Learning beyond textbooks!

During my MBA days (2007-09), we went to a village named "Nuagadh" to participate in a "Disaster Mitigation Program", which was jointly organized Red Cross Society of India.

Wrote the below article based on my experience, which subsequently got published in one of the College Magazine. Was rummaging stuff on my old lappy today, and came across this write-up. Certainly refreshed my college memories...

We, a group of 48 students accompanied by Prof. Partho Sengupta and two officials of The Red Cross Society went to a village named Nuagadh near Puri, which was one of the worst affected areas in the 1999 Supercyclone.

Objectives of our visit:

1.      To gain first- hand knowledge of the initiatives taken by The Red Cross Society in educating the people of Nuagadh village about the nuances of disaster management tools and techniques.

2.      To have a better understanding of the technical and humane aspects of any disaster.

3.      To understand the step wise procedure of a disaster mitigation programme.

4.      To get real hands on experience of how people live in villages, their problems, their livelihood methods, etc.

5.      Interacting and encouraging them to hone their skills in disaster mitigation.

We started on a cold and foggy morning of 11^th Jan’09 at about 8 am from our hostel. But the weather failed to dampen our energy and spirit. In fact the weather was a perfect contrast to what we were feeling from within. Since this trip was going to be our first in our MBA lives, we were all fired up to make it a resounding success.

We picked up Partho Sir and the Red Cross officials on our way to the Red Cross Canteen in Bhubaneswar. After having a hearty breakfast of Puri sabzi, gulabjamun and refreshing cups of tea, we started our sojourn to the village of Nuagadh. One of the officials addressed us in the bus, outlining the salient points of the Disaster Mitigation Programme and how the visit would be enriching our lives as well as the lives of the natives of Nuagadh.

Super Cyclone of 1999 in Orissa

We reached Nuagadh at about 11.30 am. We were overwhelmed to receive a very warm welcome from the natives and Red Cross officials. They greeted us with bouquets n flowers. All of them were gathered in a disaster prevention shelter, which was a one storey building with facilities like tap water and toilets etc. First we were shown a video depicting some shots of the 1999 Supercyclone and the initiatives taken by Red Cross. The video was with a very mellifluous yet gut wrenching folk song in Oriya about the hazards faced by people during the cyclone.

After having refreshments of Biscuits and coffee, they introduced the volunteers of Nuagadh, who had undergone successful completion of Disaster Mitigation Training Programme. And from there onwards, they took over. We were quite astounded to meet such a spirited bunch of young people who had not only the confidence to give superb presentations but a very sound knowledge about the skills required during disaster mitigation. The flair with which they presented and explained to us,  even though they were armed with simple tools like chalk n blackboard, would have put any tech savvy MBA  graduate to shame! That just goes on to show the depth of talent and hidden potential of the youngsters in our villages. It’s high time India starts tapping into this huge reservoir of talent, if it truly wants to become a developed country.

First of all, a female volunteer showed and explained to us the map of their village, what do the different icons mean, what are the different routes and pathways etc and what is our exact position on the map.

Then a manual siren was shown to us, which is used to warn the people about any upcoming disaster and its use was demonstrated. Its sound waves carried up to 2 km.

They explained to us the importance of having records like how many adults, male and females, kids; handicapped, elderly people stay in which parts of the villages, and how to relocate them or to evacuate them to the disaster shelter in the fastest way possible.

Then the various life saving techniques were demonstrated by the volunteers. How to lift and carry an unconscious person who is double your weight from a one storey building was one of such techniques shown to us. First aid procedures like bandaging a broken skull or injury were demonstrated with quite theatrical proficiency. Artificial respiration, and how to bandage a broken arm were also shown.

Map showing Nuagadh vis-a-vis other places

A very novel comparative analysis was shown by one of the officials. The whole disaster mitigation programme was compared to a building, where the foundation stone was compared to The Red Cross Society without whose initiative and support , the whole programme wouldn’t have existed in the first place. The volunteers from the village were compared to the bricks. They are the ones who have to learn the skills and techniques and propagate it to the others. They are like the cells of our body, structural, fundamental and functional unit of life. The knowledge or the expertise is the cement that binds the bricks or the volunteers together. We found this comparison very thought provoking and it left a deep impact

on our minds.

Then we were divided into 6 groups. Each group was accompanied by a set of 3-4 volunteers and we started on our journey of exploring village life. Interacting with them while walking through the narrow lanes and by lanes of Nuagadh, we learned so much about them, that no book on Rural Management could have taught us ever! That was a very enriching moment for all of us, especially those who never had the opportunity to visit a village before. We also visited one of huts and saw the architectural marvel. Because of its very low entrance and high ceilings, the huts remain very cool in summer and warm and cozy in winters. They offered us “ber” or “Koli”(an Indian fruit grown in villages mostly) as a goodwill gesture. We walked though endless farms and fields and finally reached a small “Sukua” factory on the bank of River Devi. Sukua is basically a kind of Dried Fish, considered a delicacy for non-vegetarians. Its smelly, but once its cooked, tastes heavenly. Most of the villagers are employed in this factory. We also went inside the factory and saw the packaging of “Sukua”. It was kind of a small scale industry visit, very enlightening of course.

Then we returned to our base camp at around 3.45 pm, had a delayed but sumptuous lunch consisting of delicacies like Mushrooms, Gobi, Paneer, etc. Then we organized a small felicitation ceremony for the officials of Red Cross Society who made our visit possible and successful in every sense of the word. They were the connecting link between us and the villagers of Nuagadh.

While returning to our bus, we experienced a very poignant moment, when one of the volunteers named Kartik, a 12 years old boy who had lost his entire family in the Supercyclone, asked us, “Didi! When are you people coming back again?”. We could only reply with a smile, stating our uncertainty, but one thing is for sure, apart from the intellectual upgradation that we experienced, we also had profound spiritual enrichment. We will always treasure and cherish the precious memories of moments spend with some really genuine and warm people we have ever come across in our lives.

Gen Z and its ways...

Read a very good article in ET today, about the upsurge of a niche group of high performing and high maintenance young corporate executives. Extremely efficient, tech-savvy, practicing work life balance, seeking appreciation and recognition constantly. Its really heartening to know, we are gradually shifting towards a more holistic work culture and environment where laid back lifestyle is giving way to healthy competition.

While the article focused on the characteristic traits of such individuals and gave essential tips for their bosses on how to handle them, I would like to take this article one notch higher by discussing the challenges faced by such executives. While the challenges are manifold, lets deliberate on the first and foremost of them.

Resistance by Gen Y (Assuming this bunch is Gen Z) : Its basic human psychology. People resist change, be it any kind, good …bad…strange, whatever! They just find it hard to believe, that a week’s task can be done in 3 hours flat, provided you are willing to stretch yourself. And where is the fun in work, if you don’t stretch yourself. Only a person who has roamed in a parched desert can truly enjoy a chilled glass of water. That almost dead feeling in your body, when you hit the sack long after midnight, after a hard day of work is the most satisfying feeling in the whole world. Simply incomparable.

And this group of Gen Y, will always find some reason or the other to criticize you, however lame is the thing. When they don’t find any aspects of your work, to pull you down, they would resort to non-work categories. And its so tangent, sometimes it gets laughable! And laughing away their barbs, is the only solution to this. Some wise man has said, in some wise book, “If people are talking about you, that means, you are doing good in life.” J

Extracting the juice out of a day by including so many diverse activities comes easily to this group. Be it work or leisure, they have taken perfection to a new level altogether. With the focus of Arjuna, they march ahead towards their goal, which is not money, btw. Its something more spiritual, something really unattainable, if you go on to thrash out the actual meaning of the word. Taking your work to a level, that creates a benchmark. That’s actually the goal, maybe.

Was not planning to write something so serious on a Sunday, but yet again, I let the fingers do the talking, turning out to be an impulsive writer, after all! J

So Chetan Bhagat’s new book is out, “What young India wants?”. Its his first book in non-fiction genre, based on this essays. Looking forward to it. Was going through another article regarding the book launch. So many critics have castigated him on his broken grammar and what not! Arey baba, That’s how we talk, everyone cannot speak perfect Shakespearean English. Will it be believable, if I write, “My dear XYZ, the intention of this epistle is to….”, while “Hi XYZ, wanted to tell you through this letter….” Sounds so REAL!

Guys! Why can’t people just let him BE. Jealousy is ok, but up to a level.

He is hugely successful and popular because, he has managed to touch the pulse of the nation, of the youth, by coming up with stories that people can identify with, characters that have real shades of people in it, it can be anybody’s  story! What is so wrong with it, if he goes on to make some millions out of it. Writing is hard work, after all! And you know what, his so called “Intellectual” critics are only upset ‘coz their books aren’t doing that well, may be. Abstract books don’t have a successful history after all, unless you are an Ayn Rand or Paulo Coelho.

Anyways that’s it for now!

Cheers! J

What they don't teach you in a B-School?

I still remember the Leadership jargons and categorization explained by Robbins of the Organizational Behaviour Fame, idolized by every HR aspirant during his/her MBA days. This mammoth of a book is a bible for every HR student. If HR is in your blood, then you are supposed to chew this book, inside out, including the cover pages and bookmarks! J Which of course, I did, like a diligent student. And it sure helped me to gain a foothold in a blue chip company, which is the poster boy of the IT world. The HR Practices and processes in my organization are taught in leading B-schools of the globe as case studies! I am really very proud of living, breathing and doing the stuff, that has created history in the HR world.

Now, what I actually wanted to talk about today is, how much of the stuff that we are exposed to in a B-school really helps us in corporate? No no, I am not trying to open a pandora’s box here! J I know, each one of you, must be having very strong views on this topic. And I respect that. Let me narrate my POV here. (I will give you a chance to present your POV, on FB, when I post the link of my blog, and we can have hearty debate/discussion on it.)

So the answer to the above question would be, near about 75%. This 75% is the text book knowledge that’s going to be of use in future. And the rest 25% would be the quintessential “Other” gyan that you gain, from activities during MBA. Now what constitutes the “Other” gyan?

PFB the description of the “Other” :

1.      De-mystifying diverse and interesting Personalities : You spend 2 years with about 200 odd folks, you are with them 24*7, being exposed to their idiosyncracies, day in and day out. Learning from folks who are intellectually and emotionally superior to you, and learning to survive the moments with folks who are nothing but a pain, and finding out reasons to love the ones who have given you all the reasons to hate them. Quite a handful! But believe me, the learning that you imbibe from this, will give the best platform to launch yourself in an HR career. After all, its about understanding human beings and helping them grow. Initially it was like a bolt from the blue, but gradually it started getting easier, and by the time I was in second year…I could love each one of them! J (Not kidding).

2.      How to get work done from unwilling folks : In corporate, you cannot expect to work in silo. There are various kinds of teams, DC level, Corporate level, track level and what not! Your style of working, level of commitment might not be the same as others. How to create a synergy amongst yourselves, in order to finally deliver an excellent product, is what ultimately counts. The MBA gives you the best training for that. All the activities in MBA are group based. Sometimes you are stuck with a group, which refuses to work, so what do you do with such free-riders? Do their share of work as well, so that it doesn’t affect your grade or just give up? Or sensitize them regarding the importance of group work, or allocate different tasks to them or just break down the task into small parts and ask them to do their share. So many options and so little time. Now this is called actual learning. And no text book on earth, not even OB by Robbins can teach you this. At the most Robbins can explain the details or the Group dynamics….Forming, storming, Norming, Performing …Adjourning etc etc.

     Recently I read somewhere, there is a 6^th stage too of group dynamics, called “Mourning”. When you get along with a group very well, and its time to part ways after the work gets done, you are in a state of mourning! J Now that is interesting J That’s what actually happens, I guess, when its time to leave an organization and you start composing your adieu mail. I have this strange fixation for adieu mails, dunno why! I read each and every word of all the adieu mails that I receive and also make it a point of replying to each one of them. (Even if I don’t know them, personally). Dunno why. May be ‘coz I can identify with the pain of letting go and I really understand and respect the efforts that they have put in, to write such a beautiful and painful mail, jotting down the memories/experiences of years in a mail, which you know is going to be your last, how heart-wrenching it can be…I can truly understand. L

3.      You can read thousands of leadership fundas in OB book, but you will gain an insight only if you get a chance to meet and mingle with great leaders/personalities. I have been very lucky on this front. I sit in a cube which is surrounded by cabins, occupied by some really great ppl, each one of them a true leader in his/her own area or field of work. In fact, my building has too many of them! The way they speak, behave and work…just observing them, helps you learn so much! One of the common features of all great leaders I feel, is their style of interaction…how they communicate with people across Job levels. Be it an executive or a person with 15 years of work exp, the true leaders never differentiate and behave in a similar fashion with all of them. And they are so soft spoken, ever-smiling, always first one to greet you in the morning, even when you are engrossed in your lappy. “Hey Nazia, wot u doing!” This coming from a top leader is really exemplary behavior to say the least. As if, I am a great scientist at work and might shout “Eureka” anytime coming up with a great formula! I am just a simple girl, at work! The kind of attention, respect, consideration they give you, acts as a catalyst and helps bring out the best in you. Each one of them is an OB book, so much to learn from them. Whenever I am in their company, I try my best to be a sponge…absorbing each and every word, and mannerisms etc. Now which book teaches you this?! None J

4.      Now coming to written communication : A true leader is very careful of the words he chooses to use. Words are like arrows, once out, you cannot take it back. If you use impolite words, the damage can be detrimental not only for the person it was intended for, but also for you as well. How? Words spread like wild fire. One instance of impolite behavior and your reputation goes for a toss! J So leaders need to be careful about this J Though my fav ones are always superb on the written communication part too! J

This is a huge topic and I think, I should save the second part for next Saturday. J

So this much for now, have a wonderful weekend, love you all!

Cheers!

I am in Mysore ! !

I would be there from 20th to 24th Oct to attend the annual ER meet at our Mysore Centre.