Brazenness, Breaking out of the Mould, Challenging Societal Expectations, Risk Taking, Defiance, Daring to Differ and Exposure … Not breaking the Law of the Land
About my background that I believe, may have had a contribution to my brazenness, challenging societal expectations and the FOMO syndrome, Questioning Attitude, Open Defiance …
Single parent childhood; 3rd among five children – four females and one male, single male of 7 years, eldest girl 14 and youngest 2 years, when I lost my father in 1961; and my mother; single lady with primary school exposure no employment, in mid-thirties, had to manage the family, from a small town Ernakulam, in Kerala. Our whole world was about 2km radius around our house. Did schooling in a local government school of walking distance, with no fees.
I have had multiple personal incidents during study / working years where my contextual behaviour was in direct conflict with ‘defined norms’ of conduct, societal expectations, following the crowd, what everyone does … and in most of these situations the outcomes were surprisingly beyond expectations.
- 1971 – Offer from IIT rejected on personal conviction – First exposure to world outside – when I had to go to Chennai at 17 years of age, alone, in an unreserved train, for a B-Tech interview at IIT Madras (not Chennai at that time) which I got qualified with no coaching, no guidance, just a random attempt in the entrance exam. Rejected the offer as I didn’t get the branch I wanted – the coveted E&C Engineering, those days.
- 1974 – Asserting self-respect under threat / danger – Joined NITK (KREC in 1972) for BE. Had to travel from Ernakulam to Mangalore every semester, in the night train, with no reservation no sleeper birth (can’t afford). In one of the trips when I got down from a crowded unreserved compartment at Trichur Station and was walking on the platform (student behaviour) at around 11.30 pm, the train started and I had to run to get into the compartment. The passengers closed and locked the door from inside and I was forced to stand on the foot board of the train at midnight. My requests to passengers to open the door to allow me inside didn’t work as they thought I was a young errand troublemaker, because there were female passengers with families. I was on the foot board with door closed from inside, in the dark night when the train was speeding midnight. I could have fallen or hit and got killed any moment. After some time, someone inside got scared that I may fall or get killed, and offered to let me in, out of compassion. I rejected the compassionate offer and chose to stay outside. Got off at the next station and got into a military compartment, made friendship with some Jawans who also carried their service rifles. I told them my experience. One of the Jawans told me ‘Lets us see’. He accompanied me to the compartment where I had my luggage and pointed the rifle in military uniform at the guys who refused entry to me. The entire compartment started crying and they fell at my feet offering the seat or whatever I wanted, and I travelled comfortably till Mangalore…
- 1977 – Violating norms when employment of comfort was a premium for a poor man – In 1977, I passed Engineering in First Class with Distinction. After completion of Engineering, I was offered a job in a tyre company near Ernakulam because my project work in BE was in sync with their need in the tyre industry. They asked me to sign a bond that I will not leave the job for five years … My response “Let me think Over”. It was a brazen act those days when no one will dare to reject an offer near their hometown. The reason I refused to sign, I was working for a MS admission in US, for which the VISA Interview was yet to come, and if I get through, I will be stuck with the bond with penalties.
- 1977 – Challenging authority when the stakes were high for a poor fresher: Now I am without a job after Engineering. Was looking for a job anywhere … Got an offer from Indian Express Madras as Trainee Engineer for the Press … may be the first time they are dealing with Graduate Engineers .. There were four more like me in the group. Before the first salary month (INR 500), four of my Trainee colleagues got a letter from the President of the company to sign a bond. They shared with me, mine was perhaps on the way. I told my friends we cannot do this as they never told us this requirement when we were offered the job. I told my friends lets meet the Chairman B D Goenka, who was based in Chennai and was living in the Palace class Bungalow in the press campus premises, on Mount Road. We went to Goenka’s office and asked the receptionist to meet Mr. Goenka. After checking with him who was in his chamber, he allowed one of us to go inside. I happened to be that bad boy! I went inside alone and unapologetically told him ‘We were not asked to sign a bond when we were interviewed offered the job or when we joined, why are you asking us now, what are you promising in return. He had no answer as the letter was issued by his president without his knowledge, because it is too minor a subject demanding attention of the Chairman. He immediately called his president asked him to withdraw the letter. I thought that was my last day in the company as I had crossed my boundary of ‘Obedience Good Behaviour Nice Boy… ‘though there was a sense of achievement’. And we all came out … as winners. After a week I was promoted as Press Superintendent In a new press to be opened in Chandigarh at multiple times the salary, I was taken for in Madras, just within a month of joining. I was hardly 24 years. I didn’t want to continue as I didn’t find it professionally rewarding in the long run. I took up a job with an Electrical Engineering company (NGEF AEG) in Bangalore after a few months.
- 1978 – Questioning a process which I felt was unfair – Within a month of joining NGEF AEG, I get a interview call for my US VISA in Madras. Since it was just after joining NGEF AEG, I resigned the job hoping that my VISA will go through. But my VISA application was rejected at US Consulate – reason given by VISA officer – ‘You will not come back’. I wrote to the US Ambassador in New Delhi complaining; but I got reply saying Chennai Consulate officers word is the final word.
- 1979 – Challenging Authority out of conviction – Now I am without a job without VISA … Searching for job and got into Maharashtra State Electricity Board as a junior Engineer in Ratnagiri District. I was posted as distribution section in-charge .. in an area populated by Muslim families where men were mostly in middle east. In one of the inspection rounds, I disconnected an MLAs connection, as I found he was bypassing the meter. When he met me later in a coffee shop, he threatened me saying ‘I will see you’ in Hindi. I also responded, ‘I will also see you’. Nothing happened.
- 1979 – Going Beyond Rule Book to solve a problem – There was another incident when during a popular Muslim Festival there was a power breakdown in my jurisdictional area and the people there agitated against MSEB, as a mob in front of our office. My boss, a scared Assistant Engineer went hiding out of fear .. staff went on a strike fearing attack from the mob. Myself, along with one or two line staff went on physical patrol, located the fault and resolved the issue. I became a hero in the entire division with appreciation pouring in from higher levels in the Board and personal invitation by the Executive Engineer for appreciation and recognition .. My response was not written down anywhere, just impromptu juvenile response out of sheer enthusiasm …
- 1980 – Challenging Authority – Legal Notice to MSEB – When I resigned from MSEB while on leave I wanted my relieving / experience certificate and release of my EPF contribution. When MSEB didn’t respond within a short time, I sent a legal notice to MSEB in Maharashtra through my school classmate who was a practising lawyer in Kerala, when I was physically in Bangalore and had joined MECON India as a consulting Engineer.
- 1986 – Impromptu response during my Thesis Défense at IIMB – My Fellow (Doctoral) Program dissertation was on ‘Organisational effectiveness in Implementation of Renewable Energy Program in Karnataka – Three Typical Districts’ – In the presentation when I mentioned reasons for failure in implementation, one of the faculty in the audience said Renewable energy program was a success – My impromptu response was ‘We are not discussing Success – We are discussing failures’ effectively shutting him off, which I felt later was a rude response especially to a Professor in the audience. My review was closed very soon and I was awarded the PhD (Fellow) of IIMB with no further debate. I can’t say if my unparliamentary retort led to a favourable closure ….
- 1989 – Defiance of Authority – post IIMBIjoined consulting business of a large conglomerate as a management consultant and was posted in Hyderabad for a short term to get acclimatised as that group (Systems Engineering Cybernetic Centre) was based in Hyderabad headed by an Ex-professor from IIT Kanpur, for whom I had great respect. Though I was promised at the time of interview by the CEO, that I can be posted anywhere as per my preference, the Professor heading the group was not leaving me. I sent a fax message to the CEO using office typewriter and fax machine which was acted upon by the CEO in my favour and my request to base in Bangalore was approved. The professor had no choice but to relieve me. The professor couldn’t take my brazen act..
- 1992 – Assertion – acting on my conviction – While in the consulting company (a large conglomerate, leader in technology business in India) Bangalore one morning, the head of the administration, a retired Lt. General from Indian Army, very casually made a remark Someone is complaining that you are rude, when I wished him ‘Good Morning’. I asked him if it was a mid-level lady employee in the Software Group, he retorted ‘yes’. She was a type who wanted everyone to treat her as a boss, be nice and massaging her ego… I replied, ‘I am not rude, I am assertive and I will continue to be so’. The General didn’t expect such a curt, clear and assertive response from a small creature like me .. He stood up from his seat and told me ‘ I salute you’ ; and we became great friends for ever
- 1995 – Casual conduct in a professional / official context – Defence Client Project Review Meeting … In a project review meeting to resolve client issues, I, as project leader inadvertently happened to sit on the client side of the table, my team / colleagues reminded me I was sitting on the wrong side of the table. I unwittingly and spontaneously retorted to my team ‘I am speaking for the client’, that set the entire audience into laughter and the client loudly announced the meeting is over …. No issues. This is contrarian to how we are trained to behave and what AI will take as input for advising, what one should do and how one should conduct oneself in different contexts. We are generally made to believe that all client service provider meetings are arguments, each side surreptitiously trying to play their card for self-benefit, have to necessarily take defensive postures end up in acrimonies, compromises, winner loser characterisation, compromises, apologies ….
- 1997 – Daring to Candid Questioning, Openness, Size doesn’t matter, Risk of Losing Big deal – In another incident, where I was in a final deal negotiation meeting with a defence client (30 participants on client side plus the chairman vs two from our side), when the senior client team commented ‘our manpower estimate was high’, I asked them how they arrived at their lower estimate. When there was no answer for 2 minutes from the 30-member client team, the chairman announced the meeting is over and the deal is ours …. My colleague a retd major general got a shock of his life and at the end of the meeting he burst out laughing at the way the proceedings progressed and its outcome
- 2000 – Open disinterest in a contract led to Personal Professional Gain – Another incident when I told the client our company was not interested in the project as we were changing our focus, he asked me if I can do it in my individual capacity, and unbelievably despite my lukewarm interest the client gave me the job in my individual capacity with a bonus payment at the end … and leading to setting up my own one man consulting firm Prime Consulting Group
I was the face of my employer with government clients in the infrastructure projects such as Water, Power … and I used to get calls from client Chairmans office for consulting service discussions. When my employer was shifting its focus from management Consulting to Technology, my top boss discouraged me from taking up consulting assignments, as the company may not be able to provide manpower. In one instance when the Water Board wanted a job to be done, I got a call and when I conveyed our company’s stance, the client Chairman looked into my eyes and asked me‘Can you do it?’ . I said I can, I am a one man, no company … He retorted ‘Start your Company’ … and give me you quote. I just created a name ‘Prime Consulting Group’ and gave a quote under that name with several preconditions: I will not come to your office to collect data, all data should come to me through email, I will not submit multiple hard copies, bound reports, … I will submit one email version of the report and all data should come to me digitally without having to come to your office. I will finish the job in 10 days. Sine the outcome of the consultancy was to derive financial gain for the client, I casually and openly suggested ‘Can we have a benefit sharing deal?’. The Chairman retorted ‘I am open to it but putting it in the agreement will amount to the government seeing it as gambling’ and is not permitted, but I will keep this in mind. I forgot about that .. My (non-existent entity) nearest competitor was SBI Capital Markets … My quote happened to be a tad lower, so the client had no problem in justifying their decision. The Chairman happened to be a senior IAS officer trained in Harvard in Management … I finished the job working in the evenings from home, not taking leave from my employer … You can call it unethical, moon lighting …. But if my employer is not enabling my career progression, what do I do? Rot? After the report submission I had gone abroad for another assignment One day I get a call from this client Chairman congratulating me on the work I had done, highly appreciated … He in fact obtained a special board resolution for a 100% bonus over my agreed fees … This is government …. I started using this consulting firm for doing online consulting and academic support assignments across geographies.
- 2008 – Explicit Statement not seen appealing – I was a on a UN Consulting Assignment – an evaluation of a UN program in Sudan. In the final report and presentation, there were open statements of the work falling short of targets / expectations. On the day we were to leave Sudan after the engagement. just 4 hours before flight departure, the mission head, a very senior level officer, heading the mission, wanted to see us and discuss the findings. In the presentation to the team, I made some observations which were not very soothing. The mission head, a lady, looked at me with concern. I understood her discomfort: the outcome was below expectations which we had explicitly stated. I quietly said ‘data is yours interpretations is mine’ in response to her nonverbal message. The entire audience couldn’t take it … they later said ‘how can you reply to her like that… ‘. But she had no problem. In fact, she appreciated the bluntness in our communication. We got our fees without any issues
- 2013 – landing a job dialling a wrong number: I had left all formal jobs and was freelancing from 2009. I happened to dial a number, of one of my past colleagues. I happened to dial the wrong number with same name. The person I dialled happened to be someone I was introduced by one of my ex-colleagues, an ex-world bank senior staff well connected, based in Bangalore. I apologised for the wrong dialling … After a few minutes he calls me back and asks me if I am interested in a Director Management Programs job in a Private University in Bangalore. I responded, ‘I am not looking for a job but open to look at it’. I said I need to get more details. After a few minutes he called again asking when I am free to visit them. After two days the University send me a vehicle to take me to their campus for me to get a hang … of it. After the visit he called again asking me when I can meet the Chairman. They sent a vehicle and I had a one-hour meeting with the Chairman. For every question of the Chairman my response was no … I cannot come every day, I cannot come at 9 am, I will not do this …. We both agreed on a two-month trial period when the university will pick up and drop me on days and time of my convenience … What started as two months went on for 3 years … with both sides in absolute sync and comfort. Then I had to leave as I had to go overseas on a long personal trip.
- 2015 – I was contacted by a UK based firm academicminds.com, seeking my interest in academic support for MBA students online. I had to write an online test at the age of 62. I was doing that for several years. Same time I was also freelancing as a consultant for clients in Singapore, Australia, UK … Around that time I was contacted by a Professor in UK to jointly write a book. We published a co authored book on Management Consultancy – An academic and Practitioners Perspective
Speaking straight is generally considered as undiplomatic in business deals and can lead to loss of business. I have proved repeatedly that this perception is wrong… what the client needs is those who speak straight, bold and be honest … and many more. Of course this can be context driven.
Most of these incidents lead me to believe that if AI were to be used based on prebuilt logic on the right and wrong of ones’ conduct, as taught in management programs, I would have lost my job, but reality is totally contrary.
I must believe that AI has role to play in scenarios where logics are time and situation invariant, and there is a situation independent material (not human) relationships among the variables. In real world in real organizational scenarios, Emotional Intelligence (EI) that is inclusive, that is situation / context sensitive, recognizes undefinable scenarios, open to accept greyness (not black and white) will prevail over AI. What is probably happening now is the initial frenzy on something that is novel and, business’ overenthusiasm to capitalize on it and the FOMO impact. Similarly Self-Management is a subject more important than I would say ‘Business Management’ the glorified MBA