“True leadership is the art of creating and communicating your vision, passion, inspiration and the journey you will take your team members on” – Patrick Driessen
Among the various events hosted by B-schools all over the country, very few focus on leadership development with particular emphasis on oratory. Understanding the importance of business communication and leadership skills, Forum for Communication and Leadership at IIM Bangalore launched
Ace the B-moot. This event was a part of Vista, 2015, annual management fest of IIM B. Participants needed to think on their feet, apply the business concepts and use words to craft thoughts in the best possible way.
118 students and corporates from across India registered for the event. In the prelims, participants were asked to submit a 2 minute video on a stipulated business problem. From the entries, top 8 finalists were shortlisted for the campus round, where they were challenged with four variegated rounds to test their business acumen and communication skills. The 8 finalists included students from IIMB, SRCC, IIM Trichy, KJ Somaiya and NMIMS.
Round 1, called the ‘War room’, was indeed a simulated war room where participants were presented with a hypothetical case dated Feb 1, 1991. The case included multiple problems our country was facing such as takeover of Golden temple by Sikh Freedom Infantry, battalion movements in Indo-Pak border, incidents of bombings in Punjab and the threat of an impending nuclear attack. In the 20 minute discussion, the participants deliberated on how the issues could have been dealt with. It tested the ability of the participants to prioritize and come to a consensus in a crisis situation.
Round 2, ‘Tackle it’, urged the contestants to challenge each other by selecting topics for each other. The topic included a mix of abstract, business and current affairs and put to test the skills of the contestants to think on their feet. The round witnessed thought provoking arguments and moments of laughter. Only the top 4 after the first and second round combined qualified for the third round.
Round 3, ‘Product launch’, was largely inspired by Steve Jobs and participants played the role of CEOs launching products in the Indian market. The creativity of participants combined with the artistry to lure the audience was assessed in this round. The final round, i.e. Round 4 (Face off!!), was a battle between the top 2 participants of the product launch stage. The contestants were given a business scenario and were asked to converse as the CFO and HR and later switch roles between them. The round tested business acumen, listening and responding skills of the contestants.
The event was marked by intense competition by all the participants and the judges found it extremely difficult to zero in on one winner. The winner, on his part, beat the runners-up by the skin of a tooth. Other contestants were not far behind thereby turning the event into nothing less than high voltage drama. The winner and runner-up were Rohit Singh and Rajbarath K respectively from IIM Bangalore. All the finalists opined that the rounds were carefully crafted and gave them exposure into real time situations that were high on learning and would contribute to making them business leaders in coming days.