At 43 years of age, Lavneesh Gupta has the zest of a millennial when it comes to learning. He spends a minimum of 10 hours every week learning aspects like digital leadership, digital marketing, planning and analytics online.While learning is woven into his daily schedule in his role as executive VP at IndusInd Bank, it’s the weekends when he immerses himself in upskilling. Several senior management professionals or CxOs (C-suite professionals) like Gupta are taking to the digital way of being updated.
“Even when I prepared for IIT, I relied less on aided learning. I subscribed to tutorials and only needed aid in case of a doubt,” said Gupta, executive VP, program & sales process head, branch banking distribution at IndusInd Bank.
“Reading up online, attending seminars — these help in self-evaluation. One can then reach out for relevant courses that help you fill the gap for the future,” he said. Gupta spends 40-50 hours a month, mainly weekends in keeping himself updated.
E-learning companies are witnessing a spike in such users. For instance, Emeritus Institute of Management which offers courses from global schools such as MIT, Columbia and Tuck has seen the number of CxOs participants double from 2016 to 2017.
“We witness maximum demand for courses in the area of digital, design thinking and innovation. Every industry is being disrupted by digital and if the workforce has to adapt to this wave, change must begin at the top. Senior leaders are willing to learn online if the content is compelling,” said Ashwin Damera, executive director, Emeritus.
While the e-learning company is witnessing demand from companies in different sectors, Damera says fintech cos are leading when it comes to encouraging their senior employees to take up such courses. Mayank Kumar of e-learning company UpGrad says senior management participants have doubled in the last 6-8 months. Senior management make up around 5% of UpGrad’s student base.
In terms of learning style, Kumar says, “They look for strong learning that they can apply to their own job and implement in their company compared to younger learners who are looking for jobs. They also look for networking besides acquiring the right understanding of the subject matter.”
For several CxOs, it is not just about being ahead in the game. 43-year-old Mandar Tengse, director, project management at Oracle spends 5-6 hours a week just reading about emerging areas like blockchain, big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence, albeit there being no direct connect to his official role at Oracle.
“With the busy schedule we have every day, e-learning is the best option. It gives you the flexibility to manage your time and invest in learning. Sometimes, you have to push yourself but there is no other way. Every industry is witnessing disruption and organisations are looking at agility and change,” he said.
52-year-old Pratik Kumar, CEO, Wipro Infrastructure Engineering keeps himself abreast by subscribing to journals and reading up on websites like Quora.
“In today’s digitised world, there is a need for self-directed learning. Expectations from leadership have changed. The conventional image of ‘know all’ is gone and as a leader, our job is to connect the dots, draw insights and make it meaningful for the organisation. For this, we need to have a multi-faceted learning experience,” said Kumar.
