Q1. Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)
I joined XXX, a $17.1 billion company, as an engineering graduate in 2005. The insatiable thirst to learn and apply new things catapulted me to develop a new billing method for the insurance product which helped XXX win multi-million dollar deals. My efforts were rewarded in form of a promotion and an opportunity to visit USA to lead and train a team of 20 people.
Working in IT sector, I became aware of interdependency of IT and Business and decided to go beyond the realm of developing an IT product to leveraging my technical acumen in making strategic utilization of IT in Business. Eventually I wanted to take up roles of greater responsibility in business domain and ascend the value chain.
To set a stage for this transition, I obtained various certifications and got thorough understanding of the insurance domain I was working in. I further took up the role of a business analyst and analyzed business requirements, planned time-lines and negotiated with clients. I also spearheaded the planning of Interface for YYYY services that increased their productivity by 19%.
As work became more demanding, the urge to overcome the hardships and the desire to fast-track my career transition from technical to business domain became stronger and aroused the need of a platform to obtain strong theoretical knowledge of business and strategy. Thus this made now the best time to pursue an MBA and benefit from its enhanced knowledge and skill refinement.
After completing an MBA from HEC, I aspire to leverage the insights obtained from strong course fundamentals to take up a role of consultant in IT field and join a renowned consulting company like Deloitte or Accenture. My previous experience would provide necessary skills to bridge the gap between Business and Technology. Working along with erudite peer groups in world class organizations, I would learn the dynamics of ever changing international market and the business needs from bottom up approach.
Q 2. What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)
My most significant life achievement was that of transforming an impoverished tribal hamlet into a village on the road to prosperity.
In 2007, I was apprised of dismal condition of tribal hamlet AAAAA. The inhabitants were poor with no means of earning their livelihood and were surviving on funds given by an NGO. With illiteracy and inadequate medical facility, situation at village was grim and needed immediate attention.
I decided to leverage my experience with Social Service Committee and sent out e-mails to XXX employees asking for help in terms of monetary donation or voluntary support. The message spread like a wild fire with large number of employees turning up as volunteers and a record collection of funds giving the movement, the much needed boost.
Using these funds, a school was built and teachers were appointed to teach both children and adults. Volunteers taught locals about health and hygiene and ways to avoid the spread of diseases. Village adults were also taught about stitching, masonry and handicrafts.
These days it gives me immense satisfaction to see the progress made by AAAAAA. The village school is abounding with students, villagers can now earn their living by doing masonry job, selling stitched dresses and handicrafts. The health and hygiene of the villagers has also improved.
Further XXX adopted this hamlet and ascertained a fixed amount of annual funding to continue the developmental programs. It was a great achievement which bolstered my spirits to carry on many more activities for the underprivileged.
Q 3. Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a
situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you.
(250 words)
In early 2008, I lead a team in developing a new interface for a fixed time project which challenged both my values and leadership skills. The success was important for the huge amount of revenue project could generate.
During the last week of project, an error was discovered. Situation was crucial as the deadline of the project was too close. It became a huge predicament for a choice had to be made between either notifying it to the client and facing a possible cancellation of the contract or instead delivering an error prone interface to the customer and not risking our careers.
As the team leader, final decision rested with me. I was undeterred in pursuing my duty of apprising the client of the discrepancy. But as my decision had the potential to affect career prospects of other team members also, it became a tough choice.
As I pondered, I realized that the guilt of achieving success keeping virtues on stake was too overwhelming than the happiness gained from a flourishing career. I convinced my team to maintain integrity citing the inevitability of a lie getting uncovered. I further motivated the team to tread this path by being optimistic.
I went ahead and conveyed the issues to the client. Client appreciated our commitment and extended the deadline. It was a great learning experience. It bolstered my resolve to live up to my values of integrity and honesty. It gave me a good platform to refine my team and leadership skills.
Q 4. Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)
A life entirely different from the one that I lead now would be the life of a full-time poet. I would be pursuing my passion of immersing myself in quality writing and pouring out my emotions to build melodious verses of poetry.
I would go beyond the role of just adorning my blog with my poems to writing poetry books for young and old alike. This would liberate my thoughts and allow them to touch many more lives than I could have imagined.
I would further take up the responsibility of enlightening young minds and giving wings to their artistic side. In order to achieve this, I would leverage the experience gained while setting up a poetry club at college, which eventually became a college funded body, to start a poetry school for young children. This school would act as a platform to teach students about how to write poems, admire beauty of nature, become more expressive, improve vocabulary and in the process grow holistically. Thus this initiative would not only invigorate the emotional side of young kids but also assist them in becoming thoughtful citizens.
I would also work on making academics at schools more interesting by converting the dull and dreaded subjects into lyrical and artistic forms such that learning becomes an enjoyable experience for children. Thus I would start a movement of Alternative Learning and in the process of taking these initiatives, I would receive ultimate satisfaction.
Q 5 What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics,business, etc).
The person whom I admire the most is Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the first female Prime Minister of India. She was a resolute and a determined lady. An epitome of confidence who rose to become a major power in the Indian political arena which was earlier dominated by men. She thus played a major role in setting a stage for the women of a newly freed India to aspire and achieve positions of power and responsibility .
She personified a true leader and had amazing foresight. During her tenure as the Prime-Minister of India, special agricultural innovation programs and extra government support activities were launched that finally transformed India's chronic food shortages into surplus production of wheat, rice, cotton and milk. The country that used to rely on food aid, became a food exporter. She utilized her good negotiation skills and handled war situation and situations of riots and instability with utmost sincerity. Her fearless attitude made her an icon for generations of women to come.
It is because of her contribution and far-reaching effects to the country and its people that today the importance of women has been re-kindled in different strata of Indian society. People are recognizing the equality of men and women and women like me are getting an opportunity to pursue a career of their choice like applying to an MBA School and realizing their dreams.
Thus I aspire to inculcate in myself, similar qualities of sincerity, confidence and fearlessness and become an example for other women.
