HUL - The Premier League 2018 National Finalist IMNU's Srishti Bhuwania's Story
Most part of the preparation required self-analysis to understand one's leadership qualities and I did exactly that. And when I saw placards with my photos and answers in the conference room of HUL, I was glowing with excitement. I felt that all the hard work I put in, was worth it.
The two-day event commenced with a lecture by Dinesh Biddappa- CHRO, HUL. He took us through the journey of Unilever. Then, he talked about how different brands of HUL reach to different classes of society. This was followed by a "shift" workshop conducted by 3rd i. Next, the organizers divided us into teams of 6 and gave us various tasks. Post that, they asked us to reflect upon the things we did right and the things that went wrong while performing those tasks.
The debriefing session by Sanjay Vaswani and Tushar Gogia helped us to gain insights on leadership and team spirit. We learnt the importance of "asking" for help to achieve what we want.
Next, we visited Dharavi- Asia's largest slum. About 5,000 businesses exist in Dharavi and they run parallel to each other. Further, the finished and the by-products of one industry are used as the raw materials for another industry. Overall, the visit to Dharavi was an eye-opener and a live example of the difference between having resources and being resourceful.
Day 1 ended with an informal session by the brand managers of Axe, Domex and Kwality Walls at Taj Mahal Tea House. They talked about their journey in HUL from being a sales manager to being a brand manager. Also, they talked about the importance of sales in one's career, the challenges they face and how they overcome them.
On day 2, we were made to play a simulation game by iLead which was based on leadership. Subramanium from KNOLSKAPE debriefed the session. He explained to us, various leadership styles as per an individual's needs. Finally, he helped us in identifying our leadership style.
This was followed by the most awaited session, a session with "the man himself" Sanjeev Mehta- CEO and Managing Director, HUL. He talked about his journey of being a leader. He highlighted the importance of having a great team. Also, he emphasized that business is all about risk and risk is all about failures. "If you are not failing, it means you are not stretching yourselves enough." was his take on failures.
HUL organized and structured the event in a brilliant manner. Unilever has a rich heritage of leaders building leaders and these two days helped me hone my leadership skills. All in all, it was an exceptionally enriching experience that helped me gain a deeper understanding of my leadership traits as well.
Do you have your eyes set on winning HUL- The Premier League? Read more about the organizers Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) to cover all your basis. Other competitions organized by Hindustan Unilever Limited are HUL L.I.M.E. Season 10, HUL – IT Reboot, HUL FinAce Season 2, HUL Carpe Diem Season 5, HUL Big Brand Theory.