ABG HeadstaRt 2018 National Runners Up Shyamkrishnan R's Story

It was a melange of many different emotions - Satisfaction of seeing weeks of hard work and team effort payoff; the Proud feeling of representing my college and living up to the expectations of many; Gratitude to the countless number of people who helped us succeed; the Surprise of how we emerged as Runners Up amongst eight equally competitive teams. It was all of this and much more.

The format of the competition was very distinct compared to other case study challenges and this excited me from the very beginning. It was oriented more towards HR and as an HR student, the competition felt like an extension of classroom learning. Moreover, being hosted by Aditya Birla Group was itself an assurance about the quality of the event.

Initial rounds of the competition were online simulation games. There was little scope for any preparation for these stages and we were fortunate that our instincts worked in our favor. We had spent a lot of time listening to the instructions and playing trial games before the simulation so as to get a sense of what is actually expected of us.

After the case was released, we got a week’s time to do all the necessary research and prepare the presentation. The difficult part was that our academic schedule was really hectic and we had to find whatever little time we could gather. While this did put a bit of stress on us, it taught us how to get more out of each hour.

The most challenging phase was during the submission of the PPT. We were saddled with a few crucial assignments in college and we had to burn the midnight oil to get the work done. While looking back I feel that these memories will live with me forever.

Like they say "well begun is half done", I would say "If you have the right team, you are 75% done". It is incredible that having just joined the college, three of us had hardly talked to each other while forming the team, yet we had an amazing understanding between us.

During the simulation games, there were numerous of occasions in which we had polar opposite opinions but not once did this difference affect our chemistry. Even when the decision would go wrong, we moved ahead as a team without any hindsight bias.

Our team's forte was the complementarity that existed between the members. Our skill sets complemented each other. My teammates had very good ppt skills which helped us present our ideas attractively while I contributed to putting our ideas and thoughts into short and crisp sentences.

There were eight teams in the finale. It is difficult to single out any one team as the toughest competitor since each team had their own USP. In fact, some of the teams had put in great efforts to conduct primary research and come up with differentiating elements like video explainers.

The competition was conducted impeccably. It had very unique rounds that tested the depth of understanding in HR and the ability to take decisions in a limited time.

The finale was a grand spectacle with teams getting state of the art facilities to put in their best efforts. The judging panel comprised of some of the most respected leaders of the industry and it was a rare opportunity for me as a student to present before such a jury.

The most important learning I took away from this competition is the importance of getting to the core of the issue at hand. We can come up with many cosmetic interventions that may sound fancy but nothing is as valuable as striking the issue at the core. This requires talking to people who have spent many years in the area of our interest and learning from their experiences. It is also very important to keep an open mind when framing the solution because at times we may have to let go off some ideas that were dear to us upon getting contrary opinions that were convincing.

The moment that still makes me proud is when we could answer the jury's questions after our presentation convincingly. To convince a jury of seasoned HR practitioners about our ideas was very reassuring and boosted my confidence.

Each corporate organized competition is unique in its own way. From structure to judging criteria. Read more about Aditya Birla Group’s HeadstaRt and the organizers Aditya Birla Group. Other competitions organized by Aditya Birla Group; Aditya Birla Group's Stratos 2018