Tell us about a time when you messed up, and what you learnt from the experience?
During the initial days of my work at Siemens, I was working on a repetitive nonconformity from one of the suppliers. Considering the significant loss of lead time, we had to provide an immediate solution and bring things back to normal. Since I spent very little time on planning & analysis and rushed to implementation, I could not achieve desired results. This event helped me get accustomed to standard practices and understand the importance of prioritization. From that point in time, I used a structured 8D methodology for problem-solving purposes both at work and in my life. It really helps to look at things from different perspectives and reach out to a root cause helping conclude things.
Tell us something about yourself that others may be surprised to know about you.
Since childhood, I have always liked teaching. In the early days, I used to aim to be a well-known teacher. I never missed the opportunity to teach peers and juniors. Gradually this hobby changed to mentoring, I like to motivate, push, and help my fellow peers & juniors. Not many but personally I target 3-4 fellows whom I offer a helping hand in terms of mentoring. I believe that while preparing for a goal, one needs consistent motivation and someone who believes in him/her along with academic skills and efforts.
What have been your two biggest successes in life? What did you learn from them?
Getting 100 percentage points in SSC was the first socially acknowledged achievement for me. It made my parents and teachers proud of me. It is still the best day of my life. Because in those early days, I had no vision or much expectation from life. For one full year, everyone out there helped and mentored me to achieve the feat and it felt so good to bring a smile to their faces. Being recognized with Star Award at Siemens Ltd was a big achievement for me. I was awarded for my consistent efforts at work. I did face challenges in the initial few months at work. During the period of 3 years, I learnt the survival skills like adaptability, agility, humility and collaboration.
Professionally, what is your ideal image of yourself five years from now? Where do you see yourself?
Being a car enthusiast, I would like to be a decision-maker at a renowned car company. Carbon footprints is one of the biggest global challenges we are facing recently. Shift from traditional IC engine cars to electric vehicles has become a necessity. In the future, I see myself as a key contributor to a team working on efficient and environmentally friendly cars at the global car manufacturers office. I see myself as a key position where I will be taking a call on whether Tata Motors should produce an MPV priced between 12-16 lakhs INR. I see myself as a dynamic leader, passionate worker, effective team player and above all a humble person like my role model Mr. Anand Mahindra.
What is the one skill or characteristic you possess that you are most proud of, and why?
I have a strong belief in what Henry Ford quoted, Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently. Having scored about 90 percentiles in CAT 2017 to improving it to 98.45 percentiles (99.89 percentiles in Quants) in CAT 2020 while working, I came a long way. Getting into IIM Lucknow was an achievement. I had PERSEVERANCE in good works, and I am proud of it. I believe desire, self-belief, willpower along with hard work can get you whatever you wish for. I had my fair ups and downs, but I kept working hard towards my goal. Getting into a top business school was part of this and there is still a lot left to it.
In your opinion, what skills or qualities does a successful manager possess?
1. A manager should be able to influence others to come into the office with their best versions. He/she should lead with an example.
2. A manager should always be reachable for his team for any doubts or clarifications.
3. A Manager should encourage learning culture and discuss careers and growths with each of the team members.
4. Support during the struggles and early learning phases is crucial for a team player to perform to the best of his capabilities. And this support should come directly from his manager.
According to me, these qualities make one a great & successful manager
Tell us about an ethical dilemma that you may have faced, and how you resolved it.
During my college days when I was a Students Council member, I was met with an incident. One of my sincere and studious colleagues suffered from medical issues. He could manage only 30 percent of his attendance in the semester, so as per college rules it was below what was the minimum requirement. I personally took this case to the council and requested the examination body to allow him after considering his sincere behaviour & academic record for past 2.5 years in college and tried convincing that ones genuine health issue should not cost him an entire year. On the other hand, allowing him would have set precedent in the college. Such kinds of exemptions could have been misused in future. Due to such stringent rule, one had to repeat his semester examinations even after he had genuine reasons. It is life. You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and the best you have to give.
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?
Being a car enthusiast, I would like to be CEO of homegrown global and my favourite car manufacturer Tata Motors. Their philosophy of building global culture is ambitious. Tata Motors had its legacies of passenger cars like Sumo, Indica and Indias first true SUV Safari. The last 5-6 years were not great for them. Their recent focus on car safety aspects is commendable.
There are three primary tasks that I would focus on
(1)When it comes to reliability, their products take a back seat. I would like to dig into the root causes and focus on quality management aspects.
(2)There are plenty of segments where Tata Motors do not have offerings. I would set up a market research team that will closely analyze and proceed with the new launches in MPV, sedan and luxury sedan segments.
(3). Since the future belongs to electric vehicles, focus on delivering cost competitive and best EVs to Indian consumers which is the 4th largest car market where they have the opportunity to be the leader. It is very much possible considering in-house Land Rover and JLR technologies.
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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.
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