Embracing a Shift in Perspective
In the Senior Executive Leadership Program—India at Harvard Business School, Kasturi Wilson gained insights that immediately began to transform her approach and perspective on business growth.
What were your objectives in attending the program?
The businesses I handle have grown tremendously, driving me to look beyond what I know and find ways to hone my skills. In order to be successful, executives need to keep learning new things, discovering new methods, and gaining new views. I wanted to gain both a regional and a local perspective so that I could create better strategies and more value for our shareholders. Some people believe that you can have a single strategy and simply replicate it for every scenario, but that doesn't work. Strategy is not boundary less. You have to truly understand how the business fundamentals, political aspects, and government policies influence each other.
How has the program transformed the way you work?
Within the first few days of the program, I realized that my views regarding how to approach challenges had already changed. Some of the class discussions prompted me to initiate conversations with people at my company about specific challenges. My colleagues wondered why I was asking so many questions, and the reason was that I had already gained insight into how we needed to align certain elements of the business.
What are some of the key takeaways?
I've gained a better understanding of the dynamics between global economies and the region as well as how to make better decisions based on this understanding. In addition, I've gained a structured approach for looking at strategy and creating a value proposition. The program keeps you from overthinking or overstating a challenge or strategy and, instead, helps you think simply and clearly about what you want to accomplish. I look forward to implementing some of the frameworks from the program with my leadership team.
How did the faculty contribute to the learning experience?
The faculty members engaged the class in a way that brought a whole different dimension to what we were learning. While we reviewed the case studies on our own, the faculty helped us dissect those stories. They connected the dots from what was going on inside the case study to what was happening outside of it. Initially, I had wondered how I would manage to sit through such long classes, but the faculty kept me constantly engaged, and in the process, I was exposed to some brilliant insights.