Be a sponge for knowledge and new skills but with conscious determination, says Prof. Sreeram

IdeasMakeMarket.com recently caught up with Prof. Sreeram about his journey and key lessons in life. 

Prof. Sreeram is a celebrated teacher, trainer, consultant, published researcher and case writer. He spent over a decade at the School of Business Management, NMIMS, Mumbai, perfecting his active learning methodology.

His academic career was prefaced by 11 years in a corporate career, including sales and marketing stints at two multinational banks (ABN AMRO Bank & Standard Chartered Bank). He holds a PhD from NMIMS, Mumbai. He is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai and an MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur.

Prof. Sreeram has recently started offering his courses online in the form of live workshops from his website www.ssreeram.com

Q1. Tell us about your journey so far

Until 12 years ago, my journey was that of any aspiring middle-class urban youth. I worked hard and was fortunate enough to study at good colleges. I then worked at MNC banks and was steadily climbing the ladder. For various reasons, I decided to shift out of the corporate world. And I chanced upon academia. I discovered that I loved teaching and decided to pursue it as long as I could. I have successfully transitioned from the corporate world to the academic world.

Q2. What prompted you to become an entrepreneur? How do you see your venture plan out the long run?

As I mentioned earlier, I love teaching. Since 2020 we have been teaching online, and I have made a seamless transition to teaching online. I got excellent student feedback for my online classes. I realised that one could learn online as effectively as one would do in a physical classroom. And I wanted to interact with people while in a class. I strongly believe in Active Learning, where a healthy discussion leads to good quality learning. So, I started live online workshops. These workshops are based on the courses that I have been teaching for the past 12 years at NMIMS. It’s too early to say what will happen to these types of ventures in the long run, but learning online is here to stay from what we have seen so far.

Q3. Tell us something about your life as a Banker and as a faculty at NMIMS Mumbai. What would be some of the key lessons?

My life as a banker was hectic but very fulfilling as there was a lot to learn. In both the banks that I worked for, I got to move across functions and do various roles. Thus, the corporate stint was highly enriching. I shifted careers to bring a different rhythm to my life, and I succeeded in doing so.

Life as a faculty was fulfilling in many other ways. Interacting with students and making a tangible difference in their lives was a heady feeling. Also, I love reading and got lots of time to read and write. In terms of key lessons –the corporate stint helped me develop a great work ethic and discipline. The academic stint helped me discover what I loved doing.

Q4. What or who has been the biggest influence in your career so far? How do you balance your personal and professional career?

There is no one person that I can point to as a significant influence. A few of my bosses at ABN AMRO Bank and Standard Chartered Bank helped shape my journey and skill-sets. Other influences have been some great books that I have read along the way.

Since moving to the academic world, I have maintained a nice balance between my personal and professional lives. While the work of a teacher never stops, I still find time to spend with my family and pursue other interests. The work ethic and discipline developed during my college days and in the corporate world help.

Q5. Do you feel Covid has helped in redefining the field of education?

Much has been written about this. I still feel physical classrooms will make a comeback, albeit having ceded some ground to the online space. Online education has become more acceptable. But I still don’t think students can rely on passively watching videos to learn. They have to participate and pay attention.

Q6. What according to you is the biggest challenge in managing sales force for an organisation?

As some sales veterans say – sales is a messy function. There are so many variables that are not in the control of the salesperson and the sales manager. Moreover, targets also keep moving. The biggest challenge, in my opinion, is how a sales manager can get her team to adapt constantly to the customers, new products, technology and the environment.

Q7. What would be your advice to young professionals and students? How has your experience while doing your Masters at XLRI helped in shaping you?

Learning is key. Be a sponge for knowledge and new skills but with conscious determination. Everything else pales in comparison. Treat a career like a marathon and not a sprint. In a college, it is easy to get swayed by peer pressure and end up taking the wrong job. Choose jobs based on profile and learning opportunities rather than brand or money.

Also, students take courses to secure good grades or to chill. Treat the time in college to pack in as much learning as is possible. This dedicated learning period will not be available in a job. So make the most of the time in college. And you can do all this while having fun and developing friendships for life.

My time in XLRI helped me understand the importance of working with others. Hard work was important, but being thoughtful about what areas to expend effort in was more important. The meta aspect – why and how I learn – became salient. Of course, the friendships I developed on campus are lifelong.

Q8. How can our readers register for your workshops? How can our readers connect with you?

Readers can visit my website www.ssreeram.com and sign up for my workshops.

 As a special offer, a discount of Rs. 500 is available on all workshops if readers use the promo code “IMMC500”.

They can also connect with me here @sreeram-sivaramakrishnan or on Facebook / Linkedin

Linked in – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sreeramsiva/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/sreeramsiva

Tags: Faculty interview NMIMS Prof. Sreeram