Have you ever experienced times where your plans do not work out? I did.
This is a story of my personal experience. It was a month of January, a fully outlined long weekend was approaching. I was set to leave for a relishing small vacation at Mahabaleshwar with my best friends. We were looking forward for it. For me, this was after the electrifying and exhausting first few months of B-School life at IIM. But as you might know, nothing can be pre-planned when you are in a first year MBA course. Just a few days before leaving, I get a mail from STUDENT EXCHANGE COMMITTEE (StepCom), that the allotment for Exchange university is on 26th January and attendance is “sacrosanct”. The fear of this word crept back after all the PlaceCom mails. I was also planning to go on an Exchange program. Now a decision was to be made, enjoy at Mahabaleshwar or stay back and attend the allotment process. So, after a few lies and desperate requests, I was allowed to attend the process over a phone call. Finally, I was allotted a premier B-School in Mexico – supposed to be best in all of Latin America. Moreover, we were asked to relinquish all the PORs and sign an affidavit stating that we were to pay a fine of Rs. 1 lac, if we do not go for any particular reason.
If you think all went well and where was the dream broken, please wait for it! We partied hard in that cosy cottage of Mahabaleshwar. Everything went well there on until just three months before the departure to Mexico. We were in our internship period. The application form and Visa procedures had started. My friends, my family, my colleagues and most of all I was very excited for this 3-month term exchange in Mexico. Following Mexican exotic pages, looking for places to travel, and watching ample of “Things to do in Mexico” were being surfed over the net. Then, suddenly we receive a mail from the StepCom that our Exchange has been cancelled. Here’s where my dream shatters first. The reason given was that the partner university in not replying to the communication efforts and they might have breached the contract. All the planning went to drain. At this point of time, I again came close to the reality – No pre-planned journey happens successfully, especially at IIM. Our college was about to start in a few days after this incident. This became a source of a joke for my friends to tease.
Now, the other part. The term where I was (supposed) to be in Mexico, the college had a Himalayan Outbound program where we could make a group of our friends and go on an excursion to the Himalayas. I being selected for STEP, did not and could not fill up the form for this. After the cancellation of STEP, we were all in a state of limbo now. Neither can I go to fully plan Mexico nor could I explore in the laps of Himalayas with my batch mates?
So, this is my small personal story where I essentially learnt that – Planning is not always the way to go!
“Long-range planning does not deal with the future decisions, but with the future of present decisions” - Peter Drucker
Which ABG company would you want to work for and why?
I would like to work in the retail arm of the Aditya Birla group company – ABRL (more). My father being a businessman, has owned and managed a shop for his fair share of age. I have grown up watching him manage the nitty-gritties of a retail store. Also, I am very fascinated with Retail as a business domain. Here, you stay connected to the world in a much better way. You get to understand trends & people choices right away as it directly affects your business. ABRL, being one of the largest supermarket chains, clearly fits in my long terms goals.
Raunak Dungarwal – PGP, IIM Indore