Tell us about a time when you messed up, and what you learnt from the experience?
This incident goes back to the time when I was giving my CA IPC exams in May 2015. I have always been a brilliant student in studies. Scoring perfect CGPA in Class X and bagging the position of district topper in Class XII lead to everyone having huge expectations from me. But in my IPC exams, I failed. I hit rock bottom and so did my family and my friends for whom I was only and only a topper. And even more nerve touching thing was it was only 1 subject in which I have failed and in all the other subjects, I scored exemption. But as per the CA exam rules, I had to sit in the next attempt, be it one exam or all. All my friends with whom I have attended my classes passed and went on their next step of the journey. Yes, definitely I messed up. It was in my IPC classes when I went out of the small reach of my colony and explored the city meeting new people having their own stories. I wont deny that it didnt distract me. Unknowingly, no longer studies were my first priority. Engaging with the new friends I made and sneaking out of the classes whenever I got the chance gave me the adrenaline rush which wiped away all the stress that I should have had. My parents did notice this new change in me and also warned me that I should focus on my studies and my career. But I realised it only when I saw the result and the word FAIL in my marksheet. But is failure a bad thing every time. Perhaps, not. I would have never passed my CA final exams in the first attempt with flying colours had I not failed earlier. It brought me back to the ground and helped me realise what my priorities are and how much I have to lose. It taught me that enjoying your life is not wrong, making new friends and cherishing is not wrong but do not forget what your purpose is.
Tell us something about yourself that others may be surprised to know about you.
The one thing that I am sure that others especially my friends would be surprised to know about me is that I have made so many wrong decisions in my personal life. I am the kind of person who is very extroverted when it comes to being on stage or making new friends but equally introverted when it comes to sharing my problems.
What have been your two biggest successes in life? What did you learn from them?
My first big success was getting the first rank in my district in class 12th. The first thing that it made me realise was that I have made genuinely good friends who were happier than me on my success and the second that I learnt was to stay down to earth no matter how big your success is. The second success may not seem to be a very big one but right now it has made me the happiest. Since the time I have joined MBA, I have faced more rejections than the total no. of rejections faced before that. And then one day I got selected for a live project with one of the leading financial services companies. I cannot describe the hope and happiness that selection gave me. It taught me that one should never give up and with time, you will get what you deserve and therefore, keep doing your part i.e. working sincerely.
Professionally, what is your ideal image of yourself five years from now? Where do you see yourself?
I see myself working as the Vice-President at Goldman Sachs. I am a person who would like to have stability in life and therefore, I see myself working at an established organization. Besides that, I am in love with numbers which leads me to work in the field of valuation.
What is the one skill or characteristic you possess that you are most proud of, and why?
Public speaking! This is the skill I have that makes me proud of myself. My facial expressions speaks for me and that is why I am able to express myself well. If I am saying I am passionate about something, you will see that passion in my eyes and similarly every other emotion.
In your opinion, what skills or qualities does a successful manager possess?
A successful manager would always be unbiased. He/she would treat every member of the team fairly and thus will earn their respect. Secondly, he/she would be empathetic towards his team. The manager should have a balanced mix of emotions and practicality that would connect him/her with the team and the team would not hesitate in sharing their problems and will also perform in the best manner possible. Thirdly, the manager would be a good communicator. He/she will be able to well represent the team in front of others.
Tell us about an ethical dilemma that you may have faced, and how you resolved it.
I was entrusted with the responsibility of employee and vendor payments in my previous organisation. All the users want to expedite their payment and thus sometimes may resort to unethical ways. Once a vendor approached me to make his payment by modes that do not comply with company policies. The vendor offered me some cash gifts in return too. It put me into a situation where I needed to stand up for my ethics. Immediately I reported the vendor to my Department head and told her the whole situation. She escalated this to the top management and the vendor was permanently blacklisted from the company.
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 Maruti Suzuki and my first course of action would be to make the top management more accessible to the new employees of the company or the one's at junior level. I will instruct the HR team to organize sessions where the employees can express their thoughts, give suggestions and share their concerns with the top management. It will increase their productivity multifold and the company will get multiple perspectives to launch new initiatives.
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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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