Not so long ago after my first term of Class XI in boarding school, my mom made the 6 hour drive from Bangalore to the Nilgiris to bring me home for a week. Anxious to know how I had been faring after she had pushed me from the nest and encouraged me to test my wings, she asked the principal of the school, Mr. WR Gardner; "So how is my son doing?". His answer was very simple. "I have observed him on the games field, and I am sure he is wired just fine".
What he was saying really, was that he had observed me in a very specific context, and basis that was willing to make a intuitive assessment on my overall progress!
As the years were layered on to my narrow shoulders, I came to understand exactly what he really meant. What he saw on the field in the middle of a hockey match, or in the boxing ring was me. And that 'me' was the same me in the class room or any facet of my life for that matter. There was just one 'me'. And in the heat of the moment on a games field, there was no time to decide which mask I was going to put on. I was relying on instinct. On me!
Three weeks ago, we were playing a cricket match. There is this bloak - Chang, who gets us all together, fights with the wives, rounds up the motley set of us and gets us to play for the coompany every Saturday / Sunday. In the last match we played, we found ourselves in situation where we had wickets in hand and about 10 overs to play. Chang was at the crease and beginning to tire. After all a game of cricket at 12:00 noon in the Chennai summer heat is not for the faint hearted! He could have asked for a runner, he could have attempted a few wild swipes at the ball, he could have walked the next few runs rather than sprint them... But what he did do, was be honest! First with himself, and then with the team. He retired with a personal milestone in sight, so that the team could make those last few overs count... and that's top class leadership in my book.
Friday, June 22, 2007
From Coimbatore to Ernakulam...
I am driving through pouring rain... you can barely see more than 5 meters ahead of the car's windscreen. The road winds through this lush greenery. It is all quite surreal. My day began at 5:45 when the alarm went off on my Xda. Ray hates its high pitched tone, for it almost always awakens her before I stir!
The completed cycle was quite simply an amazing one. The extended teams went out and did some really great work, and the quarter that once seemed impossible is now a canter to the finishing line. I was with the STN team this morning, opening a bottle of champagne to celebrate what was their highest ever cycle! There were smiles all around the room... there was a sense of urgency, they are a team on the move. It felt so good...
Not so long ago I was with the AP teams in Hyderabad and Vizag. As we played a few games and reflected on our actions, the team shifted its gears. The free loaders committed to start playing to win. The guys who didn't pay attention to the rules and got caught out felt genuinely bad! Later that evening about 4 weeks back I sat down with the Coastal AP team to have a drink in a nice APTDC joint close to the banks of the Godavari. The team was animated, and full of beans! I had a blast answering all their queries that ranged from my hairstyle to my fixation with not wasting food and being on time! I also learnt that if you do something meaningful, people will heap praise on you. Out of the blue one of the guys began singing Sanjay's praise, and almost at once everyone joined in! It was like an orchestrated chorus... but it wasn't! It was a spontaneous outburst of gratitude... and it didn't matter where we were or what we were doing! So keep doing those small things that make life better for those around you. It sure as hell makes a difference to the people around you (even if they don't tell you everyday!)
I am almost at the venue for my second cycle meeting of the day. The truth of the matter is that I miss these meetings. Not so long ago, I use to live for these 2 days that I would get with my team... In my new role, I am going to make it a point to be at a cycle meeting of each area once every quarter.
The completed cycle was quite simply an amazing one. The extended teams went out and did some really great work, and the quarter that once seemed impossible is now a canter to the finishing line. I was with the STN team this morning, opening a bottle of champagne to celebrate what was their highest ever cycle! There were smiles all around the room... there was a sense of urgency, they are a team on the move. It felt so good...
Not so long ago I was with the AP teams in Hyderabad and Vizag. As we played a few games and reflected on our actions, the team shifted its gears. The free loaders committed to start playing to win. The guys who didn't pay attention to the rules and got caught out felt genuinely bad! Later that evening about 4 weeks back I sat down with the Coastal AP team to have a drink in a nice APTDC joint close to the banks of the Godavari. The team was animated, and full of beans! I had a blast answering all their queries that ranged from my hairstyle to my fixation with not wasting food and being on time! I also learnt that if you do something meaningful, people will heap praise on you. Out of the blue one of the guys began singing Sanjay's praise, and almost at once everyone joined in! It was like an orchestrated chorus... but it wasn't! It was a spontaneous outburst of gratitude... and it didn't matter where we were or what we were doing! So keep doing those small things that make life better for those around you. It sure as hell makes a difference to the people around you (even if they don't tell you everyday!)
I am almost at the venue for my second cycle meeting of the day. The truth of the matter is that I miss these meetings. Not so long ago, I use to live for these 2 days that I would get with my team... In my new role, I am going to make it a point to be at a cycle meeting of each area once every quarter.
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