How to Build Resilience at Work: Anu Aga's Thermax Story
Three days after her husband's death, Anu Aga took charge of a company in freefall. Her Thermax turnaround is the clearest lesson on workplace resilience you'll find.
Building resilience at work isn't about waiting until you feel ready, it's about taking the opportunity before you feel ready and building the skill by using it. Anu Aga proved this the hard way: three days after her husband's sudden death in 1996, she took charge of Thermax, a company whose share price had fallen from ₹400 to ₹36.
TL;DR- Anu Aga had no business background; she ran Thermax's HR function before 1996.
- Her husband Rohinton Aga, Thermax's chairman, died suddenly in 1996; she took charge three days later.
- Thermax's share price had collapsed from ₹400 to ₹36; she cut non-performing lines and focused on core products.
- A year later she lost her son Kurush in a road accident, and kept leading anyway.
- She eventually handed Thermax to her daughter, Meher Pudumjee, and moved into full-time social work.
How to Build Resilience at Work: What Anu Aga's Story Teaches
Building resilience at work isn't a personality trait some people have and others don't. It's a skill you build by using it, usually at the exact moment you feel least prepared. Anu Aga's story at Thermax, the Pune-based energy and boiler company, is one of the clearest examples I use in my motivational speaking sessions, because it strips resilience down to a single decision: take the responsibility, or hand it to someone else.
Three Days After Tragedy: How Anu Aga Took Charge of Thermax
Anu Aga had never run a business. She headed Thermax's HR function while her husband, Rohinton Aga, ran the company as chairman. In 1996, Rohinton died suddenly. Three days later, with the company's leadership looking to her, Anu Aga walked back in and took full charge, despite having no entrepreneurship experience and, by her own account, no confidence that she could do it.
| Stage | 1996: Taking Charge | After the Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership experience | None; ran Thermax's HR function | Led a full company turnaround |
| Share price | Fallen from ₹400 to ₹36 | Recovered after refocusing on core business |
| Business focus | Multiple non-core product lines | Core energy & environment products only |
| Personal context | Husband Rohinton Aga died suddenly | Son Kurush died a year later; she kept leading |
| Outcome | Company in crisis | Handed to daughter Meher Pudumjee as chairperson |
What Anu Aga Actually Changed to Turn Thermax Around
Thermax was in serious trouble. Its share price had fallen from ₹400 to ₹36. Anu Aga's first moves came from what she did know: people. She shut down non-performing product lines, focused resources on Thermax's core energy and environment businesses, and brought in strong talent to run them. The company recovered. A year later, her son Kurush died in a road accident. She kept leading.
Resilience Is a Muscle, Not a Trait: The "Option B" Lesson
In Option B, Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg describe resilience as a muscle, not a fixed trait: the more you're forced to use it, the more capacity you build for the next setback. Anu Aga never asked for the responsibility that landed on her twice in two years. She built the capacity to carry it by carrying it, the opposite of waiting until she felt ready.
Why We Say No to Opportunities We're Not "Ready" For
In offices, I hear a version of this every week: "I'm not ready for that opportunity." Someone leaves, and a manager tells a junior employee, "you handle this for now." The instinct is to say no: the salary doesn't match the role, the workload looks heavy, self-doubt kicks in. I wrote about a similar pattern of people underselling their own readiness in Second Curve in Your Career: The HMV-Carvaan Comeback Lesson.
How to Say Yes to an Opportunity Before You Feel Ready
You rarely get handed a big opportunity first. You get handed a small one: cover this project, lead this one client call, step in for two weeks. People who take the small ones build the track record and the confidence for the next one. People who decline them, out of self-doubt or a sense that the task is "beneath" them, often find opportunities stop showing up altogether, not because they weren't capable, but because they never let anyone find out.
What This Means for Your Career
Anu Aga eventually handed Thermax to her daughter, Meher Pudumjee, and moved into full-time social work and public service. The company she took over in crisis became one she could hand over stable. None of that started with confidence. It started with a decision to take the job on a day she had every reason to say no.
Book Avinash Chate for Your Next Event
TEDx speaker. 11+ yrs training Army, BRO, RBI, BARC, JSW. Available for keynotes, leadership training, team building & manager development at your office or event venue.
✅ Thanks! Avinash team will reach out within 24 hours.'}).catch(function(e){f.outerHTML='Something went wrong. WhatsApp +91 8793630001
'});return false;">Select ServiceKeynote / Motivational SpeakingLeadership Development TrainingTeam Building WorkshopManager DevelopmentEmployee TrainingOutbound TrainingBook Avinash Now →Or WhatsApp directly: +91 87936 30001
Related Articles by Avinash Chate
- Dr. Aditi Karad – VishwaRaj Superspeciality Hospital
- Environment बदललं की Mindset बदलतं? Davos Example
- IPL Trade Secrets EXPOSED ₹18Crore Collapse
Work with Avinash Chate
- Best Motivational Speaker in Maharashtra →
- Team Building Trainer in Pune →
- Best Motivational Speaker in Mumbai →
Avinash Chate TEDx Speaker · Founder, The Future Corporate · 11+ yrs experience Avinash has trained Indian Army, BRO, RBI, BARC, JSW Steel and 1000+ corporate leaders across India. His work focuses on leadership development, communication skills, and behavioural training rooted in Indian values and modern business needs. |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I build resilience at work?
Resilience builds the same way Anu Aga built hers at Thermax, by taking on responsibility you don't feel ready for and working through it, not by waiting until you feel confident. Every hard assignment you carry through builds capacity for the next one; Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg call this "resilience as a muscle" in Option B.
What is Anu Aga's story and why is it a leadership lesson?
Anu Aga took charge of Thermax, a Pune engineering company, three days after her husband Rohinton Aga's sudden death in 1996, despite having no business experience. She cut non-performing product lines, focused on Thermax's core business, and turned the company around, even after losing her son in a road accident a year later. It's a lesson in accepting responsibility before you feel ready for it.
Why do people turn down opportunities they feel unready for?
Usually self-doubt, a mismatch between the role and current pay, or a fear the workload will be too heavy. The problem is that opportunities are rarely handed to the same person twice if declined the first time, so avoiding a hard assignment out of unreadiness often means fewer chances later, not more time to prepare.
How do I say yes to a leadership opportunity I don't feel ready for?
Start by separating "unready" from "unable." Most people who feel unready have the underlying skill but not the experience, and experience only comes from taking the assignment. Take the smaller opportunities as they come, whether that's covering a project or leading one meeting, since that track record is what makes the next, bigger opportunity available.
Avinash Chate services
Corporate Trainer in Maharashtra · Top Corporate Trainers in Maharashtra · Leadership Trainer in Maharashtra · Top Leadership Trainers in Maharashtra · Team Building Trainer in Maharashtra · Top Team Building Trainers in Maharashtra · Motivational Speaker in Maharashtra · Top Motivational Speakers in Maharashtra · All service locations
← Back to all articles · Book Avinash Chate
By Avinash Chate — Maharashtra’s #1 Corporate Trainer & Motivational Speaker. .