Part A: My thoughts about the impact of Aditya Birla Group on my life.
Aditya Birla Group’s mission is to deliver superior value to customers, shareholders, employees & society at large. What impresses me about their mission is how they also focus on providing value to the society as well. The values shared by ABG, namely – Integrity, Commitment, Passion, & Seamlessness is something I also share especially integrity, commitment & passion. The Group’s focus is sustainability commendable. It is one of the few conglomerates that has a dedicated section on sustainability. Usually, corporations do lip service when it comes to sustainability, but ABG has been the forefront when it comes to incorporating sustainable practices in their businesses. All ABG companies have a shared vision of working together to create social value, and the sustainable development reports released annually by every company in the group demonstrate this.
Aditya Birla Group Sustainable Business Conferences provide an excellent platform for those seeking to adopt sustainability measures in their business. Given that I aspire to build a business that advises corporations on sustainability, ABG’s sustainability practices give me great opportunities for learning on this subject. Many group companies have won several awards one of them is “Most Sustainable Business “ awarded by Enablon for its sustained and consistent progress in driving the sustainability agenda forward, Golden Peacock Award for Sustainability 2018 won by Grasim Industries which is a indication towards their commitment to incorporate sustainability in their group companies.
Another aspect where ABG is significant in my life is when it comes to fashion. Over the years, I developed a preference for brands such as Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, & Allen Solly. It started when I was 18, when I first went to purchase a couple of suits & formals for my interviews and even after seven years, I still hold a preference for these brands. My entire “formal” wear collection does not go beyond the three brands, mainly due to the quality & durability of their products. I cannot imagine not having an LP trouser or a Van Heusen shirt or Allen Solly chinos. Lastly, being a son of a Civil Engineer, I cannot end the article without mentioning their cement brand – Ultra tech. While I was visiting the sites where my dad worked, this cement brand was almost omnipresent. In fact, when my dad built our first home, the logical choice for cement was, of course, Ultra Tech cement. Where ever he worked, he always recommended this brand given its quality & history of providing excellent support to their customers.
Aditya Birla Group is in the league of Fortune 500 companies a record few Indian companies can boast. It employs a diverse workforce comprising of 120,000 employees, belonging to 42 different nationalities across 36 countries. The Group has been ranked number 4 in the global 'Top Companies for Leaders' survey and ranked number 1 in the Asia Pacific for 2011. It has charted top the Nielsen's Corporate Image Monitor three years in a row -- 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 as the number 1 corporate, the 'Best in Class.' These awards are a testament to the quality of its workforce which translate to excellent products & services.
Part B Challenges I faced & How I overcame them.
A prominent challenge I faced was dealing with situations which were beyond my control. I have two dreams one was to get an MBA degree & the other was to live in Europe. I figured there was a way I could achieve both of these dreams together which is when I applied to several business schools in Europe and I was able to secure an admission at a top school in France. My years of hard work has finally paid off or so I thought. All that was left was to get the visa & I was off to live my dream. Unfortunately for me, my visa was rejected. I was crest fallen, angry at myself for allowing myself to dream. Eventually after counseling by my parents I began to let go of things beyond my control. Whatever I did, I gave my best & I did not think much about the result. This attitude is what helped me get a decent score in MBA entrance exams & I was successful in converting a couple of B-Schools and I eventually choose SIBM-B, a decision I glad I made.
Culture reflects a set of underlying values and beliefs shared by a group of people. Culture shock is referred to a condition a person experiences when subjected to a way of life which is radically different from his own. I first experienced cultural shock when I first got into college. One of the many challenges I faced in college was that most people in my class did not necessarily share similar ideas and values as I. My classmates in school were highly competitive and most of us shared similar values. But the same couldn’t be said about my class in college. In my first year, I had difficulty adjusting to college life for the first couple of months. As months passed, I started accepting the diversity of culture and ideas around me. Being with different people encouraged me to learn about their values, ideas, and culture. During my time in college, I began working with non-local students to help them get adjusted to the local culture. This experience was vital because during my early day in my office I was drafted in for a project involving people from distinct geographies and it was easy for me to adjust working in a multicultural environment.
A third challenge I faced was when I joined my company after college. Though based in Hyderabad my team was a diverse team it had people from all over the country. I felt overwhelmed at first but gradually I got into terms with people around me. My first step was to learn about the culture of the team. The most important thing which helped me integrate into the team was that when in doubt I always asked questions. I started learning about my teammates by listening to their experiences and their expectations from me. Doing so helped me understand my teammates better and greatly benefited me during my tenure.
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