Have you ever wondered, “Can growth and comfort co-exist?”
As I write my reflections of my first 90 days at IMD MBA Program and in Switzerland, I recollect Matthew McConaughey’s Oscar Winning speech in 2014. About 10 years ago, when I was in college, I was chasing my hero who has an MBA from one of the best business schools and is miles ahead personally and professionally to myself. Today, after a decade having already transformed significantly, I’m here at one of the best business schools looking forward to a transformative year.
IMD isn’t a teacher-centric school. IMD is a student-centric school
For me, there were many “FIRSTs”. So, it certainly was overwhelming. The preparatory work that went into my moving helped me manage the transition. The city of Lausanne is a very good place to live during MBA. Having said that, for me, the weather here is probably the biggest challenge. Many of us had fallen sick at different times and given the program’s fast pace, one cannot afford falling sick. This reminds me of a popular saying,
“You can have 1000 problems in your life. Until you have a health problem. Then you only have one”
Switzerland is cold but people here aren’t. The most surprising aspect of IMD is that I found everyone here very welcoming, friendly and helpful. Above all, genuinely caring! IMD delivers what it promises, and it promises what it can deliver. This clarity helped me quickly adjust my day-to-day tactics. At the end, isn’t expectation the root cause of disappointment?
This program isn’t spoon-feeding us, yet the facilitation to succeed is commendable. I’m grateful for the effort that the MBA office puts in to have our sessions seamlessly. I started wondering, isn’t this how a leader must be? Uplift others to make them succeed but make them accountable to build their own journey.
From Alyson, Dean of the program, bringing the Big Five Personality Traits to life through an interactive exercise, to a professional actor demonstrating how tone, volume and body gestures can impact storytelling, and Arturo, Professor of Finance, simulating the stock market in the class – each of these are deeply engaging. These three stand out as my top 3 sessions so far.
Looking beneath the surface is the key to leadership development
We all know how it feels to be in an uncomfortable zone. Plethora of unconscious behavioural patterns begin to surface. It can be frustrating, can evoke inner emotions, and can create emotional turbulence. At IMD, such moments are a regular part of everyone’s journey – happening every week, if not every day. I’m amazed by the number of resources IMD has for leadership development. In addition to our Leadership classes, we have
- Leadership Lab
- Leadership Coaching
- Personal Development Elective
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” – Jimmy Dugan
In the past three months, there wasn’t a day when I haven’t self-reflected and I’m sure all the other 88 are doing the same. I learnt three important lessons through these experiences.
- All 89 of us are on the same boat. So, creating a safe and compassionate environment is paramount
- Often putting myself in uncomfortable situations to learn more about myself is the best gift I can give this year
- Being kind is more important than being nice – to myself and to others.
Success positively correlates to effort, direction and luck. Most importantly, luck is a character trait
Since we all define success differently, knowing what matters the most is pivotal in day-to-day decision-making during MBA. Over the past 3 months, I’ve invested significant effort in identifying the skills and areas I need to improve. I’m eager to see what unfolds in the future for me. You need not know the next ten steps. All you need to know is the next step and that’s enough for you to keep moving. Let me be honest, in no way is it going to be an easy journey especially with the evolving demand of MBAs in the job market. It is important for prospective MBA students to realise this truth. But, I wonder, doesn’t this give us all an opportunity to become something more and something better?
“If you’re never able to tolerate a little bit of pain and discomfort, you’ll never get better” — Angela Duckworth
My hero is now 10 years into the future, better than me in all aspects. But I think I came to the right place that can help me take one step at a time towards my hero. That keeps me alive chasing him. Will this journey be comfortable? Definitely not and I strongly believe that I cannot grow in my comfort zone.
Finally, to everyone who is up chasing someone or something, I say (in a Texan accent),
“Alright, Alright, Alright, Keep Living and Keep Dreaming”
Srikanth Pilla is part of our 2026 MBA class.
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