In this column, I speak about my MBA and the learnings I gained from it and how it has helped me in my entrepreneurial journey. My venture, CherryTin, is an online site for exclusive and personalised gifting options.
My educational background
I earned my Bachelors in Engg at PEC, Chandigarh, Masters in Engg, Dartmouth College, 1994 and my MBA from the University of Chicago in 1999
How the MBA helped me in my corporate life?
Time and again something happens, which makes me remember a theoretical concept learned at business school. For example, one of the most interesting classes I took was one on Leadership. ‘How are great institutions built and what holds them together?’ ‘What do Marilyn Monroe, Hitler and Gandhi have in common?’ were some of the questions asked in the class. We learned about self-objects and the role they play in creating great institutions like the Army. In the end, in my view, an MBA is just a set of theoretical learnings that sometimes serve as a reference later in life.
The key learnings for me from my MBA
— That you don’t need to go to business school to learn common sense.
— Most business school education is rather about networking.
— Experience is often the best teacher.
If I had re-visit my MBA what I would have liked to have been part of the course
How to develop clarity of thought and perspective. I increasingly see things happen around me and realise now the power of positive energy. Business school would be the perfect place to start to learn this, and how we can cultivate positivity.
The chief ingredients for me on the road to the top
I am still on the road, hopefully to the top! Not a day goes by that I do not learn something new. Passion and openness to new learnings is a key ingredient to succeeding.
My best and worst moments
Every day I have best and worst moments… I look forward to my work, with its ups and downs. Both are wonderful teachers.
My advice to young MBAs who are joining the corporate sector
— Keep an open mind. You do not need to follow the trend — retain your uniqueness; that’s what makes the world interesting.
— Failure is inevitable on the road to success. It is how we deal with it that defines us.
On the way the MBA is structured and taught today
It has been a while since I graduated, and I imagine that business school curricula are increasingly about entrepreneurship and the digital economy. While that is good, the fundamentals of effective marketing and other relevant business subjects remain equally important.
My advice to young MBAs on what to read
This might seem clichéd, but The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi . Lots of food for thought.
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