Kedar Lele
Today, an MBA degree is a gateway to great opportunities -
from a cushy corporate job to interest from venture capitalists in a new
venture. It gives you an opportunity to test the waters in areas of your
interest, equips you with an understanding of the management nuances required
to excel in the corporate environment and even helps while going for a
potential career shift. But what often gets discounted is the global microcosm
that a B-school network often becomes. An amalgamation of students from across the
years is like a live social network that serves as a melting pot of
experiences, ideas and opinions.
When you step into an alumni reunion, you are the closest to
shutting out the cutthroat competitive world outside and entering a unique
'brother/sisterhood of superiority' that awards you a shared badge serving as
an invisible bond. I had similar feelings when I recently attended Solstice -
the annual alumni reunion at ISB and saw students from across a decade come
together to celebrate. At a reunion like this, open in front of you is an
extensive network of professionals who have gone through the same rigours of an
MBA programme . They shared your journey and your dreams and joined the
corporate treadmill before you did. Before you know it, the mere commonality of
an alma mater becomes your ticket to a dream job, a chance meeting at a party
becomes a mentorship session or your inspirational senior becomes your next
boss. It is not just a congregation of students past and present but a
unification of dreams and aspirations. You could be sharing a drink with your
future boss, shaking a leg with a potential investor or sharing life stories
with your future entrepreneurial partner.
You are faced with a complex business problem. You are
planning to expand to the United Arab Emirates but are unsure about how much to
invest initially. Research and unending email trails give you the data but not
the desired conviction. On your computer screen pops up an invite for a
B-schoolreunion. You decide to go and make this your much needed break. You
cannot foresee the impromptu gyaan session that you will receive from a senior
with a decade of experience in the same market. You could not have planned for
the sense of direction you suddenly get from a fellow alumnus. That's the power
of the B-school network.
You have had enough of your private equity job. Your bank
balance is high but satisfaction is low. You are slowly making up your mind to
jump in with both feet, take up the task of bringing alive your long cherished
dream of opening an online content trading platform. But it's a risky
proposition. You have the financial acumen and confidence to pull it off but
not the creativity to differentiate it. As part of your in-transition break,
you plan to catch up with old friends at your MBA school reunion. You meet a
former classmate and current advertising veteran who are toying with a similar
idea. You go in with a problem and you return with a potential partner. That's
the power of a b-school network.
You feel a twinge of nostalgia as you revisit the hallowed
environs of your school. Memories come rushing back as you walk in the hallways
that were once home to your ups and downs. Isn't this the same canteen where
you had promised your group of friends to remain friends forever? Isn't this
the same notice board you glanced at - with fear and anticipation - for the
list of companies coming for placements? Isn't it the same room where you
landed your first job? Years have gone by and you have climbed the corporate
ladder steadily. In comes your friend you lost touch with years ago. He is
married now and worried about his daughter's internship. As you give him a hug,
you tell him, consider the internship done. He is happy and you are young
again. That's the power of a B-school network.
(The author is an alumnus of the Indian School of Business,
Class of 2004 and currently General Manager - Sales & Customer
Development, Hindustan Unilever Ltd.)
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