you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

The following is the script of my speech, delivered at the induction ceremony of MBA batch 2010-12 at IIMT, Ahmedabad, as the Director (Academics). I am sharing it here, as I still find it relevant.

Good morning, learned faculties, and my dear friends.

So, The MBA…

Those magical three letters…

Can anybody here explain to me, why he or she has opted to become an MBA?

….

……

So, It’s a better job with a decent car and untold wealth. Or, for some others, it is a way to rapid growth in business or promotion in a job!

Well, maybe.

All of these things can and do happen.

But. If you ask me, why are you here?

My answer may be a little blunt, but it will be more correct.

You know that you have become stale; that’s why the three letters of an MBA are attractive to you. In other words, you are smart and ambitious and want an accelerator, or, you are a bit jaded and want to reinvent your career, right?

Either way, this degree is going to help you.

The only challenge is that it’s a big investment to take two years out of your career path or commit endless weekends to a part-time version. Especially when what you really want is to be able to think, perform, and hopefully, earn like the person who has done the MBA from a top management school.

But be aware and be warned that the MBA is shifting ever so slightly. Of course, the old favorites, such as Boston Matrices or Porter’s value chain, are still there.

But the new MBAs are fighting hard to win time on softer skills—emotional intelligence and pragmatic marketing, for example. That’s what your current employer needs now; in fact, that’s what your future employer will want to be convinced—at the interview—that you can offer.

Here is the point that is often lost: however, much you study some MBA topics, only a few people get the chance to influence them hugely.

Today I’m not going to tax you with a long speech or a complete class, but I would definitely love to attract your kind attention to one of your greatest assets and would appeal to you to nurture it with the help of your learned faculties.

In my opinion, your greatest asset is probably your thinking ability! Consequently, one of the easiest and fastest things you can do to improve your attractiveness to your future employers is to develop this asset.

Equally, if you are running or planning to run your own business, how would it be if you could think imaginatively about discount challenges or find time to think reflectively about your team?

My dear friends!

Thinking brings out the best in your inherent or genetic intelligence.

Thinking allows growth, problem-solving, and fun.

Thinking allows you to feel fully alive.

So, what goes wrong?

Well, we all get so busy that we stop thinking and act on autopilot. We have been here before, so we will do what worked then. We get dulled, and we feel trapped.

Let us break all of that up and start thinking.

But here is another million-dollar question, What should we think and how should we think?

I think it is enough for today. We may sit together for some other time to find the answers to these questions, or, you would like me to continue with some useful ideas about what and how we should think.

OK, I will give you some tips.

There are so many types of thinking, but I will discuss only three types of thinking that are very important for MBA students.

1. Reflective Thinking

Firstly, do more thinking. That means taking the time to do it by perhaps, surprisingly, doing more “nothing”. Yes, my friends, I’m asking you to do nothing.

Why?

Because in the business world, “work” is now so busy and there is so much communication for you to receive, it is increasingly difficult to communicate with yourself.

So, take a break, not a cigarette, coffee, or chat break, but just take a break and do nothing for a few minutes. This is called reflective thinking. It allows you to demonstrate your reflective intelligence. The ability to be smart because you have given something consideration. You have considered your future plans, your strategy to get good marks in exams, or your dream job.

You have considered what you will have to do to get the desired result, and that consideration would add considerable value to your actions. The fantastic thing about reflective thinking is that you don’t need to do anything. If you do, you are not Reflecting! This is the kind of thinking that often happens in the shower. You know it works, so encourage it.

2. Creative Thinking

Then there is creative thinking. The famous author Edward De Bono has termed it lateral thinking. This is looking at things in a nonlinear way. For example, if you are trying to improve cash flow, it is definitely tempting to reduce costs, and of course, there is often a bit of slack, so that is not a bad thing.

But what about if you increased prices at the same time or sacked some unprofitable clients?

Thinking laterally or creatively is something known as thinking outside the box.

To be good at it, you do not need to know what is in the box? Means, what are the facts and the current situation.

Creative thinking is not an excuse for a lack of discipline. And one serious competitive differentiator you can develop is the ability to get creative thinking happening in your organization, while at the same time being great at implementing or marketing things happen.

3. Critical Thinking.

Last but not least is critical thinking. That is essential and very powerful when coupled with the previous two.

This is the questioning, probing.

Often well-established statements such as That’s not the way we do things around here are taken for granted.

Critical thinking examines them. It respects the fact that one definition of intelligence is the ability to hold two different ideas at the same time.

Critical thinkers avoid the common temptation to generalize (like we must get big to make money) and they also avoid polarizing (like there is no way they will look at us until we have an office at CG Road or SG Highway).

So dear friends, never be trapped by the beliefs of other people’s thinking. Think original and act according to achieve success in your life.

Never underestimate yourselves that you were not able to get admission to big B schools because there is always a debate on the definition of a big B school. Remember that the top management colleges do not necessarily offer the best teaching facilities or curriculum.

Reputation always plays a greater part in their status. You are lucky enough to have joined a well-reputed institute like the Indian Institute of Management and Technology (IIMT), and I’m sure you will definitely kickstart your career with flying colors with the support and guidance of your learned faculties.

Always remember, the only real limitation on your abilities is the level of your desire.

If you want it badly enough, there are no limits on what you can achieve.

And so, remember, you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

I wish you all the very best and assure you that provide every assistance to you in making your career a brighter one.

Jai Bharat!!