A hugely successful leader and a great manager, both rolled into one. A rare combination.
Often management students wonder, why Welch bashed through out his career, the bureaucrats, through whom he had to get the work done, anyway.
His abiding aversion to BABUs was due to an attitude displayed universally, by the typical bureaucrats, swathed in red tape. To understand well the complex, stunted, diminutive; mindset of this genre, visit any revenue office, in our country.
I recall an instance from the industrial domain, which will give you a taste of their mental make-up.
A YOUNG ASPIRANT
The story starts with a young engineer, Hiren Patel, who joined an engineering unit, manufacturing stainless steel milk pumps in the early sixties in Mumbai. A young graduate engineer, he had done his post graduation in management from, an Ivy League, US business school.
Hiren was the most eligible bachelor, then in the society.
He got married too, to a bright young girl from his community. Eventually he bought a scooter ” Roman Holiday style”, which was in vogue then. He would commute to the place of work, on his newfound vehicle.
Later he used to get dropped at the place of work, by his wife, who acquired the skills to manoeuvre the two-wheeler, through the crazy traffic of Mumbai. She would take the scooter back home, after dropping her husband.
The factory had a European General manager, Mr. Johansen a qualified engineer, and a great taskmaster. In some ways he was quite a terror, and his word was law in the Unit.
Young Hiren became a blue-eyed boy soon, of Johansen.
The establishment had a typical administrative officer, Mr. Ayer who would go by the rulebook. Always the red book, never the blue book. No exception. A typical hardheaded, head- clerk, whose role model was some revenue officer.
He was hated by one and all.
Once Johansen asked Hiren, how he commutes to the factory.
He replied, it was his young wife who, used to come on a scooter to drop him.
Wouldn’t she like to come in, to see where he was working? Asked his boss.
“Of course she would love to come in.” Replied Hiren.
“Call her in, right away, if she is at the gate yet.” Johansen.
The young engineer was excited. He got on the intercom to the Security officer, checked if his wife was still at the gate. She was.
Immediately he requested the Security officer to let his wife in, as Mr. Johansen had permitted her to come in.
SPOIL SPORT
As per rule, visitors had to obtain an entry pass from, Mr. Ayer.
The Security officer asked the wife to wait in his office, who was very elated to visit the place of work, of her husband.
The Security officer approached, the Administrative officer, Mr.Ayer, for the pass.
He conveyed to Mr. Ayer, about Mr. Johansen’s permission for the young wife of the engineer to visit the factory.
Mr. Ayer, true to his salt, a typical beureaucrat, referred to the rulebook. No visitor was to be allowed on Fridays in the factory, and the day happened to be a Friday.
So, no entry.
The Security officer did plead with him, that the lady was waiting at the gate as per instructions of the General Manager.
“It just does not matter. Rule is rule, and she can’t enter.” Ayer the adamant bureaucrat, decreed.
With a sad face the Security officer, conveyed the decision to her. He regretted his inability to allow her inside factory.
She was totally disappointed, tried to contact the husband on the intercom. Who was also very crestfallen to understand about the decision. He went to Mr. Johansen, that his permission could not be executed.
RESPECT FOR LAW
What do you think the European boss said?
" I am sorry, if the rule says that on Fridays no visitor is allowed I have to abide by the decision. I would not like to overrule this.”
A great lesson for our young managers. The rule has to be honoured and the enforcement of it has not to be challenged and overruled, even if it meant disregard of one’s instructions.
This is the culture, we have to imbibe.
Do you know the result of this crude and draconic enforcement of a minor rule?
Hiren eventually, became the General Manager of the factory. At many functions of the factory, his wife was supposed to attend officially, to distribute the prizes etc. She never entered the factory premises. Even at the farewell function, of her husband.
I am sure you will appreciate now, the utter hatred for all bureaucrats, consistently displayed, by Jack Welch.
Jack Welch was crowned the last CENTURY’S best Chairman and CEO, globally, by Fortune magazine.
M. S. RANADE
mranade@vsnl.com
UNPUBLISHED
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