Let’s DO it the RICARDO Way !

Having too much at our fingertips can also be a very confusing thing. I remember watching an interview of Sachin Tendulkar, where he said that “knowing too much is like a two-way sword. Because you try planning and strategizing a lot. You look at the conditions, the surface, bounce on the pitch, your opponents and you start preparing yourself for the game – giving away your natural instincts.” Genius can decode things the way mere mortal can never even comprehend. Forget me as a viewer, a fellow ex-cricketer interviewing him was taken aback. What Sachin meant was, you can’t get analytical to an extent that you stop playing to your strengths; it can be fatal. It’s important to maintain a fine balance and back yourself to do the job. Doesn’t it hold true for corporate. With years of experience, contrasting views, & so many of “I know It all” personalities around, at times we lose a sight of who we truly are and what we truly want to be.

I think everyone at some point in time goes through this conflict. Trying to seek intervention from someone who can help us achieve that fine balance. At times – it is your role model, at times – it is people leaders, at times – it is books.

If you would have read the same book twice or thrice, you will agree that it is fascinating how the same book can mean different things / lessons at different time. As you grow in life, books grows on you (provided you love reading). You start understanding the sub-text behind the obvious. It’s like you experience some sort of a romance or some romantic connection with books; something that can only be experienced and can never be put into words. And as you go along, you end up having a book or author or character for every emotion. And then you subconsciously pick up a book that allows you to indulge in the ‘emotions you are going through’ at that point in time.

While there are books for every mood, I am itching to talk about the book that made me realise the kind of person I want to be. I picked this book with zero expectations and was completely blown away with a roller-coaster ride it took me on.

Ricardo Semler’s MAVERICK! is flawed, out rightly bizarre, unimaginably skewed, over the top and improbable story of SEMCO – a Brazilian Company; except that it is a real-life true-blue story of success and out of the box thinking.

To give a context – set amidst struggling shipbuilding industry of 1980 and dramatic downturn in Brazilian Economy in 1990, MAVERICK is all about identifying the bottlenecks within SEMCO, finding solutions, making new mistakes, learning’s, diversifications and continuously finding ways and means of improving the Financial, Social and Personal health of SEMCO.

In this book Ricardo says “One of my first acts at SEMCO was to throw out the rules. All companies have procedural booklets. Some look like the Encyclopedia Britannica. Who needs all those rules? They discourage flexibility and comfort the complacent. At SEMCO, we stay away from formulas and try to keep our minds open. If you haven’t guessed by now, SEMCO’s standard policy is NO Policy”. Now imagine an HR professional reading this book. I waited, absorbed, read & re-read it over and over again. I googled, if it is a fantasy book.

He had set the tone for the narrative, but I had no idea of what was in store. In an era where we passionately talk about inclusivity in all important forums; here is a guy who did it some 40-50 years ago and did it with style. During the course of the book, he states that – “We do not have receptionist, secretaries or personal Assistance. Everyone at SEMCO even top managers, fetches guests, stands over photocopiers, sends faxes, types letters and dials the phone. We don’t have executive dining rooms and parking is strictly first-come, first-served. It’s all part of running a ‘natural business’. At SEMCO, we have stripped away the unnecessary perks and privileges that feed ego but hurt the balance sheet and distract everyone from crucial tasks.”

You read it right; MAVERICK is not a fiction book, but a tale of Ricardo Semler, a gutsy young entrepreneur, who defied logic, broke all the stereotypes and brought a very distinct approach to running a business / company. In a way it’s an autobiography of Ricardo Semler, however, it indulges in a journey of SEMCO. What I found Intriguing about this story is the amount of trust he puts in his managers, colleagues and most importantly his workers. The way he empowers all his workers, motivates them to partner with the company, works towards their development and motivates them to do the unimaginable – is simply outstanding.  

Right from making the tough decisions, for instance, he fired 60% of all top managers on his first day as CEO at the age of 21, to making some really unconventional moves of refraining from any security check for his workers even at the cost of theft and financial losses, Ricardo is exemplary. Another important aspect of this story is FREEDOM. It redefines the so called ‘FREEDOM for employees’ concept and pushes it where no other organization has reached or will ever reach. It also offers an insight in human psychology; the moment you treat people with respect, exhibit trust and give adequate freedom; they respond positively by taking ownership. May be, this is one of the reasons for SEMCOs flourish.

I read this book some 12 years ago and ever since recommended it to as many as I can. It breathes exuberance, offers a fresh stance, regains your faith in values and human aspect of corporate life; and most importantly inspires you to no limits. Sharing one more incident from MAVERICK: Ricardo Semler mentions “Not long ago wife of one of our workers came to see a member of our Human Resource staff. She was puzzled about her husband’s behavior. He no longer yelled at the kids, she said, and he asked everyone what they wanted to do on the weekends. He wasn’t his usual, grumpy, autocratic self. The woman was worried, she wondered, what we were doing to her husband?”

How good is too good, they say. What struck me while reading Maverick, was how this guy has transformed the lives of people around him. In our life, be it professional or entrepreneurial – do we realise, our jobs / organisation gives us an opportunity to contribute. If done right, we can really be instrumental in helping others go to the next level. Do we, then, look at our roles as a responsibility towards the growth of our fellow colleagues; do we genuinely feel committed to be that guiding light for others.

Ricardo pose these questions to us. Every time I feel overjoyed with success, I go back to this book and ask myself, am I doing enough. Also – every time, I fail, I go back to Maverick to check if I am deviating from ‘doing what is right’. Amidst great dialogues and commentary around Equality, Inclusivity, Values & Fair practices; here is a MAVERICK who has done it all. And he did it decades ago minus any swag & razzmatazz. The question to ponder over is, can we replicate what he did some 50 years ago, Can WE do it the RICARDO way?

Cheers,

Nilesh Mhatre