A millennial in the thick of the corporate world for over a decade, I realised that there were certain other lessons which were equally important, if not more. Interestingly, those lessons had not come from a business school. They came from simple people, who did not even finish primary schools. One such lesson was from my great-grandfather, imparted to me by my grandfather.
The lesson was a simple one – “Always take the one-year route, not the six-month path. Always!”It was neatly summed up as – always take the straightest and the longest path, and you will never be in trouble. It was about avoiding shortcuts for success in any walk of life.
Fake News
The second lesson came from my grandmother, who used to say “If someone tells you that the crow flew off with your ears, you should check your ears before you start running after the crow. “A very basic principle which is completely being ignored on the social media, if the rising trend of extremely popular fake news is any indication.
People have the option of sharing everything that comes on their timeline, and they are exercising the same to the fullest; without knowing, or bothering to find out, if it is true or false. We have even had cases where leading media channels have fallen for false news that originated and went viral on the social media.
Avoid Shortcuts
Both the lessons are extremely relevant in the world of business. Avoiding shortcuts would essentially mean taking to the ethical way of doing business, and not the popular belief that the end justifies the means, which more and more people tend to follow, to run ahead in an extremely competitive scenario. Not running after the crow would mean verifying facts and figures before you take a decision based on what you hear.
The fact that both these lessons came from non-MBAs, makes me think – are we teaching and following the right curriculum or do we need changes in the prevalent MBA programmes? If growing cases of unethical trade practices, shady dealings and the #MeToo movement are any indication, the answer is yes, we need to change.
The recent debates in the US about MBA curriculum point to this – MBA programmes should focus more on the ethical way of doing business, than on learning the nuances of passing a ledger entry. It ought to do more with ways for understanding and managing businesses and people, than understanding codes for a website. Technology can only be an enabler to a business manager, not a replacement. We need to ponder, if we really need a Master in Business Administration (MBA) or is the need of the hour a Master in Values Administration (MVA)?