Sadhana (SCMLD) - The Leadership Gurukulam

SCMLD came into being by the financial contribution and emotional alignment of, and persuasion by, the former students of Prof M.S. Pillai, who was the director of SCMHRD from its concept & inception in 1993, to April 2004. The persistent urging of hundreds of his former students inspired him to continue the journey of Human Resource Development by starting SCMLD. And thus SCMLD came into being in a matter of 40 days, with its first batch, in July 2004. SCMLD’s approach is that of a learning gurukulam. Knowing is of no use unless acted upon/ lived. Performance / execution excellence is the need today. It is a function of the mind, being competent. SCMLD strives to re-engineer that mind and develop such competencies that its students emerge extraordinary in seeing opportunities, feeling balanced, thinking positive, acting prompt and right to produce great outcomes utilizing their emotional & intellectual assets so that they grow faster, stronger and higher. Thus, they should become an inspiration for their own selves & others, by sheer contribution and success achieved without any shortcuts. SCMLD believes that education must uncover talents, impart skills, nurture the genius, unleash the leader within, enhance capabilities, enlighten, embolden to do right things / set things right and thus empower to achieve.

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Prof. M.S.Pillai, Founder Director, SCMLD

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Concept Note for Seminar on- “Bridging the skill gap: Issues & challenges” - 14th & 15th January, 2012

Sadhana Centre for Management & Leadership Development (SCMLD)

   Date - 14th -15th January 2012, Venue – Yashada, Baner Road, Pune

  Dear  Sir,

This seminar is restricted to Banking & Non Banking Financial Services including Insurance. As per certain published data there are more than 25951 colleges with 16 million students under 527 universities pursuing higher education in India. Going by demographics the number of students is going to increase to 40 million by 2020.Additional capacity creation will entail Rs. 10 lakh crores.

However the irony is that not more than 15-18% of the above are employable. That means there is a colossal wastage of prime time of the youth, resources and efforts. In the Time’s   best 400 higher education institutions in the world only IIT Mumbai appears at Sl .No.317. Thousands of Indian students go abroad for higher education at a cost of almost US$ 5 billion in foreign exchange outflow from India. Even the employables need re- training by the employers to be effective at work. This information is only to highlight the opportunity cost, the direct money losses and waste due to low productivity and the NPA (Human Resources) of the nation.

This seminar is to deliberate as to how institutions can by their own innovative approaches improve the quality of education so that more and more students become employable and / or  entrepreneurial and what employers can do to  support  such institutions . Waiting for systemic change by policy interventions by the state is an utopia. The only quick way to improve the quality is to initiate changes at the individual and organizational levels, without waiting further. If not, things will become costlier for everyone and India will miss the opportunities knocking at its doors.

Employability demands knowledge, skills, aptitude, attitude, healthy habits, holistic health etc relevant to the business & industry and specific to work outcomes to be delivered in quality and within cost as dictated by the ever changing market realities. Productivity and quality are adversely affected by lack of any or all of the above. In India, employment is emphasized upon and not work. And to deliver work all the above characteristics are to be employed 100% by one and all with enthusiasm and motivation for building competitive organizations and through that the nation. Unfortunately this culture is not there in our society. We have more of instruction oriented, 9-5 individualistic and entitlement driven work force than initiative taking purpose driven self inspired Human Sources of Action.

At SCMLD we have initiated action leaning, shared team learning, OJT, internships, earn while learn, and many such innovations for students to pick up at least a rudimentary understanding of market realities. 3-4 hrs of daily compulsory reading is another aspect. We have very high emphasis on self discipline, sense of responsibility, punctuality, action orientation, authenticity, team work, inter personal relations and so on. Also in a span of two years a student of SCMLD is exposed to varied wisdom of at least 240-250 practitioners by way of a seminar each trimester addressed by at least 30 practitioners – men and women who exemplified leadership in their own chosen fields. There are 8 such seminars. Out bounds, workshops, vipassana, yoga, pranayama, meditation etc are also their regular academic sessions.  

In seminars we request speakers to share their experience – successes, failures and learning rather than theoretical presentations. We believe in facilitation of learning.  Students can relate to practitioners’ real life stories – personal and professional, better than conceptual sessions. May be a few will appropriate certain lessons out of such real stories. 

Hence you may like to share your experiences as to how you achieved your position / success being a product of the same educational system. Furthermore, it will be great if you could also dwell upon employers’ expectations from the employment seekers as far as behaviors, attitudes, values, knowledge, skills, habits etc are concerned. This will inspire students to take the best out of their formal education years even if the system is as it is today. For the institute you may like to suggest as to what innovations in the curriculum and processes are required to improve the quality. What organizations can do to assist the institutions given the compulsions and constraints of business & market realities may also be included so that institutions can initiate changes to meet employers’ skill/talent requirements. It would be nice of you if you could also dwell a little on the opportunities available in Banking and Non Banking Financial Services to help students prepare to avail of those opportunities and build their careers. May I hope that it is not too much to expect and also not very burdensome for you. The purpose of this seminar is to inspire and enlighten the students and also academicians on the existing & emerging realities.

With respect to our institute SCMLD, the enclosed copy of the Business India article on its creation , the C.V. format which students are to fill up for the campus placements and the copy of our admission advertisement, will fairly explain as to what this institution stand and is striving, for. Recently the Ravi Mathai Centre for Innovation in Education IIM (A) has written a case study on SCMLD for its innovative practices. We take very ordinary students and help them emerge extraordinary because more than 95% of the youth population is in that segment due to circumstances or lack of good educational opportunities. They have potential. Most of the branded institutions select the so called cream of students. Our effort is to create an institution for the ordinary and less than ordinary and make them extraordinary at work. The performance of our alumni and out of turn promotions etc they gain bear testimony to our this conviction and efforts. Our mission is to develop a no nonsense simple & easily replicable model and thus serve the society and the country. Your being with us and addressing the seminar is an honor and privilege for us. It is a very valuable contribution as well in our journey of “making the ordinary extra ordinary”. We can only do it for 120-150 students a year. But if we create a low cost, less sophisticated model many will benefit. We will remain thankful for your kind support.

Looking forward to welcoming you.

Yours sincerely

M.S.Pillai

Founder Director, SCMLD

Email - [email protected] 

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Entrepreneurs/CEO’s Meet: “Wisdom from the Wise & Experienced” - 24th & 25th December, 2011

Sadhana Centre for Management & Leadership Development, (SCMLD) Pune

 Dear Sir,

This is to thank you for your kind acceptance of our invitation to address our seminar scheduled for 24th and 25th December 2011. The audience will consist of 250 plus students, 20-25 faculty members and a dozen invitees. The students consist of the ones pursuing year 1 of our programs and the ones who are almost completing the year 2 and are in placement season. Out of 180 students in this batch, 93 have already received offers of employment.

  With respect to our institute we enclose our C.V. format which every student has to fill up for his / her campus placement process. This we give them when they apply to us for admission and also after 6 months of their being with us after having a great detailed discussion on why all those parameters (in the C.V. format) and how one can utilize one’s time with us to acquire those qualities. We inculcate/ groom/ facilitate the just ordinary and ordinary students to emerge extra ordinary at work. Our admission notification enclosed herewith highlights our focus. As behaviors are expressions of mental patterns, beliefs, and habits, we put them through a daily regimen to “re- habituate” qualities which are essential for “performance” at “work”. Today employment is considered as work. We do not believe so. Work is work and there are plenty of it all around. Unfortunately “work-abled” (employables) are in short supply. Further, we want our students to be ready for any work as situation demands and organization’s purpose requires. This requires egolessness. Therefore we focus and measure-knowledge, doing aspects (execution/implementation), integrity/ authenticity, deadline orientation, and so on. May be due to many such innovations, IIM (A), Ravi J. Mathai Centre for Educational Innovation (RJMCEI) wrote a case study on our institute.

  However, in spite of whatever we do, our processes will not be complete without students developing some understanding of the various practical aspects of business and industry (at least rudimentary wisdom), which can come only from facing realities and / or going nearer to the reality. Hence we organize 8 seminars during the two years of one’s studentship with us and thereby each student gets an opportunity to listen to, interact and pick up a great amount of wisdom from 200 -240 practioners. Also we have factory visits, mandi visits, out of the box selling activity as “footpath vendors”, surveys, field assignments, short duration “Earning while learning” apprenticeship assignments and so on. 

  This seminar is one of such many attempts. Here we envisage you sharing your story with the audience- (1) personal as to how you came this far and at what cost of time, efforts, resources, constraints, circumstances, barriers, choice, choicelessness, failures, and so on, and (2) professional successes and failures - as to the business/profession you are in, its challenges and issues including economic, environmental (legal, administrative, bureaucratic, political), financial, market, marketing, employee performance and non-performance etc.  It will be excellent if you can also add as to (3) the problems you are facing now in terms of “the skill/ competency/ talent, performance gap” issues, and challenge viz-a-viz qualification, quality, functional skills, knowledge, attitude and behaviors of employees and its impact on business and its competitiveness, career success for employees themselves etc. You may also like to (4) dwell on the benefits and challenges if management graduates choose the SME sector organizations to make their careers. Students are starters on the path. We the ones travelled the path need to share the titbits of wisdom we gained so that their travel becomes that much easier if they have the curiosity to learn from the wiser. We do not expect any theoretical or conceptual presentation which we have already overloaded them with. You may like to take 25 minutes for your talk/ presentation. 10 minutes after that are for Q&A for two speakers jointly.

Once again, I express my gratitude for your kindness of being available to our students to help them emerge better informed. It is a great contribution.

With warm regards and thanking you,

Yours Sincerely

M. S. Pillai

(Founder Director, SCMLD)

Email - [email protected] 

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Seminar on "Enhancing Skills & Building Competencies - Realities & the Challenges Ahead" held on 16th & 17th July, 2011 @ Hotel Le Meridien

Sadhana Centre for Management & Leadership Development (SCMLD) 

                                                                                                                We have the largest and biggest asset base in the world – the youth. But are we really preparing them for the opportunities being thrown up all around and in all areas of creating/offering goods and services? All concerned, from Prime Minister to planners & policymakers, Confederations & Chambers to CEOs and hirers are worried as to how to find right fit people and if found how to retain  them and if retained, how to get work and outcomes out of them. All are aware that the quality of Human Resource, Governance and Institutions and that of the legal, political & social systems are the pre – requisites for economic growth and progress. But where are we today in the context of today’s actions design and deliver the tomorrows we aspire for?

On the other side on campuses, and in multiplexes, restaurants & discos, cricket stadiums, film fare awards (all in cities) we find display of huge energy, enthusiasm, fun and ‘I don’t care’ kind of relationships and consumption – the youth expressions of today. In the rural side and in the underbellies of cities it is the opposite –denial, despair, deprivation, anxiety, helplessness, resentment, anger, confusion and hopelessness. However, for productive and serious economic activity in both urban and rural geographies, there is acute shortage of right people- the Human Resource of desired quality. The situation is that, those who want to work are lacking in skills. Those who claim to be educated (qualified) are attitudinally illiterate when it comes to work and delivery of outcomes. Exceptions are there but few. By exceptions organization/nation building is impossible. 

According to me, knowledge, skills, aptitude, attitude, habits, good health – physical, mental emotional, spiritual & social and enthusiasm & energy  appropriate to the context, place, time, people and their needs, make one right fit. This calls for pro-active macro and micro planning and implementation of dynamic and transformational HRD initiatives on a continuous basis.

However, our education system is ‘marks’ and knowing (information not knowledge) oriented. Parents expect that once the fee is paid it is the duty of the school, college or institute which is responsible to get their wards behaviourally changed educated (marks) and employed with maximum pay & comforts and least of difficulties. The students expect the institute/ and teachers put “knowledge” in their brains and skills in their hands and get them an employment with the “profile” they are looking for. The teachers think and behave as if they know everything that the students should know and keep lecturing. The business and industry “hunt” for the talent that once employed must “deliver” from the next day. They want the “charitable” “not for profit” institutions to supply them with “work ready” straight fit HR for them to make ‘profit’ out of them. Government as usual is “allocating” huge sums for skill development, higher education, school education and so on. Branded institutions arrogate and decide 100 %..... 97% in 10th, 12th etc or 99 percentile as cut off due to the shortages manufactured by the license permit raj in education sector.. Then we claim that India is blessed with “the huge population” dividend. What a pity and self deception? If simple qualities of listening, punctuality & commitment to deliver what is promised or agreed upon, are practised, implemented or enforced and if we are learners, our country will progress to a great extent. If we stop arguing and start doing, learning will happen and skills will develop at least over a period of time. India was known for its knowledge and skills.

All of us – parents, teachers, institutions – educational and business/industry/government all working together can only convert this population with unlimited energy and potential into a real asset base for dividends to be reaped by one and all. Parents and teachers in schools must consciously offer “formative” grooming & education. Higher and technical education institutions & faculty must provide “re-formative” education relevant to the context, time and need. Business and industry must take them and groom them further for specific purposes without looking for whether they would stay with them or not. In any case they will be with  ‘us  – India’ our country, being in any organization. With me or with them does not matter as long as they are productive in India or for India.

May be this is my utopia. But I love that utopia. Government, business, industry, society, religion etc are here to offer “goods and services” so that society, its members, nations and countries progress and live in peace, harmony & happiness, being healthy. In India focus is on employment, not work or serving. What is the way out and what we the institutes and organizations can do at our levels is the theme of the seminar. Government will do what it desires. But waiting for government to build talent for businesses and industry, will keep them waiting only.

In this context we look forward to your being with us and sharing your experience, insights, concerns and the way forward as you see it. You may like to discard whatever is written above. The above is only one view point. You are at liberty to have your views. We expect to listen and learn from your views and wisdom.

At SCMLD we are trying our best to turn out 150 -180 youngsters to be all terrain & all weather fit people, to perform. We have consciously selected them from lower strata of the society. We have in fact started special classes for “common sense” application. As regards positive attitudinal shift, we are almost successful in making it happen. Now focus is on logic, reason, common sense and intuition alongside our attempt at intellectual development.

With warm regards,

Yours Sincerely,

M.S.Pillai

Founder Director

Email - [email protected]