Palms is 12

On 28th Sep 2000, when Jci.Sen. Balachandran, lit the lamp to mark the inauguration of a soft skills training academy called PALMS, little did I realise that we were sowing the seed for something, so big.

To be honest, when we started, we had a very small agenda for PALMS. We planned a membership scheme, whereby members pay an annual feel and in return get to attend one training programme every month. That is all. Nothing more. But as time ran by, a lot of new activities started falling in place, one after the other, one leading to the other.

With a handful of members, we set out on our mission. Every month, we planned a topic, decided on a trainer, printed invitation cards - send out to members, and organised the monthly training programmes, in a professional way. No matter, whether we had 3 participants or 30 participants, our regular monthly programmes, kept happening. Touch wood, till date none of our regular programmes have been cancelled or

postponed, for any reason.

This commitment, consistency and endurance, has infact made a silent impact. We got noticed for the good work we were doing, and a few companies started inviting us, to don-house programme for their employees. As days went by, we started getting more clients, who trusted our training services. Whatever assignment was given to us, we did it with complete dedication.

We started publishing our in-house monthly newsletter PALMS PLUS, which started to reach out to a number of people and received good reviews. We ventured into Summer Camps for school students in 2004. Every year, our summer camps were tailor made on a specific theme and it aroused the interest of students and parents. In 2007, we reached out to the creamy layer of CEO's with our innovative business retreats. This paved the way for PALMS, to move ahead from training into management consultancy. What has been very gratifying is, PALMS has

been able to cater to the need of the MSMEs as well as the MNC's, owing to its flexibility and practical approach.

It is the committed effort of the PALMS Team to deliver nothing but the best, that has earned it a great fan following. PALMS today, has become a brand that is synonymous with “quality training at affordable costs”. Having completed, 142 regular monthly programmes, 9 summer camps for school students, 3 business retreats for CEO's, 2 Out Bound Corporate Training assignments, a number of inhouse programmes for Corporate houses, School and Colleges students, special programmes for Trainers, Teachers, Parents and Professionals, PALMS has did its best to leave a mark with every segment of the society.

No doubt, like any other organisation, we too have been through many ups and downs, but we have endured the difficult times. True to the 5th tenant of the PALMS Passion, written by my friend and mentor, S.Balasubramanisamy, “Motivating Success and Revealing Failures are the two sides of the coin called learning”, we have looked at every success and every failure, as an opportunity to learn and grow.

On the personal front, I feel enriched in many ways. PALMS has given me a platform to experiment with new ideas, to find expression of my thoughts and feelings, to meet and interact with the finest of life still

trainers, management gurus, business icons, professionals, corporate employees and students. Above all, PALMS has shown me the way, to

contribute to the society in a meaningful way.

We have always kept our benchmark high. We are aware of the growing expectations and we enjoy the challenge of raising the bar. We continuously strive to match the expectations.

The journey so far, has been good. So, what is in store for PALMS, in the days to come? God only Knows! We are just aware that we are in the right path, of our mission - the mission of empowering people to achieve their fullest potential. With your continued support, we are sure to reach greater heights.

On this 12th Anniversary, I express my heartfelt thanks to one and all, who have been instrumental in the growth of PALMS.

Happy Reading,

D. Senthil Kannan

Article Dated Sep'12