1, 4, 14… we become what we repeatedly do!

An interesting week with an interesting start - on Monday, we had our annual meeting with the retired Directors, a tradition we value and cherish. I was then off to Dhaka to our Unilever Office and the week ended with the grand finale… our first company wide and fully digital HUL Chairman’s review i.e. across all locations and all our people. For me, this week was about words of wisdom, an opportunity to explore possibilities and connect with many people.  

Dr Suess told us ‘The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go’. It is also equally true that you learn by connecting with people if you are willing to engage and explore different topics with an open mind. We know this, yet we read very little and when we do, it is more of the same. Our conversations remain pedestrian, we keep moving back to our comfort zone and rarely achieve the possible elevation. Hence, commencing this March, 1,4,14… is my attempt at a disciplined and structured approach to broaden my horizons and explore different aspects of my personality. Putting it out there creates pressure (mostly positive), makes it interesting and I shut my exit / excuse routes.  More about 1,4 and 14 in due course! 

Coming back to my trip to Dhaka…. I was delighted to connect with many members of my finance team. We have a strong pipeline and in due course we will see many of them taking up larger roles in Unilever. I would love our young talent especially in finance be explicit about their ambition / goals and not hold back. For e.g. if you want to be a CFO, begin by saying so. Equally don’t be shy of sharing your own accelerated timelines for realising your goals. This will help leaders and the organization work differently to help you succeed. My thoughts on a couple of aspects:

• What does it take to be a successful CFO? I would say about 10 things. Instead of giving you the answer, I will encourage you to build the list by connecting with your key business and finance leaders. Once you have your list, map where you stand against each of them on a scale of 10. If done well, your 10*10 matrix will help you build your best development plan. Younger people normally over index on professional skills; this exercise will help you realise the importance of broader business and people leadership, bringing the outside in and of building networks.  
• Making the most of your forehand:  I have been an avid badminton player for years and I love it for its elegance, speed, agility, coordination and power. Many take to this game early for it is easy to begin and requires little infra. As you continue to play, you realise that you can do wonders with your forehand but will struggle with your backhand. Your 10*10 matrix will help you perfect your drops, dribbles, smashes etc., In doing so, your forehand will become potent i.e. you amplify your best qualities and enhance your chances of success. With practice, your backhand will get better too, and you will learn to avoid back hand over heads shots (toughest in the game) and / or learn enough to put the shuttle back in play. So, cover your gaps with a good development plan, avoid fatal flaws and make your strengths spike - make the most out of your forehand.

So, dream big and keep playing.

PS:  Million- dollar quartet is a recoding of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee and this was the only time all these greats played together. Interestingly Sam Phillips discovered all these artists and brought them together for the evening. Hats off to Sam for his ability to spot and build talent. If you find it interesting, it is time to get out of comfort zone … read more and listen to this gig.