Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
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CONTENTS
Building a Career
A Winning Equation for Consumer Businesses
Empathy in the Workplace
The Biden Presidency & its Impact on India
Diversity & Inclusion
Values for the 21st. Century
Ordinary Women. Extraordinary Lives
EDITOR Gp Capt R Vijayakumar (Retd), VSM
MADRAS MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
READERSHIP OUTREACH
Management Center, New No.240 Pathari Road
Gp Capt Dr R Venkataraman (Retd)
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Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
EDITORIAL
Gp Capt R Vijayakumar (Retd), VSM
An End to a Turbulent Year
I
t was a year in which everything that could go wrong,
contention appears to be fears about the minimum support
did go wrong. 2020 will go down in history as the most
price (MSP) on food grains. The government provides MSP
unprecedented year, a test for human race. It is
as a safety net to agriculturists; the proposed reform clearly
imperative that we use the time well, and use the crisis to
states that the government will continue the MSP policy while
learn, prepare and adapt innovative ways. The things around
at the same time enable farmers also to sell their produce to
us have dramatically changed.
whoever they choose to and who might offer a price higher
This is also the time when companies are asking their staff
than the MSP. But it is unfortunate that why are farmers
to "return to the workplace." We have brought out a series of stories that lays stress on career, empathy at the workplace and diversity. The insights and experiences contained therein would benefit both organisations and their staff; the stories are also very apt considering the immense challenges and changes posed by the New Normal. The Farm Acts Farmers in many parts of the country have got together to stage vigorous protest against the proposed agricultural reforms. Having attended and organized a few seminars on the recent Farm Laws, it is hard to understand what exactly
Despite the not so conducive investment conditions prevailing due to the pandemic, global investors have continued to repose trust in the Indian market, going by the funds being invested into the stock market and even in distressed assets.
it is that farmers are worked up about. The main bone of 5
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Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
bringing the country to a standstill. The protests are a
revenue to the exchequer by such means which may not stand
reminder of why the government cannot skip the important
the test of law. Hence, it is advisable why India must close the
step of building consensus in policymaking.
Chapter on retrospective tax amendments and it’s a best
The Wistron incident is an example of how exploitation of labour practices could accompany businesses moving to
opportunity for the Government to make a clean break from retrospective legislation.
India. What caused the violence? The reason is said to be the
Despite the not so conducive investment conditions
reported nonpayment of wages or its delay and flouting of
prevailing due to the pandemic, global investors have
labour laws. In the absence of avenue for workers to
continued to repose trust in the Indian market, going by the
channelize their grievances and adequate collective bargaining
funds being invested into the stock market and even in
mechanism as well as social dialogue, frequent labour unrest
distressed assets. Their contribution in generating
including to the extent of violent confrontations could very
employment and growth can in no way be underestimated.
well be a daily reality in the highend manufacturing facilities.
We should tread with caution before application of penal
Hope that the passing of new labour codes may not further
provisions on global investors. On the other hand, a stable tax
impact labour protection. At a basic level, it points to a lack
and regulatory environment is essential for sustained high
of empathy at the workplace. We have a highprofile team of
economic growth and prosperity.
panelists discussing the nuances of empathy and how it can alter the course of a business. You may read the article in this
MMA Women Business Forum
issue to gather more insight.
It is our endeavour to draw a lot of Indian women to startups. I am glad to share about another initiative of MMA to make
Coding for Children
this possible through MMA Women Business Forum. A
In the midst of emerging online learning systems, ensuring a
number of unique initiatives have been planned to unlock the
blissful childhood remains a key challenge for parents. There
talent potential of women as someone who can stand up for
is an imperative need to provide children soft skills to nurture
themselves.
their emotional intelligence which would enable them to boldly face the challenges in life. Hence, introducing children of age 4 or 5 to coding is without a question far too early. We do agree that 21st Century careers will be based on technology but that does not mean such young children should be made to sit in front of Mobile and Laptop screen for long. In this context, I am delighted to share with you that MMA under its CSR initiative supported by ACSYS Investments has identified three schools with poor children to focus on their allround
As 2020 winds its way out, may I wish you a very happy New Year 2021, fully loaded with good health and prosperity! May this year bring new happiness, new goals, new achievements and a lot of new inspiration in your life, including the vaccine. As always, we would be happy to hear your comments and suggestions regarding MMA and its activities. Happy reading…. and a brilliant New Year!!!!
development, which would also include teachers and parents. Retrospective Taxation Retrospective Taxation is not only bad in law but also an unfair practice resorted solely with the aim to augment 6
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A
career or work is very
workplace, but it has to be subdued in
different from college. When
the interest of the company. In college,
you are in college, you have a
you can stay late, do whatever you want
1)
Salary the company is going to pay you.
2)
Location of the workplace.
3)
Designation the company is
conceptual
and the next morning get up blurry eyed
knowledge. When you get to work, you
and do what you want. At workplace,
have to be extremely practical. You have
that will not work. You must have a
to forget what college life is and start
regular rhythm, do exercise and get
company. You may read about
work life as soon as soon as you get
good sleep so that you are absolutely
the company in digital media or
there. When you are in college, you can
fresh every morning when you come to
through Glassdoor ratings.
choose your subject, class, or topic that
work. When somebody takes you on
you want to study and the friends you
board to work for them, you have to be
want to hang out with. That's not true
an asset.
theoretical
base
or
giving you. 4)
Culture of the company.
5)
The learning opportunity in the
6)
Brand value of the company.
The most important things that you must always consider are the culture of the company, learning opportunities
at work where you have to land up at 9:00 in the morning and finish at 5:30
The Six Variables in a Job
in the evening. You must have respect
When you want to join a company, the
for your colleagues and work closely
first decision you're going to make is the
Culture
with everyone.
type of company that you choose.
You will never know from outside what
Invariably there are a few variables and
the culture of a company is. It is
I shall list six of them:
extremely important for you to talk to
In college, you have a lot of energy. You can bring the same energy to the
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and brand value of the company.
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
You have to ask yourself: What type of a company person am I? A large company person who likes structure, process and resources to deliver; or a small company person where I can try out and do many things and make an impact.
work, your learning curve has to be very
management. I went to Hindustan Lever
steep. You have to ask yourself, “If I
in order to learn from the best
work in this company for two years, can
practitioners of marketing in that
I get 10 years’ worth of experience from
company. As a firsttime manager,
its managers and will it make me a rich
there'll be many things going on in your
inlearning individual?”
mind in terms of how you approach your work.
Brand Value The next thing is the brand value of the
No Substitute for Hard Work
company. Combining this with the
My first mantra is, ‘work hard.’ As many
brand value of your Institute, you will
people have said, hard work never killed
start establishing your own brand value
anyone but laziness killed a number of
over a period of time, say 15 years or so.
people. If you work hard, only bad luck
There are small, medium and large
can stop you, yet you learn a lot. When
companies. A lot of people ask me if they
I was a management trainee in Hubli,
would get lost if they join a large
my eco system consisted of my
company. Think about the resources in
distributor which was Supreme Trading
people who have worked in that
that
learning
Company. Hari and Babu who were the
company before and get from them a
opportunities and culture of the
owners of the company, after seeing me
good analysis of the pros and cons. This
company. A small company will stretch
for a month, decided to invest in my
is true at every level. When I joined
you but it may not have the same kind
learning because I worked hard; they
Nokia as Managing Director, I spoke to
of resources that a large company can
went out of the way to teach me as much
at least 200 people in that ecosystem to
give you. You have to ask yourself: What
as they could about the market, retail
figure out what Nokia does well and did
type of a company person am I? A large
outlets and product range.
not do well and about the capability of
company person who likes structure,
When you work hard, you learn
their people. I did the same exercise
process and resources to deliver; or a
faster than anybody else. You also
when I joined PepsiCo. So talk to as
small company person where I can try
establish yourself as a professional. As
many people as possible and get a rough
out and do many things and make an
you come with an MBA degree, people
idea about the culture of the company
impact. Make a choice depending on
have certain expectations of you and
and how it behaves.
what suits you and then fit the company
they believe you will be significantly
accordingly. Whatever is your favourite
more professional. You should not
Learning
function, you must always join the
benchmark based on the work ethic of
Find out if the company is known for a
company which is best known for that
other people around you but based on
learning environment. Will its managers
discipline. If you do that, you'll have a
your very best level. You have to live up
and policies allow you to learn as much
fantastic fit.
to your MBA degree and be an
as you can? Since you come from a theoretical framework, when you start
company,
the
Marketing was my passion when I started and then I moved to general 12
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ambassador of your Institute. Reputation is very fragile. Whatever
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
you do either adds to or subtracts from
How Do I Learn?
retailers. If you start in finance, you will
your reputation. A reputation built over
The second question many young people
work with your suppliers. You can learn
ten years can go away in ten minutes.
ask me is: Who will teach me? How will
a lot by just talking to your ecosystem
That's the tough life we lead today. If
I learn? First, you need to teach yourself
partners. You can understand how your
you work hard, you will earn a
before you ask your boss or others to
industry and company work and that's
reputation of being a safe pair of hands,
teach you. You must teach yourself by
a very good source of knowledge for you
as somebody who can be trusted and
learning about your product, service,
to build.
delegated a task. Never let anybody tell
category, company and industry. Even
Be curious. Don't accept what's
you that you are intellectually or even
before you join a company, go to the net
given to you. Learn to question in your
physically lazy. The last thing about
and check everything about the
own mind. Why does this happen in this
working hard is that you will get the
company and the industry. That body of
company or industry? That's a question
right breaks. If you work hard, then
knowledge, even if you spend a week on
I have asked myself every day. Two years
which company will not want you?
that, will last you for more than two to
ago, Mr Birla asked me to run one part
Which leader will not want you in his/
three years.
of the cement business. One of the
her
team?
Everybody
wants
a
conscientious professional. Right through your career, be it 25 or 40 years, there is no substitute for hard
When you start, it is quite likely
things I noticed in the cement business
that you will work with a bunch of
was that they were different prices in
people in your ecosystem. If you start in
different markets. I asked myself: Why
sales, you will work with customers and
can't the cement industry have one MRP
work. 14
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like how it is there in every other
more than 25 years’ experience then.
industry? We figured out a way and put the ‘oneMRP’ concept. They say
more than make up on the straight. So don't be in a hurry to leave a company.
How Long in a Company?
Do a balance sheet exercise. What is this
curiosity killed the cat. It won't kill you
Most people ask me how long they
company good at? What is it offering
but will actually get you kudos and make
should stay in a company. I have seen
me? What are the problems in this
you intellectually richer.
that 50% of MBAs from a batch tend to
company, which I see as problems but
change their job in the first year. I have
might not really be problems? Do that
asked myself this deep question as to
analysis and just don't go by emotional
why this happens, having been on the
things like not liking your title or office
board of IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Udaipur
space. There may be a hundred reasons
and XLRI. One of the reasons is that
why you would want to leave a company
campus placement turns out to be a
but there are few good reasons as to why
lottery. In placement, you're allowed
you must stay there.
Your peer group is a very good reference to learn from. Each of us has different skills and strengths. Go and seek out your peers and tell them what you like, your hobbies and interests and ask them what they are interested in. Learn from your boss. The biggest advantage of having a boss is that he has experience. People have the highest energy when they are 25 and the maximum wisdom when they are 60. They have the right combination of energy and wisdom when they are about 42 and that's why, most CEOs tend to get their breaks around the 40year age mark. I got my career break as a CEO around that age. You must strive to condense the experience of your boss into the one or two years that you will work for him. Constantly, pepper him with questions. I asked one of my early bosses: What is a wholesale pack, what is a retail pack? Why do they exist? Why a store is called a general store or a fancy store? Why somebody is called a wholesaler? By just asking such questions out of curiosity, I could tap into the knowledge of my boss who had
two options. Your dream company might not come or even if your best company comes, may be you're out of form on that day and you don't get selected. It is like a T20 match. You've got 15 balls to score 30 or 40 runs. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes it doesn't. That is why many MBAs tend to switch jobs in the first 12 months after picking something.
When I was an area sales manager with Hindustan Lever, we had a tough year and all of us were on a costcutting spree. I was based in Chennai. I used to travel by bus to Vijayawada, a 420 km, backbreaking overnight journey. We did it because we loved the company. A lot of my classmates would be flying business class to Dubai or America, but that's their careers. I felt I had to
Assuming that you've got the right
contribute to the company through its
offer and you are in the right company,
tough times. When you commit to a
I would advocate a minimum of two to
company for a period of two to five
five years for you to stay in that
years, you will definitely benefit a lot.
company, as long as you're learning, the culture is good and the company has a reasonable brand value. When we start, each of us is nobody. It is the company’s brand name on our shoulder that pulls us through.
I'm sure you have a lot of dilemmas. I have finished writing a book titled, ‘The Right Choice,’ which will be released in January. It is about ‘managing 10 career dilemmas on the journey from being a Management
Despite all the challenges you face,
Trainee to Managing Director.’ I will be
you must commit yourself to the
absolutely happy to hear from you about
company. If you commit, I promise you
how you felt after reading my book.
that what you lose on the curve, you will 15
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Lakshmi: Why do we talk about
decisions and behaviours. As a coating
distributed PPE and provided
empathy? Is it relevant to us? What does
company, we have to show our true
medical support to make sure
it mean to us? Everyone has a different
colours as the pressure is stronger than
that
interpretation of what empathy brings
ever before. We have to make sure that
to their organisation. Does it translate
the ship doesn't sink you and that you
to business success? Studies have
have enough cash and credit to survive
proved that the benefits translate to the
this pandemic.
profits of the company. Now, let’s hear
they
themselves
could as
protect
much
as
possible against the virus and protect their loved ones. •
The team members at the sites and offices.
We wanted to put our people and
•
The company, our customers and community.
from our distinguished panellists.
their safety first. We started to update
Oscar: I'm very proud to work for the
our contingency plans at the end of last
We provided food for people
Dutch
year and did scenario planning. We
outside in the communities. The people
AkzoNobel. You will know it in India
distinguished
and
are the foundation and fabric on which
from the brand ‘Dulux,’ that has very
developed a response to take care of
our ecosystem is built. So taking take
strong values of integrity, sustainability
each of them. We called it the three
care of them makes perfect business
and safety. When a black swan event like
rings of protection.
sense.
the Covid Pandemic hits us, then that's
It covered:
multinational
company
a moment of truth to see if those values that we have so proudly enshrined are truly our north star, in guiding our
•
three
groups
We introduced another initiative
Individuals and their families. To allay their fears, we created awareness 19
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JANUARY 2021
We
called the virtual cup of coffee. We consciously set time aside to talk with our team members to know about their
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
The luxury of being in a smaller company is that we are very close to every employee. We make sure that each employee can connect with someone in leadership, some of their peers and somebody on a different team. We have seen many people become close friends in this environment. ~ Adam Boitnott, CEO, Hylaine
anxieties. Business talk was forbidden in this. We could hear many heart breaking stories. We started to empathise and build trust with each other. I like the concept of psychological safety
that
Harvard
Professor
Edmondson introduced. We observed that people go through three phases: a phase of fear in which empathy is an essential element to address people’s concerns; in the second level, they go through a phase of learning where they reflect on the situation, and in the third level, they move into a zone of growth. We teamed up with Skillsoft, a
three months, we had 20,000
Lakshmi: I've been with Oracle for 15
interactions. We communicated
years, the longest that I've been with any
through webcast and newsletters and
company and it goes back to balancing
addressed the anxiety of our people. To
career growth and relationship building,
quote a Chinese proverb, in times of
especially in tough times. I went
crisis like this, we need a cool hat, a
through a rough patch with my mother’s
warm heart and dirty hands. Warm
health. She fell down, broke her back
heart is essential to show empathy.
and had spine and brain surgery. I just
Lakshmi: Thank you Oscar. You have
dropped everything and left for a month.
developed your career spanning 30 plus
My boss and my entire team supported
years in one company. How can a
me. Venky, talking of empathy in the
company keep their employees engaged
workplace, what are your initial
and staying with them longer?
thoughts from your TCS experience?
Oscar: I am an officer of the Air Force.
Venkateswaran: It is all about
I literally wanted to spread my wings as
listening and making a connection with
I came out of military service. I was
another person at a deeper level. It's a
fortunate to be recruited by a MNC that
way of getting into that person's shoes
provided me a good platform and I am
and skin to feel how that person is
blessed with a wife and children who
feeling.
have always supported me in my
Lack of empathy is very easy to see.
ambition. I was given the chance to
Try
develop myself to go to different
transcontinental flight and think how
disciplines—from
to
you get treated sometimes. That will tell
marketing, sales, logistics and now
you how not to treat someone. As
general management. The company
customers, when we encounter a service
took a leap of faith, sending me to
provider, often we don't get empathy
different companies, countries and
from them. It is a transactional
cultures. That created a lot of trust and
approach.
technical
losing
your
bag
after
a
respect. Even when I had a bout of
That empathy is important in
cancer, the company supported me
business is a nobrainer. In a HR
throughout and through the ups and
process, we conduct a survey to find out
downs of my personal and professional
how people feel. That becomes process
life. Obviously, there was a lot of
oriented. Organisational culture must
empathy and communication involved
drive empathy. It is important how
in that. It created a lot of loyalty from
leadership creates a culture where
my side.
people feel that empathy. The product
leading elearning platform, and within 20
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or service that we offer must bake in
on the door reminds me that this is a
thankful that we had built a foundation
that empathy and it is a sort of hygiene
family and that we want to create a
around empathy prior to the pandemic,
factor. That means empathy alone is not
family feel. We have always been very
because it has pushed and stressed
enough. On top of that, a layer is
intentional with that culture.
everybody differently from a personal
required and this is about the cultural
We make sure that we value
and professional perspective. We make sure that we check in on people’s mental
angle.
employees in our organisation not only
Lakshmi: Adam, can you share with us
for what they bring to the company but
how you set the tone in your company
also who they are as persons. The luxury
in terms of culture and how you drive
of being in a smaller company is that we
Lakshmi: How do you balance what
being an empathetic leader?
are very close to every employee. We
you need as a company to be successful
Adam: Being in the technology space
make sure that each employee can
versus what the employee is looking for
where employees have lots of choices
connect with someone in leadership,
and what is it that they want out of their
and recruiters are eyeing to pick our
some of their peers and somebody on a
life and career?
employees all the time, empathy is
different team. We have seen many
Adam: We have put in place the right
extremely important. The name of my
people become close friends in this
culture and it starts with the leadership
company—Hylaine—is a combination of
environment.
team. When we draw the organisational
health. The elections here in the US too have added to people’s anxiety.
the names of my two daughters. So
The pandemic has really challenged
chart, we put our leadership team
when I show up at the office, the name
us in different ways. I am really
basically as a support platform
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In a team where empathy flourishes and inclusive culture is there, everyone will put forth their ideas because they understand that they would be assessed on the basis of merit of the idea, in an empathetic manner. That is the absolute, fertile ground for innovation. ~ Madhuri Pai Global Diversity and Inclusion Director, Unilever
created a culture where empathy
who form the median of the population.
flourishes. I don’t really remember what
A more diverse workforce means more
we learnt of empathy in B school. But I
diversity of thought and innovation and
have seen it from the beginning of my
it's a virtuous cycle. A McKinsey study
career in TCS right until today. It is
says that companies that are in the top
really how my leader handles that aspect
quartile of diversity have a 53% better
—how do they deal with employees,
financial performance than those that
customers and different people? The
are in the bottom quartile.
leadership sets the tone and gives the template
for
behaviour
in
It circles back to leadership. When
the
things are going fine, empathy is all well
organisation. That template percolates
and good but in a pressure situation,
over time through sustained leadership
people go easy on empathy. If the top of
which behaves in a consistent manner,
the organisation has a leader that is
displaying empathy. I would like to hear
empathetic and inclusive, then the right
Madhuri’s views from her experience in
behaviour is recognized and rewarded.
Unilever.
At Unilever, we've been quite fortunate
Madhuri: We need to step back for a
in having a fairly long line of visionary
moment and look at the connection
leaders. Paul Polman, of course, comes
between empathy, inclusion, business
to mind immediately. He was CEO from
performance and the roles that
2009 to 2019. He embraced empathy
leadership plays in all of this.
with a passion. We've got Sanjiv Mehta
underneath our team. I want our leaders
Inclusion makes you bring your
in India, who is also a great role model,
supporting our people for success. We
whole self to work, to express yourself
and now Allen Jope, who's the global
ensure this, right from our lengthy
freely and put forth your ideas without
CEO. He also lives inclusion and
hiring process which is meant to know
having any fear of being misjudged or
empathetic leadership.
the whole person. It's important for us
misinterpreted. You feel like you belong
Lakshmi: Well, that's interesting
that the recruits are technically solid but
there. In a team where empathy
Madhuri. Differences will exist and you
it is more important to find out if they
flourishes and inclusive culture is there,
want them to exist to bring out the best
can embrace our culture. I would like to
everyone will put forth their ideas
answer or solution to what we want. I've
hear from Venky how they manage this
because they understand that they
heard Unilever has achieved a very good
in a large organisation as TCS.
would be assessed on the basis of merit
gender balance over the last few years.
of the idea, in an empathetic manner.
What contributed to this?
That is the absolute, fertile ground for
Madhuri: When Paul took over as the
innovation.
CEO in 2009, among the first things he
Venkateswaran: TCS is 51 years old in the technology space and it continues to grow and prosper and remain relevant to customers. A lot of this goes
People who are in a minority often
did was to set up a global diversity
back to our visionary leadership that
experience less empathy than people
board. He could have called his CHRO
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and said, “Let's do something about
underneath. Venky, how do you manage
diversity,” but that's not what he did. He
this whole thing of empathizing with
chaired it. I've been in many diversity
your customers?
board meetings with him and it has been
Venkateswaran: Customer empathy
a huge lesson in empathetic and
is one of the very central elements of the
inclusive leadership. He has never been
whole business. We sell mission critical
known to miss a diversity board
software to financial institutions. This
meeting. He prioritized this above all
is compared to openheart surgery. For
else and he picked gender diversity as
a bank, it’s a nightmare to move from
what made the most sense for Unilever.
one
The target was 50:50 by 2020 and we've
transformation is very complex and
achieved this. So leadership role
considered high risk. Empathy plays a
modelling, empathetic and inclusive
big role here. Recently, I got a call from
leadership—that's number one.
the CEO of a bank. I was tensed up.
system
to
another.
The
We also take empathy into our products. We have user experience designers and product managers who look at the customer persona, do a lot of analysis and spend time figuring out all that is essential. ~ Venkateswaran Srinivasan Vice‐President‐Global Head, TCS Financial Solutions
The second big reason is the way
Luckily, he did not talk about our
the whole journey was measured. We
product or service. He just said that he
always say, ‘measure what you
was talking to me because I and my
treasure.’
team understood their requirements
employees impact your business results
more than anyone else. This is a proof
and how?
Every person in the organisation must understand the importance of
of our customer empathy.
Adam: Being empathetic doesn't mean
being genuinely curious about their
We also take empathy into our
that you give everyone, everything that
colleagues and having conversations to
products. We have user experience
they want. In fact, being empathetic
look beyond the stereotypes. That is
designers and product managers who
makes you a better negotiator or a better
when empathy starts to come up.
look at the customer persona, do a lot of
vendor to work with or a better
Unilever is a marketing organisation.
analysis and spend time figuring out all
employer. When you’re in business, you
We have got the whole communication
that is essential.
get into leadership and you have to drive
right. We make sure that every
For instance, when we take a life
results. Use empathy as a tool to drive
employee in the organisation repeatedly
insurance policy, the empathy shown by
those results. We are one of the best
gets the story and it's high in their
the insurance company or its staff is not
companies to work for, in Charlotte, in
consciousness. Messages are reinforced
as important, as when, God forbid,
a very short period of time. That is a
constantly.
something happens and the dependent
result of empathy leading to delivery.
Lakshmi: You talked about stereotyping
member goes for making a claim.
I had an employee who came to me
—our own coloured way of looking at
Empathy shown in the latter case is very
and said, “Adam, whatever you want me
things. It's the classic definition of the
important and it must shine through
to do, I'll do it because I've never felt like
iceberg. What you see over the water is
your culture and leadership.
my opinion mattered anywhere else
very little and there is so much
Lakshmi: Does empathy shown to
before.” That was one of my best
23
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
The first step in creating self‐empathy is to take a pause, take stock and be aware that you pay for all the physical and mental stress. Secondly, you must develop mitigation actions or solutions for that. ~ Oscar Wezenbeek, Managing Director, Decorative Paints, SESA, AkzoNobel
work hard. As a leader, we are supposed
show empathy for others if you cannot
to be supermen or superwomen. We
show empathy to yourself?
have to take responsibility for our
Lakshmi: Is empathy a new buzz word
colleagues. We send them out into the
or has it always been there? What has
market now to meet customers,
changed?
painters, store owners and the like. We are responsible for keeping them away from the virus. That is also a huge mental stress.
need to feel connected and be
empathy is to take a pause, take stock
recognized; it goes right back to the
and be aware that you pay for all the
times we were wandering around in the
physical and mental stress. Secondly,
caves. I don't think that has changed. In
you must develop mitigation actions or
the corporate environment, it is linked
solutions for that. In one of our virtual
to business performance but at the core
cup of coffee calls, my marketing
of it, it is a human value and need.
manager proposed an exercising pressure to make sure that everybody
started.
would exercise and work on their
Are we doing too many things? Can you talk about selfempathy and what we can all do to keep our own selves in good shape—for our mental, physical and emotional wellbeing? Oscar: I also come from a culture where you keep your head down and
caring, inclusion or empathy—call it what you will but it's a human value, the
moments in the three years since we
stress. Our children are also stressed.
and it still smells as sweet. Compassion,
The first step in creating self
challenge. We had competition and peer
Lakshmi: We all hear about a lot of
Madhuri: You call a rose by any name
Lakshmi: Does empathy mean non performance?
Does
it
mean
complacency?
physical health as well, which was
Venkateswaran: If you weigh only
extremely effective. On a personal level,
empathy and lose focus on business,
I started to pick up my hobbies again. I
then business will go down. Empathy is
have now got more time to practice on
not about saying yes to everything, as
cooking my biriyani and paint more.
Adam said. It requires a delicate
The third is the element of rewarding yourself and being kind to yourself, especially when you're not able to meet your targets and more so, in these challenging times. How can you
24
JANUARY 2021
balance. Empathy is not promoting non performance. Empathy is just an element of human connection. When there is a culture of empathy, people willingly work for their managers.
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
25
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
what we see of them. The value of
good business.
diversity is really in the other 90% that The D&I Lesson from a Kirana Store
is quite invisible to us.
I
Diversity is a fact of nature; have worked for many years in
everything in this world is diverse. Not
Diversity and Inclusion (D&I),
even twins are the same. Why is it that
particularly in the Indian context.
suddenly corporates are talking about
into
diversity? How does it matter to a
differences. These can be visible like
company? Well, the simple fact is that
gender, colour, height or weight. But a
today we are a globalized village.
very large part of diversity is invisible to
Nothing has proven this better than the
us—these are one’s thought processes
pandemic. One tiny virus in China has
like ‘How do I engage in teamwork?
made the world go down on its knees
How do I make decisions? How do I deal
and
with power and authority?’
interdependent we are.
Diversity
simply
translates
we
have
realised
how
There is a small kirana store where I live in Indira Nagar, Bangalore, run by a Keralite. I am from Kerala and, for the last seven years, I have been buying a lot from there, simply because he stocks the stuff that Malayalis consume. The other day, he told me that he was going to expand his shop and take on board a partner. I guessed it could be a Keralite, probably his brotherinlaw. But he said, “Not a Keralite, but a local Kannadiga.” He reasoned that he already has earned the trust of Malayali customers and now
We are all familiar with the concept
We think that only big companies
he wants to reach out to Kannadigas. He
of iceberg. 10% of a person is visible
practise diversity and inclusion, but
is not even a 10th standard pass but he
while 90% is hidden. But many times,
even small businesses do this very
has got these business concepts in place.
we tend to judge people by the 10% of
intuitively, because diversity is all about 26
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
It is good business sense to have
AfricanAmericans in my team.
diversity and inclusion in many ways.
From a brand perspective, we
As human beings, we are all wired
created a multilingual campaign about
to people like us. Unconsciously, we
how CocaCola is for everyone. We
business. Boardrooms today insist on
I
as marketing director of North America.
everyone in the company was given in
having D&I. It doesn't come to us
Till then, I had not thought of diversity.
depth training on unconscious biases
may resist some people saying that the vibes are not right or the chemistry is not working. That is not good for
naturally, but we need to do this intentionally. A big portion of our talent pool has not really been tapped and fully leveraged. Tapping it though, is not an easy journey. People who come from diverse backgrounds invariably have different life experiences, which are very valuable in improving innovation. We want people to come with different tools. That happens only when we have
worked in Pond’s, which was
stressed the importance of inclusiveness
taken over by Lever. In late 90s, I
in the campaign. Eventually, the lawsuit
left Pond’s and joined CocaCola
got settled. As part of the settlement,
In Argentina, I was looking after Marketing in South America where the people were Spanishspeaking, football crazy and a lot more outgoing. It was a very different kind of group. From there, I went to Atlanta in early 2000. I was running the global brands of Coca Cola, which were the most valuable brands in the world then.
diverse people sitting at the table and
A Campaign and a Damage Control
solving a customer problem.
CocaCola had a dispute with its African
and in combating them through self awareness. The Dress and Prejudice Later, I joined Molson Coors as the CEO of International Business where I had another interesting experience. One of my colleagues on the senior executive team was a lady born in South Africa, a white, and living in the US for over a decade. She was a great professional and quite empathetic.
Today, there is a lot of urgency
American employees who blamed that
My digital ecommerce team was
around D&I and many events have
Coke was discriminating against them
headed by another woman, also a white.
happened around the world—the death
in promotions and advancements. They
She dressed like a young college girl.
of George Floyd followed by movements
had a lot of data to show that they were
Whenever she gave presentations in the
like ‘black lives matter,’ and ‘all lives
not being given equal chances compared
meetings, the senior executive would
matter.’ It had its repercussions in India
to their white colleagues. This was
dismiss her as ineffective and not being
too
Unilever
something new to me. As I was looking
serious enough in her work. This was
rechristening its ‘Fair & Lovely,’ to
after brands, I didn't think it affected me
triggered by the way the lady of my e
‘Glow & Lovely.’ The ripple effect is
at all.
commerce team dressed. This went on
with
Hindustan
for a month.
tremendous. It is a very emotional,
But the dispute became more
politically sensitive and an extremely
charged and went to court. There was a
I was the mentor of the lady
complex subject that has made inroads
movement in social media for boycott of
running my ecommerce team. I talked
into almost every other topic and
Coke. We knew the charges were not
to her, told her that the contents of her
subject that we can think of. It paves the
true. The CocaCola brand head was an
presentations were quite superior but
way for a great discussion.
AfricanAmerican and there were many
that she was not heard to, in the
27
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
boardroom,
owing
to
certain
impressions and unconscious biases that she unintentionally created. I
became early millionaires. Microsoft helped them evolve culturally as well.
organisation. It was always in our culture in the
Microsoft's diverse perspective in
form of a check box for diversity but we
terms of building a localised product to
never truly implemented it in the
make sure it worked all over the world
company. After awareness building, it
helped them to build worldclass
required organisational commitment all
products through localisation. They
the way from leadership and full credit
also hired lots of Chinese engineers in
goes to our human resources leadership
the early 80s who helped Microsoft to
team for working on this. For about
have a worldclass product in the form
three years, we were all asked to learn
In a diverse team, initially people
of Excel or Word. So, if I look back, it
byheart
don't listen to each other. But when they
was a very incidental evolution for
behaviours and attitudes. In all the
realise that diverse people add
Microsoft through focussing on talent.
conference rooms, we would have
suggested what she could do differently the next time she presented, so people could listen to her. I also talked to the Senior Executive lady and drove hard the importance of not getting diverted due to biases. Suddenly, the relationship changed between them for good.
the
top
ten
inclusive
posters of inclusive behaviours. We all
tremendous value to the solutions, Espoused vs. Lived Culture
have subconscious biases and to
Companies with diverse boards perform
Culturally, if you have to measure how
overcome these, we need to ask
5 to 10% better than those that do not
you're doing, there is a simple measure.
questions; we need to listen to others.
have a diverse board.
It is the distance between the espoused
Those are the simple top 10 behaviours.
better
communications
happen.
Companies must ensure that all, including those from underprivileged background opportunities.
are
given
India
has
equal been
addressing this for decades.
F
or Microsoft, talent was a
culture and the truly lived experiences. Having worked at Microsoft for about 22 years, I have seen how its cultural journey has evolved quite a bit, more so in the last 7 years.
As leaders, we started listening and made make sure that all the voices were heard in meetings. We developed muscle memory for diversity across the organisation. After about three or four
Back then, we used to have product
years into practising D&I, the distance
reviews with Bill Gates or senior
between the espoused culture and the
executives. We would get ridiculed if we
lived experiences has become much
didn't have a good idea and if it was not
shorter. Now D&I is a core commitment
liked by the senior management. That
of leaders in the organisation and a core
was the culture we had.
component in our performance reviews.
priority and we created a very
We have since seen a big change.
It is not an individual impact or a
diverse organisation. Bill Gates
Any cultural change requires awareness
product P & L impact that matters but
believed in hiring the best talent from
building and we have gone through that
how the employee delivered that success
all over the world. I have been told that
shift, from awareness of diversity to
is important.
in the early eighties, Bill Gates sent his
celebrating diversity and holding leaders
CTO to hire from Indian IITs, primarily
accountable
from a talent perspective. These
acknowledge the differences as an
for
it.
We
always
D&I and Cool Innovations Diversity helped us in building some really cool innovations. Microsoft is
individuals showed up in Seattle and 28
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
known for building accessible products.
diversity and not the other way around.
economic
For example, you don't need a keyboard
You can have a very diverse organisation
disciplines.
or a mouse to operate Windows. There
with zero inclusion and the organisation
are several visually challenged people
will fail. Inclusion therefore comes first.
who don't use keyboard and mouse to
If you are inclusive, you will
operate Windows seamlessly. That
automatically be diverse. There will
perspective has evolved by having lots
always be some things in the diversity
of differently enabled people in a large
bucket, some in the inclusion bucket
organisation.
and some which will be common to
The leaders have to create an
both.
strata
and
different
At the end of my first year in PepsiCo, our womentomen ratio was not strong enough. So we took a conscious decision to move it up significantly. I said that 70% of all hiring in future must be women. When we set this target, the HR and leadership teams thought it was not possible. I persisted
environment where everyone feels they
We now have the highest number of
with trying it out. It is easy to set a
can contribute. There is a safety net
women CEOs in the world in the
target but extremely important to
within the organisation and leaders hold
Fortune 500 list—38 of them. In almost
change people's habits and especially,
their managers accountable for creating
every single year, this number was less
some of the things men do when they
an inclusive environment. Coming down
than 5%. For the first time, we are at
interview women. The hiring manager
to the next level of managers who are
7.5%. Obviously, the world has taken
asked questions like, “When do you plan
the front line leaders, demonstrating
some note of D&I.
to get married? When do you plan to
these role model leadership behaviours
Only when we are in a minority in
have a kid? If your husband gets another
on every occasion is extremely critical.
some situation, we will feel the need for
job in another town, will you go away?”
We now look at diversity across the
diversity and inclusion. When in
In PepsiCo, we realised that this can't
board.
majority, we'll never feel its need. When
work. So we did a huge session with all
we sit in a meeting where nobody else
the hiring menmanagers to drive the
speaks our language, then we'll
message that these are 'no no'
understand its significance better.
questions.
D
Lessons from Three Companies iversity and inclusion (D&I)
From my personal experience in India,
as a concept is 40 years old.
I'll talk about three companies—Nokia,
As a management concept, it
PepsiCo and Aditya Birla group. In
is very young. It was propagated by a
Nokia, 40% of my management team
person called Lewis Griggs in the early
was women, which was then the highest
1980s. Most companies tha Lewis talked
among all Indian corporations. When I
to could not get their hands around it.
went to PepsiCo, I had only one woman
D&I is not affirmative action. It is
manager in my management team.
not equal employment. Diversity is a
When I left, we had 40% women in that
fact; inclusion is a choice. From my
team. Both in Nokia and PepsiCo, we
work experience, inclusion leads to
strove to get people from different 29
JANUARY 2021
Only when we are in a minority in some situation, we will feel the need for diversity and inclusion. When in majority, we'll never feel its need.
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
The Masking and the Change
the team to show me the women's
and yellow cities than the comfortable
The current CHRO of PepsiCo Ms
ratings versus men's ratings. In all
green ones.
Pavitra Singh, looking after talent, came
those years, women scored higher
up with a wonderful idea of masking the
ratings than men. These ratings were
CVs that were sent to the hiring
not done consciously at all.
In ABG (Aditya Birla Group), we have women at 14%. Our target in the next few years is to move it up to 25%.
managers. That increased the ratio of
We had eleven job brands in
In my current strategy team, I have
womentomen intake to 2:1. We
PepsiCo. In three, women earned more
more than 40% women. In the textiles
changed all job descriptions to make it
than men and in three, men earned
and other business that I run, I’m trying
unisex. We had to teach men the
more than women. In the rest, they were
to push it up but it'll take some time, the
benefits of diversity. There are
roughly similar, but nowhere was the
reason being that manufacturing
conscious and unconscious biases.
difference more than 10%. PepsiCo
organisations have typically tended to
Some of the men walked up to me and
India was the only equal employment,
rely on men and not women. So we need
asked me if they had a future in the
equal salary company across PepsiCo,
a huge mindshift change. In one of our
company as we were hiring so many
globally.
large textile plants, for the first time, we
women. So, we had to ensure that we recognised talent and consistently promoted the best people. During my term in Pepsico, at the
In PepsiCo, we used to classify the
have a night shift manager who's a
cities and towns into green, red and
woman. She is a 25yearold girl who
yellow. We were surprised that many
insisted on the position and did not
young girls opted for the challenging red
want to be discriminated against.
end of the appraisal process, I would ask 30
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
31
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
Marwadis, coming from the village to
but not the ad agency people. They were
the larger city where they grew their
the bridge between the publisher and
business. The Birlas, Goenkas or
the client. The lifestyle of ad agency
Dalmias and publishers like my father
professionals today is very much
t is not easy to judge a man by
K C Kulish or the founder of Malayala
western. Many of them talk about
looking at him or reading about
Manaroma group came from such a
creating demand and supplying it. India
him. To know about R K Swamy,
background, before they became
was thriving in those days on the ‘saving
one should know about the physical,
successful. They all grew with the
model’ of life.
intellectual and spiritual dimensions of
freedom fight. The national spirit was
It was a winwin situation for Mr R
his life. He was a perfect man, an
therefore common to all of them. They
K Swamy to join hands with like
evolved gentleman. When he was in a
wanted
the
minded clients. I remember two of his
temple, he was not a professional. When
development of the country while
ads which reflected how highly he
he was in the office, he did not blame the
retaining its ancient philosophy. They
thought of the country. He brought out
Almighty for any office problem. At each
were aspiring and they put in their best
the importance of intellectual and
level, he was the perfect person. He was
efforts.
emotional
I
a professional to the core.
to
contribute
to
The ad agency profession was not
He came from a village background.
components
in
his
communications.
an Indian profession then, rather it was
Today, the ad industry is moving
and
an imported one. Publishers and
away from Indian philosophies. Swamy
industrialists of that era were, like the
industrialists were Indians by thought,
did a fine balancing role between the
The
publishers,
clients
32
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
Today, the ad industry is moving away from Indian philosophies. Swamy did a fine balancing role between the tradition and modern.
tradition and modern. He dreamt that
it is often businesslike. He knew the
India would become a super power in
relationship between humans and
the times to come by transferring all the
nature. He grew like a banyan tree. No
ancient wisdom to the modern society.
wonder, he was so much appreciated by
He had the courage to rebuild many
his clients. India needs many more R K
ancient and heritage monuments and
Swamys. His biography makes an
temples. He created institutions for
interesting read and I learnt many
ancient literature. He earmarked a
things for my life, reading it. To quote R
portion of his earnings for social
K Swamy, "Efforts alone are not enough.
welfare.
You need the grace of God. You need to
He maintained friendly and family
S
hri Swamy was a genius and a veritable
polymath,
who
straddled with great ease and
distinction several fields, some even apparently contrasting. I was always in awe of his ability to gain a deep insight into every subject that he touched. He would as expertly explain the nuances of a Vaishnavite tradition, as he would deal with the consumer reaction to a creative output. He could be as close a friend to the mightiest industrialist, as he would, to a poor priest in a temple. He was a generous philanthropist while being a tough negotiator. There was one unmistakable common thread that ran through all his talents and skills: His strong sense of intellectual integrity. He
take a few knocks in your head to realise
like relationship with employees. Today,
that."
said what he meant. I was also very
the World Wide Web, the backbone of
struck with his urge to remain
internet, was delivered to mankind in
contemporary in his thoughts, while
the 20th century, when the English
continuing to be steeped in tradition. It
scientist Tim BernersLee wrote the first
is therefore very appropriate that we
web browser in 1990. But it is in this
should be talking about 21st century
century, that the relevant technology
and about values. The character of 21st
reached a tipping point, triggering a
century is indeed unique and different
virtual information avalanche.
in many ways to the past. Three ‘mega
The gargantuan treasure trove of
events’ have shaped and continue to
past knowledge has become instantly
shape this century.
accessible at the mere touch of a piece
Technology Revolution The technology revolution has birthed the twins: information and intelligence revolutions. In a way, information revolution may be said to have commenced in early 20thcentury, with the first transatlantic telephone call that happened in January 1915. Even 33
JANUARY 2021
of plastic screen. Just in 20 years, Wikipedia has 55 million articles in 300 languages, and 1.7 billion people use it every month. Facebook has 2.5 billion users, twice the size of India, Instagram has 1.2 billion users. There are social networking groups whose membership runs into several hundred millions.
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
More than 700 million people owe
intertwined: Carbon emissions in the US
allegiance to LinkedIn.
are causing flooding of mangroves in intelligence
Bangladesh; the toxic pollutants from
revolution may also be said to have
China are melting the arctic glaciers in
commenced in the last century. Smart
the North Pole…
Similarly,
the
machines or robots are at least seventy years old. William Walters of England constructed way back in 1949, the first pair of electronic autonomous robots, which were called Elmer and Elsie. Interestingly, he even demonstrated the feasibility of using neural networks model rather than reductionist logic to construct intelligent machines. Yet, it was only in the 21st century, that artificial intelligence has reached the tipping point, and has become a pervasive force. A Tesla car running in Seoul in South Korea may have its glitch fixed by an Israeli firm sitting in China. National
borders
contemptuously
have
been
dismissed
by
technology that binds the world with the
The Pandemic The third mega event is even closer —The Pandemic. This is not the first pandemic, nor for sure, will it be the last, even in this century. The pandemic has
not
only
underscored
The character of 21st century is indeed unique and different in many ways to the past. Three ‘mega events’ have shaped and continue to shape this century.
the
vulnerability of humanity as a whole, but also knocked the message hard into our head that humanity is one seamless
or colour. When scientists are warning
mass. Two meters and a cloth mask do
about
not isolate us. They are mere reminders
threatening the very survival of life on
of our interconnectedness. Virus
the planet, we find not the creation but
respects no boundaries.
the collapse of multilateral initiatives for
These three mega events define this century and make it unique, unlike any
the
climate
emergency
collective and coordinated action. When a pandemic of monumental proportions strikes mankind, we witness the ugly
time in the past.
spectacle of nations blaming each other, Value No1: Vasudaiva Kutumbakam
of preemptive bids for procurement of
The value that our ancient thinkers have
vaccines by the rich and mighty nations
The Degradation of Environment
expounded, ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam,’
at the expense of poorer peoples, and a
Scientists believe that we might just
means that the world is one family. Our
complete
about be able to avoid global
Hon’ble Prime Minister has reminded
multilateral actions. Why does this
temperatures rising by 3 degrees during
the world about this abiding value of
happen? There is a strong, practical
this century. No doubt, the rapid
Indian culture at every possible
argument that you need power to
degradation of the environment began
opportunity. It would appear most
overcome the assault of power; that you
with the advent of industrial revolution,
natural to embrace this value as a
cannot make love or talk peace to a
which brought in its wake rampant
motive force to navigate the challenges
violent bully. In any period in history,
consumerism, all of which began in the
of this century. Yet, human beings are
nations or kingdoms have become
early 19th century. The climate
getting more deeply engaged in further
successful and people have enjoyed
emergency has brought a simple fact
sharpening
distinguishing
peace only through acquiring economic
that all living beings are inexorably
identities by nationality, religion, race
and military might... but with a caveat.
glue of a byte.
34
their
JANUARY 2021
lack
of
responsible
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
The failure of family spirit is not merely being witnessed at the global level, but sadly at national level as well.
Peace is the ultimate objective of
recent history. Many large countries
future
of
his
people.
Seeking
look rather like dysfunctional families
reconciliation with the Whites was the
with internecine fights, mistrust and
only wise way to construct the future.
hatred. There appears to be two broad
Rama, whose conduct is an object
explanations for this very disturbing
lesson on Dharma, not just bears no ill
phenomenon. One, this is seen as a
will for Kaikeyi, but he chastises
result of widening income and wealth
Lakshmana for his intemperate words
inequalities within a country, a facet of
against Kaikeyi on more than one
classic class wars. An economic
occasion. The kernel of family spirit,
framework that targets equitable
Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, is the ability
distribution of gains amongst citizens of
to forget and forgive the past. This
a country and amongst nations in the
concept is a close cousin of the
long run is thus a condition precedent
philosophy of humanism, espoused at
for fostering the spirit of family.
about the same time, between 4th to 6th
military prowess, not aggrandisement.
The second explanation is that this
century BCE, by three great thinkers of
Nuclear weapon is meant to be a
phenomenon is the result of the swing
the world—Buddha, Confucius and
deterrent, not a destroyer. A father
of the social pendulum. At any point in
Socrates, each crafting their own unique
might slap an errant son, but he does so
history one race or community
dimension to the concept. All three men
with the intent to deter him from
dominates
intuitively
further misdeeds, but never with hatred.
another, only to be replaced at a later
interconnectedness
The situation is no different when two
point of time by the oppressed race,
interdependence of the human race and
superpowers of the world—the US and
which rises in revolt. Then, it becomes
the utter futility of war and human
China—are in confrontation. The spirit
the turn of the oppressed to dominate
conflict.
of family—the spirit of Vasudaiva
the erstwhile oppressor. This is
In more recent times, the world
Kutumbakam—would
require
understandable, but certainly not
witnessed the rise of two outstanding
continuous strengthening of the
advisable. Einstein is credited to have
humanists from India, Mahatma
scaffoldings to build harmony in the
made this noteworthy observation:
Gandhi, and Rabindranath Tagore.
family, and it cannot happen by stoking
Weak people revenge, strong people
Interestingly, they provided two
hatred for the errant son or daughter or
forgive and intelligent people forget.
different views of humanism and
by constantly rushing to the brink.
Nelson Mandela, suffered twenty seven
approached the concept of Vasudaiva
years of incarceration. Yet, when he
Kutumbakam in contrasting styles.
a
society,
oppressing
Inequalities and the Swinging
became the first President of post
Pendulum
apartheid South Africa, he observed
The failure of family spirit is not merely
with great clarity of purpose, that
being witnessed at the global level, but
harking back to the past and settling
sadly at national level as well. Societies
scores would solve no problem and
are getting more polarised than ever in
would only irretrievably destroy the 35
JANUARY 2021
emphasised
the and
Tagore was a poet and an intellectual, and hence his concept of humanism remained rather in the abstract. He believed that nationalism had the propensity to degenerate into
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
xenophobia, and hence his concept of
the Indian society, amongst castes, and
Value No.2: Satyameva Jayate
humanism eschewed undue emphasis
amongst Hindus and Muslims were
One common belief that Tagore and
of nation as a unit. Gandhi, being a
completely avoidable. He scrupulously
Gandhi shared was the unfailing
mass leader with a political mission,
kept his focus on strengthening what
commitment to truth or sathya. The
provided a more practical interpretation
was common to us as a society rather
modern world is yet to see a taller
of the concept. As a diehard nationalist,
than dwelling on what was different
apostle of truth than Gandhi. The
he believed that a strong feeling of
amongst us. Gandhi not only saw
second value that I believe is essential
nationalism was essential as a step in
HinduMuslim unity and eradication of
to navigate this unique century is the
the
humanism.
untouchability as being vital
immeasurable faith that we as a people
Without diluting the pride of his nation,
prerequisites to present a unified force
have placed in the ultimate success of
he declared openness towards other
of India to defeat a common enemy. He
Truth: Satyameva Jayate. But, does
people, nations and culture.
genuinely believed that Indians were
Truth have a chance to succeed in the
one huge family, sharing not only the
21st century?
journey
towards
Gandhi did not shy away from war. In his life, he took positions in the context of six wars that crossed his life, including the two world wars. While the world war was unavoidable, he felt equally strongly that the conflicts within
same geography, but also the same history. Like Mandela, he was focused on building a harmonious home for the future. This was his concept of humanism, Vasudaiva Kutumbakam.
36
JANUARY 2021
Technology has made news travel instantaneously. Technology has also made verifying news irrelevant. Bad and false news travel faster and getting gluttonously consumed by gullible
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
public. And false news always has an
to freedom of expression, so as not to
set our moral touchstones. That brings
agenda, and is detrimental to the larger
hurt another’s feelings. And that’s where
me back to R K Swamy. Among the
part of humanity. Truth will be
a civilised society has to nurture values
many meetings and conversations that
challenged
which will provide the anchor to
I remember with Shri Swamy, one that
people’s behaviour.
is most relevant in the context of the
in
a
violent
and
unprecedented way in the coming decades and untruth could destroy nations and communities. This is the reason we need to invoke the ancient value of Satyam. Two Types of Truth There are two types of truth. One, verifiable through the powers of human faculty, what you might call ‘facts’. If fake news is created about the occurrence of an event, we can soon
The best definition of truth, and therefore the value to be adhered to, is provided by Thiruvalluvar, who says, “Truth is that which does not cause harm to anyone.” Another wellknown verse from the Mahabharata says, “Speak the truth that which is pleasant. Do not speak the truth, if it is unpleasant. Do not speak lies, even if it
campaign that we wanted to run for Ashok Leyland. The concept had originated from our Marketing division and
was
brilliant,
but
I
was
uncomfortable and I wanted to get Swamy’s opinion. The product claims contained in the campaign message were somewhat hyperbolic. Swamy saw the writeup and instantly asked me, “Is
is pleasant.”
filter out such news with technology,
There is always a parent or a
particularly through the use of Artificial
grandfather or a grandmother in every
Intelligence. The second is truth that
family, a family avatar, who is
cannot be verified because it is beyond
considered the personification of family
the limits of human faculty. And that is
unity, love and affection. We need to
one’s experience, one’s faith. It is
keep them alive in our memory to
immensely difficult to lay down limits
inspire us to show us the right path and
37
value of truth is this: I had a copy of a
JANUARY 2021
this the whole truth?” I said that I shared his concern that while the claim was true, it was not the whole truth. “Drop it” he said without a minute of hesitation. We need many Swamys in this century of challenges, who would stay anchored to core values.
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
38
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
or old product on the Yaxis •
BCG Growth matrix
•
Growth and ARPU (Average Revenue per User)
T
such as: •
delivering more quantity
•
delivering higher perform ance
•
here are various frameworks
The Winning Model
used to enable growth of an
When Perceived Value is greater than
organisation or a business. We
Price, it becomes a winning model.
providing
newer,
addon
features, etc. Delivering more quantity: Eg: To deliver more mileage per bike or
have the four Ps of marketing—Product,
more GB in a data plan. Nothing else
Place, Price and Promotion. We have
changes. It is just about delivering more
come across innovation funnels, starting
value.
from ideas leading to a prototype and
Delivering higher perform
then to a product. Following are some of the frameworks: •
Perceived value > Price
•
Ansoff model for growth, which is a 2x2 matrix with
Perceived value is not the value that
ance: Eg: Better network and better
manufacturers see. This is the value that
emotional payoff. With a more reliable
the customer sees. Let us unpeel and
service, the customer feels better. Your
understand
probability of success goes up.
both
the
theoretical
framework and examples.
Newer, addon features: A
new customer or old customer
Winning customers through greater
decade ago, we had the basic mobile
on the Xaxis vs. new product
perceived value has various subparts
phone. Then camera got added. Today,
39
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
competition. The most famous example is the Reliance Jio launch couple of years back or the zero cost service for three years offered for some cars and bikes. •
Lower outlay each time: Eg: EMI scheme or offering of products
by
FMCGs
in
sachets. Your outlay each time is lower while the actual price of the product has not gone down. •
Lower compulsory price: This is extremely popular in digital. Eg: “Freemium model” on webseries where basic option is complimentary and all add on features are considered as premium and charged.
•
Lower total cost of ownership (TCO): This is a fascinating tool and a Japanese model.
we have phone with 4 cameras. We once had basic detergents. Then we had
The trick is to get that without increasing the price, save for a small price increase. So the consumers see greater perceived value.
Eg: Cars TCO and Buy 3 for 2. The upfront cost you pay for a car may be higher but the
detergents that were soft on hands,
vehicle will last you longer
fragrance added and so on.
with low maintenance and
The trick is to get that without increasing the price, save for a small price increase. So the consumers see greater perceived value. Elon Musk, one of the most famous inventors of our time, says that great companies are built on great products. In the same equation of Perceived
your total cost of ownership over a certain number of years will be lesser. Except the first one (lower overall price), the rest are about adapting the elements of the equation and balancing them. The trick is to do it without lowering consumer value and playing on the levers to accelerate growth.
Value > Price, what do we mean by price and what are its facets? •
The Case of PDF Magic
Lower overall price: This
How did Pond’s Talcum Powder use this
means lower price versus
equation to deliver more perceived
40
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
value at lower price? It offered: •
•
More attractive fragrance –
•
More emotional connect with
•
Pond’s
(PDF) magic •
—better reach and speed
Dreamflower
The
•
New features / ingredients –
New features via software —apps launched by new companies and those by
New features and packaging – PDF magic x 2
New features via hardware —camera, dual SIM, etc
TV ads •
More performance of network
existing companies (like SBI) •
New features through paidfor services like Zomato Gold and
The introduction of sandal
Music
talc, a popular ingredient in
Can this equation be used to plan growth in a B2B business, just like in the case of consumer businesses which we saw earlier? Yes, we can.
They modified the price side of the
the south Packaging plays a very important role in quality. PDF Magic had used
equation by offering: •
Lower price—incoming free
worldclass printing, plastic body, rotary
which was a big inflection
caps, etc. Now, let us see how Pond’s
point in the 90s and early
growth in a B2B business, just like in the
2000 when incoming was
case of consumer businesses which we
charged.
saw earlier? Yes, we can.
worked on lowering the price side of the equation: •
•
It offered 50g /20g pack of
charges for voice / data
Dreamflower talc. The outlay
•
Lower cost of phones
came down with lower size
•
Lower
pack. •
The government reduced tax by
40%.
100%
of
outlay
each
I work with HT Media Limited and we are the country's second largest
time
English newssite and paper. Livemint
—through prepaid option.
and HT are from our group. We have
Lower roaming charges and
radio stations as well. While we have a
later on free roaming
total customer base of 220 million
People earlier would get very high
across all mediums, 75% of our total
mobile bills. Through prepaid, they
revenue is essentially B2B and it comes
came to know how much they consumed
from advertising both in our print and
functionally, at that time, it
—GB, minutes, etc. Indian telecom has
digital business. At times, it is 90% in
did not succeed.
thus been an amazing example of
some of the verticals. We engage readers
400g pack was introduced,
delivering both on perceived value and
with credible news and information. But
which was priced 2.5 times
lowering the price.
to keep the engine running, the revenue
consumer. Launch of 8g sachet. Product quality
•
•
this
reduction was passed on to the •
Lower price through lower
was
good
but
that of 100g pack. Thus the TCO —Total cost of ownership was lower.
To quote Jeff Bezos, “There are two kinds of companies—those that work to raise prices and those that work to lower
The Indian Mobile Phone Story
comes from advertising. Inventing Your Way Out Jeff Bezos says, “One of the only ways to
them.”
get out of a tight box is to invent your
If we take the example of Indian mobile phone market, perceived value has been
The B2B Business: HT Media
way out.” Let's see examples of how we
delivered in ways such as:
Can this equation be used to plan
did that by offering more value to our
41
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
advertisers: •
companies
startup does not give money
checks and balances. •
village
activities,
activities,
India
fairs, and
Olympiads. Right now, we are doing the country's largest coding contest and we have
•
partners in that. In a B2B business, that's a new feature
restricted
to
•
it? Will the customer value it? 3)
Cash: Will it generate cash?
If any of the Cs does not get ticked, rejected. It can be reworked and
do not lose any margin either.
reviewed. Fail fast, fail often and fail
B2B business automation: We
forward are some of the new approaches
have
programmatic
in design. We have to figure out which
advertising and consultative
20% of the company contributes to 80% of the results and attempt to scale that 20%
Ads placed in supplements are on the same day.
The larger point is that in a B2B
great value for premium
example, this equation of ‘Perceived
brands. We also have done
Value being larger than the price works
French
well.
The Success Mantra at Titan EyePlus & Tanishq
A
n organization has to figure out what they are better at —delivering perceived value
greater than price, or delivering more
We can accelerate this journey through innovation. You may have come
Delivering ‘Lower Price’
across innovation funnels used by
This is a fascinating story. There are
various organizations. It is not a tunnel
various parts of price and none of the
where anything that goes in, comes out.
examples given below are about cutting
You may have 10 ideas. These may come
price.
either because there is a new technology In the startup culture that
change or there is a market demand
blossomed
happening. The trick is to have a set of
India,
Customer: Is there a market for
customer goes down and we
impactful and catchier. It has
in
2)
it does not mean the proposal has to be
priced less though they appear
the front page which is more
•
it?
an algorithm.
that carry advertisements on
window.
and the operating team build
a lower rate, but it will follow
As we have print plus digital,
newspaper, which open like a
it? Can its production system
come and place ads directly at
new features.
in
Company: Can the company do
bank’s ecommerce. You can
industry, these are innovative
windows
1)
metros. The price for the
can do it yourself. It's like a
also do that. For publishing
We even have glazed jackets
but
help you make a plan or you
table. Other leading players
the ad will be featured in both.
target
selling. Our sales people will
which we have brought to the
•
The
locations like the top 3
school
Codeathon
Geotargeting:
audience for the ad is not pan
them. We organise travel education
3Cs—Company, Customer and Cash.
stocks. It is done with a lot of
New features for more impact
conclaves,
ideas and ask three questions related to
for ads but they give their
the print business.
their brand, we do events for
on
doing ad for equity barter. The
are in Delhi and Bombay in
—To help advertisers build
keen
preserving cash. We started
More audience reach—earlier we were only in Delhi. Now we
•
are
42
JANUARY 2021
value for money. At Titan, we are better at delivering greater perceived value. Titan EyePlus is 15 years old and we came into being in 2005.
It
was
an
unorganized,
underserved industry. We wanted to deliver an overall solution and an augmented product with a premium
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
the customer.
pricing while delivering exceptional value to the customer and good value to
•
The
glasses
are
more
the company and its shareholders.
important part of the solution.
Eyeing on Perceived Value
companies like Essilor and
•
We
employ
qualified
optometrists who are experts and dressed in professional attire. When you go into a Titan EyePlus store, meet them and talk to them, you understand that you are in good hands. •
The testing room has high
There their
are
large
global
technologies
are
available to all opticians. The difference that Titan brings is customised
solutions
by
understanding the customers —their age, profession, and the size of their face—and offering what fits well and looks good for them.
tech machines and a complete
Thus, through expertise and
setup. We follow a 20step
empathy, we deliver value proposition
checking
whereby
to customers and they keep coming
various dimensions relating to
back. We also have a concept called the
eyes are being systematically
net promoter score which is a very
process
assessed before the expert concludes what is required for
powerful barometer—a KPI in Titan as 43
JANUARY 2021
An organization has to figure out what they are better at —delivering perceived value greater than price, or delivering more value for money.
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
years now.
Around 2006, one of the things that really struck us was the manner in which the local jewellers across the country were dealing with customers in a very personalised manner.
birthday, we would order a cake and
Around 2006, one of the things that
celebrate it with other customers in the
really struck us was the manner in
stores. Over the last 15 years, Tarnish’s
which the local jewellers across the
customers have become a very large
country were dealing with customers in
family.
a very personalised manner. The owner
We also started doing this in a
knows the customer and greets them.
localised way. For example, the Bombay
We realised that if Tanishq were to
stores would make the typical sweet dish
become the largest jewellery brand in
of Kerala—Chaka pradaman, which is
the country, we need to combine two
a type of kheer—on Onam and give it to
things—one, the modern aspects of
Malayalee customers at their homes.
product design, branding, assortment
They would be blown by the
design and retail experience that we
thoughtfulness of this gesture as many
bring to the table and two, the ageold
of them would be sitting away from their
principles
home State.
of
personalisation,
relationship and warmth the local dealer was doing so well. a whole and in Titan EyePlus as well. Our NPS in Titan EyePlus is in excess of
Birthdays with Tanishq
75, which is a global benchmark. The
We started a loyalty program in 2007
customer experience program of Titan
called Anuttara with multiple objectives.
EyePlus has been voted the world's best
One was points for every purchase
program in a Customer Experience
which the customers could use to buy
Strategy Conference held in Netherlands
jewellery in future. We also ended up
in 2018. We won the prize beating
collecting a fair amount of information
Microsoft, Dell, Shell and such other
about the customer like birthday,
global companies.
anniversary, taste for music and special
The Shine of Tanishq
events, the festivals they celebrate and the kind of books they like reading.
Tanishq, which is 25yearsold, was launched in 1996 in Cathedral Road in Chennai. Over the next three to four years, we changed many things —offering gold jewellery of the traditional kind to start with. We brought in carat meter to demonstrate the purity of gold. I have been associated with Tanishq for about 15
We were able to do many things, for example, celebrating the birthdays of customers in their homes as a surprise event. The sales staff would take the cakes, visit the customers in their house on the birthday morning and organise the cakecutting. If a customer happened to visit the store on her 44
JANUARY 2021
When I visit the stores, the mantra that I tell the staff there is, “It does not matter if the customer walks out of the store with an empty hand, but as long as she walks out with a smile in her eyes and warmth in her heart, it’s okay; she will come back later and buy Tanishq. But if she walks out of the store with a bag in her hand and dissatisfied with whatever happened in the store, then she may not come back at all.” We have worked hard for the last 15 years in creating a really magical experience for customers of Tanishq. Today, we have digital programs even as the pandemic is upon us and it has helped us in our recovery rate in the last two to three months. Thanks to the investments that we have made in digital and building of relationships between thousands of our staff and
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
millions of our customers, though
cents. After they picked up, he brought
Tanishq is perceived to be an expensive
down the price to free and asked them
brand, our customers tell us that when
to take the chocolates. In the second set,
it comes to total value, it is too good.
he asked the people to pick up chocolates priced at 15 cents. After they did that, he brought down the price to 1 cent. In this case also, the reduction was 14 cents, which was same as offered to the first set. But the first set of people
How Companies Use Research to Achieve Balance
S
ome of you might have read Dan Ariely’s
book,
was delighted than the second, because of the effect associated with the term
...a set of activities done by a particular brand may not be taken so well by customers but the same set of activities done by another brand could work well.
‘free.’
“Predictably
Irrational,” which illustrates
Drink and Solve with Energy
where and how we could go wrong with
In the third experiment, he again
pricing. Because of our irrational
selected two sets of people. He asked
decision making, the whole paradigm of
them to solve some problems. He gave
pricing becomes a bit more complicated
an energy drink to the first set and said
thought that we were all homo
than what we think.
it would help in their problem solving
economicus—a rational and selfish
ability. He told them that he bought it at
individual
the retail price stated on the drink.
preferences, but this has been
Dan his team did some simple experiments. He asked a set of
with
relatively
stable
challenged (Thales & Sunstein, 2008).
respondents to pick up a cordless
He also gave the second set of
keyboard with a price similar to their
people the same energy drink and told
social security number. Because of this
them that it would help in their problem
anchoring bias, people in the top 20%
solving ability. But he added that he had
That is why, a set of activities done
percentile of the security numbers were
bought the drink at a discounted price.
by a particular brand may not be taken
willing to pay three times more than
It was observed that the first set who
so well by customers but the same set of
those who had their the social security
received the energy drink, supposedly at
activities done by another brand could
numbers within the bottom 20
the retail price could solve more
work well. Social influences, peer
percentile. He defined it as anchoring
problems than the second set who
pressure and word of mouth have an
effect.
perceived the value of the drink lesser
impact across many industries. When
than that of the first group because of
we buy a particular product, we actually
the ‘discount’ factor thrown in.
peg it to another product and see if it
Discounted Chocolate: Sweet or Sour?
If we look at the three different
In the second experiment, he got two
examples given above, we can
sets of panels. He asked the first set of
appreciate the impact of pricing on our
people to pick up chocolates priced at 14
perceptions. For many years, we 45
JANUARY 2021
Our behaviour is subject to cognitive biases, emotions and social influences.
offers more value or less value. It is often a relative decision that we take. Consumer market research provides solutions in these areas.
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
46
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
Mr
Peter
Rimmele,
Resident
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
of concern for the US and whatever
Representative to India of Konrad
mirrored what many Europeans felt in
policy the new US administration takes
AdenauerStiftung,
the
2017—that Europe would need to take
will have to be flanked by the Asian and
introductory remarks in which he said
its destiny in its own hands,” he said and
European national efforts. He concluded
that a new President taking charge
added that China is another major area
by saying that it is a matter of
delivered
would not mean that everything
speculation if the Biden administration
changes. According to him, the US has
will be looking at a rulesbased
certain interests and these are not going
international order that India and
to change. “Outgoing US President Donald Trumps’s ‘America First’ policy is here to stay but in a version that is not so much in your face,” he felt. He also said that IndoUS relations have improved permanently, regardless of the administration and that this will go on.
Outgoing US President Donald Trumps’s ‘America First’ policy is here to stay but in a version that is not so much in your face
Germany believe in, or at the
~ Peter Rimmele
(Retd) AVSM, VM, Ph.D moderated
predominance
of
another
newly
upcoming superpower (China), which dictates its own understanding of an international order. Air Marshal M Matheswaran the discussion. He pointed out that the
“When Donald Trump became
Trump administration was transactional
President and took several decisions,
in nature and, in dealing with countries,
including questioning the role of NATO,
it followed a zerosum game. He said 47
JANUARY 2021
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
The Trump administration was transactional in nature and, in dealing with countries, it followed a zero‐sum game.
Biden is cautious by nature and that he takes considered decisions, unlike his predecessor Donald Trump.
~Air Marshal M Matheswaran (Retd)
~Mr M K Narayanan
There will be continuity of relationship with India, consensus in the US about having a comprehensive, global, strategic partnership with India... ~Ms Nirupama Rao
that the US economy was doing well
the external front, managing USChina
relations
under Trump and there was a
relations will be their top priority since
Consensus,
strengthening of IndoUS relations in
China is openly challenging the US pre
Compatibility. There will be continuity
strategic terms. But for his handling of
eminence in the economic field and is
of relationship with India, consensus in
Covid19, Trump might have returned
fast closing the gap in the military space
the US about having a comprehensive,
to power, he felt and said that the
as well. Europe that went out of Trump’s
global, strategic partnership with India,
pandemic exposed the chinks in the US
lens will come back to US focus. He
mutual cooperation between the
healthcare system and in its leadership.
predicted that in Biden’s team, Jake
countries, and both nations have a
Mr M K Narayanan, on a cautious
Sullivan as the NSA will be a key player
natural compatibility. She said that
note, said that he does not believe that
and he believes in strategic coexistence
Biden will take a middle road and not
IndoUS relations will greatly improve
rather than strategic competition. The
root for adventurism. She predicted that
just because there is a Biden presidency.
new dispensation might perhaps
a Berlin wall will be coming up in
He felt that relationship with India will
question India on human rightsrelated
Technology between US and China,
not be a top priority on the US agenda.
issues and on its stand on Kashmir and
especially in the backdrop of 5G and
Based on his earlier interactions with
Article 370.
Huawei. She anticipates more
Joe Biden as VicePresident of the US,
Ms Nirupama Rao said that entropy
intelligencesharing
he felt that Biden is cautious by nature
is a permanent state of global affairs
operability between India and the US.
and that he takes considered decisions,
today. Quoting a China expert based in
Dr V Anantha Nageswaran said that
unlike his predecessor Donald Trump.
the US, she said the USChina relations
as per an article in the New York Times,
Narayanan’s
will be defined by 3Cs—competition,
bluecollar voters migrated towards
calculations, Biden’s priority in his first
containment and confrontation. She
Republicans and those with an annual
18 months will be domestic issues. On
summed up the roadmap of IndoUS
income greater than $68,000 gravitated
According
to
48
JANUARY 2021
under
4Cs—Continuity,
Cooperation
and
and
inter
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
towards Democrats. Listing out the risks
factor flows from the question if Biden’s
under the new administration, he said
term will be a oneterm rule or twoterm
that the Indian rupee is likely to
rule, because of his age, and if Biden will
appreciate by 12 per cent every year and
be able to complete his four years as
this may lead to Indian entities seeking
President in a healthy state or if it will
higher foreign debt. The second risk
be a BidenHarris Presidency through
•
How will IndoUS military industrial partnership shape up in the days to come?
•
Will India be marginalized by China?
•
What will be US stand on
the first term. “India will face headwinds
Afghanistan
through human rights concerns flagged
affairs?
by the US and also benefit from
India will face headwinds through human rights concerns flagged by the US and also benefit from tailwinds
to the new administration?
• •
the other Key Issues such as: will
be
administration’s
~Dr. V Anantha Nageswaran
Trade,
stand
Technology
JANUARY 2021
Will the UN reforms happen?
•
Will the new administration help
India
in
getting
Permanent Member status in
on
UN Security Council?
and
How will global economy react 49
•
Biden
Investment? •
What will be the role of John envoy?
The panel also shared their views on
What
Will India benefit from the
Kerry as Biden’s Climate
staying out of RCEP.
•
Climate
new US immigration policy?
tailwinds,” he said. According to him, India does not stand to lose much by
and
•
Will the rise of farright populism continue globally?
Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
RAMYAA RAMESH
Like Father, Like Daughter… Mythili’s early days was spent moving with her father, an IAS Officer,
I
ndia as we know is a land of beautiful textiles where the sound of the loom still echoes across the
villages of our country. Cooptex was started with a vision to provide economic sustenance to the thousands in the handloom sector and by doing so keep this sector vibrant and profitable. The role of the person who heads Cooptex is therefore one of great responsibility and innovation. We are lucky to have an extremely committed and dynamic woman to head the department as a Managing Director – Mythili Rajendran. As a woman who knew what she wanted to do and strived hard until she achieved it, Mythili Rajendran is someone who epitomizes the saying, ‘try, try and try again, until you succeed’. A woman who had a strong dream to become an IAS officer and pursued it
and the rest of her family. She was lucky to have stayed on in Chennai and complete her college. She moved from
when it was time for me to give my civil services exam. I then continued to do my Masters in the same college, but within a month of starting the course, at the age of 21, I got married.”
Trichy to Chennai and started her schooling in a Tamil medium school in
A Dream Fulfilled…
Kalakshetra, where she says, “my initial
Marriage made no change to
days of education was unconventional,
Mythili’s dream to become an IAS
especially in the way I learnt, as the
officer. She was very clear in her mind
focus was more on learning values
as to what she wanted to achieve in her
rather than just the usual subjects one
life because she did not want to settle for
studies.”
any other job. “Yes, my family’s financial
“I have 3 sisters’ and 1 brother and
stability
definitely
helped
me
it was my father’s fervent wish that at
concentrate on what I wanted to do!”
least one of his children would follow
she laughs.
his footsteps to become an IAS officer –
“After my marriage I moved to Goa
and it was my secret hope that I would
along with my husband and I started to
be the one to fulfil his dreams!
study for my IAS exam. That time period
I decided to take English Literature
for me was very frustrating as I used to
as my Bachelors in Stella Maris College,
clear my preliminary as well as my main
Chennai, as I felt it would help me
papers and attend interviews but I
improve my language proficiency and
would not get the post that I wanted. I
thereby grasp information faster and
realized that the exam that I was trying
give me a wider perspective on subjects
to master needed wider reading, and did not require mastery of a ‘specific’
through the various turns of her life,
subject. IAS is for people who have a
such a woman cannot but be inspiring.
wide range of knowledge on varied
Talking to Mythili Rajendran is a
subjects,
for
people
who
are
great experience. With 30 years of
compassionate and most definitely for
service as an IAS office, the number of
people who are persistent. Fact is that
anecdotes she could recount will keep
there is no set formula for success and
one spell bound, even as one admires
IAS officers are bureaucrats not
the humility with which she shares each
necessarily technocrats!
story.
“I continued to pursue my dream
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Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
even after my child came into our life
one aspect that impacted me the most
the post that we hold. What I love about
and I finally achieved my dream of
were the dowry issues and related
my work is that no one is breathing
joining the IAS at the age of 28, right
deaths that were prevalent in that area.
down my neck to deliver predefined
after my son joined his kindergarten
We were expected to arrive at a
results, it is entirely up to me to forge
class!”
conclusion to the cause of death after
ahead with my set goals in line with the
requisite investigation and provide our
vision of the department and what I
judgment from where the police would
want to achieve in that framework.
Joining the Elite Corps… “The initial days of my career started with 10 days of training in the police
department
under
the
superintendent of police where we learnt how weapons were used by the force and use of tear gas, ‘bundobusts’, VIP Securities. I then spent few weeks training
under
the
Village
Administrative Officer (VAO) Office, all
take over the case.
After Coimbatore, my next post was
I was committed to each posting I
as a Director of Differently Abled. This
did and over the years I have served in
department till then was handled by a
many
departments,
and
the
medical professional with a primary
experience
and
focus on rehabilitation, and I was the
performance always stood me in good
first bureaucrat to head the department
stead.”
and set up district units to convert it
combination
of
into a fullfledged welfare department. Making a Difference…
under the supervision of the Collector.
In her almost 30 years career, she
In fact we were also attached to a
has worked in many departments in
judicial court to learn how to try cases
varied roles, but there are some roles
and pass judgments. All this were part
that she looks back with satisfaction
of the 57 weeks of training period after
because of what she achieved there.
which we were expected to submit a
The senior officers I had at each point of time had handheld me and I learnt a lot from each and every one of them.” Water – An Everyday Essential…
“I was always proud of what I had
“The next department I moved to
delivered at every level, as I believe that
play a major role in my career and I still
there is always a scope to do good things
carry the lessons I learnt even today!
The idea behind this training was to
in any department a person sets foot
This was my role as General Manager of
get a bird’s eye view of the government
into. Any time there is a possibility to
Metro Water where I learnt the
working structure and we were literally
improve the current status as each
importance
observers!
department is very dynamic and there
especially for a department which is
It was then time to start on the job
is so much to do every time a new
literally a monopoly in the market.
training, so I moved to Coimbatore as a
person enters the department. My key
Monopoly often is synonymous to
Sub Divisional Magistrate, where I was
goal was to do justice to the vision of the
authoritativeness which need not
expected to perform quasi functions as
organization as I believe that ‘social
necessarily be true. It is what
an Executive Magistrate. The scope of
justice’ is the underlying ethos behind
information we communicate and how
my work included Law & Order, Land
any government department.
we communicate which is very
socioeconomic report, which for me was very exciting!
of
Public
Relations
Revenue, Custodial Violence and many
There are more than 300 IAS
important. We realized that policy
other activities and as a young adult this
officers in Tamilnadu and all of us want
making and governance is best done in
was the most exciting stint for me! The
to bring about a small or big change to
‘participative’ style when it comes to
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Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
public utilities as is the core service of water supply and sewerage.
especially on its image.
syllabus was introduced across different
I have had the opportunity to set
Boards of Education such as Anglo
Public Relations (PR) is imperative
many a good precedence as a rule that
Indian; Matriculation and language
to maintain the patronage of the public.
could be followed in the future! One
books were common for CBSE and
This also has an impact on the morale
such directive was with respect to the
ICSE. Hence, Text Book Corporation
of the workers in the organization as it
income to be earned by the temple.
publications were bought by 11,600
pushes him to improve the service
Though various temples derived income
private schools in addition to the
provided in order to maintain his image.
from temple lands, they did not earn
Government schools in the state of
We therefore came up with Informative
enough to sustain their expenses.
Tamilnadu.
Brochures as part of our Citizen Charter
During my tenure in the department we
Every year new editions are
to keep the general public informed.
ensured that encroachments be brought
developed by the TN Textbook
This also made CMWSSB to be a very
to notice and to collect occupation fees
Corporation for each text book. But I
citizenfriendly service provider with
and acknowledge that the temple is the
realized that the retailers would sell the
effective public water face.”
rightful owner of the property so that
older editions as they had a previous
the land is not permanently divested.
backlog instead of selling the latest
Job Satisfaction Follows Sincerity in Work… “In my career, the tenure that I spent in any department was never rudely fore shortened and neither have I ever left a department or an organization with any regret. I have never actually coveted any particular post nor have I asked for any specific post. I settle in any post.
Another incident I remember was
edition – just as a way to optimize their
between 2001 and 2003 where there
revenue. I needed to curtail the sale of
was a dispute of a land property
old textbooks by the retailer, so I
between an individual and a temple. The
decided to move the sale of textbooks
land was donated by a Nawab indicating
online. This benefited the department
“For use by temple car”. An individual
in two ways, one, the sale proceeds got
had encroached on the land to construct
realized immediately, and two, the
a passage for his building and the
children also received the latest edition
matter had to be settled by lawyers. At
at the earliest time.
the time of hearing, the court had
Prices of each textbook were
So, the next department I moved to
requested for the Original Patta of the
printed with year of publication and we
was HR&CE (Hindu Religious and
land from the Collectorate office. Within
ensured that the textbook was
Charitable Endowments) Department.
10 minutes they were able to provide the
distributed to the student well in
Here I understood that people donated
necessary documents to me and the
advance
land to the temple, for example, 300
temple ended up winning the case! It
commencement of school. Till date, we
Grounds of lands in Adyar was donated
was a great day.
have never given the textbooks late to
to the Tiruvannamalai temple land by one Ammani Ammal. It is a known fact
–
even
before
the
the students and ensured that all Textbooks Online – A New Future
students
received
the
required
that Government regulations cannot be
“Another posting that gave me
textbooks! We also ensured the access
applied to temple lands and so, the
great satisfaction was my work with the
of all textbooks online and the students
purpose of donation had to be
Tamilnadu Textbook and Education
had the option to take print of the same
considered while taking any decision
Services Corporation. Uniformity in
through National Informatics Centre
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Business Mandate fountainhead of excellence
(NIC). I also brought about discipline
years where I handled everything from
organization for the last 3 months. My
in the organization in terms of finance.
leave, travel concessions and property
main goal now is to strengthen the age
This was an addon and an example of
returns and other personnel matters.”
old organisation which is dedicated to
how an officer can add value to an
the welfare of our weavers and restore
organization that he/she is a part of and
Women Hold up Half the Sky – 1/3rd
its popularity as a major handloom
can therefore contribute more.”
of IAS…
outlet of the Country. I am looking
“In my batch from Tamilnadu, IAS – An Opportunity to Serve
there were 4 women and 2 men, as it is
“I have never worried about my
a government service the 33%
growth in my career but I have always
reservation does stand! To tell you the
looked for any opportunity to serve.
truth, I never felt or experienced any
Like any organization, as long as
gender issue. In 1997, there was a major
any achievement is in sync with their
communal riot in Coimbatore. I had to
vision and values, your work gets
handle the situation as a Sub Divisional
accepted and appreciated. IAS is a very
Magistrate
enticing option as a career and I have
sincerity which was necessary to
never regretted a single day for getting
convince and persuade people listen to
this opportunity.
you and arrive at a consensus. My
I was then transferred as Deputy Commissioner
Civil
Supplies
Department (Chennai North), Home Department, Industries Department to oversee Mines & Minerals and Public Department for almost 6 and a half
with
confidence
and
gender was never a hindrance in my ability to deliver what was expected out
forward to bringing in a lot of changes that will benefit the handloom sector.” A lot is expected from IAS officers like Mythili Rajendran who have totally given themselves and their time to their profession. Her singleminded devotion to her job is all encompassing and does not leave her much time for any extracurricular activity but yet, there is no tinge of regret, for this is what she had always aspired to and at the end of the day a job well done is what satisfies her the most!
of me.” The Present & Future… “I am now the Managing Director of Cooptex and have been part of this 54
JANUARY 2021
Ramyaa Ramesh had interviewed Mythili Rajendran for this series.
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