F?rben Sie die Bl?tter mit Respekt

To say that I developed into a history buff at a very tender age would not amount to gross exaggeration or this is what I’d like to believe. Reading through those archaic & arcane accounts of the holy gospels would easily transport me back in time (ala time travel) and expand my realms of imagination before some external event would transfix the dreamlike state. I have imagined myself as a Harrapan potter, a foot soldier trampling ‘Via Sacra’ as Titus marched after laying siege on Judea, an ardent follower of the 8th Century mystic Adi-Shankara, a witness to Arc Duke Ferdinand’s murder in Sarajevo, and attending Winston’s Churchill inspiring speech at the British Parliament as German Luftwaffe brought the once Victorian beast to its knees. However, the part of history that has intrigued me the most has been the 2 world wars. At the very heart of those 2 world wars has been Deutschland or Germany (how Brits like to call). As my curiosity about Germany and WWII increased, the insatiable desire to time travel increased in tandem. I was almost coerced to read “Mein Kamph” and “The Third Reich” when still in school & the legendary Erwin Rommel “Desert Fox” became one of my first foreign heroes (my admiration list has increased since). I would never chide myself at flaunting my power of imagination and used the adage of “Being there done that” almost unabashed and brazenly at regular intervals. I wanted to tell everyone that I knew cultures, people, and their history and not as a chronology of facts but having “lived” the experience. Based on these experiences – I almost thought of Germans as tall, gaunt, and ruthless operators who had only seriousness written all over their faces and who only meant business at all times. Some of the biased American war cult-classics and images of Boris Becker, Michael Schumacher, Steffi Graf, and Oliver Kahn only solidified my views.

Fast forward to 2019 and my journey at EY began with a German project. The first thought that flashed instantly was – really, is this a good omen? Two months down the line and I was struggling at anything German to be honest. To make things more real – in early June it was announced almost casually that Chris from the Munich office would be coming over for his secondment to India next month. The image of how my small frame sitting across the negotiating table with an imposing German figure looking down at me would make me feel scared. The day arrived and so did the imposing frame. The first week was lost in exchanging pleasantries as I dreaded the negotiating scenarios that toyed with my frail mind. A chance encounter happened outside the office and both of us ended up sharing the same cab to our respective residences. The initial conversation was such a relief even though we took opposing sides of vegetarianism and animal-loving. As days progressed, we often interacted and found his company to be naturally pleasant and very entertaining. He took the team through academic sessions and we also almost “jammed” post office hours over spicy dinners flushed down with an array of wide-ranging and sometimes controversial historical conversations. Like all good things coming to an end – the 8-week secondment came to an end and it seemed very abrupt. The final day ended with a cup of tea downstairs and there was a genuine feeling of sadness. I had not imagined that I would feel a void for some days after Chris’s departure. The only silver lining was that the ghosts of my imagined experiences were exorcised for good. I and Chris have continued to collaborate over phone calls and MS teams and he has helped me steer on business issues, motivated me to perform better, and brought about a radical change in my outlook.  

I have now known Chris for 24 months and by observing him closely aided by our regular conversations, I have developed a deep sense of admiration and respect for him. There are so many of his qualities that I admire but for simplicity’s sake – I’ve tried to categorize them into three broad buckets.

1. Work-ethics/dedication, eye for detail, and immaculate planning & discipline. I have always observed Chris be very dedicated to whatever role he plays – be it an engagement/project manager or as processes/program manager. When he first arrived in India, he had a list of items that he wanted to achieve during the short secondment and when I looked at it –it seemed like an ambitious “bucket-list” and as a corporate veteran, I’ve seen many of these lists fall by the wayside. Not with Chris though. He always drew very detailed project plans, layered them with immaculately planning, and gave equal importance given to resourcing, timelines, and budgets. He also factored in constraints and how to deal with those as part of Plan B. To his utmost credit, he religiously followed up and remained on top of all the list items even though he wasn’t In India and was working some thousands of miles away from the action post secondment. All these projects and the sub-projects were launched at the end of the last financial year and there are many leaves that I intend to draw out from Chris’s book of project management.
2. Leadership Qualities. For me, Chris displays all hallmarks that make up a great personality and a leader. All the teammates in India were touched by his friendliness and power to communicate effortlessly. This friendliness also translates into working with him. Even though he is a tough task-master, he gives freedom and space to everyone who is part of his team. Chris personifies “an inclusive” management style as he is ready to discuss ideas/feedback (often critical) coming from everyone and is happy to celebrate personal or professional success with all alike Another quality that I have deeply admired overtime is his ability to stay calm and always have a measured opinion even when things/people/situations are not inclined towards the desired outcomes. He has never really shown angst and frustration over roadblocks and has instead always looked at alternate solutions. Chris also leads from the front and can play a “trooper in the trenches” role to highlight the importance of quality and dedication to everyone in the team. He is also very decisive and solution-oriented which helps take some weight off his team’s shoulders. I try to pick nuances and his mind each time we face a different and difficult situation.
3.  Very Personal and helping. Chris emits a very friendly vibe and is thus very approachable. Our Indian teammates could walk up and discuss anything with him at any time despite his position and stature. The success of his projects has also percolated downwards towards our Indian team which exemplifies his humane side of personality. I have also discussed many life perspectives and shared my lows with him (I lost someone very close) and helped me overcome grief with his very kind and motivating words.

In retrospect – when I think of that first German project and my reading of the omen – well, It was a great omen and not only a good one!