MBA vs. Engineering

Posted by on June 9, 2012 No comments

If I distill my two engineering degrees and one management degree down to the one key lesson from each degree, it comes down to this basic difference:

  • The Engineering degrees taught me how to take a complex problem and move towards its logical conclusion using a series of well defined steps. An engineering problem can be attacked by breaking it into smaller chunks and solving each ‘independently’. If you define the problem well and follow the steps accurately, you are reasonably sure to reach the correct answer.
  • The Management degree taught me how to look at a complex problem and fit it into a pre-defined framework. The framework can help identify linkages among the various sub-components of the problem and provide a path towards a few possible solutions. At the end however, you may not have one single answer, rather an array of solutions. The final step is to convert this array of solutions into one or two possible actions, using some level of managerial intuition and judgement.

Given this fundamental difference, it is important to recognize the importance of ‘last mile’ judgement and intuition in a management decision making scenario. If an organizational leader can hone his judgement skills, it would give him a great boost in the ability to achieve successful outcomes from seemingly uncertain scenarios.

It is also important to note that very few people can make judgement decisions well from the get go. For the rest of us, we should put in specific routines in place to hone our judgement skills. For example, one can practice predicting the price of oil or the currency every week using a set of ‘rules’. We can define those rules for ourselves, but just the act of predicting an uncertain outcome based on a set of rules should help sharpen our judgement decision making skills.

 

Thank you, Sachin.

Posted by on March 17, 2012 1 comment

Sachin Tendulkar scored his hundredth 100 yesterday, a milestone that no other cricketer will probably achieve in his lifetime. It is easy to get lost in the excitement of the moment and forget that his most recent milestone is a crowning feather on his 99 previous centuries in international cricket. Those 99 hundreds were, in my opinion, even more inspiring than this hundredth ton.

To me, Sachin has been an idol all life long. Like most other cricket fans, I feel extremely fortunate to have lived in the same day and age as Sachin. Such role models are rare and each of us in the current generation should feel grateful to have seen a living legend. I remember growing up watching sportsmen like Sachin Tendulkar, Michael Jordan, and Michael Schumacher excel in their individual arenas. Each of the three have had a profound impact on my youth, however one of them stands out way above the rest. Jordan and Schumacher had much shorter careers as compared to Sachin, who to the surprise to many, has continued to excel even after 22 great years in the game. Cricket is a physically and mentally taxing game and he has always made it look easy. Sachin continues to break all records with a remarkable humility that can only be fueled by an innate pool of motivation that he draws from.

Sachin has taught me how to lead by action rather than words. He has taught me that a human being’s never say die spirit can help him achieve remarkable things in life. He has taught me that life will throw you into tough situations but the only way to get through unscathed is to have your eyes firmly set on your higher goals and doing what do you need to do today to work towards those goals. One of my favorite pieces of writing is Clayton Christensen’s “How will you measure your life?“. The article talks about the fact that it is much easier to stick to your principles 100% of the time rather than 98% of the time. Its easier to ‘never compromise’ than it is to ‘compromise just this one time’. Sachin personifies this learning for me. He had numerous opportunities to cut corners, make dubious/questionable choices, or in general do something against his principles. However, he always chose to do the right thing.

People define leadership in many different ways. There have been some great leaders in Indian cricket such as Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble. However, if you had to pick one, it would be an easy choice. I find it remarkable that even at this late stage of his long career, Sachin runs every run like he is sixteen years old. The hunger to score that one extra run gives us a peek into his inner source of motivation. Sachin has crossed every milestone there is but when he is running that single run, he is doing so for his team. The only thing in his mind at that moment is what is best for the team. That hunger to succeed is the definition of leadership for me. That hunger inspires the 10 other men in the team to play each game like its their last game of their lives.

 

 

The interview x-factor

Posted by on March 13, 2012 No comments

I have learned over the years that one can increase their success probability at job interviews by focusing on a few critical elements. One such thing to focus on is what I call your “x-factor”.

Before walking into the interview room, think about what is it about you that is so compelling or differentiated from other candidates. Each one of us has an “x-factor” which sets us apart and makes us unique. For example, lets say you are a very passionate person. You get charged up quite easily and are able to inspire others around you with your passion. Recognizing and then highlighting this trait during your interview can greatly increase your success chances.

I recommend you work hard to anticipate what the interviewer is looking for. Once you have figured that out, do some special/out of the ordinary analysis or think of a few recommendations which you can highlight in your interview. Make sure these recommendations appear ‘unsolicited’, so that the interviewer feels you have done your homework and are proactively thinking of solutions to the company’s problems. For example, if your strong point is your analytical skills, then think of the interviewers business problems and analyze that problem using your analytical toolkit. Present your recommendation in the interview, even if you are not asked for it. This approach is bound to help showcase how proactive you are.

 

570 unique dreams

Posted by on February 15, 2012 No comments

It’s almost done. A year during which 570 of us went through one giant roller-coaster, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. ISB has provided a fertile ground for 570 day dreamers who landed on campus with myriad aspirations. Every single student had a visual image of what they will look like once ISB ends. For most, the dream has already come through but for some its still in the works.

Placement season at ISB is in full swing. Days 1 and 2 are done and Day 3 of placements is lurking around the corner. The mood is mixed, with objectivity and emotions playing their part in making people laugh and cry both in happiness and sadness. It’s feels like it’s been really long since people on campus discussed anything other than jobs. This is the moment of reckoning. This is the time to put our ISB essays into action and materialize the thoughts we passionately spoke about in our interviews.

I got news today that I have been accepted into the Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (EDI) – ISB’s incubator. I spent a whole year exploring various business ideas, and now feel that I am very close to choosing one that will dominate the next 5-10 years of my life. It now feels as if ISB was just a start to an exciting new journey for me. Having spent the past 12 years in the US, this now feels like a whole new start. Here’s to the 570 dreamers and their unwavering resolve to turbo-charge their careers and as a result, their lives.

 

Fantastic end to a fantastic Strategy course

Posted by on February 11, 2012 No comments

One of my favourite courses at ISB has been a term 7 course called “Economics of Strategy”. When folks told me that an MBA can broaden your thinking and make you look at the same things in a very different way, I didn’t quite understand what that meant until I took this course.

The course took a very unique view on economic models and drew counter intuitive connections between economic models and business strategy as they play out in the real world. Heck, we even debated the role of game theory in promotion settings, especially in service intensive professions like Consulting, Investment Banking, and Law. We dealt with myriad industries such as aviation, breakfast cereals, microprocessors, human resources, and so on.

To top it all, we had our final exam for the course today and it was a well spent 2 hours. Not to risk giving out too much information on the final exam and getting into trouble with the school authorities, I can tell you that the exam dealt with how economic models are applied to the Web 2.0 industry, with a “very popular” website going up against a promising upstart from a search giant. Writing this exam made me think of this industry in ways I have never thought of before.

An MBA can do wonders to you if you get into it with the right attitude. I have found that taking diverse courses far away from my field of expertise or my liking has actually helped tremendously in widening my horizons. I have deliberately taken up *high risk* courses which promised to stretch my thinking and help me get the most out of this degree.

Social network reboot

Posted by on January 7, 2012 No comments

Michael Arrington talked about how Facebook should allow users to “reset” their social network to shed some of the fat that collects over time in your social network circles. This resonates with my “Facebook fatigue” that I talked about earlier. More and more people these days are complaining about the low signal to noise ratio on their Facebook walls, and this is a dangerous path for Facebook to go down.

What most people are not realizing is that this issue has an even larger impact when it comes to our professional network on LinkedIn. Over time, we relax our constraints and tend to approve connection requests on LinkedIn from people who we know very little. These may be people who we exchanged a simple “hello” with and went on to connect with them later on LinkedIn. Before we know it, our network has grown to over 500 people.

It is difficult to imagine how most of us can have a high quality professional relationship with over 500 people. It just doesn’t seem physically possible. LinkedIn does a very good job of trying to prevent you from adding people who you do not know well, but the software algorithm can only go so far in dissuading people from expanding their networks.

I seem to have fallen prey to this as well as my LinkedIn network has grown fast over the past year (mostly due to new connections at ISB). But its high time I tighten up and take control of who I decide to approve. For those of you new to LinkedIn or Facebook, I highly advise you to take it slow and only build your networks slow and steady. Do not rush in, having 500 friends or connections is not an achievement. Do not dilute your network, as very soon, you will drown in the amount of noise it creates for you.

 

 

Poker

Posted by on January 3, 2012 No comments

I love playing poker. The game never ceases to amaze me. I learn something new every game I play, no matter if I win or lose. In the last 7 odd years I have been playing poker, I have played with many kinds of players. Some who are ultra conservative and find it difficult to part with even the smallest of amounts, while others who are aggressive and do not fear losing it all in one shot. Most people I have met lie in between these extremes, as expected.

Poker teaches me patience. It rewards me for waiting 20 hands patiently for that one killer hand where I can sweep the table. Every hand I lose, I can almost always diagnose my failure down to some form of impatience. It consistently punishes me for wavering from my *ideal* strategy and losing track of my fundamentals. It consistently punishes me for being aggressive when defense is needed and being defensive when aggression is needed. Poker teaches me that I should strive to maximize my gains and minimize my losses. There are days when I hit a streak of bad cards or my opponents get *lucky* with great cards at my expense. Poker teaches me the virtue of holding back my currency when I know my hand is only second best, at best.

Poker teaches me that one needs to constantly reinvest himself to stay competitive. One has to change strategy if the situation warrants that. Again, it punishes me for being rigid about my playing style if the situation warrants a slight shift in strategy.

Facebook on the brink?

Posted by on December 20, 2011 6 comments

I have been feeling for the past month or so that Facebook has gotten increasingly complex to use. The myriad of privacy settings, the multitude of information streams floating across the screen, and the fact that everyone you know (even remotely) is now a friend on Facebook, are all driving down the user experience from being simple to being very complex.

This thought became even more concrete in my head as I started using Google+ to share my photo albums with close friends. There is a certain ‘lightweight’ feeling about Google+ which is very attractive. The experience doesn’t leave you feeling overwhelmed with information and sharing is infinitely simpler on Google+.

Facebook’s auto list creation feature, while being cool, is also threatening to destroy the user experience. For example, I now have no less than four different lists for my friends at ISB. Three of the four lists were auto created by Facebook, and one was created by me manually several months ago. It is not clear to me if I should just delete the three auto created lists? What value are they adding, I am not so sure. What if I delete them, and they reappear as I add new ISB friends to my network in the future?

Clayton Christensen told us that low-end disruptive innovation happens when a new product attacks the incumbent from the low-end by offering a much simpler, lightweight, minimal, and cheaper alternate product. The audience adopts the new innovation as they are *tired* of bloated incumbent products. This is exactly what I see happening here with Facebook.

Facebook does have the significant advantage of making users feel locked into it. Users have years of conversations, networks, and photos on Facebook so there would be high perceived switching cost for users jumping to Google+.

How this all plays out, only time will tell. The way I see it, Google+ will reach a tipping point where the engagement levels on Google+ will rise fast. The only way I see Facebook stopping this is by drastically simplifying their user interface. Cut out many of the lower used features. This is the only way to maintain user interest and not cede the massive lead it currently enjoys to very promising rivals like Google+.

Serial latecomers

Posted by on December 19, 2011 No comments

You know them. You have seem them around in your workplace or social circles. They represent a breed of people who are always late to any event, class, or social meetup. I admire them for the consistency with which they show up late. What’s even more impressive, they are very consistent in the amount of time they are late by.

In my class at ISB, I have identified several such people. For example, there is this guy who shows up exactly 5 minutes late to every class. That kinda consistency freaks me out, no really it does. I would like to sit him down one day and ask him:

What gives you the power to be so dedicated in being exactly 5 minutes late to every class?”

I wonder what he will say. Perhaps he will tell me:

“I am disciplined in everything I do. If I break the rule, it upsets me and that is not good”.

Keeping aside the sarcasm, this kinda behaviour disgusts me. It makes my stomach turn inside out. People need to learn to respect the timeline being mandated to them. Professors at ISB make it very clear that they do not tolerate tardiness, yet, it unfortunately falls on deaf ears.

MBA students need to learn how to deal with uncertainty

Posted by on December 5, 2011 3 comments

A very important reason one goes to b-school is to expand their network, meet diverse and interesting people, and learn personal and professional best practices from the diverse set of people. Right?

I want to believe the above view is represented by a large percentage of MBA students, but sadly, I am observing the complete opposite. MBA students, some very smart ones, are rarely pro-active in working with *random* group of people, or taking up assignments/projects/competitions with a group of people they have not met before.

Instead, most people just flock to others who they know well and have worked with before. In some ridiculous cases, I have seen students request re-shuffling the entire set of class study groups just so they get to work with the 2-3 students who they are comfortable with.

I wish this was not the case. Folks need to realize that uncertainty, ambiguity, and diversity all go hand in hand. One can gain A LOT from working outside the comfort zone and trying to work with people who are different and I daresay, *hard* to work with.