It was one of those usual weekday mornings when the morning sun gleams through my windows and forces me to give him a front door entry. The morning sun invariably cheers me up and leaves me in high spirits throughout the day. So as most of the days I dragged myself out of the bed and opened my door to let the bright morning sun in. Few tall coconut trees from the neighborhood spread their long leaves into our compound and adorn the front view from my flat in the second floor. When I opened my door this morning something on one of those leaves caught my attention. What I earlier thought was a small lump turned out to be a squirrel perching really high on the spine of one of those long leaves of the coconut tree. It was probably the same squirrel which used to haunt my doorstep quite often looking out for a crumb or a piece of fruit. I was awestruck at its ability to make its way till nearly three-fourth the length of the tapering leaf axis (probably 1-2inch in width) which was constantly swaying b/c of the wind.  Squirrels, according to me, are the sweetest among the rodents on earth and I take pleasure in watching them. This morning was no different. I gazed at the creature, appreciative of nature's gift of mobility to this rodent and went back to my chores, thinking that it was resting on the leaf and enjoying the gentle swing. Sometime later while taking a peek outside, I realized that the squirrel was still on the axis of the leaf trying to figure out a means to get off the leaf. I could see it turning around a fixed axis but unable to proceed an inch further from where it was . The wind was getting stronger. The joy and calmness that had earlier enveloped the squirrel had vanished and only a sense of desperation was visible. I tried to call few people to reach out for the rodent but a busy Wednesday morning hardly gives time for such activities to most Bangaloreans. A strong wind soon threw the squirrel off the tree. I am not even sure if the squirrel survived the 25 feet fall though I hope it did. I will soon know if it doesn’t visit me tomorrow.

Nevertheless, this incident did leave me thinking. Quite often in life, I have been like this squirrel. I have unknowingly taken the wrong roads in a hurry and have been left stranded waiting for instances & situations to throw me off balance. Few times some concerned souls have helped me reach the ground safe. I have endured difficulties, learnt valuable lessons and have moved on anyway. But I so wish I had made use of my sixth sense to assess the roads before embarking on the journey. That would have saved me so much of energy and time...

It has been a lovely week at work. Not that everything went fine. Lots of things were going wrong and I tried my best to get things back on track. After a long time, I am experiencing this immense sense of satisfaction at work. I finally feel I have discovered what the term "job satisfaction" actually means to me. Man, it feels wonderful..

It has been close to 2 months since I have blogged. Well I have been lazy, depressed, gloomy and lost. But last weekend has been quite refreshing and now I have realized that it is time to gain the lost momentum. I plan to write few posts on leadership covering some topics that have been bothering me for sometime now. So do check the blog in the coming weeks.

Touché movies and books hardly move me to tears. But "Kalpana Chawla - A Life" was altogether a different experience. So what was it in the book that elicited such emotions? Was it the fact that she was one of those few Indian women who break traditional barriers to reach for the stars (literally and otherwise)? Or was it that she perished while living her dreams? Or may be the abrupt end to a life that traveled beyond stars? Or a sense of loss even after 3 years? Or a helpless feeling when you come to terms with the power of fate? How else can one explain such a situation where few mins could have made a historic difference?

While I am still wondering, I recommend this book to every Indian woman especially. The book and Kalpana Chawla's life stand testimony to the belief that one can reach for the stars someday if you have the desire to do so.

The book fails to quote the following words uttered by Kalpana Chawla -  "The path from dreams to success does exist. May you have the vision to find it, the courage to get on to it, and the perseverance to follow it. Wishing you a great journey."

K.C – Truly an inspiration!

Two weeks into Phase-1 of the program and I already am fully accustomed to the student life at IIM. Just don’t feel like getting back to work after a week. The basics in the core subjects are almost covered – marketing, microeconomics, accounting and supply chain management. Corporate Finance or CoFin as the students here call it is scheduled for the coming week. We have had quite a few formal and informal sessions on Business planning and they have been extremely fruitful. The class is expected to have the roughed out version of our business plans on Monday. My plan is going to be on the non-profit sector and I am really looking at doing something big on it. I intend to start small and gradually grow with time. In the next few days, I will be working on getting my plan ready for the presentation that is to happen towards the end of May. There are quite a few areas which need to be sorted out and I will have to slog to make my plan a success. Well nothing comes easy.

Rarely does a student get a chance to sit in a class that is both entertaining and enlightening. The marketing class handled by Y, one of the best Profs at IIM, has been quite such an experience. With three sessions done and one more to come, I already feel loaded with information. I have always strongly believed that marketing cannot be taught and one just needs to get his/her hands dirty and move on. So what is in store for a person with such a mindset at Y’s class? A perception change for sure :)

Well, I agree that professors at such institutes probably would have covered the same case multiple times and are masters in their specialization. But what came out quite clear in the marketing class was the Prof’s passion for the subject and his ability to ‘Connect’ (in marketing terms ;)) with the class. Sure, most of the information is available in the books or the internet but such professors pass on the crux of any book/cases in a very short time and in a very impressive manner with added-assimilated insights. I wouldn’t have probably understood the Xerox Vs Canon case if it were not for Y and I wonder if anyone can teach the pillars of marketing and hence the essence of marketing like Y. I am so glad to be a part of this MPWE at IIM-B. May many more students get benefited from such institutions and such professors!

After having read a few good books on the same, the theory was pretty boring. But the way GNP went about the sample case, the structured approach he used to address the issues was in itself mindblowing. The case was just a part of Robin Hood's story. Little did I know that I was going to learn about re-orgs, expanding enterprises and the importance of preserving an Orgs core objective when I first read the case.

The professors are pretty good in surprising people.Every prof seems to have a unique way of handling the class. AV, after having left us in groups for a case analysis, did not invite us for case-presentation but instead had a open house and still managed to get the crux of each presentation. The plan my group put up was based on my core idea and I managed to hold the class for a bit. That is cool aint it? Such things do boost your confidence :)

Either my expectations are high or the others have low expectations. Come on, you sit for 3 hours and learn only the most simple decision tree problem. Was a let down. But thanks to my buddy V, I was at least able to get more info. Given the detail in which this was covered, I dont think people will use it at all :(

No comments. Was more like a english class with definitions being discussed. Three hours and no calculations. I cant call it accounting. Was a let down again.

IIM-B has a "class" of its own. No denying this fact. Yday we had a debriefing in the morning. It was an icebreaker session. We are totally 69 women in the Women Entrepreneurs Program. The session started with recital of slogas by all and we moved on to some typical "getting to know each other" programs followed by some case studies. Everyone seemed quite enthusiastic in knowing about the rest of the class and were quite participative.

Some interesting profiles include - a medico working as a full time volunteer in a hospital, a Phd from IIT who is running her own consulting firm dealing with Carbon trading, textile designers managing their own firms and providing consultancy to other firms, another lady who runs a IT services firm that extends services to the construction industry in US, a very respectable school principal and a classical Bharatanatyam dancer who left her job with Infy to dedicate more time to her passion. Some participants are involved in Investment banking and some have travelled around the world. And there is a good mix old, young, loud, soft, energetic and intelligent women in the group. I dont think such diversity exists in any of the regular MBA classes at IIM. To me, it resembles one of those US B-school classes.

Women have really come a long way and looks like they are already set to create the real Big Bang in Bangalore and everywhere. But let me tell you, behind all these high aspiring women are their husbands and fathers who are constantly providing all the encouragement and support.

Btw, someone told me that I come across as a very intelligent and articulate person bubbling with energy. And I just smiled.

From today, I will be attending the Women Entrepreneurs program at IIM-B for the next one month. The program runs in 2 phases and we will have to present a business plan towards the end of the program. Today we had the inaugural function at Central Pergola Hall at IIM-B.  

Few participants already run their own businesses and few have plans to start something on their own sometime soon. Some are attending because they have nothing else to do and some are attending because someone else wants them to. Few are already in administrative roles and are looking at gaining some business knowledge. This course does come with the prestigious IIM-B tag and a lower cost. The reason that I am attending this program is threefold.

1. I will hopefully get to know the basic functional areas of Management which will sure help me when I am at my b-school

2. I will have a chance to network with like-minded individuals

3. I will get a certificate from the prestigious IIM-B.

I have always wanted to be associated to this place. I work right across IIM campus and have been there umpteen times but those visits never give me a sense of belonging. I hope the next few days will change things. That apart, I do have plans to start off something on my own after few years. While I do not know what it is gonna be, I am clear on which section of the society my organization should aim to help. I intend to make use of this program and crack something solid. Who knows? This can just be a turning point in my life.

Sad thing is that I will have to be back at work after slogging at IIM-B from 10 -5pm. Anyway it is back to classes again for the next few days.

1. Even if it is Michael Schumacher, he has to drive only at 5kmph if he is driving behind a bullock cart on the Indian roads; Bangalore roads are no exception. I, invariably, am submitted to such conditions once a week :(

2. Dogs respond to automobile horns much better than human beings. Humans just don't care for they know that their lives are precious to the automobile drivers. You can hit and run in a place like Bangalore during not so odd hours.

3. Economic Times, the newspaper daily, has a regular column - Spiritual Quotient. Though I kept thinking that this column in outta place in such a newspaper, I am interestingly finding the column very useful

4. Economic times is byfar my favorite newspaper.. Why?? If it is Economic Times, I dont end up reading stuff like blasts, suicides, robbery and accidents every morning. Who needs such a dosage every morning? Not me for sure.. I hate the sensex details on the newspaper though.

5. I just realized that some of us need 2 things to accomplish a task - internal push and external push. Self motivation is internal push, peer/family pressure is external push.

6. With the bird flu fear still continuing, water bodies are sure gonna be depleted of the fish species. Come on, I know restaurants that have stopped serving chicken and have still managed to retain the same number of non vegetarian customers because of the new and updated fish delicacies.

7. Best example of Six Sigma practitioners are the chefs of the restaurant that I frequently visit. They serve the same quality dishes every time.

8. Some big brand bookstores have horrible customer service. They can go places if they do something to enhance the buyer experience. They survive better because of the patience each customer exhibits.

9. Finally sitting in front of your comp on a Saturday evening is not all that boring if you are bitching about stuff :)

 

The views expressed above are totally personal.

I have been on an emotional roller coaster ride since last 2 weeks. I have had no time to blog or even visit my own space. Well the sad news is that, I will not be attending school this year because of few things that have been going on my personal front. I have already emailed UNC about the same. Looks like I have to go through the same gruelling application process all over again in a few months time. But I dont have another way out. For now, my parents are totally supportive and that is the only solace. I have also started to rethink about my school options for next year.

 

While I havent even started bschool, I find myself dishing out advices to some friends on application process and post MBA issues quite often these days. At least I am glad that I can share some useful insights outta my experiences and info that I have gathered till now. Suddenly everything seems to have come to a stand still now :(

 

I was hoping to be busy with Visa formalities during this time but unexpected twists have forced me to have my hands stuck to the music keyboard. But let me tell you, music is such a relief.

It is official. I am planning to do this series on "Women at Work" regularly at Pagalgirl.com. First article/interview is out and expectations are already high for the upcoming ones. I need to now decide whether this series is going to be only on interviews or if I should also be writing about women who break the drudgery of life to realize their dreams and about those who have the vision and persistence to redefine boundaries set for them. But I am sure I dont want to write about or interview women who are already common names like Sudha Murthy and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. While it is great to have them as role models, I find it quite difficult to relate to them. Let us see how this series goes.

My upcoming interview is sure gonna be different from the first one. I need to work on the frequency of posts too. If I keep doing this weekly, people might be wondering if I work at all. Little do they know that I spent time till 2am compiling the first interview before posting it on PGG.

Keep watching the space at http://pagalgirl.com

I bumped into an article which spoke about how army (Indian army here) as an institution imparts few lessons to the corporate world.

 

The first point was about recruting the best people for the job. This is something that has been bothering me for quite a while now and the article is making me wear my thinking cap once more. While, in general, the corporate recruitment process is of no comparison to the rigorous army-recruitment process, there are quite a few companies that do put their applicants through some sort of stress interview. I work for an organization where 100 applications are reviewed before closing in on one applicant for the post. Inspite of that, I see people who dont fit very well with the job.I can attribute it to the following few reasons:

 

So now I wonder if such cases occur in the army? Well, when people work for an institution that calls for sacrificing ones life, issues like placement and interests are quite trivial.