Strategy as a subject always appeared gaseous subject to me. It was always up there somewhere; I could see it but hardly absorb it! When I thought of strategy and management I always felt it is for top cream management of an organization or institute and folks at my level should make efforts to only understand it rather than creating it.
The classes were taken by two professors with quiet contrasting styles of imparting knowledge. One of the professors was exceptionally passionate about the subject and that made it always interesting to attend his class. He always insisted “to be successful you need to have a strategy”. Someone asked him “Does having a strategy guarantees a definite success?”. I clearly remember his answer. He said “Having a strategy does not guarantee success. On the other hand not having one does guarantee failure!”.
Then came exam time, the office work was too much to handle. I have worked on a product throughout the year, and close to the release it required many changes and updates. I just could not plan to study for four subjects, strategy being one of them. With 3 hours sleep each night I continued finishing office work, day after day and night after night. Those three hours of sleep each night were full of thoughts about my exams. I was pretty scared to face them without any preparation. Then one day I decided that it is impossible to pass in all 4 exams with no or very little preparation and that I should target preparing for 2 subjects and ensure I clear those two. That meant the remaining two would have to be taken later with downgraded score as a penalty for reappearing. That night I had a dream. My strategy professor, spoke to me in my dream. Yea he spoke his favorite lines: “Having a strategy does not guarantee success. On the other hand not having one does guarantee failure!” I realized that I planned for a sure shot failure, because I had NO strategy to pass in all 4 exams!!
Next couple of nights went in thoughts about how to pass exams. How about cheating in exams, after all these are for an executive program? To which my professor says: “honestly is the biggest bolster for any strategy”. Okay then what? I had no clue, though I was sure in my mind that I am not going to give up so soon. In between many thoughts, discussions, cursing my luck, pleading to God, and mood swings, I felt compelled to do something to improve my condition and I planned a strategy. Yes!
I car pool to office with two folks from my office who are at managerial position. I asked them I wanted their opinions on some of my strategy cases. We took one case study each day, discussed it, did a SWOT analysis and sometimes evaluated the case on Porters five forces model. My car pool folks were more than happy to indulge in these discussions, as per them it was food for thought and an active start of the day. For me it meant 80% of my course completed ensuring that I will pass. I started doing the same for Marketing subject (part 1&2) that is also case study based. In parallel I started eating lunch with my workplace HR. Yea you guessed it right, that’s the fourth subject. I started sleeping 2.5 hours instead of 3, to ensure I am ready to discuss next topic of HR at lunch time. Two weeks later I was prepared for my exams, decent enough to pass. Unbelievable but true.
My husband Aditya, is studying in IIMB, and helped me to cover theory and go through previous years’ question papers.
Post product release and exams, I was in bed, wanting to doze off for hours and hours, relieved of the tension. I heard my professor again… this time congratulating me on my decision and reemphasizing the importance of strategy…. Though this time his voice sounded more like Aditya’s!!! I was flabbergasted. The days I used to attend classes, I used to enact in front of mu husband my professor’s favorite lines. And Aditya used these lines on me, making me think I was dreaming of my professor!!! We both laughed, for a while on bed and later rolling on the floor!
With collaboration of IIMB & IIMC brains, I learned the biggest lesson of my life: “Reading books and listening to lectures is not learning till you put it to use”! …. And that is the strategy to succeed in life.
