Life teaching a lot of management
12.5 lakhs.... Not a small amount by any standards (leaving Tatas, Birlas or Ambanis aside).... That's the academic fees of IIM Ahmedabad. Before coming here, I was earning pretty well (again by all standards). I was working with undoubtedly some of the best minds of nation. Capital One as a company was simply great. My work was being appreciated and they focused on my growth as an individual. In short, they cared for me. At times, I wonder what made me come here for an MBA?
And then come a lot of reasons in this tiny brain of mine. Getting into IIM Ahmedabad is anyones dream. One has to be extra lucky to get into that top-0.01%. The CAT examination has been rated as the toughest in the world by "The Economist". But that statement alone was not the reason for me. My focus was clear (at least, it seemed to me).
I wanted management education. I wanted to learn a lot of different areas in short duration of time. I wanted to expand the horizon of my thinking. I wanted to be with the best brains of the country (or at least some of the best brains), learn from them, to compete and grow with them. Saint Udham Singh says, "Cut-throat competition kills both you and your competitor. He/She cuts your throat and you do the same, and then both land up at beds next to each other in the same hospital."
My expectations were huge from the program, as are always in life. Friends say I am over-critical, and I agree to most of them. Yes, I am over-critical not because I just do it for the sake of it. I criticize myself more than I do for any other person. And I do it for the better output, for other person's growth. I am aware of the theory that over-criticism kills the ability of other individual to listen. But I don't care for this crappy theory probably written by someone who didn't want to challenge him/herself. If one cares for other person, willingness to listen is always there. And I care for all the people whom I criticize.
The PGP program has given me a lot of opportunities to learn, a set of great people to learn from (both faculty and students). They say I am amidst the pool of sharpest minds in the nation, and I am trying to learn "how to learn" from such razor-sharp minds.
Management does not ask you to be intelligent, it demands managing of intelligent people. Managing a team of dumb-asses is tough, but managing a team of super-intelligent people is significantly tougher, and I have no questions about the salaries of top-management of organizations. This requires a completely different skill-set. A good manager is a leader, but leader of smart and intelligent people. There are hell lot of challenges in being one.
I remember a chat with one of my earlier managers, Mr. Jay Shah, when he said, "It is sometimes very tough to stay calm and not to tell a stupid that he/she is a stupid. But it is a challenge and it pays high dividends in the long run." Very tough for me - something I am trying to improve. No one wants to listen to his/her weaknesses. Another manager says the most irritating part of his job is to see and wonder why do other people take 5 hours in a job that he can do in 15 minutes. But then, he can't keep on doing that particular job, he has to make others do. Is that fair to the company? When manager can finish the same job in 15 minutes, why should the employees waste 5 hours? Does this manager not care for the employees, and the company? But the fact is the same manager is very much liked and respected by all. Why?
The idea of making them work is for them to take responsibility, realize in the process how to be more efficient, challenge them and grow in the process. And employees realize that sooner or later. They realize that their manager was always helping them grow. At times, may be he needed to be blunt but then, he was a teacher and sometimes, caning is a must.
I was lucky to have worked with Mr. Sanjay Sai, another colleague of mine. He is a thorough professional, a great learner and a helpful team-player. I am grateful to all these people from whom I have learnt a lot. This has caused a problem also as they have raised bar of my expectations from a manager so high that it'll be very tough for someone to reach there. I have the role models, am trying to imitate them but I realize that there are enough gaps. I'm in the process of filling them. IIM Ahmedabad and friends (consciously or unconsciously) are helping me fill them.
And then come a lot of reasons in this tiny brain of mine. Getting into IIM Ahmedabad is anyones dream. One has to be extra lucky to get into that top-0.01%. The CAT examination has been rated as the toughest in the world by "The Economist". But that statement alone was not the reason for me. My focus was clear (at least, it seemed to me).
I wanted management education. I wanted to learn a lot of different areas in short duration of time. I wanted to expand the horizon of my thinking. I wanted to be with the best brains of the country (or at least some of the best brains), learn from them, to compete and grow with them. Saint Udham Singh says, "Cut-throat competition kills both you and your competitor. He/She cuts your throat and you do the same, and then both land up at beds next to each other in the same hospital."
My expectations were huge from the program, as are always in life. Friends say I am over-critical, and I agree to most of them. Yes, I am over-critical not because I just do it for the sake of it. I criticize myself more than I do for any other person. And I do it for the better output, for other person's growth. I am aware of the theory that over-criticism kills the ability of other individual to listen. But I don't care for this crappy theory probably written by someone who didn't want to challenge him/herself. If one cares for other person, willingness to listen is always there. And I care for all the people whom I criticize.
The PGP program has given me a lot of opportunities to learn, a set of great people to learn from (both faculty and students). They say I am amidst the pool of sharpest minds in the nation, and I am trying to learn "how to learn" from such razor-sharp minds.
Management does not ask you to be intelligent, it demands managing of intelligent people. Managing a team of dumb-asses is tough, but managing a team of super-intelligent people is significantly tougher, and I have no questions about the salaries of top-management of organizations. This requires a completely different skill-set. A good manager is a leader, but leader of smart and intelligent people. There are hell lot of challenges in being one.
I remember a chat with one of my earlier managers, Mr. Jay Shah, when he said, "It is sometimes very tough to stay calm and not to tell a stupid that he/she is a stupid. But it is a challenge and it pays high dividends in the long run." Very tough for me - something I am trying to improve. No one wants to listen to his/her weaknesses. Another manager says the most irritating part of his job is to see and wonder why do other people take 5 hours in a job that he can do in 15 minutes. But then, he can't keep on doing that particular job, he has to make others do. Is that fair to the company? When manager can finish the same job in 15 minutes, why should the employees waste 5 hours? Does this manager not care for the employees, and the company? But the fact is the same manager is very much liked and respected by all. Why?
The idea of making them work is for them to take responsibility, realize in the process how to be more efficient, challenge them and grow in the process. And employees realize that sooner or later. They realize that their manager was always helping them grow. At times, may be he needed to be blunt but then, he was a teacher and sometimes, caning is a must.
I was lucky to have worked with Mr. Sanjay Sai, another colleague of mine. He is a thorough professional, a great learner and a helpful team-player. I am grateful to all these people from whom I have learnt a lot. This has caused a problem also as they have raised bar of my expectations from a manager so high that it'll be very tough for someone to reach there. I have the role models, am trying to imitate them but I realize that there are enough gaps. I'm in the process of filling them. IIM Ahmedabad and friends (consciously or unconsciously) are helping me fill them.
posted by Udham Singh at
11:24 AM
2 Comments
