ISME Bangalore

Dr. Rony Kurien is currently Dean at International School of Management Excellence (ISME), Bangalore. Dr. Rony Kurien has over 32 years of experience in Education, Business Development, Training & Consulting. He has held senior leadership positions in various renowned educational institutions and business organizations. Having spent considerable time in the education sector, his aim is to provide experiential learning with continuous adaptation to current industrial trends. Read here what he has to say in his interview.

What is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

“A leadership philosophy is essentially a belief system that guides your decision-making”

It consists of your core principles, perspectives, and values. When you define what they are and use them to shape a leadership philosophy statement, your behavior and decisions will remain consistent.

I find myself having a hybrid method of leadership, both passive and active. I have a ‘hands-on’ approach in terms of getting things done. I also delegate tasks without interference to achieve desired outcomes. 

Ultimately, I am always trying to lead through transformational leadership. Assist the team and align the activities to produce ideal outcomes. It is how I have found myself leading in the past and have done so with good results.

Significant challenges faced by you as the dean of ISME?

“If you are a leader in the system, troubles and challenges come your way”

If you are a leader, you are the one person people look for solutions for their misplaced anxiety and complaints. The challenges one deals with are student expectations, faculty preparedness, and changing industry needs.

What are the changes noticed by you in the education sector in the past few years?

“Education has evolved considerably over the past”

Twenty years ago, education was based on books and lectures; now, it is laptops and websites. Students would have to spend hours in libraries looking through books for a project or research in the past. One significant difference that has changed through the curriculum in schools is teaching students skills instead of content.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other world events, teachers and families may all be more overwhelmed than ever. This year, as schools moved to online learning, and teachers scrambled to adjust their curriculum, many teachers, students, and parents gained a new appreciation for the value of self-care and upskilling.

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With the competition so high, how do you guide your students to survive in such a competitive scenario?

“Not everyone can be on top of what they do”

In today's competitive world, people have to work hard to succeed in what they do. But in every sphere, you will find three types of people: high achievers, mediocre and low achievers.

The most important thing for an average person to succeed is finding what they are good at. Once you do that, you will put in a lot of hard work, since you love what you do. We have mentors who guide and coach the students. We have special programs in managerial and professional skills and get students ready for the industry. 

“For a student, being successful means to score good marks to achieve his goals. He needs to learn, read, interact, and transform. Successful students take an active part in all these activities.”

Any suggestions you would like to give to the current youth and the aspiring students?

“Students should explore skills apart from acquiring academics”

In a world of rapid change, young people need the right mix of skills to thrive. Access to information is increasing, and memorizing facts is less important today than in the past. Although academic skills remain essential, they are not sufficient to foster thoughtful, productive, and engaged citizens. Young people everywhere need to develop a greater breadth of skills to evaluate and apply knowledge in ways that meet the new demands of our changing social and economic landscape.

Complex global challenges such as climate change and health epidemics call for leaders and citizens to collaborate with diverse groups to solve problems. Students have to frequently upgrade their knowledge as it often becomes redundant in a short time.

What would you like people to know about your university they may not know?

“It’s our corporate linkages and a student-centric approach that sets ISME apart as an institution”

ISME is an institution with a strong focus on quality and excellence. The institute fosters a high degree of academic rigor and equips students through their holistic development to face challenges of life, business, and industry. ISME provides its students State-of-the-art infrastructure and inculcates in them strong values and competencies so that they are ready for their roles in the industry.

We also inculcate in our students the ability to foresee the changing business environment, make innovative plans and manage various roles in business operations.

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How does the curriculum of ISME ensure the best practice of industry?

“We ensure to provide experiential learning to students”

Our institute provides industry best practices in the classroom through experiential learning delivered by a group of dedicated faculty who are leading Business schools from India and abroad with many years of corporate experience. Our curriculum is dynamic, and we continuously update it with inputs from leading management practitioners and professors of IIM to meet the industry's changing requirements. At ISME, we provide our students with corporate exposure through industry visits and guest lectures by experts in the field.