Economic Times Corporate Dossier shares Best Selling Author Pavan Choudary's 5 Life Changing and Career building stories These stories are from his best selling classic " How a Good Person can Really Win". Visit link http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/corporate-dossier/five-stories-that-have-influenced-pavan-choudhary-ceo-of-vygon/articleshow/33550178.cms

1. Regn.No.MAHENG/2002/6295Volume13IssueNo.9“Publishedfortheproprietors,BennettColeman&Co.Ltd.byR.KrishnamurthyatTheTimesOfIndiaBuilding,Dr.D.N.Road,Mumbai400001Tel.(022)66353535,22733535,Fax-(022)22731144andprintedbyhimatTheTimesofIndiaSuburbanPress, AkurliRoad,
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Corporate Dossier Friday April 11, 201404
and finally
:: mario miranda
The Term Strategy man
Just sees wider view, can’t do detail.
Motto OK, you can take it from here.
The Term Sensitive Soul
Cares deeply and manages the
team by e-mail in case they
something nasty
The Term Workaholic
Does everyone’s work for them,
doesn’t trust anyone enough to
actually delegate
Motto I’ll do it
The business of bullshitting has
created several types of leaders,
based on their recognizable traits.
Here are a few of them
:: coded
transmission
Compiled by Moinak Mitra
DonaldJ.Trump@
realDonaldTrump
Ask yourself: “What
can I learn today that
I didn’t know before?”
Always be a student,
always be open to
new ideas
marcusbuckingham
@mwbuckingham
You can’t be insecure
and be a great team
leader. Your insecurity
will cause you to
compete with your
own people
:: twitterama
Tonyrobbins
@tonyrobbins
‘Life is found
in the dance
between your
deepest desire
and your great-
est fear.” ~ Tony
Robbins
Honesty is both a boon and a bane for the once darling of
consumer electronics who found a new meaning with robots
Founder & CEO, Milagrow
TOUCH DOWN
Rajeev Karwal
Ho
cco
Just before applying for MBA, I met with an accident that left me with a fractured lumbar
vertebra. While doctors advised bed rest for three months, I broke down. That incident steeled
my resolve and I started writing my diary and reading books on management
Rajeev Karwal launching the
Philips wind-up radio in
retaliation to cheap Chinese
imports, in 2011
EDUCATION
1969-1972: Kendriya Vidyalaya, Chakeri,
Kanpur—I went with my father to the market
and stole a little brass weight from a shop.
When the shopkeeper told my father, he had
a huge loss of face. He didn’t show it then
but when we got home, he made me draw
seven lines on the floor with my nose.
1972-1978: Kendriya Vidyalaya, Air Force
Academy, Dindigul—One of my friends
drowned and since then I have developed
fear of water.
1978-1980: Kendriya Vidyalaya,
Bengdubi, Bagdodra
1980-81: Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ambala Cantt
1981-1982: B.Sc. with Biology from Gandhi
Memorial National (GMN) College, Ambala—I
was college hockey captain and even won
the Mr GMN award for all-round perfor-
mance. Just before applying for MBA, I
met with an accident that left me with a
fractured lumbar vertebra. While doctors
advised bed rest for three months, I broke
down. That incident steeled my resolve and
I started writing my diary and reading books
on management.
1982-1984: MBA from IMT Ghaziabad—I was
among the top three in my batch and Dr CB
Gupta, then director of the college, present-
ed me with a book where he wrote—‘Life is
like snow. Tread carefully because every
step will show.’
WORK EXPERIENCE
1984-1992: Head-Sales & Marketing,
Onida—In one of our internal meetings,
someone suggested that we take cash from
the market, which I resented. Ultimately, my
decision was supported by the promoter,
Sonu Mirchandani.
I got cheated once by a West Delhi video
library owner and that got etched in my
mind. So much so, that till today, I don’t give
unsecured credit.
1992-1996: Gerente Empresario (Business
Head) of Hispano Kaycee & Chelsons of the
Chelaram Group in Tenerife, Spain—Apart
from learning to speak and write in Spanish,
I learnt to do everything on my own since
that was the culture there, much removed
from India with drivers, servants and at-
tendants.
1996-2000: Director-Sales & Marketing,
LG India—I realized that I could not be MD of
LG, which was being steered by KR Kim at
that time. But here’s the catalyst. During the
Kanwaria season, the UP market suffers and
I explained this to Kim but someone from
the logistics side poisoned him against me
and convinced him that I was just making an
excuse. So after Kim had a word with me, I
decided to call it quits and left within two
months. Today, Kim and I are great friends
and he still rues that decision. LG abolished
the post after my departure, and till date, it
has not been filled.
2000-2003: Head of Consumer Electronics,
Philips India—I worked closely with Frans
Van Houten, who was heading APAC out of
Singapore, and told him that one day, he
would lead Philips globally. My prophecy
came true and looking back, he’s the best
boss I ever had.
2003-2006: MD, Electrolux Kelvinator—Of
my 36 months with Electrolux, we had posi-
tive cash flows for 30-odd months. So we
turned around the company and sold it to
Videocon.
2006-2007: President & CEO, Reliance
Digital—I conceived the entire policy, pri-
vate label and service framework for the
company but left within a year as I was bit-
ten by the entrepreneurial bug.
2007-present: Founder & CEO, Milagrow—
Initially, we focused on consulting MSMEs
but soon realized that either MSMEs were
exploited or they exploit the system. So
I decided to focus on an industry which
would shape lives in the next century—ro-
bots. Though we are just Rs 50-odd crore
today, we are debt-free and don’t have
private equity. Moreover, I haven’t paid
a penny in bribe. Though we’re eyeing Rs
3,000 crore by 2019 by diversifying into
segments, categories and markets, we’ll
never compromise on honesty.
Straight out of college, Rajeev
sports the Mr GMN tag
With sister Renu after recovering from a lumbar fracture, in 1982
The Karwals with two sons on their 25th wedding anniversary in Jan. this year
@
mp
t
at
e?”
nt,
rama
Panoramic View: the ice capped
Alps from a wonderful ski resort
in Switzerland.
Bon Vivant Moment: dinner in
the African jungle in Serengeti,
Tanzania.
Indian Surprise: the royal treat-
ment we got at a Rambaug Palace
suite, with entertainment organ-
ized exclusively for our family,
Outdoorsy activity: trek off Kigali
in Rwanda where we spent time
with the last Mountain Gorillas
family.
Best Drive: Great Ocean Drive in
Victoria, Australia.
Gourmet gaffes: eating what
I thought were sprouts when
they actually were baby eels, in
Shanghai.
Street food Surprises: outstand-
ing Shawarma from a roadside
stall in midtown Manhattan.
Best Bar: Tapas bars in Seville,
Spain.
Bazaar bargains: glass from
Morano, Italy.
Goofy traveller moment: missing
a connection to Stockholm be-
cause I underestimated the time
it takes to change terminals at
Heathrow.
Traveller Tips: change time on
your watch as soon as you land in
a new country.
Interesting stranger: Met a gen-
tleman in an Italian panoramic
train, near Florence, who knew
so much about India and had a
brilliant conversation with him on
Osho Rajneesh.
:: wanderlust:: wanderlust
with
wife Mayuree,
son Abhinay and
daughter
Abhilasha
Ashish
BhasinChairman India & CEO South East
Asia, Aegis Media
54
1
2 3
As far back as I can remember I always
wanted to play by the rules and win. But
as a young corporate executive I was los-
ing. So almost since I started my corpo-
rate career, about twenty five years ago,
I wanted to develop a system which could
make the good man win. Let me narrate
five stories, which are like milestones, in
this journey I have undertaken.
The Girl And Her Drawing
The Crafty corporate games were too much
for me to handle. I was bruised and beaten
and of course not succeeding. Not only was
I sickened by those who played these games,
I also found them inscrutable, unfathom-
able. I was disillusioned with the world and
near despair.
Then one day I was sitting with my
friend’s seven-year-old daughter who was
taking me through her drawing book. We
came to the picture below, pointing to which
she said, “This is my future house”.
Looking at the picture seeing a chimney
like structure rising from the roof, I asked,
“Your house will have a chimney”? She
said, “No uncle, this is a dish antenna”. Her
words hit me like a thunderbolt & there was
a sudden flash of realization. I had complete-
ly missed her as I was interacting with her
from my schema, not understanding where
she was coming from. I needed to stand in
her shoes to understand her.
I also realized that I was making the same
mistake with the mischief-makers. To com-
prehend them I needed to understand their
psychological makeup. This interaction
changed my perspective. And then I started
seeing them clearly. Deep study of their
behaviour over many years helped me first
catalogue their evil moves and then develop
antidotes to them.
I also realized that to be a winner I needed
to be prosperous. And that I would do well if
I make the organization I work for do well,
financially.
My chance encounters with two young
boys drove home two of the most valuable
lessons in marketing which I needed.
The Boy Selling Lottery Tickets
During a visit to the Kashivishwanath tem-
ple in Varanasi, as I walked up the stairs,
an eleven-year-old boy approached me. He
was selling lottery tickets. His spiel went
something like this-. ‘Sahib, lottery ticket
le lo. Bhagvan muradein puree karega, kis-
mat chamkayega’ (Sir, buy a lottery ticket.
God will grant your wishes. It will make
Fortune smile on you.) Many bought lottery
tickets from him. I was no exception.
The pitch was compelling. This young
boy knew that the average Hindu has a
contractual relationship with God. You
give something, feed the brahmins, offer a
chaddar, and you can ask God for things in
return. The boy knew that most visitors to
the temple ask God for things. The hopes of
a Hindu are high when entering a temple. So
he had chosen this strategic place to hawk
his wares. Instead of harping on what at-
tractive prizes could be won, the boy used
a strategy that was different—he beckoned
God. He astutely knew his customer. No
wonder, then, that he turned out to be one
of the largest sellers of lottery tickets in
Varanasi. His psychological sensitivity was
making him flourish.
The Boy Selling Balloons
Many years ago, while visiting a pediat-
ric hospital in Kolkata, I saw a boy, about
thirteen-year old, selling balloons at the
gate. As I walked past him, I could not but
silently admire his genius. Once inside,
I met the doctor who owned this hospital
and, during the course of our conversation,
I told him I had seen a genius at the gate. He
said, “If you are talking about the little boy
who is selling balloons at the gate, you are
damn right.
This boy sensed that kids who are being
brought to my hospital start crying at its
very sight (fearing an injection or some
bitter medicine) and the parents then need
something to pacify them. They end up
buying his balloons to mollify their kids.
Sometimes, in case of an exceptionally
stubborn wailer, the hospital staff also
buys one from him. He is prospering”.
This young lad had gauged the social mi-
lieu of the hospital and spotted the commer-
cial opportunity that this setting presented.
His Sociological sensitivity was helping
him prosper.
During the course of my journey I also
realized that my principles weakened me
at places. My values straight jacketed me.
Wondering if there was a way that these
very values could fortify me, I came across
this Zen story.
The One-Armed-Boy
A boy’s right arm is amputated in his child-
hood. When he turns Fifteen, he wants to
learn karate and win the championship.
He goes to the karate master and requests
him to enroll him in the class. The master
agrees, but gives the boy only one trick to
practice. The other boys, he can see, are
learning a variety of other moves. When he
asks his master why that is so, the master
tells him to carry on with his practice and
achieve perfection in that one trick. For
almost one year, this boy continues his prac-
tice. On the day of the competition, he ap-
proaches the ring apprehensively because
of his limited repertoire. But to his and
others jaw-dropping surprise, he knocks
out his first opponent, then the second, and
then the third, till he hears a heartening
applause and his name being announced as
the champion.
With tears in his eyes, he falls at his mas-
ter’s feet, and asks him how he was able to
succeed with his limited knowledge, while
his opponents had two hands and knew a
greater variety of tricks.
The master replies, “Knowing your
handicap, I taught you only one trick, which
you did well to master. This trick does have
an antidote but to execute it your opponent
needs your right arm, which, my boy, you
don’t have.”
This story told me even a weakness can
help you win.
As my study started bearing fruit, so did
my career. I started winning- wealth, status
and even a bit of power.
The Boy Watching the
Football Game
A student and a teacher are witnessing a
football game. The student asks, “The poor
ball gets kicked so badly. Who is at fault, the
players or the ball?”
The teacher answers, “The ball. If it were
not so full of air it would never get kicked.”
So be modest, as modesty will reduce the
jealous vibes you attract, will help you col-
laborate with others like yourself and con-
solidate your power base.
The Young Man Who
Didn’t Get Justice:
Machiavelli gives a striking example
as to why the ruler should stay just and
should have the courage to punish serious
offences no matter how powerful the of-
fender. Alexander’s father, King Philip of
Macedonia, had an escort, a beautiful and
noble youth called Pausanias. In his court
there was Attalus also, who was one of the
powerful men close to Philip. Attalus was
enamoured of Pausanias, but faced with
strong resistance, he decided upon deceit
and force. Pausanias was kidnapped and
taken to an isolated place. Here, not only
Attalus abused him sexually, but also moti-
vated other men to use him in a like manner
and humiliate him.
After this humiliation Pausanias again
and again beseeched King Philip for justice,
who promised to avenge him. But rather
than punishing Attalus, Philip promoted
him as governor of the province of Greece.
Now Pausanias’ wrath was not against
Attalus, but against King Philip. On the
morning King Philip’s daughter was tying
her nuptial knot with Prince of Epirus, and
the unjust king was on his way to the temple
to participate in the ceremony, Pausanias
assassinated him.
So when you reach the top of the pyramid,
stay just. A leader is expected to show cour-
age and dispense justice. CD
Know Thy HandicapFive stories that have influenced Pavan Choudhary, CEO, Vygon