Making an Impact in the Industry with an MBA

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Making An Impact In The Industry With An MBA

14 Apr 2022
- admin
- Industry Insights
The logical pathway to advance your career seems to go through the MBA route. The benefits that you derive from pursuing MBA courses, transcends beyond the borders of your functional focus. The beauty of an MBA is that it helps you to build skills (including leadership capabilities) that are required to succeed in cross functional domains. This opens up exciting opportunities for young professionals, such as me, as they look to assume leadership positions in organizations and drive their careers.

The benefits of an MBA are applicable regardless of your industry or area of professional focus. The expense and commitment notwithstanding, the benefit derived from an MBA is something that professionals can carry forward in their chosen paths, whether in entrepreneurial areas or in management capacities.

I take this opportunity to pen down my thoughts and my story and how SOIL has been instrumental in my journey thus far.

My Educational Journey

Coming from one of the premier schools in India, I was privileged to be exposed to technology at a very early age. The IT sector was opening up and there was a window of opportunity for youngsters to make a career in the digital space. With little vision as to what my ultimate career aspirations were, I also jumped on the bandwagon and completed my Bachelors in Computer Applications. As luck would have it, I ended up with a job at PeoplestrongHR, a technology driven organization focussed in Human Capital Management. I was working with the leadership team as in marketing and presales providing support for new initiatives and strategic partnerships. The time spent at PeoplestrongHR helped me to develop an interest in service driven organization with a people’s orientation. Since it was a small setup, the learning curve often stretched beyond the boundaries defined by my job description.

While the experience in the organization was eclectic, my personal growth was stymied since I lacked key knowledge that could transition my career to managerial responsibilities. The industry was dynamic and evolving as the economy was growing at a rapid pace. My decision to pursue an MBA was an effort to take my learning of managerial roles and responsibilities to a higher level. I looked to continue to challenge myself and also equip myself to take on higher responsibilities and create an impact. The fact that an MBA could present me with an opportunity to become a business leader, I decided on the plunge. Believe me, it wasn’t easy to give up a stable job and commit to a demanding course. However, I took the decision, and took on the SOIL one year MBA. My choice was driven by the fact that the SOIL MBA offered an immersive education experience that would help build character, competence and enthusiasm; becoming an inspired leader that could contribute to sustainable organizations of consequence was particularly exciting and was sure to push my boundaries.

My Experience Post The SOIL MBA – Making An Impact

Moving on post a short hiatus from the industry, I took on the role of a Management Trainee at QAI. QAI is a leading global consulting and workforce development organization addressing ”Operational Excellence” in knowledge intensive service organizations. One year later I moved on as a Business Manager at Talentedge.in, an ed-tech organization specializing in upskilling the workforce and looking to ensure meaningful & fulfilling employment. My mandate at talentedge.in included building the strategy for sales acceleration, sales force effectiveness, market penetration and new product development. Having worked there for more than three years, I got the break at HCL Technologies Ltd, one of India’s largest tech companies.

I am now the Group Manager – Microsoft Ecosystem Strategy & Global Alliances at HCL Technologies Ltd. We were involved with Microsoft as a strategic launch partner and continue to be the first partner of choice for all Cloud opportunities. I manage this critical domain through executive relationships with Microsoft; own the strategy and planning for Sell-with and Sell-through business, and design & lead Go-To-Market plans. I also drive HCL-MS field alignment, own the P&L for Microsoft reselling business and lead the capabilities building for all 3 Microsoft Clouds.

I have been successful in driving strategy through the 3C strategy framework- collaborate, co create and conquer. I am proud to admit that the groundwork for this was laid down in my formative years at SOIL. I carry the legacy of the days spent at SOIL learning and leading through processes designed to inculcate these very qualities and many more.

The learning at the one year MBA at SOIL has enabled me to look at decision making that moves away from a linear and binary approach to one that helps me to analyse businesses, develop a broad framework that helps me to understand the needs of customers, and think strategically with wisdom and empathy. Undoubtedly, it helps me to keep up-to-date with an understanding of the business world and the complex issues associated with it. The SOIL MBA has helped me to transition within and from functional and industry roles. Today, I am at a level where I create an impact for an organization of eminence and consequence.

When I think about what SOIL gave me, the thought that comes to mind is “the ability to make a positive difference in the business world”. As I lead teams, develop organizational strategies, make decisions and apply the rigor required to run efficient and effective organizations, I have to thank SOIL for helping me to create an impact for myself and the organization.

What was my greatest learning or take away from my MBA programme at the top MBA college in India SOIL Institute of Management?

The teaching methodology at SOIL is unique in that it inculcates an appreciation of diversity; the ability to research and reflect on critical issues; and, a greater understanding of corporate responsibility and sustainability. The cohort network, the case discussion and debate, immersive experiences and above all a strong sense of reflection on critical issues are ones that I cherish in my journey.

As per Linkedin profile of Karan Chhabra SOIL 2012-13

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