People First — A question and A Lesson from Tata!
I would like to narrate an incident that happened fifteen years ago which I cherish to this day. This is about a lesson I learnt about how to value others. I was in to my first corporate job as a trainee at Tata consultancy services, Trivandrum undergoing my Initial Learning Program (ILP) Training. Just a few days after the training had commenced there was a SAGMM (Semi Annual General Management Meet) that was happening across Tata group companies as it does every half yearly.
On every occasion of this meet, a few group companies and some of their offices are chosen to represent the whole group as audience. Given that Tata group is the largest private employer in India and one of the largest in the world (even today) it was not practically possible to have every employee attend this meet.
That year it was our center that was selected along with few others like Tata Steel in Jamshedpur, and a few more. The leadership team was spread across Singapore, UK and India. The different locations were connected via satellite internet using special dish antennas, this was the first time I saw that.
The meet started with keynote presentations from various CXO level leaders presenting the current status of the group companies, the industry and the geographies that it operates in and the roadmap for the future. They explained about the strategy and thought process behind the planning which was done meticulously with farsighted thinking.
Mr. Ratan Tata too presented about the group’s future plan. He announced that we are exiting the commercial vehicles business and wanted to focus on passenger vehicles before re-entering commercial vehicles at opportune time. Two years after this Tata acquired Jaguar and Land Rover, now they are in the top three by market share in India.
After the presentations were done there was a break announced and before the break if anyone had any questions to the leadership can write down in a small sheet of paper designated for it and pass on to the volunteers. This would be collated, reviewed and selected by local leadership before being put across to the Global leadership.
I had written a question that popped up in my mind in to this form, handed it over to a volunteer and went for a snack break and completely forgot about it. When I got back, the event had just resumed. I was informed my question was selected and I got to go over to the stage and ask the question to any one of the leader I wanted to answer. I was thinking it is some kind of a prank for a minute, why would the top most leadership of the Tata group listen to a newbie from college who is just two weeks in to his first ever job.
But they were serious, this is when I realized there are about 500+ employees who would be directly overlooking me from my location, and employees from other locations and the whole leadership of Tata group through big screens via video conferencing. When my turn came, I went up to the stage and realized that this is the first time I am attending let alone speak in a video conferencing call.
Looking back in time it is hard for me to digest that I was so naïve, but on googling I find that Whatsapp video calling was launched only in 2016. Apple launched facetime in 2010 which considered to be commercially viable product. Video calling as such was tried first in 1970 but with no commercial success until Apple did it’s magic and packaged it in a way people can consume easily.
Coming back to the stage, I was standing there staring at the gadgets in front me. I wasn’t sure if I should speak by looking at the camera or the audience before me or the big screen where the top leaders are present. I figured out that I had to just look at the camera and speak, but that few seconds there were some mumbling around. The leaders on the screen were just calm and composed with no fuss about the deadly silence.
I could clearly see Mr. Ratan Tata waving at me as if he said ‘Don’t worry my boy, go ahead and ask your question. Speak in front of the mic before you!’. Am I still dreaming, No I am very much in reality and this is the chairman of a conglomerate encouraging a fresher days out of college, one who is among millions of employees in their group companies.
I came back to my senses and went ahead and asked my question on the mic and addressed it to Mr. Ratan Tata, expecting an answer from him. Then I stood there with my eyes and ears just looking at the one man who heads the Tata conglomerate.
My question goes like this, and I still feel it is relevant to this day, “Good Morning All, I am Jagan Mohan from TCS, Trivandrum. I would like to know what are the plans for the Tata group in the Bio-Technology sector, because I found it missing in Mr.Tata’s keynote presentation. Since we are already in IT field, Bio-Technology would boost up revenues of TCS also. So I think it would be a Win-Win situation for the Tata group. I would be pleased to hear from Mr. Ratan Tata!”.
Mr. Tata smiled and answered back, ‘That’s a very thoughtful idea, we have thought about it before and will definitely reconsider the same. But lack of readily available talent and infrastructure in that field is a big challenge as it is still an evolving area’.
Though the above are not the exact words that he mentioned but this was the overall context of his answer. Forgive me for my bad memory, it has been fifteen years since this incident happened!
The above picture is the original form that I had written my question on. This was selected and I was allowed to ask the question in my own fashion!
After the event many of my colleagues came to me and said, ‘how did you pull this off’, ‘You seemed so cool with no signs of nervousness’, ‘That’s was a great question!’. All these were just going over my head until it took sometime to realize I had asked a question to someone who even the top most journalists don’t get a chance to ask questions, I understand Mr.Tata is a humble person who is away from the limelight.
That answer sounds very appropriate now to me than I could imagine at that time, given fifteen years back the timing and the technology may not have been there yet or matured enough for a commercial venture. But a few months back when I heard in the news that Tata acquired online pharmacy store 1mg, I realized they are in here for the long game.
“Business, as I have seen it, places one great demand on you: it needs you to self-impose a framework of ethics, values, fairness and objectivity on yourself at all times.” — Ratan N Tata, 2006
Today there is news that Tata might acquire complete stake in the national air carrier Air-India, they have come a full circle from being the first and only air carrier in independent India to a full fledged airlines operating Vistara Airlines, Air Asia and now Air-India potentially.
Business apart what I admire about Tata group is their employee centric, people first policies, integrity and ethical standards. Eight-hour working days, safe work spaces, provident fund, leave with pay and gratuity. In the early 1900s, they pioneered many of the employee welfare measures we take for granted today. This goes to tell that a company that treats and values it’s people equally is going to go places for centuries!