The Role of Discipline in Personal & Private Victories

“Life is a series of problems. Discipline is the basic set of tools to solve life’s problems. With some discipline you can solve some problems and with absolute discipline you can solve all problems.”These lines from the book “The Road Less Travelled” by M.Scott Peck are more relevant today than ever.

In a world which is pacing fast towards nothingness, most people are living lives without any purpose. The need of the hour is to find ones center, have a goal and a vision and stick by ones commitments and promises.

Everyone respects a Man of his word. Honesty is still greatly valued. Authenticity is critical in creating lasting relationships.

Discipline involves Commitment, Rituals and Time Management.

1. Commitment

If you keep promises, you are bound to garner respect for yourself. People will start by trusting you with small things and soon they will start trusting you with bigger things. To keep ones word is a mark of a true gentleman or lady.

When you honor your word you are creating a Trustworthy Brand for yourself. People will approach you more and your reputation will soar sky high.

2. Rituals

Rituals are the basis of a disciplined and goal oriented life. Right from your morning exercise, yoga and meditation to having your lunch on time and networking 1 hour daily, if you have a well-defined daily routine, you will not waste time and will be able to make the most of each day.

3. Time Management

Time is Money. Time is everything. You have to realize that you have limited time on your hands and that is why you should concentrate on tasks which are Urgent and Important. The way you spend your time today will determine your destiny tomorrow.

Divide you day into 3 parts. Take breathers and Breaks. Make the most of the now. Prioritize.  Schedule. Keep Timelines. Be Punctual, in fact be before time. This will help you live a more fuller, more successful and a richer life.

With Commitment, Rituals and Time Management, you will be able to excel at your workplace and live a richer and more meaningful life.

By:

Siddharth Anand

Faculty, INLEAD

Six Sigma Workshop Sept’16

Mr. Mukesh Nauhar, Black Belt Champion from Indian Statistical institute, undertook a White Belt Six Sigma Workshop for INLEADers recently. During the workshop, he explained in great details the importance of 6 Sigma and shared examples of companies that have been using this quality tool for successful execution of their multiple projects. 

The session was very critical for students, especially since a lot of them have already been introduced to TQM and the various tools used. An introduction to 6 sigma opens their eyes to quality management.

The session commenced with Mr. Nauhar introducing students to the concept of total quality management. He then took them through various quality tools that are used in the industry like Lean Management, Just In Time & of course, Six Sigma.

During the workshop students got to know that, Six Sigma states that there cannot be more than 3.6 defects in a million opportunities. This implies that teams that want to incorporate this tool in their project execution strategy need to ensure that their team members are properly trained in statistics and have undertaken certain exams. This concept then brought Mr. Nauhar to talk about the various belts that a 6 sigma certified professional needs to have. The first being Green belt, followed by Black and then Master black.

He even showed many videos that highlighted the importance of 6 sigma and delved into greater details on the importance of the same.

The session wound up with a test that was taken by the students, and clearance of the same provides students with a White belt certification. 

INLEADers @ Ambience Mall, Gurgaon

INLEAD recently facilitated an Industry Visit for the International Business Management students of Jul’16 batch to Ambience Mall, NH8, Gurgaon, in order to provide them a greater understanding Organised Retail, Mall Management and Zoning of stores in a Mall.

The mall is spread over 13 lakh square feet of space, and is often known as the 1 Km Mall. Ambience is a large real estate group with diverse realty interest like luxury residence, commercial towers and organized retail.

The visit to Ambience Mall, Gurgaon commenced around 3:30 pm, when the students where first asked to get a feel of the mall by just loitering around. Around 3:45 pm they were taken around the mall by the Mall Manager who started his tour from Gate No.1, also known as Zara atrium. He then took them for a guided tour across all floors, explaining to them in great detail the layout of the mall and the zoning of stores. They were made aware of the popularity of Mango store and therefore the naming of the frontage around the store as Mango atrium. Thereafter they were guided across different floors, and explained the unique aspect in each floor and the major anchor stores that help bring footfalls into the Mall.

Post the two hour guided tour, students then congregated at one of the Mall management office’s conference room for an interaction with the GM, Mall Operations. He handled all queries students had regarding every aspect of the mall from store location, to security management to parking requirements. Overall, students came out well versed with the detailing that goes in mall operations and store locations.

Block the Clock Season 2

In order to provide a glittering welcome to the new April ’16 batch and a breather from the daily routine to all the other currently functional batches, INLEAD recently organized LEAD Activity – Block the Clock. The activity promised a day full of unlimited fun and fevour.

The LEAD activity – Block the Clock was conducted as an Orientation activity for the New April ’16 batch, however, saw participation from students of all the programs of EMPR, HEAD, INHM,INBM  Jan. ’15, Apr. ’15, Jul. ’15, Oct. ’15 and Apr. ’16 Batches.

Inspired from the TV game show – “Minute to Win it”, the activity comprised 15 fun-filled and energetic games. The students enjoyed participating in the games like ‘Key to success’, ‘Nose Dive’, ‘Noodling Around’, ‘Blow ‘em away’ and ‘Popcorn Garland’ to name a few. The frolic and excitement with which the students participated in these games was worth a sight.

Though it was a competitive activity, the students showed great sense of sportsmanship.  The activity organizers worked tirelessly to make the event a success. There were 13 winners in total and they, along with the Organizers were awarded with prizes by Mr. Deepak Sharma - Dean, INLEAD, Ms. Bindu Menon – Sr. Faculty, INLEAD, Ms. Monica Mor – Sr. Faculty, INLEAD.

The event was drawn to culmination with the crowning of Mr. & Ms. Fresher April ’16 which went to Mr. Jeevan Lal Thakur (International Business Management) and Dr. Gowthami (Healthcare Administration) respectively.

Mr. Sumit Chakravarty, Faculty, INLEAD, described the event as a “high energy and action packed activity that focused on giving a pleasant break for the students from their regular routine and encourage them to participate in a competitive environment.”

Venue Management and Operations in Event Management

The first thing that we inquire about whenever someone asks us to accompany him/her on a particular event is about the venue, the place where the event is scheduled to take place. Venue is of prime importance to the attendees for a lot of reasons. Firstly, they make their decision of attending or not attending a particular event based on the venue’s location and distance from their homes. Secondly, an event happening at a particular location speaks volumes about the scale of the event and the type of crowd that one can expect.

Venue of an event is not only important to attendees but it is equally if not more important to Event Managers. An event manager has to take into account a lot of factors before locking in a particular venue for an event as his duty does not end there. In order to get our students acquainted with this dimension of event management, INLEAD recently facilitated an industry expert workshop on Venue Management & Operations.

The workshop conducted by Mr. Ankush Roy Choudhury, Assistant Vice President - Twenty First Century Media Pvt. Ltd. offered great insights into the nitigrities involved in the process of Venue Management and Operations, right from the selection of the venue to the final culmination of the event.  The session which primarily focused on Sports Events Venue Management and operations, started with a brief introduction on Sports Management & Marketing. The extremely interactive session dwelled deep into the various elements of venue management like maintenance, housekeeping, filed of play, permissions, facilities, hospitality and many more.

The workshop proved to be a great learning experience for the Event Management and Public Relations students and added another feather in their knowledge cap.

Time Warp 2015!

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. 

'Bit Dicey'

Following this philosophy, INLEAD recently organized Time Warp, a fun activity for its students. The activity which had students from all the current batches in attendance proved to be a breather from their daily study routine and left them with memories to cherish for life.

An air of fun and excitement engulfed the INLEAD campus for two long hours on Thursday as 15 super-fun games unwrapped one after another.  The games which were conceived and fully tried and tested by LEAD faculty, Ms. Priya Bali and Mr. Sumit Chakravarty, were an interesting mix that tested the participant’s concentration, response and intelligence quotient.

'Face the Cookie'

Games like Bit Dicey – which involved balancing three dices on a scale in your mouth and a race to the finish line, tested the participant’s concentration potential in a room full of hooting and cheering crowd. On the other hand, activities like Face the Cookie—which involved moving a cookie placed on your forehead to your mouth using nothing but your facial expressions was a great test of developing quick techniques for different tasks. Various other games like Gemstick- which involved sucking Cadbury gems from a bowl using a straw and then dropping it in a bowl kept on the other end had the audience in splits from start to end.

Time Warp was organized with a vision of adding a sense of competition and enthusiasm as a way of life in students.  The excitement and participation shown by INLEADers was worth a sight and took the momentum of the event to a whole new level. Though it was a competitive activity, INLEADers showed great sense of sportsmanship and encouraged each other to take part in the various games.

The event culminated with the joyful winners receiving their prizes and certificates from Mr. Deepak Sharma - Dean, INLEAD, Ms. Bindu Menon – Faculty, INLEAD, Ms. Parul Sardana – Faculty, INLEAD and Ms. Priya Bali – Faculty, INLEAD.

Overall, the energetic event recharged INLEADers mind and body and added precious memories to their student life album.

Healthcare Administration as a Career Choice

Chanakya once said, “A person who cannot decide his goal, simply cannot win.” Clarity of mind and a determined approach towards the goal is the reason for the success of all the Ambanis, Adanis and all the other successful people that we rave about. They became what they are today because they had a clear goal in mind and the courage and passion to diligently work towards it.

In order to provide our Healthcare Administration students with that clarity of mind, INLEAD recently facilitated an industry expert workshop by Dr. P.N. Kakar on the prospects of Healthcare Administration as a career choice.

Dr. P.N. Kakar, Director-Medical Services, Anesthesia & Critical Care (Surgical), Panacea New Rise Hospital, Gurgaon, is an eminent personality in the healthcare sector with over 32 years of experience in Critical Care & Anesthesia. He has an extraordinary track record of giving anesthesia to over 75,000 surgical cases.

The session, which lasted for two and a half hours, proved to be an extremely enchanting and mind-stimulating experience for the students.

Talking about the role of healthcare administrators, Dr. Kakar emphasized that Healthcare administrators are like the leaders of the pack as they work as an interface between the internal management and outside community. He further discussed about the various types of hospital administrators, their scope of employment, job profile, key responsibility areas and salary potential prevalent in the field.

 Dr. Kakar even shared experiences from his three decades long career in order to give the student’s an insider opinion about the working of the industry.


The lecture concluded with Dr. Kakar providing the students with a few expert tips on keeping abreast with new technologies, laws and regulations in order to become a successful and efficient hospital administrator. This was followed by an extremely enthusiastic and interactive question answer round.

INLEADers visited Vivanta By TAJ, Gurgaon on 22nd May, 2015

Entering a five star hotel with an empty stomach and exiting it with a fully stuffed stomach after a gastronomical delight is one thing but entering a five star hotel and exiting it with a stomach full of knowledge is something else entirely. Well, INLEADers recently had one such experience when Vivanta by Taj opened the door to its five star hotel and functioning secrets to them during an Industry Visit. Sharing its name with one of the eight wonders of the world, Taj Mahal, Taj Hotels is considered as an emblem of luxury hotel experience in India.


The Vivanta Industry Visit was organized as a part of INLEAD’s initiative to make its students acquaint with the relevant industry that they are going to enter in the near future. The visit educated the students with nuances of functioning of an upper upscale hotel like Vivanta and familiarized them with the various departments operating in a typical hotel. Mesmerized and spell bound with the exquisite international interiors and elegant marble and Oakwood flooring in place, the students had an enriching and mind stimulating experience.

Vivanta is one of the four brands under the Taj Hotels and was recently voted as the World’s third best brand for the year 2014. The Vivanta property at Gurgaon is the 100th hotel under the Taj brand and is famous for being the only hotel in the city that allows pets to stay.

Courtesy- http://www.vivantabytaj.com/

Mr. Tushar Abrol, training manager, Vivanta by Taj, also held an interactive session with the students towards the end and answered their each and every question related to the hotel’s functioning with much exuberance.

 Overall, the visit provided them with practical knowledge about the functioning of an upscale hotel like Vivanta and gave them a clear and firm grip of the MICE concept.

Technology in Healthcare, the new member!

India’s healthcare professional and infrastructure shortage is one of the major reasons for its high mortality rate. According to statistics available from World Health, India ranks among the lowest in the number of hospital beds per 1,000 people. With just 0.9 beds per 1,000 people, the country is far below the global average of 2.9 beds.

In an effort to change this scenario and provide the healthcare industry with the best lot of Healthcare Administrators, INLEAD recently facilitated an Industry Visit to Columbia Asia Hospital, Gurgaon.  The visit to the 100 bedded multi-specialty hospital was a part of the institute’s continuous Corporate Training Initiative for its students.

The industry visit provided INLEADers with a great opportunity to closely observe the working of an International Hospital like Columbia. They also came face to face with various modern and international technologies being employed by different departments of the hospitals for various hospital processes.

Technology has now become an integral part of the modern day healthcare. A lot of healthcare of the present and the future have their foundation in Technology.

The visit began with the hospital’s HR Manager briefing the students about the hospital and then taking them for a facility tour. The hospital staff was more than welcoming towards the students and answered their each and every question with much enthusiasm.

Columbia Asia Hospitals Pvt. Ltd. is known in the industry for their clean, affordable, efficient and accessible Hospitals. It is one of the first healthcare companies to enter the Indian market through 100 % Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The hospital established in 2008 has been successful in becoming one of the prominent names in healthcare in Gurgaon in no time.

Money Matters!

Revenue Management has for long been the cornerstone of every successful enterprise but with the emergence of ecommerce and various other such trends, this concept has seen some drastic changes over the years.

In order to keep our students abreast with the latest trends and techniques of Revenue management, INLEAD organized an Industry Expert session with Mr. Sandeep Joshi, General Manager of Fortune Select Excalibur, Gurgaon on 15th May, 2015. Mr. Joshi has over 24 years of rich experience in the Hotel Industry.

The session which lasted for over two and a half hours covered the A to Z of revenue management. From addressing the basic question of ‘What is Revenue Management to its latest techniques like SPARR (Special Potential Average Room Rate), Mr. Joshi made sure that INLEADers didn’t miss out on any important information.  He burst out the popular myth that revenue management only deals with money management and educated the students that the concept basically deals with making sure that the right product reaches the right customer at the right time and at the right price.

Talking about the concept’s origin, Mr. Joshi enlightened the students that the concept was first introduced in the 1970’s by the airline industry.  It was invented by major US Carriers after the airline deregulation act forced them to compete with new low cost carriers.

Mr. Joshi kept the entire session quite lively and interesting by incorporating his own professional experiences throughout the session.  Listening to Mr. Joshi’s journey from an assistant catering head to a General Manager in a world renowned Hotel instilled the students with gumption and excitement for a bright future.

In the end, the session concluded with Mr. Joshi encouraging the students to stay focused on their long term goals and keep working hard towards achieving them.

Dramazaa- Lots of Drama and lots of mazaa

Cinderella, Aladdin, Sanjay Dutt, Mirza, Sahiba, Madhuri Dixit, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and a deadly ghost, all under the same roof. Seems unbelievable, right? Well, the INLEAD campus achieved this unattainable feat yesterday when our newly christened INLEADers of the April 2015 Batch reprised these evergreen characters in their respective musical acts.

The LEAD Orientation activity - DRAMAZAA was conducted for all the programs of the new batch. The event was a grand hit and witnessed some amazing and breathtaking acts from the fresh batch.

‘Mujhe Pankh De Do’

Dramazaa as the name suggests had lots of drama and mazaa to offer.  It showcased five acts – ‘Tingfisher’s Bolly Fiesta’, ‘Sahiba-Mirza – An eternal Love Story’, ‘Aladdin in Love’, ‘Yeh Raat – A mystery’ and ‘Mujhe Pankh De Do “each depicting various genres of theatre like Comedy, Romance, Fantasy, Horror and Social respectively.  Each act was beautifully crafted and reflected the sincere hard work put in by the students.

In the end, ‘Mujhe Pankh De Do’-A musical act depicting the plight of modern Indian women won everyone’s heart including the judges and walked away with the best act prize.

Besides DRAMAZAA, the students also contested for the Miss and Mr. Fresher title the same day. Dr. Akanksha Yadav from Healthcare Administration, and Mr. Anil Kumar from Event Management and Public Relations, were awarded the Miss Fresher and Mr. Fresher title respectively. The fun-filled day ended with a DJ session for the students.

Management and Healthcare- the new best friends

For most of us hospitals have always been synonymous with Doctors and nurses as these are the people with whom we mostly interact with while in a Hospital.  But, there is more to a hospital than just them. Every hospital has an army of people managing the daily working of the hospital in order to make sure that each and every patient is treated at the right time and by the right specialist doctor.  They are the ones who foresee that each department works smoothly and the hospital is able to meet its healthcare objective.

In order to make our healthcare administration students acquaint with the basic functioning of a Hospital and its services, INLEAD recently organized a visit to Max Super Specialty Hospital, a 504 bedded super-specialty hospital located in the heart of South Delhi, Saket. The hospital divided into East and West Wings, is one of the premier names in the healthcare industry.

Healthcare in India has grown at an unprecedented pace over the last ten years and has now become one of the largest sectors in India-- both in terms of employment and revenue. India with its well-trained pool of medical professionals is considered as a major player in the healthcare industry all around the world.

The budding Healthcare professionals of INLEAD had an awe inspiring and knowledgeable experience at the Industry visit. Meeting the hospital’s experienced management team gave them an extensive exposure of how to run and manage a large chain of hospital like Max. Accompanied by the Hospital’s HR representative, INLEADers were given a facility tour of the hospital and its various departments.

The visit gave the students great insights into the in-patient and support areas of a Hospital. It also gave them a broad overview of the industry that they are going to enter in the near future.
INLEAD believes in a perfect amalgamation of practical knowledge with theoretical knowledge and such Industry visits are a step towards just that.

Inside Asia’s Largest Oven

What’s better than being welcomed by the sweet aroma of freshly baked goodies? The students of INLEAD recently had one such experience when they got a chance to visit the Neemrana plant of Parle Biscuits Pvt. Ltd., the company behind the tastiest and the most famous biscuit in the world, Parle G. The visit was arranged by the institute as a part of a Corporate Training Initiative for its students. Till now what was just their favorite biscuit brand that they enjoyed with their daily cuppa morning tea, turned out to so much more towards the end.

INLEADers got an exciting opportunity to witness the daily functioning of a world renowned brand like Parle. The Parle Product Team was more than welcoming towards the students and even matched their enthusiasm levels.  The team treated the students with a video presentation about the various products, operational mechanism, manufacturing process, and quality control practices adopted at the Neemrana manufacturing plant. They also got a grasp of the latest packaging techniques, Supply Chain Management of Parle Products, Quality Control Mechanism, and the company’s Market Strategy at play.

Courtesy: www.slideshare.net

The highlight of the visit was the introduction to Asia’s largest Oven and its functioning. The 260 feet long oven is being used to manufacture various different types of products at the plant.


Overall, the industry visit provided the students with great insights into the working of an International brand like Parle and instilled in them hopes and aspirations to work in such a company in the near future.