Interview by Bhawna Rawat
Dr. David Easow is currently working as the Executive Director of EMPI's Vittal Center for Management & Governance Informatics and Deputy Executive Director & Residential Mentor of EMPI Business School, New Delhi. He is the Country Chair of Association of Universities in Asia and the Pacific (AUAP) He is the enabler of World’s first Post Graduate Program in Business Analytics. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from St. Columbus College, Ranchi University, Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Institute of Management, A M Jain College, Chennai and Postgraduate Diplomas and Certificates in Information Technology and Business Management from National and International Institutes. In 1999, IBC awarded him Ph.D. in Social Work.
Dr. David has more than 33 years of senior business management experience in medium & large corporate environments, academia, NGO and start-up companies in India and abroad. He has established business in four different counties and published papers in National and International Journals.
The best part of the education sector is to establish a relationship with the students
After working in diverse industries for 20 years in India and abroad, I joined the education sector in 2006. My experience in the education sector had a drastic influence on not only who I am as a person, but also what I was able to do. At EMPI Business School, New Delhi, backed by knowledge industry, helped me to research, develop and launch the world’s first Post Graduate program in Business Analytics to meet the emerging requirements of various industries. Working in the education sector is demanding but satisfying as it makes an impact on others’ life thereby making it a responsible field.
Students across the country need direction and someone to mentor them. My favourite aspect of being in the education sector is my relationship with the present students and former students and many others across the country and abroad. I enjoy nurturing an intellectual spirit in students and watching them take hold of that spirit and grow with it.
Philosophy of leadership followed by Mr. David
My leadership philosophy is based on servant leadership, built on trust, respect and integrity.
I am a leader who believes in service, purpose, and strategy. I believe leadership is serving others, and working with others to achieve a meaningful mission in the new age. I am a leader who believes in values, self-awareness & strengths-based philosophy, open communication, teamwork, action, learning, listening, winning & well-being of faculty, staffs, students & stakeholders and an integrated godly life.
EMPI's guiding philosophy of 'Innovating Futures' is the basis for its institutional ethos, wherein Innovation is achieved, not only through academic study and research at its B-School but also by incubating and spinning off various initiatives and entities that impact the future.
Time management is a crucial resource
The more responsibility we have, the more people need our time and everything is a priority. We need to manage more meetings, more calls, more emails, more networking, more tours, more presentations, more WhatsApp and other social & digital media. I believe managing our time is a highly personal skill. I plan the time by communicating, delegating, organizing, prioritizing and scheduling activities for the day and beyond.
Time is a crucial resource. We live in a world where we have more of everything – except time, therefore, we should stop killing time. According to me, good time management allows us to be self-disciplined, accomplish more in a shorter period of time, which leads to more free time and let us to take advantage of learning opportunities, manage work-life balance, reduce stress, accomplish more with less effort and helps to focus on our goal, which leads to more career success and improved decision-making ability.
Our curriculum is designed after studying the industry trends
The business world is changing much faster these days, and business schools must think about the relevancy of their courses and the way they’re being delivered. While developing and enhancing the curriculum we study the industry trends and involve stakeholders from academia, industry and alumni and benchmark with top global business schools, keeping an eye to the future industry requirements. Many of our programs are co-certified by industry like IBM, Manpower etc.
Placement opportunities available at EMPI BUSINESS SCHOOL
We provide our students with the corporate conducive Work-based learning environment, which provides them with real-world experience. Our new age holistic personality development (PACEUP) & executive fitness program improves and grooms our students outer and inner self and bring positive transformation into their life.
This boosts their confidence and improves communication and managerial aptitudes and infuses them with positivity and proactive attitude, which helps them to confidently participate in the placement opportunities available at EMPI. We have a strong placement team and from 2019 we are starting the corporate simulation and India’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) infused PGDM Program, for our students to have a competitive advantage in placements.
Building a personal rapport with students is essential
It is our responsibility to get to know our students at different levels, not only academically but also, personally and socially as well. We may have the content knowledge, but if we don't build a personal rapport with students, we won't get anywhere. Building relationships create a more learning-friendly environment. I stay on the campus and very much approachable and available to the students all the time. I am also a residential mentor. I methodically organize students meet and participate in all meetings, programs & activities and hang around with the students to motivate, encourage and support them in various stages of their development.
An ideal school environment for B-Schools
An ideal business school environment embraces the idea that all students can learn and it works up to build unique holistic learning spaces for students to attain the greatest benefit and most success.
EMPI is a residential 'Modern Gurukul' of Management and Executive education - a melting pot of cultures, nationalities, ideas and diverse talent working and living together to actualize futuristic vision.
As in a gurukul, EMPI lives by the philosophy that each learner – the 'Shisya' is unique, requiring personalized attention from the 'Guru' for individual growth, enabling them to become not only outstanding professionals but also socially responsible citizens. We hire high-calibre experienced faculty and industry professionals who are knowledgeable, care about student learning and adapt the culture to meet the future needs of these budding young managers & entrepreneurs.
Goals for EMPI in the coming few years
To develop new age management education that offers a global perspective and is characterized by internationalization, outstanding teaching & learning, high-quality scholarship and distinctive curricular and co-curricular programs that impact economic and societal development.
To provide an unsurpassed campus-learning environment that cultivates research, innovators, startups, leaders, pioneers, creators, and entrepreneurs in all fields and for all sectors of society.
To collaborate with international universities, government and business organizations to facilitate, exchange programs, joint research, summer program, cultural exchange program, internship etc. for our students and faculty to gain global exposure.
To provide opportunities and resources that facilitates work-life balance and enhances the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty and staff.
Important skills which the management students must possess in today’s environment
The gap between learning, literacy and life skills which the management students learn and the skills they need is becoming more obvious, as traditional learning falls short of equipping most of our students with the knowledge and aptitudes required in the machine age environment. Management students need to stay competitive in a challenging & changing job market, must maintain a constant curiosity for learning & personal development and must possess self-knowledge, cognitive analytics, complex problem solving, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, creativity & imagination, collaboration & teamwork, events & people management, judgment & decision making, service orientation, digital literacy, initiative, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, curiosity, assessing & analyzing information, risk-taking, ethics, action & accountability, flexibility & adaptability, leadership, content, social, technical, systems and clear listening, written and spoken communication skills.
Suggestions for the current youth and the aspiring students to succeed in their career
An MBA or PGDM means the worldwide recognition of your credentials. You must establish a Long-term techno-managerial career goal and focus on what you really want to be, by narrowing your options by researching PGDM Programs. You must step out of your comfort zone. Don’t be complacent with the knowledge and skill you have. Take a holistic approach to academics and personality development. Learn about industry revolution 4.0 and explore new trends & opportunities in the new age of artificial intelligence, IoT and machine learning and familiarize with the new tools & technologies and enhance your aptitudes.
Be authentic to yourself and benchmark against yourself—not against your peers. Read newspapers and improve your general knowledge. Develop logical and reasoning ability, command over the English language, leadership qualities & public speaking prowess and knowledge about national & world affairs. Learn basic concepts, manage time and identify your strengths and weaknesses. Be positive & productive and develop a passion for management programs.
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