LEADERSHIP IN ACTION United Breweries operates in a complex, regulated environment which is highly influenced by the government and political changes.
So every state poses its own unique problems and operations need to be customized according to the changing landscape of each state. There are sudden changes in state policies which require a quick response from the management. Recently Bihar prohibited the selling of alcoholic products in the state, however it allowed the production of alcohol. So the company had to move fast and make plans of sending the produce to the other states and simultaneously transferring the sales personnel to other states. These sudden changes have serious people implications and need to be handled with extreme care by the HR division. Manmohan with his vast experience was able to complete the transition seamlessly.
Manmohan Singh has an experience of working in both factories and corporate offices. Add to this his strong understanding of the legal and statutory policies make him a formidable leader who has the conviction to stand his ground when challenged wrongly. About a year ago a particular state government had initiated action under the aegis of State Advisory Board for Contract Labour. The proceedings of the board were chaired by the State Labour Minister along with the Labour Secretary and all the officers of the labour department of that state. The organization was being pushed to make all contractual workmen as permanent. It’s said when the going gets tough the tough get going. Manmohan decided to attend all the board hearings and argue the case on behalf of his company. He proved that there was nothing illegal or unfair in deploying contract workmen on jobs which were seasonal, intermittent and non-core. The proceedings were dropped and no action was taken against the company.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE Well versed with all the rules and regulations of the legal policies, Manmohan does not believe in running a workplace via purely the rule book. He has never hesitated to introduce new initiatives (of course all in sync with the company culture) like ‘whistle blower policy’ where employees are assured of anonymity whenever they choose to speak up against the wrongs being done within the organization. He introduced a third party consulting firm which was unbiased and objectively handled all complaints. Manmohan also addressed the ‘sexual harassment at the workplace’ issue. His consistent efforts have helped in creating a safe workplace with high engagement levels from the employees.
Manmohan believes that workers need to be given complete clarity on what is expected of them in the workplace. They should also be made to feel an integral part of the organization. With branches in 40+ locations this was not an easy task. To help the employees feel like one he organized a webcast of the Managing Director across all the offices and breweries. To add some fun he introduced a new initiative called ‘Stepathlon”. After the webcast by the MD all the employees from all locations were made to compete in a ‘stepathlon’ where the branch whose employees covered the maximum number of steps in 45 minutes were declared winners and additionally the total number of steps taken by all the employees of the branch were matched by the same number of rupees as a contribution towards the community related causes. This activity brought personnel from various divisions together as they competed with the other branches. An effective leader ensures that his people are taken care of and constantly energized, something Manmohan has been very good at.
WORDS OF ADVICE The first thing Manmohan has to say to budding HR professionals is, don’t pick a career because of peer pressure, choose it based on what you love to do. Figure out what your talent is, work towards it, and dream big. Passion and interest are all you need to build a career. Be practical and don’t get hung up with theories and other rhetoric. Know the pulse and finer nuances of your industry.
The second most important thing to keep in mind is that a great career rests on the foundations of hard work. So know your business well and be the best in all responsibilities assigned to you.
Thirdly, if you need to make a difference in the organization, you need to ensure that the company treats you at par with the other functional heads in the organization. A great company is one where the CEO, CFO and HR heads work together towards a common goal. Lastly, the main job of an HR personnel is to act like a glue and keep all the important team members together and ensure the work happens in harmony.
LEADERS WHO INSPIRE There are two leaders who have left an indelible impression on Manmohan. One is Chanda Kochchar, the MD and CEO of ICICI. The way she grew from a management trainee to an MD of the organization is inspirational.
The second person he can never forget is Mahendra Swarup of Pepsico with whom he worked for 6 years, Even though it’s been more than 15 years since he moved on from PepsiCo, he still remembers and admires the leadership excellence of Swarup and even today is proud to have been a member of Swarup’s team.
