What no B-school can teach you

"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first and the lesson afterwards." -- Vernon Sanders Law.

These lines summarise the basic difference between a B-school and what life teaches you at work.

B-schools teach you models, case studies, strategies, best practices and so on. But success has rules which are far beyond the books.

To win, one has to master some 'X-factors' that define the line between the ordinary and the extraordinary.

I have been fortunate to be associated with some exceptionally talented people who have constantly challenged my views and sparked new thought processes. Let me share some of these simple ideas that were not taught in B-school, but have made an impact in my life and work style.

Pride: Let's face it, we're alive for only a limited period of time and we'll spend most of our lives working. That being the case, I believe the number one priority is to do whatever we do as well as we can, and take pride in that.

This pride comes from the belief that whatever we are doing is making a difference to the world. In the technology industry, it might translate into competitive advantage for some of the biggest corporations in the world.

One thing is for sure. If we are not proud of what we are doing, there is a vital piece missing. A note of caution: pride is not an inheritance or a legacy. It has to be earned.

As Ayn Rand said in Atlas Shrugged, "Pride is the recognition of the fact that you are your own highest value and like all of man's values, it has to be earned."

Passion: A philosopher said, "We may affirm that nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion." If we take pride in what we do, passion is in how we do it.

Again, passion cannot be taught -- it is inherent. It gives you an inspired energy towards realising your dreams. No wonder the best athletes in the world are the ones who are passionate and do not treat the game as just a sport.

Every time they walk out of the door, they know where they are going, why they are going, and they are already focused on that special place. Passion causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes.

Results: This differentiates a hero from an also-ran and separates efforts from achievements. Most of the time we tend to complicate our lives and forget what is important and what is not.

We tend to mistake movement for achievement and focus on activities instead of results. It's crucial to align our actions more closely with pre-defined objectives and understand the relevance of our actions -- for us and for others.

I believe that thinking through clearly and focussing on a singular objective is the most important ingredient for achieving results.

The three most important lessons that experience has taught me is that if you have pride in what you do and do it with passion, results are sure to come your way.

No management book or B-school can teach you that. But take my word for it -- they work better than anything you've been taught before.

Vineet Nayar is president, HCL Technologies. He graduated from XLRI in 1985.

- As told to BS Strategist Team