Tell us about a time when you messed up, and what you learnt from the experience?
During a 2-year project, I got the opportunity to lead a multi-disciplinary team of 30 members to build an EV prototype. As an introvert, it was overwhelming for me to interact and manage such a large group. It took me time and experience to strike the right balance between being succinct and friendly. Within a couple of months, I felt I was taking the right actions, but we were not making major strides in the results. To understand where I was lacking, I started conversing 1x1 and took feedback on the working and management environment of the team. These insights helped me improve the structure of the team and, more importantly, my leadership style. Our prototype ended up achieving the second rank at the national level competition. I learnt a lot in these two years, things I will carry with me throughout my career.-Taking leaps of faith: I ended up learning more about myself and my talents. I still identify myself as an introvert, but that is not something that restricts me from achieving my goals-Speaking last: When you have the power of influencing, you also have the responsibility to listen before speaking and maintain calm-Taking feedback: Your team's responsibility is to generate good outcomes, but your additional responsibility is to provide an environment for that to happen.
Tell us something about yourself that others may be surprised to know about you.
I am certified to be your stockbroker and advice you on your mutual fund investments. I have cleared NiSM certification exams for Securities Operations & Risk Management and Mutual Fund Distributors, which makes me eligible to do those things.
What have been your two biggest successes in life? What did you learn from them?
When I got into my undergrad, I believed I would be an average student for the next four years, looking at the competition around me. Regardless of this, I tried my best to do well in my first year. For the final result of one of the subjects, oddly, my professor called me into his office and told me that he had seen just two papers so well written in his entire career of teaching. He got up, hugged me, congratulated me and wished me luck for my future. His simple gesture led me to believe in myself and my potential. Due to this experience, I gained confidence in my abilities to do well in academics, and it really paid off, as in the upcoming semesters, I was always amongst the top students of my class. I learnt the value of positive reinforcement and perseverance.My first success plays a vital role in my second and far more important success. During my schooling, I was an average student and never reached my full potential because others are better than me. This lack of confidence led me to not utilize a bunch of opportunities during that period of time. When I started my graduation, I still wasnt confident enough but had a new motivation to do something and carve a career for me. I took up activities and succeeded by putting in a lot of day and night hard work without thinking much about the result. I started completing things, and no one in the batch had. In my 2nd year, I had published my first research paper, and till my 4th, I already had a total of 3 research papers. I had been granted two design patents, had bagged Nestle internship only based on my capabilities without any references, and led a team of 30 members to win at a national event. Looking back, I realize that no matter how much you lose, win always chases the hard work.
Professionally, what is your ideal image of yourself five years from now? Where do you see yourself?
Five years down the line, I'm working for a company that commits to innovations, sustainability, and community service. I hope to have mastered the department I was part of and would be looking for a new challenge, a change of role and the department. This would help me enhance my learning curve. With this, I would like to mentor students who are still in their formative years and are unaware of the large possibilities that exist. Contributing gives me satisfaction and makes me grateful for the opportunities I have been blessed with.
What is the one skill or characteristic you possess that you are most proud of, and why?
I go out of my way to help others. It's not something I try on purpose but is something that comes to me naturally. This, I believe, is due to my upbringing, since I have witnessed my parents always go out of their way to help someone in need. In the third year of my course, I worked with a student who belonged to a family where he was the first to pursue undergrad. His father was reluctant to buy him a laptop, so he did not have access to a personal device and hence, he did all his work with borrowed devices. Once, while casually talking, he told me all about this. On my way home, as his reality sunk in me, I realized how he had the zeal to study and wanted to try billion other things he had told me about but couldn't. I had a laptop at home, which could be spared if we could share our devices. I pitched the idea to my parents, formatted the laptop, installed the necessary software, and lent it to him.
In your opinion, what skills or qualities does a successful manager possess?
-Last to speak: With the power to influence others thoughts and actions, the responsibility to hold back your ideas till everyone has put forth theirs is very important.
-Providing a creative environment: It is upon a manager to create a safe environment of creativity and innovation by providing motivation and resources to your team to give their best.
Tell us about an ethical dilemma that you may have faced, and how you resolved it.
With the help of our guide, three of us had started a new student chapter in our university. For the inauguration ceremony, our guide wanted to make the event compulsory for the classes he taught so that the attendees would appear to be the early joiners of the chapter. We wished the students would actively participate and not due to the mandate; hence we convinced our guide to delay the inauguration ceremony by a week. We convinced students to join our chapter through class-to-class publicity and our social media handles. Even our guide helped us with the promotions and finally, we were able to get approximately forty new members, due to which the inauguration ceremony was a great success. Most of the attendees were active members of the chapter and appreciated the aims and goals we wished to achieve through the organization.
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 be the CEO of Godrej India, as it is one of the companies that has its name in households and industry and research. My first action would be to launch an open student innovation support program, where I would provide industry guidance and funding to students who have the right product ideas and are driven to make it a reality. As my company has a market share and brand name in multiple fields, this would help me launch the product and make it a quick success. This wouldn't just be profitable but would, more importantly, help unguided and underfunded student projects. As case study competition help solve problems noticed by the industry experts, this program would help solve consumer problems and get into untapped markets.
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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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