By Mohit Rampal
Managing Director, South Asia, Motricity
The incident I am about to relate has had a very strongimpact on my life and career. It goes back to 2006, when I was with another organisation.
I still remember our president- sales and CEO asking us to ensure a faster turnaround to increase revenues and putting up a cash award for the best region and a trophy that was up for grabs. They went to each region across the country to motivate the teams to perform. At the same time, they empowered us as regional heads to take decisions to enhance the revenues without compromising the company’s ethics and goals.
To begin with, I remember that my region and my team were of the firm belief that we would never be in the fray for the prizes as other regions were better off than us. Then, we organised a two-hour regional meeting with all team leaders and decided that we would give it a go, and aim to win the trophy. We also decided to ensure creation of processes that would have an impact on the organisation’s future. We were sure that this would instill a feeling of fear amongst our competitors and tell them who we really were.
The outcome was that in the very first quarter, we won the best region award, and hence the cash prize and trophy as well. My next-in-command leaders had taken ownership of the drive with their teams, and I had shared the empowerment.
When the MD and president realised that this had increased our overall prospects, they decided to extend the contest for a full six quarters. Naturally, my team - which was by then highly charged and excited - vowed to win the trophy every quarter. Believe me, for six quarters in a row, we did win the best region award, leaving the other regions way behind us.
This story is very close to my heart as it depicts that a team is only as fast as the slowest person in the group. For a team to perform well, each has to play his/her part and thus, move ahead together. Above all, nothing moves a team like motivation and a sense of belonging.
Feedback: mohit.rampal@motricity.com
