Riding The Tiger

published May, 2010 in Leadership Excellence Magazine 

WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER STRONG Turbulence,you should revisit your core values and then adjust, communicate, and reinforce them. For most leaders, today’s turbulence stems from the global recession; but others may be dealing with rapid growth, mergers and acquisitions, reorganization, internal corruption, or other changes.

We invite you to review your core values and decide what to keep, what to change, and what to add, ensuring that each value is clearly articulated and the boundaries of behavior are well defined. We’ve identified core values that are vital for all leaders: 

1. Conviction: Conveys sincerity and confidence in beliefs and decisions; willing to make and stand by decisions.
2. Diversity: Values different perspectives; builds multifaceted, diverse teams; seeks to understand what drives and motivates individuals.
3. Entrepreneurship: Recognizes opportunities and organizes resources to maximize them.
4. Excellence: Strives for excellence, not perfection; recognizes that excellence may vary from country to country, depending on the local context.
5. Fairness: Makes decisions that are fair, consistent, and equitable.
6. Humility: Acts in the knowledge that you are no better or more important than others.
7. Integrity: Demonstrates honesty and makes ethical decisions.
8. Passion: Leads by example; shows high energy and enthusiasm.
9. Perseverance: Shows resolve in moving along the path, with a strong will and the drive to accomplish.
10. A positive attitude: Maintains a positive attitude; represents decisions and policies in a positive manner.

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When Ramailnga Raju confessed to cooking the books sending Satyam into a downward spiral many people thought the company would cease to exist.  The passion of the leaders who applied the leading through learning strategy sustained the organization until April 2009, when Tech Mahindra checked in. Since acquiring Mahindra Satyam, much has happened to put the company back on the path to success.  We are thrilled to see the organization rebounding under the leadership of Mahindra and Mahindra.  Keep up with what’s happening at: http://www.youtube.com/buzzatmahindrasatyam

Throughout an organization’s life, additional norms, behaviors, and practices creep in. This reality is even more pronounced during turbulent times. Positive behaviors may include greater pride, fierce loyalty to the organization, a stronger work ethic, broader collaboration, and boosted collegiality. Negative behaviors may include fear, distrust, and anger that results in hoarding of information and unhealthy internal competition. Together, both positive and negative behaviors change the organizational culture.

Charles Hill and Gareth Jones (2001, 396) define organizational culture as the “beliefs and ideas about what kinds of goals members of an organization should pursue and ideas about the appropriate kinds or standards of behavior organizational members should use to achieve these goals. From organizational values develop organizational norms, guidelines, or expectations that prescribe appropriate kinds of behavior by employees in particular situations and control the behavior of organizational members towards one another.” Unfortunately, countless leaders do not recognize the influence that organizational culture has on the past, present, and future accomplishments of their enterprise. Even more important is their lack of understanding about how they influence the culture.

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The canvas we were painting was a collaborative effort, a true partnership. We were partners in developing world-class leaders. Our inter- and intra-team diversity made us stronger with team members from Nigeria, Germany, Greece, Columbia, Sweden, the United States, and of course India. We had measured significant business impact and won numerous international recognitions.

We created best practices and next practices that were being proliferated to diverse industries all over the world, and were the masterminds of a new model to build global leaders faster. We were the first organization outside of the United States to receive top honors in ASTD’s BEST Award; and we had journal articles, numerous interviews, and keynote presentations and requests to add to our beautiful canvas of success.

Then, without warning our canvas was taken from us. We watched as our Taj Mahal of learning began to crumble. On January 7, 2009, Ramalinga Raju, the founder and chairman of Satyam Computer Services, told his board of directors that he had inflated the amount of cash on the balance sheet by nearly $1 billion, incurred a liability of $253 million on funds arranged by him personally, and overstated Satyam’s September 2008 quarterly revenues by 76 percent and profits by 97 percent. There we were, close to 50 of us huddled in this small conference room, watching the television, shocked beyond belief…

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