Leadership & Legacy

Centuries ago Gautama Buddha said, “Mind of the Man is the Man.’ Napoleon Hill wrote,” Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve it” and Henry Ford the great entrepreneur said, “If you think you can, you can and if you think you can’t, you can’t and either way you are right.” All these great people professed that one of the greatest powers is the power of human mind. Mind is never a problem but mindset is the problem. Psychologists say before a person attains the age of 18 on a minimum we are told 148,000 times, “You Can’t, You will not and such negative things.” These words are uttered by parents, teachers and peers without even knowing that they are destroying the mindset of people. Hence a negative mindset gets created which stops us from achieving great things in life. But how do we get the right mind set and how do we change our minds. Zig Ziglar said, ‘If you have to change yourself, change what goes into your mind.” Yes this is the most critical thing. At the age of 23 without any academic background I dreamt of becoming a trainer. When I shared this dream of mine with my friends most of them ridiculed the idea and gave me thousands of reasons on why I can’t become a speaker and trainer. One fine day I decided that I am going to stay away from all the people who told me the reasons on why I can’t and instead choose to stay with people who encouraged and inspired me. Not only that I decided that millions of times people can say, “I can’t but I can million plus 1 times that I can.” Eventually in a span of 2 years I became a speaker and trainer. In Information Technology there is a jargon which is GIGO: Garbage In, Garbage Out and same way in human psychology also there is GIGO which is Good Thoughts In and Good Actions Out. Starting from today, “Mind what goes into your Mind.” Stay away from toxic people and negative thoughts. Keep programming your mind with inspiring thoughts so that your mind is ignited. Self-programming of your mind is vital for the world can stop you only temporarily but you and you alone can stop yourself permanently. Wishing you a thoughtful and inspiring week. Loving you. JVC Sreeram

Steve Waugh the former Australian captain famously said, “You need to treat people equally but at the same time differently.” This might sound paradoxical but he emphasised by saying that having 2 of the world’s best bowlers at his disposal he needed to treat Shane Warne differently from the way he led Glen McGrath although both of them were match winners for him. Sourav Ganguly went on record while addressing a group of young leaders that he needed to be a different leader while handling the likes of Yuvraj Singh. He goes saying that being a teenager Yuvi was fond of having fun, attending parties and sipping a drink. He needed to give freedom to him but at the same time had to look after him with an eagle eye. He quotes an incident where in the year 2000 when Champions Trophy was played at Nairobi in Kenya, Yuvi was not to be seen in his room on the evening before an important game against Australia. Instead of reporting the incident to the manager of the team he asked the security guy to take him to few prominent nightclubs where Yuvraj could be hanging around. He found the young boy sipping a drink and dancing around. Sourav patiently asked him when he plans to finish his dinner and brought him back to the hotel. As a captain he told him not to move around from the room since they had a crucial knockout match on hand against the then World Champions the next day. Ganguly checked in Yuvi’s room again by 11:00 pm to make sure that he is there in the room. Sourav goes on to say that as a leader he needed to handle players differently and says he never had to bother about preparations or discipline of a player like Rahul Dravid who knew what should be done and what ought not to be done. But he needed to manage the maverick Yuvi differently. He knew that if he had reported to the manager of the team Yuvi would not have found a spot in the playing XI for breach of discipline. Incidentally, Yuvraj scored a match winning 81 to knock the Aussies out of the tournament. That is why I say, “Different Strokes for Different Folks.” Moving away from the sports arena to the bustling corporate world Jack Welch always propagates the practice of treating people differently. You would have to give freedom to a star who is a Can Do & Will Do player and at the same time constantly challenging him/her with a tougher target. If you try to micro manage a star for sure that person would exit your team. Most leaders also suffer from “I” & “J” factor while dealing with a star performer which is insecurity and jealously. The same leader would then cry that he is unable to retain the talent while the fault squarely lies on him for not having given the independence to a star player. A star player needs to be told what is to be done and not how it needs to be done. A solid citizen who is a Can’t Do but Will Do guy needs to be coached and the participative leadership style would work. In my initial days of my sales career I had a lot of enthusiasm to perform but never knew how to handle objections and that is when my boss would show to me how I need to handle those objections. A solid citizen would need to be guided on ‘how to do’ but the leader needs to bear in mind that today’s solid citizen is a tomorrow’s star. Wasim Akram always says if Imran Khan had not taken the pain to teach him on how to bowl a Yorker his career would have ended by the year 1985 itself when he was taken to the cleaners in the slog overs. While this style of leadership would work with a solid citizen we would also have to deal with a set of people who neither can do nor would do. They need to be directed and micromanaged to get the results. Finally we would also have a set of people who were yesterday’s stars but have turned into liabilities for sheer lack of inspiration or their personal issues. They need to be counselled to ensure that they are either shaped up or shipped out from the system. I have seen reluctance from many leaders in not addressing these people and that is when we would have a situation where you would have bunch of people who Can Do but would not do and more importantly would not let others to do. This is a dangerous virus for any organization. Finally remember the myth of leadership either it is “My Way or Highway” never works. You need to know your people and lead them differently to get the results. Concept of leadership & people management always amazes me and I am sanguine it excites you too. Wishing you an awesome week. Loving you. JVC Sreeram

In the year 1998 Australian team was visiting India after having won in every place around the world. They had coined the word saying India is their Final Frontier. By the end of 1997 the champion leg spinner Shane Warne started to play his mental disintegration game against Sachin Tendulkar. Warne was quoted as saying that, “Sachin is not a great sweeper of the ball and that is going to make him struggle against his leg spin.” This is a usual tactic adopted by the Aussies to mentally disturb the opposition. It was true that Sachin was not great at playing the sweep shot till that point in time. Hence, Sachin went to the MRF Pace foundation at Chennai and asked the former Indian leg spinner L. Sivaramakrishnan to keep bowling balls outside his leg stump so that he could practice a wide range of shots from there including sweep, paddle sweep and slog sweep. Siva told him that in the actual match situation Warne would bowl onto the footmarks and there would be variable bounce and immediately Sachin using his bat created foot holes outside his batting crease so that he could practice against variable bounce. He started doing hours of practice to perfect the sweep shot. Result Sachin scored his first double ton in his first-class career when Mumbai the then Ranji Champion that year played a practice match against Australia and he followed up with a match winning century at Chennai in the 1st test. Eventually Australia lost the test series against India and then Sachin played a couple of spectacular knocks against them at Sharjah famously called as the desert storm in the April of 1998 and he singlehandedly won the tri series. Warne jokingly told the media that he was getting nightmares about Tendulkar even in his sleep for the way he played against him both dancing down the wicket and also sweeping him to perfection. Everyone has the “Attitude to Win” but passionate people have the “Attitude to Prepare to win as much as they have the Attitude to win.” It was his love for the game that made him to subordinate his likes and dislikes to prepare and practice hard to reach the Himalayan heights in his career. In my formative years as a Public Speaker I used to practice for 500 times to deliver 2 minutes speech in national conventions. Those hours of practice eventually made me a Public Speaker par excellence and win awards too. A wise man said, “The solider who sweats the maximum in the training is the one who bleeds the minimum in the war.” Either you want to become a great speaker or a champion athlete or a great singer or achieve academic excellence or become a best-selling author or achieve professional excellence the key to success is to have the attitude to prepare to win. Wishing you an awesome week. Loving you. JVC Sreeram

Health care workers across the world report that most number of emergency cases related to cardiac arrest, high blood pressure, brain haemorrhage, paralytic stroke and other such critical cases are reported on Monday mornings between 7:00 am and 10:00 am. This was a puzzling one and immediately some astrologers declared that 7:30 am to 9:00 am is an inauspicious time and that is why these things happen. They forgot that such perceived inauspicious times are also there on Sundays and hospitals don’t report such cases. That is when psychologists came with a term called “Monday Morning Syndrome” where after stressful 5 to 6 days of work followed by weekend when people wake up on a Monday morning the very thought of resuming back to work causes immense stress to people which triggered these attacks. Let us face the truth which is if you are not happy in job then you can’t be happy in life. The major of time when we are wake we spend at work. Let’s look at our days. We work for 8 to 10 hours, sleep for 8 hours, travel takes more than 2 hours and our mundane routines take another 2 hours. We hardly have 2 to 3 hours for relaxing, sipping a beer or making love and producing babies. Sounds funny right but it is also true. The major portion of time when we are awake we are at work and hence that is why I say if we are not happy at work we cannot be happy in life. There is an old saying, “when you choose the job that you enjoy the most you never have to work for the rest of your life.” I choose to become a trainer, speaker and author not because I was qualified for that but I love to do these and hence choose to pursue my passion and I let my passion to drive my economic engine. To pursue this path I had to go through some tough times in my formative years but it was worth it. But not many people are blessed to do what they love and hence they end up suffering from Monday morning syndrome. The only solution for this is to realize the fact that, “You may not have right to choose your job but you have every right to choose your attitude towards the job.” Attitude is your choice and only your choice. Let us understand, “Birth was not our choice being born as a human being was not our choice, our parents were not our choice, our nation of birth, being born to a poor or rich or in an aristocratic family or white in colour or black in colour” – none of these were our choices. In fact in life there are not many choices for us. Choosing our life partner is our choice and many people mess up with that choice and yet another choice we have is our attitude. The attitude towards our work and job is absolutely our choice. We need to make the right choice since from the food we are eating to the homes where we are living to our children going to school are all because of our work and job. Hence bringing your best self and you best attitude towards your work is of paramount importance. When you are happy at work you would eventually be happy in your life. Let us celebrate our work and let our work be our prayers. Wishing you an awesome week with the right choice of attitude. Loving you. JVC Sreeram

Think of the movie Sholay and the first character that comes to the mind is Gabbar. You can’t visualize the Bollywood Blockbuster movie Sholay without mentioning the name of Gabbar who happened to be the villain in the movie. He brought that charm to the movie. Ramayana would not have happened without Ravana. Without the villain Ravana, Lord Rama and Sita would have spent their time in the forests and happily got back to Ayodhya to rule the Kingdom. It was Ravana who made us realize the greatness of Lord Shri Ram and the prowess of Hanuman. Christianity would have never born without Judas. It was because Judas betrayed Jesus that he was caught. Jesus was then crucified. But for him being crucified he would have never resurrected. Due to the act of resurrection Christianity was born. For Christianity to be born Jesus had to resurrect and for him to resurrect he had to be crucified and him to be crucified he had to be betrayed. It was the act of betrayal of Judas which led to the birth of Christianity. When Bible says love thy enemies is because Jesus understood that without an enemy heroes are never born. In fact all the Indian scriptures taught this much before the advent of Christianity into the planet earth. When I see people fretting and fuming about those who had betrayed them, let them down and cheated them I want to reach out to each one of them and say, my dear friend for you to be a hero in your life there had to be villains. Without those people you would have never become a hero in your life. Most of the turning points of our life happened because someone chose to let us down and from those moments of disaster we scripted our life story. In fact it is not a friend of yours who allowed you to express the true strength of your character or let you exhibit your tenacity but on the contrary it was that villain of your life who made you strong and tough. For you to become a hero there had to be few villains in your life. Drop the hatred and in fact be grateful to them for having shown the true “You” to “You” Wishing you an awesome week. Loving you. JVC Sreeram

I have heard that the Former Chief Minister of erstwhile Madras State Shri. Kamraj said after taking oath as the Chief Minister that it is only by the end of his tenure the world would know if the chair added glory to him or he brought fame to the position. This was a very pertinent statement coming from a very tall and unsung leader from the southern state of India. I really believe most leaders derive fame from the chair that they occupy while legends leave glory to the position that they had occupied through their contributions. India has seen 14 different Presidents till date from 1950 but the moment I mention President the one name that comes on top of everyone’s mind is APJ Abdul Kalam for the sheer contribution from the man. Leadership gives enormous scope to contribute. These days I see lots of youngsters being reluctant to take up leadership positions and I for one would urge people to occupy leadership positions. With chair comes position and power and with that also comes the responsibility to make a difference and an opportunity to leave a legacy. It is the social responsibility of every good person to rise to the position of leadership. When capable persons rise to the leadership position they would leave a legacy and add glory to that position forever. When noble people don’t climb the ladder of leadership mediocres occupy those chairs and they just derive fame from that position. Think of contribution of Jack Welch who transformed the DNA of GE during his tenure as CEO, think of TN Seshan the former Chief Election Commissioner of India who transformed a toothless body called Election Commission of India into a powerful organization which took on the might of corrupt politicians. Every time you occupy a leadership position is an opportunity to leave a legacy. Every time I travel to Kenya and hit the highways the conversation would invariably feature about Kibaki the Former President of Kenya who transformed the roads across urban and rural Kenya. Occupying the chair is a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring eternal glory to the position. If these leaders had refused to occupy the chair of Leadership the world would have missed the glory of those positions. Hence if you are a parent Inspire your children to take up leadership positions right from early days and even if you are a senior citizen take up the leadership position in your community and society. And when we sit in the leadership position let us remember the words of Kamraj to bring glory to the position that we occupy. Let the mission of every leader be to “Make a Difference & Leave a Legacy.’ Loving you. JVC Sreeram

I have often heard from people saying that, “Even after giving my very best I am not getting the results that I aspire.” This is a common phrase heard from people across the world including professionals, entrepreneurs sportspeople and etc. The secret to success lies in not just giving your very best but it is the very best and that little more in your actions that is the secret to becoming a champion. If you watch horse racing most of the times the champion horse edges past the others just by putting its nose in front. The victory is not decided in yards and inches but it is decided in millimetres and even less than that. That is what life is all about. Victory lies in those extra millimetres. It is about giving something more than what you think is enough. When a former Indian Coach was asked what was the secret behind the success of Rahul Dravid who did not possess the brutal hitting prowess of Sachin or Shewag or Kohli. John Wright answered that right after everyone leaves the practice sessions it would be Dravid who would spend that extra 30 minutes more than the mandatory practice timings. That few minutes would give that extra edge to succeed. It is that little more which Dravid gave to his vocation every day that brought him the greatness. In professional terms I call this as Power of Plus 1 which is going beyond one’s call of duty, doing something beyond what is mentioned in your work responsibilities or SOP’s or JD’s. Let us take the situation in sales and distribution where a sales executive’s responsibility would be to list new products. But I have seen champion salespeople giving that Plus 1 by ensuring that they get what I call as Strike Zone or Eye Level for their new products from the retailer by negotiating with them which results in better visibility for their new products resulting in more sales. In every field there is a Plus 1 which we can do and all the Plus 1 are those little more efforts like the winning horse putting its nose ahead of others which separates the winner from the losers by a millimetre. In your everyday life why do you think the food cooked by your Mom tastes so different than the one you have at the best 5 star hotel. It is the Mom’s love which is the Plus 1 which goes into the food which gives that delicious taste which you can never get even at the best of hotels. This week ask yourself what is the Plus 1 you can do, what is that little more that you can add, what is that which would give you that edge in millimetre compared to the rest. That’s why I say, “Give Your Very Best and a Little More in All your Actions . That Little More Makes you a Champion.” My dear Champion, wishing you an awesome week. Loving you.

Most nations had to fight for their freedom since handful of powerful nations tried to rule the entire world. All the nations had to fight for their freedom through war, violence and bloodshed. India had been subject to alien rule for centuries. The wealth of this nation had been plundered by the invaders. The citizens were subject to slavery for centuries. One man wanted to fight for the freedom through the path of non-violence which was unprecedented in the world. Not only did he believe in the path of non-violence but he also decided to make the entire countrymen believe in that path and thereby India achieved independence. Gandhi influenced a nation to think beyond the conventional way of fighting for independence and achieved the same. Nelson Mandela who had served imprisonment for 27 long years fought against the Apartheid influenced by the thought process of Gandhiji and thereby influencing the millions of South Africans. The world desperately needs leaders who can influence the thoughts of people. Influencing people is to make others believe in what you truly believe in. We can influence the world through our spoken and written words and more importantly through our actions. If you aspire be to be a leader then you need to be an influencer and for that not only would you need to fill your mind with convictions but you need to also make others to believe in what you truly believe. Let us lead the world by being an Influencer. JVC Sreeram.

Several years ago, on a sunny day, men were perspiring at work mending the railway tracks at United States of America. As they were working a train approached and as they saw train coming the workers stopped their work and took sides. The train stopped and there was only one air-conditioned coach in the train. A suit clad gentleman popped out and cried hey Dave come inside and let’s talk for some time. Dave Andersen who was a daily wage laborer got himself into the AC compartment and for the next hour he was chatting with the suit clad man, had lunch and they were joking and the loud laughter could be heard outside. After an hour Dave hugged the gentleman and got out. The gentleman said, take care Dave and let catch soon again. The train continued its journey. The workers were about to resume their work. But one of them got curious and asked Dave, “Whom were you speaking with Dave?” Dave replied saying that he was speaking with Jim Murphy. Then they asked who was Jim Murphy. Dave said, hey you don’t know who is Jim Murphy, he is the Chairman of American Railways. Then they asked how he knows the Chairman of American Railways. Dave said, 20 years back we were doing the same mending work that you and me are doing today. They got even more puzzled and asked how come 20 years ago they were doing the same work and today he is the Chairman of American Railways while Dave continues to do the same work. With a quarter smile on his face Dave said, “20 years ago I came to work for a dollar and 75 cents per hour while Jim Murphy came to work for Railways and that made all the difference.” That’s why I always say, “When you give more than what you get you would get more than what you want.” Loving You. JVC Sreeram

It was the year 2002 that I had bagged a training & development assignment from one of the biggest brands in the world. When I sat with the VP of Human Resources he told me the magnitude of the challenging assignment that I had been given. This organization had acquired a home grown company in mid 1990’s along with their brands, employees and factories. Most of the inherited employees were not even graduates but through sheer dint of hard work and experience they had grown into Managerial position. The multinational giant believed in recruiting the best of talent from B Schools, CA’s and Engineers. So you had people who were over 50 years of age and also fresh 23 & 25 year olds from college in the same team. The VP told me, “Sreeram, I want you to bring the synergy between these two contrasting groups even if it is going to take couple of years it is fine. But if we have to succeed in the marketplace and emerge as a leader this synergy is pivotal.” It took a few years to bring that alignment but once it was achieved then there was no looking back and I had seen in front of my eyes the dramatic result that can be achieved when the exuberance of the youth is guided by the wisdom of the experience. Of course in this journey I have heard several veterans ridiculing the young folks by saying on their face, “Hey, your age is my experience, stop this crap.” At the same time I have also seen the young guys saying that these oldies are too slow to respond and the old methods no more work these days. But once we were able to make the experienced understand that what the youth can do with technology they can only dream off and when they witnessed it in action they understood the value of youth. I remember one day we started a boot camp with around 40+ people and the first thing I did was to note down the years of work experience of each person in the room and it totalled to 775+ years and then I asked can there be a replacement for these 775+ years. The entire room went silent for few minutes. After that when we said now we shall take up each problem in the room looking for the reference points from the wise men and women and we shall also confront those challenges with the innovative ideas of the youth. When we closed the boot camp we had a solution for each and every challenge and there was complete harmony and respect between the exuberance and the experience. It has hardly been a week since India scored the most dramatic victory over Australia at Gabba. And let us remember that neither the most experienced player Pujara alone nor the youthful zest of Risabh Pant by himself could have scripted the victory. As much as the dare devil shot making prowess of Pant helped us to win it was also the body blows taken by the experienced and patient Pujara which led to the fatigue of the Aussie bowlers which was later capitalized by the new generation. That’s why I say, “Energy of the Youth and Wisdom of the Experience is an unbeatable combination. Loving you. JVC Sreeram