Kartikeya Mundepi from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta is one of India's Most Promising Incoming MBA Students 2022!
The following is Kartikeya Mundepi's set of responses to a questionnaire floated amongst incoming MBA graduates to determine the top 50 Most Promising Incoming MBA students of 2022. Amongst the massive number of entries and responses being evaluated, Kartikeya's story and profile stood out. Here's his story in his words.
I am all about having different experiences and learning new things. I hail from Dehradun, worked in Hyderabad, and reside in Kolkata. I genuinely appreciate different cultures that help me connect to the diverse people I meet.I have worked at an Edtech Startup and mentored more than 100 students there and in a personal capacity too. Much of my time is spent playing various sports, meeting new people and discussing stuff from chess to any piece of cinema, from Citizen Kane to the latest releases. A thing that drives me is giving back to society in some manner.
Tell us more about your extracurricular achievements
I was the Elected Representative for Mess affairs in my third year, which was the most challenging year we faced, given the falling quality of the mess. The task constituted a lot of people management and quick decision-making.I am associated with numerous NGOs in both online and physical capacities. During COVID, I helped feed the labourers stuck near my home and the animals near us who had no one to feed them.I have won the district chess championship organized by our university. I also participated in the national sports meet 'Spardha' in Chess, Table tennis and Badminton.
Tell us about a time when you messed up, and what you learnt from the experience?
In middle school, I participated in a speech competition and had to deliver a self-prepared speech. I was confident about acing it, and the first few minutes of my delivery showed it. However, 5 mins into the speech, the bell of the school I was giving the speech tolled, and I got distracted for a second. Coming back to the speech, I couldn't remember where I left or what to say next. I could feel my eyes water, and I got off the stage. This became deep insecurity of mine, and I could not participate in a stage event for a long time. Then one day, I was asked by my teacher to come forward and speak in front of an entire auditorium. When I confided in her about how I felt about going in front of the stage again, she did not budge and was adamant about sending me on the stage. After preparation of 2-3 days, I went ahead and spoke. I felt I was better that day than I ever was before. The main thing I learned that day was that your fears have a hold over you only till you confront them. I also learned the importance of a mentor in life.
Tell us something about yourself that others may be surprised to know about you.
I am a person who has a smile on my face most of the time, and people think that I am unfazed by the hardships I am in at that time. Others would be surprised to know that I do feel deeply about the situations I am in, but I try not to project the same negative feelings onto others by making them evident on my face.
What have been your two biggest successes in life? What did you learn from them?
- With the help of InsideIIM, I was able to bring a few friends together to organize a charity stream. We ended up raising around 14k which was given to charity. This was a small part on our side but a marked the beginning of many more such endeavours to come.
- Converting IIM Calcutta was another success I'm proud of. I was determined to have a platform where I could learn from the best of peers, and converting the institute fulfilled that dream.
Professionally, what is your ideal image of yourself five years from now? Where do you see yourself?
I am a person who believes in having a balanced life with a scope of overhauling when the organization needs you. 5 years from now I see myself leading a team that has good camaraderie amongst us and growing in and with the organization. At the same time, I want to be socially responsible by being part of noble endeavours the organization partakes in and introducing a few such endeavours of mine too.
What is the one skill or characteristic you possess that you are most proud of, and why?
For a particular competition I participated in, I had to ask my close friends to fill out a form about how they would describe me. One thing was common among them: empathy.I can relate with the other person without imparting any judgement but by understanding where they are coming from. The people I know come to me in times of crisis to lighten their hearts, and I genuinely feel good knowing I caused this positive change in them.
In your opinion, what skills or qualities does a successful manager possess?
I believe that a successful manager must be an equal mix of strategy and empathy.Extracting as much work as you can from an employee is good for the books of the organization but is immoral as well as bad in the long run for the organization too. A successful manager knows how to keep the employees productive and happy, and creates a conducive environment where the employees themselves are motivated to work hard.At the same time, the manager should be able to take tough decisions to follow the strategy he/she devised to better a situation.
Tell us about an ethical dilemma that you may have faced, and how you resolved it.
While being a student representative in front of the administration, I faced a dilemma about whether to retain the current mess contractor or not. I had a good, friendly relationship with the people working there, but due to logistical issues, the quality of the mess deteriorated. In spite of many extensions, the contractor failed to improve the situation. I had to choose between being a friend or a responsible secretary.In the end, I confronted the contractor and his team and gave him a final ultimatum while impressing the gravity of the situation. When he did not meet it, I proposed his removal. However, since I had been open with him, he was not sour about it and decided to improve his follies and apply again in the next tender.
If you were the CEO of any company of your choosing, which company would you choose and what would your first action be as CEO?
If I could be the CEO of any company, I would be the CEO of Google. One of the primary reasons is I resonate with the people culture at Google, and when given a choice, I would choose to lead a company which has that kind of employee pool.The second reason is Google's sheer presence in many domains. Google is the company which all other major companies rely on in one way or the other. Such a presence gives Google a powerful scope for growth that is improbable for other companies. Through such a presence, I can also take social endeavours that can improve millions of lives.
Any Other Comments Or Factors You Would Like To Highlight About Yourself?
I have a tendency to keep myself humble in spite of any validation I get from my environment. I believe that I am never the smartest person in the room. This allows me to learn from everyone in the room and prevents hubris from building up. This, coupled with my tendency to improve myself continuously ensures that I have no cap over how much I can grow in the right environment.