Public Sector can Excel!

The public sector enterprises have miles to go and they can provided...............

That ITDC the only central public sector enterprise in the hospitality sector is deeply in reds is a news that saddens yet reflects the state of the nation. On a lighter note one feels that a lot of effort must have gone in over the years to achieve this distinction considering that the hospitality business is inherently and also highly profitable. The reasons for the debacle indicated in the news item are simply unacceptable.  

It is indeed sad that the latent strength of the temples of modern India, the Indian public sector enterprises lies untapped even after over sixty years of existence as a free nation. It defies common business sense that many of these commercial enterprises set up with public funds and backed by the state are underperforming yet many of them continue to do so. The reason lies in inept management as generally the apex level positions are filled not based on performance or leadership traits but on other criterion or considerations. That the shades of ownership and mere technicalities are not issues that matter and what really matters is the commitment, zeal and integrity of the top guy is a fundamental premise that needs widespread acceptance.

Air India and ITDC are text book examples of profitable business enterprises being bled to death by inept managements. Despite the general public opinion being to the contrary, blaming political masters or the external environment for the ills of the company merely diverts attention and shrouds the real causes. The fact remains that the companies act and the memorandum of articles of the enterprise sufficiently empower the chief executives to ward of any hostile threats to the efficient working of the enterprise, yet in many cases the chief executives either fail to lead or else succumb to pressures and attractions. 

My stint as the head honcho of the Delhi division, the largest division of the mighty railway system of the country firmly reinforced my belief in the goodness and the immense utility of men at large. It also reinforced my belief that the primary problem of the nation is neither the politicos, nor the unions; it is the bureaucracy that with passage of time has evolved into a self seeking organism. The bureaucratic clan indeed has to take the major blame for the pitiable condition the nation and organizations like the ITDC and Air India find themselves in.

My two stints as a public sector honcho, namely the short-lived stint at the India Tourism Development Corporation and later at the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation reinforced my belief that CEO positions in public sectors are primarily leadership positions. Any CEO who does not appreciate this basic premise is bound to fall flat on the face and that is what has been happening regularly in the Indian public sector scenario. Giving a short shrift to this premise while making selections for apex positions ensures a mediocre future existence for the enterprise, a situation not healthy for the economy.

My stint at the India Tourism Development Corporation coincided with the aggressiveness that was then being displayed in the disinvestment of the public sector and also the 9/11 incident which affected tourism worldwide. The combined synergy of both the events made the revival an almost impossible exercise, yet the unprecedented turnaround that the company witnessed in 2002-3 was the result of a massive team effort, a team effort that even the junior-most of the employees identified himself with. Doubts over the ability of the public sector to perform at par or even better than the private were also successfully laid to rest.

The iconic success of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism in finding its place in the big league of Indian tourism and also the unprecedented financial turnaround of the state tourism corporation was fuelled by the same employees of the once beleaguered corporation who were earlier being blamed for the mess that the state tourism corporation was in. Posting over 30% growth year on year by a state public sector undertaking that had already hit the bottom and was being actively considered for a sell-off again proved that a turnaround is possible provided the top guy has employee focus and is committed to the growth of the company.

Any commercial enterprise, be it the local pan ki dukaan or a towering corporation is only as good as its leader, or in other words its top guy. The top guy has to have leadership qualities and by his words and deeds, should be able to command the unquestioned loyalty of his men. Everything else is secondary, yet unfortunately most of the top guys only look upwards and display extreme keenness to be identified as the blue eyed boys of the powers that be. Blue eyed boys they become, but they lose the company and that is what has happened with most of the commercial enterprises that have gone downhill or are performing below par.

The top guys also have to be able to distinguish between the “effort to deliver” and the “decision to deliver”. While the effort part is good and appreciable, the decision part is almost mandatory. Unless the company led by its top guy decides to deliver, the effort will almost always never bear fruit. It is also sad that generally, the top management gets busy in the “how” and remains busy in the same while the corporation continues its downhill slide. That the “will” to improve is far more vital than the “how’s” and “why’s” needs appreciation.

And lastly, any commercial enterprise that works in a competitive environment, howsoever profitable the sector may be, has to have its foundations firmly in the ground, grouted in value systems that are universally accepted as good and also good practices. Stamping down corruption and other vices should therefore remain the principal focus of the chief executive who should lay this issue on the table and lead by personal example.

The public sector always attracts criticism on grounds of non-performance due to sarkari ownership. Yet with sound commercial sense, the ownership pattern can turn out to be the biggest strength of the company provided the CEO has leadership traits. He is the pivot and he is the one who can take the company forward or sink it. The buck like in any commercial organization stops at the chief executive even in a public sector undertaking. 

Caught with the pants down!

The great Indian Railways stands exposed. Managed by puny guys, one of whom has been caught with his pants down with a few more in the pipeline, this great organization that witnessed minimal contribution from its mandarins in the last few decades is indeed tottering. As I had mentioned in an earlier post, a great organization brought to its knees by its constituents is indeed a sad story.

It is a cultural malaise, a culture where a senior guy does not appreciate a junior bloke standing erect, a culture of supple spines, free lunches, self gratification, sycophancy and feudalism. Indeed, railways is very much out of place in the corporate environment of the twenty first century. A corporate sans sprinkling of a corporate culture.

Mahesh also must have been a budding youngster perhaps full of idealism and commitment when he would have joined the railways as a probationary officer. Like almost everyone else he also would have learnt to enjoy power and the perks that go with the job, steadily increasing as one climbs up the ladder. Trained in a staff college that does not regard instilling value systems or leadership traits in youngsters, as worthy of consideration, Mahesh would have grown up in the system that admires and places on pedestals sycophant pygmies. He also would have realized fairly early that for a price paid in cash or sycophantic behavior,  many of the important postings are negotiable. And therefore the dubious deal! While Mahesh deserves a couple of years behind bars, yet the major part of the blame should be apportioned to the rotten system that has percolated the nooks and corners of this organization that once had a great affixed to its name.

As the head honcho of the Delhi division I had ringside seats in so far as witnessing the conduct of the apex levels of the railways. And the view was disturbing to say the least. While the top guys never displayed leadership qualities, always had a supple spine and lambasted subordinates at the slightest opportunity, they invariably laid prostate at the feet of their bureaucratic and political masters. Many of the lot also never lost an opportunity to take advantage of their position almost always, even in the matter of whacking the curtains that are allotted to their official bungalow, at the time of their retirement. Whacking of curtains and adjusting the entire electricity consumption of their house as official are minor examples of unethical  practices, yet lays bare the conduct of officials in high places.

Large scale structural reforms are perhaps the only route to redeeming the greatness of the railways. The Mahesh Kumar episode is signalling a turning point provided the gravy train is able to negotiate the turnout it is faced with. 

In God we trust, Insha allah! 

Hope lives

My feelings on landing at Baroda House are almost akin to those that I had while descending on the hot seat of the Delhi division. The scenario is also almost the same with infrastructure and the human resource being the focus of bureaucratic apathy. In one of my earlier blogs I had questioned the existence of headquarters offices in the railway setups, citing them as redundant bodies that would contribute more to the railways if they closed shop and I still feel the same way. Yet the headquarters offices provide jobs to many and that is indeed a saving grace.

Rhetoric apart, it is a fact that a lot can still be achieved. In all my postings I divide the work in two distinct areas, one that can take place with a swing of my pen and the other that requires many more thumb impressions. And what one is empowered to deliver is also fairly substantial, though many of us fail to see the same from within the dense haze of what one is not empowered for.

Not withstanding the constraints and the archaic rules and procedures that prohibit delivery, it should be possible for the team to post spectacular results that based on my past experiences, I am certain would be forthcoming. Yes it would however necessitate infusion of a lot of energy, enthusiasm, gut and value systems in the bunch of youngsters that form part of my team. 

My team has always scripted major successes and this gives me hope as well as confidence to face challenges head on.

Insha Allah we shall succeed!

Path Breakers

Being a conformist is what conventional success is all about in the railways. Conforming to what, I have always wondered. Is it conformance to the grand spectacle of rank mediocrity on display at all levels, the higher one goes in the conventional sense, the bigger and deeper it is.  And if the answer is yes, being a misfit is the only acceptable alternative.

I often wonder whether people like me, and I realize there are many, are misfits? Or whether the system is a misfit for an organization that needs to rise for its own sake and the sake of the nation? Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, there are no clear answers as subjectivity rules the roost in all such matters.

Recently a top gun advised that keeping in view my age profile, I would complete 39 when I hang my boots, now is the time when I should take a cool job and work under a guy who is certain to give outstanding reports. However there is a catch. Turning cool right now shall ensure that I remain cool even when I occupy slots that really matter but generally serve only a ceremonial role. And in that scenario, the occupant would cease to have any relevance whatsoever to the organization and its cronies, except that he may hasten the demise. And that leads to another question, what the top slots are meant for? I bet there are no clear answers even with the occupants. Top slot just for being the top guy is the motive. 

Acceptance of the railway working in its present form is beyond me. With the operational issues being handled at supervisory levels that generally handle it much better provided   the officer clan does not interfere, we have miserably failed in performing our role that primarily constitutes imparting vision and direction and making things easier for the field levels. Yet what we remain busy in, defies logic and rationale. Perhaps our work study teams would make a much bigger contribution if they train their guns at the officer clan and start with the upper crust. 

Being misfit also implies feeling uncomfortable and angry in even witnessing sycophantic acts that are on display almost non-stop everywhere. Rampant disbursal of flowers and costly gifts to superiors in rank and their partners in tow, at every conceivable opportunity is sickening, yet the round of applause that accompanies such a spectacle makes the misfits have serious doubts about themselves. The foundation and inaugural stones for activities as insignificant as a new commode, that one bumps into at almost every corner are also an impeccable example of sycophantic behaviour. Yet the round of applause at the unveiling of such stones and the clamour for being mentioned on the stone itself, by almost everyone confuses. Is this the right thing to do, or the revulsion that many feel at such ceremonies is in order?

What however hurts the most is the rampant harassment of employees in the garb of disciplinary action for minor lapses. That the focus of an officer clan singularly responsible for the grand mess and also bringing the organization to near bankruptcy, should remain imposing punishments to its staff is definitely not in order.

The men ruining the organization, screwing the men running the organization.

During my stint at the division, I came across many youngsters who often felt suffocated by the mediocrity of superiors in rank.  Perhaps they may either break down with passage of time or join ranks with mediocrity. Yet how I wish that despite the road blocks and there would be plenty, they continue to be path breakers, for in path breakers lies the true salvation of the organization.

Leadership Blues!

Karnail Singh, Gujral and Ravindra have perhaps been the only top bosses that railwaymen remember fondly, also with awe and respect. Ravindra in fact had a halo that was clearly visible, a halo formed  by the purity and clarity of his thoughts. There have also been a few others who contributed a bit, but their numbers can be counted on the fingertips with a few fingers to spare. The rest merely occupied the corner room and threw their weight around.

Why is it that a HR dominant, not centric, organization like the railways miserably fails in selecting its chief executive, with the result that the primary quality that one seeks in the role, the quality of leadership always remains conspicuous by its absence. The malaise however does not remain confined to the top job, but manifests itself in almost all positions that have more of an administrative or leadership requirement than technical. I wonder if that has to do with our direction less grooming on the job and the irrelevant training that our training institutes so carefully devise?

It is always the easiest to start performing or even supervising the role of the subordinate. And what a supervision galore, almost everyone is in the role of a monitor and the doer is always absent. I fondly remember my days in the school, when every section had one monitor who maintained discipline and relayed complaints. At that time, I could not have visualized a situation where everyone, right from top to bottom is in the role of a monitor and worse still, also trebles up as an advisor rendering unsolicited advise to all and sundry and a complainant par excellence.

My recent tenure as a head honcho gave me tremendous insights in the working of this great organization. The tremendsous backlog of infrastructure, the cultural decay, the lack of values and the lack of trust, but great on sycophantic behavior and aggressive on misuse of facilities and railway staff said it all in the beginnning itself. It also made me sad that many of those in leadership positions demanded things that they were neither entitled to, nor they had the guts to ask for in writing, yet the demands and the outflow continued. The tremendous verbal focus on the daily position and self aggrandizement and the vulgar display of power, not for growth and development, but for demeaning and ridiculing subordinates, are symptoms of decay, not even of status quo in any organization.

Recently a retired railway officer told me that a minimum of two out of the three traits of corruption, mediocrity and sycophancy are the essential ingredients of success and rise in this organization. It is indeed sad that things have come to such a pass in an organization that was once referred to with a "great" affixed to its name.

Mere lip service to issues is not going to help. Mere lip service to infrastructure is not going to lead to infrastructure in much the same way as lip service alone shall neither improve punctuality nor safety that are mere symptoms of a deep rooted malaise. We have to give inputs, if we desire outputs and this organization is crying for long for want of a good dose of administrative and leadership acumen.

Amen!  

Logging out

The sound of drums and the murmer of the crowd gathered outside had almost reached a crescendo when I decided to walk out of my chamber in the late afternoon of the 15th of May 2012, my last working day as the Divisional Manager of the largest division of the national railway network. The impatient yet emotional crowd of railwaymen that numbered over five hundred had a large sprinkling of the pahari people, who like me had their origins in the state of Uttarakhand.  Garlands, music, dance and emotions flowed and I almost drowned, drowned in memories that I knew would be with me all my life. I earlier never believed that railways can make me cry, but here I was, almost in tears, saddened by parting of ways with what was never mine. Love for what is never ours is the root cause of sorrow, yet some people like me never learn and should never learn. The animate and the inanimate in this world is there to be loved, a love as pure as that of a mother and that is what makes this world beautiful for many.

It was only in the morning that I had witnessed an outburst of emotions and love from my men (and women) working in the divisional office. Almost every section in the office clamoured to bid me farewell, but for want of time only a few succeeded and what I got were bouquets of emotions and love. The official lunchtime farewell by the divisional officers also continued past four in the evening with speeches coming straight from the heart. Only the previous day, the formidable Northern Railway Men’s Union had organized a farewell, the first they ever organized for an officer in history, and the three station managers of the major delhi stations had organized farewell gatherings at their stations. The zonal Association of SC & ST also organized an emotional farewell in their office, a farewell that almost had me in tears.   

The round of office farewells ended with the warm send off by the pahari people, people of my clan, many of them necessarily not working with me, but associated with the northern railways. Even my car was decked up with flowers, flowers that reinforced in me the goodness of men almost everywhere. 

And as an officer I felt small, small at the pettiness of the officer clan in general that fails to treat its men as human beings. Our longing to occupy high chairs, not for the welfare of the organization or its men, but for self gratification of the pettiest kind made me feel small in front of this crowd of humanity that in one single moment taught me what being human and humility is all about.

The first page!

The science of Management or the art of Leadership? While a good manager can give growth exceeding the conventional growth rates, a good leader can cross the conventional, by leaps and bounds and give stunning growth generally considered impossible by the uninitiated.

The nation however requires both, at various levels and cutting across sectors to propel it out of the state of inaction it finds itself in today. Yes it is possible to turnaround organizations, states and nations in time frames barely considered adequate even for mere planning purposes.

I am neither a manager, nor a leader, yet my team delivered a stupendous performance at both these places and that is what amazes me and also confuses me. What is important, to be a top notch manager or a leader or both. Or just to be. Perhaps just being myself without being conscious of the invisible cloak that the chair provides was the only thing that helped in what could be achieved. And this leads to another internal turmoil, whether delivery leads to self actualization or self actualization leads to delivery. Confusion reigns supreme, silently though in my own mind and that wisely brings me down to earth after the “high” of my last assignment. I need to remain firmly wedded to the ground.

My last two stints, at Madhya Pradesh Tourism for around three and a half years followed by two and a half at the Delhi division of the Northern Railways, both times as the head honcho of the organizations have been experiences beyond compare. While the first was an open territory waiting to be unleashed, the second was a closed domain that needed to be pulled out of the abyss. The important point was that both responded favourably to resuscitation attempts at the first go and that further reinforced my belief in the belief that this country is just waiting to happen.

This is not a book on how. This is a book on what really happened at both these places, the silent revolutions that my team brought about, without ruffling many feathers.

What finally resulted was amazing, even though it was fun along the way. And fun it has to be. Even the renowned Walt Disney had once said:

“It is kind of fun to do the impossible”

Mental blocks

The number of "full of hope" youngsters that I have encountered during my delhi stint gives me hope that all is not yet lost. A budding youngster told me today that the railways is like chetak of rana pratap that is just waiting for a hint from its master to gallop. Unfortunately while we have a lot of heads in the organization, the number of those who have the capability to lead can be easily counted on fingertips, with a lot of fingers to spare.

And it is indeed sad that many of us have lost hope, lost the will and the drive  to lead where we are  planted, while what is not lost is the yearning for someone else to take the cudgels on our behalf.

It is indeed a leadership crisis of the highest magnitude that the railways finds itself staring at. And the crisis is primarily of the bureaucratic kind, while the political class continues to take the flak.

And so we forever wait for change to happen, the systems to change and things to improve. This wait is however devoid of the realization that for the organization to prosper, we all have to convert ourselves into instruments of change wherever we are planted.

And my boys at the division did it, did it so easily and so well that it made my heart swell with pride. The boys have experienced and also proved that impossible does not exist and the limitations are mainly figments of the mind. Yes there are foolish limitations that we have imposed in the name of  "checks and balances", primarily out of a misplaced belief in the need to mistrust everyone under the sun. And if a man with a gut is able to show these foolish limitations the door, sky is the limit for this great organization, the greatness of which has been kept under check, unfortunately for a long period now.  

  
    

Dreaded Symptoms!

Sometime back I wrote about the tendency of the railway officials to invariably jump on symptoms, without any concern whatsoever about the disease that may have caused the same. Today's accident near Anantpur once again had my mind rattled on the issue. When shall we ever learn?

Learn what? That in an HR dominant organization like the railways human mistakes are bound to happen and the environment of fear that the railway babu's have created is only hastening the impending disaster. My mind has quickly travelled to the site of the acccident and I  can easily visualize the scenario there. With almost everyone who considers himself a somebody on the railways, and there is a fleet of them, trying to use his phone to find out details of what happened, not for remedying matters but to rattle out the details to his superiors when asked for, the men manning the field would be having a very tough time. All those somebody's would be trying to browbeat the others in seeking the head of the delinquent staff and offficers who would have committed the heinous mistakes leading to the accident. The ground truth and also the reason behind the staff committing mistakes while on duty would be lost in the chorous claiming the head.

Everyone out to impress the boss and in the race to bag the coveted "sycophants trophy" even at such moments when the organization and its mandarins should be seeking and facing the truth, is indeed sickening. The race also to be the first one to tell the bosses about what happened and commiserating with him on the perceived demise of commitment in the field staff is also a trait amply visible in the officers, who are regarded as rising stars in the organization, even at moments of disaster.

When shall we ever realize that almost all the so called ills of the system are no more than mere symptoms of various deep rooted malaise shrouding the officialdom. The core of the disease lies in the inability of the management, the upper crust to be more precise, to provide the right kind of leadership to the organization. Even a casual study of the bureaucratic practices of the railways would reveal the obvious, that we have adopted a conflicting variance with all that is written down in management books and case studies of repute. Moreover any organization, the upper crust of which consider ridiculing and pulling down their men as the solution to its ills is living in a fool's paradise and therein lies the tragedy of this great organization.

A rudderless organization, not led by, but headed by officials at various levels who have no vision or direction to convey to their team, but whose focus always remains fault finding and rendering unsolicited advice on all matters under the sun. "Dispense advice when asked for support" has emerged as our gurumantra. An organization based on mistrust is what we are rearing and therefore the regular recurrence of all those symptoms that jolt us out of our blissful sleep. A jolt that damages the organization more than it helps the situation.

May God help  us!     

Inaction Kills!

Inaction kills.

Almost six years of continuous batting on the field, first on the unknown but smooth turf of Bhopal followed by the familiar but undulating turf of Delhi has me thirsting for more. But I am temporarily rested, not to recoup as a matter of design, but more as a matter of policy of the top brass of the railways to clip the wings of whomsoever they perceive as a high flier and maybe a threat to their own mediocre existence.

The two innings separated played on turfs separated by almost eight hundred kilometres had some amazing similarities and some not so amazing differences. What was similar was the level of challenge, the pathetic condition of the terrain handed over to me and the integrity, commitment and capability of my boys. What was different was the complexity of processes, the level of empowerment and trust and the support of the top brass with the delhi turf taking the cake in so far as negativity is concerned. The powers that mattered at Bhopal left no stone unturned in ensuring my success, for the sake of the state of course while the support structure at delhi was virtually non existent with the top brass making its presence felt generally only for finding faults or giving unsolicited advice. Yet, my boys played exceedingly well and what a success it was, even on the delhi turf!

And this further reinforces my belief in the superiority of the people who man the apex levels in the golden service of the nation and those in the railways who man the functional levels, levels that are responsible for keeping the wheels moving.

Why we refuse to accept the ground reality, the truth, knowing fully well that a make believe world cannot be sustained for long. The reality and the basic truth has to be faced some day and therefore why not now? Why is it that the powers that be, refuse to grant basic dignity to all those subservient to them, and would only like to hear the voice of a mediocre or that of a sycophant? Any version other than theirs is normally considered high treason. We have to appreciate that the ivory tower approach suited the british who ruled over subjects of a slave nation, but has no place in a free nation. Perhaps this behaviour is what mediocrity is all about.

It is not physical activity that tires a person, it is physical and mental inactivity that really tires one down. This realization comes only after one is rested after a gruelling long drawn out match.

Amen!

The Delhi Division way!

My innings at Delhi got over yesterday and I am once again back at the stands awaiting the call of the captain. It is for the captain to decide my next role, whether that is of a batsman, bowler, fielder, standby or a spectator. Whatever be the role, the salary remains guaranteed and therein lies the solace.

The last two days have been memorable. Yet the only thing that needs to be taken care of is that the love and adulation of my men, that was on blatant display in abundance should not go to my head. I have to remain grounded, indeed firmly wedded to the ground.

The roller coaster called Delhi division has indeed left its indelible impression on me.  That despite what the majority of us say and feel, it is yet good to be good and bad to be bad and that is the only thing that really matters. That even in the heartless city of Delhi, the emotions have the capability to flow as freely as in the “back of the beyond” place called Patratu, where I spent some time during my heydays, is a thought that got embedded in the core of my heart. Yes, the basic human being is the same everywhere, with love and respect for goodness and human values and that made my eyes tearful  at the thought that I would be for sometime missing the goodness of the entire team of my officers and staff.  

I am reminded of the moment of my departure from Bhopal, the tremendous outpouring of love and affection, even on the streets of the city, of the excrutiating pain of separation from all those who gave me love, affection and success. I am reminded of ITDC, Patratu, DLW, the rail museum, even ICF and all those other places whose men gave me the meaning of life itself. That the true meaning of power is the ability to be able to do something for the masses is a thought that is slowly getting ingrained deep in my psyche for my own betterment perhaps replacing the deep rooted feelings of ego and self aggrandizement.

Prior to landing on the hot seat of Delhi, I could not have earlier imagined the brilliance and commitment of the entire team of my officers. I also could not have earlier visualized the tremendous commitment of the unions towards welfare of the men, besides miserably failing in assessing the deep love and affection of my men towards me. And that gives me a new line of thought – that despite the penchant of the officer clan for wielding power and exploiting the system for self aggrandizement, the men, the railway men remain the true soldiers the organization has. It is indeed hard not to fall in love with the men in the field, the people who keep the wheels moving. It is harder still to hold them accountable for the ills of the system despite knowing fully well that the nonchalance of the bureaucrats is responsible for the staid state of affairs.

Yes, the Delhi team has infused in me a fresh bout of hope, hope that all is not yet lost and that it is still possible to rise from the ashes and restore the glory of the great Indian railways.  

The more the merrier

Railways swears by this slogan. Otherwise how can one justify the ever growing fleet of officers with hardly any substantive work. Railway Board is full of officers, almost as many as the rest of the federal ministries put together and the redundant bodies, the zonal headquarters almost bursting at their seams with officers of all levels. The fat is easily visible at disaster sites that bubble with over a dozen officers above the levels of joint secretary who have no role except being present and rendering unsolicited advice to the guys that work.

Supervision of almost everyone has become the motto of the railways, an organization that has given the word “trust” a go by. There is absolutely no trust anywhere in the system and the higher the bloke in the hierarchy, the more prone he is to pass unsubstantiated value judgements on any issue under the sun.

With hardly any substantive charge to effect positive output, the only way the railway blokes can have any sense of importance is by exercising negative powers. And therefore while the system hardly has anyone who can deliver, it has layers and layers of officialdom who by a stroke of their pen can stop things from happening. Negativity therefore flows freely in the system and positivity is almost dead.

With hardly being able to contribute positively to the system, the focus of the officialdom has shifted to seeking items of self gratification at the cost of the organization and by browbeating the juniors. Putrid it is to witness senior blokes committing impropriety, and impropriety it is without doubt.

What has the railways come to? Perhaps the only solace lies in the realization that we are getting what the majority of us deserve.

Moving slowly to disaster is the best way to describe the situation.

Amen!

Romancing Delhi!

It is packing time again. Hopefully the packing shall remain confined to the office only this time.

It is also a time for introspection, a look at the past on the rear view mirror. And the view is not what one would regret. Yes despite the misgivings about railways that I had just prior to landing on the hot seat of Delhi, I would regard my tenure as one that has given me satisfaction. Yes, much more could and should have been done, yet what was done was also unprecedented and that gives a ray of hope.

It is yet possible to change the railways. Difficult no doubt, but possible, though the effort is generally disproportionate to the results. Perhaps the inbreeding that we have had over decades has brought in tons of complexities in the system and therein lies the problem.

Despite the complexities in the system that have made deliverance almost impossible, the fine team of officers that I have, made things happen on the ground. The brilliance and the capability of almost all of my branch officers amazes me no end. What they could achieve has been stupendous, and this achievement, like all tremendous achievements has been achieved without friction or frayed tempers that are regarded as the hallmark of railway working. Yes, it is true that I have also learnt a lot from my brilliant team of officers including the two ADRM's who shouldered almost everything and left nothing to be done by the DRM.

And that made change possible. A change is a change only if it is visible to a rank outsider and that is what my team made possible. Environmental changes at stations, offices and colonies have started showing. Even streaks of cultural changes are also now visible at times. I have always maintained that brilliant performance in work as well as play is always smooth and this smoothness is now amply visible thereby giving me tremendous satisfaction.

The character certificate given by the CAG of India and the three national awards that the division picked up during the last two years are also a cause of immense satisfaction. I can only hope that the good work shall continue and I shall keep on getting good reports.

What next? Time to move on. Time to change something else somewhere else. That is what life is all about!

Outperforming oneself

That the rapid improvements that me and my Delhi division team dreams of, would come only with perfect teamwork is something that all of us have now started appreciating. The rapidly changing scenario, here in Delhi makes me vividly recollect the unconventional start of 2008 when my entire MPT team watched “Goal”.

It was the third movie that we, the MPT team, watched in the office and during office hours on the first day of 2008. The intention like in all previous shows was not just entertainment, but to instill in the staff, ranging from peons to the top management, a strong sense of desire to achieve something for the state of Madhya Pradesh. This show, like the previous ones was attended by the entire staff together, without caring a fig for the official hierarchial system that prevents a managing director from breaking bread with his peon. For a true cine experience, popcorns and coffee were also served during the show. Well changing thought processes is a long drawn out affair but a beginning would have been made, if my men just start talking and dreaming about doing something for the state, deliverance will automatically follow.

Lagaan, Chak De and Goal mark the beginning of a new era in Indian cinema, an era where movies have starting working as a management tool to inspire the populace into achieving something extraordinary in their ordinary lives. “Lagaan” was the story of a ragtag team of rustic Indians coming together to beat a team of britishers at the very british game of cricket. “Chak De” is the story of how a much ridiculed and maligned Indian women’s hockey team puts its act together to win the world cup and the latest in the series “Goal” is the story of how a football club in Southall, London, pulls up its socks to achieve the impossible task of wining the league championship and in the process saving the club from extinction.

The common thread in all the three stories has been the presence of one single individual in the role of captain or coach, who inspires the team members to achieve very high performance levels, levels that were originally considered impossible by the players as well as the general public. The single individual, around whom the story rotates, be it Amir Khan in Lagaan, Shahrukh Khan in Chak De or Boman Irani in Goal had an extremely high power catalytic effect on the performance of the team. All leadership qualities, about which we read in management books were amply visible in these three individual roles.

How true it is. The hindi phrase “Akela Chana Bhad Nahi Fod Sakta” is now not true. It is always one single individual who makes a difference. A group of rudderless people, howsoever brilliant they may be on an individual basis can not and shall never be able to bring about turnarounds. Be it the Delhi Metro, the Reliance empire, the Microsoft or public sectors like the ONGC or NBCC, all have been led to success by individuals who have outperformed even the most optimistic of expectations. People who have defied the word “impossible” and inspired their men to outperform themselves, not for a materialistic gain but for achieving self actualization are the ones who actually change the world. India needs more of such men in pivotal roles cutting across sectors and territories and this is the true message of “Lagaan”, “Chak De” and “Goal”.