Even though fathers are every child's hero, they are more often than not, an overlooked lot.
So this one today is written specially to thank my Baba.
If Aai taught me vocabulary, my Baba taught me to use it creatively. She gave me the language, He gave me the poetry 
To The Man, like whom I can only hope to be one day.
Love you Baba 

 

Mentorship

 

Maternal Instincts of the Business World

“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” ― Margaret Mead 

Reading this quote made me wonder; did my mother follow this? On further introspection, I realized that she did; she never forced me to do anything, she just introduced me to ideas. For instance, reading. It started with reading me bedtime stories to encouraging me to read the newspaper out loud, then following it up with getting me children’s books when she realized that I enjoyed reading. She never forced upon me any hobby or interest, she introduced me to new activities, observed whether I developed any interest for them and when she saw that interest, she encouraged me to explore it further.

Today, when I read books, write articles, speak at public events, I may not openly acknowledge it, but it is because of that foundation which she laid for me, that I have been able to build my entire skill set. If we look at parallels for this in the business world, then I would say this is what one means by mentorship - a maternal approach to refine the next generation.

Just like a mother, a mentor needs to understand the protégés pros & cons, observe their inclinations and guide them to build on their positive attributes and work on mitigating the effect of those attributes which are holding him/her back from growing, and in turn, help his/her success journey.

It is a wrong belief that only a select few can be protégés. It is however, true that a select few understand and cope with the mentor’s guidance. That’s why, we see only few successful mentor-protégé relationships. As a leader, I look at myself as a mentor to all who are junior to me. It is then up to the juniors, whether they want to continue being my protégés or not.

A leader leads by example, but a mentor leads by aligning the examples as per the protégé’s - needs. The objective of mentorship is not to create your own replica but use your experience to help the protégé become a better and a more successful version of himself/herself. Spoon-feeding never works in mentorship; the mentor is the guide, but the efforts and the intelligence has to be that of the protégé.

Considering my deep interest in Hindu mythology, I would give the example of Lord Krishna & Arjun on the Kurukshetra battlefield. Lord Krishna being the charioteer made sure that he guided Arjun to be present at the right place at the right time, be a silent force helping & guiding him behind the scenes. In the end, all the hard work was that of Arjun. Lord Krishna was the ideal mentor, a man with skills to finish things on his own. However, he chose to take a backseat, giving an opportunity to his protégé to use his skills and shine in the battlefield.

Mentors also need to realize theirs as well as their protégé’s limitations. Not every protégé has the same skills or intelligence. It is thus the job of the mentor to assess the extent to which a person can improve and guide them to that point. To develop the protégé into the best version of himself, is what the mentor can do. A mentor is not expected to create a new person all together.

One of the most important flaws in mentors also runs parallel to mothers; not letting go of their babies. As they know that they have a key role in creating this person, it is difficult to let go of that person when he/she wishes to leave the nest. But mentors must realize that it was their duty to guide the protégés till the point from where they can take off on their own and fight their own battles, probably go on to be mentors to others. Stopping them is wasting all the effort spent in mentoring them. So, “Let Go”.

And, as they say “A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for”

 

P.S. – This article is dedicated to all my mentors notably My Father, Mr. Vaibhav Patkar, Mr. Suresh Dadlani, Mr. Kishor Vaswani, Mr. Satya Rane and most importantly my MOTHER, who though not with me in flesh today, will live on through all my successes and victories.

Business Strategies – The Maratha Way

 

 "Remember that night has nothing to do with sleep. It was created by God to raid territory held by your enemy. The night is your shield , your screen against the cannons and swords of vastly superior enemy forces" – Shrimant Bajirao Ballal Peshwa

What an interesting quote by one of the greatest cavalry generals the world has seen, this is supposed to be what he had told Shrimant Chimaji Ballal Peshwa as part of his lessons on military and warfare strategy. Being an ardent fan of history, majorly Maratha History, these strategies and tactics have always intrigued me. From the time of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of Maratha Empire, to Peshwa Bajirao Saheb, under whom the Marathas started their expansion, it has always been a David vs Goliath kind of situation. But the Marathas managed to emerge victorious even in these situations with sound strategies and techniques which can prove as excellent pointers for business leaders today.

One of my favourite historians late Mr. Ninad Bedekar in one of his speeches had said that Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj definitely followed an analysis technique which is taught as a base to every management student today – SWOT Analysis. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats; if we see the actions taken by Chattrapati Shivaji to Peshwa Bajirao Saheb and even further ahead we see the use of these tools effectively to analyze situations and take actions.

In this article I wish to list some of the pointers used by these great leaders and try to corelate them in today’s business terms.

Be Aware of your Environment

-       One of the greatest reasons of Maratha dominance during Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was effective use of Sahyadris, the treacherous mountain ranges surrounded by dense jungles. The Mughals who were used to open land / plains warfare could not understand or adjust to this environment and lost. But in the times of Peshwa Bajirao, he took the battles to plains of the North, so he had to unlearn to some extent the strategies which were earlier used and get acclimatized to the new battle fields.

-       Similarly in today’s business scenarios, leaders need to be aware of the different markets they are entering, the pros and cons of the market, the work culture in the market, key players in the market (competitors & prospective customers).

-       It is important to know your competitors, their strengths and weaknesses.

-       It is important to acclimatize to different markets for developing winning strategies; one needs to realize that no two markets or regions can be treated in the same way.

A winning strategy in market A need not necessarily be a winner in market B.

-       So the important thing is learn and improvise, that will be a winning mantra.

Tactical Retreats

-       In battles tactical retreats can sometimes be wise decision and a good strategy. A good example in Maratha history is the “Treaty of Purandar” where Shivaji Maharaj decided that it was wiser to negotiate a deal with the Mughals and live to fight another day.

-       Similarly in business it is key for all leaders to analyze and understand when it is time to step back or let go. You win some, you loose some it is part of the game.

-       There might be some contracts or region however seemingly profitable, but in the larger picture might have impact on service delivery or company morale or organizational reputation, then it should be prudent to take that step back and live to fight another day.

Know your enemies

-       Keep your friends close but enemies closer.

-       Bahirji Naik, the head of spies for Shivaji Maharaj made sure that the king was always updated about the enemy – like its strategies, resources, strengths, weaknesses, probable actions etc. This would help the Marathas plan their strategies which countered that of their enemies.

-       Now, in the business world I don’t mean to imply that we should have spies and indulge in corporate espionage. However, it is always prudent to know the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors, it could be a learning experience.

Speed & Agility

-       Bajirao Peshwa is supposed to have travelled 1.8 million kms. in the 20 years he ruled. He could do this because led a cavalry charge, no cannons, no elephants, no infantry, this gave him speed and agility. The iconic “Battle of Palkhed” was won just on these elements of agility and swift mobility, it was a bloodless victory.

-       Similarly in the world of business, speed is the key, being a first mover and a fast mover gives a certain advantage over competitors. But the key with this speed is to get the right balance, being too early in the market can equally hurt as being too late in the market.

-       Agility is another key attribute, any business must have the flexibility to be agile enough to adjust according to market requirements. In business world we might term it as customization, of course it should never be done in a manner to completely modify the business objectives, but an acceptable level of customizations should be a part of standard considerations for any business.

Make Effective Allies

-       One of the biggest factor for the loss of Third Battle of Panipat was the inability of stitching together effective alliances. Without getting into to the political debates about these failed alliances then, the lesson to be learnt is that effective partners or support is a very necessary weapon in one’s arsenal.

-       In business terms it means that we need to be on the lookout for effective partners or consultants depending on the regions being handled. Presence of a local partner or local reference in new territories is a very effective tool for increasing visibility of a business.

-       It is however very important to conduct efficient due diligence to ensure that the partners taken on board are good for our organization, its reputation and will be long-term partners.

Lead from Front

-       Killing of Afzal Khan, Attack on Lal Mahal, 40 battles fought by Bajirao Peshwa, Third Battle of Panipat all had one most important thing in commo,n the leaders led from front. Shivaji Maharaj, Bajirao Peshwa, Sadashivrao Bhau Peshwa all ensured that all these critical battles and attacks had them leading the charge fighting alongside their comrades.

-       This is the most important virtue every leader should have, sitting in offices and just pushing work onto others does not make one a “Leader”, it just makes one a “Boss”. A Leader is the one who works with his resources, ensuring that issues if any are directly taken on by the leader, clear direction and path forward is demonstrated.

-       Do not misunderstand this to not delegating work, it just means that work should be delegated and not pushed onto juniors. But even after delegating the work the responsibility of the outcome should still be with the leader, this is what will instill confidence and trust in the team.

Having mentioned the above, I would like to submit that these similar techniques might have been used by other martial races across India or World, however my keen interest in Maratha history is reason the above examples use the “Maratha Way”

P.S. – This is my small and silent tribute to late Mr. Ninad Bedekar, his speeches on Maratha History inspired me to look at this subject in a deeper sense than what I earlier did. Thank you Sir.

'Growing Others' : Leadership at a Glance

 

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others” – Jack Welch

One of my mentors and an extraordinary leader himself Mr. Suresh Dadlani, always used to quote Mr. Jack Welch during our numerous discussions on topics ranging from business strategies, operations, leadership etc. Based on his thoughts I started reading a few of Jack Welch’s books and quotes.

The one above stuck with me the most, “success is all about growing others”. This is a key factor in defining a leader or leadership qualities. Leadership positions are all about human resource management, if a leader is able to master that then the team’s success is for granted.

My ongoing metamorphosis from being a normal employee to a leader is filled with such multiple learnings from my bosses, mentors and seniors. Each experience teaches me a new lesson in leadership, so even though leadership as a concept is extremely fluid and has to change with every generation that engage with your leadership, the base for any leader remains the same.

In this article, I wish to share some points which I, based on my on-ground experiences, feel is important for all leaders.

-       Don’t just Hear…“Listen!!”:

o   One needs to understand the stark difference between “hearing” and “listening”.

o   Hearing is simply the act of perceiving sound by the ear, it is involuntary, effortless. Listening however is something an individual consciously chooses to do, which means that an effort is put in this action. Which makes it a focused and concentrated action.

o   So, for any leader listening to team-mates is very important, be it their work plans, grievances, appreciations, complaints, even gossip. This gives the leader a good perspective and reasoning on what is actionable and what is not.

-       Actions speak louder than words:

o   A leader needs to take action on any actionable inputs from the team.

o   Actions might include taking hard decisions; however, these actions need to be impartial.

-       Give Chances…Take Chances:

o   Identify raw talent in team members, be it freshers or experienced, and give chance for them to grow.

o   Leaders should be ready to give free hand to team members who show promise at the same time supervising to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

o   In case of mistakes ensure that you show them the right direction and encourage them to move forward instead of cutting them off in fear.

o   Taking these calculated risks can create wonders in terms of resource development, encouragement at the same time ensuring that your team trusts you.

-       What you Sow, so shall you Reap:

o    However senior a leader, as long as he/she respects everyone straight to the junior most team member, is when he/she gets the respect back from the team.

o   Trust and respect are two of the strongest pillars for any leader to lead his/her team to success and both these values are reciprocal in nature. Also, you cannot force any of these values onto your team, they need to be earned.

o   Every leader should be conscious of this and work on their actions accordingly.

-       Conflict Management:

o   Effective conflict management is one of the most important tasks of a manager.

o   Leaders should not mistake conflict management as conflict resolution, not always can all conflicts be resolved.

o   So, the task for a leader is to ensure that conflicts are managed in a manner to not impact the business or working relations in the organization.

I am sure there are many more aspects to leadership, but as long as the above baseline remains, the rest can be tweaked and tuned as required. Leadership is just like Excellence; it is a continuous process and a true Leader never ceases to learn.

Crossing the Rubicon

In January of 49 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon and attacked Rome, giving the world, one of the most recognizable dictators that history shall always remember, as well as this idiom “Crossing the Rubicon”. This basically means a point of no return.

In our professional life, especially as leaders, we frequently come across such situations where we have to take a firm stand; a tough decision, either by choice or by compulsion. The leader’s approach in these situations truly defines his / her leadership.

In this article, I would try to interest you, with some approaches I would recommend in these scenarios.

To Step out or not –

-          As a Cricket-loving nation, we know that in Cricket, one of the key decisions a batsman has to make is the right time step out of the crease and hit. If its too early, he might lose his wicket, and if too late, then that may lead to the loss of an advantage.

-          In professional life, this happens when we reach the metaphorical “Rubicon”, the defining moment.

-          A leader, in this case, needs to have a 360-degree view of the outcomes of his decision, be it affirmative or negative.

-          If the decision is to take the firm stand, then the leader needs to make sure all preparations are done accordingly. In such decisions, ensuring buy-in from all relevant stakeholders (management, team members, direct reports) etc. is very important.

-          All members who have considerable influence to support your decision need to be kept abreast of the developments and confirm their support before moving ahead with the action.

-          Also, a key task is to identify the trouble areas and troublemakers who may create a negative impact, post the action. A well thought out strategy needs to be in place, which will address this concern, if required.

-          And as always, be prepared for the unknown - that is a reality of life we all live with. 

No Doubts / No jubilations–

-          No doubts! Once the action is taken, there is no turning back, so don’t waste time fretting on or doubting your decision.

-          Good or Bad, Victory or Loss, the leader must accept the outcome and act accordingly.

-          If successful; the leader, though congratulating the members who supported the action, should refrain from publicized jubilations, as in many cases, they may turn counter-productive and probably lead to some dissent in the ranks.

-          A proper approach would be to accept the victory, be generous to the loser, if there is any, and move on as any other day in the office.

What if you lose? -

-          Pray for the best and prepare for the worst - an old and relevant saying.

-          Winning and losing is a part of the game: you win some, you lose some.

-          A point of no return means no roll-back possible, there is no possibility of reverting to the original status quo. The 360-degree strategy should involve a fallback in case of a failure; a way for a dignified exit from the situation.

-          In this situation, it is up to the leader to ensure that the morale of others involved is not undermined.

-          The leader needs to take stock of the situation, regroup and work out solutions. In combat terms, the leader should sound the retreat if necessary. It’s always wiser to live and fight another day.

-          As they say, it’s not always about winning or losing; it how you fought that defines your character.

In such situations, I always remind myself of a quote, a young Indian Army Officer had written in his diary

Some goals are so worthy, it is glorious even to fail – Capt. Manoj Pandey, PVC

 

* This article was first published on CPO Innovation - https://cpoinnovation.com/crossing-the-rubicon/

How to Fail??!!

Somewhere back in 2011-12 I worked with my team on a huge Request for Proposal (RFP). This RFP had 4 to 5 of us working for weeks together compiling lots of data sheets in a nice presentable format and the end product seemed so promising that I had thought we were going to definitely win that contract. But, unfortunately, a week post submission of the RFP response I got to know from my boss that we had lost the deal as we had been undercut on the pricing with some unrealistic pricing by another company. Me being new to this process and having the impatience of youth was very saddened and frustrated to have lost the contract after all the effort we had put in. That is when my boss, a visionary himself, Mr. Suresh Dadlani taught me a thing which may seem very trivial but holds a lot of value, he said “Ashish, we win some, we lose some. It’s part of the game”.

Since our childhood we are always taught “Failures are steppingstones to success”. As kids, we accept it at face value but we never really try to understand the “Why” behind it; “Why is failure the stepping stone to success?”. As management students, leaders etc. we are always taught to only look for success and always think about winning. But the hard reality is that failures are as much a part of the leadership journey as successes. They may be personal/individual failures or failures of your teams and projects.

In my eyes, a leader who knows how to pick himself/herself up after getting a bloody nose, dust off the dirt and lead a fight back, is a true leader. So in this article I intend to focus on failing, trying to share my knowledge, based on my experiences and also the things I learnt during my ControlCase-sponsored         3-month management course at the Indian School of Business and talk a little bit about handling failure or as I call it “How to Fail??!!”

Don’t be in denial…

The most common reaction of any individual to failure is that of denial. It’s just too hard to digest that one could fail. Then it is followed by a blame game and this starts a vicious cycle of trying to reallocate the cause of the failure instead of assessing it.

So, the first step in handling failure is to accept the failure. A leader needs to be upfront and accept the failure as a person, as a team or as a project. Also, it is important that the leader takes the heat of the failure; the team, whatever they have done or have not done, should never be “fed to the wolves” – figuratively speaking. It is the leader’s responsibility to own up to the failure and shield the team from any negative backlash in public or in the organization.

Introspect……don’t brood

Leaders do not have the luxury to sulk or brood after a failure. The first reaction post-acceptance of failure should be damage control and introspection. Identify the root cause of the failure, what went wrong: people, process, technology. Get that on the table as soon as possible.

Introspection also helps in one more aspect, it helps us come up with a corrective action plan, which is what normally any management would want to hear after a failure.

 

 

Be Alone, Not Lonely

We have always heard a phrase – “It’s very lonely at the top”, this holds true in all sense. The more you rise, the more you are on your own and more accountable as an individual than ever. That is where the real quality of leadership comes into play – managing human resources. You can be alone at the top but as long as you have maintained excellent working relations with your team-members, peers and seniors, you are rarely lonely when it comes to handling failures.

Respect others and they will respect you. Help others in their time of need and in all probability, they will stand by you in your times of crisis. This does ease handling or facing any failures.

Regroup and reassess

Post introspection, it is imperative to regroup and reassess with your team to discuss what was identified in the analysis of the failure. Then the leader needs to decide whether any salvaging can be done for the current situation or whether it is wise to let it go and take lessons learnt for the next project.

No shame in surrender

I believe that “Live to fight another day” is the most preferred approach when you have no other option. It is wise to let go of the things we cannot change, accept the failure and move on to the next challenge. The important thing for a leader is to learn from these mistakes and ensure that they are never repeated in projects or tasks to come.

So now to answer the question which I asked before “Why failures are steppingstones to success?” Because failures teach us lessons, as long as we learn from these lessons to improve in future, then failure cease to be as disheartening as they seem.