Tell us about a time when you messed up, and what you learnt from the experience?
In my class XII examinations, I went prepared for the Physics exam when it was actually the Chemistry examination day. While preparing, I had thought that I remembered the timetable correctly, but messed up and went prepared with the wrong subject. After knowing about this right before the exam, I panicked and couldn't even answer questions from the chapters I had studied before and scored terribly in the exam. Luckily for me, this happened in my pre-board examination, right before my boards, and taught me a very important lesson. I realized how I shouldn't have been overconfident about the schedule and how I should always do a second check before anything important in order to avoid situations like these. I have lived by this mantra ever since, and I always repeat-check all the important submissions/presentations/examinations before the final submit.
Tell us something about yourself that others may be surprised to know about you.
I am a great foodie and a baker. I love baking cakes, brownies, breads. Anywhere around the oven is the best place to be for me. However, I also recently lost 15 kgs over a span of 4 months, almost at the rate of 1 kg per week. This sounds very surprising to people as cakes and weight loss do not go hand in hand, yet I managed to do both. People generally ask me, how am I able to do this. To this, I always explain how I keep trying to strike the right balance between things. This is something that I do, not just for this situation, but for every situation in life. I try to do everything in the right amount and make the most of my time.
What have been your two biggest successes in life? What did you learn from them?
The two biggest successes in my life are: 1. When it comes to B-school interviews, I have a 100% conversion ratio. I gave interviews for 4 courses: FMS Delhi, IIFT Delhi, XLRI Jamshedpur BM, XLRI Jamshedpur HRM, and I cleared and secured admission in all of them. After receiving the CAT'20 result just a day before XAT'21, and messing up one section, I knew that I would not be getting IIM calls. That day was one of the hardest in my life. I had worked really to prepare well for CAT while juggling with my job, but when I scored 99.74 only to receive zero IIM calls, I was heartbroken. This made XAT extremely important for me. I went to XAT with a very heavy heart, but a very determined mind to get into XLRI. From being heartbroken to finally ending up choosing among 4 great courses, this journey has been one of the biggest successes in my life. 2. I was the first student from my batch in undergrad to get a summer internship in one of the best companies that visit our campus: JP Morgan Chase. In our college, only 15% of students could get summer interns from huge corporates, and I, not only got one but also on the very first day. I come from a family background where no one cared much about education or jobs, so to get an internship in such a big firm was one of the proudest moments of my life.
Professionally, what is your ideal image of yourself five years from now? Where do you see yourself?
Five years down the lane, I see myself as a consultant or a general manager for a global firm, managing and taking care of a big team and directly affecting the company's decision-making process. There's a lot of suffering in this world and we take a lot from the people around us, so I also wish for a job that would provide me ample opportunities to give it back to society. Therefore, a company with great CSR activities would be a dream one for me. Also, if my role allows me to visit local offices, it would be a cherry on the cake.
What is the one skill or characteristic you possess that you are most proud of, and why?
"If you want to get a job done, give it to Ashi. She'll do even the hardest ones without fail" These were my manager's words while introducing me to his manager, and this was one of the best moments in my professional life. This also brings me to the characteristic that I'm proudest of, i.e., the attitude of never giving up and staying determined in whatever I do. Once I put my heart into something, I make sure I give one hundred percent to it. Even in the toughest situations, I've always tried to complete what I had set out to and succeeded in most cases. My manager's words, my personal weight loss journey, my zeal to succeed, and my hard work for exams, the appreciation I received from my college seniors for my work in societies and clubs, and the multiple successful national-level events that I've conducted have all led me to believe that I possess this very important never-say-die attitude. Wherever I am, and whatever I do, I always keep this attitude and my dedication and determination intact. And this is something I am extremely proud of.
In your opinion, what skills or qualities does a successful manager possess?
The qualities and skills of a successful manager, in my opinion, are: 1. Vision- A manager drafts the plan and roadmap for the whole team; therefore, they must be someone with a clear vision, which also aligns with the overall vision and mission of the organization. 2. Strategic thinking- A successful manager should have clarity of thought, should be able to understand all aspects, and should be able to strategize, keeping everything in mind3. Lead by example- The ideal manager is not the one who orders but initiates, inspires, and leads by example. A successful manager is someone whom others can look up to.4. Empathy- A successful manager is always empathetic to their teammates. They ensure everyone in the team is heard and in a happy space. If people are happy in their jobs, they give their 100%, which ultimately leads to great results for the organization. 5. Good communication- A good manager should clearly present their ideas to all the stakeholders involved.6. Integrity- An organization could run for a brief period by unfair means, but only a team of ethical leaders can run a successful organization in the long run.7. Patience- With high pressure, things can get overwhelming sometimes. But a successful manager is the one who maintains their demeanor, remains calm and patient, and gets the job done. 8. Creative- A manager's role is a challenging one. They are faced with new blockers every day. A creative manager can think of multiple solutions and new ideas.9. Enthusiast- A successful manager is someone who is enthusiastic and curious about everything. They should be a continuous learner and someone who realizes that there's always scope for improvement10. Dependable- A successful manager can be relied upon by their teammates. They are someone who always takes ownership and responsibility
Tell us about an ethical dilemma that you may have faced, and how you resolved it.
I once had the chance to refer one person to my manager, where I had the option of referring either the perfect fit or a good friend. When one of my teammates had left her job, and my manager was trying to find a replacement for her, he asked all team members to refer one person they think would be a good fit for the job. One of my classmates who had all the required skills was looking for a job and asked me to refer him. One of my good friends was also looking for a job and asked me to refer her. I knew that she was not the right person, and my classmate was exactly the kind of member my manager was looking for. Since I could refer only one person, this was a challenging situation for me, as I was faced with doing the right thing or the easy thing. I decided to refer my classmate as he was more deserving of the job. My friend was upset with me about this initially but I tried to speak with her, and after multiple attempts, I convinced her that my classmate was indeed better suited for the role. I made it up to her by helping her find the job. I also shared my notes and experiences at the workplace to help her get through the interview process. Both my classmate and my friend got good jobs and are now happy working!
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?
As an intern and then a full-time employee of JP Morgan Chase, I know the culture there inside out, hence, if I were to become CEO of one company, I'd choose JP Morgan Chase as Id be able to get better insights there, which would eventually lead to better decisions. As the CEO, I will take two actions simultaneously: 1. JP Morgan Chase has decided to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and I'd take a step in that direction. People tend to send unnecessary, unactionable mails like thank mails. I would strongly discourage all the employees from sending such mails. I'd also ask all the managers in the firm to do so for their respective teams. According to a study by OVO Energy, an average person in the UK working in sectors that make frequent use of mails sends 10 unnecessary emails per week. A single mail generates 0.000001 tonnes of CO2, which may appear minuscule individually. However, if we consider a case where every such person sends one less email per day, the reduction in carbon emissions would be by 8,760 tonnes per year. This number is just for the UK. It will be a huge one if we consider all the countries. Hence, discouraging thank-you emails would drastically reduce carbon emissions by the firm and help achieve the goal of going carbon neutral. 2. Most people having desk jobs today are suffering from health issues like back problems, lack of stamina, obesity, etc. The primary reason for this is the lack of physical activity due to sitting on chairs all day long for work. So, I'd arrange workstations with treadmill desks for my fellow employees, so that whenever people need to walk but can't go outside due to work, they have an option of working while walking. This would ensure that employees are healthy and happy.
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Check The List Of InsideIIM’s 50 Most Promising Incoming Students 2021 Here!
For the Class Of 2022, we are back with the 8th season of InsideIIM's Best 50 - India's Most Employable MBA Graduates - Class Of 2022! If you're graduating from a B-School in 2022, you're eligible to take part in this competition! Grab the chance to bring out your best side and impress your recruiters and peers. Take the opportunity to show the world why you are special, on your own terms.
If you're using a web browser (Mozilla or Google Chrome), then you can take part through this link. Otherwise, please download the Kampus App (Android | iOS), and head over to Competitions.
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