts” do not serve in this capacity. What makes sense in one situation may not make sense in another. Therefore, I guide people to access their inner wisdom to best serve themself in any situation. Also, as we begin to understand what serves ourselves, we understand that this will, in fact, also serve others.
- The third lesson was representing long and complex theories in simple graphics that people could explore and make organic discoveries on their own. This is appealing because it allows people to bridge themselves to the frameworks based on what resonates most in that moment. Resonance is the gateway to learning.
- The final challenge was providing an experiential practice for every theory to facilitate a truly effective learning experience. I mostly repackage indigenous wisdom to meet the criteria described above. The major difference is converting abstract ancient ideas into tangible modern concepts. I show people what success feels like in their body.
What makes me unique?
- I deliver content with a background in education, counseling and conflict mediation as well as, business and HR management.
- The frameworks are the culmination of over 20 years of formal research, personal experience and professional refinement.
- While each PRXS framework stands unique and strong on its own, the collective recipe is the secret sauce.
