Extracting the most of 1 Year MBA

The one year MBA has recently caught a lot of steam. People are talking about it a lot. The one year MBA provides a window for  working professionals like me to take a break from work and get back into student life. I have been involved in it since last 2 years once I zeroed in on doing my masters after 8 years of  working to take a leap in my professional career.

Of the available programs I had zeroed in on PGPX program from IIM-Ahmedabad, The others being offered amongst the notable  ones are from ISB, IIM-B and IIM-C. On the flight for my convocation I wanted to pen down my views on the key TO DO's to make the most of the program. Some of the WIMIWIAN lingo will be used.

1. Focus on academics: You will have lot of things happening on campus , however for Term 1&2 don't lose focus on the academics. Keep them as your focal point. They are named building blocks for a reason. Term 1 will help you get back into the groove of studying and transition into student life. Term 2 will pump up the ante to another  level. Moreover all the topics covered in these 2 terms are the basics which you need to know and these will cover every aspect of going concern. Hence focus on building your base and understanding the concepts.
2. Focus on grades but don't let them control you: This is something I had mentioned in another post too and would like to re-iterate here. It is always good to have a focus on performing well and getting good grades but don't let grades control you else you will lose the joy of learning. I realized this soon in term 1 and since then learning was such a joy. If you have your concepts learnt well you will undoubtedly end up getting good grades. Trust me when I say this if you re focused on learning grades will fall in place.
3. Don't Procrastinate: This is a serious No-No at PGPX. Be on top of what  is happening , keep up the pace with your readings and assignments. Once you are lag behind you will not be able to play the catch-up game. In such an event leave the readings that has been missed and focus on the next assigned topics. Playing the catch-up game you will always fall behind. If you are lucky to find an off day go back and cover whats missed.. I fondly remember Prof Agarwalla saying this, whats missed now can only be read after March 2018 once you pass out of the institute and that is absolutely true.Ensure you set aside only a reasonable time for every activity and finish within that time. Make the most of the pre-reads they are there for a reason.
4. Leverage your syndicate: Study groups as you might call them are made by the institute. You don't play a  role in making your syndicate but leveraging it to the fullest is upto you and you must make full use of it. The syndicates will be  your lifelifne and leveraging them to the fullest will do wonders. The common ways by which you can underutilize them is by not doing case discussions in syndicate, missing the case discussion or showing up late , going un-prepared or without reading into the discussion or by splitting the assignments thus being aloof of certain group submissions. It will be difficult , you will hear noises from all around that you are wasting time and most importantly all of you will have to make effort. All of you should stick to the grind and work together. Even if it takes 2 hours extra so be it. Keep doing it through the 5 terms.Trust me when I say this one year later you will realize  you made the right choice.
5. Make the most of the opportunities : The program is only one-year and its going to be jam packed. You will be bombarded with readings , case preparations and assignments. But make sure to make use  of  the  other opportunities coming your way. The institute will always have some event happening or some good speaker visiting in to share their knowledge. Try to take out time to listen to them , let their greatness rub off you. Participate and enjoy T-Nite to the fullest, this will be the only respite in term 2. Use the campus facilities , find a hobby and use it as your go to stress buster.
6. Prepare for  your placements: Prepare well or the placements. You can have your friend circle or your coffee group , but in the race for the jobs we are all competitors. Make interview prep groups  with like minded people even if its outside  your syndicate and prepare well with them. You will learn new things and grow as an individual. Turn deaf year to all the noises and keep your focus. Don't give yourself the opportunity to have a thought had I prepared well things could have been different. Getting your perfect CV takes time and don't be afraid of getting reviewed it by peers , they are the ones who will give you the best inputs.
7. Don't get afraid of Data : The program will throw volumes of data at you. Dont get bogged down. This is  one of the key take aways, to take the data head on, analyze and make sense out of it
8. There will be instances when you will have different thoughts and views from others. Be ready to see things from their point of view. Be ready to accept you can be wrong. Learn to unlearn. The sooner you do it the better it will be for you.

In summary the key takeaways will be : Learn to Unlearn and re-learn, ability to work with a highly diverse group and come to a consensus ,work with lots and lots of data and make sense of it.

Wish you all the best !!!

Key learnings from PGPX@IIMA Term 1 - Decoded

With all the rigor and long hours being put in during the term to complete the readings ,prepare for the cases and meet submission deadline it is not possible to reflect back on what the term taught us , however term breaks do provide the window for this. Like the others I too looked forward for the term break which provided the perfect window of opportunity to sit back, relax and reflect upon how the term went, what all it taught and how it is molding our lives. Creating a Google Map and then Zoom in to highlight the key learning and inculcate them.

A quick rewind to 9th April, the day the journey stared for a dream envisioned 12 years ago. It was the confluence of 115 brightest of minds of the industry who undertook a well-informed decision to take a break and pursue their dream either to shift from public sector to private sector or to move from a Technical to CTO role or a serial entrepreneur wishing to take the business to the next level. The flavor to the rigor was added by the life lessons delivered via Prof RaviC amongst others , catching and waking up friends from their power naps .

However, the most important learnings were some of the key takeaways not only realted

Don’t forget to learn: There is a marked difference between learning for grades and learning the subject matter to carry the concepts through life. At PGPX grades are just used to differentiate on the final day who emerges as the topper and nothing else. The institute expects participants to only focus on learning. It took me 10-15 days to let this sink in but the earlier people got over it the more they enjoyed the journey .It helped to focus more on your interest areas with the intent to learn. Every subject and its learning via case studies provided insights on how its applications and learnings can be applied to your home industry. E.g. Adoption of a specific technology in manufacturing sector and how the basics are relevant even in the technology space. How a telecom giant can use data bundling techniques to gain market share. Most of the stuff did not make much sense in the first month but by the end of it different notes gelled together to create music. You would apply concepts of economics and financial reporting in a marketing case, apply the concepts learnt to newspaper articles and have fruitful discussions over breaks. It helped to look at problems from different perspectives and unearth the issues earlier overlooked by business. Moreover, perspectives of people from 20 different industries with diverse experiences in the most candid way added a new dimension to the learning.

Learn to Un—learn: The single biggest mantra to grow and learn at this place, even highlighted by PGPX Chair during induction and was soon implicitly clarified during the case discussions. The place taught to accept that you can be wrong, only then will you absorb the new ideas and grow, as we have all heard “you need to empty the cup to pour in the new batch of coffee”. Arguing for the sake of it doesn’t help support your argument with facts in a way others can understand

Be Ready to get Star struck: When at IIM Ahmedabad be ready to get star struck at the weirdest of moments and weirdest of places. People in their shorts roaming in the campus bumped into Pullela Gopichand, attended meetings the with CEO’s in the most informal way possible but nothing could beat the delivery of knowledge by stalwarts who shape national policies and play a pivotal role in nation building, this is the best experience you can have and only the chosen few get to experience it.

Most Importantly Don’t Forget to enjoy: It was easy to be bogged down by the amount of preparation and reading to be done but don’t forget to enjoy, after all this one year at IIM Ahmedabad is a one-time experience. In addition to all the learning keep the child within alive and have fun. Down memory lane you will not remember hours spent for a specific exam but surly remember the fun night you might have had playing poker or the mafia night out till 6 am in the morning and all the major chit chats during the everlasting syndicate discussions. As Bob Marley rightly said “Some People enjoy the rain, others just get wet”

All in All, the time till now can be summarized as a surreal experience which only raises the bar for the forth coming terms. One thing that can be said hands down there are some things words can’t express and you have to be in it to experience it.

PGPX Experience in a Nutshell

The PGPX program had been the focal point of my life the past year. Its Convocation time at IIM Ahmedabad and soon we will be alumni to the institute. Amidst all the celebration and before the convocation activities set I feel its the right time to write a short reflective post of the past year capturing the moments that have a special place for me.

1. Meeting the highly talented bunch of 115 people from different industries , functions , roles and having diverse experiences. This cohort became my world for the past year and I learnt a lot from everyone of them in one-way or the other. Not studying and Interacting with them on a daily basis will surly be missed.
2. In the first 15 days we received a number of emails from our alumnus. Everyone had a different story and advise to share. Today I have the same outlook each of my batch mates had a different journey and has a different experience. So savor the journey
3. Learning from the faculty. This is one that will be dearly missed. Each of  the faculty members  is so much accomplished but their passion towards the classes and discussions is impeccable. They sum up a perfect combination of achievement , passion and humility.
4. The campus. Although I worked in a company which only had sprawling offices but IIMA campus has its own vibe. the air on this side of the wall is different. I will miss  all the late night syndi walks and my runs across the campus. The campus was my home for a year and staying on campus with the batch mates has helped forge bonds which will last a lifetime.
5. Almost all the lectures. Every subject helped me learn something new. The experience of the classroom and the opportunities to  stand and make presentations in the well is an humbling experience.
6. Placement preparation was a period where we had nerves but  the memories  of  all the preparation helped in re-enforcing the learning and case preps added a new diemsion.
7. Last but the most important my syndicate. The Syndi mates and most importantly all the discussions. This is a place where all the learning was applied and who corrected my mistakes.All the late night discussions and coffee's hold a special place. This was my family for a year and I  will miss working with them.

In the induction program the chairperson had mentioned you are embarking on a journey of transformation the tapasya students will be undergoing. After the year there have been changes in individuals and the bigger  ones will bear time to fruit.

1. A strong belief in the power of teamwork and the magic it can create well the end results are there for  you.
2. A broader  outlook to analyze things.
3. The power of learning and unlearning.
4. Some key concepts which are used so frequently  that they become second nature a part of your muscle memory which are always  put to  use when reading anything 
5. The power of annual reports and the wealth of  information you can gather from them to  be well informed for a meaningful discussion 

I would like  to congratulate the graduating class of 2018. All the best to one and all for your scintillating careers which I know for sure will be very bright. I personally look forward to my journey as a tech strategy consultant.

Thank you IIMA you have been very kind and special !!!!!