Expert Excerpt at LIBA#1: Beyond Management Initiative by Ms. Vidya Pradeep
The Beyond Management Initiative is a student resource aimed at providing a path of knowledge beyond academics and classroom. Speakers with special expertise in various domains are invited throughout the academic year to share their knowledge and experience with the students.
The Beyond Management Initiative session conducted on June 28th, 2017 in LIBA Auditorium hosted Ms.Vidya Pradeep, Senior Vice President, HDFC Bank and Alumni of LIBA. Ms. Vidya commenced the session with the most important word circulating around – the Emotional Quotient and its relevance in today’s world. She explained how the evaluation of employees at senior level is being done based on not just their achievements and successful completion of their allocated targets but high priority is also given to the way in which they relate to their employees and ensure their happiness and satisfaction in the workplace. In today’s world, this has become a crucial aspect of the appraisal process. She also emphasized on the importance of Reengineering and Rebuilding oneself to match up to the expectations of the tough demands of the ever-changing world.
Her words on leadership – “Either follow or Be a Leader” made the budding managers at LIBA realise the need for inculcating the attitude of leadership at every level to create a pathway for becoming great Managers in future. She explained the 80/20 tool which highlighted how 20% of the work will create 80% impact. This is a tip that every student will carry forward into their corporate life going ahead. Ms. Vidya also touched upon the most iconic scenario happening in today’s world – Disruption. She explained how the responsibility of managers is shifting from just maintaining the existing job to creating disruptions and providing innovative solutions. These transformational leaders are the need of the hour. Her narration of looking at the job as a white canvas to be painted by our own work and not blindly following the given work instructions truly kindled in the students the need to be proactive and come up with innovative ideas and think out of the box. She also expounded upon how common sense that is extremely important to take ultimate decisions as managers are backed by absorbing and assimilating facts and experiences from a lot of things happening around us as well as with lot of learning and processing. Many people have been unsuccessful, not due to lack of talent, but because they are not able to take decisions at the right time.
As future managers, the students would need to take decisions often and this was elucidated by her through the ownership process where the managers need to take full ownership of their work though it might be ringed with failures too. Ms. Vidya concluded by emphasizing on the importance of not just being individually positive, happy and satisfied but also making the environment a lively and happy place for the employees to work. It was an insightful session as she gave a holistic view of the expectations from a management graduate in the current world as well as guidance from her vast experience on how to sail, though not smoothly, but efficiently through the sea of the corporate world waiting ahead for the students.