Tell us about a time when you messed up, and what you learnt from the experience?
Forgot to click the submit button in the CAP 2020 form. I completed my form three days before the deadline. However, I felt that I will check all the data and certificates once again before the final submission. But due to a personal life distraction, submitting the form slipped my mind.My biggest learning is don't wait for the last moment. As soon as you are done with your assignments or tasks submit them.
What have been your two biggest successes in life? What did you learn from them?
The two biggest successes in my life are -1. Scoring 95.80% in Class XII board examination - Three months before the examination, I met with an accident. Because of which I was unable to concentrate much on my studies. As a result, I scored just 34% in my pre-boards. With just a month for the final examination, I lost the battle in my mind. Still, I kept working hard, read day in and day out and scored a 95.80%. I consider this journey as my biggest achievement. The journey taught me that no matter what, keep working hard. If you give your best, there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel.2. Starting my startup (HomeDrop) - I launched my product during the nationwide lockdown. As everything was closed at that time, it was very challenging for my team to onboard the vendors, hire delivery executives and market our product. Despite all the challenges, we started clocking revenue of 10lakhs+ in a matter of two months. I consider this as my second biggest achievement. The journey taught me the lifelong lesson of what it takes to start and run a business.
Professionally, what is your ideal image of yourself five years from now? Where do you see yourself?
Five years down the line, I see myself as running a startup or a company - having a passionate team, building something that excites me, working day in and day out to transform our ideas into a reality and changing the lives of millions of people.
What is the one skill or characteristic you possess that you are most proud of, and why?
Observing every situation from different perspectives. I look into any given situation from three angles - First Person, Second Person and Third Person. I can easily transform myself into another's shoes. I believe this characteristic of mine builds me as an individual who listens, observes the situation very carefully, and be compassionate. Also, it helps me to minimise taking strong reflex decisions which can be harmful to every stakeholder involved.
In your opinion, what skills or qualities does a successful manager possess?
- Knowledgable - A great manager is knowledgeable about their line of work and their industry as a whole. They're also open to learning new skills and regularly consume knowledge that could help them become better at what they do
- Capitalize on the strengths of their team members - Good managers need to be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their team members and enable their employees to play to their strengths.
- Mentoring and developing their teams - a manager is always there to guide, inspire, and advise them through different aspects of work and life as the situation warrants.
- Take accountability for their teams - Instead of blaming specific individuals, they identify specific weak areas, try to find the lesson in defeat, and emerge on the other side in a stronger position.
- Skilled at delegating tasks - They use this talent to their advantage by delegating tasks and splitting responsibilities accordingly. This, in turn, helps their employees achieve maximum productivity and be satisfied with their performance.
Tell us about an ethical dilemma that you may have faced, and how you resolved it.
This is the story of when we just launched our grocery delivery platform named HomeDrop. As it was the nationwide lockdown, the state govt issued a notice that every company who is providing the doorstep delivery of essentials needs to issue permits. They gave us two methods for the same - (a) the nearest PS, (b) an online portal. The next morning, I and my partner went to the nearest PS, and there the inspector asked for a bribe in exchange for a hassle-free permit issue. He mentioned that otherwise, they will have to scrutinise every document and practice of the company before issuing a permit as per the govt regulation. And even if we go through the online portal, the request to check will go to the nearest PS.So this was the ethical dilemma that I faced. On one hand, we just launched our venture, so pausing the operations may have a negative impact on the company and on the other hand, I didn't want to grow the business in unethical ways. So we finally decided to go with the full procedure, and luckily we got our pass in 2 days.
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?
During my third year of engineering, I started my own company. It was named Hospiton - a Doctor's online appointment booking platform. We implemented a QMS technology (first in India) which enabled the patients to live to track the queue on their mobile phones. I was the CEO of Hospiton. But, when the pandemic hit, my whole team got dispersed. As the chief promoter of the company, I failed to keep my team afloat in difficult times. As a result, eventually, everyone left the company. If I ever get a chance to be a CEO again, I wish to go back to those days and become the tallest tree where every team member can rest upon during the tsunami of problems.
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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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