Human existence constantly evolves, and humans find it challenging to resist continuous changes.
However, when humans face problems frequently, they get demoralized and flooded with questions about what is good and wrong for them. In their gloomy minds, questions about what they want from their life, what is best for their futures, and many other things arise.
In order to get out of it, the human seeks out the flame that can correct them and direct them in the proper direction. Having said that, a strong leader is always regarded as one who aids others, finds solutions to their difficulties, and directs them in the proper direction.
A great leader invariably ignites a flame of positivity in the lives of others and empowers them to grow as leaders in their own lives. John Maxwell aptly summed up the qualities of successful leaders when he remarked, “Leaders become great, not because of their capacity to empower others.”
While saying so, Shatakshi Sharma is one of the finest leaders who find her satisfaction in empowering others. She emphasizes developing leaders through the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) because she thinks emancipating and guiding people go beyond simply imparting knowledge.
GGI is an Edtech firm that offers an MBA program, which is an alternative to the international business program to the youth who seek international institutes or business study programs to upskill their management and leadership skills. With the help of GGI, Shatakshi Sharma empowers not only the youths but also the women; through GGI, she is changing the lives of the women and youth.
In an interactive conversation with The Knowledge Review, we crossed the path of the Global Governance Initiative, and we interviewed the Co-founder and Co-CEO of the Insitute, Shatakshi Sharma, who has been igniting the lights in the women’s and the youth’s careers. While interacting, she shared her journey with GGI and the future vision of GGI.
After knowing a gist about Shatakshi Shama and her initiative, dive down to get the detailed story of the legendary leader who believes in empowering.
A Tale of Curious and an Inspiring Leader
In 2013, Shatakshi decided to prepare for the CAT exam, as it was her father’s desire. Nevertheless, she failed horribly because her heart was not ready for it. However, she did not get admission to IIM Institutes.
Later, she realized that she had chosen a battle in which the cards were stacked against her, and then she picked the GMAT, which took three tries to pass. Despite having challenges during her tests, she turned herself into a living example of how to manage a career. She learned during her MBA journey how India’s culture of tests and coaching had been exaggerated during her MBA experience.
After working in highly intellectual ecosystems like Boston Consulting Group (BCG), she realized that one does not require a 99.9 percentile to work and thrive in such an opportunistic ecosystem. As famous Nassim Taleb once said, “I suspect I.Q., SAT, and grades are tests designed by nerds so they can get high scores in order to call each other intelligent.”
She observed that in 2022 over 2 lakh students appeared for the CAT examination, but only 5,500 got seats in IIM Institutes, and only 2.7 per cent of the crowd got a chance to study business from the top league in India.
This aids Shatakshi realizes that despite putting in much effort, pupils still did not obtain the school they wanted. Frustrated with the old system, Naman and she co-started Global Governance Initiatives, which is an alternative to International MBA. In this program, the Harvard case method is taught to students by top CEOs from companies like McKinsey & Company, BCG, BlackRock, and Amazon; along with that, students also get employment opportunities.
Now, she is known as a businesswoman, author, former international affair advisor at the Tony Blair Institute in Dubai, and an outspoken supporter of young women worldwide. She formerly worked as a management consultant for BCG.
With the most helpful MBA and Fellowship Programs in the World, Shatakshi is establishing an egalitarian and inclusive ecosystem for international youth. She has also been felicitated with The Most Promising Women Leader 2021 award by E.T. (Economic Times), LinkedIn Top Voice India 2021, and chosen amongst the Top 200 Global LinkedIn Creators 2022!
While stating about her journey, Shatakshi asserts, “Today, I derive my happiness via empowering others.”
She further notes, “In fact, my previous roles with BCG, International Affairs, and Government of India have immensely helped me broaden my thought horizons further in terms of understanding market insights on product delivery, content consumption, and imbibing ethos of Unlocking the potential of those who will lead the World.”
She started the Global Governance Initiative to focus on the issues most important to her while also empowering others. Her definition of empowerment goes beyond merely spreading knowledge. GGI aims to remove obstacles. It has to do with mentoring. It seeks to create leaders. The Global Governance Initiative has created a community of committed, aspirational, and compassionate world leaders.
Sliding down the mission, she mentions, “We are changing Lives. We are changing Organizations. We are changing the World!”
The Journey of GGI When we ask about the Global Governance Institute (GGI) and its mission, Shatakshi says, “GGI’s mission is to create an inclusive world for youth and women by rebuilding 20th century higher education landscape through our innovative Alt MBA Program.”
GGI currently has more than 35 active members. The team has inspired and upskilled more than 5,500 curious, global, diverse, multicultural, open-minded, and focused individuals.
The Edtech firm ensured that most of its young delegates were female through an open application process on the platform. Moreover, among the 90+ CEOs who visit regularly and provide training to the students in the Harvard case method are the former Global Head of Mckinsey & Co. (Rajat Gupta), former Chairman of Blackrock Asia (Peter Fisher), current Chairman of BCG India (Dr Janmejaya Sinha), and president of Amazon AWS South Asia (Puneet Chandok).
While mentioning the GGI, Shatakshi states, “We continue to focus on scaling the impact further, and thus, GGI Alumni have joined Global Impact firms through our collaborations with 51+ employment partners including BCG, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Think Through Consulting, among many others.”
She adds, “Today, we are transforming and revolutionizing the way young professionals build products, start their own venture and nudge public policy in healthcare, education, climate impact, and financial inclusion, to name a few.”
In the Impact Lab, the working members have created their projects. With the help of the Impact Lab, they are starting projects like assuring sanitary pad distribution during the pandemic, enhancing hospital patient living conditions, or assisting migrant workers in the rehired workforce.
Shatakshi Sharma- In Her Dire Straits
The mental battles are always the hardest. Moreover, with the changing mindset of employers in the country, the young, trained professionals at GGI can be employed for their quality strategy, policy, and product roles.
Regardless of the difficulties she overcame in her career, Shatakshi asserts, “Today, we have more than 51+ employment partners. Gaining trust from a few early employers, post multiple rejections, helped us move the needle to bring learning outcomes for our Scholars and Fellows.”
A Push in Shatakshi’s Life
When we ask her about the mantra of her motivation, stating the response, Shatakshi says,
- “I believe motivation is extrinsic and short-lived.
- I am an output of consistent small steps and habits.
- That has helped me build my career so far.”
Words of Wisdom
While advising the students, Shatakshi postulates, “There are multiple paths to the same success point. If you fail in one path, be creative and find another path to the same success.”
