Page 12 - Seniors Today - July 2021 Issue
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A: There are no hard rules. If he wants to organisation. We started on the purpose
do it, then the Board decides this, it’s not of the organisation journey almost 10
my decision. The Board is professional, years back, where we said that we have
it’s independent. They decide on merit to look at all the stakeholders, and not
who is the best person to lead the company just shareholders, as the organisation
because, if the company does well because exists for all the stakeholders. When I
the best person is leading, tell me who say stakeholders, it includes your own
will benefit the most? As a majority employees, shareholders, customers,
shareholder, I will benefit the most. society and associates, because all of them
are interlinked. If I do something good for
Q: In one of the photographs we have my employees, they will operate at a peak,
published, you’re seeing reading The and they will give out their best and that
Game-Changer by former P&G boss AG will again benefit the other stakeholders.
Lafley and celebrated consultant Ram So if they do well, the company does well,
Charan. How much of a gamechanger the share price will go up, I can do an
would you consider yourself? IPO, I can dilute, I can make acquisitions.
A: I have been ahead of the times in a few All of them are interconnected. We have
areas. I don’t know whether you’ve read the a purpose statement, which talks about
book, Blue Ocean Strategy. It talks about making a difference. And make a difference
identifying spaces where you have the right to whoever you interact with, be it at a
to win. And I had done all that when I read personal level or at an organisation level.
that book, it just reconfirmed that what I So we send our ad agencies to our own
was doing was on the right track. A lot of training programmes for six days at our
people criticised me for going to niches, but own cost. We go to our vendors’ premises,
I chose those niches, it was easier for me give them suggestions for improving
to succeed. So it just showed me that that productivity. A lot of things which are
whole portfolio choice of selecting the Blue not expected of you to do, we do it and
Ocean was right. they realise: “Oh my god, nobody else is
As for gamechanging, I can say that some doing this, no other corporate.” So their
of the trends which have happened in the motivation, when you do something extra,
management circles or corporate world, I just increases dramatically and they give
have done it much, much earlier. I’ll give their best.
you two or three examples. One was the
portfolio choice and Blue Ocean spaces. Q: And is that shared by your teams?
Then there’s this whole thrust on culture- A: Yes. We do a lot of work in the area
building, I think I have spent an enormous of farming. Copra is our largest selling
amount of energy in building the culture product. We work with farmers in Tamil
of the organisation. Nobody else in the Nadu and we have taken many steps
early 90s, was looking at culture. Now to ensure that there are no middlemen.
everybody talks of culture and saying Earlier there used to be four or five layers
culture eating strategy for breakfast, and of middlemen before it came to us and each
whatnot, but I did it much, much earlier. of them would have their own margin.
The third is the purpose of the Now, we are buying directly from farmers.
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