Darden Mumbai Event

On December 28th 2007, Darden hosted a social event at the Blue Lagoon lounge in Lower Parel, Mumbai. This was an informal event created primarily for prospective students who were either applying for the Fall 08 or were generally interested in Darden. Dean Bruner had recently visited India in November and generated quite a buzz about Darden, describing it as a hidden gem to a large audience. Several of the 30 participants that made it to the Blue Lagoon had also been to the Dean's reception.

The Blue Lagoon event was obviously student-run as are most events at Darden. I organized the location but received a lot of help from Arielle Myhre and Amanda Mills from Darden. Amanda sent several brochures and T-Shirts that we handed out during the event. We had a total of 6 SYs who were current in Mumbai - Ujwala Kukreja, Natasha Sandhir, Vipin Singh, Vineet Thakar, Mayank Jain, and myself. We were able to squeeze in a 45-minute open Q&A panel within the 2-hour event.

The event was held at the Blue Lagoon, a lounge dedicated to private parties, right near the Phoenix Mills Bowling Alley. We placed a few chairs on the dance floor, turned on the disco lights (given they were the only lighting in that area), and opened the floor to the audience to ask anything they wanted to know about Darden.

The most interesting questions: What was your most valuable experience at Darden?; Does Darden have electives catered towards international business?; Why did you pick Darden (ok, this was probably to get more material for the essay)?; What exactly is a general management degree?

And we did get a lot of the typical questions like "how does a case method lend itself to courses like Accounting and Finance?" and "what is the placement like for international students at Darden?"

We ended the session by handing out T-shirts and moving down to the adjacent bar. About 10 participants joined us at the bar to get a few more questions answered and experience a lighter side of Darden students.

We asked every participant to give us candid feedback about the event and told them that someday one (or more) of them would be hosting a similar gathering for future prospects.

Please feel free to add your thoughts to this blog and provide feedback if you made it to the event.

Leadership Lab Class (SY Q2 Class of 2008)

I learned a lot during the leadership lab class. There were moments when the class was a bit redundant and I wasn't sure where we were going. But I was able to keep my cool and go with the flow. I have gone with the flow quite often but then at times I would speak up and say that I need to see something different. I think there were others there who thought the same and this was validated when Folake spoke up and said she wanted to see something different. In any case, I wonder if I would show up to a similar class in the future unless there is some innovative way of teaching leadership. Why don't we use the technique that Rolls Royce used for their interview process. After all, if they can get good results from a 1-day simulation, we should
be able to get similar or better results with a quarter long simulation.

I think the biggest learnings in this class have been the concept of the power of choice and language. While I was always aware of the power of choice through the "7 habits of highly effective people", this class reinforced that rule and I ought to practice it some more. To practice, I need to realize how I do respond at various situations. This is a painful exercise but it could make me more aware. What I really need is a reminder of some great quotes during the class (and class readings). Here is a list of quotes and actions that worked for me as a result of taking this course. The book, "You are what you say" by Matthew Budd and Larry Rothstein was great and most of the learnings are from this book:

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Insanity is doing the same thing over and over hoping that it will turn out differently
Rita Mae Brown

We think with our whole body
Taisen Deshimaru, Zen roshi

I am happiest when I surprise myself
Adam Duggins (Class of 2008)

Actions

• Meditate
• Observe yourself
• Observe others
  

Authenticity and self awareness empowers us

A request simply invites another person to participate in your life. Take this as a way to honor others, not to burden them

Listen to another person without judgment, evaluation, reaction, or letting your mind wander to your own thoughts

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