Colloquium: Feb 11, 2008
Being Successful in the Corporate World
This colloquium was unique in more ways than one. To begin with Mr. Anand did not act as an ambassador of Hapag Lloyd trying to narrate the glories of his company, but rather, he let his words speak volumes about a company where men like him worked. His speech, or rather his interaction, with the students here at ASB provided as good a picture as one can ever hope to get about the tough world out there and what it takes to be a winner.
Mr. C. S. Anand, MD of Hapag Lloyd, is a man who has been in the industry for a long time in various capacities and capabilities. He is a man whose words are to be treasured as they come from years of experience of someone who has walked down the road we all someday hope to tread. It is almost redundant to have to say that we were indeed privileged to have someone of his stature spend time with us and share his insights with us.
Mr. Anand began by going over the current scenario of the economy. He pointed out that we were lucky to be looking forward to step out of college into a market that is on the rise and where companies are experiencing tremendous growth. He pointed out that things may look bleak right now with the slowdown in the US economy, but he feels strongly that it is just a passing cloud and that the sun is shining as bright as ever on the other side.
Globalisation, as he put it has given rise to opportunities all over the world and the competition is cut throat. One has to be on his toes all the time if one wants to stay ahead of the pack. He pointed out that Indians are a talented lot of people and that any list of the global CEO’s would be incomplete without a few familiar names from our country. According to him, what differentiated us from several others was that we have a firm belief in the value system and it is as much a part of our culture as well, as a part of our corporate system and that the success of such a system could be brought about only if every member of the organisation believes in it and implements it in every walk of life.
From a student’s point of view his next words were worth their weight in gold as he pointed out the true meaning of education. He started by using three quotes to put things into perspective –
“Money doesn’t create man, man created money”
– Warren Buffet
“I never let my schooling interfere with my education”
– Mark Twain
“Our thoughts determine our destiny, our destiny determines our legacy”
– James Allen
He then went on to point out that education could only do so much, but experience and learning are the true tests of knowledge. As MBA aspirants he asked us to have three things in mind as part of our expectations from such an education: Management Orientation, strategic thinking and creation of value for stakeholders. He went into further details about how we could take our education to the next level by enhancing our strengths and identifying opportunities while overcoming threats that may exist.
“TRAPS” he said, were responsible for the lack of drive and success among a vast majority of people. Some traps he pointed out were – Family level, Thinking level, Restrictive thinking, High safety – low risk, Need for guarantees and clarity, Short term goals and following the predictable path etc. These resulted in limited career growth, limited leadership skills, inability to achieve one’s potential and failure to identify opportunities.
His next words covered what was expected of a manager today and the role of a global manager and the role, attitude played in one’s development. ‘Seeing the big picture’ was one of the skills that he felt was what made a good leader great. He stressed on the importance of mental and physical fitness and the ability to inspire others as well as to be inspired by others. He concluded by pointing out the need for a good sense of humour and how one should always have one’s feet planted firmly on the ground no matter what heights one reach. As he rightly said, “The corporate world is not ugly as it is made out to be, but is in fact a very challenging environment where we get to match our skills with the best in the business.”
- George Thomas
I MBA |
