On 23rd October 2020, the virtual BMI session was graced by the presence of Mr. Desikan Jagannathan, Head of Credit, Consumer and Retail Banking at ADCB, Dubai, U.A.E. who shared valuable insights on the irrelevancy of skills in the current scenario.
The speaker pointed out that skill irrelevance was not a natural process, rather one induced by a change influenced by technology, automation and change in behavior of the customers. In every walks of life, things will always change. All the skills that one knows today are susceptible to disappearance, so to adapt oneself to constant change and evolution; one must be vigilant and watchful of what is happening in the industry. The key are: a) use the window of the opportunity to self-learn through interaction, b) be regularly in touch with the market, c) Look at any change as an early warning signal, an opportunity to take a lead. The only way to stay relevant in the organization is to get ahead of the curve and the only way to get ahead is being aware. Understand the change management process and compress the time lag between the denial mode to becoming the promoter of change. Never underestimate the speed of adaption and obsolescence, be mindful of both. Unlearn and Relearn. The speaker concluded by advising students to get their basics right, spend time on communication, be customer centric and keep high levels of integrity.
“I really loved the way Mr. Desikan took the guest lecture. It was very conversational and informative. He stressed on the importance of being in the trend, being flexible. He gave real time examples which we could relate. Also, he painted the actual future when he spoke about EV, oil industry and automobile industry. Thank you, BMI, for organizing such an insightful session.” – Lincy Florence, F19 Batch
“In the course of the lecture, Mr Desikan spoke about the importance to develop and sustain a skill, how fast those learned skills would become obsolete in the future and open-mindedness, that matters much in the present times. His take on adaptability of older generations with technology and innovations on important aspects of life was refreshing and I liked that he posed an activity for the students to ponder. All in all, it was a very engaging session.” – Arunkumar D, F20 Batch
“His way of talking was really engaging. He shared his personal experiences which were insightful for learners like us. Overall, this session was worthy for our long run in corporate world.” – Amala Noble, F20 Batch