Shatakshi Sharma

Exactly 9 years ago, I packed my life into one suitcase to settle in Delhi.


Moving out of home without the safety of my parents was damn scary.

Many Tier 1 folks don't realize this-

But moving on your own to a big city requires a certain fire in your belly!

Not knowing how to cook, or grocery shop- can give major shivers down the spine of a 21-year-old.

And there I was in the city of my dreams.

I remember being lost in the lanes of #KhanMarket, HKV, and the city's magical history and cuisine.

I remember going grocery shopping for the first time and coming back with wafers, coke, and cornflakes (lol).

But the serious reality is today, a large part of who I am is because of that city.

1. That city gave me the best education.

2. That city accepted me with open arms and heart.

3. That city introduced me to the love of my life.

Leaving the comfort of my hometown was always the best decision I ever made.

Why?

Because it taught me the power of leaving my #comfortzone.

The power of moving around and not being stuck like trees.

Today, I admire people who uproot themselves from comfortable homes to find a new life.

Because the reality is they are dreamers.

The reality is Dr. King gave the “I Have a Dream“ speech and not the “I have a plan“ speech.

And it's the big dreams that change the course of history ❤️.

I failed to crack BCG at 21.
I couldn't clear my GMAT in a single attempt at 24.
I failed to clear an Ivy League MBA interview at 27.

However, looking back now that I'm 30-

I got to work for the UK Prime Minister, solve interesting problems at BCG, study at ISB, launch my own impact venture, marry the love of my life, and travel to various geographies all this while maintaining my health.

I hope you'll forgive me if this sounds boastful. To be honest, there was nothing legendry about my career in my 20s.

I still have plenty of unachieved dreams.

However, looking back at those years, I believe I accomplished something very rare: I fulfilled my potential.

A potential realized through-

1. Aiming big
2. Surrounding myself with competitive folks, and
3. By putting myself out there everyday and just continuous #learning

As we face one of the toughest lay off cycles, sharing a leaf from my book with an honest hope and belief that coming years will help you achieve your unfilled potential as well !

Often in my career, I have worked late nights till 2 AM. Here is what we would do.

The first time, I was working as a consultant for a boutique consulting firm, facing a tough client, who would question each and every recommendation, my team and I were left firefighting on the project.

The boutique consulting setup was deadlier due to a lack of governance mechanisms because of which my Sundays were also spent working on iterating ppts for a Monday discussion. During this time of my career, I was in the office often during weekends too.

On a particular weekend, I was really looking forward to spending time with my parents. I remember the partner calling me for iterating the deck and said in his typical, 'I'm sorry Shatakshi to disturb you during the weekend but we need to change the storyline to have a good meeting on Monday'.

For the first time in 6 months, I asked, 'I hear you but what value would the new story add to the presentation, the changes will not make a material impact on the point of view we have built for months'.

Surprised, by the question, he said, ' No, we want to make it absolutely perfect as we don't want to lose the client'.

Not keen to push back further, I opened my laptop during the weekend and did those useless changes anyway.

In 9 months, on that project, I was frustrated, angry, demotivated, and I left.

And what good did it do? Absolutely nothing.

If I had asked the relevant questions around why are we doing this, how would this help, and align exactly on what is needed- early on, the partner would have asked those questions to himself first before mindlessly dialing me in on weekends on the name of the client.

Asking relevant questions, aligning early on, I would have been less frustrated and more valuable to the organization.

I had a similar experience a few years ago on a consulting case. The result? Better work-life balance and satisfaction. It made a huge difference in my professional life.

As someone who advocates for asking more smart questions in life and at work, I have only one piece of insight- you control your hours, quality of hours will always be more important in the long run than the total number of hours.

There should be no shame in asking, 'why'.

****

Global Governance Initiative

My first salary in 2013 was 25k/month-
And my last one in 2021 was 1 Cr/annum.


So what changed in just 7 years ?

To start with this is not at all a brag, I am sharing this today because there's so much information #asymmetry amongst professionals on salaries within and outside organizations.

People who rise to the top, often neglect looking behind and helping them.

So the numbers have been shared purely for reference and honestly credibility on the topic too.

Now let's get started-

Unlike popular opinions on the internet about investing in public markets, I am someone who invested largest proportion of my salary in my 20s-

In learning and development.

I am not saying this because I am the founder of an education venture.

I'm saying this with an honest belief as I grew exponentially financially, professionally, and personally in my 20s because of over-indexing on my learning and surrounding myself in good communities at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the Government of India, and Indian School of Business.

I went out of the way to hunt for good work opportunities, learnt salary negotiations, invested in my #GMAT prep, worked with a few of the top CEOs in this country, and surrounded myself with motivated professionals.

Growth is a subjective term and is much more than financial in nature.

You learn, build perspectives and grow holistically in life when you invest in yourself first!

Start 2025 with clarity and focus on your upskilling for career success.

If interested- I am curating 3 part video series you should watch before ending 2024

1.) Step wise plan for higher salary-

https://lnkd.in/dWGEDPmW
https://lnkd.in/d2zPYVzW

2.) 7 Major skills before joining your MBA program-

https://lnkd.in/daPsS6SS

***

I'm not against investing in public markets.

In fact, I invest part of my savings in Index funds as SIP. But, at 33, I operate on a much bigger numerical base.

And if you do the Math right- 15% CAGR over a small numerical base in the long term won't serve you as well financially as much as focus on increasing that numerical base will!

I support financial investing and admire few finance influencers in this country.

But go and check their backgrounds first.

Most of them come from excellent work and academic backgrounds. They must have invested in their skills before getting where they are.

So, don't mindlessly buy an investing narrative out of FOMO.

Focus on skilling and self-development first.

I understand the impatience that accompanies us when we are in our 20s to get better returns.

I have worked almost 13 hours every day during my 20s and still do on few days.

And trust me when I say this, there is no shortcut to wealth creation ✊!

How NOT getting into #Mckinsey at 21 is the most successful thing that happened to me.

For context, McKinsey & Company's Business Analyst role is one of the most coveted roles for getting hired on St. Stephen's College campus.

At age 20, all I dearly wanted to work at the firm and I tried with all my might to secure a spot.

Only to fail my young 20 year self.

I remember being harsh to myself on how I could allow this to happen.

As fate would have it, I later went onto to join a boutique #consulting firm. Left it in 9 months to do many more interesting things in life.

- Such as a growth role in a leading startup in 2015, when #Zomatoes of the world were just coming up. Learned a great deal on how to run a startup.

- Worked with the #PrimeMinister's strategic initiatives in 2016- when policy consulting wasn't even publicly so covetous !

---
I of course later went to work full time for BCG at age 27 and learnt a great deal.

But the thing is I went on to take a very non traditional career path before my MBA and post Boston Consulting Group (BCG) too.

Not getting into a big firm as Mckinsey 21, allowed me to take bigger risks, travel India solo at the age 24 and take unchartered territories -- literally and metaphorically :)

So, why am I penning this today ?

Because if your dreams are shattered.

Don't lose hope.

Stay tight !

Life's uncharted plans are going to make you smile, in more ways than you can ever imagine ❤️.

I've never set annual goals.


Be it for health, relationships, or career.

Never!

Annual goals are overrated.

They don't show you a clear path to #success.

Let me out a secret about my whatsoever small achievements!

Today, for eg, I am blessed to have a beautiful community of 260,000 followers on Linkedin.

But it was never ever my goal!

All I committed was to waking up and committing myself to writing an authentic piece EVERYDAY.

I married myself to a PROCESS.

I picked habits that I enjoyed and could consistently perform over a long period of time.

I can pick 100 more examples like above from my life to show how I ended up overperforming.

The point I am trying to make is-

This 2023, DON'T marry yourself to GOALS.

Stand out!

Marry yourself to processes rather.

Because that's where excellence happens❤️.

In 2018, I worked with a manager at BCG who was my age-- Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad graduate and well-articulated.



At that time, I was dying to work normal hours after a 16-hour/day study.

And this manager's working style turned out to be magical for all of us in the team.

I was pulling regular consulting hours as he astutely managed clients, case partners, and consultants on his team.

He did an extraordinary job of being empathetic to the consultants and protecting their hours.

I have been in varied situations in life -

When I picked up roles of #leadership myself while working with the Government of India where I led team members elder to me.

And I have had bosses 20 years elder than me who were pathetic at looking out for the team's well-being and had managers almost equal my age doing way better.

Today, Im 31 and run Global Governance Initiative and ALT IIT, two startups.

And like any ambitious entrepreneur, I want to grow it and build a lasting legacy in the education sector.

But does that mean, I have no choice but to make my team work 60+ hours to achieve the goals?

Hell, not!

In fact, I have typically observed happy employees contributing better to the mission and legacy of the venture.

We really don’t have to make our employees overwork to achieve short-term targets.

It's true that #age doesn't define whether you are a good leader.

What makes us good leaders is our emotional quotient, our skills, and not age.

You can be 50, rise in the ranks, and still find no followers at work.

You can become a saint at 20 if you are curious and have a fire under your belly to find the answers to this world ❤️.

Here's my response to Maintaining Work-Life Balance in India.

10 Things You'll Never Regret Doing-


1. Taking independent decision on where to live, whom to marry, and what to do in your #career.

Blaming others for your failures won't offer you much!

2. Leaving a high paycheck for your learning and #wellbeing.

That learning will pay you off financially really well in long term.

3. Living #abroad as student or working professional.

It gets to test your mental limits beyond your imagination.

4. Backpacking and #traveling solo on a budget.

Teaches you a great deal about humility.

5. Marrying someone for shared values than looks.

Looks fade away but character remains for life long!

6. Helping complete strangers through random acts of kindness.

Karma is real!

7. Starting your own venture (even if you fail).

Teaches you more than any #MBA degree.

8. Doing gym/yoga/swimming.

A healthy mind wants a million things. An unhealthy wants, just one!

9. Picking an audacious goal in life and achieving it.

It brings a sense of self-worth in you!

10. Give your undivided attention to your parents.

They are your most honest well-wishers on this planet.

***

On my deathbed, I want to remember the long walks, happy travels, moments that defined me and the time spent with my loved ones, and not the long exposure to endless meetings, zoom calls, and presentations.

Trust me the world will go on just fine without these life-draining tools!

Life is a regret minimizing equation.

It's completely upon you how you live it ❤️.

Why should Every Indian pursue an Alt MBA?

There is a dangerous trend in India where gullible students pay lakhs and above to MBA consultants and random MBA schools, in the hope of getting their lives transformed.

Gullible parents support these decisions because of the hype around #MBA.

India has +5500 B-Schools, out of which only 7% students are employable.

Many of these are money-minting machines in name of the campus.

If you are paying 20 lakhs and above from newly formed MBA schools in Gurgaon just because they provide a #degree- with time will be hard to justify your choices.

Life will be hard when you take big loans for such degrees.

Let me share my own experience-

I pursued a 30-day Alt MBA at an age of 25 before even thinking of applying to Indian School of Business.

It dramatically accelerated my career and improved my outcome on the competitive MBA campus too.

I know of close friends from Wharton and Stanford, who also preferred to pursue #AltMBA 3 years before their actual MBA applications.

It dramatically accelerated their careers before they considered applying with a stronger profile.

At GGI Alt MBA, for example, 88% of professionals accelerate their careers by pivoting to consulting and product through our 41+ employment partners.

IDK if this offends someone, but it's unfortunate that MBA consultants charge a bomb from students adding to the already heavy burden of the MBA cost.

That too for a borderline unethical practice of writing someone's essays!

I am not suggesting an Alt MBA because I run a venture with Alt MBA program.

I will suggest the same to my future child without the blink of an eye.

Because she/he will get to build a business brain early in her/his life and learn from leading CEOs and Chairman directly while building a lifelong network.

All of this- at the cost of a flight ticket from India to the US!

Frankly, I don't suggest just GGI Alt MBA as the only option.

There are multiple global players contributing positively to the ecosystem. Seth Godin's program in the US is one of them!

Not many will understand, but the actual ed-tech revolution is taking place through Alt MBA and Alt School models- not the examination IIT, #UPSC model.

MBA is not just a financial investment but an emotional one.

Alt schools are new age ideas.

They are very much here to stay.

It is all a matter of whether you join the party as late majority or early adopter ✊.

Yesterday, record 3.3 lakh Indians appeared for the CAT exam.


It is a travesty that only the 1%ile will get to study in the top #MBA schools, while the rest will have to settle for the mediocre ones.


If for some reason, you are not scoring 99%ile-

Here are the 3 things you should do right away -


1. Get exceptional work #experience:

A few people ruin their MBA journey by pursuing it right after their undergrad degree.

This is a grave mistake.

If you go into your MBA/MPP classrooms with a few years of work experience - everything from operations to strategy to finance will make a lot of sense.

It will also be much easier to contribute in classes, or network across industries for your internships and jobs later.

In case you are not able to find the right experiences, links in the comments will be a great starting point.


2. Don’t enroll in random #MBA Programs:


At IIMs, students thrive not because of their professors or their curriculum. But because of their peer network.

The peer network is diverse, self-motivated, and keeps each other accountable.

Instead, focus on creating your own diverse peer network.

Become part of communities of Medical doctors, CAs, Lawyers, and Engineers - and build ventures at the intersection of Policy, Health, and Finance.

I have seen this happening a lot at Global Governance Initiative - where GGIans have founded businesses together and pivoted into their dream roles - all while continuing with their jobs.



3. Constantly #invest in yourself:


The best investment you will ever make in life won't be in Stock Markets but by investing in skillsets, relationships, and experiences.

Learn everything from Product Management to Management Consulting to Public Policy to Liberal Arts - before you set foot inside your MBA programs.

Many of the GGI scholars were able to perform incredibly well at INSEAD, Wharton, and Kellogg - but failed to get admission into the IIMs.

They performed incredibly well in their MBA journey because they already had industry connections, relevant skill sets, and networks even before they started their MBA journey.

--

Don’t fret about the prospects of 'ruining' your #CAT exam.

There are incredible opportunities waiting for you. Feel free to message me if you are concerned about the outcomes of these exams.

Now is the perfect time to fail, learn, and thrive ❤️.

My favorite part about LinkedIn is being able to connect with the stories of absolute strangers🏄‍♀️ .

I may not know you, but when I scroll down and land on your post, I am genuinely happy for you.

I found myself reading stories of absolute strangers with a smile on my face at how relatable their journey is 🎉.

In fact, that was the reason we started sharing Humans of GGI stories on our company page.

Stories always connect!

Our generation needs more storytellers🥳.

Here's to writing stories all my life.

I will smash that heart button on any chance I get to read more stories here❤️.

Reminder-JOB IS NOT LIFE, IT'S JUST A PART OF YOUR LIFE.


What you own for life is your Personal Brand.

Amidst potential recessionary outlook with the bankruptcy of Silicon Valley Bank-

PERSONAL BRANDS are the new resume'.

They can open DOORS-

You didn't even know existed!

I pivoted my career 4 times in my 20s.

And here is what I learned-

A common set of 3 skills can help you smoothly pivot your career to a new sector.

When I moved from studying Chemistry at St. Stephen's College, Delhi to becoming a management consultant, I applied these 3 skills in the interviews.

When I moved from a corporate career to public policy, I applied these 3 skills again.

Similarly, I applied them when I left my stable career at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and international affairs in Dubai to start my venture, I used these 3 skills to grow my venture.

So what were those 3 skills-

1. Problem Solving

2. Structured #Communication

3. Emotional Intelligence

That's it! Those are the skills.

If you ace them, 90% of the battle is won!

But was it hard for me to acquire these 3 skills?

Absolutely not.

Consistent practice and continuously surrounding myself in an ecosystem where my peers were also invested in these skills so there was #learning by osmosis!

Over the years, I am just getting better at them.

A #career pivot is not as hard as most of you imagine.

It just takes a dash of focus, and dedication with a bit of luck to make your career rise and shine❤️.

***
On a separate note, I moved to Serbia this winter and enjoying my time with Balkan Baklavas and tea.

Hit me up if you are around :)

How I became LinkedIn Top Voice?

Since a lot of you and GGI fellows during their office hours with me have raised this question, sharing my honest journey with the timeline in this #career insight.


1. So, how did I get the confidence to write on LinkedIn?

In 2018, during my #MBA at Indian School of Business Hyderabad, I was always sure I wasn’t just pursuing an MBA just to get a job, but to learn practical skills.

So at the end of the day, I would pen down 2 key business tools learned from my classes every day which I could deploy later as a founder or management consultant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

I started referring to these briefly little notes learnings as #MBAin2minutes.

And just before joining BCG, I posted my first MBA in 2 minutes, on #LinkedIn.

This was free of cost and aimed to simply give back to society, who couldn't afford an MBA. What was my first post in 2019 and a simple gesture of hope, blew up on LinkedIn!

Much to my surprise, a week later I wrote an article, “Talent is Overrated“ and it went viral on LinkedIn again.

This was the moment I came to realize that this wasn't sheer luck, but something about my experiences and authentic writing resonated with the community and that motivated me to keep going.

2. Benefits of writing on LinkedIn

I was awarded the most promising Young women Leader by ET in '20 and they reached me via LinkedIn.

I was reached on LinkedIn by this International Affairs policy firm in the Middle East for the role of Advisor (my BCG exit).

Today, I hire my GGI team members from many promising youngsters who reach me on LinkedIn. Eg- We have a GGI mentor from BCG who connected with me through a personal chat on LinkedIn.

I have plenty of more examples to give. But by now it must be evident to you that LinkedIn has a lot more in store if you leverage it strategically.

3. Becoming LinkedIn Top Voice

In 2020, I started my Youtube channel and in Jan 2021, I was nominated for LinkedIn Top Voice. By this time, some 80k of you were following my journey here.

I may be wrong, but I do suspect some correlation between having a following on YT and getting nominated for LinkedIn Top Voice (logically makes sense too). I may be completely wrong though also.

Don't forget though getting traction on YT is a way tricky deal. It was my 89th educational video on YT that went viral on the internet, not my first.

YT unlike many platforms is extremely algorithm-driven.

4. My advice to you

Hopefully, my raw and unfiltered journey has motivated a few of you to pick up your pen as well.

I encourage you to share your passionate views backed by data or your experiences.

Frankly don't write because you want to be LinkedIn Top Voice.

If you ever combine the passion for writing for an award, your art will be compromised.

Today, #writing for me is a passion, a craze, and a craft.

Write for the heck of writing.

It will blow your mind ❤️.

Why “Early Retirement“ is the most Overrated idea on Internet?

At this stage in my life, I am running 2 successful startups.

Once I cracked and automated my 1st venture in Alternative #MBA, we used it to disrupt another education sector. I will go on to launch many more ventures in this lifetime

Today, I want to continue working till my heart and head both are working strong.

I also invest my time in my health, family, and spirituality.

And here is why I fear early retirement is the most overrated concept these days-

1. It focuses too much on you gaining #financial freedom.

Not on the “means“ through which you gain it.


2. It doesn't focus at all on what would you do- post gaining financial freedom.

You are bound to get mad without any #purpose on earth.


3. It doesn't focus on your health conditions as you progress to achieve financial freedom.

I have a few friends who are killing themselves to just earn that first #million dollars.

***

Retirement is for folks who are out of time or ideas.

Keep working if you still have a fire in your belly.

Look at Mr. Tata or Mr. Buffett.

There should be no pride in working 2 hours or 16 hours every day.

But pride in solving problems bigger than yourself in life.

It's not the hours or #retirement status that's important.

It's what you do with those hours that's important.

Be like a lion. And a not rat.

It sits, rests, looks around, and when it spots a gazelle, it then sprints, pounces, attacks, and gets the job done ✊.