The strategists set the direction using logical and cerebral methods but what makes it work is the energy, hearts and aspirations of the people in the organization. A mere textbook strategy does not work well.
It is so easy to forget that a strategy works not only because it is logical but also because it captures the hearts of the people who make it work. The wellspring of our actions is frequently in our hearts and not in our heads. You may have experienced - sometime in your life - the feelings felt by those 17 athletes who broke the record of running four minutes a mile in 1954. Roger Bannister was the first in the world to break the four minute barrier (for a mile) - a feat that was claimed to be "impossible" by experts. And then, within a few days, 17 people all over the world broke the same record! Yes !! What prevented those 17 people to do the same just two weeks earlier? It was the mindset!
All of us act based on our mindsets. There are some plans which "leap out" at us as being possible. There are some others which we think are not possible. Then it becomes a self fulfilling prophesy. Somebody rightly said that “if you can see it, you can believe it. If you can believe it, you can become it”. For a strategy to become successful, it should be backed not only by a sound marketing head but an energetic and committed heart as well.
In 1991 the mosquito repellent mat market was an annual 150,000 cases. At Balsara, where I headed marketing and sales then, we had just introduced Odomos mats and had kept a very safe and conservative target of 4000 cases for the whole nation for the whole year and it worked out to be only 1000 cases every quarter. I remember finding myself in the first quarter review meeting and wondering, along with our Sales Head Daulat and Product Manager Geeta Sethi, why we could not achieve even such a paltry target in spite of our national distribution and Odomos being an establsihed brand.
As usual, the culprit appeared to be the strategy. It is a time honored tradition in the industry to blame the strategy when the targets are not met. I heard the usual ones - the product is not up-to the mark, sales returns, poor word of mouth, price too high, less advertising, aggressive competition etc. But such logical discussions frequently go nowhere. We were stuck in the meeting.
That is when I tried a different approach. I said to the group that - if any of the four regional managers came forward and voluntarily took an “astronomical” target of 10000 cases for just one region - I would go all out and "do anything" to support him. The least expected regional manager - Manian from south - came forward hesitatingly and said he would try and do 8000 cases in his region in the remaining three quarters. All that he asked was 2% scheme for a few months as an "extra". It turned out to be far less than I had feared he would ask for. I sanctioned it on the spot.
Believe it or not, by year end he had done 6000 cases - when all other three regions - togther - struggled to do 2000 cases. The effect of this unusual and unexpected achievement was electric in the annual conference. Manian became our Roger Bannister and lit the way for the rest to follow. Within an year we had crossed 25000 cases in 1992. There was a new optimism about this product in the sales force. Geeta Sethi was ecstatic and wrote in her annual plan how the "test market” in South India was successful and provided us with a "new successful strategy" for growth.
But, from my perspective, facts were different. 2% scheme was not a strategy at all because we could have done it at any time for any region. Did 2% produce the results? No. It was Manian's devotion and commitment to the strategy!! I am clear we could not have produced results and discovered how good our strategy really was - had it not been for him! We created the torch but he lit it and went around showing the light to all of us.
All that I can say is that, for any given strategy, if I had the option of fielding my strategy in Market 1 where the analysis suggests there is maximum potential - and in Market 2 where the team is very keen on implementing the strategy - I would not let the analysis eclipse the heart and I will choose Market 2 first. Because then the team in Market 2 would “Bannister” my strategy and hopefully other teams would take their cue from this winning team and make us succeed nationally.
It is so easy to forget that a strategy works not only because it is logical but also because it captures the hearts of the people who make it work. The wellspring of our actions is frequently in our hearts and not in our heads. You may have experienced - sometime in your life - the feelings felt by those 17 athletes who broke the record of running four minutes a mile in 1954. Roger Bannister was the first in the world to break the four minute barrier (for a mile) - a feat that was claimed to be "impossible" by experts. And then, within a few days, 17 people all over the world broke the same record! Yes !! What prevented those 17 people to do the same just two weeks earlier? It was the mindset!
All of us act based on our mindsets. There are some plans which "leap out" at us as being possible. There are some others which we think are not possible. Then it becomes a self fulfilling prophesy. Somebody rightly said that “if you can see it, you can believe it. If you can believe it, you can become it”. For a strategy to become successful, it should be backed not only by a sound marketing head but an energetic and committed heart as well.
In 1991 the mosquito repellent mat market was an annual 150,000 cases. At Balsara, where I headed marketing and sales then, we had just introduced Odomos mats and had kept a very safe and conservative target of 4000 cases for the whole nation for the whole year and it worked out to be only 1000 cases every quarter. I remember finding myself in the first quarter review meeting and wondering, along with our Sales Head Daulat and Product Manager Geeta Sethi, why we could not achieve even such a paltry target in spite of our national distribution and Odomos being an establsihed brand.
As usual, the culprit appeared to be the strategy. It is a time honored tradition in the industry to blame the strategy when the targets are not met. I heard the usual ones - the product is not up-to the mark, sales returns, poor word of mouth, price too high, less advertising, aggressive competition etc. But such logical discussions frequently go nowhere. We were stuck in the meeting.
That is when I tried a different approach. I said to the group that - if any of the four regional managers came forward and voluntarily took an “astronomical” target of 10000 cases for just one region - I would go all out and "do anything" to support him. The least expected regional manager - Manian from south - came forward hesitatingly and said he would try and do 8000 cases in his region in the remaining three quarters. All that he asked was 2% scheme for a few months as an "extra". It turned out to be far less than I had feared he would ask for. I sanctioned it on the spot.
Believe it or not, by year end he had done 6000 cases - when all other three regions - togther - struggled to do 2000 cases. The effect of this unusual and unexpected achievement was electric in the annual conference. Manian became our Roger Bannister and lit the way for the rest to follow. Within an year we had crossed 25000 cases in 1992. There was a new optimism about this product in the sales force. Geeta Sethi was ecstatic and wrote in her annual plan how the "test market” in South India was successful and provided us with a "new successful strategy" for growth.
But, from my perspective, facts were different. 2% scheme was not a strategy at all because we could have done it at any time for any region. Did 2% produce the results? No. It was Manian's devotion and commitment to the strategy!! I am clear we could not have produced results and discovered how good our strategy really was - had it not been for him! We created the torch but he lit it and went around showing the light to all of us.
All that I can say is that, for any given strategy, if I had the option of fielding my strategy in Market 1 where the analysis suggests there is maximum potential - and in Market 2 where the team is very keen on implementing the strategy - I would not let the analysis eclipse the heart and I will choose Market 2 first. Because then the team in Market 2 would “Bannister” my strategy and hopefully other teams would take their cue from this winning team and make us succeed nationally.
6 comments:
Dear Prof Palekar,
I fully agree with you that the passion and commitment to do something is prerequisite for successful execution. In my current assignment with Emergency Management Research Institute ( provider of free medical /police /fire emergency services under PPP framework)I have seen simple persons without any professional qualifications leading ordinary teams to produce extraordinary results. They radiate energy and confidence which enables their teams to go beyond the call of duty to achieve their stretched goals set by them.
Regards
Gobind Lulla
Dear Sir,
you have very rightly said and demonstrated a practical and real life example of doing something which seems or rather thought to be impossible. In most of the cases that i have seen a business or any development being restricted is due to our own inner self.
Regards,
Krut
Dear Prof Palekar,
I agree with what you have written in the article. Heart acts in both directions- positive and negative spirals.
When one person makes it possible, others also start believing him and achieve the targets. On the other hand, when they see that X person cannot do, they believe that even they cannot do. For example, in my profession (recruitment / placement services), the number of Resumes sent in a month fluctuates. Interestingly, if average of one person goes up, others also send more Resumes. And vice versa as well…!
Regards,
S.C. Kalia
Well apprehended Sir !!
We, the learned classes are always obsessed to analysis and logical conclusions and therefore resort to grey cell scratching to develop your strategy. As you rightly pointed out, there are many who would light the fire to the torch and also apply a lot of strategies to keep the torch lighted for a longer duration, but there has to be that person who would be the torch bearer and spread the fire for the strategy to work. No strategy would work here, its only with the dedication of the torchbearer, that you would be able to spread your wings.
It is like Saurav Ganguly leading the Indian team. Some of his decisions defied the logic of all cricketing brains and yet the same turned out to be matchwinners for India. Just to quote an example, Saurav Ganguly decided to bat on a green top at Headingley under overcast conditions in 2002 England series. When Rahul Dravid and Sanjay Bangar were presented with the mammoth task of opening the innings, they came up with a brilliant opening stand, followed by scintillating performances from Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly himself to post a 600+ score. India completed the honours by beating England by an innings.
It was not the strategy that worked, infact it would have been early curatins if the 4 men were not pumped up and therefore would not have put their extra efforts to make that strategy click !!
Dear Sir,
Well said. The need of the hour is think the unthinkable and do the un-do-able. For the thinkable and doable acts, there is always a strategy existing, however good or bad it may be. But the challenge is who will give the idea "Bell the Cat" and who will "Bell it first". I think quoting an example which perfectly suits the context is the realisation of the small car, Nano, by Mr. Ratan Tata. A unthinkable project and also considered undoable is now a reality and we have many people across the globe attempting to copy this. One has to explore new ideas and contemplate some pioneering act that is worth emulating and leave the rest of the world to build strategies to follow it. Indeed it is the mindset and the apex of the human anatomy, the brain, is to be trained to think differently.
Jameel
Such an interesting anecdote. And very inspiring for me personally. I have been contemplating some difficult tasks and this gives me an important insight. Thanks for sharing.
Regards
Deepa
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