Reflections

A Few Thoughts on Skill-Set Obsolescence One of the in-vogue-things in the modern world today is the suspected onset of AI etc enabled job losses. It came to me in a meeting yesterday, when for the first time I was confronted with the impact of technology on Jobs. . It came to my mind - so what is new about this? Throughout history in-demand Jobs, Skill sets have been changing; this is actually par for the course ... ledger accounting of the 70s has now given way to computer based accounting, for just one example; manpower intensive production of the earlier times has given way to leaner systems, for another example. Image Credit : Canva, Photo by Matan Segev WHAT IS NEW HERE? What is new about this shift from one skill to a newer one, basis technological change? Nothing... this has happened before, and will for sure happen again. That is the nature of life itself! Admitted, this time the scale is larger due to the pace of technological advancemen...

The MBA qualification is perhaps the most questioned qualification among a wide variety of people of various hues; in fact, there are standing jokes on this qualification. And more than a few deep searching questions have been asked on the course as well as on its graduates by a wide variety of industry and academic experts – alongwith deep criticism of them as a class. This is one of those   fields in education and industry that is currently being examined deeply by one and all. At this point, before I progress   further – fair disclosure : I myself am an MBA,9-Pointer,   17 Yrs Workex. That is why a Book on the MBA Course and its “hapless”   graduates attracted me immediately : Maybe This Or Maybe That , written by Pen Name Abhaidev . {Authors Real Name? Its in the book. Get it and find out! }. My expectations? To be frank, none. Where an MBA is concerned – you never can tell, and that is no joke or sarcasm. Blunt, Frank & Straight. I honestly di...

An article in The Hindustan Times today caught my eye -  Fewer than half of new MBA graduates getjobs as economy sputters, trend at 5-year low . The articles open with a hard punch to your gut : “ Job offers for fresh management graduates in India are at a five-year low, official data show, a trend experts blame on a sluggish economy as well as a mismatch between the years-old curriculum and industry expectations…. In 2016-17, just 47% of Master of Business Administration (MBA)   graduates got placed on the campus, a dip of 4% over the previous year, marking a five-year low. At 12%, the drop was far sharper for postgraduate diploma holders. ” Image Source : from HT Article linked above I said this on my blog nearly 4 years ago - there is a dire need to revisit the MBA Curriculum; but it isn’t the only aspect of this problem . I say this with authority, as I have seen both sides – having been a Visiting Faculty, as well as a current Industry Veteran. There is an issue ...

The L&D Rendezvous on the 8 th of October at the SILC Pune will remain etched in my memory for more reasons than one; in my previous article I highlighted one reason – Snehwan. But the event, and my overall experience being a part of the Core Team at L&D Global Pune Chapter, has had many learnings and ramifications for me as a professional. Being a Line Function Manager & all that comes with it - the good and the bad, meant that this experience was a truly defining one for me as I document in this write-up; this is despite me being a former Visiting Faculty in Brand & Advertising Management, and having handled training assignments in corporates as well as extensive cross-functional projects. THE L&D Pune Chapter My introduction to L&D Pune chapter was a direct outcome of my business blogging and non-fiction books blogging, which lead me to getting in touch with a variety of professionals outside my core function and specialty, { which is and remains...

THE FLOCK OF BIRDS   It was an urgent tour; being a Sunday, reservation in an  AC Compartment was out of the question even in Premium Tatlkal – not for Mumbai. And thus it was that I was sitting in a lovely window seat of a three-tier reserved coach, on my way on my official business, drinking in the lovely sights for a change; and with my ever-present book by my side... this time, it was “ Storm The Norm : The Stories of 20 Brands That Did It by Anisha Motwani ”. My mind was steeped at that moment in business jargon, when it happened... when the surreal sight assaulted my senses... A flock of birds, flying some 3 or 4 feet above the ground at best. Pristine and the purest of white, against a solid backdrop of lovely, beautiful green, with not a brown splotch for miles; and outlined perfectly against this poetic green was a flock of white birds skimming the ground, almost... just a few feet off the ground... I was transfixed by the sight; I literally ...

A LinkedIn Question on Managers, and their attitudes towards employee’s mental health triggered a thought process; Do managers really care about employee’s mental health?  You can read the full  discussion here : LinkedIn : How much does top management care about the mental health of employees? } No, they dont.   I dont think this can be an argued, with; neither is this open to question. There are several documented surveys in existence that bear the proof : that disease of every kind is rising, and fast.   Question is, does anyone care? No. Also true.   Next question : can anything be done?   Answer : No.   Concluding Question : Why?   Answer : The stupid idiot who tries to do something gets sacked, regardless of level . Statement of simple fact.   It doesnt take a genius to figure out that you run everyone under incredibly high stress combined long with 14-hour days - there are going to be cases of burnout, breakdown, men...