Tara Deviah reached the glass doors of Karma Good Living (KGL) almost expecting a security guard to appear, but sadly he was talking on his mobile phone. Once she walked in, gone was this annoyance. KGL was large, roomy, colourful, and, at first glance had at least 70 shoppers in view. The floors were clean too, she liked clean floors.Presently her husband, Manu, walked in having parked the car. "Myna messaged; she wants a 3 litre Prestige pressure cooker, stainless steel," he said. Tara and her husband were at KGL to buy some bathroom mats. They were told KGL had a good range of bathroom accessories. Both then looked around to make sense of what this floor held. There were some plastics, some durries, matting, some fancy lamps... Tara looked around for signage, but did not see any. Nor did anyone come to assist her. The annoyance was back. Tara now looked around to see if she could spot the floor sales staff. She recalled what her friend and retail consultant V. Rajesh had once mentioned: "A good manager or supervisor's presence can be felt in a store within seconds of walking into it." "It is idiotic how our work follows us during our personal time as well," she remarked to Manu. "I wish my mind did not draw my attention to retail flaws!" He laughed, "Can't help it I guess, especially if the flaws show!" So they busied themselves looking at what was available on that floor. Tara and Manu had recently relocated to city-X and this was their first visit to Karma. It seemed to be a popular choice and their advertising was aggressive. A few feet ahead of them stood a black island on which were poised shiny new pressure cookers. Tara went closer and was pleasantly surprised; these were cookers from Spix, a Mumbai-based cutlery brand. Tara was pleased as punch to see a brand that brought back memories of her college days. With nostalgia, she said, "Gosh, imagine, pressure cookers (PC) from Spix! Very sensible category for Spix to enter. And what a dependable house of steel! You know you were considered a discerning housewife if you owned a Spix!"Manu: Good, good, now we will also be discerning and buy their pressure cookers. Chalo pick up one fast.Tara examined the collection. She was getting tempted. They looked so shiny and nice. "You know, finally all new vessels look aspirational, irresistible!" she said with a laugh, feeling the cooker, noticing its edges, the gasket… Then she picked up the lid; it was nice and heavy, good quality stainless steel, very reassuring. "These guys know their stainless steel. And the store has so smartly displayed it on black." Presently she became wary. "Should we be taking a risk? Nim and Bird have perfected their PC knowledge and I don't think any new entrant, no matter his lineage, can incorporate the learning or make a dent into this market, nah?" Manu did not agree. "As learning gets perfected, knowledge becomes part of the system and available to anyone. It just needs dedication to absorb it and a willingness to enter the industry for quality first, as profit sharing won't happen early."But Tara, for all her love for Mumbai and Spix, kept warding off choosing Spix. Funnily, the more she was rejecting a new brand, the more Manu was suggesting a brand change, declaring that Spix was not risky. [Later she was to recall to her colleague, "I should have been the one to declare undying faith, but I was hesitant; he should have been telling me off, but he was encouraging me to buy a new brand! What aspect of consumer behaviour am I missing?]Manu said, "Anyway, you decide. Maybe it is not heavy gauge as you like it... check its bottom." Tara picked up the bottom half of the Spix cooker... and the handle came off. She barely managed to save the vessel from falling down.Manu and Tara both laughed nervously, and Manu said, "Okay, no experimenting!" Both said ‘ouch' together. Tara was upset. Her fondness and loyalty lay with Spix, the mother brand. "No, this can't be! I know Spix; they are people for the long haul. You know, they are traditional business people; something is wrong here..." She beckoned to the floor sales person. Even before she could speak, he said, "No speak English." "Hindi?" "No Hindi."Now she was annoyed even more. The supervisor arrived. He picked up the errant cooker bottom, turned it around, muttered something in a local language and said, "You leave it.". Tara was surprised, "Leave it? But I came to buy a cooker! Don't you have Nim or Bird?"He replied, "No, only Spix. We don't keep other brands." Tara: What? But why? Supervisor: I don't know. Tara: How can the handle just come off? Where is the man who attends to Spix?Supervisor: That boy has not come today.Tara (to Manu): This is a huge store... it looks dependable. If they are investing so much in looks, then why not in merchandise too? Gosh, this is so upsetting!Manu: Chal yaar, let's go elsewhere; I don't like this place either. It does not seem ‘knowledgeable'. But Tara asked for time and asked to meet the floor manager. He was on a tea break. "Okay… ...is there anyone who would take decisions in case there was a sudden fire?" she asked dramatically. Then another uniformed person came by. Tara said, "This is a good brand, I know these people — can you tell me why the handle has come off?" The man replied, "Must be product defect." Then he added, "Sorry ma'am, I am also new…"Tara: Oh! Where were you before? "With JB Hospital, in executive dining," he replied.Tara froze, as the man beckoned to another young lad, and had him remove the displayed item. Tara was an account supervisor at an ad agency. The day after visiting KGL, she met her client Accuberry, a large department store, for a briefing for their promo. Over lunch, she shared her experience at the store, (which she referred to as ABC), with Ranvir Reddy, Accuberry's operations head, and his team members— Madhav and Savio. Tara: How much do you really watch consumers? Yesterday, I left ABC carrying so much angst. Late night it struck me that I did not leave any bread crumbs for them to track me! Funnily, nor did they try to hold me back! What a lot of data they have lost forever!break-page-breakPoint is this, Ranvir — when a consumer has a grievance, it can be a private internalisation or it can be a public explosion. In my case, it was both. But I realised the store had no road on which my angst would reach the man to whom it would make a difference. Typically only the owners care about feedback! And my inner disappointment could not be made known!Do we understand our consumers' emotional makeup, I ask. Therefore, is the glamour behind an outlet relevant to consumer following? Is the granite-and-glass-look more assuring of the quality of the outlet or its content? Ranvir: Neither. It's the look of the times, Tara. Unfortunately, consumers respond to attraction value; the more charming and glitzy a place, the more the perception of quality, the more the walk-ins. Then again, this is very category-dependent. Yet tell me, were you angry about the brand or the store? Tara: Spix is a brand I grew up with. So my faith in the brand cannot be altered. Even the handle coming off I did not believe belong to the brand; but I got ticked off when the chap said "product defect"! Then again, I was encountering Spix-the-cooker for the first time. Otherwise, Spix stands for cutlery for me. I had gone to ABC looking for Nim or Bird. Then I saw a name from my young days and I was so happy. At that stage, I did not need any selling. Yet ABC was unable to influence my purchase decision! I am sure Spix does not know this bad handling of its brand and product!Ranvir: So what bothered you — Spix's performance at that moment or ABC's behaviour? Tara: See, when I entered the store, I was happy. I was even happier after seeing Spix. Then gradually, my mood changed... I feel a store must be able to tap into a shopper's disappointment, happiness... anything. Catch it before it destroys a sale. No salesperson appeared! And I was a new customer!Savio: They have no means to know that….Tara: Oh! A good store manager must know! Madhav: This is interesting, because you are the archetypal consumer who has a checklist of how a store should behave. The "glamour" of modern formats has tended to create higher customer expectations, especially for service. But we face manpower shortage and cost issues. Tara: Okay, so you feel customers come with predetermined expectations. Where does that come from? From having had a better experience before, from knowing the difference. And from — let me shock you — from the kirana stores too. Go to Chedda Stores in Matunga or Jain stores in Chandralok, Mumbai, go to Rama Stores in Munirka in Delhi, go to Dorabji or Kayani's in Pune — they will be bursting at the seams with customers, but you get noticed real fast and your order is conveyed via a chain of people to the backroom. See, this is what I meant — do retailers spend time inside a shopper's mind?Madhav: But the case with department stores is quite different!Tara: How? In both cases, I am a consumer with a need and he is a seller with a solution! At Dorabji's even if I am browsing, they have one eye on me, they still come and register your presence — that is my point! A store must convey supervisor presence instantly! Savio: Retail has not developed enough in India; we are still dealing with terribly trained staff, or no staff. Tara: Yes, ABC even had a supervisor from a hospital with dining experience. Why? Has the retail industry been unable to develop a good training ground? BPOs have cracked it! See, there is a lot that a shopper feels when she enters a store, a lot that, I think, you can gauge non-invasively. These feelings make or break her purchase decisions. What are these? Wouldn't you like to know? Madhav: There are tools... we use them, to develop signages, like in the grocery wing we keep staples at ground level, and use her eye level for new products. We stock chocolates and impulse buys at the cash counter...Tara: Right! These you do for your sales, your profits. I am talking about tools to maximise shopper experience, to examine a shift in her mood, perhaps. There is a lot of processing that goes on in her head. A lot like eating at a restaurant and finding your order was forgotten. You just go away, knowing they cannot be trusted, even if the restaurant has a damn good reason to offer.See, I am not the expert, but having been on the spot, I was wondering, is it not possible to enter these experiences for mutual joy? I feel there is a lot of unexpressed emotion that a consumer leaves with that influences his perception of a store and its services. Yesterday, for instance, the man called it "product defect". Does he know how upset I got because he slighted my childhood brand? Madhav: I think what happened at the store was nothing unusual. This can happen anywhere. I just feel you reacted... unusually, if I may say. How does it affect a retailer, where you are from? Tara: That is where I differ. I think India has become seamless. Today, more people are travelling and relocating. People always look for their roots, for familiarity... On top of that, ABC had no skills in home ware. First, they had men manning the kitchen shelves; two, they had men who knew nothing about cookers; three, they had let the Spix attendant off duty! Savio: Coming to Spix, there can be several reasons why the handle came off. Being a display piece, shop staff are told not to tighten the screw as the piece then becomes used or unsaleable. We are forced to live with poorly trained staff and high attrition! Doesn't the onus of training the staff in the art of dealing with the client category/display/ presentation, etc. devolve on the store? To bundle up her observations as a personality aberration is ridiculous, she felt. What is it that I am not able to express...? Two days later, Tara and Manu needed a new cook top for their new home. Tara's friend Navya suggested Plimm, a German brand. She also warned against high expectations from the outlet. "It is quite tacky, used to be a store house, not sure what it is like these days, but they have every model." So Tara went there. It was almost as Navya had described. There was not even an address plate. Tara saw about 20 different models on display. When the manager came forward to meet her, his first question was, hope you had no difficulty finding the place? Whereafter he spent a lot of time explaining each model. And then suddenly she saw on the left a whole lot of Spix cookers and cookware! Tara was taken aback. To the manager Arun, she said, "You do Spix?" He said, "Yes, we do; we are their sole distributors."break-page-breakOn makeshift white wooden shelves, Spix sat along with other models, sizes, etc. Tara asked pointedly, "How is Spix doing?"Arun: Actually quite well. Credibility is very high, we sell x number of pieces a day. Tara: Isn't being steel a hindrance? Even though they say aluminium leads to Alzheimer's, its manufacturing goes on! Arun was on the ball. He knew exactly what she was saying. He elaborated on that further, rattled off some statistics, went into deeper explanation of market behaviour, adding, "We thought Spix would do well in big formats but our assumptions were proved wrong. Unfortunately, retail has not evolved..." Tara left the store, having bought a Spix pressure cooker, among other Spix wares. Of course, she also ordered a five-burner hob for her new home. On her way home, she called Bijou, her cousin who headed operations at a large retail chain in Kolkata to pick his brains. After narrating her experience, she asked Bijou , "How is it that, a tacky store with no decor, chipped walls, no chairs to sit on, barely enough lighting, filled the consumer with faith? What had caused this? Yet ABC with its granite and steel and marbled floors failed? And how do you relate this to the experience with Spix at ABC?" Bijou: See, when a loyalist comes with defined brands in the consideration set, an informed salesperson can make the difference. He may be selling trash but you still buy it because he is confident and passionately selling the product, in a store which gives you confidence that "I can come back if I have a problem". Tara: Please understand that I was already sold on Spix. I already have great faith in the brand. They had no need to do any selling! Bijou: I agree and we see this often. So if you had planned Prestige, your assurance would be visible and a good store man will pick it up. Then, if the handle came off, you would be unfazed and ask for a fresh piece. The store guy too would have just said ‘display piece, lot of handling', and you would have believed him, no matter how poor his verbal skills. Simply, ABC was not alert to your mind. You were predisposed to Spix, but then hesitated. Why? If there had been an attendant, he would have deftly picked up the mood change, and restored the brand in your choice set. Tara: Yet, I reject Spix at ABC and buy it at a distributor's. Say!Bijou: You did not reject Spix at ABC. You rejected ABC itself! Don't you see? You were repelled by ABC's performance on the shop floor and you were also annoyed that your respected Spix was being rubbished by a newcomer like ABC! This is not unusual anymore. You won't believe me, but just yesterday, in our grocery department, I had a customer who was upset that our shelf for coffee held tea brands of a different company! She came to the same shelf where she had been buying Bru Roast and Ground fortnight after fortnight, and yesterday, a new store boy placed Munn Tea — which also has green packing — on the same shelf. She blasted every shop floor staffer in sight! We hired cheap temp staff for the Christmas and new year rush — this lad could not read English, so he went by colour!So, it makes no difference whether your floor is granite or hardboard. A store's look and feel does ensure that products are stocked neatly; there is a convenience to a shopper overall. That said, whether you buy Surf or Ariel, from Big Bazaar or from a hole-in-the-wall shop, the quality of the detergent doesn't vary. It's not the product anymore, Tara. It's the damn consumer who keeps changing!Classroom DiscussionWhy does comfort and convenience beget more comfort and convenience? casestudymeera(at)gmail(dot)com(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 30-01-2012)
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Family, community and brands are all a continuum in a person's life. Brands, whether Spix or stores like Karma, add meaning through emotion to mundane shopping. So, consumers may express emotions such as liking, nostalgia, let down and trust for the people in their lives or for brands they engage with. Not surprising then that Tara feels for her childhood brand exactly as she would for an old neighbour or school buddy. Rationally, her data points about Spix are from the past. Everything at Spix may have changed, including their market standing, leadership or even ownership, but Tara talks of them in the present tense. "They are good people. They know their steel, their cutlery." Branding turns mere things into human-like items. A number of unstated emotions are revealed in Tara's narrative. To go to a nicely-appointed mall for bathroom necessities is not what Tara did until a few years back. This sense of open choice is a reflection of her material and emotional well-being. When she grew up, husband and wife didn't casually stroll around store aisles talking about pressure cookers and choices. But here, the store is the serving entity while she is the empowered one. A few years back, the shop owner was the more moneyed, knowledgeable and empowered person. There are three key players in the rational and emotional jigsaw in Tara's story — the consumer, the store and the product brand. Today, all three are in the middle of rapid change. The first player, the urban consumer, is seeing a rise in incomes, aspirations and markers of well being. On an average, all urban Taras have grown up with family incomes at a fraction of their present income. Buying is now a constant journey of exploring the unknown... a dress, a big car, a new skin cream, Mexican food, etc. Learning new tricks, while managing the pretence of ‘been there done that' is a constant stress in a society with emerging prosperity. The second player, the modern store. While business is booming, they have to draw their customer-facing teams from a society not used to serving with dignity. Boys and girls from ‘good families' still do not work in stores. It took Shoppers Stop 10 years before their team members found it ‘okay' to go home in uniform after work! In traditional stores, below the superb entrepreneurial gems of Rajat, Chedda or Ratnadeep, the store teams are full of loyal, hardworking, uneducated, underpaid and overworked shop assistants with no career progress after 20 years of work. The Cheddas are gems of excellence that are neither scalable nor ready for the future, in their current work practices.The third player, the brand. Spix, Bird or Prestige products in India have grown up always having their brand ‘talk' to the customer either from a safe distance through advertisements or through storytelling shopkeepers. These brands have to learn the new vocabulary of open, self-service formats. They have to come out of their packs and flaunt their products. Shelf communication, display, product demos, features information and, of course, consistent store staff product training, is the vocabulary for customer engagement and succeeding in the new modern stores. The average Tara intuitively knows these dynamics. Every day, she routinely engages with street hawkers, supermarkets, beauty parlours and the best fine dining places in town. She does this seamlessly by turning on the appropriate expectations quotient with the kind of service she is buying. Our Tara Deviah has the additional handicap of being an ‘educated' marketing professional. So, here's a little service marketing theory for our Tara:There are three kinds of services: Search, experience and credence. In ‘search' services (regular product purchases), before the purchase and payment, the customer can fairly assess the value she would get. Range, choice, availability and consistency are the chief services the store has to provide. That is why, in this case, a tacky store with a full range wins over a swanky one with only one brand.‘Experience' services are those where the customer knows value only after consuming the services. Diners, beauty parlours and doctors belong here. The service, lighting, ambience, all matter. ‘Credence' services are those wherein, even after consuming, the customer is not able to assess the true value of the service. Think lawyers, consultants, celebrity doctors, and others. Trust, reputation and mystique are vital elements that surround the actual service. The service provider looks down upon the customer. When the customer and the service brand are in sync on this construct, commerce happens between them without emotional friction or angst. Right now in India, most consumers and stores are new to this. They are tripping in their dance. A few more rounds of practice and, I'm a believer, a unique desi tango will emerge.Damodar Mall is director of integrated food strategy at Future Group(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 30-01-2012)
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Modern retailing in India is still in its infancy and trying to come to grips with the ever-changing customer. It has got the infrastructure elements right. Granite tables, the lighting, the hygiene are all the elements that are important to create the first impression and to give a silent assurance that the store sells quality products and will take care of any post-purchase dissonances. Modern stores tend to activate the catchment areas by building consumer awareness, periodically announcing offers and selling loyalty programmes. So, while marketing has brought the customers across the door, has service kept them there? This question has to be answered, more so in the retail sector where a consumer is predisposed to making some purchase as he walks into a store."Customer delight" is the mantra that starts with senior management and the whole strategy is built around this objective. Win over the customer and the rest will be taken care of. So, while businesses invest a lot in setting up a store — racks, lux levels, aisle spaces, colour, branding , customer navigation, etc — they lose out on personal customer encounter, which matters the most. Tara represents the new age consumer who is aware, conscious and demanding. Her journey of decision-taking started with evaluation of the store infrastructure, look and feel, walking in with a set of known brands (Nim and Bird), adding Spix to the set during evaluation, and ended with a rejection of any purchase from the store. It was a good opportunity for the store to win over a brand-loyal customer. But it lost a customer which, in turn, can lead to a lot of negative publicity for the store. More importantly, no analytics will throw up this data unless there is a strong documented feedback mechanism. So, with no insights into Tara's episode, the store continues to build on its weaknesses.The success of retail is manifested in small details. So, while we do intricate detailing of the store elements, to get detail as part of store DNA in execution is paramount. Bad signage at the entry should have been noticed by store staff or the security and not the customer. Any distraction gets registered in the shopper's subconscious and affects her purchasing decisions. If this is not done, detail will always be sidestepped and the store will remain busy answering quantitative data on conversions, bill cuts and bill averages. Move to Plimm. The look and feel is compromised, but there is a long-standing equity with customers; there is a goodwill that drives footfalls. Once in, the customer has a range available. Clearly, the store demonstrates the ability to form an emotional connect with the consumer, which is at the core of customer shopping experience. More importantly, it is able to give confidence to the shopper, reaffirming her faith in the purchase of a trustworthy brand. So, what differentiated the stores. At Plimm, one predominant factor is the understanding of the customer. Other factors include ownership- driven approach, willingness to positively influence the shopper's purchase decision, rich knowledge of merchandise. At Plimm, Spix did not fail Tara. KGL, however, did not make any effort to understand why Tara did not make any purchase. In any retail business you can usually identify the owner or a good manager just by observation. They notice more because they have a greater financial stake. An owner-driven approach brings in efficiencies in processes, and a higher level of customer interaction. A customer is ever comfortable with a quiet, unsaid assurance of dependability. In the absence of this connect, all other frills remain just that — frills, and do not aid a purchase decision. Big retailers should also seriously invest in knowing their customers. Unlike in the developed countries, the customer in India cannot be bracketed into a single entity and it is important to identify and define your ever-changing customer.In retail, all the flaws get noticed immediately when you walk through the store's door. In this case, at KGL, the security guard was busy over the phone, no one asked the right questions to discover the customer's needs, no one smiled, and the staff's knowledge of the merchandise was low. All these issues glare at the customer immediately and affect her decisions. Training and ability to retain talent, therefore, becomes extremely critical. It is true that serious manpower shortages today impact the execution. The Indian consumer has grown up with neighbourhood stores where shopowners share strong personal relationships with customers. One needs to bring in new world modernisation in the look and feel without losing that old-world connect with customers. This combination can lead to a satisfying customer experience and can lead us to the holy grail of "Customer delight".Murali Krishnan is CEO of Nilgiris Dairy Farm Pvt Ltd(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 30-01-2012)
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Acharya Vineet stood before the class of 75, taking in their individual expressions and energies. Dressed in white pyjama and kurta, he placed his laptop and mobile phone on the podium.Vineetji, a senior scholar from a research organisation, Discovery, was an adept in Vedanta after several years as a senior HR professional. As part of its aim towards an integrated approach to education and business studies, The Aryan Business School (TABS) had included a module in India's knowledge tradition, which would aid an understanding of ancient methods of learning and management. Vineetji was at TABS on an exploratory class in Vedic management. He was now listening intently to a case being described to him by a student, Vallabh Sarma. "Vineetji, the example that we wish to place before you is that of a company where managers have alleged that their appraisals were tampered with." And Vallabh read out the synopsis. Parmeet, an accountant was rated ‘Outstanding' by his boss, based on targets achieved, skills, potential, personality, etc. The appraisal committee thought there were too many Os. So all employee ratings were considered for the bell-curve and Parmeet was brought down to ‘Meets Expectations'. HR explained that his performance while good at department level, did not actively help in the growth of the organisation. Parmeet sued the company, saying, ‘How the company has done is not under my control, nor can my work ever impact the entire organisation. I have done what I can, so the company needs to reward me for the same.' "Vineetji, do tell us, were these situations uncommon for ancient India. How did kings appraise and motivate?" Professor Amrita Krishnan (senior faculty member — HR): What baffles me is — whether the employee is getting demanding or the employer is acting dishonestly? Vineetji: Let us sort out the questions: a) Employees' unhappiness with appraisals, is it dishonest top management or inept line management? b) Was olden Indian management as described in the scriptures any different? Question: Do line managers have the right to communicate an appraisal as if it is a reward metric? Reward must remain separate from appraisal. The line manager (LM) can say you are doing a fantastic job. But by treating the appraisal as a reward, he has misled his team.Going back to the olden era, one can recall the time when Prince Arjuna is on the battlefield all geared for the fight. And then he loses heart after seeing family members in the enemy army. He drops his weapons and tells his friend and charioteer, Krishna, "I cannot do this. I am now going to retreat to the forests renouncing the world." What does Krishna say to him? Here is a severe moment of appraisal. He says, "You are a warrior by birth and profession. The state is in your care; there are duties you owe to the country. Your duty is to fight." And Krishna blasts Arjuna for his unprofessional behaviour. His points of reference are not the enemy or the army but simply Arjuna and his duty. Appraisal is about the individual. Next: The CEO says we cannot have so many Os, hence prune the excesses. People are not a negotiable instrument that you can stretch, like Rs 1,000 can one day buy 10 kg of soda or potash, and in better times, may bring home 11 kg. When a leader chooses not to give employees their dues, he is stretching them to work for less. Also, are you rewarding for the year gone by or incentivising the year to come? Reward and compensation are different. But see how the line managers have used it to ‘judge' their subordinates, while the MD is using it as a budget tool. Appraisal is a serious moment for development; not for making a gift of a rating. The MD either does not understand this or failed to explain to his LM that ratings will have little bearing on how the MD will reward. For reward can be more for a ‘ME' manager in a department that is deeply distressed and less for an ‘O' elsewhere. Student: And employees will pay for this?Vineetji: "Pay for this" is a part of the same system that shows the CEO and the line managers as wielding the power to reward. Then again, when Parmeet says, "I am doing what I am supposed to", he is admitting to only ‘Meeting Expectations'. Reward is earned, not demanded like baksheesh! When you ‘meet expectations' you get a salary. You get rewarded when you accomplish more. The system is flawed and the CEO must take ownership and apologise for a poorly designed appraisal system.Student: How can a CEO apologise! He will be sacked and lose his million-dollar salary. I have not heard any CEO apologise. Satyam's Raju admitted to defrauding but did not apologise. He only said, "I am now prepared to subject myself to the laws of the land and face the consequences." Neither did Harshad Mehta, nor the Telgi scamster; nor the Hawala scamster politicians; nor the Commomwealth Games fraudsters. They all looked for loopholes to escape punishment. Vineetji: The quality of good leadership is the ability to grieve for a mistake made and apologise. Kings should have the ability to say sorry, to cry with the people, to celebrate with them. Kings and leaders, must remain human. They pointlessly don the garb of a god, but they are human. A system that allows apologies actually helps people to introspect and reform. Vallabh: Does apologising lead to a solution? If anything, won't employees be angry? Then there is bad press and media chatter!Vineetji: Why would employees be angry? You are already appraising and rewarding punishment using that same yardstick. The king is human — can err. But operational mistakes are not immoral, especially if he owns up to erring and corrects it. King Dashrath was a terrific value-led king. He overplayed his innate skill for being able to shoot blindfolded and in the process he shot a young lad who was fetching water for his blind parents. Bending at the knees before the lad's parents a stunned, broken Dashrath said, "Unknowingly and unexpectedly your son was killed by me. Please command me."break-page-breakA lesson in ethical management bursts forth from the boy's father, "A killing brought about by a warrior premeditatedly (especially upon an elder) would expel even Indra from his post." By warrior he means one whose job is to lead and protect. For us it can be a CEO, a line manager. ‘Premeditatedly' also includes abandonment of opportunity to think before acting. One thing a leader cannot abdicate is meditated action. Hence ‘I did not think' does not work. If after thinking, he errs, then it is a mistake. But if he does not even think about his actions, then he must be de-throned for mindless management. Did your CEO think about the appraisal system? When a person accepts the leadership of a CEO, minister or teacher, he is assured that his interests will be taken care of in a fair manner — that the leader will act in a value-based manner, putting employees' interest above his own; that the leader will do what is to be done in a manner in which it is to be done. In your example, the leader has erred in not communicating the purporse of an appraisal to employees. Now, they are agitated. This has happened because he acted hastily. He must now apologise and graciously allow it to be corrected. Mistakes do happen. How can we be so severe and say CEOs, kings, parents, grandparents cannot make mistakes? Do people become infallible once they cross the age of 35? If the CEO is sincerely sorry, employees have to acquiesce. The word is actually ‘abide'. An employee's duty is to abide by the CEO, stand by him.Student: Wow, how can you simplify all this? An errant leader must go. Not forgiven.Vineetji: Again, you are linking appraisal to punishment. Both are separate issues. One, you appraise; two, you reward or punish. The appraisal is a verdict. The reward and punishment will depend on the intensity of the person's acts upon the organisation. The leader can be declared wrong, but the leader need not go. Does your matrix allow for that?Now let me tell you about ‘abidance'. The younger four Pandav brothers bore unconditional obedience to the eldest, Yudhishthir, who they considered not just their elder brother but also head of the kingdom, and their leader. I must add that, abidance was ingrained in them by their mother right from their young days. So during every decision, even if it was not to their liking, including in the dice game, including in declaring war on the cousins, we see their abidance. Likewise recall when Dhritarashtra calls Yudhishthir for a dice game, he agrees because for him Dhritarashtra is king first and then also father-like (pitaa-samaan). The four younger brothers dissuade him; they dislike the idea, but they stand by Yudhishthir. In the privacy of their homes, they dissented and debated. But when they had to present the face of the organisation, they stood united, abiding by the eldest's law. They trusted his wisdom. Obedience in olden India was based also on these values. Unlike today — when you can simply defect to another party because today the stake is ‘my gains'. Then it was ‘kingdom's gains'.So adherence is vital in an employee-employer relationship. If there is faith, there is trust and that is reciprocated with honesty and integrity, then abidance follows. Do organisations inspire faith?Student: Were there appraisals, ratings?Vineetji: The system of being graded ‘best' was there in the Vedic period but mostly for skills and talents — like oratory, archery and music. Today, in business, everyone works in a team. This is where the idea of leadership comes. It is the efforts of a leader that coordinate many people, functions and departments; make space for knowledge-sharing; raise motivation, and harmonise teamwork. This integrates collective organisation effort.Amrita: So, there was no benchmarking? You'd say competition was with the self?Vineetji: Duryodhan and Bhim were both stellar in the art of wielding the mace. But Duryodhan was never asked to be like Bhim in the art. Guru Drona told Duryodhan that his prowess will not reach its full potential as long as his mind was clouded by competitive anger or hatred. Competition with self implies performing better than you did yesterday. So benchmarking was with reference to yourself, your last performance. Student: Like Kamsa's contest of brave wrestlers was organised to trap Krishna and Balram. And when they won, he sent in an intoxicated elephant — like the forced ranking method, where you have an axe to grind and use intoxicated elephants like the bell curve! Vineetji: That would be a bitter message to take. Understand the essence. Corporate agendas should not always be considered vested and biased. They often represent strategic priorities at a point in time and are subject to change. People working in priority areas have to deal with more challenges than those who are in the relatively safer zone. For example, in FMCG companies, marketing may be perceived as higher in priority. In the defence services, the same rank gets more remuneration in hard field and less in a peace posting. The practices of unethical, corrupt governments like Kamsa's cannot be standards; their actions are based on self-perpetuity. Standards are set by noble leaders, leaders with the courage to be honest, leaders who work for greater good. Student: Are you saying forced ranking is good for the organisation?Vineetji: Resources, especially financial, are never unlimited. Organisations have budgets, profits and costs, which vary depending on the corporation's performance, and also sometimes due to global forces like recession. So, while many will work well, only some can be rewarded. Strategic priorities will decide who is critical to the fortunes of the company at a point in time. This is good for the organisation. Vallabh: What about the employee standpoint? How can we accept being rated first as ‘Outstanding' and then as ‘Meets Expectations'? People are real, not like machines, which they can choose to depreciate at 20 per cent in a year where they want to reduce profits and revise rates to 15 per cent in bad years so that they can show profits!Vineetji: This man versus machine thought comes from an individualistic and a ‘me–them' mind set. When we do not have a sense of ownership with the organisation, we only worry about ‘my gain'. In reality, all work is accomplished through the combined efforts of five factors: a fit mind and body (adhisthana, the essential physical framework); motivation to work (karta); the cooperation of others, hence a yagnya attitude or say team work that uses collective strategies, tactics, skills, competence and creativity (cesatah); the right physical environment, hence light, ventilation, air, moderate temperature (karana); and finally synchronicity (daivam) or universal capability or intelligence to coordinate all the above sub-systems to achieve order and equitability. break-page-breakThis synchronicity is the final decisive factor. It is not a given but we assume that these sub-systems are intelligent and will automatically enable the equitable participation of all of them at the right time to deliver the desired result. But actually not! There is an enabling quantity that brings these five together at the same time, and it is then that an event takes place successfully! Hahaha! I see those looks on your faces and I know how you feel. But isn't this a factor we give a miss? Nothing happens by accident. Understand all of life is governed by the unmistakeable laws of physics and luck is just a four letter word for what we cannot explain.Ananya: Wowww... then what is luck?Vineetji: Scientifically, luck is the concurrence of all the sub-systems at the same time allowing them all to deliver their fruit at the same time, despite some of the sub-systems seeming to be inadequate to obtain the end result. Ignoring or misusing any of the five causes, leads to sub-optimal work outcomes — what we call failure. A common mistake is to give too much importance to the mind, body, senses and ego and ignore the remaining three factors! Amrita: Tell me, if that is so, then it stands to reason that every occurrence is a success? Because it has been delivered by the five sub-systems coming together? (Illustration: Mala Singh) That being so, why is it that one feels dissatisfied with the appraisal? After all, the five sub-systems came together and delivered what you can call success.Vineetji: Simple. The inputs from these five sub-systems were not commensurate with the original goal. I want to be a doctor, but my strategy or my skills at studying or my physicality or the climate was less than commensurate with the planned goal. So, in this case, the dissatisfaction would not have arisen had the leadership understood the difference between appraisal and reward. To my mind, an appraisal lets employees know how they have performed and this information is to be used for identifying training needs or job re-fitment. As for reward, the moderation or ‘force fitting' as you have been told, was the second iteration where the shortlisted are examined against more variables. It's like in a beauty paegent — you may be Ms Pune, but at the all-India level, you may drop to tenth rank. Student: That means there will be subjectivity in rewarding? Vineetji: What is subjectivity? Wisdom plus experience plus judgement. The right to apply subjectivity can be only with the leader. Is there no subjectivity in a judge's judgement?In the case of one person, he grants bail, but in another case, he refuses bail on grounds that the person had a good opportunity in life to stay on the path of right, to be value-led, especially because the person was a public figure, and in governance the spotlight being on you, you carry the onus of good conduct. This is where faith comes in.Amrita: Ah! But faith can co-exist only with honesty, is that not so? Why would I be faithful to you if you are dishonest with me?Vineetji: Very nice. So we come back full circle to honesty in leadership. If the leader is consistently honest, even if employees do not understand the reasons for a decision, they will abide like the Pandavas. Because they have faith in an honest leadership.Amrita: The problem is that reward is considered only in terms of the limited resource — money and designation (power). Both are limited resources, which we all vie for and hence forced rating. In the ancient days, what were those rewards that men found equal joy in, even if money and power did not come to them? Vineetji: The reward of knowing they were doing their duty...! Classroom DiscussionEven in our products today, in the chase for the ‘what' we have left behind the ‘how to'.To be continued...casestudymeera(at)gmail(dot)com(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 19-12-2011)
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Do employees have the right to sue companies they work in? This routinely happens in public sector and government organisations, especially with regard to promotions and recruitments; but in case of private sector organisations this is an anomaly. The students in a business school and their human resource (HR) faculty are surprised as in private sector, (employing maximum B-school graduates), exit option is the preferred tactic of employees when things get uncomfortable in the company. It is also paradoxical that "to sue" is seen as an act of aggressiveness on part of employee (traditional-feudal mindset); and perceptions like CEO cannot apologise because of fear of being rated as incompetent exist among educated elite in India today.What is the prescription of Vedas in such a situation? In ancient India the praja could, and was expected to go up to king and demand justice (sue!) for reddressal of grievances. By this count, the company owes an explanation to Parmeet to keep him motivated. At a practical level the "O" downgraded "ME" category of individuals can be treated by HR as a special category of valuable human resource to be placed (promoted) to positions that do "matter" in the larger scheme of things. But these are not long-term solutions; for if the king (organisational leadership) is not worthy, then supplicant will suffer even more if he complains. In Parmeet's case too, he could make matters difficult for himself if he sues. If the decision goes against the organisation, he would definitely jeopardise his goodwill with seniors.The scriptural ideal of Vedas is inward looking "anatarmukhi" — a more sustainable approach to deal with predicaments of life. Parmeet should reflect on his attitude towards work, and must realise that it is the duty of a person to work and not the reward thereof (Karmanevadhikaraste ma phalesu kadachan, ma karmaphalhetubhurma te sadhogastavakarmani; BG 2:47). When concentration is single-pointed, not distracted by anxiety about rewards, there is enthusiasm and determination to work wholeheartedly, and this is yoga. When work becomes yoga, there are psycho-spiritual benefits that are therapeutic and evolutionary in nature to be gained by an individual. According to svabhava- guna theory of Gita: individuals endowed with satwic guna (qualities) as opposed to rajasic and tamasic guna tend to transform work to yoga. But Parmeet has dominant rajasic guna: being self centred, driven by fruits of action and satisfied only with those rewards that appeal to ego and senses. He would in life buffet like a football between happiness and sorrow depending what is meted by others to him. (Ragi-karmaphala prepsur lubhdo himsatmako sucih, harsa sokanvitah, karta rajasah parikritita; BG 18:27). Parmeet is also displaying tamasic guna by being attached to just one single effect of his work (appraisal-reappraisal) as if this was the whole purpose of work that he had done (Yat - tu krtsanavad- ekasmin- karaye saktamana- haitukam; BG 18:22). Does this mean that Parmeet should not have protested? According to Vedanta philosophy, one should protest only when motives driving it are satwic and aligned with existing work ethics (lokachara). The Pandavas bore 12 years of banishment to forest life after losing the dice game — even though they were sure Duryodhana and his coterie had cheated them. Initially, they didn't fight with Duryodhana and decided to do so only when Duryodhana refused to return the kingdom to the Pandavas after successful completion of penalty clause. Had Pandavas chosen to fight just on assumption of cheating, they would have gone against the prevailing ethics of the game? By not accepting the company's verdict, Parmeet is refusing to accept the appraisal system (rules of the game) to which he is bound after signing the employment contract. But what should the organisation do. The Vedas are clear that in ordering of hierarchies, entities which are higher must be more evolved than those below them. Thus people in the role of appraisers within the organisation must like Parmeet (appraisee) also go inwards, reflect bring about correction at several levels. First, it should frame properly the communication with employees about purpose of performance appraisal. It must raise morale of employees who were told their work did not matter in larger scheme of things even when they were good at what they were doing. Lastly, if judgement is in favour of Parmeet, the organisation should consider this as an important feedback and not become vindictive against Parmeet. The satwic guna in organisational policies, leadership and communication must increase and rajasic- tamasic guna reduced.Dr Mala Sinha is associate professor, Asian Perspectives in Power and Leadership; Business Ethics at the Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 19-12-2011)
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In today's fast-paced environment where business gets done at the speed of light, job complexity is quite different from the ancient times, and demands the skills of a juggler. There are implied expectations of working 24x7 in this rat race. In such a performance-driven culture, it is about exceeding expectations, delivering much more than what is expected of you and one puts in 200 per cent of efforts during or off-office hours. A Blackberry in one hand, latte in another, sitting in a conference call, and the poor executive assistant waiting to catch your eye while struggling to jam two more hours of meetings on a calendar which is already booked for 12 hours — not all might be inclined to work in such an environment. Organisations need to isolate and reward such marathon runners. An appraisal process is mandated to spot and identify such leaders. In the case, the central character Vineetji referred to incidents from past and married them with management theories to draw some comparisons — albeit, not always in the context of appraisal and reward, but real Indian leadership challenges. In Krishna-Arjun story, the performance appraisal cycle was yet to begin as they were still in the phase of execution, but a real leader can provide situational feedback to guide and steer his team to achieve the objectives. In the King Dashrath-Shravan example, the key point about a leader's responsibility is to think before acting. At the same time, it demonstrates values for future leaders to emulate. Why are our leaders, many of whom have risen from humble beginnings, unable to act ethically in crisis? Is this because of our culture, values, social make-up or simply because of the individual pride where failure or committing mistakes are not acceptable? Is it a social construct that will not let its idols fall? Do we always demand success and success at all costs? There are plenty of examples — Rajat Gupta, Satyam's Ramalinga Raju and a host of politicians with disresputable conduct. Yet the West, for all the mud that Indians sling at them, has shown propriety when leadership is tested. Like Bill Clinton who acknowledged and apologised for his departures from propriety, or Tiger Woods for his errant ways, even Ford whose tires were faulty recalled its SUVs. These examples demonstrate their ability to say ‘Oh-o! I made a mistake!' But, in our culture, we not only are unable to accept a failure, we even justify it. What drives this behaviour is the premium we place on being number one in everything we do!Value-based leadership is centerstage today, with the spotlight on ethics. This is what Dashrath demonstrated. Today's great leaders not only think about financial performance, but also about external factors such as environment, employees, talent and human sustainability. This is not a ‘nice to have', but a ‘must-do' to drive financial performance. For a value-based leadership that walks the talk will enable employee to have faith in the leadership — akin to the Pandava brothers in Yudhishthir. As for appraisal versus reward: the two are very interdependent on each other. Most progressive companies have a two-step process of appraisal feedback and a calibration process of forced ranking. However, this should not be communicated to the employees as both the processes together give the full view of employee's relative performance, opportunity areas and assessment of what roles s/he is capable of handling in the future. The process is transparent and equitable wherein performance is evaluated in the department (or a manageable sub-group) and calibrated within a bigger group for relative ranking, while maintaining the bell curve. The process ensures that rewards are in line with organisation's strategic priorities. Performance appraisal can impact an employee's bonus for the past year and increment for the next year. If the employer's communication is sub-optimal, then obviously not getting that reward can impact his morale and future performance. Whereas a bonus linked to performance is what works in today's culture when organisations are repeatedly demanding self driven efforts from their employees. A sense of duty might work for a rare few, but organisations should emphasise on rewards and a leader must enforce the principle of pay for performance. The case has theories on work, luck and what are the different subsystems leading to performance. Here is my take on how mountains are climbed — ambition (dreaming the impossible), hard work and being at the right place at the right time. A perfect congruence of all three makes for a winning combination which if you repeatedly try, will make the impossible seem possible. A leader is aware of these and does not relent until he sets this in motion. Manoj is the CIO for PepsiCo in India and is responsible for business transformation and information solutions(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 19-12-2011)
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Anirbaan squinted as he tried to make sense of what Raghav had just said: You need those cracks in your life to enter a great new world. A lot like Alice and the little door and the Pick Me Up and the Eat Me... If she had thought of herself as big and the door as small, Lewis Carroll would not have a story to tell. "What did you say?" he at last asked Raghav, his co-traveller on a train from Pune to Mumbai. To recap: Anirbaan Chowdary, Gemmet India's ex-CFO, had confronted his MD for siphoning out money. In a stunning coup, the MD framed him, and had him fired. Anirbaan shares this with Raghav, who is on his way home after a reunion with his six college buddies from 30 years ago. Raghav recounts to Anirbaan each friend's path, the promise that their hopes had held in college and how life had panned out for them finally. Raghav: Do you recall Alice in Wonderland? She followed the hare down the rabbit hole and was soon surprised by the turn of events. But once there, she chose to deal with the goings on with amusement and a certain resignation…Anirbaan: Now that is a fairy tale, please! Raghav: Aren't ours too? Leave the debates and the doubts. When she saw the little garden door and how big she herself was, she did not ignore the ‘Eat Me', nor the ‘Drink Me'. She decided to play along, and allowed things to take their course! You too should, Anirbaan! Anirbaan: So, now you are saying, success cannot be planned; that what has to happen will happen; that there is no correlation between what I plan and what turns out? Isn't that what your stories point to? Every one of your friends tried to plan his success and goofed, rather life goofed up on them. That is exactly what happened to me too, see? I was a gold medal chartered accountant, much sought after. Then I start working for India's leading business house where the last thing you expect is hanky panky... and the MD frames me! I did nothing wrong, nothing at all. Where did it all go? So apart from ‘don't plan', you are also unloading on me the Indian fatalistic destiny theory!Raghav: I doubt if it is destiny. And even if it is, what's to prevent us from coming to terms with what is unfolding and enjoying that which is, rather than hunger for that which is not? If we accept that all this is weird, like Alice did, why not choose to be amused with what there is?Anirbaan: So I must tell my children, ‘Take what comes, do what is possible,' hanh? Will I be aiding success or failure? Isn't success by design? Isn't that what your Steve Jobs and Gates and Jack Welch tell you? Isn't there a role for a parent to play in child's success? Or should I teach them to let things be?Raghav: No, we must continue working as opposed to ‘chasing success'; because we are chasing a prototype of success, aren't we? We want that MBA to result in a multi-million salary, a Hugo Boss blazer and a Hyundai i-20. Is that what education must perform? Think, Anirbaan. Did you do a CA to be buried under a tomb built by a crusty old MD with a limited view of life? Therefore, do not ‘educate' your children. Lead them to knowledge. And do not make the neighbour's kids your benchmark. My life — and those of my friends — has taught me one simple fact: a lamp can light the way, but it can't get rid of its own shadow. The lamp must come to terms with that constant darkness which is its own shadow. Raghav's words washed over him like a tumble of words out of a dictionary. He heard again, The lamp must…, and then he went deeper into his own silence as the sentence followed him. What was this man saying? That some parts of life are a given and you just pole vault from there? Or that you make your darkness your best friend... Hello darkness, my old friend... "Explain that for me?" he asked simply and Raghav said, "We will always have things in our life to fear, to avoid, to wish to forget. Our wisdom does not allow us to get rid of every fear, anxiety, dark thought. That is because as we look ahead in the light of what we have learnt, we become more aware that there are things that we could not learn, could not come to terms with, could not solve...Anirbaan: And those we must bear?Raghav: And those we must bear.The station loomed ahead and the train made appropriate hooting sounds. "Bahut jaldi station aa gaya," said someone, and Anirbaan remarked, "How can the station come? We came to it, no Raghav? My grammar teacher might have called it ‘transferred epithet', but I am wondering, is this how we design our destination: arrive at it, and then call it destiny? Blame it for coming without being called?"break-page-breakRaghav laughed his signature laughter, many small notes of neatly formed ha ha and ha-s. Not one was longer or differently pitched than the other. He shook Anirbaan's hand and said, "Travel in hope, always. That way you never arrive in despair."And then, 5 km before the station, the train came to a grinding halt. There was a signal failure that annoyed everyone, including Anirbaan, "Just when we thought we have arrived!" he said, adding the traditional, "Tchah!"Raghav: That does not mean we will not arrive. Question is, how important is arriving?Anirbaan: I wonder about you. A lot that you say I like... Anyway, you may as well now tell me about the seventh fellow.Raghav: That's me. By definition, a classic failure. I studied economics. My six friends studied literature. By a twist of fate, I found myself working for a newspaper to make a living. Ever since I haven't stopped writing for a living. Quite by accident, I became the editor of the publication I had joined as a junior writer. I didn't want to be the editor, but having worked there 12 years, I had no choice but to run it. It was the burden of knowing the publication's history, of knowing the people who supported it, of having shaped the publication for 12 years. This experience got me a book contract and I became a published author, quite by accident! But over the years, the kind of writing I have done has changed. I do it professionally for a variety of global companies in the complex and changing area of technology. Don't ask me how I got here. I just don't know.Anirbaan: Oh? You don't know? You wrote because you experienced a calling. Or maybe you didn't know that you were good at writing and maybe studied economics because your father was an economist? Anyway, I find it fascinating that you were an economics student while your friends were from the literature stream. How did you select friends from outside your stream? Raghav: I am not sure. Maybe it was because we hung around a guy called Zak Punchoo who used to sing and play the guitar. I love music. Zak wrote protest songs... you can imagine how attractive that sounded at 19. But I had friends in economics as well! There was Ernest Pinto, a senior associate at the Reese Movement for Peace. Pinto specialised in international security after he left college and was on assignment with the US Department of State as a senior advisor. He was a very high flying officer with the US government. There was Tillotimma Shastri, who almost ran for Senator in Nebraska. That's the kind of class I was with. Even in college I felt I could be as good as these guys. I guess I was lucky to have such wonderful people around.Anirbaan: That other friend of yours, the chap who did the fancy teaching course? Correct, Arthur. How did he plan to study something as weird as educational instruction design? Can you imagine his poor father having spent all his provident fund and the son comes back with an education that can't even mend shoes?Raghav: Wow, you are interesting. Arthur actually was at one point planning to handcraft shoes. His mom used to work at Auroville in Pondy; he is half-French. But never mind that. Arthur's father did not have a salary, so technically he could not have a PF, hahaha. He was a music teacher; students paid him Rs 125 a month or some such inane amount those days. Anirbaan: Achha? And yet the boy chose to dream so big?Raghav: That is the point, Anirbaan, that is the point. If we draw every step for the child to take, he will only walk as shown. But once he knows how to stand, we must allow him to run. Arthur's dad allowed him choice.Anirbaan: Arre, but he picks up a dreamy subject which had no use in India!Raghav: There can be various perspectives on this. Do we learn directly from what we study or indirectly from it too? My cousin studied to be a systems analyst, worked as one for 12 years, then suddenly gave it up to write stories for children. He says six years of studying and 12 years of working as a systems analyst helped create a terrific software in his head about approaching a story. Today he is a celebrated author. Yet take Arthur's wife, Zah's education; it was perfectly fitted to the times, then and now. But 25 years ago, only an NGO would hire her, not any state-run water development project. She had to wait for US-based Kent's Clear to enter India to employ her knowledge and skills. What does that say? We believe what we study must improve the quality of India. And here we are not talking toothpaste but a fundamental need, potable water, which, we still don't have. Anirbaan: Yet you studied economics! It can't even cut hair! What did you use it for?Raghav: For nothing. I just let it drift away. I came to peace with the idea I would not be an economist. Maybe I was lucky I found my calling in writing. Maybe I was lucky I stayed behind at the publication long enough to become its editor. Maybe I was lucky I had no other option but to work there for over a decade. Maybe I was lucky the book publisher found me. I'll tell you this: for sure, I had no idea I had a book in me! But that is only the good part I am talking about.Anirbaan: Luck? There is no such thing as luck. There is only what you get... that is all. If all is about luck, then why put in the effort? Luck as a concept is difficult to accept. Raghav: You tell me. I failed to become what I wanted to be: an economist. As a writer, I don't think I ever could write well, but just about adequately to save my skin. The publication I became the editor of, shut down; three others rejected me. I could go on narrating a litany of misfortune, but so much luck also shone over me. My writing had nothing to do with my training, my education, or the lack of it. I studied one thing, didn't know what to do with it, found myself working at something totally out of the box — I was a victim of luck. Pure luck.Anirbaan: You are a crazy guy. You have such an accomplished bunch of friends… Even now, you are working for such amazing organisations. You are not some stationery supplier; you are rubbing shoulders with the big daddies, you are presenting their work to the world, you stand on global forums and talk about big stuff. And you tell me all this is luck? You say you are not successful? I also know you are not being modest, but I see you are not even happy with all this! Raghav: I might say success is being able to do what you want to do; failure is not being able to do what you love doing. These things you listed, just happen to me and around me. I gained from them. Today, I am not successful. But I am happy. You need to let luck play a role in your life. Why question it? Enjoy its role, invite it, dance the tango...Anirbaan: So you are a product of luck? Is that how simply you summarise your work, your success? Your self?Raghav: Semantics. Your life was going well, you were a gold medallist and then the MD frames you. How come? You too had good friends in good places. You were CFO, not some minion. So then what was it? How about you got just a bit unlucky? You said, "What use was my planning my life?" You perhaps said that because luck did not favour you.break-page-breakAnirbaan: No, I do not buy this luck nonsense. It is a lot like magic men and their beads. I left those visions far far away. I believe you have hands, legs and effective speech. You use them or abuse them, that is your call... Luck and all is bunkum. Brings a tear and all that, but you know the truth.Raghav (smiling): Incidentally, my father was a satellite engineer. If he could, he would have made me an engineer too. But I loved economics. That is why I decided to study it. I was good at it. But not good enough. I did not run for Nebraska, or head an endowment fund or make a policy for Africa's hunger. All these my other economics friends got to do. I was lucky I found writing as a way to make a livelihood. Anirbaan: You did not study engineering despite your dad being one. You say you must do what you like and enjoy, so you stubbornly studied economics. Yet I do not see economics in anything you do! What do you do?Raghav (laughing): I told you, I write. But I am not an author or columnist. I write what people want to say but do not know how to say it. Like they may have employees or consumers or vendors to whom they wish to say something that will strengthen their relationship, but they do not know how to say it. Then I am called.Anirbaan: But why do you say you are not successful? Raghav: Because the kind of writing I am doing is not employing my creativity.Anirbaan: And you don't enjoy that? It is a damn job; we do jobs, damn it, we don't ‘enjoy' them!Raghav (laughing): I do! I mean, I don't, heck. I meet some great people and I enjoy watching them. But 80 per cent of the content I write is not my original thought. They are already happening, as acts, as events, as creations, as inventions. I research them out... stuff like that.Anirbaan: Arre! But you are still working, still relevant, still in the area core to your expertise. But say, why did you study economics apart from simply liking it? Is that any reason to study a subject? Why didn't your dad compel you to be an engineer? See, this is what I mean. Parents must guide their children to build their careers. That boy Anay (Aparna's son), his mom must put her foot down. I am tough on my son; at 17-18, they know nothing. Yes, one could leave them to make choices if the schools were dependable. But most teachers don't enjoy teaching. So I cannot trust them to help my son make choices! You don't think you would have been a success if you had listened to your father?Raghav: Maybe, but not happy. People must do what they are good at. Otherwise, it does not matter what you do, you are doomed to failure. You may end up doing everything well, but you will remain dissatisfied. Let's say you were good with money and the ability came naturally to you, but decided to do rain water harvesting because it does good for the environment. You may even do it well — but you will remain dissatisfied. HR folks do not recognise this. They look at certificates to judge you. That is not a mistake, but it is not adequate. They have to see what you are good at. And you have to admit what you are good at. Which is why students must study what they like, not what their parents like. It helps to satisfy one's personality. So why did I study economics? Because I love it. I am a happy satisfied human being.Look at this differently. An enterprise often asks employees to raise their hand for a number of activities that have no relationship to their job descriptions. For example, an auto manufacturing plant asks its employees, how many can go to a disaster hit area to help out with medical evacuations. A dozen people raise their hand and they are flown out on the next aircraft. Why did the company agree to let them go when they do not have a certificate in para-medical services? What made the company believe these employees were not going for a Disaster Vacation on Company Time? What made the company believe that these employees would be asset in the task and not a liability? Did not the HR department go without the guidance of a certificate? Their CVs don't say "Experienced in medical evacuation". Yet they are compelled to enlist!My point is: let go. Use native common sense. Learn to trust your judgement. It is far more powerful a tool than all certificates put together.I know this sounds nearly right, but not quite like a legitimate, proven theory. What is the training Neil Armstrong got to walk on the moon? Which certificate did he show NASA to get the job? It surely was not a master's degree in astronomy. It was training, self-belief, good judgement and ultimately luck. Luck is back in the equation, eh? How, you ask. Prior to the Apollo missions, it was the pilot who always left the space craft on the Gemini missions for a space walk. Remember, Armstrong was not the pilot; he was the commander of the Apollo mission. But it was physically more difficult for the pilot to manoeuvre out of the Apollo's Eagle landing module. The Apollo 11 missions had two pilots, Eldrin and Collins. The odds were against Armstrong, literally. But it was easier for the commander to get out and so Armstrong was chosen to step on to the moon first. Dame Luck, I say. So what you study and what you do can be quite different. You study for the soul. You work for the body. There it ends!Classroom DiscussionIs the opposite of success, failure? All the missed opportunities are your failure quotient.casestudymeera(at)gmail(dot)com(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 05-12-2011)
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This case is rather philosophical, a personal discourse between Raghav Kashyap and Anirbaan Chowdary. Therefore, it is tricky to comment on the case. Instead of getting into an objective analysis, I tried to feel what is being said. I suggest you do that too. You will come up with deeply personal responses."What do you want to be when you grow up?" I often ask our 8-year-old daughter, more for amusement than anything else. "I want to be a teacher, a dancer or maybe an auto driver," whatever has gotten hold of her fancy at that moment. "I could be a doctor like Kakai (her uncle)," if my brother has been extra good to her. I am dreading the day when she says, "I want to be successful." We do not know what we will say to her then. Anirbaan, too, is asking, "How do I guide my child?"The case, strangely, seems to be conclusive in two parts. Study for your soul, is the first. Though it is a great destination for the mind, the path is complicated and treacherous. Every right is surely countered with a wrong. We tell our child not to worry about grades while we push her to get ready for tests. We tell her just to enjoy herself when she plays a game, yet feel sorry if she loses. The karma thing never seems to work. It is never for the joy of learning, never for the ecstasy of playing a sport. The pure does not seem to exist. A friend of mine, a Britisher who lives in London, has a 17-year-old son about to go to college. The boy wants to study French drama. My friend sees no sense in that. He is a man who has risen from the lower levels of his profession and reached the top. He has seen the world, and is one of the brightest people I have ever met. How do we react to his views about his son's studies?We have found (or, let us say, trying to implement) a solution to achieve at least a half-pure thing for my daughter. We introduce multiplicity to her — multiple dance forms, multiple music genres, multiple ways of doing things. And we have buried the single-minded mainstream in this multiplicity. We hope we will be able to introduce her to multiple rights. And that will be some form of purity. But is this a successful formula? We will not know till she grows up and starts dealing with life on her own. We think this will make her seek the Alice crack in her life and not tumble down through it by accident. But hey, look, we are setting up a target even when we are trying not to.That brings us to the second conclusion — work for the body. The conclusion is probably a neat sum of Raghav's life. He studied economics because he liked it. And then, not by design, he has got into the kind of professional writing he does not enjoy as much as he did the other kind of writing. He has, however, hung on. The conclusion justifies the hanging on and that disturbs me. Hanging on usually breeds mediocrity (Raghav stay alert!). While mediocrity is real, it must not be celebrated. Yet we also see that life just placed him in those spots. And he willed himself to study them and understand them, and that defines his personality. Cutting a long story short, the summation does not work for me. It might work for someone else. The point I am trying to make is that our education and experience should let us develop a theory that allows us to survive. It will be our very own theory of leading our lives that, if not makes us happy, makes us keep our sanity. We could pass this theory to the next generation and hope that they will build on it, and reshape it to suit their context. I remember, when my father was on his deathbed, an uncle of mine had told me to stick close to him, listen to him carefully if he was trying to tell me some final things. The uncle might have been talking about my father's theory of life.And now, the wretched thing called luck. "Luck? There is no such thing as luck. There is only what you get... that is all. If all is about luck, then why put in the effort? Luck as a concept is difficult to accept," says Anirbaan to Raghav. It is a person who thinks himself unlucky, speaking. Luck is good fortune that occurs beyond your control. Has it ever happened to you? It must have, at least some times. Luck happens to all of us. It is like a booster dose to all the effort that we put in. We cannot bring it on by design. We cannot foretell when it will come. In fact, we can never be sure it will come at all. But it does. And that is why we get unsettled when it does not. Feeling lucky can make you feel vibrant. And that is why Raghav seems a million times more sorted than Anirbaan. Dig deep inside. Find your own mantra to live your life. Remember the mantra is organic. It jumps, turns topsy-turvy, grows, and could momentarily disappear. However, accept it and let it shape itself every moment of your life. And feel lucky. That, according to me, is one meaning of success. I would leave this thought with my daughter.Arindam Mitra co-founded and runs QED Films. A wellheeled advertising man, he produced Black Friday, and directed Shoonya.(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 05-12-2011)
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