2004 - At the hilt of India Shining
and a great progress in preceding years by BJP, it unexpectedly loses. Even
exit polls couldn’t predict this rout
Lesson No 1
Performance
and success are relative and always subject to criticism. Even at the crest of
your career and performance someone else’s expectation from you could be
starkly different which can spell doom for your career. Never be sated with
your achievements, no matter how big they are. Remain agile and have your ear
to the ground viz a viz the expectations of the people observing you (read the
board and your bosses).
Manmohan Singh becomes the 14th
PM of India when Sonia relinquishes her opportunity. But what follows is a
decade of muted and sub optimal performance
Manmohan sigh had etched his position
as an honest technocrat and economist but was a failure as a prime minister.
Each time the country looked up to him to act / speak he came across as an
epitome of non performance and a mute.
Lesson No 2
Have the
courage to refuse a position of authority if in the heart of hearts you don’t
feel capable enough to deliver. The onus of delivery will always lie with you
the CEO. And do not hesitate to stand up in the face of adversity to uphold the
morals and abilities that you are expected to demonstrate. Only perceived intelligence
is of no consequence – ability, gut and courage to take action to perform is of
utmost importance.
66% of India’s voters are below 35
yrs of age and a majority of them first time voters. Congress and Rahul and his
coterie of colleagues had everything going for them. Agatha
Sanghma with a Masters Degree from Nottingham University in UK, Sachin Pilot –
a management graduate from Wharton Business School- University of Pennsylvania,
Jyothiraditya Scindya with a Masters Degree from Stanford College in US, Naveen
Jindal who has an MBA from University of Texas, Milind Deora – an alumnus of
Boston University and Rahul Gandhi – the grandson of the very own Indira Gandhi
are only a few to name who had opportunities to influence strategies one or
other way to swing the pendulum towards growth and governance. They failed,
miserably in every responsibility that was entrusted with them.
Lesson No 3
Remain
connected with your customers and remember that you are being judged every
minute and all the time. Never bask in the glory of present power or past
laurels. It can all vanish in a jiffy. You are only as good as your company s
last quarter results and your future is only as good as your last customer’s
experience.
‘Acche din
aane waale hain’ – made its connect and did its job. Modi had a twitter handle that was
reaching out to majority of 150 million young voters. He obscured his age
camouflaged in the vehicles available through technology that remained close to
the young hearts, and spoke their language, showed them what they liked to see
– whether beautifully scripted through the Ogilvy’s of the world or designed by
the media moguls – it nonetheless reached their hearts, and remained there. In
the vacuum of young leaders, they were willing to be contented with the
youthfulness of the aged Modi. In his spirit and confidence, the vote bank
believed that India will grow young and vibrant. Their patience is not one
that’s tested, but their power has been tested again and again through the
movements India witnessed on Nirbhaya case (the girl who was raped and murdered
in Delhi) no less powerful than the Arab Spring!
Lesson No 4
Embrace
technology as fast as you can while remaining genuine. Keep the leadership messages
simple and powerful for your teams. Demonstrate good intent – for good and
noble intent can neither be faked nor remains hidden.
Rampant corruption marred the
Commonwealth games. It was in the face. Substandard execution of contracts,
falling ceiling panels, collapsing foot bridges – the list is infinite. It is
believed that billions of dollars were siphoned off by phony companies owned by
friends and relatives of people in the managing committee including the chief
minister of Delhi and that too under the watch of Manmohan Singh and Rahul
Gandhi.
Lesson No 5
Take action
and punish the guilty fast enough before its too late. The country expected
Rahul and Manmohan singh to publicly ostracise the corrupt and come clean. They
failed. In the corporate world you are expected to keep a close watch on the
team leaders who have been entrusted with big responsibilities. Any sign of
irrecoverable failure should be immediately addressed and bad fish (read lazy
and underperforming executives) should be immediately removed with surgical
precision. Such team members can take you down and are like cancer who will
make organisations hollow. Have the tenacity to accept losses emanating out of
genuine mistakes but have zero tolerance towards corruption and mediocrity,
Lesson No 6
Corruption isn’t only defined by
financial in-appropriation. Lack of appropriate action at appropriate time
despite promises made to the electorate is corruption enough. On those accounts
I find Manmohan sigh corrupt. When he came to power he said in his first
initial days, “I will commit only what i can deliver” and i still remember
those lines. He committed and delivered nothing. The result is there to be
seen. A decade of opportunity lost due to policy paralysis. If he was a remote
control in the hands of Sonia Gandhi he should have demonstrated the courage as
the PM to implement his vision, stand upto his past laurels of being the father
of reforms in 1991 or resign publicly for not getting a free hand.
Have the
courage to say no if you cannot deliver or aren’t confident of delivering on a
responsibility and commit only what you can deliver. The problem arises in ones
career when you bite more than you can chew and then falter. As a CEO once you
have made a commitment, have the courage to give your life to stand upto it.
Speed of the Boss is the speed of the
team. Keep sprinters who can run along-with you and can give you Gatorade at
the right time. If team members don’t share your vision, speed and passion –
they will only slow you down and destroy the company and eventually You.