Students at SJMSOM-IIT Bombay Learn to be Real Leaders at Leadership Lecture Series

Students at SJMSOM-IIT Bombay Learn to be Real Leaders at Leadership Lecture Series

The month of February brought in a new opportunity to the MBA students of SJMSOM, IIT Bombay, when as a part of their Leadership Lecture Series, they got the chance to interact with the very best from all the fields of industry. But if you are thinking that it is just another of the sessions, then you are wrong.

This time the speakers were not there to instruct the students about the do's and don'ts. It was literally 'Experiences of Lifetime'. The leaders unraveled their own lives and their experiences.

The series began with the words of inspiration from Mr. Pramod Chaudhuri, Chairman, Praj Industries, Pune. He said that a practical approach towards life has always helped him to overcome the dissonances arising out of ethical issues.

Mr. Adi Godrej, Chairman, Godrej Industries Ltd., also gave special insight as to how he saw the Indian economy evolve through decades, to where it stands today.

Mr. Vijay Mahajan, Managing Director & CEO, BASIX India, had several insights into a leader's role. He said that one doesn't have to lead a profit making conventional organization to be hailed as a leader. Leadership is as much about following one's convictions as it is about inspiring others.

Mr. Uday Kotak, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank, is a firm believer in ethics and value system. Commenting on the current Indian scenario, Mr. Kotak stated that the Indians believe in incremental thinking. They should move towards aspirational thinking, and to do that, more emphasis should be laid upon execution of plans.

Dr. Ashok Ganguly, Chairman, ICICI One Source Limited, Former Director of Unilever Plc, Former Chairman, HLL Ltd., shared 3 things which according to his experiences were useful in any career in life. Firstly, he said that opportunity to learn should always be given. Secondly, one should accept that he doesn't know, if he doesn't know anything. Thirdly, qualities like being thrilled about doing any work, even if the results are not immediately visible, or the goal has not been accomplished, is rare to find.

The session with Ms. Naina Lal Kidwai, Chief Executive Officer, HSBC (India), was a stone apart from the other sessions. When asked about the challenges she faced as a woman, she expressed her concern that women often have self-imposed glass ceilings and they don't believe they can rise up. It's often not the organization that's hindering their success.

Next

Contributed by -
Rachit R. Mehrotra,
PR Team Member,
Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay.

MBA Alumni \| MBA Students \| MBA Aspirants \| MBA Forums