800 Women, 20 brave men and me in Prague!

​What a weekend! I got back from an interview in Munich mid-week and then off I went on the weekend to Prague to meet my wife for her bday! She was there from the start of the week working, organizing and participating in the WIN (Women’s International Networking) Global Leadership Conference 2013  ……..for all the excited partners coming to IMD next year – this is hope that you can keep yourself busy, work full time while making an impact like many of the partners at IMD do! J

There were a number of high profile women leaders from the corporate world including the MD of HP Norway, a minister from Iceland, Umran Beba (Senior VP HR at Pepsico) and a number of senior professors from global business schools, chief inspirational officers and leaders of top women’s NGO’s from across the world. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to attend many of these sessions but from the conversations I had over the weekend with the participants and from attending the gala dinner, I heard how inspired and motivated the participants were…..WIN also provided scholarships to a number of participants to attend….I heard the story of a lady who travelled 10 hours on a bus from her home town in Africa to the closest city to get her visa to travel….another story of WIN donating cows to women in Africa to help them become financially independent and empower them…..I saw hard working volunteers from the age of 20 all the way till late 70’s all having dedicated a month and more to the organization of this event….the energy in the room was something else!

But what surprised me most was how my behavior changed as one of the only 5 men on a bus filled with inspirational women and how I felt (quite honestly) in the “minority” as I witnessed the gala dinner with 800 women around me…..yes, I know my single classmates are probably envious of me at this point….but seriously, it was a weird feeling…..I know I’m a generally confident and social person but it was interesting how dynamics had changed…..I was playing second fiddle to my wife I've done that before but I couldn’t help but think how my wife, my mother and women probably encountered this feeling at the corporate work place quite often….so is it not natural then for women to behave “differently” at the work environment? is it fair for people to expect similar behaviors if you are working in a heavily male dominated industry in some heavily male dominated work places of the world?! Yet, they come back day after day and deal with the realities of some corporate environments and continue to make an impact in most cases not just at work but also at home….I know I’ve always been one to look past these “gender” type of issues but the way I felt that day is a reality and the emotions are real and not simply “gender diversity” issues you can discount….maybe it’s just the weekend and feeling the magic of the conference or maybe it’s just IMD’s mindfulness playing out but nevertheless I felt the power in that room and in the drive, hopes, aspirations and strong ambitions of these powerful women and that my friends is 800 women, 20 brave men and me in a beautiful palace in Prague on a lovely Friday night feeling every bit of the magic and inspiration!

Life in the (job hunt) war zone…

​It’s been one overwhelming month or phase at IMD for most of us ….on one hand we are knee deep into ICP 2 with the industry analysis, client meetings, travels as far as Chile and China while on the other hand we are dealing with interviews, preparation, networking, job search and the pleasures of living life on the edge or life in the job-hunt war zone J

On a given day our emotions can go from super-elated upon hearing that we have been shortlisted to an interview with one of our top preferences to uber-upset for having either received some bad news about a prospective company or gone through a bad interview, etc…and then every time the phone rings you are hoping it’s that call from your favorite company telling you that you have advanced to the next stage in the process……but it’s not always the case and hopefully most of the time it is……

What helps me get through it all is the amazing support of my partner, family, friends and my classmates…you can’t always expect the best news but I can always expect my people to be there for me and tell me how super amazing I am and even though I know it’s not true…every once in a while I let them convince me and I take relief in knowing that at least outside this job search war zone, there also exists another world and another reality and I’m glad I have these special, important and considerate people in that reality to pick me up and support me when the war zone wears me down and they stand by close to motivate me to shake off the bad news and steadily and strongly move on to the next challenge…

But indeed like my fellow blogger said, this is also very much part of the learning….it’s great to ride the waves but there are days when it’s tough to get up, shake it off and get back in the war zone….and that's also part of this great learning journey....but for those days, thank god for the great people around us and thank god for beer! :- )

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Happy Onam…….. and the (joys and sadness) of a nomad at IMD…

Onashamsakal (Happy Onam in my Indian language – ‘Malayalam’) everyone!!!

Yes, I know you all are probably wondering what in the world is Onam?? Onam is an Indian festival celebrated by South Indians from the State of Kerala in India...it is a (rice) harvest festival celebrated by all religions alike in Kerala…it is also a celebration of the generous, benevolent and judicious King Mahabali of Kerala who cared dearly about his people and the subjects of Kerala….it’s a celebration of prosperity and giving……for more Onam legends and stories

http://hinduism.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/a/Onam-Legends.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onam

….but what did this all mean to me growing up outside India in Dubai – it simply meant a day with the entire family, relatives, friends with lots of traditional Keralite food served on a banana leaf and eating until the food coma would finally give you no choice but to pass out on the couch…..you would wake up and start eating sweet deserts again!! Since I had returned from the US, 4 years ago to Dubai, I was lucky to be able to spend Onam with the family in Dubai. However, yet again, this year was the first Onam when we didn't have the parents and family around….and I was not going to disappoint my North Indian wife (they don’t celebrate Onam in North India!!) and so I set out on Sunday to gather traditional Indian groceries in Lausanne to replicate some of my mom’s famous dishes – Sambar, Coconut chutney – and I got to work…luckily with my mom’s recipes, some magic Indian spices and lots of prayers, it turned out great and put a happy smile on our faces sitting miles away from home in Lausanne…

It’s interesting that all this is happening during week-2 of interviews at IMD and we constantly are asked “where would you like to work, would you like to return home or work in Europe, etc” …..so would I like to return to Dubai, join the family, the friends and familiar backgrounds or should we travel more and see the world? it’s a tough choice most days because on the one hand you have comfort and familarity while on the other hand it’s adventure and new beginnings….where do you draw the line between wanting to be around family and friends (aka being very happy) and between exploring new journeys and new adventures (aka not always being super happy)…..I can tell you for now, we have decided to take the adventure path and try to stay in Europe and explore…let’s hope the recruiting companies feel the same way about me J

But this is the life of a global nomad or an IMD MBA…most of us have lived and worked outside home and have a deeper appreciation for adventure and cultural diversity….but this means we have to keep travelling and venturing out there, exploring and this means many a missed Onam, Christmas, Ramadan, Eid or family gatherings, weddings, celebrations etc….this is the price we pay for that global adventure!.......as one of our professors has told me before - "I think you already made the choice between comfort and adventure when you decided to come to IMD!" 

For now I am absolutely enjoying the sambar I cooked, the many phone calls from the parents and family back home and the thought that we could be anywhere, anyplace come 2014 and the best part is ….we have no clue of where that place is going to be and probably won't until November.......

In the spirit of Onam – keep sharing, keep giving and keep smiling!

Best regards,

Vikas Menon​

 

The week(s) from hell…..

Yes, I am back from Earth’s darkest corners aka the IMD dungeons and Lorange……I must apologize to my 1.5 readers and any applicants who (like some of us did last year) were eagerly reading the blogs with no fresh information….it’s been the week(s) from hell…..between last week and this week we have had 2 applied finance exams (the first one definitely killed me), 7 job applications (and this is just the ones I applied to…I know some of my classmates who have had many more), 2 deadlines for papers, a full day of an innovation exercise, a strategy group case assignment, a Brazilian party, my lovely sister in law and her husband visiting us for a week, company presentations, our ICP 2(International Consulting Project) client and scoping meetings….and wait did I mention that we have a few more deadlines this week and our final integrative exercise coming up at the end of the week (yes, the one where we are forced to pretend that we can function on caffeine and absolutely no sleep for 2 days while trying to solve assignments that encompass everything we have learnt so far)….and oh wait, we have OCR (on campus recruitment) starting for 2 weeks from Monday! The word overwhelmed would be a mild statement to describe the way I feel…

Amidst all this intensity, we had our last Strategy class with Prof. Margaret today…fortunately for my ICP group, she is our faculty director so we will be seeing more of her in October…we had our last leadership class, our last innovation class and I guess tomorrow will be our last applied finance class……

My new ICP 2 project focuses on helping an emerging IT solutions company develop a global partnership strategy and I think we have an absolutely great team…..I will most definitely miss my previous team where we laughed every minute even if it meant working into the early hours of the morning or working on the plane en-route the client site….we have become close friends and have many ICP 1 memories from all the way in Helsinki to London through Lasuanne....having said that my ICP 2 team comprises of my Russian-Canadian, Tunisian-French, Canadian, Romanian, Russian classmates and my Indo-Dubai self…….between us we have backgrounds in M&A, Strategy, Business Development, IT, Telecom, Project Management, Consulting, Sales, General Management, etc……we start our project in October and until then we keep busy with first round of interviews….

While we say goodbye to a number of classes, we are also approaching those first interviews, case preparations, applications and all those things which looked like an eternity away earlier this year…

We bloggers will definitely try to update ya’ll with more info but if you don’t see us around, be sure to know that we are running on the espresso train to destination no sleep!

Ciao Ciao!

Vikas Menon

Last few weeks of classes together with new professors, new ICP projects and the new us??

It’s been an interesting few weeks since we have returned from South Africa…on one side, we have been juggling company presentations almost every week with job application deadlines, cover letters, interview preparations, more networking to get that dream job while on the other hand we were also introduced to two new course modules –Negotiations and Finance.......and we wrapped up our Organizational Behavior and Global Political Economy classes....

Yes, just when most of us Finance averse folks thought that we were done with the last bit of Finance terror, we were proved wrong!! if anything makes the re-birth of IMD Finance acceptable, it’s the sense of humor and demeanor of our finance professor for this module – Prof. Salvatore Cantale. I guess we all can agree that both our Finance modules have been taught by interesting Professors….you heard about Prof. Nuno during the first 6 months and while Prof. Salvatore probably wont be spending as much time with us, I am sure the class is already beginning to feel his impact…in today’s class we covered everything from Option Pricing including a lot of excel magic to an interesting case discussion to a philosophical topic about taking responsibility for our choices with regards to the financial crisis …of course with lots of Sicilian humor intermixed in Finance…..

Then we have the new ICP projects…again including some really big names and brands with strategic challenges and then some unique small-mid size organizations....travel this time includes USA, Chile, all across Europe, China, etc...

Amidst all this, one common theme for me and many of my classmates has been the “new us”……ever since we have been back from South Africa, it seems like we have really come together as a class…or atleast we certainly behave in a much more cohesive manner while the 90 of us are together….we know much more about each other and also know how to make things happen much more faster….in the first part of the program, I often found myself checking our calendar for the rest of the year because in a way I was ready to get done with this intense program and be done with the year…….but since the start of this module, I have not done that even once because it would make me realize that we have only 3-4 months together and in fact August is probably the last month we will all be at the Lorange taking the same classes together….September is the On campus recruiting event, followed by ICP 2 in October followed by electives in November….

It’s a strange feeling I can’t explain…the intensity is still there, but seems like we know how to handle it better, the job stress is there but most of us know we will get through that ….and sadly the only thing we don’t know how we might handle is the fact that the program will be done in a few months from now………but perhaps it’s too early to get into that….

It’s been a long day especially with the new French elective I have started…so it’s time to hit the sack!

Adios!

Vikas 

A Year at IMD

​hello everyone - I recently had the opportunity to share my IMD experience with Accepted.com......hopefully, this will help my applicant friends for the upcoming deadline....good luck! 

IMD MBA Interview with Student Vikas Menon

JUNE 28, 2013 BY ACCEPTED.COM LEAVE A COMMENT

Here’s a talk with Vikas Menon, a soon-to-be graduate of IMD Switzerland. Vikas talks about his b-school experience, and offers some serious insight into the IMD MBA program. If you’re thinking about applying to IMD, then you’ll definitely want to read on! Thank you Vikas for sharing with us!

This interview is the latest in an Accepted.com blog series featuring interviews with current MBA students, offering readers a behind-the-scenes look at top MBA programs. We hope to offer you a candid picture of student life, and what you should consider as you prepare your MBA application.

Accepted: First, can you tell us a bit about yourself: Where are you from? Where and what did you study as an undergrad? What other degrees do you hold?

Vikas: I am of Indian heritage but was born and brought up in Dubai, UAE and lived outside India all my life. I moved to the US in 2000 for my undergrad at Michigan State University (Go Green! Go White!!) and studied electrical and computer engineering. Third year into my undergrad, I realized that I didn’t like engineering as much as I liked interacting with people but I also realized that I was passionate about technology. I completed my engineering coursework and my first job in the US was in Sales for a Software company in DC that allowed me to pursue my passion for technology while working with people.

Accepted: Which other schools were you considering? What tipped the scales to favor IMD?

Vikas: IESE, INSEAD, HEC and a few American universities.

1. Once you attend the one day assessment at IMD with 5-6 people from different nationalities, backgrounds, professional experiences, you realize how IMD’s teaching style is truly based on “Real World…Real Learning” – you learn just as much from your classmates as you do from your professors, and your classmates are mid-level to senior level managers from large global MNCs, entrepreneurs, PHDs, scientists and people who have an average work experience of 7-8 years working in 2-3 countries.

2. Leadership at IMD – I had always heard about IMD’s leadership stream being one of the best in the world but I can tell you 6 months into the program, that IMD’s leadership stream is not simply the best but is one of a kind. It challenges you to rethink who you are, your personality, and helps you discover not just the conscious parts of your personality and leadership but also the subconscious and helps you understand how people perceive you. This knowledge can really help you become a better leader, team player, communicator and motivator in a professional environment.

3. Small class size – I meet my 90 classmates every day for almost 75% of the program. We sit in the same classroom, we eat together and we spend long long hours together. The bonds and connections that are formed from that level of interaction and intimacy are incredible. We are a small community of MBAs and alumni (even though our extended network is probably one of the biggest) however, based on my experience so far and during the application process last year, I can guarantee you that every MBA alumni or student would respond to any request of help in less than 48-72 hours…some would even welcome the opportunity to help you and meet you. My mentor and advisor since last year is an alumnus from the class of 2008! He not only helped me with the application process but also continues to be a good friend, mentor and advisor and this is the power of the IMD class size and ‘tight-knit’ MBA community.

Accepted: What do you think are some of the advantages of attending a one-year MBA program? Are there disadvantages?

Vikas: The advantages –

1. Focus on general management.

2. The shorter duration obviously helps you get back to the real world sooner.

3. The intensity really helps you push yourself to the next level and challenges you every day and every minute.

The disadvantages –

1. Lack of specialization – If you are looking for a specific functional role/industry post-MBA that requires expertise in Finance (for instance, VC, investment banking, etc), a one-year program might not help an individual with no background in those areas.

2. Intensity – the intensity is great for some people but can be too much for others.

Accepted: What’s your favorite thing about living in Switzerland? Do you plan on continuing to live and work in Europe after you receive your MBA?

Vikas: Switzerland, specifically Lausanne is a very cool, calm and beautiful place….really facilitates and helps in the learning process. IMD is located on the lake and every day, I get to see the Swiss Alps and the lake on my way to school. Yes, I plan on continuing to work in Europe but probably in a bigger city (only because that’s my personal preference).

Accepted: Can you recommend a nice coffee shop or other place that’s good for hanging out and/or studying in Lausanne?

Vikas: The good thing about IMD is that we are provided a 5-star hotel level lunch every day (included in the fees) throughout the year by a Michelin star chef and team! Coffee, tea, nespresso, hot chocolate, etc are all available whenever we want on campus…..we barely ever use coffee shops because we are in the IMD “dungeons” most of the time  . The campus is beautiful, dynamic, green and sophisticated-modern, so we barely find the need to find a coffee shop……ask me about a bar and that’s a different story  .

Accepted: What was the most challenging step for you in the MBA admissions process? How did you approach it and overcome it?

Vikas: The one day assessment can be really challenging because it requires thorough preparation. As part of the one day assessment you have an impromptu case, a prepared case (they send a week before the assessment), admissions interview and lunch with a current student. Additionally, the 11+ essays in the application and the short word count really makes you think about your skills, achievements, weaknesses, personality, etc in very different light.

- See more at: http://blog.accepted.com/2013/06/28/imd-mba-interview-with-current-student-vikas-menon/#sthash.KK4mbK1a.dpuf​

South Africa and the brave kids……implanted in my memory for life!

​I know a lot has already been said about South Africa and the diverse experiences we have all had in Johannesburg….but after my previous post​, something happened that changed my perspective of South Africa and redefined what courage means to me…

My classmates Vijay, Marie and Hsuan-chi were involved in a project for Lovelife – a youth mentoring, education and HIV prevention initiative  – and through their work, they had the opportunity to meet and help some amazing children at an orphanage in Kliptown - Soweto Kliptown Youth - SKY​ 

Now, I have to confess that I had always avoided visiting orphanages in the past because I didn’t know how to deal with my feelings of sadness, depression and helplessness and I was, as always, hesitant about heading out to Kliptown to visit SKY as well…….

I remember walking through the Kliptown slums and I was appalled at what I saw…..I remember thinking that no human should ever have to live in this kind of poverty – make-shift sheds for houses, lack of sanitation facilities, flowing polluted water, a breeding ground for cholera as one of my classmates put it…….Shouldn't it be absolutely unacceptable that people have to suffer and live in these conditions; especially when there are so many of us fortunate and educated people around the world??!!

The kids at the orphanage were beyond excited to see us and what amazed me was that amidst this poverty, these kids had managed to find small positive streaks in their lives…the founder of the orphanage – brother Bob Nameng– didn’t sympathize with the kids, yes he empathized, he loved, he cared…but he didn’t let them feel sorry for their misfortunes…instead, he spoke about education, learning and building strength…about fighting through life no matter what obstacles they faced and about overcoming every challenge in their way and I saw heart and courage and holiness in that room that day through the various songs, dances, speeches, smiles and hugs….

It doesn’t take a MBA or money to make a difference…what it takes is heart and soul…..I realized that I cannot continue to procrastinate on what we must absolutely do for people across the world who need our help………that evening at the hotel, I told Rafa, my classmate, that it’s so easy to feel all these strong emotions now but I guess we'll  forget about the kids come next year….busy with our jobs and  normal lives.....but Rafa was absolutely right in saying that we might get busy, we might be across the world, but after this experience, it’s going to be impossible to forget the kids and their courage………

Here’s a glimpse of the bravest kids I have ever met in my life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ew2im4rkVc&feature=youtu.be​

…......and after that here's a TedxWarwick 2013 video of the founder - Brother Bob - a true leader and great human! ​

Vikas