International Management Institute Kolkata got a great opportunity to interact with the Assistant General Manager and Head HR of ArcelorMittal, Mr. Subrata Chatterjee. The session was on how to increase one’s employability and it was a highly introspective one. The topics touched upon really added value to the students. The session began with an understanding of the success factor in this global era. Traversing through time and going back to the 1800s when Charles Darwin talked about the SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST, the students also realized how relevant this theory has been all along. Gone are the days when life was not so mechanical. Some very alarming thoughts brought up were that the thinking ability has tremendously gone down. He most suitably said, “Life is now “complex” but “easy” also due to constant “change” and “innovations”.” In this era of automation, the need for emotional intelligence has become necessary in any field. Hence, the advice to make a transition from the comfort zone to the learning zone has become necessary to taste success.
The session was full of questions which not only gave us a new perspective but also tested our acumen. Learning, unlearning and relearning is the simple formula to adapt in this ever-changing work environment. A paradigm shift from a casual graduate life to a serious professional life has led to understanding the various aspects of the expectations from a Management graduate. He said, “It's lethal to over promise and under-deliver. If you believe you can do 10, say you can do 8 and deliver an 11. Right promise and over-deliver is the way to go.”The dead silence among the students when asked to answer, “Why would anyone want to be led by me?” was the self-introspection moment. Change is the only constant and that the current skill sets won’t be of much use in the future and hence, we all need to have a high level of cognitive flexibility. The best learning moment that the students had was that in today’s era, to survive the next 30 years, the most important skill that every management graduate must necessarily have are strong intuitive skills. The not so rosy side of being in this field was brought to the fore. The way ArcelorMittal has handled development and environment is phenomenal. The session was highly enriching and self-observing and ended on a simple note that “Life is like water, everything falls in place eventually.”