BUSINESS TODAY

What happens when men trained to make the so-called 'supreme sacrifice' to a higher cause decide to aim instead for something as mundane as profit? What happens when they move from a system of command-and-control to the relative chaos of a 'civvie' company? They feel awfully out-of-place, you'd think.

Do they? Not if they make the effort to fit in. And that's a matter of motivation. Col. Vijay Chadda, Chief Operating Officer of travel firm BTI Sita-Kuoni, had his first brush with 'the market' in the 1970s, as a captain in the 4th Gurkha Rifles, when he turned a Rs 625 bet on Colgate-Palmolive stock into a Rs 2,000 profit within days.

Chadda remained an Army man for another two decades. In 1992, he took premature retirement for a job as the regional head of logistics firm AFL. "From the family point of view, I thought I would be able to contribute more, since the turbulence factor was high in the Army," recalls the 52-year-old who's loath to carry his rank "consciously". By 1995, he was CEO of the company's travel division Carlson Wagonlit. In the new millennium, he moved to BTI Sita, and now runs its education and money-changing businesses.

Everyone doesn't make a General, they say. This realisation underpins the logic of many switchovers to the corporate world. Col. R.S. 'Pickles' Sodhi quit in 1994 when he was convinced that the next rank was out of the question. In the Horse Cavalry, he had even represented India at polo championships around the world. Though familiar to Delhi's socialites as the spouse of Nafisa Ali, his faith in discipline and teamwork came in handy for leading the North India operations of realty firm Mahindra Gesco. And yes, it has been a different experience. "You can't demand respect," he observes, "you've got to earn it, and trusting people is the only way to earn that respect."

In 1995, Col. Surendra Kumar Mohla, who had managed an M.Tech in Communications from IIT-Kanpur and rose through the ranks to head 21 Signal Group in Delhi-in charge of a telecom team-quit the Army for a logical opportunity in the business of telecom. "Things on the civil side were a bit more war-like," he quips. Then 46, Mohla signed up with a Noida-based equipment manufacturer. "It was like the cutting of the umbilical cord," he sighs. He receded into a nostalgic shell for awhile, before moving to Tata Telecom, and then Ericsson in 1997, where the challenges grew really interesting. In 2002, he spearheaded a BSNL operation to roll out GSM networks in 10 states-on a war footing, in eight months of breathless action. Currently VP (Operations), Ericsson, Mohla is a network champ. What sets a corporate career apart, in Mohla's view, is accountability. "In business, you are fully accountable, unlike the Army, where there is always scope to hide behind something," he says. "That way," he adds, "the corporate world is pretty ruthless."

Ericsson has been hiring defence personnel since 1995, according to Girish Johar, VP (HR), when the company started its GSM operations. Today, they constitute nearly 5 per cent of its 450-strong staff. "Our experience with defence personnel shows that the stability level has been pretty high," says Johar, pleased that half of them have been around for over five years.

Col. Mohla's batchmate, Col. Shiv Rai Chand, has had a parallel civilian career. In 1995, he joined BPL Mobile, and is now Chief Technology Officer at Bharti Tele-Ventures. Planning and teamwork are the two attributes that an Army man scores on, he says. "In the Army," he elaborates, "the objective had to be clear, and only then could we strategise and achieve that objective... in the process, we developed the ability to change mid-course, and that's how we acquired flexibility."

Adapting to the hr exigencies of a non-command-and-control operation is often the first need of a soldier in business. "It's a state of mind," says Major General M.S. Sandhu, President (hr), The Anand Group, "Everything in the Army is driven by status." But the 57-year-old former Armoured Corps honcho is clear that it's little use playing the authoritarian in a modern matrix organisational framework. Try persuasion instead, mind-to-mind, the skill that counts more than the artificial force of hierarchical privilege.

Call it de-regimentation-to sensitise oneself to the real needs of the vast butter-before-guns market out there. Is this tough? It ought not to be. After all, making a realistic assessment of the operating circumstances is another ability Army men pride themselves in. And that too, with commando-like snap agility.

Yet, according to C.S. Patel, CEO, Anand Group, employers are also looking at these men of principle for that rare trait called 'discipline'. Shirk responsibility? No way... if you trust an old Army ethic. And their strategic skills? Sure thing. Which explains why Coca-Cola India, of all recruiters on the planet, is busy scouting for talent from the armed forces. "They are great strategists," says Adil Malia, VP (HR), Coca-Cola India, "and we are seriously looking at their induction." It helps, of course, that the former Chief of Army Staff, Major General V.P. Malik, happens to be on Coca-Cola India's board.

That's also where it gets tricky for corporate recruiters. For there's a catch involved in recruiting for this purpose. Smart Army men, those who're aware of the wider world's challenges, have surely noted the corporate opportunity. But then, not all of them are eager; so an easily lured strategist may not be much of a strategist. Catch 22.

How to get real strategists? Those who call a spade a spade and a trap a trap? It's not an impossibly irreconcilable task, surely. Try. Pose challenges. Invest in persuasion (the effort can be amortised sensibly over the years). The 'whiz' of a well-directed arrow could well prove more rewarding than the 'wiz' of a wonderman pulling rabbits out of hats. It's about long-range strategy, not instant gimmickry.

Ever dreamt of a patch of land as your canvas? As something with enduring allure? Become a landscape architect. Even if you don't get Le Corbusier size projects to leave your post-modern mark for posterity, you'll have corporate office jobs that are quite satisfying. Mahesh Paliwal, much awarded for landscaping a Delhi hotel, says there are 250 such architects- mostly all sought after. "Many companies are using the services of landscape architects to enhance their image," he says, indicating that 'tech' cities is where the action is. Earnings? For an independent architect, a neat 8-10 per cent of the outlay, typically ranging from Rs 50 to Rs 100 per sq ft. Good work gets spotted.

I am a senior manager at a Japanese electronics major. I joined the company in 2001 and today I am a victim of an acute cultural divide. The senior management based at the corporate HQ seems to suffer from a superiority complex. I am tired of addressing them as 'san' at the drop of a hat. To top it all, they expect the sales and marketing team to be constantly on their toes. Nearly 44 of us at the India office are suffering from this Japanese flu. What should we do?

Firstly, organisational culture and not cultural divide could be the real issue. Sometimes the organisational culture requires that the employees behave in a certain way. In some organisations it is a norm to address the superior as 'sir'. "San" is just another way of saying just that. Secondly, there is nothing wrong with the boss wanting the sales and marketing departments to be on their toes. Is it this pressure that you really resent? However, if you still feel that there is a superiority syndrome and the company sponsors a cultural divide, you have to accept the fact that it is difficult for you to change the situation on your own. Given the situation, you could always quit. But do give appropriate feedback to the management during the exit interviews, so that the work environment improves in future.

I am a mining engineer with a state-owned company scouting for gold in India. The company has cut manpower costs and significantly reduced employee expenses over the last year. Although it augurs well for the company, it is demoralising the employees. With private players getting into the business of mining, it is obvious that the company is feeling the heat of competition and effecting fast changes. But pray, why do employees have to suffer?

Employees are part of the organisation, and when the organisation suffers, the employees suffer as they are both contributors and consequence bearers. One may argue that the people who lose jobs are not necessarily the people who are responsible for the troubles that that company is faced with. But then life is not always fair. Your organisation was probably overstaffed and that meant the company had to eventually make a correction to survive.

I am a marketing management graduate from a B-school. Currently, I am a retail manager at a mall in Gurgaon. The retail boom in the recent past has led to the creation of a large number of jobs. However with increased competition, it is becoming more and more difficult for key players to maintain healthy profit margins. While the industry is faced with a steady supply of talent at one end, I have seen the financials and worry about my sector's profitability. In the current scenario, how sustainable is the boom? Should I consider switching to another industry?

If you do not wish to continue in retail, you may consider areas like consumer sales or retail banking. Being a part of an industry that is on a growth trajectory ensures a rewarding career. However, no industry keeps growing forever. This is something that you must always keep in mind before considering an alternative. To be a part of a booming sector throughout your entire career, you have develop expertise in a niche area that will be in demand across industries. This, however, is not a realistic ambition.

I am a 30-year-old research scientist in a top pharma company. Our work environment is extremely competitive and performance-driven. Of late, a lot of information about my research work is being leaked to the seniors. Our work, in the initial stages, requires us to maintain complete secrecy. A particular colleague is not only leaking critical information, but is also trying to hog the limelight by taking all the credit for all the good work I am doing. I am frustrated and don't know how to tackle this problem.

You don't seem to be communicating with your superior. Considering the good work you have done in the past, your credibility should not doubted. If your superiors have faith in you, they will have no trouble differentiating between the real worker and the piggy back rider. However, it is entirely your responsibility to ensure that details of you research work remain confidential. You are obviously interested in your work and not in workplace politics, but you do need to protect your ideas-or you will be responsible for letting your professional credentials slide.

Answers to your career concerns are contributed by Tarun Sheth (Senior Consultant) and Shilpa Sheth (Managing Partner, US practice) of HR firm, Shilputsi Consultants. Write to Help,Tarun! c/o Business Today, Videocon Tower, Fifth Floor, E-1, Jhandewalan Extn., New Delhi-110055.

Field trips are different, with new MBA recruits rolling up sleeves to wash buffaloes by way of product demonstration. Rural postings have a ring of their own: an experience of rural reality-as lived, village inter-strata dynamics et al, not visited-that could come handy decades later when the top management stakes get high.

Hindustan Lever Ltd is offering such opportunities with its Project Shakti. With micro-credit as its financial backbone, it is the most comprehensive corporate effort ever to engage the rural FMCG consumer. Agri-major ITC Ltd is offering opportunities via its e-Choupal project, conceived to provide internet-based solutions to farmers' problems.

The response to its recruitment drive has been overwhelming, says K.T. Prasad, VP (HR), ITC's International Business Division. "There are many young professionals who are eager to work as choupal officers in rural areas." The project has captured the imagination of top-notch MBAs as well. Would the experience count in ITC's larger scheme of management? Of course. "We at ITC have people moving in from the e-Choupal division to top managerial positions in the company," assures Prasad.

-Ananya Roy

Recruitment@113kbps
Online job-hunting is still alive and clicking.

The feast: Sites such as these are crammed with CVs

They're supposed to have got vaporised by the great dot-bust of 2000-01. But sites for job seekers (and recruiters) haven't quite noticed. They've been busy cramming their servers with e-sent biodatas, and even make periodic wraith-like appearances at real world dinner tables. Monster.com, naukri.com, JobsAhead.com, TimesJobs.com... the names are quite well known (amongst youngsters, particularly). How did they survive? "The real indicator for success or lack of it should be reviewed in terms of growth, rather than mere survival," responds Sanjeev Bikhchandani, CEO, naukri.com, "The market size is big and growing." Naukri's claimed revenues in 2003-04: Rs 20 crore. Any offline component? "While our business is run online, for select clients we have provided offline assistance," he says.

For the Times Group, TimesJobs.com is a brand extension. "Being the leaders in recruitment advertising," says R. Sundar, CEO, TimesJobs.com, and Director, Times Group, "the internet was an extension in our portfolio." These sites have been inundated with biodatas, fears of data leakages notwithstanding.

-Payal Sethi