1 December, 2013
My dear young friends,
Management education is all about holistic thinking (360-degree and multi-orbit) directed towards goal setting and preparing roadmap for the targeted goal. Rest is walking the thought.
During your MBA course, you have been engaging in such exercises through home assignments, projects, business plans, award winning presentations etc. all in organizational or sectoral context. Nation is above organizations and sectors.
All of us have national pride. However, events around us keep making us proud at one moment and ashamed at another the same day. I have listed a few facts and figures in respect of both the signals under the following two heads in two separate attachments as below:
1. I am proud to be an Indian
2. I am ashamed to be an Indian
These are only some thought provoking triggers. You will have your own database in your minds. Thinking of this large size country of continental dimensions, several major issues like the ones listed below will come to your mind as you think of reshaping it for better.
• Crime rate increasing/ Justice delayed
• Honour killings
• Urban/ Rural Divide
• Increasing gap between rich and poor
• 30% Indians below poverty line
• Begging Problem-real and psychic
• Corruption becoming a part of life
• Political System needing revamping with power to recall etc.
• River Networking for balancing the draughts with the floods
• and so on…..
You may feel helpless as an individual, a drop in the ocean, to tackle such big issues unless you work in the mainstream of any of the above areas of concern.
We had a brainstorming session on 7-April-12 with the outgoing batch of Great Lakes IEMR thinking as to how to shape India for better, concluding with 5-things that one would like to do for his country as a responsible citizen in his individual capacity. I am giving below a few clues that were used to resolve.
1. Making Life meaningful & purposeful
2. Reinforcing a Value based Society
3. Promoting Professionalism
4. Leveraging the power of Education/ Technology/ Energy
5. Bridging Shining India with Deprived India
May be on this format, it was thought, we can be in touch for many years to share what we have been able to contribute as individuals with a common vision and what could be the net impact of this group growing year by year.
A package of 5-resolutions to create a better India, a better world had emerged as follows:
1. Self goal setting (annually) synchronizing with Organizational goals and National Aspirations.
2. Respect elders for the simple reason they have contributed to your comforts- Metro, Roads, Electricity, and all other facilities where Govt. has invested is out of the taxes they paid.
3. Think beyond the dots and out of the box/ one single act per week beyond your job and family.
4. Take small steps within your capacity to leverage education/ energy for the benefit of Society.
5. Contribute 1% of your monthly expenditure to Charity.
{ There are several genuine Charity Organizations, where we can send our modest contributions. For example, I am sending this year’s amount to Narayan Sewa Sansthan, Udaipur, Rajasthan where it would be used to operate and rehabilitate next Polio affected child and they would inform me the name and other particulars of the child rehabilitated.}
You may evolve some alternative resolutions also on the same 5-point format (please inform me if you do so), befitting your propensity and position. But your agenda, your roadmap and your destination should be absolutely clear to you and every year, every month, every week and even every day you should be walking the thought on your own roadmap.
Satyamev Jayate !!!
Best wishes and Regards,
M.Tech., Ph.D., CBI Scholar, D.Engg., FNAE, Hon.D.WRE
Chairman, Great Lakes IEMR, Gurgaon, NCR, Delhi
Co-Chairman, Advisory Council, Great Lakes-Bauer Global Energy Executive MBA program, University of Houston
Former Director General (NPTI & CPRI / REL)
No job is small or big, the way in which you do, makes it small or big (c)
Great Lakes Institute of Management 