It all began on 22nd of May, 2019, the day i received joining instructions from SIBM, Bengaluru, as i had been accepted into their MBA 2019-2021 program. It was an ecstatic moment, especially as i had performed under par in most of my B-School entrance exams. I was nervous because the e-mail required a mandatory set of business formals to be carried by every student.
I had only worn a set of business formals once before in my life, the day I had my job interview. Those were a set of hand-me-downs from my father. Hence this was a moment to cherish, and I knew the brand I desired, the brand I had dreamt of ever since I knew what Formals were.
With a simmering smile and a determined mind, i walked into the nearest Louis Philippe Store. After browsing through numerous selections they had on offer, I made my choice of a charcoal colored Business Suit and Red Tie. Walking out nearly two hours later, i was exhausted but satisfied with my choice.
Needles to say, I was extremely confident in a new environment and very comfortable in my new set of clothes. That unmatched confidence is something I carry to this day, just like the set of clothes currently hanging in my wardrobe.
My family and I have been loyal followers of the ABGL group, ever since my father buying his first set of Formals to me coming in a generation later. I have high regards for the work ABGL is putting in for it's brands and the community at large.
Challenging Situation and Key Takeaways
A challenging situation I faced in my professional life was when we were nearing the end of the DMRC Metro Project of RS11 for Bombardier Transportation. Technicians and Supervisors were asked to work overtime to meet the deadline. I was assigned the night shift for one week. One day, I get a call from the Line Manager around 11pm, one hour into my shift that there are two coaches held up in the dispatch area because one step in the assembly line had been skipped. I was given the responsibility to complete the process called Passivation in addition to managing the line for the night. There were only a few technicians on my line that were qualified to perform passivation. I went to meet the QNGR shift supervisor to ask if he could spare some men, who were qualified for the job, to help us out. He agreed to send 4 men.
There are some prerequisites and safety measures to be taken. There was a shortage of polyurethane gloves on the line. Further, permission from the quality inspector was needed before work could begin. I called up the Final Assembly DMRC supervisor for the night and they have some extra gloves in stock. I personally went to the Final Assembly building and collected the gloves to give to the technicians.
Armed with all required consumables and safety equipment with complete permits, we began work by 12 am. It was a mammoth task to complete within 6 hours and I was apprehensive. I knew these technicians would require constant supervision and motivation to complete the work. I would keep running between my line and the passivation station every half an hour not able to focus anywhere.
This circus kept up until 1.30 am till tea time. I consulted my senior from the QNGR line, laid out my problem in front of him and asked for his advice. He said that the men only required a target and not constant supervision. After tea, I went to the passivation area and gave the two teams a target. On my line, I scheduled the tasks in such a way that a team would be free for an hour between 4am to 5 am.
It went according to plan and by 4 am I was checking up with my team leaders to ensure work goes smoothly for another half an hour without me and taking my team of 3 technicians to the passivation station. I organised the men in the station and the work pace sped up. I stayed with the teams for half an hour bolstering their confidence and advising ways to speed up the process.
All in all, as the sun rose at 6 am the following morning, we had achieved our target on the line and the coaches held up in the passivation station were ready for dispatch. The technicians were satisfied albeit a bit tired. I thanked everyone on the team and shook hands with the men before handing over the shift to my reliever. The next day, I received a call from my Line Manager in the afternoon appreciating my efforts.
Major learning:
- Keeping calm under a stressful situation: I kept calm and organised after receiving news of the new responsibility, and as a result I was able to think on my feet to organize extra technicians and set up the work as well as being efficient in managing the shift. The work continued at its steady pace and a few inputs from my senior brought me back on the right path just as the pressure was getting to me.
- Good organisation for crisis situations. When faced with the obstacle of unavailability of PU gloves on our line, I was able to access support from another department during a crisis when I went to the Final Assembly building to obtain the PU gloves. Although I felt helpless initially, I was able to collect my thoughts and remained unfazed by the challenge presented. I learnt the benefit of networking and keeping good relations not just with my immediate peers but also with officers from other departments as we do not know who can come to our rescue during troubled times.
@ABGLP @ABGLP WOO ME COMPETITION @ABGLP WOO ME SEASON 2 - SIBM BENGALURU
#ABGLP #ABGLP WOO ME COMPETITION #ABGLP WOO ME SEASON 2 - SIBM BENGALURU
Comments