You Don't Mess With Mummy Ji!

This week has been tumultuous in the Indian Corporate World, the exit of Vishal Sikka from Infosys was dismaying. The supposedly last nail in the coffin of Corporate succession planning was Cyrus Mistry and Ratan Tata episode however the interlude of  Vishal Sikka & Narayan Murthy has completed the obituary for passing the professional baton in Corporate World. And as the series of events would unfold I foresee a lot of dirty linen being washed in public this time too. 

It is not unnatural for the promoter to return and assert its control over the Company he has created. Is it a conflict between new ideas and old foundations or is it retaining hold over something that you already  willingly gave for somebody else.

My take on the whole issue is really simple and it is similar to old age feud between the mother in law - Daughter in Law over the Son. Moms will go out of the world to get the best girl for her darling baby boys to get married to (obviously Sikka was Imported Material from Stanford( read Maal/ Item in Desi lingo) .

And one fine day it would all begin with a Matrimonial advertisement "PQM  slim( I certainly don't fit in) tall (not more than the guy) and beautiful Gori (Racial & Nauseating) girl ( article 377 still continues) 4 a good nature h'some cultured boy ( Cultured boy= Irony) from a religious family(Does that come from Pope?or Aloknath)".

In the case of Infosys it would have read "PQM( more foreign degrees the better it is ) obedient cultured boy/ men ( women in India are not serious contender for post of CEO unless you are being employed by a bank or you are head of your own Company) from a good background (Sikka came from SAP/ Mistry from Sharpoonji ) 4 a good cultured Company(have plenty of goodwill though currently losing steam). 

Now don't rake your head what would have been the advertisement from Tata Sons, Dude! they are Parsis, they don't marry outside community, as all the Parsis uncles and Aunties are concerned over the marriage of a prospective boy or girl I am sure the marriage of Cyrus Mistry with Tata Sons would have been solemnized by the Parsi Community well within the precincts of Parsi Cafe feasting over Lagan Nu Custard. 

Coming back to the Great Indian marriage saga, after Mummyjis/ Promoters shortlist some dozen, and interview half a dozen of the prospective girls/ CEO's one is finally picked for the altar for sacrifice. The marriage finally takes place which obviously is followed by the honeymoon period when the new CEO and the promoters connect over drinks, are almost like buddies for life (in the same fashion the MILs & DILs connect over recipes and fashion). These days are nice all the media hear is the chutzpah of the mutual appreciation club and the bounding ( just bringing tears to my eyes).

But then comes a period when strife happens and difference crop, where it becomes a tug of war over the Son and the Company. On similar grounds both the Promoter and the NeoCeo wants the Company to grow and prosper but they have their own ways, none of which is wrong, but the none of them are similar.the crescendo for the ownership rises. The son who was wedded to daughter in law and the Company which was handed over to the New CEO now is having some serious issues. Dip in the quarterly profit or non disclosure of Corporate governance report is viewed in similar contempt as the higher pitch of the Cultured Son in front of Mummyji. 

Now the promoter aka Mummyji bounce back making it impossible for other to comprehend what wrong has been done. The Young Turk  will be questioned on every move and will often be cited examples of the immense hard work and labor of the brawn and the brain, of the sweat and the blood that has led to the growth of the Company . The new guy becomes the fall guy for not having adhered to the fundamentals of the Company. As the daughter in Law is the reason for ills and miseries in the life of the new CEO is projected as someone who is an outsider, the one who is insensitive to the needs of the organisation. The new CEO is some one who is more modern, extravagant ( Sikka traveled by Chartered Planes) and independent in decision making ( Mistry was actually criticized for being too independent).

Companies in  India are not professionally managed and the trend is not likely to change. Succession Planning is an half hearted  attempt to prove the professional commitment. Unless the Promoters restrain, hold back and let the young talents to lead the Company, the concept of succession planning is farce and would not yield any result. Independence of CEO from previous promoters is necessary for running of the company or the country. Modi was successful in keeping away the thespians  by way of Marg Darshak Mandal but not every body requires to have that  kind of compartmentalization. The promoters should become like Bhishma Pitamah, advising but not exercising the power of being the creator. Unless the promoters move away from the enticement of controlling & micromanaging , the issue of succession planning wold remain unaddressed. The new CEOs too should try to incorporate the the fundamentals and ethics of the new company else the marriage will not sustain the pressure and would soon be written off. At the end of the day, company is more important than Egos .

"Sikka Khota tha & Mistry ko TATA Kar Diya, that is why YOU DON'T MESS WITH MUMMY JI.

Pass and Aggregate Chapter 24 : Life Settles

   

Pass and Aggregate: Chapter 24: Life Settles

It is not every day you live like that, it is not every day you die like that, there some days in life you just tend to live in a dying state and it was that day for me. 

But it was the last day when I looked life in a dying state. My life finally found a direction, a new meaning, a sense of fulfilment crept in, and no it was not over night, it took a long time a few more heart breaks and few more reality shocks but here I am. I struggled and found a decent job, came back to home. My mother searched a bride for me and yes I did not resist ( I didn't have to ), she was a perfect girl for me. 

I have a job, a cabin (with my nameplate), a home, my family, a loving wife, a naughty daughter and a dog( ok no Dog, I am allergic to the species). It is every thing I ever wanted and I am content with it. Not many are as lucky as me, a few might have better luck but I too have succeeded in becoming an eyesore to many.

Sometimes I wonder what is the definition of success and I often end up comparing myself to others and here lies the problem, we see success in relative terms not absolute terms. The Networth of other becomes our bench mark but success should be absolute. If I am the only person in the world how would I define success and if I am able to find that answer I pass that too in aggregate.