Dear MxM by Jaisurya Das: I have two bosses. my admin boss is a tyrant and wants to get even with me because I don’t report to him on work

By Jaisurya Das

 

Good day, Ladies and Gentleman, and a very warm welcome to your favourite distraction; Dear MxM now in its second season live on your screen!

 

I couldn’t but notice the huge impact PAL is making in the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) market. Patanjali Ayurved Limited is indeed Baba Ramdev’s baby. From being a self-styled yoga guru he has grown into a huge phenomenon today with his herbal products and formulations. Yet, whoever would have thought he would give sleepless nights to FMCG giants in the country!

 

This is precisely what is happening though. Not many of you may know that Patanjali is today a Rs 2000 crore FMCG empire built in lightning speed with stealth like progress. Market estimates predict PAL growing to Rs 20,000 crore in less than five years. Now this is enormous and quite something, considering that this is a homegrown brand. Indian enough to sell atta and western enough to market noodles, these guys have it all!

 

What is even more interesting, is that they have used ‘penetration pricing’ (lower priced than segment ) and yet ensured top quality. I spoke with a few of their regular customers and all were more than happy with the products they bought and had decided on repeat purchase.

Whether it was the honey, the toothpaste, dishwash bar, or the noodles for that matter.

Today, all of them are busy trying out PAL’s other products.

 

Repeat purchase in itself indicates that the ‘low priced = bad quality’ mindset that most of us have is all but a mindset ! The brand which was the pioneer of invitation pricing (media) is Economic Times who in fact gave their best offering at their lowest cover price for the week.

The rest is history….

 

Yet, I wonder what makes them tick? Is it about Baba Ramdev? Or the purity and good health he stands for? But, if it’s good health, why do their detergents and soaps sell like hot cakes too?

 

I wouldn’t be surprised if this is going to herald a revolution of sorts with every single icon of Ayurveda and yoga launching their own range of products across segments.

 

With ‘Sri Ayurveda’ (Sri Sri Ravishankar) and ‘Isha Arogya’ (Sadhguru) consumers are going to have a fiesta of sorts and will quite simply drown in herbs. Jokes apart, will someone tell me what soap I should buy the next time I visit the supermarket ?

 

No. This isn’t a PR piece for PAL or anyone else. We say what must be said, no matter if it’s about detergent or a fancy new soap as long as its making an impact on our lives.

 

One lesson we can learn from all this is, that no matter what, if you set your mind to it, you can make it happen! If Baba Ramdev can spearhead what is today the fifth=largest FMCG company in India ahead of Emami and the likes, anything is possible.

 

Make it simple, add true value, and position it at the right price point while aiming it ‘on the face’ of the apt audience and I can bet you, you’ll have a winner!! Quite simply neural understanding of what the audience needs today…..

 

So herbal is the catchword as we move on to our Q & A for the week. Direct questions, straight answers only in Dear MxM, week after week ! Thank you for staying with us….

 

Questions this week from the cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Pune.

 

I have been reading about the CEO of a global ad agency having to quit because of a sexual harassment case. I have heard of cases in India too, but organisations do not have the mandatory committees to keep a check. While there may be legal provisions, what according to you is a practical solution to the problem… with specific reference to what can you do if you find an executive being harassed just because of her gender?

Good question indeed! Let me at first clarify that, contrary to what you may be aware, several organisations have committees for sexual harassment. There is a panel that is put in place which has representatives at various levels including lady representatives.

 

The very reason that we don’t have hundreds of these incidents happening in our country points to the efficiency of these panels. They are obviously able to monitor and redress situations well before they get troublesome.

 

Having said this, yes, there are several incidents that go unreported too. Having handled large teams during my stints with the corporate world, I can quite emphatically say that a lot of these situations happen because of insufficient communication between leaders and their teams.

 

The more you connect, the more you move around and the better informed you are! In simple terms, you can see trouble brewing and minor intervention in the initial stages can settle it once for all. The problem gets tough to handle when we let it be and pass it off as innocent friendliness. The dividing line between bonhomie and sexual harassment is thin and often misinterpreted. Ask a woman and she will sense the difference a mile off!

 

It may sound unusual, but my personal suggestion to all leaders is to view these incidents from the eye of a woman. You’ll probably figure what’s bonhomie and what’s not….

 

I know there are cases the other way around too. Nasty allegations for personal vendetta.  I know men who have been at the receiving end of flak and legal cases for no fault of theirs’. This is where good leaders who know their people personally can make a difference. Spend time, befriend and am sure you’ll read through their character soon enough, be it a male or a female colleague.

 

And yes, since you ask, I would meet both the sides in such a situation and decipher through a series of questions as to who is speaking the truth and whether what happened actually tantamounts to sexual harassment. I may not be the best judge but try I will!

 

Thanks for your article on appraisals. I showed it to my boss who said that it doesn’t seem to work for him because he’s snowed in with over 30 appraisals and the need to do it with regular work. Impractical, he said. Please help!

Thanks for writing in! At this point I can only sympathise with you more than anything else…

 

Each to his own! I must confess that what I wrote isn’t gospel truth and hence could seem impractical for many…However, what I fail to understand is why 35 appraisals are bogging him down so much! Unless of course he doesn’t like to be told what to do…?

He’s the boss after all !

 

Showing it to him may not have been a great idea. Maybe an email saying “ Here is something I thought you would be interested in” may have been the better way 🙂

You can still try it . Only two possible outcomes in such a case:

1. He gives you a terrible appraisal and proves that he is the boss.

2. He reads it and actually finds the time to implement some of those points in his methodology of conducting this appraisal.

 

Hence, proceed but at your own peril

 

I have just got selected by a leading media company at what I thought was an excellent salary. But I have now learned that entry-level employees from premier institutes are paid twice my salary. Why this discrimination

Congratulations on your new assignment!

 

If I may, here’s a piece of advice for you. Don’t ever bother about wasting your time on checking the salaries and perquisites of colleagues. This isn’t what your career needs. Focus on the new role, the new challenges and the success that lies in store.

 

As long as you are happy with your package, how does it matter if someone is getting a higher salary? The grass is always greener on the other side, isn’t it ?

 

However, for the record, entry level scales for premier management and media institutes are indeed high but I don’t imagine they will be twice the normal. Please note that this is done to attract the best talent into the organisation. It’s important to understand that these young graduates and postgraduates come with 2-3 years of solid grounding from both academic and practical perspectives.

 

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be given a raw deal. It’s just going to make competition tougher for everyone and that’s the beauty of it. So you have someone like you who comes with experience versus someone who’s come with academic training and both are competing to climb the same corporate ladder…

 

This is the time to exchange notes, work together as a team and move on. If you have craft,

there is only one way to go and that is UP ! All the best, my friend !

 

I have two bosses. But only one of them is my administrative boss. And he’s a tyrant and wants to get even with me because on all other things regarding work, I am reporting to the other boss. What should I do?

Jeez! Now this is a tough one! I don’t envy you my friend. I have had this unique honour of having to deal with three bosses at one go! Also the classic one – a tyrant!

 

Nevertheless, it’s important to be able to handle this kind of unique pressure, since in this case it’s all about egos. You get clearance from one and the other is upset! So, it’s important to keep the administrative one also informed. I repeat, informed and not consulted. If it’s a matter of ego, it may not be a bad idea to compliment the tough one on his lightning speed in decision-making etc.. Always strikes a good note. Different matter that you may not agree with it 🙂

To be honest neither do I!!!!

 

And, yes, the boss your’e reporting to is not likely to be ruffled by all this, since he’s got enough on his plate. So smile your way up with great work!

 

Well, if it gets too much for you, there is always ‘entrepreneurship’ or another job where your craft will be valued.  Ask me, I took the plunge over a decade ago. Never regretted.

 

All good wishes to you. Stay a diplomat as long as you’re there, and run an ‘Agony Uncle’ column once you’re out!!! Amen.

 

Now that we are done with the column, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a mindblowing New Financial Year!!!  May all your goals and objectives be met with ease…

 

As always, we are wth you, no matter what…for this is the reason for our existence on these pages.  Dear MxM is here to make a positive difference no matter how insignificant it may seem….

 

Yes, we will be back with our trademark ‘Rolex’ precision, next week, same day and same space ! Till then, here’s JD and ‘Dear MxM’ saying Au Revoir…

 

Be good, be well, and keep mailing those Questions to editor@mxmindia.com Please don’t forget to add ‘Dear MxM’ and ‘your city’ in the subject line.

 

Jaisurya Das, the maverick media-evangelist. eats,sleeps and romances brands! His cerebral consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable. Incidentally, he is also Contributing Editor of MxMIndia.

 

The views expressed in this column are his own.