Anupam Tomar_BLP031_Self_Leadership_10_Jan'12

Strengths of a person gives him the confidence to deal with situations in which he struggles to express himself/herself. The sheer power of inner belief to see through a tough phase makes a person mentally strong & often is a differentiator between achievers & those who yearn to achieve something meaningful.

Over the years two of my strength determination to achieve my goals has helped me to see through some tough phases and has contributed in improving my weakness of not being resilient and giving up soon.This has improved me as a person & will also play a key role in developing my core competencies.

As a result of the improvements made, i have been able to connect with people in an improved way thus developing stronger friendships/ work relations & it has improved my thought procedure also. After leveraging my strengths, i would like to have a strong and a wide network of peers / friends for generating employment opportunities especially for those who suffer with disabilities but are capable enough to develop employable skills thus contributing in the development of the society. To do this, i have started networking with people who are knowledgeable in their respective fields & are compassionate for developing the society. I have identified few people from my workplace, some from my college and i look forward to meet more people who will add value to me, contribute in increasing my knowledge, develop my thought process and over a longer period of time, aid in the cause i would like to pursue.

In order to improve myself and absorb the good points, i need to control things because of which tme goes by and the same can be utilised more effectively for self development. I think i need to spend less time in analysing things as at times it leads to overanalysis of a situation because of which more time is wasted in repeated analysis of a situation or an upcoming event. To improve this, i will start looking at and doing things in a step by step manner. This approach will not divert my attention by looking at the bigger picture every time. Thus i will use my time more constructively and also this will take care of my worrying too much about any future event

Prashant Agarwal_BLP056_Consulting_03Jan2012

In the consulting class today, we learnt about the initial stages of Proposal Development. We discussed two important aspects of a consulting assignment i.e. (i) Dealing with resistance and (ii) Stage of discovery.

Consultants generally face resistance from the client in opening up and coming out with the actual problem and it is really difficult to handle this resistance because resistance is an emotional process. The best way to deal with resistance is to get the client talk more about their concern. The best way to handle this is to ask open ended questions and encourage the client to think deeply and talk about the real concerns and issues. A consultant should not push back at resistance, but face it and talk through it in an authentic and in a sincere manner. There are 3 steps to handling resistance:

1.) Pick up cues for resistance – A consultant must keenly observe what is happening and pay attention to non-verbal signals from the client. Any sign of resistance like uneasiness or odd body language in client, repetition of same points being explained again and again or feeling of disengagement from the conversation with the client is a clear signal of resistance.

2.) Name the resistance – use simple language to describe the form the resistance is taking. This would help client openly share what he is feeling.

3.) Let the client respond – A consultant should make the statement about resistance and then remain silent. The idea is to encourage the client to take responsibility and come forward and discuss the issue at hand.

Consultant should not take this resistance from client personally. The main reason of resistance is sign of dealing with something important and valuable and which is coming out in a difficult form. The majority of questions which a consultant gets are expression of discomfort and defensiveness of client. A consultant should answer a question asked by the client twice and clarify things but if the same question is asked thrice then it indicates that the client is feeling some resistance to commit to the problem or the process. Then this is the time to face the client and challenge his underlying assumptions.

Once client and consultant are ready to deal with resistance they switch to discovery phase. The goal of discovery is to be more effective at solving the client’s problem. In this phase, consultant tries to understand what he knows and what he doesn’t know. A consultant must clearly understand the client’s issue and the client’s industry in order to help him. He should get to the root of the problem – which may be different than what appears or what the client is stating. At the same time it is important at this stage that the consultant gives a clear picture on how the problem is being managed. He should not be suggesting recommendations at this juncture but should be clearly stating the facts.

The day indeed provided us with valuable learning’s and we got to know consulting one step deeper and the challenges that a consultant face in his day to day work and assignments while dealing with clients and complex organizational issues.

Manjesh Kumar Bharati_BLP046_Consulting_Entrepreneurship

I was born and brought up in a business family in a small town of West Bengal. Having seen my father run a business from close quarters, there was always a desire in me to set up something of my own. The decision making involved, the risks associated, the trials & tribulations and the victories all attracted me and therefore I had always looked up to my father as a role model and always aspired to be an entrepreneur myself. The most fascinating aspect that attracted me to own a business is the cause that was associated with the business. We were running the business for our own well being however there was a huge community that was getting served by our operation. They were earning their daily bread and butter by working with us. The business that we owned it was impacting our lives in a better way but at the same time there was huge impact on the other people lives who were associated with us. I was closely associated with those people and I used to interact with them very often. They used to share their happiness, joy and sorrow with me whenever I am around. I witnessed how a smallest thing can impact other lives in a big way and raise their standard of lives. They were able to send their children to school and built there house with concrete instead of leaving in a muddy house. Moreover I saw my father helping needy people with money with an intention to raise them in their lives and providing support to open new businesses. These other aspect of the business touched me very early in my life and  I decided that one day I will create a business model or environment that  will not only serve the purpose of well being of people who are associated with me but that will have a positive impact on other people lives. It should enable other to grow and enable them to increase their standard of lives as well create new opportunities for others.

As I visualize myself as an entrepreneur I see a man with huge amount of responsibilities. A man with sense of ownership and decision making ability. A man who is thinking about stakeholders well being as well as how to grow the business and serve the customers in a better way. A person who has the control over his time and has the ability and authority to distribute his time accordingly with the task need to be accomplished. A typical day with lots of meeting, decision making as well as the ability and flexibility to respond to the issues immediately. A person who is living the value that he has learnt from his father and practicing it. He owns a business which touches people lives and works towards to empower the society as well.

Team Members strengths:

Amber Agarwal:  He has great potential to make plans into actions.

Manu Malhotra: Great Listener.  

Manjesh Kumar Bharati_BLP046_Consulting _03Jan’12

I will summarise this day as a day where I really practised one of the pillars of SOIL and that is Mindfulness. The day was full of excitement. I had interview scheduled for Mercer, there was consulting class going as well as I had to go for Mckinsey interview. The day started with Mercer interview meanwhile I attended consulting class and again went for another round of interview. With so many activities going on simultaneously I was able to pay my full attention to the activities that I was going through, be it the interviews or the classes. I realised that I am able to focus on everything that was coming across my path. In past it has been difficult for me to handle multiple tasks at a time and be fully present in each of the task. I realised this is because of my learning and practise of being mindful in the activities whatever you do at SOIL. I was seamlessly able to manage the interviews and classes.

Second half of the day started with the Mckinsey interview process where the shortlisted candidates had to evaluate the bank proposal of SOIL for further funding. We had to analyse the proposal as executives from the bank and help the bank in taking decision whether the bank should provide funding to SOIL or not. We discussed the bank proposal for around two and half hours after that we went through a personal round of conversation with Anil Sir.

Overall I will say it was a rollers coaster ride at SOIL. One of the memorable days to remember as never forgettable memories of SOIL.

Manjesh Kumar Bharati_BLP046_About Myself_Oct’11

Who Am I?

A very passionate, determine and compassionate person who strongly believes in serving others by enabling and empowering their strengths. An individual who has always travelled the unexplored path and has taken tasks out of his comfort zone. An Individual who tries to innovate such that the entire society gets the benefit out it.

What Am I Here For?

“I believe in that what you have done in the past is the past, what you do today that matters the most”

I am not clear about purpose that why I am here in this world and what I am doing? But whenever I ask myself “What Am I Here For”, my inner self replies with a great sense of responsibility. Responsibilities towards my family, close ones and to the society.  I get the feeling that though I am not clear about the purpose, but there is a bigger purpose that I have to serve. A purpose of being a means to spread love, affection care and adding values to the lives that I will touch while traveling my destiny.

Where Am I Going?

As I see myself, currently there is shift of being more responsible and being mindful towards various aspects of life. The learning and experiences that I am getting now will be helpful to achieve my dream of being an entrepreneur in future. The steps and the decision that I making will help me to gain knowledge about the business world and enhance my confidence as well as my skills.

Why Is IT Important?

                My father is a role model to me, who built a business from scratch to an extent that has   helped our family as well as the nearby community. Being brought up in this environment and strongly moved by the cause of my father, I do want to create a business which will empower others to achieve their dreams and provide a better standard to their lives.

How Can I Leverage, Who I Am To Reach Where I Am Going?

   I have a very good listening skills and have the ability to analyse the situation or the circumstances that the other person is going through and if asked provide solution for it. I can easily connect with the people, though I require some time initially. These are the basic skills that a consultant need to have and thus I am opting for a management consulting role, which will give me a exposure to vast kinds of business problems and situations, thus enhancing and imbibing my skills and building a network  which will help me to achieve my dream of being entrepreneur.

The innovative, idea orientation and while acting as a leader by being a part of a team and motivate the team to achieve its goal will help me to travel the path of my destination.

Gourav Palit_BLP050_SelfLeadership_Jan10 '12

My Life My Narration – 10 years from now

With a proper “self structure” in life I am able to control my mind and heart the way I always wanted to. The journey is now smooth. Prioritizing my day to day activities have given me a proper work life balance. I am able to find that extra hour in a day of 24 hours. I take decisions in a very structured way and completely accept myself. I have stopped blaming or questioning the system of which I am man integral part of, rather have learnt to add value to it and make it sustainable. I have honed my time management skills over a period of time and I am no more a procrastinator. I have pushed my boundaries and stepped out of mediocrity with an inspired vision of inspiring others and live by the values that are instilled in me from my SOIL days!!

Ashutosh Mantry_BLP047_Consulting_03Jan’12

Today’s consulting class was conducted after a long break and indeed it was an extremely interesting. In Consulting, to be on winning side, it is required to write an effective proposal which can help you win a contract. In today’s class topics like dealing with resistance and stage of discovery were being discussed in the class.

Chapters in discussion were Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 of Flawless Consulting by Peter Block.

Chapter 9 teaches us the way that how should a consultant deals with resistance from its clients. This chapter teaches us 3 steps to handle resistance:

1.       Always pick up the cues from the manager and then describe to yourself that what is happening.

2.       Always state in a non-punishing way the form of resistance you see. And say in a neutral language to your client.

3.       After expressing yourself, keep quiet and listen to the client. Being an effective listener is the key to deal with resistance.

Chapter 10 helps us to move from diagnosis stage to discovery stage of the assignment. It teaches us different approaches to take this journey from diagnosis to discovery.

To summarize this chapter, we need to remember the below points:

1.       Ask questions about the client’s personal role in causing or maintaining the presenting or target problem.

2.       Ask questions about what others in the organization are doing to cause or maintain the presenting or target problem.

3.        Involve your client in interpreting the data collected.

4.       Recognize the similarity between how the client manages you and how they manage their own organization.

5.       Condense the data into a limited number of issues.

6.     Elicit and describe both the technical problem and how it is being managed

 We also learnt about funnel approach to selling:

Prospecting -> Qualify Leads -> First contact -> RFP ->Proposal -> Negotiation ->Contracting -> Order won.

Ashutosh Mantry_BLP047_Self Leadership_10Jan’12

Based on the calliper report and my past experience, I have recognized strong external structure and aggressiveness as my strengths. On the other hand, I have realized that I am very skeptic, it’s one of my biggest weakness. As such, from now on, I intend to use my strengths to analyse thoroughly various options put in front of me, and will try not to doubt people. I will give myself ample time to understand people and try to maintain a strong relationship with them.

Additionally, I will do more of reading, primarily on maintaining relationships; this will help me in controlling my skeptic nature.

In future, I see myself having converted my weaknesses into strengths, accepting more ideas and being less skeptic!!!! 

Janmaijai Dhyani_BLP037_Self Leadership_Sep’11

Consulting class with Anil sir brings new dimensions to my thinking, but this time I was surprised. Anil sir evaluated McKenzie candidates in a completely new way. As consultants we were supposed to take his interview and were supposed to ask him questions regarding a consulting assignment.

Once we were through the process and were given feedback, I realised that how important is to get into the skin of a customer and ask the right questions which brings clarity.   He also discussed the importance of building a context.

I was wondering that why had he asked us to read Chapter 9 & 10 from the book flawless consulting while he was discussing totally different topic of consulting.

I was to be surprised again when during the interview he asked me a question from 9^th chapter. I was lucky to know the answer. 

  

The second half of the day became more interesting when a financial plan of Soil for new campus was given to us and we had to analyse the case. One important learning from it was that different financial parameters have to be considered before accepting any plan. This exercise gave me an opportunity to practice what I had learnt in my finance class.

Looking forward to more of Anil sir’s classes.

Vivek Kumar_BLP044_Consulting_03Jan’12

If there was a day in my non professional career which deserved to be termed as the Consulting Day, it was definitely today. The day started with a lot of action, a lot of adrenalin rush and too much excitement. One of the biggest HR consulting firms “Mercer Consulting” was in our campus, providing us an opportunity of a lifetime by giving us an opportunity to work with them. Along with that, we had a full day class of Consulting Skills by Mr. Anil Sachdev and finally at the end of the day I had to go through a Mckinsey screening process. I knew it is going to be a long and a demanding day but I was up for it.

After the morning circle, Mr. Nishchae Suri , the MD of Mercer Consulting, with his subordinates interacted with us for a while and gave us instructions to approach the first round of the interview. We were told to get in our respective class and we’ll be called as per our turn. With lots of excitement we entered our class, where guru of Consulting Mr. Anil Sachdev awaited us. Though I tried hard to concentrate but was quite difficult to do so with so much action going on in the college.

Finally, I was asked to face my first round of interview which I though went fairly well. And then came the next round which was a group activity which stretched up till lunch. Finally, after lunch we entered our classroom again, feeling much at ease. I would have hardly spent five minutes in class after lunch when I got a call from my friend suggesting that Amber and I have been shortlisted for the third round of interview from BLP. Within 5 minutes we had to make a presentation on “Global Business Strategy” of about 3 minutes.

My heart started pounding again as the time was less I needed to rewind all the concepts of that subject in my brain. I quickly scrambled to get my older notes and quickly swept through them. We ran up to the third floor and again awaited our turn. There were seven other students who had been shortlisted from HRLP too. Finally, I was invited inside to start my presentation. I started off fairly well but could not finish talking within the stipulated amount of time. After coming out of the board room I did a small assessment of my presentation and thought I could have certainly done a better job but I guess that’s the game of time pressure that they were trying to test.

Once I was done I returned back to my Consulting Skills class where we were about to taste the real consulting world. We were presented with the actual finance plan that SOIL was about to present to Axis Bank and were asked to find out loop holes in it. It was a wonderful session where we learning the art of asking the right set of questions which will reveal the maximum amount of information. Though this session was for everyone but Anil sir made this assignment an interview round for all the students who had to be screened for Mckinsey & Co. This was a round where we had to make an impact through the quality of question that we ask and how can we make the proposal to be sent to Axis Bank full proof.  I thought we all as group did a fairly decent job.

Finally, the day was coming to an end and I was asked to describe my day at Soil in three minutes. While I was talking I realized that I could have learnt more about Consulting in one day. It was indeed a tiring day but cannot be anymore exhilarating. The biggest takeaways that I have from my day were that as a consultant I should always know what to ask to get closure to my solution and life of a consultant is full of uncertainties and ambiguities. One must get comfortable with both of them to have a successful career in Consulting.

Amandeep Singh_BLP045_Consulting_03Jan’12

Today’s consulting class was very interesting. Topics like dealing with resistance and stage of discovery were being discussed in the class. These topics could have helped you very well clear an interview for the role of consultant. However while these topics were being discussed in class we were busy being interviewed by Mercer, for the role of a consultant.

Chapters in discussion were Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 of Flawless Consulting by Peter Block.

Chapter 9 teaches us the way that how should a consultant deals with resistance from its clients. One of the fundamental aspects to deal with resistance is to never take it head on and try not to fight with it, until you completely listen to the client’s authentic perspective. This will help the storm to pass and also help you have a better understanding of the problem being faced by the client. This chapter teaches us 3 steps to handle resistance:

1.       Always pick up the cues from the manager and then describe to yourself that what is happening.

2.       Always state in a non-punishing way the form of resistance you see. And say in a neutral language to your client.

3.       After expressing yourself, keep quiet and listen to the client. Being an effective listener is the key to deal with resistance.

This chapter teaches us to follow some rules while consulting which will increase the overall effectiveness of the work. Here are few to be listed:

1.       Don’t look for emotional support, approval or affection from the client.

2.       Don’t expect to share a 50/50 responsibility with your client.

3.       Expect arguments and criticism.

4.       Don’t ask client for understanding and don’t ask for agreements.

5.       Don’t take the responses as directed personally.

So following some of them makes consulting more effective and helps to ease resistance between the client and the consultant, which ensures smooth result driven consulting and lays the foundation of a strong relationship.

Chapter 10 helps us to move from diagnosis stage to discovery stage of the assignment. It teaches us different approaches to take this journey from diagnosis to discovery. One being the traditional approach where you find the problem and see for possible remedies which can be given and hence prescribe the best solution.

The other approach this chapter talks about is the asset based approach or the strength based approach. This approach gives more emphasis giving more attention towards strengths rather than the weakness and provokes us to use our strengths in a more effective way to solve our existing problems.

To summarize this chapter, we need to remember the below points:

1.       Ask questions about the client’s personal role in causing or maintaining the presenting or target problem.

2.       Ask questions about what others in the organization are doing to cause or maintain the presenting or target problem.

3.        Involve your client in interpreting the data collected.

4.       Recognize the similarity between how the client manages you and how they manage their own organization.

5.       Condense the data into a limited number of issues.

6.       Use language that people outside your area of expertise will understand.

Amber Agawral_BLP057_Consulting_03Jan'12

Butterflies in the stomach, restless night, lot of anxiety; these are the things one expects before a job interview, especially if it is with a brand as big as Mercer. However ,I had none.

After a good night sleep I woke up relaxed and followed my routine and reached college well in time. As we were clearly communicated of the proceeding for the day, we had our first briefing by the Mercer team at 9:15 after which the three panels started interviewing us. 

While the interviews were going on, we were in parallel having our consulting skills class by Anil sir. I found it difficult to concentrate in the class because I was constantly thinking of the three questions that I will have to answer in my preliminary round of interview. I would say, I knew the answers of the two of the three questions however I was unsure of my answer to the question “if I have had a failure/regret and what have I learned from it”. One of my biggest failures was when I did extremely badly in my class 12^th board exams. I was not sure if I should be citing that however I thought I should be honest and admit that it has been my biggest failure.

With the butterflies in the stomach starting to come alive, I waited patiently in the library. Nithya shanti’s teachings crossed my mind and tried calming myself through deep breaths. My name was called; I went in, spoke for 1 min 30 sec and came out. Phew, that was quick I thought. Even though it was short I was happy,” I did well” I thought. I was able to communicate what I wanted to and I was content to say the least.

Next round was the most interesting and exciting in the entire process. Eight groups of 7 members each were give a case study to crack in 25 minutes. We all had to come to conesus and then present it to the audience. I personally loved the activity. It involved brainstorming as a team and then preparing the best possible solution. Luckily our team got the turn to present first and I was chosen by my team members to take the lead in presenting it to the audience. We had 5 minutes to present of which I used 3 minutes and left the other two minutes for my team to add something in case if I missed anything. I think we did a great job as a team in not only covering the minute details but also in collaborating and displaying great team working skills.

After all the teams had presented, we were asked to take leave and only the shortlisted ones would be called back. I grabbed a quick bite and went back to the class at 1:00 PM to attend Anil sir’s class which would start at 1:30 PM.

Sharp at 1:28 PM I got a call stating that Vivek and I have been shortlisted from BLP and are among the 7 others from HRLP. My heart started pounding as if I just finished a 100 meter sprint. I was told that at 1:35 PM I will have to present a 3 min presentation on a subject which I had in the 2^nd semester called Global Business Strategy. I scrambled for my notes, tried to find some relevant points and ran to the 3^rd floor. I was asked to enter the room at sharp 1:35 PM to make my presentation.

The board room looked different today. I had been in this room many a times but all of a sudden it felt different and impersonal. I remembered the good times when I gave my first presentation to the board of SOIL after winning the business idea competition and the many meetings which I had with the CF management team regarding my work as a CF member.

I was asked to start speaking for 3 minutes. I tried to structure my thoughts and make a logical conclusion, but I found it hard to recollect what I had learnt. I stumbled upon disconnected thoughts and tried my best to put up a good show. My time was up and I was asked to leave and send the 2^nd candidate in.

I knew I had not done a good job. I was not prepared to make that presentation. If only I could have prepared well, if only I could have structured my thoughts. There were many such if’s, but the moment had passed and the present moment never has any problems. I thanked Nithya Shanti for the wisdom again and went back straight to class.

As I entered the classroom I found the class submerged in a conversation with Anil sir, of which I had the least idea. I took my seat and tried to make sense of what was on the board. A few minutes later, the remaining 11 candidates who had applied to McKenzie but had not gone through the interview with Anil sir were asked to analyze the SOIL’s proposal to Axis bank to fund the residential campus. For the next one hour the activity went and some intelligent and some not so intelligent questions were asked by the aspiring consultants.

I had gone to my introspecting mode trying to analyze what I could have done better. I got a very simple clear answer; I was not prepared well to take on the interview.  Had I been better prepared I would have done much better.

The day was quite eventful and I gained a key lesson out of it; Nothing Beats Good Preparation.

Gaurav Shahare_BLP035_Self_Leadership_10_Jan’12

Self Development Plan..

I am good at quickly learning things.. I am always curious about the world and that has resulted into my constant search for understanding and doing new things, exploring untouched territories.. I have a gift of looking through the things which always helps me get the birds eye view.. Also I love to take responsibility and ownership and am good at influencing and persuading people to follow the cause when myself is fully convinced about that task.. However I do procrastination and try to show low urgency.. Sometimes I tend to to give more importance to future tasks rather than the current task at hand.. also seems to overlook details..

In order to overcome my weaknesses, I will start making myself accountable for my actions and being very particular about deadlines.. While starting any task, will determine the time required and then set the as earliest deadline as possible.. so that I will not have any other choice than to finish it urgently.. I will try to be in the present moment while doing tasks, if any thought strikes to me then will write it down in pending column and will resume to work putting it on highest priority.. I will try to focus on each and every aspect of tasks in the first state itself rather than subsequent phases..


Visualization..

10 years from now, I see Gaurav as a Product Head of a well known company for an innovating and out-of-box product. I see that he has gained knowledge across various horizontal streams as well as deep vertical into a select few.. People seems to love his company always seeks him around.. I see that Gaurav always tries put concerns of his people first and above all make them happy.. He seems to display non negotiable commitments towards his values and especially tries to live as a integral person.. He is recognized as a brand in himself and considered as strong contender as future CEO.. Still at this point he seems to be in the search of something new and continues exploration of new avenues..

To make my visualization come true, I will start putting in lot of efforts to gain in depth knowledge of subjects while focusing on details.. will try to live in present moment and give maximum importance to current task at hand and try to finish it quickly.. Will stop holding myself back and will be ready for any kind of challenges.. I will stop worrying about what people will say and giving excuses for not doing work.. Will try to focus on doing part rather than just thinking about it.. Will try to respect people who are not like me.. will try to carry along with such people and increase networking.. Above all will try to follow the strategy of "burning your boats" and throw myself directly into the water..

I think by practicing all these things, I would become an incremental better person in the life.. 

Aparna Chowdhry_BLP040_Self Leadership_10Jan’12

The contemplation I did after the Self Leadership Class yesterday, made me plot the given plan for myself:

My caliper report states that I am weak in area of Managing relationships, with low score in sociability and gregariousness. After, the Self Leadership class today, I have decided to pay keen attention to these and turn things around. My strengths, especially Idea orientation and flexibility will help me in this endeavor.  Instead of keeping my ideas to myself, which I usually do, I will make an attempt to share the points with like-minded people and seek their opinion. Being flexible will help me mold my thoughts according to relevant inputs received and in this process build comradeship and good relations.

A few years down the road, I see myself as a well-rounded leader who knows people around her and is a good connect between different departments of an organization. I am sure that leveraging my strengths and working on my weaknesses will help me perform better. I will not only be able to do justice to the role but will contribute to the benefit of the organization.

To achieve this fate, I have planned to start interacting with people and sharing stories and ideas more often. I will work on being more proactive in my approach where meeting and greeting people is concerned. Added to this, I will stop keeping aloof and shying away from the crowd. I have to mingle and be a part of the troop. I also intend to focus on improving execution by developing my urgency level. For this I plan to read the life stories and work dynamics of great leaders like Steve Jobs, Jack Welsh et al. and learn from them. This is how I plan to inculcate the fundamentals of Self Leadership in myself. 

Hersh Sharma_BLP049_Self Leadership_10Jan'12

I believe the main aim of this exercise is to realize my shortcomings and work towards it not just for the remaining time in Soil, but for the entire life. As of now, my main improvement areas are Risk-taking Ability & Urgency. These are low as per my Caliper Report & I started working on them soon after my first ILP session in Term 1. Over the period of time I have been able to overcome these to some extent but I believe it should gradually become as a part of my habit.

It is never too late & I think I still have time to work on these before the Placement Season starts (again). I look forward to get regular feedback from my peers, faculty & mentor & overcome these shortcomings soon.

Amit Puri_BLP013_Self Leadership_10Jan'12

It has been rightly said that when God closes a door, he makes sure that there is always another one open out there, somewhere. And same is applicable to us, when we are short of something, there is always something within us which is complementary to the shortcoming. Congratulations! you can become what you always wanted to be. 

The only thing which is to be known of is what is high in us and what is low. For todays exercise I considered 'Urgency' among my low point areas, which I think has been a root cause to many more problems. It's easy to fix it, just that you have to live consciously your present, practice mindfulness, gradually getting into a habit of doing everything as if your life depends upon it; I have been trying hard and to an extent I really have improved my sense of urgency. What made me win over it was the fact that I accepted that I had this problem. The faster you unlearn, the faster will you learn.

Having this fixed I think, I will be able to put most of the things in place. Because I lacked the sense of urgency I would usually loose control over certain thing and consequently loose concentration and interest in the subject/matter. This would eventually look like 'I lack determination'. And because I have concern about deadlines, so by the time I start pushing things, I'd be standing closer to the deadline and thence get frustrated because I landed up doing 100 things altogether.

To a greater extent I am lucky and happy that I have recognized what I need to work on and I am at the same time aware of fruitful outcomes this fixture will bring in. Which will in long run not only enable me to achieve what I wish for, but also assist me in surprising myself.

Nupur Pachauri_BLP005_Self Leadership_10Jan’12

Based on the caliper report and my past experience, I have recognized strong analytical skills and thoroughness as my strengths. On the other hand, I have realized that I am not flexible enough. As such, from now on, I intend to use my strengths to analyze thoroughly various options put in front of me, before taking any call on the options. This will help me become more flexible, and eventually become more creative and innovative at whatever I do.

Additionally, I will do more of reading, primarily the biographies of great innovative leaders of the world. I intend to learn more about weighing my options effectively by reading such books.

Being more flexible will help me take a step further towards being the kind of leader I want to be. Few years down the line, I see myself having converted my weaknesses into strengths, accepting more ideas and being more experimenting! 

AjaySIngh_BLP018_Self Leadership_10Jan’12

I believe the main aim of this exercise is to realize my shortcomings and work towards it not just for the remaining time in Soil, but for the entire life. As of now, my main improvement areas are Risk-taking Ability & Urgency. These are low as per my Caliper Report & I started working on them soon after my first ILP session in Term 1. Over the period of time I have been able to overcome these to some extent but I believe it should gradually become as a part of my habit. Instead of keeping my ideas to myself, which I usually do, I will make an attempt to share the points with like-minded people and seek their opinion. Being flexible will help me mold my thoughts according to relevant inputs received and in this process build comradeship and good relations. I have started taking initiatives in various group activities I have been part of.

I have also decided to read as much as possible.  These readings would help me to learn from the experiences of great people.

It is never too late & I think I still have time to work on these before the Placement Season starts (again). I look forward to get regular feedback from my peers, faculty & mentor & overcome these shortcomings soon.

wasimkabir_BLP015_Self Leadership_10Jan'12

I have always believed that my core strengths are managing relationships which was proved in my caliper report. I can use this strength of mine to become more flexible in my approach. I always used to have perception of my own while meeting new people which sometimes made me inflexible. Now I will always keep in mind that I am good in making new relationship so how can I be so rigid in my own thinking process.

A year from now I can see myself more open minded and flexible in interacting with people. I believe in the respect of the individual and which has helped before a people’s manager who cares for his people and help them achieving their professional and personal goals.

So I will start reading about people who are known to us as great leaders and communicators. I will stop procrastinating and prioritize my task which will help me increasing my urgency. I waste a lot of time on facebook and skype which I will reduce to a considerable amount. I will worry about the things which are in my hand rather than worry about the things which aren’t.   

ArnabDey_BLP020_SelfLeadership_10Jan12

I see myself using my strength of focusing on efforts to overcome my weakness of building relationships. I will make conscious effort to build relationships without the expectations of success in a particular attempt.  At this time when I fast forward my life by 5 years I can see myself having leveraged my strength to build strong networking and people skills.

At this time I need to read few books on how to build better people relationships. One of the resources is going to be the work by John Maxwell “Winning with people”. After going through the principles I need to practice each principle with people around me.

Ankit Ahuja_BLP043_Consulting_03Jan’12

3^rd January 2012 the day started with excitement and anxiety all around. One on hand -Mercer one of the world’s largest HR Consulting firm was in the campus to recruit and there was a consulting class scheduled. The first thing I learned was how to imply the learning instantly as I was able to utilize the initial learning of how to deal with the clients in the Mercer interview. During the course of the day we learned many things like of Proposal Development, Dealing with Resistance and Stages of Discovery. I read the chapters 9 and 10 of Flawless Consulting by Peter Block as a part of the pre reading for the Consulting class.               `              

Chapter 9 of “Flawless Consulting” gives the detailed picture of how consultants find it difficult to talk to their clients because of resistance and the associated feelings. Dealing with resistance is difficult but we should engage the client in relation with the central problem. A consultant should stay away from defending himself, rather he should ask questions and encourage his client to talk. Best way to handle resistance is to blow itself out, like a storm, and not to fight it head-on. 

The three step process of dealing with the resistance as stated by Peter Block:-

1.) Pick up cues for resistance

2.) Name the resistance

3.) Be quite and seek response

Chapter 10 of the book explains about the discovery phase. The goal of discovery is to be effective and powerful. In this phase consultant should have the clear understanding of the client’s business and the context. Root cause analysis should be done to unframe the underlying problem which can be different from what client was stating.In the end  consultant should provide the information about  How the things needs to be managed and finally follow up with the necessary recommendations.

The day ended with the financial review of the SOIL’s future plan of building a residential campus and the transparency that was maintained all through the review session was amazing and it was a great learning curve that happened on the day.

Arun Sahu_BLP004_Consulting_03Jan'12

Proposal Writing is amazingly the application of ‘significance of understanding the context’ in real life is as high as significance of consuming water. Every situation, moment, problem, relationship, challenge or subject needs through understanding of the context of the matter being looked upon. And that we understand the criticality of the concept well, Anil Sir told about a real incident/case which he encountered, that’s how you study consulting at SOIL.

For flawless consulting the most important thing that counts for a consultant is relationship which he/she holds with the client than the expertise.  The consultant should address the following questions to address the real problem of the client should devise a solution according to it    

•     Ask questions about what others in the organization are doing to

       cause or maintain the presenting or target problem.

•     Involve your client in interpreting the data collected.

•     Recognize the similarity between how the client manages you and

       how they manage their own organization.

•     Condense the data into a limited number of issues.

•     Use language that people outside your area of expertise will

       understand.

•     Distinguish between the presenting problem and the underlying

       problem.

•     Elicit and describe both the technical problem and how it is being managed

Gaurav Shahare_BLP035_Consulting_03Jan’12

Consulting...

It is something that you do when one of your friends come to you for the solution of a difficult numerical, when your younger siblings seeks your help in choosing career path, etc... In a simple terms helping someone solve their issues. So in a way every one of us is a consultant in one or another way. Professionally, it seems to be miss-understood. People seems to mix it up with heavy jargon such as strategy, framework and what not. I don't have any issue with that, but problem arises when the same is expected out of you rather than the solution. It often happens that people are typecasted in it...

I think I am deviating away from the topic. Let's talk about chapter 9 & 10.

In chapter 9, Block talks about Handling the Resistance. He says that there always is a hidden feeling under the resistance. As a consultant, fist one has to find out ways to identify such feelings and subsequently figure out ways to handle it. Here he says that consultant should pick up the cues from manager then figure out type of resistance and finally confront it with the manager.  

Chapter 10 deals with moving on to the discovery phase. It states that after handling the resistance, problem moves into discovery phase. Here root cause of the issue should be identified. Often it happens that there are underlying problem to the apparent one. It should be properly identified and then communicated to the manager.

Thats all for this time.  

Swetanshu_BLP052_Consulting_03Jan’12

During the last session of self leadership , I learnt that one should ask his/her client what he/she feel about the situation by doing this its becomes easier for the consultant to understand about the his client ideas about the situation. The basic strategy is to help the resistance blow itself out, like a storm, and not to fight it head-on. This way of dealing with resistance by not fighting it head –on-has a ZEN quality to it. Getting the client to talk more about their concerns is helping the storm to pass. Defending methodology is keeping the storm alive. That is what happen when you push back against the resistance. You get stuck, the tension goes up, and the energy is drained.

The three steps for handling resistance are:

·         Pick up the clues – first step is simple to notice what is happening, trust what you see more than what you hear.

·         Name the resistance-the next step is to encourage the client to make direct statement of the reservation he/she is experiencing

·         Be quiet, let the client responds-Once the resistance has been identified and highlighted, further conversation should be started from client side rather than from consultant side.

Chapter 10 deals with moving from diagnosis to discovery. When the contract is clear and you are ready to deal with resistance, attention turns to the discovery phase. Develop an independent and fresh way to looking at what is going on and to create a process that’s leads to client commitment, ownership, and action.

There are two quit distinct ways of thinking about this part of the work. One that focuses more on possibilities than problems. This is variously called an asset- based approach or strength –based approach. One methodology that is future and asset based is called Positive Deviance.

Regardless of whether you choose a problem –based discovery process or a future – and strength –based discovery, the focus on relationship that was emphasized in contracting. If we give the clients what they ask for, we run the risk of not having served them well. However, we tell them that the solution will take awhile, will cost more time and involvement will be required of them than they want to give, we run the risk of alienating them. A better approach is to define our task as a process of discovery and dialogue more than as an act of diagnosis and prescription, independent of whether we are looking at problems or gifts and possibilities.

Rahul_BLP063_Consulting_03Jan’12

Next Phase of my consulting journey started on 2nd Jan'12.

I had to study Chapters 9 & 10 for Anil's Class & have to prepare for Mckinsey interview with Anil sir.  

Chapter 9 explains " How to deal resistance from your Client ?"

Simple Palm exercise explains the crux of the chapter. Best way to handle resistance is to blow itself out, like a storm, and not to fight it head-on. 

Three Steps in Dealing with resistance are

1.  Pick up the cues

2.  Understand Resistance & Name the Resistance

3.  Wait for Client to Respond

Chapter 10 discusses about discovery phase

It emphasizes on importance of Relationship & Client's approach towards the problem

Discovery model of problem solving

Arpit Gupta_BLP055_Consulting_03Jan12

‘Dealing with Resistance’, things which I learnt from the class is that one should ask client that what he feels about the situation and ask the client to be authentic and share whatever he experiences about the situation. So getting the client to talk more about the concerns is helping the storm to pass and defending one’s own point of view keeps the storm alive.

An important point to learn is that a consultant should never take things personally. So despite the words used, the resistance is never designed to discredit your competence.

After we are ready to deal with resistance, the next phase is to develop an independent & fresh way of looking at things. There are two processes for discovery phase:

1. Problem based discovery process (here the focus is on problems)

2. Future and Strength based discovery process (here the focus is on possibilities)

We choose any method but focus on relationships still remains important in the discovery phase. It is also very important that the client is part of this overall discovery to implementation phase and takes ownership of the action that needs to be taken.

Adarsh Raj_BLP060_Consulting_03Jan2012

                                                                                Consulting

A consultant faces many challenges during his assignment. One of them is the resistance from the client which is one of the most difficult challenges to counter because resistance is an emotional process. The best strategy to deal with resistance is – not to fight it and let it blow itself out.  By fighting the resistance one will rather end up intensifying it than conquering. As consultant one needs to be more authentic and encourage clients to express their concerns and finding solution according to it in most authentic way.

Basically there are three main steps for handling resistance  

·         Picking up the cues – As a consultant one should be in a position to identify any sign of resistance like uneasiness or odd body language in client, repetition of same points being explained again and again or feeling of disengagement from the conversation with the client.

·         Naming the resistance – Once we become aware of resistance the next step is to encourage the client to make direct statement of the reservation he/she is experiencing.  

·         Let the client respond – Once the resistance has been identified and highlighted, further conversation should be started from client side rather than from consultant side.

Consultant should not take this resistance from client personally. The main reason of resistance is sign of dealing with something important and valuable and which is coming out in a difficult form. The majority of questions which a consultant gets are expression of discomfort and defensiveness of client. The best way to counter this is to give two good faith answers to every question and still if the question is asked for the third time then it should be considered as resistance and should be handled in appropriate way.

When contract is clear and we are ready to deal with resistance, attention turns to discovery phase. In recent years a new approach of consulting has evolved where the prime focus is more on possibility than on problem which is known as asset based approach or strength based approach. This is mainly done to concentrate on organisation’s strength and take advantage of those assets rather than looking at weaknesses and one of the prime tool which can be used in this method is appreciative enquiry..

For flawless consulting the most important thing that counts for a consultant is relationship which he/she holds with the client than the expertise.  The consultant should address the following questions to address the real problem of the client should devise a solution according to it    

·         Ask questions about the client’s personal role in causing or maintaining

the presenting or target problem.

•     Ask questions about what others in the organization are doing to

       cause or maintain the presenting or target problem.

•     Involve your client in interpreting the data collected.

•     Recognize the similarity between how the client manages you and

       how they manage their own organization.

•     Condense the data into a limited number of issues.

•     Use language that people outside your area of expertise will

       understand.

•     Distinguish between the presenting problem and the underlying

       problem.

•     Elicit and describe both the technical problem and how it is being managed

Manu Malhotra_BLP036_Consulting_03Jan’12

As always I woke up early in the morning saying to myself – ‘I choose to make this the happiest day of my life’. Thank you Nithya Shanti for this beautiful thought that I chant daily once I get up in the morning.

The day was special and big in many ways. Mercer Interview was lined up, consulting skills class was on the calendar and the big fish – ‘Mckinsey preliminary interview’ was scheduled in the evening. It was all in all, an action packed day.

Morning circle kicked off at 9:00 am sharp. We had two special guests- an international student from MIP Italy named Faustino and the team from Mercer. Consulting skills class began and the very first topic of discussion gave me insight about the - Overriding question! What is it that we first intend to do as we meet the client? We define the context! Simple isn’t it. But handful of us actually figured it out. But at least all of us now know! I learnt that we define the context. We define the state of departure, the state of arrival and how we assess the movement from the point of departure to point of arrival. How would we measure that we have achieved what we were set out to achieve.

I moved out of the class in some time to appear for the Mercer interview with Mr. Muninder Anand. It was a five minute interview. The three questions that I was supposed to answer, I had them very well prepared. It is hard to actually figure out the learning from that interaction as it was more of one way communication. One definite take-away that I can draw is, it is extremely important to be good at 1 minute/2 minute interesting small talks. They help in engaging the client and in that process the more effective you are, the better impression you leave. Interview was followed up by a Group activity. The basic learning form it was, we should be quick to think on our feet and generate out of box ideas. Moreover, building a rapport within the team within no time is also of utmost importance.

The second half of the day was pretty interesting. Financial plan of Soil for new campus was given to us and we had to analyse the case. One key learning from it was, it is equally important to understand the practical applications & implications of the concepts of accounts and corporate finance that I have studied. I have already started working on it. I thank Anil sir, my classmates and Gaurav sir for making me realise it. I will leave no stone unturned to become a role model in accounts & corporate finance.

Manu Malhotra_BLP036_About_Myself_Oct'11

On a typical day if you were to ask me, who am I? I would simply say I am Manu! ‘Manu’ actually symbolizes initiation of life on earth. And to be honest I love initiating things and with my perseverance I take the initiatives to their course.

I am deeply committed to my values in life because I strongly believe unshakeable self-confidence only comes from unshakeable commitment to values. I love helping and genuinely appreciating others. Bringing back pride to India in my own unique ways is my dream. Some words that define me are passionate, self-motivated, innovative, persevering, courageous & trustworthy. At times I ask myself - Why do I work hard? Why do I always stretch myself? The answer to this question has a lot to do with my grooming and teachings imparted to me by my parents. Well, the answer is simple and complex in many ways.  Simply putting - I work hard to add value to myself. And, in that process I tell myself - be patient, enjoy the journey and be HAPPY! Because that is what actually counts! Being HAPPY is not a choice but an only option which I must take. Learning and exploring new avenues is what Manu in me enjoys day in and day out.

But where will this, take me to? Where am I going? What is it that I am trying to achieve? I have some very simple goals and commitments on four fronts - family, health, career, financial and spiritual, in that order of preference. I keep them close to myself. Unequivocally, I am chasing them big time. And not to forget, I keep telling myself - Manu be happy while you take big leaps, be patient when you have to walk and enjoy this ride of self contentment. “No moment that has just gone by will ever come back again” has been my one key learning in life. Thus, I truly believe in living and cherishing little moments of togetherness.

But, does it really matter? And if it does, why is it so important? Yes, it is extremely important because it gives me and my loved ones immense happiness. The stakes are really high, I have expectations from myself and I am competing with none else but myself. By living this promise I will stand tall in my own eyes.

And then there are social commitments as well that I wish to fulfil.

Now the very last question, how can I leverage who I am to reach where I am going? The answer is uncomplicated - By believing in my abilities, being patient and by acknowledging & appreciating the very fact that I am honestly striving to make it happen. My mom always says – “keep working hard, whatever you are destined to get, no one else can take it away from you. Thou shall get it!” Hence the key is keeping stretching, keep working hard and love yourself.