Why the heads are rolling from all sides?

Organizations face tough time in lifespan of their business. These days it doesn't even surprise anyone hearing story of such an organization. Every second organization, irrespective of its nature of business, is facing tight business scenario at the moment. Our organization is no different. 

Irrespective differences in nature of business, the approach to deal with tough time is usually common across all the businesses. The first thing that happens is downsizing of resources.  In our organization as well at the moment, heads are rolling, most of them involuntarily and some voluntarily foreseeing the uncertain future that lies ahead.

In my perspective, downsizing portrays the weakness of the organizational leadership, in more than one ways. It is an impulsive decision making rather than thoughtful cognitive decision making.

Nearsighted management - When the organization starts retrenching its staff abruptly, without any prior warning or giving out signs of its inclination to do so, that means management was sitting like a lame duck, unaware of what is happening around, waiting for disaster to happen and then take firefighting measures which in this case means ruthlessly sacking of resources. 

Hoarding extra mass - Is there a need for management to retrench resources in first place? If there is, it means organization was always in trouble. It had always been carrying financial burden of these extra resources all this long, making them part of disaster the organization is struck with.

When we club above two points, we draw following conclusion - 

1. Knowledgeable and foresighted management always knows the importance of lean organization. It maintains right resource balance in the organization.

2. It doesn't allow unwanted and extra resources in the organization, which it would end up sacking. 

Cost cutting versus Cost reduction

To me cost cutting is the last resort for an organization to consider. 

In many organizations, specially from service industry, resource costs, which means the salaries, are the highest organization spending. When a services organization faces adversities, in most cases, it targets to reduce its expense in salaries given out. 

Where as the facts may be contrary to it. For an example, it is possible that the salaries they are paying may not be burdening the organization. It may be the cost of stationary that organization is consuming is very much high. If organization switches to paperless office it might reduce the cost drastically. 

I advocate that the cost reduction should always be a high priority of the organization. Management should periodically be asking  - where the organization is spending. Is there an alternative to it? 

If an organization is operating in low cost environment, it will always be in a healthy state when other businesses are beleaguered with adverse environmental factors. Besides that it will make the organization more agile to adapt itself to market situation.

Toastmaster

It started nearly 2 decades back, I was studying in class 7th of Beersheba Senior Secondary School, Haldwani, India, when I decided to come out of shadow of my very gifted and admired sister Meeta. She was melody queen of the school, loved by all the teachers and students for her academic, drama and singing skills. 

On the contrary, I was an unknown or occasionally known as timid and sulking Meeta's brother with no identity of my own. 

But, then in my little mind I had decided I will sing a song in front of school assembly during the celebration of Independence Day, 15th August. I was discouraged and laughed at about the though of the idea itself. Only my mother encouraged me. She heard my repeated rehearsals while my sister was coached by school's music teacher.

I sang in front of 1500 students, with my leg shivering and my voice quivering, the complete song. Heads were moving around and no one focusing on me and my song. Musicians couldn't cope up with my rhythm so stopped playing along. At the end I got the customary applause. 

While boarding the bus back home, my class teacher Ms Vandana Pandey said - "Hemanshu, you sang very well". That made my day. Today I am glad I did something that which only few out of 1500 students could do. I decided to be different.

Thereafter nothing significant happened till, 31/07/2004. It was the farewell of Ms Samar D. Hatoum, our project manager. An outstanding person and manager, I had a chance to work with. Our CEO asked me to speak few words about her before all. I fumbled few words and that is it. It was embarrassing. I didn't like my performance.

Around that time, I met Mano Ramanathan. A wonderful person, full of knowledge and guidance. We used travel together on the bus to work, discussing history, world news and international politics.  In one of these journeys he told me about Toastmasters Club. Infact, later during the day he got me the URL of the Toastmasters Website. With in couple of weeks I joined Emirates Toastmasters Club and I am still associated with it.

As my toastmaster journey started, I was giving motivational speech to the Employees of GIT Sudan. Giving presentation to team of government officials at Dubai Land Department were never that complicated. I gave presentations for the group work in my college while doing MBA. Trained the treasurers of Division B. It was so simple.

I am still enthralled about are the two presentations I recently gave in Bangladesh. One was to the Secretary of Communication and other very senior government officials from various ministries, who applauded me for the delivery and content of my presentation.

Second presentation I gave to a Brigadier General of an Military run organization and his team of army officials who were highly impressed with the presentation.

We speak all the time but making presentations or speaking with confidence in front of large audience, that too in a manner in which your audience can relate themselves to what you are speaking is an art. You do not get it in one day but over a period of time when you speak and experiment with your speech. Toastmasters is a platform for people like me.

This is the incentive of being a Toastmaster, you learn and polish what you have with in you naturally. 

Time - untamed

I am always intrigued with the immense power of time. Since childhood we have been indoctrinated - time is the biggest healer, time never stops for anyone and like wise. 

These have been like Rule of Thumb. No matter what happens - time will heal everything. No matter what happens - time will never stop for anyone. No one can dispute these facts, rather experience them over and over again, throughout our lives.

Imagine of a person bearing similar characteristics. How powerful he can be. A person who acts as healer to all the people who believe in him. A person who keeps moving in the direction he has chosen for his life. 

Such people are leaders of our society. 

Leaders know their direction. They know the direction in which they have to go. They have a clear vision of their goals and knowledge of what must be done to achieve it. They might face pitfalls or failures. They adjust and move again.

Leaders move forward. They don't wait for right occasion, support or condition. They know their direction and that is all what they need. If someone wants to accompany them, they welcome such people. If no one believes in them, they move on their own. They ignore the negative criticism while accept positive criticism. But, they do not wait to garner support. People follow them automatically. If they don't, leaders do not mind to leave such people behind and move ahead.

Leaders have the healing touch. They help people forget their misery by helping them realize their passion. It is up to these people to join (preferably not follow) such leaders, find their own goals and achieve them. Leaders help them realize their own capabilities, exploit their own skills and become leaders on their own.

I see such characteristics in all the successful people around me. Be it president of a country or a company. Be a grocery shop owner or CEO of an oil company. All have these traits which differentiate them. Only difference is the proportion of these characteristics, one possess.

 

टिप्पड़ी - बदलते पैमाने - 1995

१९९६ की लिखी टिप्पड़ी 

वही रोज़ की आपाधापी, बसों की भीड़ के बीच अपनी जगह बनाने की कोशिश, दूध, पोस्ट ऑफिस, बैंक की लम्बी कतारें, ज़िन्दगी तो बस मदर डेरी की दूध की मशीन के सामान हो चुकी है. बस सिक्का डालो और दूध स्वतः ही गिरने लगता है. सोचता हूँ अब थोडा विश्राम करूँ. दिल्ली नगर निगम की परिधि से बहार निकलूं. जहाँ कुछ शांति हो, कुछ नया पढने को मिले, कुछ नए अनुभव हूँ.

कश्मीर जाने की बात तो नामुमकिन है. एक तो वहाँ के हालत और फिर वहां की ठण्ड सहेना मेरे बूते के बहार है. यही हाल किसी और हिल स्टेशन के होंगे.

तभी मेरे एक शुभचिंतक ने टांग अड़ाई और अपना मूल्यवान सुझाव दे डाला. वे बोलते हैं - "आज कल तिहाड़ आश्रम के बड़े चर्चे हैं. वहीँ का एक चक्कर मार आओ ". वो वहां की तारीफ के पुल बंधते चले गए - "आज कल अखबारों मैं काफी तारीफ चल रही है.सुना है बड़ा ही अच्छा माहौल है."

वो बोलते हैं - "सभी अपने अपने कामों मैं व्यस्त रहेते हैं. कुछ काम नहीं है तो लाइब्रेरी मैं ही बैठ जाओ. दो चार किताबें चाट डालो. योग और ध्यान वगेइरेह की क्लास मैं बैठो, कुछ नया सिखने का मौका मिलेगा भाई. अभी कुछ ही दिन पहेले तो केन्द्रीय खेल राज्य मंत्री मुकुल वासनिक ने वहां जार्यल स्टेडियम का उदघाटन किया है, दो चार हाथ क्रिकेट के भी हो सकते हैं. सुबह शाम भक्ति संगीत का आनंद उठाओ. बस फिर रात मैं चक्की के पिसे आटे की रोटी खाओ और चैन से सो जाओ. बस ठाट ही ठाट हैं."

आगे कहेते हैं - "अनुभव की बात तो करो ही मत. किरण बेदी जैसी अफसर के रहेते अनुभवों की कोई कमी नहीं होगी. इतने शानदार माहौल मैं कई महारथियों से मुलाकात होगी. हो सकता है तुम भी अपनी बैओग्राफी वगैरह के चक्कर मैं पद जाओ और शामिल हो जाओ कोन्त्रोवेर्सिअल लेखकों की लिस्ट मैं. बस लिख डालो एक लेख या जीवनी नमक मिर्च लगा कर के, बस फिर देखो रोज़ अखबारों मैं सचित्र लेख अपने ऊपर ".

लगातार बोले ही जा रहे थे वोह. आगे कहेते हैं - "भाई अब मुफ्त मैं खिलाने के लिए तो किरण बेदी जी तुम्हें अपने आश्रम मैं रंखेंगी नहीं. कुछ महत्वपूर्ण डिग्री भी तो लेनी पड़ेगी वहां घुसने के लिए. अगर लाइफ टाइम एंजोयमेंट चाहिए तो कोई बड़ा चक्कर चलाना पड़ेगा जैसे - क़त्ल, डकैती या फिर आजकल तो एक चाक़ू या एक पिस्तौल ही काफी है, अन्दर जाने के लिए. देखा नहीं संजय दत्त को कैसा लपेटा है. हाँ अगर शोर्ट टाइम का प्लान है तो किसी राजनितिक दल के उग्र प्रदर्शन मैं पकडे जाओ और काम हो गया. हफ्ते दस दिन के बाद बाहर आना ही है, तिहार रिटर्न की पदवी के साथ."

"भाई मेदिओक्रेस के लिए न तो हमारे समाज मैं कोई जगह हैं न ही तिहाड़ मैं. बस लाइफ टाइम या शोर्ट टाइम चलता है. पार्ट टाइम का कोइ चांस नहीं है " - और अपने प्रवचन देने के बाद वह जनाब मुझे पहेले से ज्यादा ही परेशान छोड़ कर चलते बने .    

आदमी हम भी बुरे नहीं हैं - 1995 की रचना

यह कविता लिखने की कोशिश मैंने १/१/१९९५ मैं की थी

अगर आपने मेरे दिल के कुएं मैं झांक कर एक बार देखा होता, इसमें कितनी गेहेराई है,
तब आपको मालूम पद जाता हम में कितनी अच्छाई कितनी बुराई है.
क्यों टोकते हो जब मेरी धड़कन की धुन का तुम्हें पता ही नहीं,
मुझे भी मालुम है यारो - क्या गलत है और क्या है सही.
अगर शौक है किसी ज़िन्दगी मैं झाँकने का इतना,
तो झांक कर देखो अपने दिल मैं, कुछ ज़मीर भी बाकी है की नहीं.
यह कविता है उनके लिए जिन्हें आदत है टांगअटकाने की,
बात हो छोटी सी, उसे तिल से ताड़ बनाने की.

The Secret!

In the morning, once I reached my office I called my colleague, who was still on his way to office, to follow up regarding a task, which we both are suppose to close today.  Deviating from the core issue, he excitedly shared a secret information with me. It was important and related to the latest development taking place in the organization.

Word of caution followed after every sentence - the secret shouldn't go out, no matter what.

"Alright! why not" - I said. It was important and really serious news. I took few sips of water to digest the information. Few minutes later I was pondering upon the news.

Not more than thirty minutes later another colleague passed by my seat. He had the same important yet secret news to share. Apparently whole of office had this top secret news. The best part is - no one still knows how true the news is. 

However, one thing that is confirmed again today that there cannot be a secret, if someone is sharing it with you. It shouldn't be you sharing it with anyone.

Giant company with dwarf customer service

As of November 2009, Etisalat is the 13th largest mobile network operator in the world, with a total customer base of 100 million. On January 31, 2010, Etisalat reported net revenue of USD $8.4 billion (AED 30.831 billion) and net profits of USD $2.407 billion (AED 8.836 billion).

If you are impressed with the numbers above, I would say - "Good! you haven't experienced their service yet".

It has been one month and four visits, since I have been unsuccessfully trying to disconnect my old telephone number. Everytime I visit Etisalat office, I am assured that it will cancelled and I will not have to visit their office again for this issue. Still, nothing has been done and Etisalat is billing me for this period. No wonder the net profit figure is enormous for them.

This was not enough now another battle front is opened by Etisalat against me. For the new telephone connection, for which the fee is only AED 159, I have received a bill of AED 753. How is that possible? Well, I am asking the same.

What concerns me, is the way Etisalat flaunts its wealth while having so many dissatisfied customers. Unfortunately, UAE has only two service providers. While one is still starting its operations, Etisalat is the only choice we have. We have no option but bear the poor service and keep whining about it despite paying one of the highest call charges in the world.

Numorous reasons can be sighted for such an inefficiency. However, I see following as the main -

1. Competition - In the name of competition all Etisalat has is a weak competition from Du, which is all the time struggling to even provide the network coverage to its customers. Therefore, Etisalat has nothing to worry. It still has a monopoly in the market.
2. Philosophy - is there anything bad in being profit centric organization? No, till it is after customer centric philosophy there is nothing bad being profit centric. In case of Etisalat making profit, acquiring and expanding businesses globally is the main philosophy rather than taking care of the customer. For how long Etisalat can sustain with this attitude, that has to be seen.
3. Corporate Culture - As is the philosophy, the culture prevailing in Etisalat also remains to be indifferent to the customer. I was sitting in the Etisalat for 45 minutes, while waiting for the screen the executive attending me, leaves the desk and doesnt come back for another 15 minutes. When I stand up and starting looking around for him, he come back only to tell me that he forgot that I was sitting there.

I wonder for how long Etisalat will maintain this momentum of growth without tidying its act, while I try to find some way to resolve my problems with them.