Being a successful leader

Dr. Ramakrishnan Raman is the director of Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune. He has an inclination towards research, and this has made him write dozens of research papers. He has worked with organizations in devising strategies to manage their business risks, set up systems and processes to improve their effectiveness through ERP implementations.

In an exclusive interview with Samarth, Mr Raman revealed all about SIBM Pune. He also shared his point of view on leadership and provided an in-depth knowledge of educational sector. 

A true leader is not a slave of situation

I follow a gutsy and benevolent style of leadership. I try to harness everybody’s aspiration, who are the stakeholders of my B-School and try to make it happen. As a leader, I work and try setting an example for others and consistently inspire my team. 

I am never a slave of a situation. I work to create my situations, and hence I am not worried about the competition. In a nutshell, my leadership mantra is – Consistently look at the possibility to make things/processes/procedures/products better by looking at things differently and also looking at the non-obvious.

Be passionate about the work you do; success will automatically come to you

In my view, one has to be passionate and futuristic to remain relevant in the career chosen. The art of being a futurist is a necessary skill and is no more an option to contemplate and choose in today’s competitive scenario. I work to define new market segments for the new offerings that can be given, which will be of value to my clients (students) and my customers (corporate). 

Apart from this, I also keep an ear to the ground to understand the reality and implement strategies that can help SIBM Pune stay ahead. Doing so also helps in shaping the future growth of this B-School. 

Read about SIBM Courses & Fee

SIBM provides the knowledge that is necessary for taking the industry beyond

I have been hearing about the industry-academia gap for at least 20 years now. The constant complain that industry folks make – “We do not get industry-ready professionals”. Being “Employable” is an inherent requirement of an MBA graduate. MBA or MBA (I&E) at SIBM Pune is not ‘just meant’ for giving industry training to learners. 

We also equip students with ‘the knowledge that is necessary for taking the industry beyond’. And, our students are equipped with skills which make them create innovative solutions to the perennial problems.

Follow “Love your job, but never fall in love with the company”

Love your job, but never fall in love with the company, a saying I abide by – This has been my principle from the day I started working. I follow these three principles which keep me motivated to keep reinventing and relevant as industry 4.0 hits the education sector.

First - Stay up to date on trends – I keep my self - updates on what is happening in the world of business, in the world of technology and also in the world of education, so that I know where the world is heading!

Second – I try and visualize – I imagine what the world might look like and what my clients and customers who expect and how they would behave and change. This also drives me to remain futuristic.

Third - I adopt a growth mindset and try different strategies by adopting the gutsy leadership style. Having this ‘gutsy’ leadership style helps me to learn from others failure and also prepares me to accept failure, in case I encounter it in my passionate journey of chasing audacious goals!

New MBA programmes are on our list

Focus on research and publication will be our priority. We also plan to introduce an MBA programme in leadership and strategy, specifically for those who have at least four years of work experience. We also have big plans to attract funded research projects along with a specific focus on corporate consulting.

Click here SIBM Placement

SIBM nurtures employability and entrepreneurship

In 2014, when I joined SIBM Pune, we were known for our MBA programme. I wanted SIBM Pune to be known as a destination for those who aspire to create start-ups and take the entrepreneurial plunge. Our MBA (Innovation and Entrepreneurship) program was started, and we had just 30 seats which attracted 500 applications. I wanted this programme to reach thousands of aspirants and allow more. 

Today, we have more than 6000 aspirants who aspire to join this programme and have 60+ students who are chosen for the programme. I feel satisfied as many have started recognising the efforts behind this and are showering accolades to SIBM Pune. The latest one is an award given by IDA Education awards on 24th Sep 2019, where SIBM Pune has won IDA award for ‘Nurturing Employability and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education’.

Alumni of SIBM is the Brand Ambassador 

I strategize the key programmes to be launched by SIBM Pune by considering the requirements of the Industry which are not explicitly told or expressed. My students and alumni are my brand ambassadors and hence marketing my programmes happen by those who have experienced the SIBM Pune journey.