I was walking around my garden. I noticed that every flower blooms irrespective of being big or small, healthy or otherwise. Nature ensures that every plant has a space to grow and it allows it to bloom. You can see this while driving through a forest.

However, I realised that we are different. We have our own mindsets, beliefs and values and we want the world to be our way. Till the recent past, an engineer wanted his son or daughter to be an engineer and a doctor wanted her daughter or son to be a doctor too. We were not even willing to encourage our children to be different from us.

Today the world is changing. Even in India, the current generation is willing to think differently. We are willing to take the unchartered path. Our risk taking ability has improved. We are encouraging to let our children choose subjects they are passionate about and not what we think they should take.

This is a positive first step. Even in families, there is an open dialogue and the future generation is willing to change directions in their lives. It is no longer considered necessary to follow the footsteps of parents or other elders in the family. It is perfectly fine for people to venture into start ups and even fail before they succeed.

As a society, we need to promote this spirit in every walk of life. Our educational system needs to get revamped. Every child in the classroom has to be considered a talent. Some may be good in maths while others may be good in arts and crafts. Our system needs to create an environment where every child blooms like every flower in our gardens.

Organisations are no different. The performance management systems are too rigid and straight jacketed. They look at all employees through one lens. It may be helpful to revamp these systems and processes so that every employee blooms like a flower in our garden. Let organisations believe that every employee is a potential talent. By proper nurturing and enabling, they may sparkle in different areas of work.

As a society, we need to believe that every individual can and will contribute to the larger good, if we are able to allow them the space and the opportunity to succeed. We need to challenge age old traditions and beliefs. We need to adapt to changes in technologies and utilise them optimally for the welfare of humanity.

We need to believe that as individuals, families, communities, societies or even nations, we need not compete with each other to succeed. We need to work together to succeed. We need to believe that every individual, family, community, society or nation can coexist and still be successful. We need not succeed at the expense of one another. We can succeed by enabling one another.

While we can wait for the world to change, it may be easier to start from oneself. Let us create an environment around us in our family and community, where every flower can bloom.

It is time to reset our thinking and let every flower bloom.

S Ramesh Shankar

10th May 2021

The festival of “Holi” in India signifies the onset of spring. While there is a story behind the festival, it is celebrated in most parts of India through sprinkling of colours on one another after the burning of Holika and performance of puja.

While the world talks today of DEI ( Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) and most organisations make a fuss about it, India celebrated the festival of Holi over many centuries and celebrated diversity in true spirit every year.

In my view “Holi” signifies equality and equity of all people. It does not differentiate based on religion, caste, creed or socio-economic status. The spirit of this festival is lived in India over generations.

Whether in communities, villages, towns or cities or within the precincts of organisations, everyone is deemed equal and celebrates this festival without any discrimination based on any factor.

I love this festival of colours as it truly represents the spirit of India’s diversity. I have played Holi across the length and breadth of our country. It not only celebrates the onset of spring but also promotes brotherhood and humanism at large.

While some say that the spirit behind this festival of diversity, equity and inclusion may have faded a bit, it is for us as individuals and as a collective to rekindle this spirit and promote the camaraderie in the societies where we live in today.

If we look back at our history as a nation, we have lived harmoniously irrespective of multiple religions, castes and ethnicities, peacefully co-existing over centuries. We have been threatened by invaders time and again and even the British tried to divide and rule but they did not succeed.

Today on the occasion of our 75th year of independence, it is upto us to resolve to preserve and promote this inherent diversity in our society. If there are forces within our society or outside which negate this spirit, we need to challenge them and be proud of our culture and heritage.

I have worked and lived in north, south, west, east and centre of India. I can proudly say that I am an Indian first and then belong to a state or a city. I have lived and thrived in every place I lived and have been respected and regarded by all communities.

Today, we are at a juncture where the world is looking at India and China as the super powers of the future. There could be strategies to derail our growth and development as a nation. But we need to preserve our rich cultural past and create a future of our choice built on this great foundation.

We have 28 states and 8 union territories in India. Each state almost speaks a different language and each of the languages also have multiple dialects. At the national level we use Hindi or English for official communication with the Centre and between states. However, we live and breathe as one nation. This is the spirit of India we can be proud of. Our Constitution guarantees us to live and thrive in any part of India and enjoy our heritage.

Let us continue to celebrate unity in diversity and share the spirit of “Holi” in our everyday lives.

I salute this spirit on the occasion of “Holi” today.

S Ramesh Shankar

7th March 2023

Most of us as individuals make new year resolutions and try to live up to them to make us better individuals both in our personal and professional lives. Now, it may be time for organisations to make new year resolutions and strive to to be better organisations in the future.

I would recommend the following priorities as the top twelve for organisations to focus in 2023. They could consider focussing on one factor every month and thus make the world a better place to live in.

1. Move away from shareholder value to stakeholder value: Today most organisations and their senior management are focussed on how to enhance shareholder value. While there is no doubt that the shareholders are the owners of the company and hence we need to add value to their investment, it is important for organisations to realise that all other stakeholders like employees, suppliers, customers, governments and community at large are equally important for sustainability of organisations.

2. Think long term rather than quarter to quarter : Organisations tend to plan and strategise to achieve their quarterly results. While there is nothing wrong in ensuring consistent quarterly performance, it is important to focus on the medium and long term and not just on the short term results of the organisation. Sustainable organisations look beyond quarters and enhance value for all stakeholders.

3. Strive for employee wellness as much as organisational wellness: Managers tend to focus on organisation health. It is important for senior leaders in any organisation to focus on organisation health. If an organisation turns sick then it impacts all its stakeholders. However, it is important for managers and leaders to focus on employee wellness too. This is important because employees take care of all our key stakeholders of the organisation.

4. Focus on Sustainable products and services: We produce products and services to fulfil the stated and unstated needs of our customers. In this process , we may sometimes end up producing products and services, which are not sustainable in the society at large. Hence, it is critical for organisations to ensure that their products and services are always sustainable.

5. CSR should not be a statutory obligation alone: Many organisations today tend to serve communities around them more to fulfil their statutory obligations rather than a duty towards the communities they live in. It is time to realise that organisations cannot survive in an isolated world and hence need to serve the societies around them to thrive and grow in the future.

6. Target Carbon neutrality as a goal: This may appear as a long term goal. However, it is important for organisations to begin with small steps. Leaders need to find ways to neutralise the carbon they produce and emit in the environment so that they can aim to be carbon neutral in the future. This could be done with small steps like self generation of power by using renewable energy and so on.

7. Think “Zero waste” & recycling of resources: Organisations tend to generate a lot of waste and pollute the environment around them. It may be time for leaders to explore ways and means of targeting “zero waste” and recycling of resources so that they reduce unnecessary waste and pollutants in society. Recycling of packaging materials could be a first step.

8. Suppliers are as important as customers and employees: Most organisations focus on customers and then on employees. Yes it is true that customers apart from shareholders are the one of the most important stakeholders. After customers, managers tend to focus on employees. This is important too. However, there is a tendency not to treat suppliers with same value. Is is important to realise that suppliers are as important as customers and more so in times of crisis and hence they need to be partners to our success in good times and bad.

9. Let employee restructuring be the last option always: When an organisation goes through a rough patch financially due to business cycle or environmental factors, the first decision most organisations take is to reduce the number of employees as a way of cost reduction. It may be time to think of employee restructuring as the last option and not the first. Organisations need to realise that employees win customers, sustain suppliers and manage other employees.

10. “Customers” pay us always: It is important for organisations to realise that our “customers” pay us always. They not only pay employee salaries but ensure the sustainability and survival of organisations. I cannot imagine organisations surviving without keeping customers happy. Organisations tend to become arrogant over a period of time when their brand value increases and they distance themselves from customers. Hence, it is important for organisations to revisit their customer orientation periodically.

11. Equity is as important as profits: It is critical for organisations to be in good financial health always. Making profits on a sustainable basis helps organisations to thrive and grow in a competitive market place. However, it is important to realise that maintaining internal and external equity for all its stakeholders is equally important. Organisations have to ensure that equity is a value while dealing with customer issues, supplier problems or employee salaries. This will ensure its survival and growth.

12. Ethics has always to be a way of life: Shortcuts may yield quick results. This may end up in higher profits too. However, if organisations do not make “ethics” as their core value in all their business operations, they may not survive in the long run. History will always teach us that ethical organisations only can survive and grow in the long term.

As in the photo above, organisations also have equal responsibility to make the world a beautiful place like this exotic flower in the garden.

While the above 12 may not be the only priorities to focus on and may not be equally relevant to all organisations, they could be considered as important foundations for a sustainable organisation of tomorrow.

S Ramesh Shankar

15th Dec 2022