7 Deadliest mistakes MBA Students & Graduates do !


A good MBA holder is a one who sees more than others do, who sees farther than others see and who sees BEFORE others see.

Recently I have been asked by a couple of new MBA students about what to do to achieve the best from MBA, but I sincerely feel that the equally valid question is what not to do during the MBA so that it doesn’t ruin the things. So, a few mistakes what often people do -

1.      Not beginning with the end in mind

Many of the MBA Grads & students are confused about the careers goals. They are not sure whether to peruse their cherished dream or go with something that are not hard to accomplished. Well if your dreams are don’t scare you & don’t challenge you then they may be not worthy enough to be perused and every risk is worth taking if they lead you to your goals. You don’t need be an MBA for picking low hanging fruits.

2.      Not Empowering others

Get out of taker’s mindset. Always be on giving side. During or post MBA When you’re surrounded by group of people just don’t always try to learn from the best they have as this is non-sustainable mode of learning. Rather try empowering other with what best you have within you in the form of knowledge or awareness or resources. When you start giving more than what you take then soon you automatically start getting much more than what you had given in. This is fundamental law of nature.

3.      Losing the sight on measurement.

There is famous saying you can’t manage something if you can’t measure it

Not tracking the effort score and result score is one of the deadliest mistake. There is always an imbalance of effort put and results achieved. Always have a watchful eye on how much the efforts have been put in and what kind of quantized results they have generated. This practice will always make you aware of the gaps that need to fill in order to achieve what you want to achieve. Never expect 100% results by putting in 75% efforts however the vice versa may be true.

4.      Ignoring the law of Averages

During and just after the MBA you do a lot of experimentation. Experiments related to academics, job search, self-grooming etc and not all result into what you desired According to law of averages (Courtesy -Powell Mitra ) the more you fail and the more you’re knocked down, the nearer you are to the success provided you are learning for each failure and not repeating the same thing. Each failure makes you stronger and reinforces your belief that you are very near to success. Refuse to take no for an answer.  Fail Fast so that you learn faster.

5.      Not Engaging in incremental learning

The power of Incremental learning is huge because it brings windfall results and makes you stand out of crowd. 30-60 min each day  learning about Global and Local Financial/Business markets, learning a new European language or spending time to study for some certifications will give tremendous results after a period of time invested on them  

6.      Lackadaisical effort to create a powerful network

Hardly anyone would deny that many times an MBA holder with Powerful network often far surpass the MBA holder with better talent. A good MBA holder doesn’t need to be brilliant, but he must be surrounded with brilliant people around him. Start creating a network from day 1. Creating a network is like planting trees and it takes time reap the desired benefits

Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you. Spend a lot of time with them and I guarantee it will change your life.

7.      Handling Failures and Emotional Setbacks

For sure you will be knocked down couple of times for good opportunities, grades, recognition from colleagues and for many other things that your dreamt about. But…

Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you they are supposed to help discover who you are. Success is due when you stretch to the challenge and as my friend Smit Bhatt says it’s the lack of faith makes people afraid of meeting challenges. Talent is often overrated; the key is inspiration and consistency in efforts.

One last thing at the end –

If you want to stand out of crowd then give people a reason not to forget you.


Shantanu Jain

Senior Manager @ PwC | MBA | Prince 2 | Agile Certified (PSPO I™,PSM I™)

6y

Worth it!

Rohan Gupta

Senior Product Manager @ Zendesk | Trinity MBA

6y

Good points mentioned! Nice Read!

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Yella Reddy Yalluru

Technology Governance and Program Management at Elavon | TCD MBA | IIT B.Tech

6y

I concur with you. I believe that the, MBA is a place where one gets time to learn, unlearn and transform what one can with long term career in their mind. If one is looking for a specialization, MBA may not be the place to be. The point you made about the empowerment is exactly why a very few are sustainable leaders. 

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