Page 52 - SeniorsToday May20
P. 52
Point of View
How to deal with
the Chairman’s
Wife
Prabhakar Mundkur tackles a perennial – and sticky – dilemma
History repeats itself. Cleopatra may not they are expected to be advertising experts
have been the only wife to yield power as well. I have decided to brave it and tell you
behind the King’s throne. It seems a common my part of the story.
practice for some Indian ‘promoters’ as they You can either cope or get challenged and
are called in our unique Indian management give up.
parlance to let their wives loose on their
companies. So the Chairman’s wife has Tale of woe
become an archetype that you may be forced Take a more recent example. I helped place one
to deal with at some point of time in your of my friends into one of India’s most premier
career. companies. The fellow got a great job, a good
This management practice of unleashing salary package and everything sounded good
a relative novice into the organisation has and smooth until the poor man called me up
created its own folklore for the last many after about 2 years in the company, to sound
decades. Advertising agencies have normally me out that he was looking around for another
borne the brunt of it, since the wives are job, if there was one. I couldn’t help feeling
normally put in charge of the advertising surprised. After all everything seemed hunky
first. Having pretensions to being some kind dory from the outside. Nice Mumbai flat.
of dilettantes (repeat, not connoisseurs) Good salary. Good title. Good job. Well-known
in fashion and the fine arts. which have company. Just married. Just had a baby. What
supposedly honed their creative faculties, could be wrong?
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