BUSINESS TODAY

A corporate life is an adrenalised life. It's a high. It's a pacy high, clockworked to precision and lived on the edge of failure. Any executive in a competitive field would vouch for that. But when it comes to intellectual satisfaction, as any thinking manager craves, wouldn't you want just that little bit of time away from the hustle-bustle to absorb new thoughts, swill old ones around in your head and space yourself out to make sense of it all? Of course, managements have devised assorted pep-pill sort of tools to meet such needs, but for true satisfaction, nothing can beat a full and proper career switch. Ask the industry veterans who have actually done it-quit their frenzied corporate jobs and ventured into academia. They're thankful, first of all, to all the B-schools mushrooming across the country that are keen to get real-world experience in. And second, they doff their square-hats to those who turned the crossover into a fabled option-notably, the late great Professor Sumantra Ghoshal.

Among the first to follow suit was Professor Ranjan Das of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C), who spent 19 years in the corporate world before becoming a teacher of corporate strategy some nine years ago. "I always wanted to become a teacher, but when I was doing my doctoral programme at IIM-Ahmedabad under the tutelage of [Professor] C.K. Prahalad, he advised me to first practice my management skills before I should think of teaching," he reminisces.

Not everyone has a similar story. Listen to Professor Rajat Kathuria, former World Bank consultant, and now Economics Professor at the International Management Institute (IMI) in New Delhi (a man better known for his part-time role as Economic Advisor to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India). "When I was doing my doctoral degree in [the University of] Maryland," he says, "I did a bit of part-time teaching. After I got married and had a child, my wife and I felt that it would be better if our kid grew up in India. When I came back, I was inundated with offers, and I had taken up a part-time assignment with imi teaching economics. I enjoyed it so much and the students seemed to like me, so I refused the offers from TCS, KPMG and the like, to stay on in what I believe has been a far more satisfying job."

Professor Dhruv Nath at the Management Development Institute (MDI), near Gurgaon, is a 20-year industry veteran from NIIT, where he helped set up the National Institute of Sales (NIS) before leaving two years ago. "When you started heading large teams," he recalls of his corporate life, "one was mainly doing an administrative job and people management. I rarely managed to do my own thing, which I can do again in academics." Nath rebegan computer programming after 20 years. Also, "I have begun to dedicate more time to writing and am able to do a solid amount of research. What is also exciting about getting into academia is the fact that you get to spend so much time with young people. Their enthusiasm and vigour keep me on my feet, and keep on opening me to new lines of thought." Was there a downside? In a sense, yes. "It was really tough on the family," he says, "If you had to ask me if I would do this again, I would say 'yes', but the family did take some time to adapt."

The most common myth about the teaching profession is that it involves a major salary sacrifice. Kathuria dispels this: "With the rise of top-class business schools in India, acquiring and retaining top talent has meant decent salary packages. Even though this does not imply that salaries are comparable to those in corporates, it is more than enough to lead a comfortable lifestyle-and then, there is the consulting work."

According to Das, the stature of academics makes consultancy a fairly remunerative option. "After taking an initial hit," he avers, "after nine years, my earnings are not bad at all, though not at the same level as in the corporate world." Nath agrees, though he is also quite glad for the cash reserves he built up from his former career. "There are also earnings from royalties from writings and so on." The other myth is that compensation has little to do with the choices teachers make. According to Kathuria, a cash-crunch brought on by a fee cut at the IIMs could result in a major flight of talent to other B-schools. "To get good talent," he makes plain, "you need to pay them well."

Teachers are economic agents. And the movement of top minds from India Inc to academia has immense potential to do the country's competitiveness a lot of good. Call it the industrial-academic complex-a symbiosis that has proven its worth many times over in the US, where good minds are good minds, and are valued for their input to the country's brainware (however roundabout it may be). From a zoom-out perspective, an efficient economy is one where human resources get allocated in a manner best for everyone. This would mean that some management minds would do better working their influence on future managers, rather than practicing management themselves.

Luckily for us all, academia has its thrills too. "The job is exciting and fun," says Kathuria. It's another high, with a different sort of buzz. It also affords that great luxury: free space to think.

Call Schindler-lift sticky'; 'Film song shoot-no dedicated date yet'; 'Wheel-spin game idea-get sponsors'... sounds like an action-packed work diary? Turn mall manager, and dedicate yourself to more than just retail efficiency; as in the hospitality business, the focus is on the visitor's 'experience'. It's a challenging job, says Ajay Khanna, CEO, Malls & Business Development, DLF Universal, managing the near-carnival atmosphere beyond the administrative tasks. "The segment offers new opportunities," he says. Nationwide, 400-500 malls are on their way, and need clued-in young managers to keep up the raazmataaz. The pay could go up to Rs 8 lakh a year for a senior position in this line of work.

I am a 26-year-old junior resident doctor in a private hospital. I'm happy with my salary, but not with the work environment. In the healthcare business, new equipment and fresh formulations are critical for administering quality service. However, the promoters here are not interested in investing in either. In fact, they seem quite happy with what we have and boast about the so-called modern facilities at every opportunity. As a doctor, I can't take this, but since I'm new here, I'm not sure if I should rake it up. Please advise.

Private hospitals unfortunately have to depend on profits to carry on business, so your promoters' attitude is understandable. And you can make a difference, though not by raking things up, since it could affect your career at a nascent stage. You're a doctor first; and as a doctor, you can do a lot of things to make a difference to your hospital, and to the patients who come to you for treatment. With time you'll grow in your hospital, and could perhaps influence such policies. Then you can think of taking action on these counts.

I am an 18-year-old just out of school. I am in a dilemma right now. My parents want me to go to college and pursue my studies further. But I'm interested in a job at a call centre, which I was offered at a call centre fair in my school. It's easy to pass these tests for students from good english-medium schools, because good communication skills are the main criterion. They are really paying me good money, and the excitement of actually working is proving too much of a temptation. What should I do?

If it is a part-time job, go for it; if not, don't. That's my simple advice to you. Because if it's a part-time job, you can go to college and work on the job simultaneously; that'll give you both education and work experience, the ideal combination. College education is the most elementary ingredient for long-term success. I can understand your temptation, but if you don't go to college, you won't be able to progress in your job for long either. A call centre job is not a long term thing. After 10 years or so, you'll be left looking for other jobs. And you'll get none, because you will not have the basic graduation degree required for any job.

I am a 37-year-old microbiologist working in the research and development division at a top pharma lab in the country. The job is a high-pressure one, requiring long hours of work. We have to constantly work towards developing new formulations, and there's just no time or avenue for relaxation. It is beginning to affect my health seriously; for instance, I've started having trouble with my eyesight. I'm not sure what should be the right step for me. Please advise.

You have not mentioned if the troubles you are facing are unique to you, or your colleagues share similar travails. So if it's something that's only affecting you, you probably need to look after your body a little better. For that, you should visit a good healthcare professional and ask for advice. Build up your stamina, and get those eyes checked. Besides, as you approach 40, you need to take greater care of your health. But if this is affecting your colleagues as well, you could request your bosses to review some of the working conditions, and I'm sure something will be done.

I am a 28-year-old area sales officer with a tobacco major. When I took up this job, I'd heard a lot about the company and was excited about my career prospects. I joined the company despite being offered a 55-per cent salary hike by my previous employer, a mid-sized FMCG company. But over the last four years I haven't been promoted once, even as many others who started out with me have been. This despite my company having posted a steady 18 per cent growth in the last two years. I feel my performance does not have much to do with the treatment meted out to me. What should I do?

You need to talk to your superiors and get their feedback on your performance. That would be one way of knowing where to improve to get that elusive promotion. One reason for your company overlooking you could be your qualifications. If you don't have an MBA, do acquire one. That would go a long way in helping your career growth. Then again, a good salesman may not necessarily make a good manager. Finally, if your organisation persists in overlooking your hard work, it may not be such a bad idea to start exploring other opportunities that come your way.

Answers to your career concerns are contributed by Tarun Sheth (Senior Consultant) and Shilpa Sheth (Managing Partner, US practice) of HR firm, Shilputsi Consultants. Write to Help,Tarun! c/o Business Today, Videocon Tower, Fifth Floor, E-1, Jhandewalan Extn., New Delhi-110055.

Santosh Desai, Head, Strategy Development, McCann Ericsson, was spotted on IIM-A's campus this season. So was R. Balakrishnan, Executive Director, Lowe. And Meena Kaushik, Managing Director, Quantum Market Research. They were there to recruit fine young minds-for Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL).

Has HLL flipped its lid? No, it has just made a breakthrough in the realm of differentiated recruitment. A company that depends on vibing with the consumer has decided to involve all the vibing-with-the-consumer expertise at its disposal.

Of the five desired attributes of intellectual capabilities, creativity, breadth of vision, realism and leadership ability, the outsiders had clear opinions on at least a couple. The bonus: as outsiders, they spoke their minds too-even if the final decision went by broader consensus. Balakrishnan offered his views on "lateral thinking", Desai on indepth insights and Kaushik on qualitative market-reading skills.

So: has the experiment proved worthy? "We are yet to assimilate our thoughts over the finished rounds," observes Prem Kamath, Director HR, HLL, "and any review shall take into account the feedback of both, the user and the recipients (candidates in this case)."

-Supriya Shrinate

High Networth Network
Insurance agents have got rich-and how.

Business of faith: Small fortunes have been made here

How much are you worth? Blunt question. Turn it around to address your insurance agent, and you might just gag in disbelief. Last year, an agent selling policies for Max New York Life earned over Rs 20 lakh in commissions (which go up to 35 per cent of the first year's premium)-and he's not alone. Insurance is minting moolah for the top performers.

What's their trade secret-great persuasion powers? Insurance is always sold and never bought. A rolodex of high net-worth people for 'keyman policies' (CEOs are often insured for Rs 1-2 crore by their firms)? It helps. "Insurance is a business of faith," avows ICICI Prudential's star performer Amit Goswami, who made it to the Million Dollar Round Table, a global club of some 30,000 topsellers, this year, "and faith that needs to be created after we've told a guy all the bad things that could happen to him. Which means honesty, empathy and patience." His advice? Address needs. "A good first impression is essential," says Vinay Bahl, star performer and the top-earner for 2003 for Max New York Life, "and the ability to build relationships-not just a 'customer base'-are key."

-Ananya Roy