Prof. Ripudaman Gaur is an Associate Professor at the GL Bajaj Institute of Management and Research Centre in Greater Noida. He is a well-known motivational speaker and personal branding coach who has over 20 years of experience in academia, training, and branding. He holds an MBA in Marketing and a PhD in Personal Branding. He has also completed certifications in Personal Branding from the European Union and Advanced Sales Management from ICT and IIT Kanpur. To date, Dr. Gaur has delivered over 200 training sessions and workshops. Additionally, he has been a part of over 50 quiz competitions.

GL Bajaj Institute of Management

As a motivational speaker, what motivates you to motivate your students?

When I interact with students, I always keep in mind my own journey. I realise that these students have enormous talent and massive energy. I just don’t motivate anyone; I rather try to get people connected with their motives and aspirations. Once they realise the worth of their existence, every student outperforms and becomes a valuable asset to society. The latent desires and dreams in the eyes of the students motivate me to ignite them to live those dreams.

How do you strategize the curriculum and how often it gets updated to make it befitting for the students? 

I usually customise my curriculum based on the needs of students because I believe every lock has a different key. Each student has a different sort of requirement for training. However, some of my frequently delivered sessions include Breaking the Comfort Zone, Building Your Personal Brand, Winning Mindset, and Positive Attitude. I often interact with recruiters and try to seek answers to two fundamental questions: what are the key skills that recruiters look for in a prospective candidate and what are the skill gaps they find among the interviewed candidates? Based on the assessment of the above two questions we prepare our content and train the students for better employability. We experience that there are changing and emerging demands for skills so the curriculum is designed based on feedback received from various stakeholders.

When you came to the institute, what was your vision and how are you trying to achieve the same?

My passion is to help people find their passion. I am a strong believer that one can connect their passion to their profession. When I joined GL Bajaj, my vision was to make employability a happy affair. When I say employability is a happy affair, I mean every student of mine is not just surviving; they are living their life happily by opting for a profession they love. I start my sessions by asking this question do you want to survive or do you want to truly live your life? I am delighted to see that students have started realising the importance of being happily employable.

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What is your approach to making a healthy environment for your students? 

 I am of the view that the best learning happens when teachers and students learn together. Participative and collaborative learning makes the environment healthier. I let my students express themselves; activity-based learning and audio-visual assistance are some of the approaches I adopt to maintain a healthy and learning-conducive environment.

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

We live in a disruptive world where technology and innovation are shaping the world into a new paradigm, but the fundamentals of leadership have not changed. Leaders should have the ability to inspire and ignite others. Leadership is a quality to which nearly everyone aspires. However, being a leader whom people follow willingly and passionately is undeniably challenging. Since my childhood, my deepest desire has been to cultivate a unique persona that would inspire others. Although this transformation occurred unknowingly, I wholeheartedly embrace it. I realised a significant flaw during my observations and learning experiences. Many individuals yearn for leadership to amass followers and gain recognition but often neglect introspection and the cultivation of their inner strengths. This realisation stirred me to action. I consciously chose to focus on what most leaders overlook or procrastinate on. My leadership style centers on introspection, reflection, and the nurturing of one's inner world. In my day-to-day life, my guiding principle is to do what is right, even when no one is watching.

Can you provide some insights on the latest training sessions you have conducted? 

In my previous sessions, I spoke about personal branding for management graduates. Usually, personal branding is seen from the point of view of celebrities, politicians, or entrepreneurs. However, in the current digital world, personal branding for students is becoming immensely important. Recruiters are screening and scrutinising the digital footprints/digital presence of their prospective employees. Nearly one billion names are searched on Google every day. You never know who or which part of the earth is searching for you. In order to stand out in the crowd of lakhs and crores, students must focus on leveraging their personal brand. I broke the session into five steps that include understanding yourself (SWOT analysis, core values and USPs, aspiration, passion, believing in yourself, reinvention (by continuously breaking the comfort zone), creating and promoting your personal brand online and offline, being yourself ( be genuine, authentic and consistent).

Could you provide some advice on how students can find motivation in their academics? 

We all should think beyond exams. Education is a journey, not a destination. Yet, many of us often get lost in the whirlwind of exams, focusing solely on securing good grades. While good grades are important, they are not the goal of learning. It's crucial to remember that we should study for a bigger purpose in life. Exams serve as checkpoints in our educational journey, but they don't define our true potential. The bigger purpose of education lies in acquiring knowledge, developing critical thinking skills, and becoming well-rounded individuals who can contribute positively to society. When we study with a broader perspective in mind, we become more passionate about learning. We delve deeper into subjects that genuinely interest us, rather than just cramming for exams. We begin to see how our education can be applied to real-life situations, preparing us for challenges beyond the classroom. In essence, education should be a lifelong pursuit, driven by the desire to grow, evolve, and make a difference. Therefore, while exams are essential milestones, let's not lose sight of the bigger picture, our personal growth and our ability to make the world a better place through knowledge and wisdom.