I recently listened to Ray Dalio’s Principles and I liked it a lot. Mostly because Ray Dalio’s description of himself in his 20s and 30s is quite similar to most of us in the program. From there to founding and managing Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest hedge funds is quite a feat. And he did that by employing a concrete set of principles and steps to success. I’m hoping to experiment with these principles at the year long and intensive MBA program.
I’m Parth Reddy, a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. I majored in Geology and got to apply my geology skills at Chirag, an NGO in the Himalayas when I was looking at solving how to replenish the depleted natural springs in the region. But I got to meet my real interest- algorithms, data and technology at Schlumberger, where I worked for 7 years before the MBA bug got me. After transitioning to leading projects and developing business at Schlumberger, I really wanted to get a generalist view of how to run a business and excel at the soft side of leadership. Hence the MBA. And for now, I will be the voice on the blog you will hear most often. You will get a steady update on what’s happening at the MBA program through me.
Ray Dalio describes a 5 step process to getting anything done:
1) Set Goals
2) Identify and don’t tolerate problems
3) Diagnose the problems to root causes
4) Design a plan for eliminating those problems
5) Do what is set out in the plan
Not everyone is good at all of the above. Some of us are good at setting goals or identifying and diagnosing problems and some of us are good at getting the plan done. Over the course of the year, I want to figure out my strengths and weaknesses in the 5 step process and then formulate a plan to overcome the weaknesses and capitalize on my strengths.
As the program is about to begin, we can already feel the intensity creeping up on us. My bank relationship manager seemed to know more than me when he wished me luck for a very intensive year ahead. But before everything starts, I’d like to do the first step in Ray Dalio’s process and that is: set some concrete goals for myself. One of them is the consistent reflection and introspection that comes with journaling and writing regular blog posts. After all the GMAT prep, planning, applications and leaving behind the old me, the first day of the MBA starts in a couple of days. Hoping for a year driven by principles and consistency.
Featured above is a picture of my favorite spot in the city by the lake. Hopefully I can do a time-lapse video of this spot for the entire year.
Parth
