Leaders don't create followers, they develop more leaders. Opportunity is missed by many as it is dressed in overalls of work. Tough people last forever. Recognize problems before they become an emergency and pleasure in the job puts perfection in work. A positive attitude may not be enough to solve problems, an experience shows the way. To succeed one believes in self rather than anything else, as on every step it shows the way."
The first day when I sat in my official car after puja offered to my worshipping place inside house and applying vermilion on my forehead by my wife, I was full of mixed feelings as shown in above few thoughts and felt very uncertain about my getting success as dreamed during the period when information came and actual order was received. It was August and I retired on 31st July 2002 when I entered a small office on the first floor of the rented building crowded and ill kept and in fact stinking. There were several small partitioned cabin and the largest one was occupied by Director (Finance) who was conspicuously absent by going on a tour to Bangalore, which was his hometown type and had taken a rented house on company expenses by convincing my predecessor who was a Joint Secretary in Ministry of Steel and recently transferred to some other place in his home cadre. This was of no interest to me as all feedback suggested that the bureaucrat enjoyed a royal time mostly spending time in Delhi and coming to Calcutta office only for a few days of month on the plea that he was always engaged in arranging fund for employees' salary payment very rarely in time, which was visible on the pitiable faces of staff of Head Office. He was dependent on the only Director for actual activities, who in turn being from finance discipline understood nothing about technical matters and mainly relied on "carrot and stick' policy leaning more on flashing stick to anyone and everyone. Even the senior most Executive Director always talked in frustration uttering after every two sentences, "Why should we bother much about the performance of this company on the closure path? You will be wasting your energy which is bound to go waste and be fated will happen and we all are waiting for the day when the company get closed and we go home with paid dues." I was morose but asked, "Are you sure you will get your dues after closure of the company and when? When the company doesn't have money to pay regular salary, how do you expect to pay your retirement benefits and who is going to take the burden? If you think the government will pay, maybe it will be paid on their terms. I understand many of your retired friends are in the court to get the dues." He nodded and asked, "What do you expect us to do? We are dead woods and have no interest of any type. You are new so you seem to be very enthusiastic, but I can assure you that you will start thinking like us in a short while. I am surprised why you picked this company to work even as CMD." I smiled and said, "Because I want to retire as CMD, a glamorous position and designation." I saw he was startled by my frankness and started looking around and finally smiled and said, "I have nothing to talk about now." I continued, "You are the senior most ED and I will need your extensive support in improving this company and I want to be independent about money matters and would not like anyone for money to pay employees and suffer with all of you. I have no second source of income and will feed myself on the earnings. You must have known that I have come from JESSOP, another such sick company and I faced a similar situation here. I would like to be honest in your job and give me ideas to work better as you have a long experience in Project working and technically sound. Please do not talk about any matter to depress yourself or any of your colleagues and guide them whenever they approach you." I saw some distress on his face when he left my room almost after one hour of straight and clear talk and seemed to be burdened. Later I was told that he went to his room and sat down for quite some time after ordering a cup of tea and requested all not to disturb him. Outside my cabin many staff assembled waiting to see and welcome me, and were mostly baffled by a long chat with ED, most unexpected on the very first day in office. I did this to give the impression that it was continuity and should not be taken as a major change. It was not pre decided and happened in a natural way, perhaps directed by the absence of the Director, my next man in command, and I wanted to ensure the support of the available senior most technical person. In all my previous experiences I found finance people to be a burden and obstacle in smooth working mainly due to their confined approach through finance angle only calculating only paise to justify existence. Profit and loss was the only consideration they would do on a day to day basis and can't look ahead, and many companies lose existence due only to this as broader perspective was beyond scope of thinking. In my case the Director walked away just the previous evening when I informed the administration of my intent to join the office that day, and I could hardly believe such a person; also I didn't want to waste my energy and time on such a person who decided not to cooperate.