Some managers breathe fire; some bring buckets of ice-water when dealing with pressing, urgent and demanding situations. In my experience, I have had the good fortune to have worked with both types. At the outset, it is best not to be judgmental on which type is better, but in this piece I will chronicle a supervisor who was leading a geographic region comprising fifteen countries. I studied him closely, more to emulate than to flatter. Motivation was a tool used excessively by him, for others to achieve and generate results, as he had chartered.
Some managers breathe fire; some bring buckets of ice-water when dealing with pressing, urgent and demanding situations. In my experience, I have had the good fortune to have worked with both types. At the outset, it is best not to be judgmental on which type is better, but in this piece I will chronicle a supervisor who was leading a geographic region comprising fifteen countries. I studied him closely, more to emulate than to flatter.
Motivation was a tool used excessively by him, for others to achieve and generate results, as he had chartered. Those who achieved the corporate objectives actually thought it was the realisation of their own aim, while in reality they were fulfilling his vision. He had always before him a very large canvass to operate upon; no impediment seemed colossal for him to surmount. Each meeting he held, he spoke like Pericles giving his famous funeral oration, wherein just change the mention of Athens and country to the organisation.
“I would have you day by day fix your eyes upon the greatness of Athens, until you become filled with the love of her; and when you are impressed by the spectacle of her glory, reflect that this empire has been acquired by men who knew their duty and had the courage to do it, who in the hour of conflict had the fear of dishonour always present to them, and who, if even failed in an enterprise, would not allow their virtues to be lost to their country, but freely gave her their lives, as the fairest offering which they could present at her feet.” We would be mesmerised and charged to take on any challenge of the market place. He made us look at the organisation as supremely beautiful. I believe he strongly subscribed to the thought that “in magnifying the organisation, he magnified the people working for it”.
To dwell further upon the many qualities and traits he possessed, let me for the purposes of this piece, give him an imaginary name of Dr Riz. Each morning Dr Riz always woke up with Voltaire’s saying, “Lord protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies”. Consequently, he had only colleagues, but no friends. Being in the Orient then, in admiration I would remind myself of the Chinese proverb that draws comparison of friends to the jaws and teeth of a dangerous animal: if you are not careful, you will find them chewing you up.
Dr Riz, while appearing to be easily approachable, was often aloof and distanced with his co-workers. He kept around his personality an aura of impregnability. To this image and effect, he displayed regal dignity and firmness of purpose.
Here it is important not to confuse regality with arrogance. To the contrary, he was extremely humble and pleasant in disposition. These traits emerged only when he allowed intrusion into his Halls of Royalty. Dr Riz exuded an image of wearing the crown. Hence, his personality reflected poise, charm, contagious motivation, dignity and tranquillity. No challenge would unseat him from this lofty position, in which he placed himself, without any formal coronation!
Dr Riz could make mountains move, and I saw him do just that. No herculean task requiring Himalayan effort would deter him. Being a great mobiliser of human resources, he would draw upon the best, to do what he intended to achieve. Most times the feat would be close to impossible – for the chairman of his institution, he opened the doors to Deng Xiao Ping’s office, the then helmsman of awakening China. This was made possible due to his personal charm and the manner in which he carried himself. Managers have to learn to project an over-arching sense of confidence, when they call upon their troops to deliver the unthinkable or seemingly unachievable. As managers, if the ask is feeble, you are bound to get weak results and response. It is the responsibility of the manager to put the price tag of performance. Higher the bid, taller is the return. Managers like Dr Riz, have an amazing sense of creating opportunities and then matching it with the talent to seize upon it. I am reminded from Julius Ceaser, “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted all the voyage of their life, is bound in shallows and in miseries”.
Dr Riz excelled in being sensitive without being overtly visible to his workforce. He would acknowledge in a very subtle manner. He would be extremely economical while conversing in any one-on-one sessions. He used the option of remaining silent to his advantage. George Bernard Shaw once abused in print the economic views of GK Chesterton. GK’s friends waited in vain for him to reply. Historian Hillarie Belloc reproached him. Chesterton responded, “My Dear Belloc, I have answered him. To a man of Shaw’s wit, silence is one unbearable repartee”.
Managers must recognise that the more you speak, the less powerful you sound. Human tongue is beastly in nature and hence must remain confined to the least possible movement, and therefore has been appropriately placed between jaws by nature. Managers must tame the expression of their opinion.
Empty vessels make much noise, so also, barking dogs seldom bite; managers very often squander their self-esteem by liberal expression. Leonardo da Vinci gave a beautiful analogy to this dilemma – oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees one, it throws a piece of stone or seaweed into it and the oyster cannot close again and hence serves the crab for meat. Such is the fate of him who opens his mouth too much and thereby puts himself at the mercy of the listener.
Leo Tolstoy’s has this fable. A monkey was carrying two handfuls of peas. One little pea dropped out. He tried to pick it up and in doing so, dropped twenty more. He tried to pick up the twenty, and in his efforts dropped all. Then he lost his temper and scattered the peas in all directions and ran away. Dr Riz had an amazing ability to manage and control his anger. Any colleague could walk up to him and break the most distressing news and Dr Riz’s response would be placid, the only sign to give him away being that his ears would turn red.
Otherwise, he would give no loud reaction to bad news. However, the action that would follow later would always be lethal and deadly! Bill Gates, in ‘Business @ The Speed of Thought’ wrote that he always signed off e-mails with a smile. Great leaders (managers) are endowed with a special ability to harness temper and emotions. Dr Riz, excelled in this art of management. Anger at the work place when retaliated with calmness, takes away its inherent inflammatory tendencies.
Dr Riz was an epitome of grace and dignity, in good and bad times; this was a rarity and it was a great pleasure to work under his supervision. He seemed to have read The Art of War by San Tzu; sometimes I suspected that he carried ‘The Life and Times of Niccolò Machiavelli’ in his brief case, without of course, any ill-intent or mala fide motive. He felt his job was to inspire and motivate. And that he did splendidly well.
The writer is a senior banker
