The Perfect Role Model

As the Satyam debacles unfold, people are looking upto their role models within the industry for their expert opinions. Hope no more surprises out from the closet, no more role models going down. We are all shaped by our environment. Most of us are deeply influenced by our teachers, parents, friends and close social circles. For me, these influences brought out the best in me. As an aspiring entrepreneur, no other role-model in this field came as close as Mr. NR Narayana Murthy did; now the caretaker of Infosys Technologies Ltd and Infosys Consulting. “NRN” as most Infoscion’s address him, embodies the qualities most business leaders, aspire for. A man is admired when you feel alive and active in his presence. Hailing from a middle class family, NRN has always made it a point to lead by example. Blending old-fashioned values with visionary thinking, NRN had come to define the standards of personal integrity and corporate governance for India Inc.
This is where the likes of Ratan Tata, Azim Premji, Dhirubhai Ambani, Vijay Mallya and NRN built the fame of India Shining and put India on the global map for others to follow. This is how the legends are made of. For the past two decades, NRN has led the IT charge for India as co-founder and CEO of Infosys. After handing over the operational reins of Infosys, Mr. Murthy now spends most of his time traversing the globe serving on the boards of organizations and premier business schools such as Wharton and the Tuck School of Business in New York, and hobnobbing with heads of state on world affairs. NRN is an optimistic, a fighter and one who can stand up against all odds, and this notion I acquired during one of his speech in Infosys, Pune. I had my share of interaction with him, and it was nothing more than a victory to me, than to be asking questions to my childhood hero and one of India’s leading industrialist. The rookie me asked, "Sir, what is your success mantra?", and NRN replied "Again, please do not address me as Sir. the answer is Passion". He mentioned again, because the audience constantly addressed him as Sir, and rightly so, and he remained humble enough to be known with his name, and for the uncomfortable one's, he suggested adding an extra title such as Mr. With a squeaky clean image and impeccable credentials, NRN is to me, and to billion others, a PERFECT ROLE MODEL, not only within the business community, but outside it as well. His entrepreneurial thinking, perseverance and simplicity are the qualities I hope to emulate.

More about Mr. Murthy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._R._Narayana_Murthy

Satyam Shivam Sundaram...

Satyam Shivam Sundaram, which means a beautiful truth in the form of God, was an below average 1978 bollywood movie which faced critiques and initial hiccups to get through the censor board. But this was not the case for a company "Satyam". Start of 2009 saw the chairman and chief executive of one of India’s biggest outsourcing groups, Satyam Computer Services, confess to fixing the company’s books in a $1bn fraud described as the country’s “Enron”. This had taken the entire India Inc by surprise and comes as a shock to many. Once a role model and hero for many in the end turned out to be a fraud. The shareholders, clients and more importantly the earnings of 50,000+ employees were at stake. As the satyam fraud started unfolding, more and more people started coming into the picture. PwC the auditor of the firm, were immediately taken out and KPMG and Deloitte where assigned the necessary roles. How can one man create such a huge mess and get unnoticed? I am sure the story goes beyond that !!

Is money everything? It's a debatable topic, but yes money is important. Common lets be honest - it's a means of living. I set out to question what the hell money is and what it does to the different classes of people. I set out to find out what other people thought about all this. I set out to prove that there was something to be learnt by looking at all this closely. How do we ensure that Ethics in decision making, Character Ethics and Corporate Governance are always maintained at highest levels? Even incentives will eventually involve money, but will that stop from cases like Enron, Bofors Scandal, the Satyam debacle to occur?! The point to ponder on is how do you and we all in this society would act to this situation.

Leading by example...

First and foremost - Wish you a prosperous new years !!
While I worked and still work in large teams, and that I debated with some of my colleagues on the pros and cons of leadership, I decided to take this topic for the new year. Enjoy :)

As Mr. N.R. Murthy the founder and now the caretaker of Infosys, said, Leadership about leading by an example. as a leader of a large group of diverse people I tried to work within the framework of this adage. I believe that leading by example is about being first. For instance, if you want trust, be trusted first, if you want pro-activity, be proactive first, if you want timelines, be on-time first, and this I learnt during my stint when at times due to hectic work timings I was at times not able to be with the team on time for an early morning breakfast or coffee. For me, Leadership is about showcasing part of who I am. My parents have always put a strong emphasis on education and ethics. Throughout my personal and professional life, I had always maintained a very strong belief in doing what was ‘right’ and tried to operate within a personal framework that was honorable to this.

In the middle of my first project with with a travel & tourism company, I went through a significant failure that stretched the process of analysis and unnecessarily delayed the schedule of the software delivery. In laying down the conceptual framework, I was at times tempted to teach the team shortcuts to meet the deadline. In any project, process adherence will take a beating if you do not have adequate duration available. But as a group, the team worked together well – we debated, we confronted, we learned, but we never compromised on Process.

My ex-employer (from 2003-2008) has always followed the highest standards of corporate governance. Today every action of the company is the focus of public attention. My challenge was to continue maintain that standard as the company competed globally, and even after my departure, I still practice to do so. The experience today has been rich, which has helped me quickly organize the tasks and resources the team required. After all implementing the values and maintaining enthusiasm among team members are the two most important goals that a team leader has to set.

Me, My friend and some rapid fire questions to the President !!

Every week I attend network gatherings, and when I mention I am from Mumbai, India - there's a sorry reaction. People at times ask me about the situation - tourist per se as well as from political perspective. And I more than welcome then in explaining them of do's and don'ts of travelling.

India has a long history of extreme weather patterns. Any adverse affect of the climate change would indirectly impact the Indian economy. The current political situations at the national level revolve more around terrorism and development of the nation. I am sure there would be 'n' number of blogs on this topic already, and being a idealist and sort of capitalist, I would like to view the leaders of my country being more pro-active and sensible in their approach towards policy making.

More recently my entrepreneur friend at IE Business School questioned me about global warming, setting up a firm in India and how I would address the issue to the President/ Prime Minister of the country if I had a chance to meet them for only 5 mins. Well that was a test and a teaser sort from my friend. Also, this made me wonder that the development versus environment debate makes it much more difficult for the environmental issues to come to the centre stage of any political agenda. Global warming is very essential, environmentally, politically and economically. I firmly believe that the political leaders should come forward to stabilize greenhouse gases using stringent national policies and effective market mechanisms, like moving away from consumption or focus on sharing resources, thus looking forward to remodel our world.

If I had the opportunity to meet the president or the prime minister, I would like to ask her/him about the environmental policy - asking her/him about Global warming and what will it take to implement a cure that is actually more costly than the original affliction? Why that global warming is not discussed with an open attitude, so that the budding entrepreneurs can carefully view their investments to avoid making big and costly mistakes or any repetitive mistakes? It is just not a matter of choosing the optimal economic path, but rather decide what kind of society we would like to live in.

With this meeting I would listen, question and offer my opinions. Finally I would like to take a photograph of the two of us, with an autograph on it, to make me realize that yes it all happened!! My friend was more or less convinced with my 5 min approach, but couldn't stop laughing on the photography statement. Well, not daily you get to meet big personalities - right?

I failed, I learnt. (PoV)

My most memorable and enduring learning experiences have stemmed from suffering the consequences of my own mistakes, and those lessons have shaped me into the person I am today.

In any project, process adherence will take a beating if you do not have adequate duration available. I experienced a similar situation during the middle of my first project in 2004, where I went through a significant failure that stretched the process of analysis and unnecessarily delayed the schedule of the code delivery. In laying down the conceptual framework towards defining the coding and analytical process, I was at times tempted to teach my team shortcuts to reach the deadlines.

I have learnt that we are all susceptible to failures; success is a result of persistence and discipline. Years later, the self confidence I gained through these results helped me to overcome a very different type of challenge, and thus any problematic behavioral aspect has gradually given way to the acceptable working style. I learnt to lead the hard way.

I am passionate about things that count, and let go of things that doesn't. It just makes it easier for me. This way I accept the good and eliminate the bad. I have had many a role models who have simply shown me the way to react to each failing and succeeding situations. Be it hot shots like Mr Narayana Murthy (Infosys), Sachin Tendulkar (God of Cricket), Michael Jordan (NBA), Armstrong(Cycling) or be it my family, friends, mentors, colleagues.

We all do fail at some point in our lives - at work, in sports, in things we love passionately, but true success stems in embracing failure with a pinch of salt and learning from it. Ask yourselves, do you feel that you have it in you to stand tall to the obstacles in life? If no, then take help from family and friends. If yes, then best luck for everything ahead! Remember, it is your passion to achieve something and your positive attitude that will shape your character.

Mera Desh Mahan !!

Dear readers, as I already mentioned I happened to enroll to a MBA program with one of Europe’s prestigious school which is known for Diversity, Networking and various fields of specialization. More recently I had sessions on Culture involving India during my Launch program. I had the ambassadors of India in Spain as the guest faculty giving speech to the class over the Indian culture. Being in a business school, probably my expectations were more towards having a session on doing business in India, but I was wrong, the session was more to do with what India had to offer in terms of Culture and Heritage. I must appreciate the guest speakers to have summed up Indian culture in an hour and half, because personally speaking, it’s not easy to describe any culture for that matter in a gist. The topic varied from mythological epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata (two of the oldest, longest and most read Epic in India) to dance and modern art. For me it was a re-cap of what was learnt during my primary schooling. It just reminded me of those exciting days of History class where I graze through books and through encylopedia (I was a big fan). Also during my stay in Brussels, many of my colleagues as well my client managers used to ask me regularly about India. It was really amusing to hear stories from colleagues and friends who visited India and how they perceive the culture, people and country. For those who have not visited India, let me tell you, it would be best to read stories and articles over the place and the state you intend to visit. Because each part of India has completely different culture, transportation system, work culture, food options etc. For me, it’s a pleasure as an Indian, to introduce my home country to newcomers! And I must say that in the event, India is certainly one of the richest countries, in terms of how diverse the regions are and what contrasts it offers. A walk through the “Golden Temple” in Amritsar, to the “Taj Mahal” in Agra; the “Red Fort” in Delhi to the beautiful “Beaches” in Goa; history has peppered India with magnificent ruins.

Incredible India

Picture Courtesy: http://promote-my-site.com/images/india_map.jpg

All the states are well-served by public transport and enjoy a rich, diversified commercial activity, not to mention the numerous eateries ranging from “Vada Pav” in Maharashtra to “Dosa” in Tamil Nadu, which welcome gourmets and gluttons alike. The quality of housing and the diversity of various neighborhoods are another asset to the country. The presence of plentiful sports infrastructures and multi-cultural facilities contributes to the quality of life of everyone who finds that this environment offers all the services they need for their own personal fulfillment. India is a country with many faces, from rags to riches and one which is filled with even more treasures, with great unifying events such as the cultural festivals, the trendy restaurants or the remarkable monuments. Poverty has always been the downside, but its upto the people and society to eradicate them. I was able to play my part via Infosys foundation activities, perhaps which was just a water drop in the ocean, and might not be enough. But each one of us contributing, it will definitely be a great step towards mankind.

I have always been a globe trotter and bag packer. I like travelling places, understand different culture, meet new people. I have travelled to a little more than 20 cities within India. One of the most exciting places that I enjoyed was with my parents and relatives visiting the enchanting Backwaters in God’s own country – Kerala in the 90’s. Land and water share an extraordinary kinship here in the “Venice of the East”, throbbing with its own unique culture. The site continues to bask in the tender life giving care of the waters that lap gently on its coast, cascade down its hills and valleys and rests calmly in exotic backwaters and lagoons. Think about the gorgeous greens, the canopies of coconuts and the soothing sound of water rippling alongside the houseboat–all these elements help to forge the identity of a place which is open to the world and, in my view, perfectly encapsulate the delights of the life in this part of the world.

I need not mention in detail on doing business in India, as already the rest of the blogs might cover the contents and the various business models I came across with the firms I was associated with. So, come to India and experience an unforgettable journey, along the tranquil backwaters of Kerala, to the ruins of Ajanta and Ellora in Mumbai, to Fatehpur Sikhri and to view one of the Seven Wonders of the World – The Taj Mahal.

Backwaters Picture Courtesy: rarepicsaroundtheworld.blogspot.com

Organizing and Team Work - All in the Game of Cricket !!

All work and no play make Andy a dull boy. Yes, and that’s the reason why I was away from the blog for a while. I recently quit my organization to further my skills with a leading Business School in Europe (IE Business School, Madrid, Spain). I will come to that in the later sections of my blog. However, coming back to Team Work, I must say I have had some roller-coaster ride both professionally and personally. Let me start with a description of this beautiful game of Cricket played in Belgium, a country which has been recently promoting Cricket in the region.

The Event: 8 corporate teams, 2 spots in the finals, 1 Crown - all battling it out over the weekends after rigorous working hours for the sweet spot. The league started at the end of June 2008 and lasted for a month with all matches being played during weekends, involving 15 matches. The prize money for the league and the Trophy for the winners were up for grabs.

Participating Teams:
Group A: Belga X (Belgacom Team A), Royal Super Kings (Proximus Team A), TCS, Girish’s 9 (Proximus Team C)
Group B: MindIT (Belgacom Team B), Ramki’s 9 (Proximus Team B), The Invincibles (LG), Telenet
Each team had around 12 participants (as 11 is usually the number of people on the field). This way more than 80 people participated in the event.

Management Lessons Learnt: Organizing an event on a big scale, managing the resources, co-ordination, team work, authority, team disputes, time management, decision making, dedication, passion, focus etc. I think I was able to cover almost all aspect of a management lesson outside of the work place. And hence I decided to share something which is not based on work but on co-curricular where you see regular team activities and are able to apply the management concepts.

Planning: I think one of the key aspects of the event was planning. The objective of the event was to bring as many people under a single forum as possible. This way networking is on a high, people are able to demonstrate skills outside of their work environment, and most importantly a way to remain fit. With this me, along with 3 other colleagues of mine started planning, and it was within 3 days, despite our tight schedules, that we finalized the plan, materialized over the resources, prize money, and registration and so on. It was no less than organizing a session and getting a speaker to visit the company or school. The time and energy put up by each one of us can be complicated with the passion each one had for the game as well as for networking.

Resources: After planning stage, this stage was very painful for the organizing team. Taking into account that the organizers had no $$$ cash for big spending, having the right finances was of utmost importance. With this the organizers had numerous brainstorming sessions, and ultimately came with a budget with which both the organizers and players were content. Getting the sports materials, hiring the internal resources for umpiring and organizing various things, prize money and post event party – everything was well planned. It was just a matter of execution.

Time-management: I believe this area was one of the poorly hit, in the sense that getting the organizers and players on time to the playing ground, and also considering the tight schedule at work place. As an organizer one hates to wait long hours for participants, in this case we gave some considerations based on the project releases that the team had, but at the same time we also ensured that the teams were penalized for any mis-conduct.

Team Work: As I mentioned already, the team work and co-ordination between players, between the organizers and both between the players and organizers were the key drivers of the event. Without this it was hard to ensure a very successful event. During the event, I also happened to be a part of team–disputes, but despite that the smoothness in the team co-ordination was ensured, and event was successful. The dispute arose due to the time-management process, and later the organizers learnt the lesson and quickly learnt and reacted over the same in other matches.

Decision Making: As a part of the resource planning, the departments were set. Each person was given an authority in the respective departments. Key people were identified. After a point, the organizers never had to rely on any SPOC’s, since everyone in the organizing board ensured the event was a grand success.
I believe the focus, dedication and passion towards the game drove the complete event. Even the losing participating teams enjoyed the game of cricket and supported the event until the finals. Many a lesson learnt, many a friends made, many a network developed. The objective was achieved!!

Gist of the event and Match Summary:
Belga X romped to a victory over TCS by 6 wickets to clinch the inaugural Belgian Premier League. An electrifying contest between two well-balanced sides was in the writings when table toppers Belga X took on the confident TCS in the Finals of the first Belgian Premier League at Schuman Park, Merode, Brussels on Sunday.

TCS, who were made to bat first by Belga X, made the lowest score of their tournament 61/8 before seeing the end of 16 overs. TCS started off positively with runs coming from all ends until Belga X took the much needed wicket of one of their key batsmen. TCS kept losing wickets at regular intervals after their opening batsmen failed to give them a good start with Belga X bowlers capitalizing on the crucial wicket. TCS set a target of 61 in 16 overs for Belga X, which the champions managed to convincingly reach with the loss of 2 wickets. TCS did not bowl that badly; nor were they slow in the field and this was evident from some quality fielding and fine bowling by TCS. Belga X were simply irresistible. For the most part Belga X looked on in admiration during an opening partnership between Anand and Yatin. TCS managed to bounce back within few minutes by grabbing two wickets of the openers, but it was too late in the day to stop Belga X from winning the tournament. TCS should have put the game way beyond the reach of any good side after Belga X had won the toss and put TCS to bat. But the team that held its nerves better and grabbed chances was the team that saw through the tournament.Belga X continued it's winning streak this season by grabbing the 1st edition of the Belgian Premier League 2008 Corporate Challenge trophy in style by beating TCS convincingly on the Schuman Park ( SCG ) in what was a completely one sided-affair.
The Champions lifted the trophy in style while also grabbed the cash prize , while TCS lifted the runners up trophy as well as the case prize. The tournament got the farcical final it deserved, and all praises to the participating teams, the supporters and the organizers who owed more than this. It proved to be a showpiece to say a more dignified victory.

Cheers...

Comments from writers:
Rajarshi Guin, Senior Software Consultant and Writer of Infosys Newsletter - guin.rajarshi@gmail.com

"Arre yaar chalo ek cricket tournament karte hain", said a cricket enthusiast in Hindi (National language of India). But this was not just some casual coffee break comment. What followed was a herculean effort from the Belgacom team members, who got together, brainstormed for many hours and in less than 2 weeks managed to organise for the first time in Brussels the Belgium Premier League Cricket Tournament. And no, this was not just any cricket tournament, with 8 teams from all over Belgium, their supporters and guests, this event brought together close to a 100 people from Infosys, TCS and LG. Bright sunny days and curious Belgian spectators at the Schuman Cricket Ground made for a picture perfect start. Fourteen fiercely fought battles and four weekends later TCS took on Belga X (Infosys Belgacom) for a shot at glory. Dubbed the "Clash of the Titans", Belga X, however, had other plans. They wasted no time as they romped home to a 6 wicket victory, leaving them and their supporters with sufficient time to celebrate that Sunday evening. Both the winners and runners-up were pleasantly surprised to receive cash prizes and a trophy each to crown their achievements. Let's get together to applaud the fantastic effort of the organisers, the teams, the ever patient match officials and the many enthusiastic supporters - their spirit ensured that at the end of the day there was really one winner - CRICKET.