The Opportunity Ahead for GCT

I recently read Cal Newport’s So Good They Can’t Ignore You, and in this book, he references Derek Sivers’ three-minute Ted video on How to Create a Movement? The basic idea is that a leader needs to have the guts to stand out and be ridiculed. 

A young man without his shirt starts dancing by himself. Then another guy joins the dance. It is so easy to follow the young man. The first follower is going to show everyone else how to follow. The leader now embraces the follower as an equal. It is not about the leader anymore, it is about them. The first follower is an underestimated form of leadership in itself. The first follower transforms a lone nut into a leader. Then comes the second follower. It is no longer one or two people, it is three and it is a crowd. It must be public. A movement is created. 

First off, I want to congratulate the great work being done by the Alumni Association. The association is very active which is a blessing for each one of us who studied here. The students from GCT are very smart. We are from humble backgrounds and always strive to make a difference not just in our lives, but also in the lives of people around us. It is amazing that so much of the work done here is driven by students (from events, to placements to alumni associations).

The Brand ‘GCT’

With the rapid change happening around us, as a country, we need to be investing in research, inventions, entrepreneurship and more. How can GCT lead the way? When I was a student, I have always wondered why we are only #2 or #3 after PSG Tech. When I talk to someone and tell them that I studied in Coimbatore, the first question they ask me is – PSG Tech? I then have to explain, nope, GCT, Coimbatore, one of the three top colleges in the city.  I did not understand the reason then as a student. 

We have an opportunity to change this and it is not something which can be changed in a few months or a few years. It is a 10 year game. We can start taking baby steps in this direction. Though we are already a premier institution, let us take the brand ‘GCT’ to a whole new level. All of us can leverage this brand to our advantage. 

The Power of an Alumni Network

I recently read a LinkedIN post where Karthikeyan A.K (Batch of 2011), Shyamala T Surya (Batch of 2012) and Rajkumar Jayaraju (Batch of 2017), all GCT Alumni, cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2023. These alumni were mentored by our very own Rajitha Shivashankar (a topper from the batch of 2004). The gSARC (GCT Student Alumni Relationship Cell) also conducts various interactive sessions for the student community. I was able to connect with Rajitha by reaching out to Vijay Chandrasekhar (Batch of 2002). The way Vijay promotes the alumni association is something all of us can learn from.

Leverage the Alumni Network

With Technology enabling learning and the global world we live in, let us leverage the alumni network even further. The key areas we need to focus on are Research, Inventions, Entrepreneurship, Civil Services and more. What should we do to create world class inventions out of GCT? What should we do to create world class companies out of GCT? How can we create a TCS or Microsoft out of GCT? 

Movement

As Walter Isacsson writes about in The Innovators, William Shockley left Bell Labs and founded Shockley Semiconductor with the help of Los Angeles businessman Arnold Beckman. Beckman wanted the company to be based in Los Angeles, California. However, Shockley insisted the company be based in Palo Alto, California. This is the time Fred Terman became the Dean of Engineering at Stanford and was building the Industrial park at Stanford on seven hundred acres. Terman persuaded Hewlett and Packard (who had been Terman’s Students) to stay in Palo Alto. Fred Terman also offered incentives for Shockley to set up his company there. 

There is a thing or two we can learn from this. Change is the only thing that is constant. As the GCT Oval keeps changing for every event, we need to keep up with the change. There are no easy answers. To some extent, we are also dependent on external factors. However, I think the power of GCT is in its students. They are self made. We can and should create a movement to make GCT not just the best institution in the State, but across the world. This will not just help each one of us who benefitted from this wonderful institution, it will move India multiple times forward. 

P:S

This was originally published in GCT, Coimbatore, Alumni magazine on July 2024

By:

Karthik Chidambaram 

Founder and CEO of DCKAP

Batch of 2001 (EEE)

To know more about DCKAP, please visit: http://www.dckap.com/

And Karthik’s blog: http://www.karthikchidambaram.com/ 

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