As the economic climate in India fluctuates, industry top brass advises business graduates on ways to cope with the slowdown. Gauri Rane reports.
While the Indian economy continues to see a downward slope, and companies take knee-jerk decisions, a vast majority of workforce is looking at an uncertain future. Management students and even mid career professionals continue to be perplexed about what should be their contribution to their organisations.
In an effort to put their minds to rest, the Confederation of Indian Industries, (CII) has started the CII CEO Connect initiative. "The effort is to bring together on one platform industry stalwarts and the student community,” said Ninad Karpe, chairman, CII Maharashtra and, CEO and managing director, Aptech.
At a recent such CEO Connect held at Sydenham Institute of Management Studies Research and Entrepreneurship Education, CEOs from various industries addressed students what the industry expects in a prospective employee.
"What we look for in prospective trainees is their ability to collaborate, experiment and take ownership. These qualities once ingrained become stepping stones to becoming a CEO," said Harit Nagpal, managing director and CEO, Tata Sky.
Nagpal also advised the graduates to steer clear of the "perk trap". "Entrepreneurship requires a lot of hard work. However, one often gets caught up with the various perks that a corporate job offers. To become a successful entrepreneur, one must be ready to give up all the frills a job offers," he said.
Neeraj Roy, MD and CEO, Hungama, advised students to become entrepreneurs in a dynamic work environment of today. He said, "To become a successful entrepreneur, one must first learn to accept failure. Looking at the volatile economic environment, one must be able to take challenging decisions to achieve goals."
Roy emphasized that B-school graduates need to make the most of opportunities. They should approach industries and sectors with an open mind. "Regardless of the economic turbulence, one can work best to his/her capabilities by developing an edge over others," he said.
