Komal Kolte from the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode is one of India's Most Promising Incoming MBA Students 2022!
The following is Komal Kolte'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, Komal 's story and profile stood out. Here's her story in her words.
"Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat the luckier you get" - This quote has kept me motivated throughout my life which has given me great results always. I am a Computer Engineer from NIT Surat, believing in dedication, hard work, patience and most importantly, BELIEVING IN ONESELF. The amalgamation of traits like sincerity, affirmation, hard work inspired from my father and humbleness along with immense patience to deal with things in the most plausible manner coming from my mother, have greatly molded me to become an emerging leader having served as the Regional Lead for Cyber Security Consulting in Wipro. At Wipro, I received a 'High Flyer Award' for contribution to amplifying revenue by 9% for a financial year. My work has helped me understand the importance of leveraging technology to make business decisions in agile environment. To be able to do this in an effective manner, I have joined IIM Kozhikode. Besides representing the students' body as Head Girl in school, I also developed passion for classical dance and took 3 years of formal training for Bharatnatyam. I was awarded Rajya Puraskar by Governor of Gujarat for my dedicated service of educating economically deprived 5,000+ adults and children. I love running, journaling and dancing.
Tell us more about your extracurricular achievements
Management:
1. Ranked in Top 0.02 %ile among 900+ teams in ProdMan, an International quiz by Think Five Analytics (2022)
2. Achieved 13th rank surpassing 800+ teams in National Consulting Olympiad organized by Business Hub (2022)
Sports:
1. Finished as Under-19 National level basketball Finalist, representing Gujarat in Clusters event by CBSE (2010)
2. Attained spot in 2+ State Level running marathons within 70 minutes organized by Gujarat Government (2021)
Social Service:
1. Received Rajya Puraskar from Governor of Gujarat for educating 2,000+ adults and 5,000+ needy kids (2011)
2. Awarded Best Cadet Guide for running 6 months long adult education campaign for 300+ adults in Surat (2010)
Cultural:
1. Received Graceful Lady award for winning 5+ literature, public speaking competitions in 2 years in school( 2012)
2. Secured 1st Runners Up in Gita Chanting by Worldwide Federation of Young Leaders and Entrepreneurs (2005)
3. Achieved a Zonal rank of 1st class for 3 years in Bharatnatyam exam conducted by Gujarat Sangeet Samiti (2003)
Literature:
1. Won Silver Medal among 5,000+ students in National Essay Writing Competition organized by Reliance (2011)
Art & Design:
1. Secured highest grade in Intermediate and Elementary drawing exam conducted by Gujarat Exam Board (2009)
2. Outperformed 1,000+ students to secure 1st position in drawing competition by Rotary Club of Surat (2007)
Tell us about a time when you messed up, and what you learnt from the experience?
Im the kind of person who tries to learn and grow from every mistake.While working on a project independently for the first time, I tried to take on everything myself, from gathering preliminary data about the project to answering all client questions single handed. This micro-engagement created a bottleneck in quick turnaround time to the client. This was my Ahora O Nunca (Now or Never) moment. Had I rather delegated the work to my team, I would have had the opportunity to explore avenues of potential offerings to the client besides the requirement and create a bigger business opportunity.One thing I have learnt from past mistakes is when to ask for help. I have learned that it is far better to ask for clarification and solve an issue right away than to be unsure of. Another aspect of team work besides helping is asking for help and the need to be in constant communication with one another, and I think my ability to ask (and answer) questions of my peers would help me fit in very well.
Tell us something about yourself that others may be surprised to know about you.
I developed the habit of journaling right in my childhood when I started writing with pens. I had begun with writing down just the crucial moments of my life but soon I incorporated detailing of my day-to-day life experiences which went on to become a skill that helped me with clear organization of my thoughts, prioritize problems and recognize triggers and self evaluate to better control them. Journaling eventually went on to become my personality trait which reflected positively in my everyday job life make it easier and more meaningful.Working in an agile environment got overwhelming at times demanding persistent presence of a calm and composed mind. This was the case while preparing for JEE entrance exams as well as in corporate life liaising with multiple clients simultaneously. So I found my way out by meditation and chanting shlokas from Bhagavad Gita right from my childhood. This has helped me calm the whirlpool of thoughts beneath in distress and the life lessons from Bhagavad Gita helped me channelize these thoughts in a constructive manner.
What have been your two biggest successes in life? What did you learn from them?
1. Fast track promotion from Associate Consultant to Senior Associate in Wipro within 18 months against normal promotion cycle of 36 months. I learnt that consistency and perseverance can give you desired outcome. Just NEVER GIVE UP!2. As part of my internship at IIM Ahmedabad, I was able to impact lives of 1,000+ beneficiaries by actualizing an interactive interface for 120 NGOs in Pune for optimal resource and infrastructure sharing and facilitate collaborations between the volunteers, the donors and the NGOs over a single platform - PuneCollab.
Professionally, what is your ideal image of yourself five years from now? Where do you see yourself?
Five years from now, I see myself touching the lives of hundreds of millions of people across the globe solving worldwide problems using technology and innovation. I see myself fit into the shoes of an empathetic Product Manager designing and building products to make lives little easier and better than before.
What is the one skill or characteristic you possess that you are most proud of, and why?
I can work under pressure without affecting my performance. Meditating over years now has really helped me here. I maintain my composure even more to focus with precision. This is exactly why my team in Wipro banked on me whether it was meeting deadlines for deliverables to clients or presenting the proposal roadmap to the CISO of a company or accommodating any last minute activities. My manager had told once that this was a differentiating factor which amplified my candidature for promotion. A senior team mate also once complimented me of bringing rich experience of 3-5 years to the table while i was an absolute rookie when I joined Wipro.
In your opinion, what skills or qualities does a successful manager possess?
1. Humility and Patience - does not boast about own achievements nor treat the team members with arrogance
2. Effective communication - able to convey in a well understood manner and open to feedback/suggestion/criticism
3. Ability to connect the dots - good observation skills to read between the lines and analyze the patterns in data
4. Time Management
Tell us about an ethical dilemma that you may have faced, and how you resolved it.
One of my senior team mates was working on a deal which he had to hand over to me midway as he proceeded with his emergency leave. I picked up the slack from there. I along with my team members from other practices (or departments), was able to convert this deal to a huge win for Wipro to add a new logo to the success stories. In an appreciation mail from my manager and higher authorities, I was given the entire credit to lead the deal from my practice. However, I had only taken the proposal towards win for which the foundation was already laid by my team mate. I felt it would be unjust to not acknowledge his contribution to this win. So I called my manager personally bringing under his notice the entire episode and requested him to also credit this team member in the appreciation mail. I also congratulated him on the big win and his exceptional contribution to it.
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?
I would choose to work in an Ed-tech based company like BYJU's. As the CEO of BYJU's, my first action would be to introduce interactive videos about the Indian tax system and how it works targeting the under graduation students on a subscription based model at minimal cost in the beginning. The intent is to educate and familiarize these young professionals with Income tax and the process of filing income tax returns. This will give BYJU's 2-fold advantage, first, to bridge this gap of financial illiteracy for non-finance background students and second, increase market share and revenue of BYJU's.
Any Other Comments Or Factors You Would Like To Highlight About Yourself?
Co-founded Surveyors club in NIT Surat and provided SUDA (Surat Urban Development Association), Surat with the findings of 50+ surveys conducted in Surat city (2016) Succeded 0.2 mn+ candidates with 8th Zonal rank and 361st International rank in International Olympiad of English Language (2012) Attained a rank in Top 0.26 %ile out of total of 0.27 mn+ students appearing in Joint Entrance Examination conducted by CBSE (2015) As the Head Girl. ideated and organized 1st season of Talentia, an Inter School talent competition with a footfall of 1,000+ students (2012)