Part A- My experience with ABRL’s More Supermarket
The Aditya Birla Group has played a crucial role in my life. As a fresher right out of college in 2016, I joined a supply chain consulting firm specializing in re-engineering warehouses in India. One of the most significant projects at the time was a collaboration with Aditya Birla Retail Limited’s More Supermarket chain. We bagged the contract to completely redesign their distribution centers across several cities and implement a state of the art warehouse management system. And what an experience it was! The learning curve was especially steep. I got to visit one of their largest distribution centers in Bangalore and see for real just how complex their supply chain network was. I interacted with many of their ground operating staff and understood that they were extremely grateful for both employment and promotion opportunities extended to them by the parent organization. Loyalty to the organization over time was met with promotions and incremental responsibilities being handed over in a gradual manner. Aditya Birla Retail Limited’s office in Andheri, Mumbai was always hustling with energy. A major decision was taken only after consulting with all stakeholders involved and gaining their buy-in. The warehouse manager at their Pune DC was extremely knowledgeable about the mechanics behind every small process and gave us useful insights into where operations could be improved further for raising overall productivity levels. Pune DC was the first DC to go live on our project and it was a success! I shall be grateful to ABRL for giving us the opportunity to contribute to the growth of their retail business in our own small manner.
Part B- Make the Shift
It was clear to me during the third year of my bachelor’s in engineering that I wanted to shift to a management track. Only the premier institutes of our country would do. Nothing less. I also knew from my conversations with older, more experienced folks that I needed quality work experience to extract the maximum from my post graduate management program. But how would I focus on CAT while giving equal focus to my work as a consultant in a supply chain consulting firm? I followed the SHIFT rule. I began by Stating my desired outcome. Instead of trying to just solve for what’s wrong, spend some time developing a clear outline of what would be right. Then, I Highlighted the obstacles, and then categorize them. The reality is that things get in the way. It’s important to get past them. Next, I Identified human factors. Most good management processes overlook the one thing that can make any endeavor sink or swim: the people. Take them into account before you lay out your plans. I then, Found my alternatives or back up plans in case the exam or interviews didn’t go according to plan. The final step was to Take disciplined actions. The clearer and more specific the steps, and the more time-bound and specific you can make them, the more likely it is that you will achieve the goal. And here I am, at IIM.