IIM A PGPX Winning Sample Essays -1

Essay 1. Can you narrate a few incidents from your professional life that would illustrate your ability to handle volatile situations? (1000 words)

I have more than 13 years of experience spread across 5 countries. In these 13 years, I have been put in the spotlight multiple times to manage volatile situations or difficult people. I would be lying if I say I didn’t struggle in these situations and never thought of backing out. But success is like intoxication, you taste it once and you always crave for it. I believe it is the success in managing such situations that have helped me succeed in my career and rise up to be  a team leader now.

One of the most peculiar and politically volatile situations I have managed happened when I was deputed to the United kingdom (UK). TCS was offered one single position in the client’s portfolio, my manager gave me the responsibility to handle the client and see if we can secure more business and expand our footprint at the client’s UK location. But on day one I realized that the entire technical portfolio of clients had individual contractors. They did not represent any company, and to keep their contracts safe, the entire technical team was at odds with me coming onboard to represent an Indian IT firm which was a clear threat to their contractor positions being offshored to India. Technical team, at every opportunity, tried to put across the message that I am not fit for the job and I had to go the extra mile to defend my every suggestion or recommendation.

Within the first month instead of working to grow our footprint, I was struggling to  first ensure that TCS does not lose the contract for my position. It was a very politically charged situation where contractors wanted to defend their work scope from being Bangalored. I discussed it with my manager and figured out the best way forward would be to be patient and use diplomacy rather than superior technical knowledge. To win everyone’s trust, while raising any conflict in the meetings, I always ensured that I am also praising the technical team for their efforts and started developing personal connections over coffee and lunches. After 10 months, I was able to establish a personal connection with everyone and successfully added two more positions at the UK office for TCS. I also opened a communication channel between TCS and client leadership to improve TCS’s future prospects as well. Pleased with my achievements, my management gave me a promotion as well. I was also humbled when the entire team organized a farewell party for me when I left that project for another opportunity. This experience taught me how to work and succeed in an intimidating and unreceptive environment. I learned how sometimes you can detach your emotions and feelings while working with people. And the biggest learning of all was that don’t let perception of others affect your confidence.

Another difficult and volatile situation that I successfully navigated through, and somewhat also proud of, was when I joined Axtria as an Engagement Manager for one of their largest projects. When I joined Axtria, the project was behind schedule and we were in fire-fighting mode. To meet the deadlines, the team had to consistently put in extra hours. After more than a month of late nights, the team’s patience started to wear off and we saw clear signs of burnout among team members. We saw a few attritions, some started to take unplanned leaves, others simply refused to stay back and work extra hours. Soon things started to escalate, and deliveries got impacted. The client also started to question Axtria’s commitment and capability to deliver the project. Axtria, being a startup then, couldn’t afford a failure. Senior leadership pushed me to ensure proper delivery ele i would fail to even pass my 6 months probation period in my new job.

At the same time, I also felt responsible for my team’s well-being and the work culture being pushed by senior management. While I knew that delivering the project successfully is of paramount importance, I also had full empathy for my team. I spoke to my team with empathy to make sure they realize that I understand their situation. I divided the team into groups and distributed work such that everyone got one complimentary day off in a week. I personally stayed back with the team in the office every night. I also negotiated with leadership and our client to rebase a few deadlines. I also persuaded my leadership for a monthly team party to blow off the steam and organized a few other team bonding activities. After four months of tireless efforts, we as a team delivered the project in time. I was also able to keep the moral of the team high throughout. I can say this confidently because I received a word of appreciation from HR after my team’s connection with HR, a monthly practice that was followed in Axtria.

After the successful delivery, the client sent out an appreciation for all the effort the team put and turned around the situation. Our team received a word of appreciation from the CEO of the company. It personally felt very rewarding. Not only did I deliver the project successfully, I was also able to earn immense love and respect from my team. This experience taught me one of the greatest lessons – you can succeed only as a team and you are only as strong as your team.

 2: What is so special about you that professors and peers would like to have you in the class? (500 words)

Learner by heart, leader by behavior and compassionate by nature. These are some of the qualities that I will bring to the IIMA and enrich the classroom.

Till date I have lived and worked across four countries, and  travelled to more than nine countries. I have worked with people from over twelve countries and by working with people from so many different countries, I have gained true insight about the benefits of  diversity in a team and how people’s working style is influenced by the culture they belong to. A German will probably want a lot of details and a well thought aggressive plan whereas a French or Italian will frown on the aggressive plan. This international experience has also given me the ability to look at the problem from multiple perspectives. Perspective allows you to be more creative in problem solving and open in the workplace. With these learnings I believe I can add immense value and enrich the classroom case discussions which can enhance my peers’ learning experience at IIM A.

More than anything, I believe international experience has given me life experiences. I always made sure that every country I visited, I went out and tried local cuisines, tried local drinks and interacted with local people. I discovered a French delicacy Foie Gras and Italian drink Sambuca like that. I loved Sambuca and hated Foie Gras. But every experiment, every experience turned into a story and while gaining all these experiences, I also made a global network of colleagues. I will use these experiences to enhance the cultural knowledge of peers and be their local guide during international immersion. I will also be able to help my peers who have international aspirations to expand their network in various countries. The ability to value alternate experience and recognize the importance of different opinions makes me an excellent team player.

The last quality which I believe would make me a valuable addition is that I am good at keeping my team motivated and have fun together even in the difficult times of a pandemic. Last year, when everyone started working from home, as a manager, I felt responsible for keeping my team motivated and connected together. I initiated a biweekly 30-minute call with my team, just to have fun where the only subject of discussion was our personal well-being and team bonding. I was surprised by how much of a crucial stress buster this became. We also organized virtual Christmas and New Year celebrations. Working hard is important but so is mental wellbeing and having fun. In a rigorous PGPX program, we will face difficult situations time and again. My ability to remain calm in stressful situations, take initiatives to be motivated and optimistic, and extend optimism to others around me makes me unique.

I strongly believe that my unique skills, excellent international perspective and ability to harvest them into something consequential makes me an invaluable asset for both professors and peers alike.

Essay 3: Do you have anything special that you would want the Admissions Committee to know? (500 words)

I was raised in a working-class family, where I had the importance of hard work and mutual respect instilled in me from the very beginning. My father had a very lavish and comfortable  early childhood, however his fortune turned when my grandfather suddenly passed away. My father was only 12 years, and post my grandfather’s passing away my father had a very tough life. Through sheer hard work my father was able to make a successful career to be the superintendent of police (SP) in uttarakhand. I was both humbled and honored to hear his success after so many struggles. I was fortunate that I did not have to go through any such struggle, but his story has always helped me stay grounded and focus on working hard.

From my early childhood, I was taught to respect people. My father as a senior government officer later had access to a lot of luxuries that most people don’t have. We had a big house, chauffeur-driven cars and lots of servants. However, both me and my brother were not allowed to call any servant or driver by name. We were told that they were my father’s employees, not servants and that my father is their boss, not us. That was the first lesson of my life and foundation of what I would be for the rest of my life. I learned that no work is lesser than others and that our culture is to respect elders, not their profession. That learning instilled humility at my core. Till date I give people elder to me, be it my driver or guard at my office, due respect. I remember, my father once told me that all everyone is looking for, rich or poor, powerful or weak, potent or ineffectual, is respect. It might not mean anything to you but might mean a world to everyone. I took these words to heart.

At the same time, I also abide by the rule that I work to live, I don’t live to work. Career growth is very important, but it cannot come at the cost of personal sacrifices. I want to succeed and reach heights in my career, but not at the cost of life experience. One instance changed my perception of life. It was September 2016. Me and my wife were in Rome celebrating my wife’s birthday. There were certain street musicians playing music, families busy capturing photographs and some just soaking themselves in that moment. At that moment something inside me changed. I realized that it is the experiences that will define the life I live. 30-40 years from now, I will not remember the projects I delivered successfully, the client appreciations I got or the promotions I grabbed.

What I will remember is experiences like these, the lives I touched and the people I have. At that moment I determined that both my personal and professional life would be more than succeeding. It taught me that your success or failure does not make you better or worse than others. It also told me that few successes or few failures will not define you. What will define you is your character and the experiences you lived your life with.