Leap Year Boy

29th of February!!

The long wait for a birthday is finally over.

But why do I don't have any special feeling? Is it because one doesn't want to have a birthday when one is past 40?

44 years ago when I was born, parents would have had lot of expectations of me. Have I fulfilled them all? Can't even find out now as it is too late, for the parents are no more, for the first time since I was born.

A birthday,that too one that comes once in 4 years, is a nice time to take stock.

What could I have done better? More ambition? Less of laidbackness? More networking? More aggressive pursuit of career goals? Have I utilized the god given skills to the fullest extent? Am I an underachiever?

But then on the flip side, I have been fairly content. I am at peace with myself. I have created a small niche for myself in this world. And more importantly I have lived my own life without being dictated to.

The trick of being happy in one's life is to manage the expectations. I have made a conscious effort to do this during the period between the last birthday and this. And I am a much better person. The last four years have also made me more accommodative. A veil of serene detachment has fallen over me. And oh yes - I finished my M Phil during the intervening period.

What is in store for till the next birthday? Frankly I have not thought of it. But one thing I have in mind is that I would love to address you again through this blog on my next birthday and would like to sign off as Dr.Rajan Venkateswaran

One can dream after all! That is what birthdays are for.

I also bow my head in prayer to the Almighty for allowing me to be what I am. I wouldn't want to be anyone else.

Highlights of Indian Economic Survey 2007-08 (with my comments)

The highlights of the Economic Survey of India 2007-2008 tabled by the Finance Minister in the Parliament is given below with my cryptic comments in brackets;

Economy slows down to 8.7% in 2007-08 (Still a good growth. Could have been better but for lack of political will. The tricky issue is to evaluate how inclusive the growth has been. It is a known fact that the poor have not benefited at all. The trickle down philosophy of the PM and FM has not worked)

Inflation projected at 4.4 per cent in 2007-08 (Ground reality is different. The inflation of essential commodities are much much more that 4.4%. Government is fooling itself and the people if they are to trot out this figure)

Holding 9% growth a challenge, two digit growth even greater (No initiatives taken to even attempt this. The next government will bear the brunt of the omissions of this Government. We may see a period of slower growth in the region on 7% especially in view of higher energy prices)

Inflation and infrastructure biggest growth challenges (When was it not? So what is new? And what have the government done to tackle this?)

Skill dearth causing attrition, wage hike; pushing inflation (What else can one expect than skill dearth, considering the shambles in which our education system, especially the higher education finds itself?. Inflation because of this? This has to qualify as the best joke of the year)

Farm growth in FY'08 seen at 2.6%, against 3.8% a year ago (This is indeed a major cause for worry. The comfort of food security is a thing of the past. We are falling into a trap of food import which benefits only the multinationals)

Foodgrain output seen at 219.3 MT against 217.3 MT in FY'07 ( Something the government should have tackled on a warfooting, has been neglected by the pro business PM and FM. Aam aadmi be damned)

Acceleration in domestic investment, savings drove growth (This is a welcome sign, though I still believe it is the FDI that is driving the growth. And what about domestic consumption? The highlight is silent on this. Strange)

Macroeconomic fundamentals continue to inspire confidence ( Umm........confidence to whom?)

Investment climate full of optimism ( Same comment as above )

Industrial growth slower at 9% in first 9 months of FY'08 ( Why? And this contradicts the previous two statements. Farm sector down, Industrial growth slower and the Government want us to believe the Economy is all hunky-dory. Come on!!)

Costly rupee, sluggish consumer goods and infra a concern ( Exports in trouble because of costly rupee. But here at least the correction was over due and exporters have benefited at the expense of others for a long long time. It is pay back time. See earlier comments for the other two points)

Rupee rose by 8.9% against USD during current fiscal ( See the above comment )

Average credit growth slowed to 26.8% in FY'07, down in '08 ( Again a cause for worry. Means the economy is slowing down and the effect will be felt in 2008. Have to lay the blame squarely on the high interest rates )

Forex reserves up by $91.6 bn to $290.8 bn on Feb 8, 2008 ( High forex reserves are no longer the comforting cushion it was. It is a drag as the reserves earn low returns. We are subsidising other countries indirectly)

GDP projected at Rs 46,93,602 crore (mkt price) in 2007-08 ( That is a natural growth )

Inflation reined despite higher commodity prices & surge in capital inflows ( I beg to differ )

Growth deceleration spread across most sectors, barring power, community services and composite category of trade, hotels, transport and communications ( As I said before, definite signs that Economy is slowing down)

Capital inflows rise to 7.7% of GDP in first half of FY'08 as against 5.1% in FY'07. FDI inflows reach $11.2 bn, outward investments surge to $7.3 bn in April-September ( Some positive signs at last but too little too late)

Exports reach $111 bn in first 9 months of FY'08; Imports grow 25.9% ( Higher import growth due to high energy prices )

Surge in capital inflows, including FDI, to continue in medium term ( Are they being channelled in the right direction?)

Complete the process of selling 5-10% equity in previously identified profit making non-navratna PSUs ( Why has this not been done so far? And pray where have the government invested the previously accumulated wealth from disinvestment? Has it gone to meet the burgeoning expenses? Definitely yes and that is poor economics)

Phase out control on sugar, fertiliser, drugs ( Wishful thinking. No government has the will to tackle these. Drugs? Already the drug prices of life saving drugs are a cause of concern. With public health in shambles, the poor will suffer for want of medical care )

Sell old oil fields to private sector ( Long overdue considering the inefficiencies of the public sector )

Allow a share for foreign equity in all retail trade ( Don't think this government will be able to push this through and frankly this is not a priority area )

Raise foreign equity in insurance to 49 per cent ( 49% doesn't make any difference. Will ultimately benefit foreign insurance swindlers. The insurance company story is for another time)

Allow 100 per cent FDI in greenfield private agri banks ( And mortgage our ailing farm sector to foreigners? Why can't government channel rural credit through an elaborate micro finance network?. That is the need of the hour)

Increase work week to 60 hours from 48 hours and daily limit to 12 hours. (Fat chance this will happen. All the government has to do is limit the holidays to 12 per year. We as a nation work too less)

The economic survey has just highlighted the haplessness of this sick government which has been on a comatose situation for the past 3 years.

Let me borrow some phrases from the past and address it to our honourable PM and FM,

"Is there a Man amongst you that has the least care for the Good of the Country? You have sat here too long for the good you do. In the name of God, go!''

When I asked god for strength....................

"When I Asked God for Strength,
He Gave Me Difficult Situations to Face

When I Asked God for Brain & Brawn
He Gave Me Puzzles in Life to Solve

When I Asked God for Happiness
He Showed Me Some Unhappy People

When I Asked God for Wealth
He Showed Me How to Work Hard

When I Asked God for Favors
He Showed Me Opportunities to Work Hard

When I Asked God for Peace
He Showed Me How to Help Others

God Gave Me Nothing I Wanted
He Gave Me Everything I Needed" - Swamy Vivekananda

Management by Exception

Management by Exception is a management style where the managers intervene only when their employees fail to meet their performance standards. If the work is getting done as required, the Managers will not interfere. On the contrary, they will necessarily intervene and set right things if things were falling apart. This also means that the Manager has to intervene when work is not carried out ethically or whenever he sees a injustice being carried out.

MBE is hailed as a management style or belief that gained prominence in the late 20th century. But this is not something quite new to Indian Culture,

"Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya
Glanirva Bhavathi Bharatha,
Abhyuthanam Adharmaysya
Tadatmanam Srijami Aham'.
-Bhagavad Gita (Chapter IV-7)

Thus spoke Lord Krishna to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita. A loose translation will read as "Whenever there is decay of righteousness and a rise of unrighteousness then I manifest Myself!"

Is this not Management by Exception??

Memoirs of a bygone era

My grandparents house was in an 'Agraharam' in Kollengode in Palakkad. Houses in a row on both sides of a private road with common walls and a temple at one end. A total of 64 families lived in the agraharam. One thing that struck me was the huge centre hall in the house with the roof open in one corner allowing rain water and sun to come in unhindered. The rain water was stored in a tank in the front hall. Another thing of note was that the front door was never locked. People can walk in at random and they in fact do. Also there was a small varandah outside the house made of bricks where anyone can sit or even sleep in the night. This is where as a child, I met and talked to lot of interesting characters. The fortune teller with a parrot, the wise old brahmin who used to regale me with stories, a middle aged eccentric man who talked fluently about philosophy, the gypsies who travelled extensively selling bangles and so on. No one was turned away and a cup of buttermilk or water or coffee or lunch was always made available to the guests. The only thing that irked me was that my Grandparents being traditional, would not allow non brahmins inside the house.

Years rolled by. My parents set up their own nucleus family. The house was stand alone with a separate courtyard. There was a huge front gate and a large front door. It was as if making a statement that we want to be away from the society. In fact the society had by then become much more unsafe. There was a need for the house to be secure. Still, the doors were open throughout the day till 10 pm in the night. People were still welcome irrespective of the time of the day. My mother being a superb cook, always had something special for any guest. I could safely take couple of my friends home for lunch without prior notice knowing fully well that food for at least 2 extra people will always be available. But the open verandah which allowed total strangers to rest became a thing of the past much to my regret. But on one front we had made considerable progress. My father was liberal in thinking. So off went the culture of non brahmins not entering the house. All were welcome.

Today people live behind closed doors. They look through the peep hole to first check who has come and then cautiously open the door on a chain and do not even come out. The welcome with open arms has become a thing of the past. One can detect the displeasure on the hosts face if one goes unannounced. When even friends are not welcome can you imagine what is the status of strangers. Today young kids are told to be beware of the strangers and not to talk to them. The learning and the pearls of wisdom that the kids get from interacting with people of different nature is absent. So much the pity. Are we all living on gilded cages?

As the great malayalam poet Vallathol said,

"Bandhoora Kanchana Kootilanengilum

Bandhanam Bandhanam thanne paaril"

Loosely translated it means, though we might be in a golden cage, it is still a case of being confined with no freedom.

If this is progress, I would love to remain without it.

Be a step ahead

What should a company do to be a pioneer and be innovative? Let me reproduce from a nice article by Erich Joachimsthaler

"If a company is to truly hit the spot with innovation time and again with any consistency and wishes to achieve profitable growth and create an advantage, it must do three things,

First, it must understand the people it is trying to serve as the individuals they are -- apart from any connection or interaction with the company. That is, it must be able to temporarily forget and let go of its current business, strategies, products and brands as it observes how people (not just customers and potential customers) go about their daily routines. It must understand their behaviors in context, and develop a deep, inner conviction of the changing outer world -- an objective view of how changes in people's ecosystem of life affect that behavior.

Second, it must know how to go beyond its own perimeters of products, markets, and competencies; let go and challenge the assumptions, common practices and golden rules of doing business still held today: and go beyond what it has learned from consumers. Only then can it conceive of entirely new opportunities by innovating across those people's behaviors -- as Apple has done across the changing ways of how consumers buy and listen to music. It must know how to define the spaces of greatest opportunity that nobody has yet even imagined.

Third, it must see itself "from the outside in" and formulate strategies around people's behaviors, not just seek to satisfy consumer needs and wants or customer requirements. It must execute activation plans that engage consumers and seamlessly fit all kinds of innovations into peoples' and consumers' behaviors -- or a customer company's work processes -- so that the people absorb and assimilate them.

It must create transformational life experiences, not just communicate features and benefits. Only then can companies spot and consistently and successfully bring to market winning innovations, achieve profitable new growth, and reinvent their business for the future. This is not easy. But it need not be terribly difficult. The right instinct already exists in most companies. We are, after all, customers and consumers -- people -- ourselves. Managers must learn to protect and direct that instinct to lead, and embed it in the organization, despite, and along with, the nature and ever-growing complexities of business."

What is true of companies is true of individuals too. We need to keep innovative, pushing ourselves to the limits, enthrall our internal and external customers, make every meeting with other people a memorable experience, look for new frontiers and challenges.

Fault Lines in our Economy 1

Managing the economy that is as complex as India's is very complex. Many Governments have fallen flat on trying to kickstart the economy. True, we are maintaining a healthy 8% GDP growth. But the underlying cracks in the economy is slowly becoming fault lines. Any article about economy conventionally needs to have lots of macro economic figures. I shall not bore you with figures but rather take a simple, subjective in nature.

The biggest drawback is the delivery system. Only 10-15% of the intended amount for development and welfare programs reach the ultimate beneficiary. The balance is pilfered away by unscurulous elements in the beaureaucracy and politics. The saddest part is that this has been identified as a major factor for failure by successive governments but they have done very little. In fact the unscrulous elements are becoming bolder.

The current govenment administration system is cumbersome and a legacy from the British Raj mainly aimed at collecting revenue from the locals. It was never intended to serve the people. The beaureaucracy is bloated, unwieldy, unaccountable, corrupt and is a drain on exchequer. The earlier we reorganize and prune the administrative system, the better. This will also reduce the non plan expenditure which in some states have reached unmanageable proportions.

Spending on Primary Education as a percentage of GDP is one of the lowest in world. As a country boasting of prowess in knowledge management, this is totally unacceptable. There are children who do not have access to school and the drop out rate is very very high at the primary level. Even if schools are available, adequate infrastructre and teachers are absent. Result - students remaining illeterate in the true sense of the word. Illeteracy amongst the children has multiple consequences. First, school drop outs will end up as child labourers which is not acceptable. Second, the productivity of illeterate children as they grow up will remain low. Human asset augumentation is critical for a country with a billion plus population. This gets adversely affected. Third, this will also lead to increased law and order problems as crime rate is linked to education. The need of the hour is to increase spending on education at least by 100% and change the curriculum to include more vocational training. This has to be backed by a support system that is in tune with the education to provide jobs at the rural areas which in turn will prevent migration of rural youth to cities - to be continued

10 ways to Destroy your Organization!

1. Always pretend to know more than everybody around you.
   
2. Get employees to fill in time sheets.
   
3. Run daily checks on progress of everyone's work.
   
4. Ensure that highly qualified people do mundane work for long periods.
   
5. Put barriers up between departments.
   
6. Don't speak personally to employees, except when announcing increased targets, shortened deadlines and tightened cost restraints.
   
7. Ask for a 200-page document to justify every new idea.
   
8. Call lots of meetings.
   
9. Place the biggest emphasis on the budget.
   
10. Buy lots of computers. - adapted

Can add a few more, but this is enough for starters. By the way, how many of it do you do?

Importance of Work Culture

Vigorous and arduous efforts in pursuit of given or chosen tasks is what work culture is all about. Sri Krishna in Bhagawat Geetha elaborates on two types of work culture ,

Daivi work culture - involves fearlessness, purity, self-control, sacrifice, straightforwardness, self-denial, calmness, absence of fault-finding, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of envy and pride. - this is considered to be divine

Asuri work culture - involves egoism, delusion, personal desires, improper performance, work not oriented towards service - this is demonic in nature

However, mere work ethic is not enough. A terrorist shows a much better work culture than an ordinary person, but then he works to the detriment of the society. The work ethic has to be backed by ethics in work.

One needs to have skills related to work AND an equitable and focussed mind. There is an incident in Mahabharatham where Dronacharya was conducting a practical test for both Kaurava and Pandava princes. He asks them to shoot down a target which had the shape of a bird using bow and arrow. When one by one takes up position to shoot, he stops them and asks them what do they see. All of them barring Arjuna tells the guru that they can see the target, the tree in which the target is kept, his brothers, cousins, the guru, and almost everything that is around the target. Dronacharya did not allow anyone to take a shot. Finally it was Arjuna's turn. When queried, Arjuna said " Guru, I see nothing but the eye of the artificial bird" and then proceeds to hit the target with unerring accuracy. A pleased Dronacharya then extols the virtue of focussing only on the target and the need to be oblivious of the distractions and surroundings. Arjuna had the supreme skills needed of an Archer and a really focussed mind. It is why he is hailed as an Archer par comparison.

Concentration on the task for its own sake leads to the achievement of excellence ­ and gives true mental happiness to the worker. Thus, while commonplace theories of motivation may be said to lead us to the bondage or extrinsic rewards, the Gita’s principle leads us to the intrinsic rewards of mental, and indeed moral, satisfaction

Time Management

An old story that beautifully depicts the concept of task (time) management is reproduced below,

A lecturer at a university is giving a pre-exam lecture on time management. On his desk is a bag of sand, a bag of pebbles, some big rocks and bucket. He asks for a volunteer to put all three grades of stone into the bucket, and a keen student duly steps up to carry out the task, starting with the sand, then the pebbles, then the rocks, which do not all fit in the bucket.

"The is an analogy of poor time management," said the lecturer, "If you'd have put the rocks in first, then the pebbles, then the sand, all three would have fit. This is much like time management, in that by completing your biggest tasks first, you leave room to complete your medium tasks, then your smaller ones. By completing your smallest tasks first you spend so much time on them you leave yourself unable to complete either medium of large tasks satisfactorily. Let me show you.."

And the lecturer re-fills the bucket, big rocks first, then pebbles, then sand, shaking the bucket between each so that everything fits.

Try this. It works beautifully and it also works with all your pending tasks at work or at home

Initiative

Two sons help their father in his fruits, vegetable business. The younger brother had for some years been given more responsibility , and one day the older brother asks his father to explain why.

The father says, "First, go to the Bhai, the fruit distributor and see if they have any mangoes for sale - we have run out of mangoes."

The elder brother soon returns with the answer, "Yes they have five boxes of mangoes they can sell to us."

That father then says, "Good, please ask them the price."

The son returns with the answer, "The boxes are Rs 250 each."

The father says, "Good, now ask if they can deliver the mangoes by evening."

And duly the son returns with the answer, "Yes, they can deliver the mango boxes by evening."

The father asks the older brother to wait and listen, and then calls to the younger brother , "Go to Velayudhan, the fruit wholesaler, and see if he has any mango boxes - we need to add to our stock."

The younger brother soon returns with the answer, "Yes, they have five boxes for Rs 250 each of Alphonso mango, or ten boxes for Rs 200 each of local variety; and they can deliver them now - I asked them to deliver the five boxes of Alphonso mangoes unless they heard otherwise from us in the next hour. And I agreed that if we want the local also, we could buy them at Rs 175 each."

The father turned to the older son, who nodded his head in appreciation - he now realised why his brother was given more responsibility and reward.

99% of the people fall in the category of the elder brother and hence don't achieve great heights in their career. Those who show initiative like the younger brother change the destinies of organizations

Drop a good pebble

A British family were on holiday in a rented motor-home in the USA. Travelling through California they visited the Magic Mountain amusement park close by Los Angeles. Mid-afternoon, halfway through what was turning out to be a most enjoyable day at the park, Mum, Dad and the three kids came upon a particularly steep plummeting ride. In the queue, the ride attendants strongly warned everyone about the risks of losing hats, spectacles, coins and keys, etc., and these warnings were echoed by large signs around the ride.

"Do not lose the keys," said Mum sternly to Dad, "Do you want me to put them in my bag?"

"They'll be fine," said Dad, patting his pocket.

During the ride, Dad lost the keys. "I've lost the bloody keys," said Dad.

Due to the fact that the motor-home was a replacement vehicle resulting from a breakdown earlier in the holiday, there were no spare keys. And there were six keys on the lost bunch: ignition, front doors, side door, fuel tank, propane tank, and storage cupboards. "This is a nightmare," thought Dad.

The park attendants (who were extremely helpful ) drove the family back to the motor-home, suggesting the least damaging ways to break into it.

Fortunately a window had been left slightly open, enabling the middle son to be put in and to open the doors from the inside. "At least we have somewhere to sleep tonight," said Dad, but Mum and the kids were in no mood for irony.

Inside the motor-home Mum and Dad discussed what to do. They were stranded.

Middle son (all of six years old) said he'd got a key - said he'd found it - but no-one was listening properly. "Perhaps it will fit, I'll get it." (The optimism of young children of course knows no bounds.)

Not thinking for one second that little lad's key would fit, Dad tried it.

Incredibly the key fitted the ignition - and the driver's door. Middle son is a hero. It seems he'd found the key in a cupboard when packing his clothes soon after the motor-homes were swapped after the first vehicle broke down.

The family decided they might as well go back to the park and enjoy the rest of the day. "We'll sort out the keys in the morning," said Dad, relieved, but with no clue as to how. "At least we have enough fuel in the tank to get back to the camp site."

The next day back at the camp site, Dad calls a local locksmith to see what can be done.

"I might be able to make new keys from the locks, if you bring the vehicle to me," says the locksmith, so the family drives to the locksmith, whose business is in a small shopping centre in the California countryside.

The locksmith looks at the motor-home, and says he'll try. "If you come back in an hour I'll know better what I can do for you."

The family go to the nearby shops and a coffee bar to pass the time. Dad returns to the locksmith to see how things were going. The locksmith says he thinks he can make new keys for all the locks, but it will be a long job.

In fact the job takes the locksmith most of the day. The family hangs around the locksmiths, visits the shops again, and generally makes a day of being at the little shopping centre. While working on the locks and the keys, the locksmith talks with the family about England, about America, about the rides at Las Vegas, about motor-homes, about business, about locks, about families and kids, about lots of things.

Late on in the afternoon the locksmith says that he's nearly done - "But you have time to go get something to eat if you want. When you come back I'll be done." So the family go to a burger bar for something to eat.

An hour later the family return to the locksmith's shop. It is now 4pm and they've been at the shopping centre since 10.00 in the morning.

When Dad enters the locksmith's shop the locksmith is smiling. He puts two new gleaming bunches of keys on the counter. "Here you go - a new set of keys for all the locks, and a spare set too," says the locksmith, "And I tell you what I'm going to do..."

Dad offers money, gratefully.

"You know, I've had such a great time with you guys today," says the locksmith, "You can have these for free."

This is a true story. It happened around ten years ago. The company is Newhall Valencia Lock & Key, in the El Centro Shopping Center, Canyon Country, California. This little company gave the family an experience that transcended customer service.

It is not suggested that that great customer service is about giving your products and services away. Obviously that's not a particularly sustainable business model. But there are times when you'll see opportunity to do something really special for a customer, or for another human being, and when you do it, the ripples of your 'good pebble' can stretch around the world, and last for years and years. So, within the boundaries of what's possible and viable for you, drop in a good pebble whenever you can and make some ripples of your own - adapted from www

A unique practice?

Being a young developing country still finding its feet, there is still much wrong with India. But the country also is the home to many sound social systems and practices. The sheer diversity of the country is mindboggling. And if one were to have been lucky of travelling across the country as a common man, there are many unique things to be seen ranging from the dabbawallahs of mumbai to the milk vendor in Hyderabad who comes to your house with a herd of buffallos and milks the required quantity in your presence to the tribal load carrier in the malls of Shimla, where vehicles are not allowed, carrying huge loads on his back.

I have heard, as a youngster, of newspapers being kept on the street corner in Hyde Park in London with no one to supervise. Customers will put the money in the tray and take the paper they want. Would have given way to a vending machine by now. But this was told to highlight the honesty of people in England. How far this is true I don't know, I assume it was.

One thing I have seen with my own eyes is a practice that is very very unique. In Madras (somehow I still cannot make myself refer to it as Chennai), the local city buses are crowded always. Like all Indian buses, it has two entrances. The ticket collector (conductor) sits near the back door and the bus is jam packed. People are expected to enter through the back door, pay the money, collect the ticket and move to the front. But in practice, many women get in through the front door. It is impossible for them to to move to the rear of the bus to buy the ticket as the bus is overcrowded. Now comes the interesting part. The lady passenger hands over to the person sitting next to the front door the money and tells him or her as to her destination. He/she passes it to the person behind them, they in turn to the people sitting behind and so on till it reaches the ticket collector. The ticket collector issues the ticket, collects the money, handsover the balance and the return journey for the ticket and balance starts. It unerringly reaches the original person. This is not a one-off situation. This happens thousands of times every single day and I have not seen this in any other city anywhere in India that I have travelled, and I have been to quite a few places in my life time.

You might ask, what is so great about this. That is precisely the point. There is nothing great about this. It is just a case of people helping others to make someone's life easier - in this case the ticket collectors and the lady passengers. But then why don't people in other parts do it? I am still searching for an answer.

Forwards and Midfielders

The Field Sales team and the Headquarters based Marketing team were at loggerheads. A consultant was asked to give a talk at a sales conference. The CEO asked him to focus on the importance of cooperation and teamwork between the Sales and Marketing teams, since neither group has a particularly high regard for the other, and the lack of cohesion and goodwill was hampering effectiveness and morale.

The marketing staff constantly moaned about the sales people 'doing their own thing' and 'failing to follow central strategy'; and the sales people said that the marketing people are all 'idle theorists who waste their time at exhibitions and agency lunches, have never done a decent day's work in their lives, have absolutely no field experience and are out of touch with ground realities'.

Being a lover of Football, the consultant decided to use the analogy of a team's forwards and midfielders working together to achieve the best team performance "......So, just as in the game of football, the midfielder, like the marketing department, do the initial work to create the platform and to make the opportunities, and then pass the ball out to the forwards, the sales department, who then use their skills and energy to score the goals. The midfielders and the forwards, just like marketing and sales, are each good at what they do: and they work together so that the team wins..." said the consultant, finishing his talk.

The audience seemed to respond positively, and the conference broke for lunch. At the bar the consultant asked one of the top sales-people what he'd thought of the analogy - had it given him food for thought?

"Yes, I see what you mean," said the salesman, "It does make sense. The sales people - the forwards, yes? - the forwards need the marketing department - the midfielders, yes? - to make the opportunities for us, so that we, the forwards, can go and score the goals - to win the business. We work together as a team - each playing our own part - working as a team."
The consultant beamed and nodded enthusiastically, only to be utterly dashed when the salesman added as an afterthought, "I still think our midfielders are a bunch of idiots..."

Stuff leaders are made of

As a young sales officer with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation handling Coimbatore Sales Area, I had a reputation for being upright, someone who gets things done, takes more than acceptable risks and not averse to bending the rules a bit (though not breaking them) for what I believed was beneficial to my organization. The last bit created lot of headaches for my Superiors at the Regional office, as on the one hand I produced results but on the other they feared that my risk taking might put all of us in trouble. Fortunately for me, my first Senior Regional Manager was a tough talking Kashmiri Pundit, V K Sawhney. Standing well above 6 feet with a physique to match, a baritone voice that commanded immense respect and a Cigar in his mouth, Sawhney was one of his kind. He took it upon himself to mentor all of us young sales officers and was a holy terror. We were all a little overawed of him. Well, not only us, even the Chairman P Ramakrishnan was once heard saying behind Sawhney's back "give the bugger whichever posting he wanted, but keep the **** as far away from Petroleum House (our HQ in Bombay where PR sits) as possible". Sawhney had utter disregard for anyone in the organization but he was superb in his work.

During the Annual Review Meeting of our Region chaired by the South Zone General Manager V K Singh ( who was Sawhey's immediate boss), I was making my presentation. During the course of highlighting my achievements, I narrated an incident where I had stretched the rules to the limit (exceeded my authority by a mile) to get business from a major industrial customer who was a die hard Indian Oil client. Expecting a pat on the back, I was stunned to see me being pulled up by the Senior Manager (Sales) South Zone Menon who was the aide to the General Manager. He hauled me up over the coals for flaunting Company guidelines and in short gave me a roasting. Not wanting to offend his key aide, the mild mannered Vikki (as GM V K Singh was fondly called) though not joining the bashing, maintained a neutral stand. Menon turned to my immediate Manager, Prashanth Mainkar and asked him whether I had taken his approval. The meek Mainkar, who to tell the truth was never aware of this (no one was, as I never had the habit of keeping my superiors informed), promptly washed his hands off and said he has not been informed leaving me in the dock. There I was, all of 25, in front of very senior managers being hung to dry. Sawhney, who was Mainker's boss and our Region head, was outside the room enjoying a Cigar blissfully unaware of what was happening inside and confident that since I was making the presentation he was on safe grounds. Word got to him that I was in serious trouble but he didn't know why. He stuffed out his cigar and made a dynamic entry into the room. I thought that with Sawhney coming back, my goose was truly cooked.

"Vikki, what seems to be the problem", queried Sawhney

Before GM could say anything, Menon explained to Sawhney the situation and how I have violated the policy which is a major breach and the need for me to be censured.

Without blinking an eye, Sawhney turned to me and said " Beta (son), you remember I gave you the approval when you called me early in the morning at 6 am on a sunday". Then to V K Singh, "It is alright Vikki, I had given him the approval and it is within my authority limits"

I looked at him dumbfounded as I know for a fact that Sawhney never had an inkling about this and I definitely had never ever talked to him about it. I spluttered " er............."

Seeing my confusion Menon asked me point blank "Rajan, is it true you took Sawhney's approval?"

Before I could say anything, Sawhney roared "Menon, I am telling you I gave him the approval. The matter is closed"

Menon seethed but just didn't have the guts to take on Sawhney. A relieved V K Singh quietly interjected "Well, if Vijay has given the approval orally, then it is fine. Regularise it through a document"

During the lunch break, Sawhney asked me into the room and barked "Son, I saved your ruddy ass out there. You owe me one. Next time, you BLOODY WELL INFORM ME before you venture out on one of your risk taking escapades. No surprises like this"

Look at his response. He had the common sense to know that what I did was not for personal benefit but for the benefit of the company and used his superb judgement there. He didn't mind the least about my action but just wanted me to keep him informed so that he can protect me.

V K Singh drifted in and said " Vijay, you played out a great drama out there. I know for a fact that you had no clue as to what Rajan had done".

"Vikki, of course i don't know because this little SOB takes law into his hands and never bothers to tell us anything, but he gets me results. Do you think I am going to allow a dumbwitted A**hole from Zonal Office Menon to put down one my boys. I may scream at them but I don't allow ANYONE ELSE to touch my boys. Tell that to the ***** Menon".

That was vintage Sawhney. Later I heard through the grapevine that he chewed my Manager Prashanth Mainkar for not backing me in the meeting.

He taught me a lesson that day. Never, never let your subordinates down and I have never done that in my two decades of working.

People like Sawhney evoke extreme feelings but they are terrific bosses and no wonder their subordinates are prepared to give their life for them - Isn't that called 'Leadership'?

Learning something new everyday

As a Sales Officer of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation in Coimbatore in early 1990's, I was responsible for a retail outlet network of about 36 Petrol Stations. One of them was on the Coimbatore-Palghat highway in Madukkarai, adjacent to Associated Cement Company's factory. The dealers, also fleet owners having one hundred plus dumpers, were two brothers - the god fearing, quiet, intellectual Thulasiram Prasad, who was in his mid-50's and his much younger brother Bapuji, whose main hobby was networking, partying, playing golf and in short living it up. They were a study in contrast. As a youngster, I was obviously more comfortable with Bapuji.

One day on a routine visit to the retail outlet I was spending some quality time with the elder brother, Thulasiram Prasad. Those days I had an annoying habit of using not so common words while speaking in English. During the course of the conversation, I used words like acumen, cul-de-sac, barbarian and so on. Thulasiram Prasad, ever the gentleman, stopped me whenever a difficult word was spoken and asked me for the meaning of the word. When I explained the meaning, he immediately noted it down in the diary in front of him with the meaning. Remember that he was a successful businessman in his mid 50's , extremely rich with children studying in USA and I was a young eager beaver, brash, cocky and less than half his age. But he never had any reservations in asking for clarifications.

Though intrigued, I had too much respect (and maybe a little too proud) for Thulasiram Prasad to ask him why he was noting down all these. Later, I met Bapuji and asked him about this behaviour of his brother. Bapuji said, " Rajan, my brother is a compulsive letter writer. Whenever he hears or reads a word he doesn't know the meaning of, he will note it down and in the evening he will make it a point to incorporate in a letter he writes. You may not be aware of this, but he has one of the largest vocabulary of anyone I have seen in my life. And he has built it up like this over a period of 30 years brick by brick learning two new words per day"

I learned many lessons that day. I have never hesitated to ask anyone if I don't know something since. And I have followed his footsteps of learning something new everyday and applying it as early as possible. I have been a better person for it.

Thulasiram Prasadji, I never got a chance to thank you as life took us to tread different paths. Let me take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have benefitted a lot in my life and the least I can do for you is to pass on that learning to the readers of this forum.

Simple rules for better English Writing

Fabulous advise from V S Naipaul on English writing. If you follow half of it, you will be a wonderful written communicator.

1. Do not write long sentences. A sentence should not have more than ten or twelve words.
2. Each sentence should make a clear statement. It should add to the statement that went before. A good paragraph is a series of clear, linked statements.
3. Do not use big words. If your computer tells you that your average word is more than five letters long, there is something wrong. The use of small words compels you to think about what you are writing. Even difficult ideas can be broken down into small words.
4. Never use words whose meaning you are not sure of. If you break this rule you should look for other work.
5. The beginner should avoid using adjectives, except those of colour, size and number. Use as few adverbs as possible.
6. Avoid the abstract. Always go for the concrete.
7. Every day, for six months at least, practice writing in this way. Small words; short, clear, concrete sentences. It may be awkward, but it's training you in the use of language. It may even be getting rid of the bad language habits you picked up at the university. You may go beyond these rules after you have thoroughly understood and mastered them.

I think this is fantastic advice, even if I myself don't follow all of it (I have a tendency to write long sentences). Point number 2, especially, should be internalized by all of us,

Moral Dilemma Solution

I had posted a Moral Dilemma the other day. For those who did not read it, i am reproducing it below,

"A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other abandoned. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track.

One train is coming, and you are just beside the 'track interchange'. You can make the train change its course towards the abandoned track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way?"

Now, let us analyze this dilemma..............................................

Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. It is logical to think that to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was the rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally.

But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place? However, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was.

This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how far-sighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, without any concern who was right and who was wrong.

The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train. We should not sacrifice "right" at the luring of a "popular" decision. "What's right isn't always popular; and what's popular isn't always right."

What is illegal today is legal tomorrow

In his wonderful film, a political satire, 'Muhammed Bin Tughlak' which was released in 1969 (the film was banned for a few years), the film's director and hero Cho S Ramaswamy who acts as the resurrected Tughlak makes a promise in his election campaign " If I am elected, I shall make it legal whatever is illegal'.

Though we all had a good laugh then as it was inconceivable for something like that to happen in modern India, the laughter is turning into anguish when one watches exactly the same scenario being enacted these days.

What triggered this is the news report that Delhi Government will bring forth a legislation that makes all the illegal constructions in Delhi legal. There is a history to this. Delhi's elite, in cohort with the corrupt local authorities and in violation of the zoning laws, put up thousands of illegal constructions all over Delhi in residential areas and elsewhere inconveniencing lakhs of law abiding citizens. The matter came to the High Court who ordered the sealing and demolition of all the illegal constructions thereby bringing relief to the common man. The culprits stonewalled using powerful politicians and taking advantage of the loopholes in the judicial system. Now, the Government wants to change the legislation with retrospective effect to protect these criminals!!!. The TV interview given by the Chief Minister Sheila Dixit yesterday supporting the desealing legislation was disgusting to say the least. Does it mean that one can break the law with impunity and get away with it? God help our country.

This is a disturbing trend. A couple of years back we saw the Office of Profit Bill being amended to suit the Parliamentarians in general and Sonia Gandhi in particular. We can in fact go back to 1985 when the landmark judgement on the Shah Banu case was overturned by Rajiv Gandhi Government to please the minority community which resulted in a poor woman (and thousands like her) being denied a meagre alimony.

Couple of decades ago, if one wanted a railway reservation in the last minute, all one had to do was to approach a railway porter who will take a commission along with the bribe of the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) and ensure you got a berth. This illegal act was legalized by the Railways when they started the Tatkal scheme, which meant that you can get a berth by paying a premium if you book on the day of travel. Pray tell me what is the difference. In both cases, legitimate travellers who are in the waiting list and who could have been accommodated are left wringing their hands.

Similar instances are available in other sectors. When there was a eight year queue for getting a LPG connection (the dealers always gave you a connection at a premium), the oil companies offered the Tatkal scheme by alloting LPG connections for a premium of nearly Rs 6000. Same was the case with the Own Yur Telephone (OYT) scheme of the telephones. And the latest in the line is the Tatkal Passport Scheme of the Government.

In each of these cases the infrastructure and resources that could have been used to serve common man is being diverted for those who want to jump the queue and who has the financial resources. And I thought democracy was about equal rights for all.