Water boils at 100 ° C. It may be
very hot at 99 ° C, but the whole surface of the water changes just 1 ° C
later. The ghastly gang rape might be just that 1 ° C which has brought India
to boil. It is impossible to remain detached from the happenings which are
unfolding every day. While the entire nation is rightly focused on making
India safer for women and children, on this New Year Eve I will be sharing my
thoughts on 6 lessons which Corporate India Leadership should take from this
ghastly incident apart from women safety.
1. Make
Frequent Deep Dive into the Trenches: ‘Too little & Too late’ was the
phrase which described the Government of India’s (GoI) reaction to the national
sentiment. It is clear that the politicians lead highly insulated lives making
them incapable of keeping an ear to the ground. In the corporate world, the
higher we go we tend to become insulated from our ground; our frontline employees,
our customers, our vendors etc. The voice of the ground takes the form of
reports and data. While , I understand the pressure of time , I believe that a
day spent by a CEO in a month speaking to a consumer with a complaint , or
working with the salesman on his two wheeler can only add to the value of the
reports which flow in the CEO’s inbox. Hence,
mark a day in the calendar every month to meet a customer / company junior
salesman / factory worker on his / her turf. You just may be surprised at the
insights gained.
2. Strengthen
your organization where it really matters: Every policeman guarding a
politician means one pair of feet less to guard the citizens. Many
organizations over a period of time acquire ‘white elephants’. These are senior
managerial staff posts created generally with a nebulous purpose of accommodating
people who have outlived their usefulness to the organization. The math is
simple. A Director Special Projects may be drawing a package which can be
equivalent of the compensation of an entire Regional Sales Team covering 1
state. The simple question CEO’s should ask themselves “Would I have paid this
package to this person had I been the owner of the company?” The answer will be
clear.
3. Beware of ‘Kiss
up & Kick Down’ Leaders: You will agree that the face of the police which
the politicians in power see is vastly different from the face seen by the
common citizens whom the same police are there to serve. A leader’s job is also
to serve. Thus, do give a thought to that department head, which is constantly
at your side, replying to your mails, flattering you in ceremonious corporate
functions and hanging to your every word. If he is at your side every time
giving you attention, what attention will he be giving his team? As per the
legendary Jack Welch, these leaders are the most dangerous in an organization that
need to be smoked out and taken care of relentlessly. This has to be a
continual endeavour because the corporate climate is conducive to creating
these types of leaders.
4. Keep the
focus clear on the issue and action: Yesterday one of the reputed news channels
in a panel discussion was lambasting the GoI on the insensitivity shown last
week and then veered as to why the secrecy was maintained during the cremation.
To me this is not the central issue. The discussion should be on what the GoI
be acting on now ; namely a calling a special additional session in parliament
to strengthen molestation and rape laws and secondly fast tracking in bringing
the criminals of this case to justice.
Similarly , most of us in corporate would have experienced attending
meetings which degenerate into fault finding without a concrete action being
recommended and reviewed periodically to check its implementation. Therefore as
a leader, be the voice of reason which is like a rudder to keep the key issues
in line as your organization or department aligns itself to act on it.
5. Do not overlook small disciplinary issues : A lewd comment overlooked may give
rise to a grope, which in turn to molestation and then to a rape. I am
referring to the ‘Broken Windows’ phenomenon here, where people simply breaking
windows of public property if unchecked graduates them to major crimes. Human beings are very susceptible to gradual
decay of values and discipline. Do you have senior people in your organizations
that arrive late to work every day and no one tells them anything as they are ‘performers’?
Are there people who accept small favours during Diwali from vendors? Are there
managers who frequently plan tours in their home town? There are numerous
signals of a company’s discipline breaking down. It is imperative that the
senior leadership does not overlook these as they weaken an organization and its
competitiveness over a period of time.
6. Be the change you want to see: This is an oft repeated statement but this is the
cornerstone on which all the above rest. You will agree that to bring change
the GoI has to act and demonstrate the change .As a senior leader you are the
voice and the culture of the organization.
You are the custodian of the values of the organization. What you set by
example is what will be followed down the line, good or bad. Thus, you have to
live and demonstrate those values every single moment.
These are a few thoughts that I wanted
to share with every senior leader of Corporate India on New Year’s Eve. Do go
over these points once more. Try to see to what degree it applies to your
organization. Go over your leadership team with a fine toothcomb and take
action wherever necessary. Your organization will thank you for it.
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