How a good manager can change your life
My first job after my MBA was with Onida ( remember the Devil ) as an MT ( Management Trainee) . There were 15 of us from IIML, IIMB and NITIE in the MT batch. I doubt if any one of us was happy to have landed there. It was 2003, which wasn’t as bad as 2002, but times were still not great. And to be honest, we hadn’t really distinguished ourselves in college.
Anyways, after our induction, we were all sent to a sales branch to understand the business. I went to the Gujarat branch and was based in Ahmedabad. The initial period was very easy. I would tag along with a sales person every day and go home by 6. No pressure.
After 2 months, we came back to make a presentation about an opportunity we found in our respective regions. It was a glorified version of the market research projects we would do in B-school. After that we were given our first postings. I was given the job of selling washing machines in Saurashtra. Those two words – Washing Machines and Saurashtra – scared the life out of me. I am sure most of you don’t even know that Onida sold Washing Machines. From my time in Ahmedabad I knew that this position had been lying vacant for a long long time. And for very obvious reasons. It was the ugly stepchild that no one wanted. I tried requesting for a change but no one was willing to listen.
I went back to Ahmedabad. Was supposed to spend a month there and then head to Rajkot. We had all been enjoying a honeymoon period so far. This was time for the real grind. As expected, members of our MT batch started quitting soon. There were jobs available in the IT and Financial sectors and people started moving there. I also updated my resume on Naukri.
Then I went to Rajkot. It was a small branch and there was hardly anyone there to help me get settled in. It was very unsettling. I stayed at one sidey hotel and immediately fell sick. I recovered a little and immediately headed back to Ahmedabad. Throughout this period, I had this constant knotty feeling in my stomach. I went to the office and offered my resignation. My Branch Manager refused to accept it. He told me to take a few days off and come back. After a few days, we meet again. He gave me some life advice. Kept the resignation in his drawer. Told me he had made arrangements to help me settle in Rajkot and suggested I give it another shot. If I still didn’t like it, then I could come back. He would save the resignation letter for me.
This time I settled in a little better. I was a little lucky that targets were reasonable initially. The product had been launched and failed multiple times in the Saurashtra region and hence expectations were low. But it was still really really hard. Unlike the Korean brands, where the sales people dealt with distributors, in Onida we had to build a dealer network ourselves and sell to them directly. I would travel all over Saurashtra in State Transport buses and stay at more sidey places. But one thing helped and kept me going. Over a period of time and thanks to some lucky breaks ( worth a story for another time) I became quite successful. At the same time, more of our batch kept leaving. if I remember correctly, there were 5 of us left after 6–7 months in the job.
Then there was another change. There was a restructuring and they gave me the CTV portfolio ( quite a relief ) but I had to be based in Junagadh. Sidey became more sidey. The whole town didn’t have even one non-veg food place. Some days I would survive on Farsan and fruits. I didn’t even have alcohol to drown my sorrows ( there was the occasional respite thanks to the bootleggers of Ahmedabad and the monthly sales visit to Diu). By this time my old Branch Manager had also left.
After a few months, I had had it. I went back to Ahmedabad and resigned again. The new Branch Manager went through the same drill with me and convinced and cajoled me to go back. He made one concession. Allowed me to be based in Rajkot. Things got a lot better and eventually I ended up spending almost 20 months in this company.
This company ended up making a major impact in my life. It taught me how to sell. I would first convince a dealer to bill some Washing Machines or CTV’s in the morning and then stand and sell it in the store to a customer in the evening. So that I could get another order from the dealer. This is the most important skill that I have learnt in life. This exposure also ingrained in me a lifelong respect and appreciation for sales people. The spectrum of people I dealt with from Rajkot to Diu and all the small towns along the Kathiawad coast in between was more diverse than all the people I had met in my life until then.
But the most important role was played by my two managers. Prosenjit Ghosh and Munjal Desai. I would get regular calls from recruiters. I could have easily gone down the same path as my fellow batchmates who left early and joined one of the more MBA type jobs. But unlike them, I was lucky to have these two people in my life at the right time. Not only did they convince me not to leave, they helped me overcome all the mental and physical challenges that came my way in this role. It was really really hard. A real boot camp of life. But having survived it and eventually thrived in it, I was prepared for any situation in life.
This altered the path I eventually trod in life. It influenced many of the choices I made later in life. The selling and people skills are more valuable than anything I learnt in either of the two colleges I attended. Subconsciously, it affected my decision to join CaratLane and helped me deal with the despair of the early years.
My batchmates who stuck around also had similar managers. They were also better off with their Onida expereinces.
There are two types of managers in this world based on how they deal with this kind of situation. One type will take your resignation and complain that they are also fed up with this company and the management. The others will show you the positive side of things. They have nothing to gain from your staying back. But they will go the extra mile to help you and teach you a valuable life lesson at an important early stage in your life.
P. S – This is my own first hand expereince of the impact a good manager can make in your life. Especially in the early years. Which is why every time a young person leaves the job early, I feel I failed her. I couldn’t do for her what these two gentlemen did for me.
I don’t know if I have been a good manager. The jury is still out on that one. But having a good manager atleast makes you want to become one. Shows you the path. Good managers spawn more good managers.
