Influencing students through real-life experience and student-centric teaching

 

Dr. Prakash C. G., Senior  Faculty, VESIM Business School.

Mobile : 9819801012 

Email id : cgprakash2012@gmail.com

First of all, thank you for giving me this opportunity to introduce myself.

 

My name is Dr. Prakash C.G., and I have had a long and distinguished career in the industry for about three decades.

 

I have held leadership positions in reputed companies like Godrej and Boyce, TATA Steel, Tata InfoTech, Tata Consultancy Services, and Accenture, in addition to successful stints abroad.

 

I have been teaching  Operations  Research , Business Statistics , Project Management , Operations Analytics and Research methodology  for  post graduate students of management since the last eight years..

 

My passion is in the field of education, and I find my calling in motivating young people to excel at work and in life.

 

I live in Mumbai with my wife (Dr. Jayalakshmi T.K., Senior Consultant, Pulmonology, Apollo Hospitals, Seawoods, Nerul) and my two sons.

 

 

Educational background

 

 

I completed my graduation in mechanical engineering (first class) and then my post-graduation in Operations (first class) from Mumbai University in the year 1987.

 

I completed a postgraduate certificate programme from XLRI with distinction in 2014 and followed it up with a diploma with distinction  from TISS in Youth development and Social Science. I was a Topper  and also won the  Best Student award at TISS.

 

I cleared the PET entrance exam and got selected on merit for my PhD at the prestigious Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS ). I undertook and pursued randomised experimental research in the area of talent supply chain management under the guidance of Dr. Kavita Laghate and successfully completed my PhD in May 2022.

 

 

Career from corporate to academia

 

1987-1992: Purchase Executive, Godrej and Boyce: Supply Chain Management

1992–1995: Materials Manager, Special Steels: Production and Logistics Management

1995-1996: Procurement Consultant, Eastern Pacific Co.: Overseas Procurement

1996-2000: Corporate Manager, Princeton Software: ISO, CMM, and ERP Consultancy

2000-2002: Associate Vice President, GTL, IT Project Management, Software

Assessment and CMM implementation

2002-2005: Assistant General Manager, TCS: Project Management and Information

Security

2005-2015: Head, India Delivery Centre: Accenture: Entry Level Capability, Project

Management, Software Quality, and ERP

2015 onwards: full- Full time senior faculty at VESIM Business School teaching MMS and PGDM students the following subjects: Business Statistics, Operations Research, Operations Analytics, Research Methodology, and Project Management

 

 

Teaching methods  

 

I have a deep-seated passion for the teaching-learning process and hence moved to academia in 2015 after a successful stint in industry.

 

I am very student-centric in my approach to teaching a subject. I strive to create a conducive environment in the classroom that will help trigger the thinking process among students and encourage them to dwell deep into the subject by asking relevant questions.

 

I am keen that my students develop a love for the subject, and I believe that can only happen when I can successfully drive out their fear of failure in the exam.

 

Learning should be fun, not marred by fear. I try to achieve this objective by assuring every student of a "pass" mark in the exam. Once the student is assured of a pass mark in the exam, the fear of failure is gone, and they become more interested, involved, and receptive to the teaching-learning process.

 

I draw upon the real-life examples that I have gained in my three decades of corporate work experience to complement the theoretical concepts taught in the classroom. The pedagogy that I adopt in a classroom is highly focused on activity-based learning. I make my students indulge in various individual and group activities and also encourage the use of charts to present their ideas and solutions. I try to simulate situations in the classroom that resemble the corporate world and whose learning outcome is beneficial for the student in their corporate career.

 

I have written books on Project Management, Managerial Effectiveness, Design Thinking and Research to help my students understand the technical aspects and further appreciate the life skills that would enable them to reach out and connect with the outer world.

 

I have received several letters of appreciation from my students for my effective and compassionate teaching style and methods, which mean a lot to me.

 

 

Life lessons for a successful career and life

 

I am no authority to give any advice to anybody, but I can definitely share the lessons that I have learned in my life:

 

1. To live a life of reason, of proportion, and devoid of any pretensions
2. Be in the "present" at all times and also be "acutely aware" of your thoughts.
3. Time is always in short supply, so learn to manage your time well.
4. To weep is folly, and to smile is wisdom. Keep smiling, whatever your situation in life.
5. Encourage and motivate people to do their best.
6. Under promise and over deliver: be determined to make things happen.
7. Do not imagine your sincerity at work, but work sincerely with your imagination.
8. Be lavish and generous in your praise. Be aggressively good.
9. Give: the greatest joy in life is in giving, loving, and sharing.
10. So many things would have got  done in this world if somebody really did not care who would get the credit for it.

 

 

Top ten influential books for life

 

The ten books that have had a big influence on my life are the following :

 

1. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey
2. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
3. Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt
4. The Meaning of  Life by Viktor Frankl
5. Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher
6. Tuesdays with Moorie by Mitch Albom
7. The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
8. My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi
9. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
10. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie

 

 

Recognition & achievements

 

I have won several awards, including the Best ‘Train the Trainer’ award while working with Godrej and Boyce and Accenture ACE awards, which include the ALCHEMIST and PATH FINDER awards for innovation at work.

 

I was selected for the prestigious CATALYST programme for high performers and future leaders at Accenture to introduce the unique concept of industry-driven innovation and professional excellence centres at college campuses.

 

Designed and developed the Head Start Internship (HSIP) and Head Start Foundation programmes (HSFP) for students, which later became the flagship initiatives for Accenture at campuses.

 

The initiative helped Accenture retain the Numero Uno brand position at campuses, significantly reduce the training to project time of new joiners, mitigate infrastructural constraints, and effect considerable cost savings running into several crores of rupees.