Akash: The program started 3 years ago for me and there are various learnings that I have acquired over the years. The program offered several opportunities to interact & work with the company’s top officials. You get to work on various projects which helps you understand different parallels of the ABG Group. ABG arranges visits to a lot of its factories and setups to help ABGLP recruits understand exactly what the company does and who are its clients. The programme has helped me grow by leaps and bounds and provided me with opportunities which I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams.
Rajat: It looks like the ABGLP program really places a lot of emphasis on exposure to new opportunities! Could you expand upon the nature of corporate exposure and challenges that you have had in your stint with ABG?
Akash: The exposure that such a mammoth organization provides is incomparable. The kind of businesses I saw, the managers I have worked with and the various environments that I have worked in all have helped me build up my skills. I’ve worked in the United States, Brazil, Thailand and worked in the HR team, the plant team etc. Each of them has given me a unique outlook towards businesses and problem-solving. It opens your thought process in ways one could not imagine.
Rajat: That level of international experience is certainly something to be taken note of. How do you compare ABGLP with the other leadership programs in the industry? What makes it unique?
Akash: The program actually lives up to its name and offers leadership roles at every crossroad during your journey. Fresh out of college, not much experience still ABG provides those senior-level roles as well as the support to excel at the role. The senior management takes a lot of care during the program and is always there to help you as a friend explaining things and interacting with you.
Rajat: It looks like ABG believes in entrusting recruits with responsibilities right off the bat. According to you, what are the skill sets needed to enter and excel at the program?
Akash: One of the most important skills needed is Leadership. You should be able to see the potential in your team and allocate roles according to their potential. Good communication skills are a trait valued at ABGLP because early on in your career you have to interact with top officials and that requires tact. Creativity is needed as the group is quite old some processes need to be changed and it requires immense creativity to apply those changes without disturbing the foundation of the organization. Commitment to your work is another characteristic that they check and evaluate upon.
Rajat: Your experience makes it clear why ABGLP is one of the most sought-after leadership programs in the country. What advice would you give to the students preparing to be part of the ABG family?
Akash: The process is very comprehensive spanning several rounds. One should not necessarily have good leadership skills, but one should have leadership potential which they could inculcate in the program. During group tasks, they closely monitor each individual so do your best and keep up your A-game. The students should be agile and fast with their decisions and should work on developing quick responses to business scenarios.
Rajat: Now that we have covered all the major aspects, we wanted to know what has been the most memorable thing about working at the highest level at such a huge conglomerate?
Akash: Actually, a couple of things. One of them was when I was appreciated by my HRO, during my review he praised me by commenting that I had the ability to work on the ground as well as the strategic level. He said a mixture of both these skills is what helped me execute the plant operations at the US office efficiently. This was a checkpoint in my career, it provided the motivation to move forward and work even harder.
The second was when I was working at a power plant in Uttar Pradesh, the plant was going through a skill drainage problem as the average working-age was very high and when people would retire there would be less skilled personnel to replace them. So, we introduced a system where talent was appreciated and promoted earlier than the normal promotion timeline so that they could acquire the skill sets of the top management. I created a digitized system for which I was very much appreciated. As an outcome of the system ABG awarded me the “Pride Award”.
Rajat: That was a very enlightening, Akash. Your insights about the program shall certainly inspire a lot of prospective candidates to take up the program. We wish all the best for your career at Aditya Birla Group.
Akash: Thank You.
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