Many times, I had found my lessons in life in the most unexpected times and places. And these lessons always lasted longer than the ones that I was “well-prepared” for.
I was the least prepared for some interesting lesson as I boarded my train a couple of days back. I was irritated by the unexpected mid-summer downpour, the notorious traffic of Bangalore, my “un-confirmed” train ticket to Hyderabad … As I settled down in my seat my wife quipped ” I wish I would travel with you in peace – someday”.
As the train moved on, the two gentlemen opposite to us started their small talk on office politics, the young sardarji started flipping a magazine and the old lady started showing signs of boredom. The plump middle aged man with a blue shirt started playing a game on his mobile – with an annoying decibel level. All set for a typical train journey – I thought.
As the train halted in the last station of the city, an elderly gentleman with two old-fashioned suitcases entered the coach. He was moderately built, had a bald head and a calm face.
Apparently bored of playing, the plump middle-aged man dialed a number from his mobile and started a conversation – in a loud/annoying tone. In the course of the call, one could understand that he is trying to chide a subordinate for not complying with some routine procedures. The call went on and seemed to last till eternity – with the other side apparently trying to defend him/her-self.
Thanks to the poor network coverage in the city outskirts, the call ended and he started eating his dinner. The elderly gentleman looked curious to know more about the call. He prodded gently – “So, you work for which company?” The blue shirt was very happy to answer “I take care of the entire southern sales for XXXX- a popular FMCG brand”. To which the old man said “Is this your employee that you are chiding?”. “Kind of” answered the blue shirt. I whispered into my wife’s ear “Typical case of expecting super performance from an incompetent employee. Recruiting mistakes end up like this”.
The old man continued “You see! many times we expect superior performance from people who are not made for the task”. My wife smiled at me – she was short of saying “ha- what a coincidence of thoughts”. The blue shirt gave a blank stare – he did not seem to like that. The old man went on “If someone is not doing his job to the level that he is expected to, then its time to examine ourselves too. May be our expectations and his capabilities don’t match”.
The blue shirt was apparently a self-made man who started his career as an auto-driving sales man and knew how to handle these issues. After all, he knew what grassroots mean and work like. The conversation lead to the topic of motivation with the old man saying that motivation is much more than prodding people. The blue shirt questioned this text-book like wisdom. To him, apparently, an occasional dry washing to people 2-3 levels below him makes them feel important and improves their productivity. “It’s after all a feedback to improve. No one cares for them. Since I came from grassroots, I care for them. You know, I promoted 315 such candidates in my career – till date”
That was a perfect setting for me to enjoy – after all, post-prandial naps need some stimulus. What more to ask for in a moving train than a popular management topic.
I had to go to the coach manager and by the time I am back, the conversation seemed to have ended. I asked the elderly gentleman “So uncle! What did you conclude?” What followed is a rhythm of sentences that probably is one of the most emphatic extempores that I would have heard on motivation, till date.
“You see! Motivation has something to do with trust. What makes your subordinate to believe in you? Why should he work hard towards your vision when he knows that there are no guaranteed returns?” To which I said, it probably has something to do with the personalities of the leader and the follower as well. He chose to define motivation “Motivation is something that makes the other person do what you would have done under similar circumstances”.
“You got to be genuine you see! You can’t keep fooling people with sweet talk. Be genuine in your relationship with them. Be there for them. Earn their trust and people would listen to you. After all, the world has lot of opportunities today- no one needs to stick to you”. This was something new to me. I had always thought that motivation is more to do with the personality. I never looked at it from a relationship perspective.
The blue shirt intervened “That’s what I am telling you saar! Lot of opportunities around. Situation changed today. All that you are saying is changed. I respect Gandhi – but can he survive today?”
The old man did not react. The blue shirt almost felt victorious. He climbed up to his berth and started making his bed.
The old man said to me “See! all of us know a bit of truth – remember the story of blindfolded men trying to describe an elephant? We need to be inclusive and open. Only then we can aggregate the bits and come somewhere closer to the absolute truth. I sincerely believe that human beings are the same- even today. They have not changed. All the visible change is external and ornamental.”
I nodded. I know this much at least – there is no argument to beat the passion of a staunch believer.
He continued “Your relationship with your employees (to motivate) is like that of parents with children. Give them love – they will return the favor in your old age. Give them abundant money and comforts and expect them to return love in your old age it simply does not happen. They might get you admitted in the best of hospitals-but might be ‘ busy’ to pay a visit when you are sick”.
The blue shirt was ready to hit the sack. He said from his upper berth “Sir! Today how can you retain people with motivation? Market value of a person changes often and if its not money, your employee does not stay with you”
The old man almost concluded making his bed “Go by the intrinsic value of a person. If someone is leaving for a better market price, so be it. Pay people well and don’t stop there – if only you expect a motivated lot. Being genuine and measuring people by their intrinsic value (not by their CTC) is the premium that you should pay to have a motivated lot. After all, we all get what we pay for”.
I got my lesson “To build a top-class organization you need not have top-class people. All you need are motivated individuals-Motivated because they trust in your vision. Motivation is not an excuse to pay less – It is a premium to pay to realize your vision”
As the dawn broke, I thanked him for his wonderful thoughts and could not help but admire the simplicity with which he put them across.
The train reached Hyderabad. We shook hands and he vanished into the crowd slowly.
“You could have taken his contact details” – my wife prodded. “Authors do not matter as much as lessons do” – I said musingly. I did not understand what motivated her to giggle to my reply.