Aikya Network
June 15, 2013 Hyderabad
Open Data Camp
June 22, 2013
Hyderabad
Executive Education: Certificate Programme in Strategic Retail Management
June 12 – December 22, 2013
Hyderabad
The incoming students of the PGP Class of 2014 at Mohali gained a fresh perspective on career advancement and the purpose of management education from the Founding Dean of ISB, Pramath Raj Sinha. He began his talk with a question: “What do you want from an MBA?” Amongst the tide of answers, career advancement emerged as the pivotal reason for students to pursue an education in management. But Sinha challenged the students to think of management not just as a means to career advancement but also as a profession by itself. He discussed the definitive characteristics of manager-business executive acumen such as problem solving ability and professionalism but he maintained that students who are thoughtful about business problems posed during their interviews will set themselves apart and will be viewed positively. “The single most important thing that people are looking for is a sense of maturity in the way you approach a problem, where you are willing to engage with them (the recruiters) towards understanding the problem, disaggregating the problem, working through that problem and making a few suggestions - leaving the interviewers feeling that they have learnt something new from the conversation.”
Businesses require leaders who are cognizant of the concerns of the organisation. Given ISB’s commitment to developing global leaders, Sinha shared his insights on how students can develop a holistic appreciation for the intricacies of business problems and perspectives. He also spoke about the necessity of each student to develop a genuine, authentic story that succinctly articulates his or her unique characteristics.
Sinha objectively took the students through their journey to ISB, through ISB and beyond, and gave them actionable advice on how they can spend their time wisely while pursuing their career objectives.