War Zone: The business world today!

One war doesn’t end the next… battles go on forever; they simply transfer their point of action from a physical front to one where minds are targeted. Same is the case in the business world. For instance, Coke and Pepsi fight it out in the field at the vendor level during the peak summer months and the psychological war wages on through sponsored events, road shows, and selective media presence long after this phase is over. Thus implying that a war never really ends and that the ‘war zone’ is a reality that never really fades away!

The War Zone, in purely physical terms, is an area where the personnel convince themselves as well as others around them of their readiness. Thus WAR has come to mean: We Are Ready! In the business world, like for the Armed Forces, this readiness must include:

• Strategic preparedness

1.   Role of various arms well defined. Each arm must know the importance of the speed as well as the nature of what is expected of them. Their strength is in their ability to use their resources in pre-defined ways.

2.   Administration and Logistics must be in place with a long-term view of being prepared for emergency demands at critical moments.

3.   Planned months in advance of the first skirmish to make sure that there is appropriate deployment at each tactical front eg, placing a mountain artillery unit in the Rann of Kutch may not be tactical excellence.

• Tactical preparedness

1.   Deployment of forces according to their strengths eg a mechanized infantry unit may not get the best results in Kargil.

2.   Training and development of skills goes on at a brisker pace.

3.   Emergency training systems in place.

4.   Mock exercises done to bring readiness to perfection.

5.   Psychological needs of the forces addressed through human intervention as well as an empathic bonding.

All the points stated above have a direct relevance for the business world too. These points will manifest themselves when the specific questions are answered later. However, allow me to agree with Sherlock Holmes when he said: “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” Even a war must target only what is possible.

A ‘war zone’ is NOT a WAR… it is a state of mind that encourages the right action for the desired result.

How do we behave when we are in War Zone?

We behave as we are trained to behave. We behave as we observe our leaders behave. We behave according to the fruits of success held out. We behave as the urgency of the moment demands. We behave in ways that we feel will get us nearer to perceived success.

In a business environment, all of the above are true. People must be LED and not MANAGED… bad leadership is one reason why war zones generally fizzle into ‘please me and you’ll survive’ zones.

The right behavior for a war zone includes:

• Calm assessment of the ground realities and their changing patterns.
• Letting every leader reach a unique solution or conclusion.
• Fearlessly putting forward every thought and idea to invite a productive discussion. Reaching a final conclusion and then sticking to it.
• Those in the implementation teams must be given the confidence to surge ahead in the right spirit with the given resources.

How do we act when we are in War Zone?

War Zones have no place for delays that are extended beyond a defined time period that is reached by mutual consent among those who lead. Every decision must be composed of a thought or ideation phase, consolidation phase, creation phase, and implementation phase. A goal-orientated approach gets better results than insisting on hard-core results that is number-based. Numbers come when all phases are allowed to reach their maturity.

It is important to remember that:

• Every step has a time frame attached to it. We cannot reach the future without going through the intervening phases. Alvin Tofler has remarked that ‘future shock is the shattering dis-orientation brought about by a premature arrival of the future.’ Care must be taken to avoid this.
• Every task must involve closely coordinated team-work. Good work in isolation has a tendency to reach nowhere.
• Appreciation for every small step forward paves the path for a better and a faster phase deployment.
• Communication at all levels must strongly avoid the ‘put the other person down’ tendency.

How determined we are to win in War Zone?

“Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.” (General George S. Patton)

The role of people cannot be undermined at any phase. Wars cannot be fought and won only through technology or weapons. When people are trained to use a particular weapon, they must learn to use it optimally trying to get the best results with minimal wear and tear.

‘Determination’ happens when:

• Every strategic move is divided into do-able tasks.
• Every task is converted into linked steps.
• Identifying manpower/ time period/ expected conclusion for every step.
• Encouraging people to proactively take care of the ‘step’ assigned to them.

What kind of attention is required there?

• Discourage a rapid change in manpower.
• Develop existing manpower into a determined force.
• Discourage a complaint-oriented discussion at any level.
• Use language that encourages than fill people with dismay.
• Communicate reasonable time-lines to encourage effective follow-up action.
• Focus on awarding a good action than punishing every small error. However, errors need to be addressed and rectified. Errors do not generally happen because of faulty action by an individual… they are a cumulative result of past strategies. Re-assessing strategies periodically has the power to do away with errors at the implementation level.

How co-ordination & communication is critical in War Zone?

Remember that if YOU are making strategic moves, the enemy isn’t sleeping. For every move, they (enemy) will need to come up with a counter-move… and this cycle goes on until one is check-mated.

Coordination and communication need:

• Avoidance of disowning statements made earlier. The leaders must take care that they communicate every instruction by means other than verbal.
• Instructions are not whimsical statements created by the impulse of a moment… leaders must take care that instructions are given after the ‘consolidation phase’ mentioned earlier.
• Every instruction that is applicable to any employee must also be followed by everyone in the hierarchy.

Do we search for excuses for not performing?

Every war will have losses on both sides. Reasons for losses must be analyzed… and reasons need not necessarily be regarded as excuses. Reasons need to be given thought and must assist in evolving future strategies.

Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The business leader who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.

I remember the time when my instructor at the Indian Military Academy told me: “The more you sweat in peacetime, the less you bleed during war.” Obviously, he meant the benefits of a tough training schedule. For business houses, it is necessary to have at least 15 days of tough orientation and training schedules once a year. This must be a norm with new employees as well… at all levels.

With excellent training in place there will be no ‘excuses’ coming… as I have already said earlier, WAR means ‘We Are Ready’…

Will any one listen to such lame excuses for not performing in War Zone?

There are no lame excuses. It is ineffective and timid leadership at any level that tries to convert valid as well as unexpected reasons into ‘excuses’ to transfer accountability and to save their own skin. Defect is usually in the policy rather than the person.

However, if it is established repeatedly that only explanations (and no tangible reward-worthy results) are forthcoming for every task assigned, it is time for an organization to review its initial strategic thought. Periodic organizational introspection must be built into the system.

How important is it to have a focused concentration on our work continuously?

I believe that ‘Persistence Pays!’ This is something that I followed all through my 24 years in Pharma selling.

Focus and concentration are virtues that are environment dependent and need:

• Gossip free and noise free workstations.
• Over-populated work areas to be reassessed and work spaces to be redefined.
• Decision-making that can be done on email need not necessitate a personal meeting. This reduces implementation time frames and promotes a productive approach to work.
• Updating relevant data on online platforms reduces personal interaction that can be done away with.

How important is it to conserve resources and use them very efficiently?

Conservation at the cost of efficacy is like asking your forces to go into attack with rationed ammunition! For instance, having only bayonets to fight an enemy who has a thousand rounds of firepower is not possible… however efficiently you use yours.

The business world today thrives so long as it remains in the memory of the TG. Visibility is vital and must not be compromised for the sake of conservation of resources.

Resources include human resources, office resources, promotional resources, knowledge resources, awareness resources, comfort resources, psychological resources, skills resources, how-you-talk-to-others resources… it isn’t always the money that is spent that matters. Mere conservation of resources may not lead to profit generation as already emphasized earlier. Resources need to be nourished and nurtured with love and care. This is akin to the fact that even the personnel in the armed forces are given full comfort during peace time so that they give their best during war.

Is it not true that we need to take bold decisions in War Zone?

Creating a unique image for BIFM has nothing to do with the way the competitor is promoting his courses. This in itself is a bold decision as we have traditionally followed the existing promotional trends rather than creating our own.

Bold decisions are difficult and an organization always has the temptation to slip back to conventional result-producers when faced with difficult times. Some examples are some of the promotional ideas or even programs that were started and then stopped… restarted… stopped again… this happens when the thought or ideation phase, consolidation phase, creation phase, and implementation phase are taken with a speed that should ideally have been more sedate.

old decisions must, therefore, be a result of sustained brain-storming where realistic time-frames and down-to-earth unbiased conclusions.

Do we possess required caliber to fight in War Zone?

Admittedly, our consolidated strength to fight in the war zone still needs a lot of hard work and persistence. The caliber to create winners needs:

• Faith that the perceived worst can be converted into a performing best!
• Stable manpower who decide to stay on because of excellent and encouraging working conditions. Truth is that every employer and employee look for a win-win situation… when this is met, the organization and the work force grow together.
• Excellent training for new employees and refresher training sessions for those already employed.
• Ability to have a consistent ad presence and a mind-set to see ads as a support medium.
• Have an HR department that functions beyond performing the role of a mere recruiting agency.
• Campus infrastructure that has the power to attract students.
• Classroom environment that has the ability to generate a positive word-of-mouth. This has an impact that goes much beyond any form of marketing and advertising activity.

Is it not essential to be looking out for new methods of fighting in War Zone?

The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on.

New methods mean new skills, new sensibilities, and new avenues that must be adopted as soon as they become viable and appropriate for the organization. We have certainly taken to new technological breakthroughs like creating promotional campaigns based on internet penetration in urban areas.

Looking out for new methods of fighting in the war zone is thus essential. This facility can be encouraged by:

• Encouraging browsing for new ideas for a few hours every week.
• Encouraging participation in various seminars or training sessions that may take place in Delhi.
• Consolidating all new ideas sent in by employees through a monthly meeting where participation by all is vital. An advantage of this is that the leadership also identifies latent talent that may have gone unnoticed.

Is it not required by all members of War Zone to do multi tasking?

Multi-tasking is a term that is grossly misunderstood. It certainly does not mean shifting a skill orientation without reason. Let me give an example from the army. An artillery expert cannot be posted to an infantry advance post and be expected to engage an enemy in CQB (close qtr battle). Similarly, a marketing expert cannot and should not be expected to create artwork collaterals. However, moving up in the hierarchy and taking up decision-making positions in times of need is essential… eg., a platoon commander can be promoted to take charge of a company in any war zone.

In a business environment, some tangible multi-tasking steps that can be taken, are:

• Training people to understand and operate relevant software to create a more horizontal hierarchy. For instance, learning pdf editing software like Adobe Acrobat Professional lessens the work load on the creative team. The final output must, however, be approved by the leadership and the document sent to the central pool to ensure that the earlier version does not exist and create confusion.
• Product knowledge at all levels and across departments must be a part of the routine training sessions so that functions like counseling can be undertaken by anyone in times of need.
• The department head must ensure that the personnel in his section are well versed with each other’s skills so that intra-departmental dependence reduces. However, this means that department posted strength must be adequate. Eg. Communication department has only one designer…!

Multi-tasking can lead to unique problems like some aggressive departments getting their slog-work done by people from other departments. Adequate precaution has to be taken to prevent this poaching of manpower. Some departments can also transfer their accountability to others basing it on shoddy work done by them. This must always be ONE excuse that is unpardonable. Accountability remains with the parent department head.

Do reminders & follow up action put us on back foot?

On the contrary, reminders and follow-up action are the heart and soul of action in the war zone! A coordination between departments to discuss the pros and cons of actions adopted by them is what encourages the inflow of action-editing that may lead to changes that had escaped the eyes of the parent deparment.

© Arvind Passey