Ask for the moon, and you might get it!

This article is about Mr. Mahendra Shah, who continues to be an influential mentor for me. MMS to some of us and Mahendrabhai to many others, he had a long innings as the Managing Director of Indian Card Clothing Company, and as Independent Director on the boards of Asian Paints and other reputed companies.

My long interaction with him was during his tenure as the Board Chairman of Cytel’s Indian subsidiary. I learnt a ton of things by merely observing him. Here is a light-hearted, and somewhat fictionalized (to avoid awkwardness) account of some principles I picked up along the way.

Monkey on your Shoulder

You got a problem? I learnt from MMS to “shift the monkey to the other guy’s shoulder”. This, by no means, is intended as passing the buck. Instead, to get the “opposite” side partnering you to find a mutually workable resolution. When we were negotiating for expanded office space, our landlord won’t budge on the per-sq-ft rate. I closed my eyes and thought of what MMS would do. And the solution dawned on me! We told the landlord that we do need more space but cannot afford the current rate. Like a good boy, we offered to move out, “unless you think of something else”. There, then, came a deal for an extra floor at a discounted rate. We gratefully credited the landlord with finding a creative solution. Result? Everyone was happy, including the monkey that was shifted ??

Analysis Paralysis

This phrase came from MMS, as did another equivalent: “Too good is the enemy of good”. I re-learnt what I heard in business school – that satisficing* is often better than maximizing. Especially when accomplished quickly. Essentially, the lesson was to avoid over-analyzing things. Get to a decent solution and implement it quickly, and don’t worry about an “even better” solution that you might miss. [A friend who helped review this article suggested striving for the “even better” next time. Yes, absolutely]

*Lest you think it is misspelt, here is what it means.

Payable when Able

Very amusing phrase I learnt from him, though thankfully I never had to practise it myself. When discussing with him the payment terms offered by a financially challenged client, (e. g. payable within 90 days of invoicing) he taught me to be prepared for the possibility that the client will have in their mind, “payable when able”, notwithstanding what they might say ??

Wandho Nathi (????? ???)

This delightful Gujarati phrase is an all-encompassing expression of “No Problem” (remember ‘aal iss well’ in 3 Idiots?). Although MMS didn’t use the phrase much, it best describes the learning, which is - no matter how grave a problem, tackle it without getting agitated. Calmly, rationally, and pragmatically. This sometimes is the only way to move forward, let alone the best way. The “no problem” doesn’t mean you can wish away a genuine crisis. It means that with a cool head, you find a reasonable way ahead, even if it means pulling the plug. Literally. That done, the problem is genuinely gone! Life goes on.

You don’t know your abilities, but I do

I learnt that this is a fantastic way to inspire someone you have confidence in. A leader-mentor can nudge you to do things you didn’t think you were capable of. Merely by expressing confidence. Try it on competent juniors – it works like magic! Sometimes the target even gains an ability they did not already have, by merely believing they had it!

No, I will not check, but yes, you must do it right

In an earlier role, MMS hired a new VP who came from a very hierarchical, authoritarian past. He brought every piece of work to MMS to double-check, or “approve”. When MMS said he didn’t need to check and he had confidence in the gentleman, he said “don’t blame me afterwards if something was not right”. To which MMS said “NO. It doesn’t work like that. I will not check, but of course I will blame you if you messed it up! I am sure you will do it right”. This story gave me a profound lesson. And I transmitted it down with my own team, to telling effect!

Ask for the moon, and you might get it!

MMS taught me how to ask for the impossible from others, without batting an eyelid! And guess what, once in a while you got it!! Or more often, you got an equally effective alternative. This taught me that there is enormous power in controlled optimism. I wondered whether it is unfair on people we demand the moon from. MMS taught me that often the subject will surprise us (and themselves) by delivering minor triumphs, if not the very moon!

Love thy enemy. Nay, there isn’t one!

MMS showed me that in business there is no such thing as an enemy. Certainly not the competitor. To be sure, there are rivals. But often they are chasing a common cause with you. While beating them or being beaten, most often both gain something. What we gain is that _we_ get better. If we compete with others, we lose sometimes. But if we compete with ourselves, the winner is always us! Thank the “enemy” for teaching us to compete. And to make the world a better place.

Blame be taken; Credit be given

You have probably heard this one often – a key trait of leaders, wherein if something goes wrong, the leader bears the brunt. But if something goes right, s/he is quick to give credit to the team. With MMS I have seen this demonstrated live! While making our admin head preen with pride on an Industry veteran’s successful visit; and on the opposite side, paying the fine and rescuing me deftly when my cellphone rang in an exclusive club’s silent zone! While he brushed my apologies aside, the lesson of his approach was not lost on me.

Newton’s Third Law amended!

Newton’s third law says “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. MMS gives it a twist, in the context of corporate life. He says “Every action has unequal and multiple reactions!” You recognized someone’s good performance with an award? You might have made one person happy, but you could make three people severely unhappy! That’s what he means by unequal and multiple. So does he advocate not giving awards? Not at all! But he does advocate that you think through the implications so that you can tackle the reactions that will come.

Dale Carnegie’s #26 – save a face, save the goodness

MMS is a big fan of this one. It basically says that a leader must help a person save his/her face even if they made a terrible blunder! Why? To avoid public humiliation and embarrassment. Assuming, of course, that at the core the person is competent and spirited, and it was an honest mistake rather than a conscious misdeed. To be sure, MMS would point out, you must make them face consequences, but you roll up your own sleeves and help them fix the damage.

Pioneer or Gambler?

You occasionally come across a team member who shows the gumption to break new ground. But is it courage, or is it bravado? MMS showed how to tell the gambler apart from the explorer. And to rein in the gambler with realism without killing the enthusiasm. If they still want to gamble, explain that #26 above won’t apply in that case ??

Ethics reign supreme. Truth comes second!

This one might surprise you, as it surprised me in the early days. If a team member asked you “Do you think I have the capability to do this?” What would you say, knowing the answer to be in the negative? I learnt that sometimes it is valuable to say “yes, give it a try”. It can work wonders, even if the subject falters and fails. When used judiciously, this approach can take the subject to a higher orbit for good, like a booster motor does to a satellite. “Judiciously” how? By your own standards of ethics. White lies are sometimes okay, if ethics are not compromised. And once in a while, the concept of self-fulfilling prophecy helps you engineer the truth!

You, reader, have probably been there and done all of that. For me, a lot of this came subconsciously from MMS, in little dollops of seat-of-the-pants insights, and not at all as lectures of wisdom. He also showed the way to “Each one, teach one” – just like I learnt from him, he expects me to pass on the learning to others. Today, that’s my most important role. I am sure he enlightened countless others like me.

MMS has been a generous donor of such learning. Reminds me of a lovely couplet by a Marathi poet named Vinda Karandikar: “?????????? ??? ????, ?????????? ??? ????, ???? ???? ?? ???? ?????????? ??? ??????.”. This translates to: “The donor continues to donate, the beneficiary should gracefully continue to receive. But importantly, the receiver should one day, inherit the giving hands of the donor!”

Now pushing 80, MMS retains the same twinkle in the eye and the same spring in his stride of decades past, and continues to energetically explore uncharted (by him) territories as diverse as artificial intelligence in data analytics, and the game of bridge.

You are truly an inspiration, MMS!?

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