Adieu IIMA

A dear friend reminded me of nostalgia when he saw the word Adieu. Last 4 days have suddenly become very hectic thanks to the PXCL tourney (done on the lines of IPL) and the Capstone module. Add the farewell dinners and photo sessions the day becomes really looooong.

PXCL was another master piece of Xian creativity (this time it was Vinay's & Venky's). The eight a side 8 over tennis ball cricket tournament was done in total "Indian" style. Right from players getting bid to matches played under flood lights in the evening and of course entertainment (sans cheer leaders). ITC was kind enough to set up its promos. This event brought all of us together one last time on the campus before we left.... and leaving on a high note !

Captstone simulation enables each team to virtually run a company in eight rounds, each considered as one fin year. Great experience as the exercise nearly brings most dimensions of running a business to class room. Like real business, this one is addictive as well.

This one year at IIMA has been one of my best years at life both personally and professionally. Personally, because we made some good friends and lived a good life. Sudha rues her leaving the campus more than I do. And of course little Ujwal would not even comprehend that his friends group is going to dis appear. Readers of this blog would know of how much this one year meant to me, professionally. The other day at the farewell dinner I spoke of few things I experienced here - 1. Inputs on business leadership (the 'tools' as well as learning to 'think', the IIMA way) 2. Personal growth (self discovery and how I relate to world around me) 3. Mentoring and guidance from some profs on career. I am glad I chose to come here and not to other schools I was looking at.

Biju asked me if I would like to continue this blog. At this point I am not sure. May be I would, or may be I start another one. My family (including my parents & sister) would be around to cheer me when I graduate on the convocation day. I would probably be more regular here during next few weeks. But for now, as I sign off for now, one of my fav Floyd numbers.. wonderfully done...

As we draw closer...

5 more days to go...if only there is way to stop time. Well that sums up our feelings just now.


an Ode to mother....

Bird Watching for a change...

24 days to go and it seems like yesterday, when I stepped in here. I can't think of a more appropriate example of how quickly time flies. All of us are going to miss this time for life.

Looking back, I couldn't have asked for more from this one year jiffy. I would rank the relationships I formed here as the greatest gift I got at IIMA above everything else. Also, professionally, I couldn't have asked for more - be it learning or post MBA options. I would dare say this has been by and large the case for most of us. We wouldn't have been where we are today, if not for PGPX and IIMA. And of course, we've been partying hard thanks to steady stream of job offers and the rolling placement format (that has helped stagger the parties!).

Some of us took some time out and went on a bird watching expedition to Nalsarovar and had a fabulous time together.

Six of us set off for Nalsarovar lake, 65 km from Ahmedabad. Vinay was the orchestrator and the rest of us - I, Gaurav, SanjayK, Ashish and Parry (Pramod) followed suit. Unusually, we were enthu to wake up and 5 am and catch the sunrise at the lake. The sight of rarest birds like Flamingo, Coot, Busturd was perhaps the driver. Memories of this trip make up yet another page in the eventful one year at IIMA.

My Sony digicam was more than handy and I was pleased to see some nice pics coming up (above: Seagulls feeding on nuts thrown by visitors as Sunrise happens).

What do I want to do and Where do I want to go?

Indira Parikh, the greatest OB prof in India (in my humble opinion) is teaching us a course called Managing Leadership in the context of organizational growth. The course has opened a set of fundamental questions.

I realise external triggers almost always were the genesis of my (major) career decisions be it going to Engineering (because every one considered good did that); or even doing an MBA. Yes, I have personal reasons as well. When I look back I was amazed at the options that were opened with schools like ISB coming up in India way back in 2002. In 2002, some of my most stellar colleagues had left to join ISB which caught my imagination. What was considered a remote possible option was alive again for me. 2007 saw me get there although by then I have broad based my target set (and of course my research led me to choose PGPX over others). On the other hand, I feel I did not do justice to my hidden interest and talent for Carnatic Music. I mean I haven't found time in my busy life to nurture this interest thus far. It is this paradigm of ignoring internal self and acting primarily on external triggers, which was my focus of reflection during MLCOG.

This discussion would be incomplete if I give an impression of undermining the power of looking around to learn and make choices. The point that is being made is, in this perpetual race of doing well, one has forgotten to stop by and ask what do I want to do and where do I want to go. Easy questions but no so easy answers. And certainly, making choices is certainly not easy.

Avnish Bajaj (of Baazi.com fame) lectured us some time back and I am reminded of his four pillars of life - 1. Professional 2. Personal& familial 3. Social 4. Spiritual. To hear it from Avnish esp after what he has achieved (IITK + HBS + GS + McK + Entrepreneur), comes with so much weight. I may be sounding like a bit like a soul after an Osho treatment but I kind of feel the sooner we ask ourselves these questions, the better off we are.

On a more trivial note, it has been a long while since I have come this space. Many things have been keeping me busy. I realise we would be leaving IIMA in another 47 days; can't believe how time has gone by. As I say bye for now, I reminded of Budha's saying: "All that we are today, is a result of what we thought".

Excerpts from a submission

Folks, here is a personal take away (discovered during a submission) I thought I should put here.

Leading To Make a Difference (excepts from a note "Why leaders can't lead: The unconscious conspiracy continues" Warren Bennis)
True leaders lead fully integrated lives, seamlessly fitting their careers in their professional lives. It is important for a leader to see the inherent limitations, ambition, talent and capacity for learning puts on the real growth of the individual. He must strive to make these qualities his servants rather than master. A leader identifies his true calling by leveraging his strengths. He also leverages strengths of his people by encouraging them to think. He has the vision to rise above the intrinsic narrowness of the life around him.

Reflections: One year at IIMA, I have been feeling the constant internal dialogue between academic input and my real world experiences. Perhaps that is the reason why these reflection notes are designed in the first place. Sometimes I am challenged in the usage of expressions to mirror these internal conversations, but reflection notes are the best that can get to capture this essence. I must admit all this has accelerated my personal growth like never before in my life and now there is a yearning to keep this going all the while. I wonder how I would accomplish this.

One way is to read select literature and books. Another is to surround myself with people with who I can have such conversations. And yes there are reflection notes (I can consider writing them in my diary on weekends may be). The importance of stepping back amidst busy life and cultivating the ability to collect the pearls on the way cannot be underemphasised. I would say this realisation is the greatest gift IIMA has given us.

Color on Canvas says it all !

As we near completion of term3 and head towards different destinations for our International Immersion Projects, it dawns on me that the time left before we graduate would be less than 3 months from the time we return to campus after IIP (in mid December). As the countdown begins, I hear from the pioneering class on how dearly they miss the campus life. It kind of feels touchy & feely already ya. We've hit off as class from the T-Nite time and developed family level relationships. Here is a tribute to class X, mostly done by the spouses group. These works were created during T-Nite time.

1. You can have the cake and eat it too. Many faces of Class X.

Credits: Spouses group (Neelima & Payal)

2. As we draw closer to convo, smell the the confidence and dreams in the air !

Credits: Spouses group (Neelima & Payal)

3. Beating the market..

Credits: Chatty

As Professor Seshadri mentioned, learning and skill acquisition has been the key focus so far in first 3 terms. Not surprising, considering we have taken a year's time out to do this, at this stage in life. But keeping material engagements (read placements) to the end of the programme, where they should actually belong has been a hallmark of this year's sojourn.

Good luck to each of us, as we discover the road ahead and make a new beginning. Amen.

When Kids have all the fun !

This blog would be incomplete without talking about the bunch of people who are making the most of their stay here at IIMA. Yes guys, we are talking about the future of India, the generation Z - Kids of MSH (married student housing) are having a blast out here. Many of us, in similar life stages, have kids of nearly same age. There are so many kids in the 3-6 age group that we have organized for a dedicated van for all the kids to the neighboring school. But when they are not at school, they either gang up at one of our flats or freak out as their moms yap at the adda. I often turn green with jealousy looking at these Z's. Bete tumhaari bhee baari aayegi !

For those with slightly older kids, the dynamics at home are quite tricky; the conventional discussions on kids' grades at school are completely obviated. And for justifiable reasons. After all fathers are smarter than kids- they are not going to open Pandora's boxes!

The Ethical dilemma

One of the most heated and passionately debated topics ever in the PGPX class, the ethics class was close to most us, for obvious reasons. Whether it was Olivia Jones (the protagonist in the case) dilemma or numerous experiential examples shared in the class, one thing was clear- the definition and understanding of ethics is not uniform and homogeneous. However, the notion of ethics that one holds seem to affect others positively / negatively, to certain degree and measure. This makes the effected party to respond and thus a debate on correctness of ethics is already on cards. As a manager of a corporation engaged in international business, one is expected to run into this debate many a time. It is perhaps important to recognize the heterogeneity of the meaning of ethics people hold.

I would see two outcomes as a result -
a) Being aware of one’s own definition should help clear out of questions and debates as one would have clarity of thought and her position on a debatable stand point
b) Respect other’s ethical stand point and not make value judgments. Even a Supreme Court judge very rarely is pushed to pass a judgment on ethical stand offs. Other mortals can clearly wait and resist the temptation.

What does it take it to be an Entrepreneur?

Indeed we are lucky that Jerry Rao, an un-usual entrepreneur (who took up to Entrepreneurship at 45) was teaching us entrepreneurship. More interestingly, he was using an HBS case Jerry Rao: Diaspora and Entrepreneurship in the Global Economy. There are several learnings from the class. Jerry credits most of his evolution to his first & last employer Citibank, for whom he worked for 25 years after passing from IIMA in 1973.

1. Flexibility with respect to autonomy at work
   
2. A nurturing environment (Citi sponsored Jerry for a PhD)
3. Jerry built lasting relationships and a network that stood for him in good stead. Jerry built a great reputation which later on helped him when started up.
4. Jerry had rational and not adaptive expectations (belief in the principle that past does not predict future)
5. Jerry developed new skills and abilities as he moved from one job to another (functional / geographical changes). He was willing to jettison zones of comfort and make personal sacrifices.

I have found Jerry's thoughts on Entrepreneurship very insightful.

1. Have a clear sight of downside while starting up. Ask yourself "can you manage the downside?"
2. Going public (too soon) brings it's own sets of pressures- a) it can prevent you from making strategic decisions (Q-Q pressures)
3. Willing to give up cushy (corporate) lifestyle during initial years (very relevant for Xians)
4. Trust and relationships built with different people all along your career would be quite useful.
   

I have chosen this course for sheer admiration for the prof. And this is turning out to be more than what I could ask for. Plus the quality of class discussions is hitting an all time high, thanks to the very talent peer group.

As Bryan Adams would say, some years down the line I am going to reminisce those were the best days of my life....

Bonsai Manager

Mr R GopalaKrishnan, Exec Director Tata Sons was on the campus during the first week of August. He interacted with the PGPX class for half a day and also spent time talking about developing intuitions as managers and how we can use it for making effective decisions. He being a great believer in role of intuitions in management, pour in all his experiences into his maiden work, "The case of the Bonsai Manager". Gopal uses his deep understanding of nature in driving home his point and he has been absolutely brilliant at that.

I was particularly impressed by this man's thought process and articulation skills. He held the class captivated for about 2 hours, as he took us through his learning from stint at Levers and now at Tata Sons.

His brother R. Srinivasan is another wizard (I've heard him a couple of times - even this man is a great thinker and orator) but works for another Indian giant ITC. Looks like getting big, runs in the family !

Awesome... Sujata !

This one is going to be a certain IIMA memoir for most of us. The prof who taught us Financial Markets, not only helped in developing an intuitive understanding of debt, equity and derivative markets but also connected with us so well, that most reckon her to be more a friend than a teacher. For us, Sujata has re-defined teaching in B Schools. She was simply superb !

As we all gathered this evening, to say thanks to this great teacher, I was awestruck with the amount of love and affection she had won from the class in 6 weeks flat. As she stood listening to people sharing their experiences with her and was receiving souvenirs and good wishes, a simple truth dawned on me. To win the respect and love of people like students and sub-ordinates (who owe no obligation to return favours/say good words) you not only have to be good in what you do (she was amazing in fin fundas - BS(MIT), MBA(IIMA) and great pedagogy), but also have to be a good human being(she was extremely helping, caring and approachable).

Personally, it has been wonderful and gratifying experience with you, Sujata. Your advice has been extremely useful and I hope to find my goal on the path I am choosing.

Till we meet again..... Adieu.

End of Term 1

It has been over 9 weeks since coming over here. Late night case discussions in syndicate, dozing off in classes and exams loomed large on my term 1 impressions. As the term is nearing its conclusion, we had a dinner organised thanks to Tejbir.

We've got 2 more end terms tomorrow and one take home exam for the weekend. But today's exam has been a disaster for many. I will not go into the details of how some of us screwed up, but suffice to say- it's been a great leveler of sorts.

Term 1 mostly dealt with basic management courses called, Building Blocks in PGPX parlance. Some of the BB courses deal with balance sheets, P&Ls, consolidations, relevant costs, variance analysis, performance analysis, OB, Strategic HRM, Brands, OM, Stats, LP, Micro Eco and others. Mind you the courses themselves are not called by these names. The emphasis has been on group based learning with at least 30-40% credits to group based work in general.


BB continues in term2, which is commencing from the 11th June. I am looking ahead to this weekend, to catch up on sleep and may be watch a movie.

PGPX Spouses & Partners

While the husbands (well most of us are) are busy mugging (our lingo for studying.. .ahem!), the spouses group has been really hitting well of as group. The IIMA new campus is a typical site to watch these days. The sprawling lawns in front of CR11 and the shack (which is our hope at 3 am in the nite for a cuppa tea) made a perfect setting for the 20 odd women and their kiddos to have a get together at 11 pm ! While the crowd played antakshari and rejoiced outside, we morons mugged inside our syndicates and star gazed, mera time kab aayega? (longed for the good times).

Being here with my family perhaps has been the best decisions I have made. Contrary to many people telling me that family might be a hindrance to my studies, I found it works the other way round. My family being with me, has been huge source of support and strength. In fact the little time I get to spend with my son, is what I use for recreation. In 3.5 years since he was born, I never spent such quality time with him. That makes me realise, the one year also gives us time and space with family which was dearly missed in the work life rut. I am loving it.

A day in the life of a PGPXian

It has been just over a month and we have lost count of the tests that were administered so far, to check how much have we learned. Interestingly, most of us are asking ourselves- are we here for learning or for grades? This questions gets asked most frequently immediately after a test (or quiz in IIMA parlance) and no prizes for guessing the response! I have just hit my study, after a gruelling day, which also had two quizzes. And as I was pondering over, I thought I shall put down a typical day of a PGPXian (during term 1).

7.30 am Wake up and catch up on news on TV (more used as a radio here) as I get ready.

8.15 am Yap with class mates over breakfast. From business to cribs about food quality, breakfast discussions over a cuppa are amusing - for anything under the sun, PGPX mess is the place.

8.45am - 1.30 pm Three classes with 10-15 min break between each class. In most sessions, we would not realise, how time flew but in few other courses, well.........
Like in any other school, what we learn seems to be directly proportional to quality of Prof's pedagogical prowess.

1.30 pm Lunch and check out what's the agenda for next day. Agree with your study group on how will we structure the prep for next day's class and person specific responsibilities

2.30 pm Quiz (usually surprises). On days when quizzes are not there, study / prep begins

3.30 pm - 9. 30 pm - Self study for next day (with a half hour break in between for dinner). Self study comprises of reading 2-3 cases, each around 15 pages. In addition it would constitute reading concepts / fundas from text books and solving problems on courses like Eco, stats and other Ops. courses. Thus term is part of Building blocks and true to their names, the courses are bombarding me with heavy duty stuff.

9.30 pm onwards: Study group discussions. Depending on the quantum of work load, the end time gets decided. For instance, on days when there is a submission the next day, end time can be 4-.4.30 am !! Else, it would be around 1.30 am to 2 am.

2 am Personal Space. Come back home, check and respond to mails. Catch up on online notes / interesting articles.

2.30 am Try to sleep ;)


Guys, this schedule has been going on for 5 weeks now and on weekends, we are either playing catch up / sleeping.... stories of students repeated year after year, as IIMA script remains largely same. It's time now for me, see you guys here soon. Enjoy your weekend !

Brands are living beings!

Strange? Huh ! Even I found it un- believable, until an extremely passionate prof in Marketing had to reason further. That they create off springs (by creating sub brands) and that they become friends (customers placing trust and emotions in the brand). Sample, Tata for trust. The animated discussions we had in the 75 minute session, perhaps make brands what they are. Glamorous, Abstract and Living entities. IMO, undoubtedly the credit goes to the instructor in creating such a learning environment, where students relate to the discussion instantly and learn without much effort. It is perhaps profs like these that made IIMA what it is.

It has been a long while since I blogged. There were some technical probs with my Internet explorer which had to be sorted out. Finally,got them cracking. I have so much to say, but so less time ! Will bring you all upto speed soon.

Before I sign off, here's one snap from the PGPX class room, an Army Major, and two techie wizards caught un awares, well almost!

Inducted into IIMA

This Friday afternoon is perhaps one of the most precious times I have felt in many years. Trust me, I have never looked ahead for a week end with so much eagerness in years now! Yes, that's week one @IIMA, in short for you guys. They say that as you go along you get used to this grind and your mind and body adapt. I am dying to see that happen to me as soon it can.

So how has it been rubbing shoulders with perhaps one of the most experienced full time MBA class, at least in this part of the world? The question is incomplete if I do not bring in the role of some of the best known profs in India as learning facilitators. Well I would say something extraordinary!! I find people are confident, eager to learn and enthusiastic. At this point in life one cannot get more serious about learning, if one has managed to come here all the way. So all this was probably expected. However, I must confess that CP (class participation) is a concept, we have not yet understood. May be it will come soon.

In many ways, week 1 or the induction module defines your learning objectives here. For instance apart from the functional competencies that I am looking to build, I have had the most profound realization about listening comprehension. A talkative person that I am, was surprised to discover the power of learning through active listening and concentration. My CP of course might take a beating but I am not complaining. Also, I am told we would start trusting and respecting each other more than we ever did thus far in lives, as consequence of the IIMA milieu. That of course would be an invaluable experience.

An entrepreneur, a company secretary and lawyer, an Engineering professional and fewIT engineers are part of the syndicate with whom I learn. The topper of the passing batch told us about how getting along with group determines a great part of your academic performance. So, group work is going to be exciting for sure!

Folks, I may not write as frequently as I used. But will certainly do, when I get time like I got today. Before I sign off, listening to Mr. Chidambaram on the convo was an awesome experience. It was an inspirational address as he egged managers IIMA is producing to participate in improving the spending efficiency of Government. On a different note, the brick & concrete structures and the circles & the triangles of the famed IIMA architecture cast a spell on me as I entered the hallowed portals. It feels great to belong here.