One of the challenges in one’s career is that you grow up, become a “boss” yourself and then its not easy to place a person you report to on a pedestal. The relationships grow more equal and you become an equal partner in most situations unless there is a situation that exposes ones own limitations. Yet there can be exceptions and Mr. Dev Avadhani is that for sheer attitude, energy where he could shame a 25-year-old. Dev also provided maximum “thrills” in a manner of speaking. If the reader wants a trailer, then he can read this blog of mine from 2015. Hence, this piece is also written in a light-hearted manner.
When I was appointed to the job, I was supposed to join a totally different division. Days before the joining date I was moved to the division headed by Dev. Normally anybody heading a business would throw a fit at being given a 2nd in command he had never met. But Dev simply took it in his stride like everything else. One meeting over coffee and we were friends. With a week to go for my joining date he requested that I visit the office to be introduced to the Chairman of the board. That is when my roller coaster ride with Dev began.
The same evening, he asked that early next morning I fly to attend a tender committee meeting with a defence undertaking on a missile project. He had forgotten about this and nobody was available, and he wanted me to handle it. Beyond seeing a missile on TV I had no clue, no clue about my employer, tender, customer and Dev simply said – “Come on, you are senior and you will be able to handle this. I will send the file to your home tonight with the tickets. You can read it on your way and be prepared”. The next day, not yet an employee, I was winging my way into the unknown.
I read the file, understood little and with a prayer entered this large conference room. The meeting started and had at the head some 5 chaps sitting seriously as if they were pronouncing some death sentence. In the middle sat a chap in uniform with all kinds of medals and ribbons looking like Clint Eastwood from Dirty Harry and a bunch of others also like me “bidding” for the project. The meeting started and while everybody asked questions I shut up, listened, simply made notes, and was feeling relaxed when the uniformed chap addressing me suddenly said “We had asked some questions, and everybody has replied except your company”. I was now feeling confident because the topmost document in the file was a letter with answers given by my would-be employer. Confidently I said that we had indeed replied, indicating the date. The effect was like a nuke.
The committee got into a huddle and the uniformed chappie sent his men running to locate the letter and finally he had to admit defeat. Now wondering how to handle the crisis he confessed that they did not have our letter in their records. Helpful as always, I pointed out the name of the officer to who it was addressed and there were bewildered looks – apparently no such officer worked for them. That is when I had a pang of doubt. Now confident the uniform chappie gave me the 3rd degree and soon the facts were out. I was at the correct address, but I had the wrong file, wrong missile, wrong customer. Uniform announced lunch and over lunch became friends with me as he commiserated with my situation. When I told Dev about this, he had a hearty laugh and that was when I realised what I was getting into in this new job.
Dev was one of those people in life who seem to attract the bizarre, unusual adventure stuff in life – to share a few.
Dev went to a global defence expo and was very excited as he discussed and closed a deal to supply the company’s product with a bunch of folks and these folks said they would return after lunch to sign the deal. Logic would dictate that any salesman would offer to take such clients out for lunch but since Dev always skipped lunch, this thought never occurred to him, saving his life. Soon after he was buttonholed by a chap from a government secret service organisation and told that the folks Dev had dealt with were from a dreaded terrorist outfit and if he did the deal the secret service would do him in. If he did not the terrorist folks were likely to do him in. What was the solution? Dev abandoned the company booth, his luggage, hotel room and jumped into a taxi on the spot, went to the airport and caught the first flight out of that country before the terrorists returned from lunch. Finally, back in India he went into hiding for a month while his office received strange calls asking for him.
Another occasion Dev oversold the company product to none other than the super cop KPS Gill. The irrepressible Mr. Gill demanded a trial by fire on the spot. He demanded that Dev and he step outside, Dev wear the protective jacket and Gill would shoot him. If he survived the order was his. Dev unsure went ahead and stood in the field wearing the jacket like that kid in the William Tell story. Mr. Gill after all the drama did not shoot him but instead impressed gave him the business.
Developing a new product that could also float in water Dev did an oversell to an elite Indian commando unit. The chief of the unit finally took him out to a swimming pool and asked him to demonstrate the product. Dev being Dev, wore the jacket and jumped into the pool without hesitation knowing that he knew swimming. Floating on his back like a “dead body” he impressed the commando Chief into doing business with the company.
Once Dev went to a state troubled with militancy taking my junior with him. As they were having breakfast the chaps who were to take them to the meeting arrived – in a Maruti van covered in dark black tint all over. His instincts kicked in, churning his stomach that he excused himself, went to his room, locked himself in and called up the local police chief. They had sent nobody in such a vehicle and soon the cops sent a posse of commandos and the Maruti Van sped away. The intent apparently was to kidnap senior management of companies who visited the state and get ransom. All travel to that state was banned by Dev after this.
The funny side apart Dev had this enormous gift to be able to spot opportunity like an Eagle from high up in the sky. He spotted so many that like in the blog referred above he was like a satellite that made you chase so many ideas, projects that one just did not have the resources or bandwidth to do justice. If an organisation were willing to throw money and resources at whatever Dev pointed out, they could grow at double digits easily. In hindsight I have seen how he was spot on right about every big idea he suggested and others who chased those ideas have become large corporations over time. But at the time he suggested these ideas any normal thinking board would have serious questions about the business based on what they could see. Some of his ideas have come to fruition 6 to 8 years later as I can vouch in my own case but that was Dev – the uncanny ability to smell something in the future.
His ability to "oversell" and create excitement within the organisation and customer audience was so brilliant that in 2009 the former Secretary of Defence to the USA in the Clinton administration Mr. William Cohen chose it fit to spend some time with us in a 9 Sq mtr booth as if we, our products mattered at his level.
At work Dev was like mercury. Even 20+ chaps would find it difficult to keep up with him. His energy was limitless. He would call me to his cabin asking me to do something and by the time I was back in my seat, he would have initiated action and irritated me no end – why the hell did you even tell me?. Soon I realised he was supercharged. Dev would take a 2 ½ flight in the morning, attend 4 meetings in different corners of the city and fly back home in the night. When I found myself taking an hour just to drive between these same locations, I refused to rush back the same day putting in 16 ~ 18 hr days rushing like a man possessed. Even my juniors staying in that city found it difficult to keep up with him but then that was Dev – “Mercury Man”.
To get an idea of how he would work. On one occasion he had signed up to send one of us to United Kingdom as a part of a business delegation and the person selected forgot to mention he did not have a passport till the eve of the departure date. I was in Mumbai when he said I had to leave immediately for London and that night got me back, early morning next day made me fly to Chennai, drive to meet the British consulate to who he had spoken, get my visa across the table, drive back to airport, fly back to Bangalore, and then switch to a flight to Mumbai and from there catch a flight to London – all this in about half a day. No idea however bizarre was unacceptable to him. He agreed, supported, and had the name of the division changed we worked in together in a rebranding strategy suggested by me. That the name was in existence for decades and the change was almost like sacrilege did not bother him. He pushed my idea down everybody’s throat including the board. Working with Dev was like working inside a Hurricane.
He trusted you implicitly. Like the satellite he would point out an opportunity and then trusted you to chase it to closure. If, however you faced roadblocks he seized the leadership without ever making you feel that it had been taken away from you and navigate the blocks before giving it back seamlessly. He thought so high and so wide that we actually came up with a version of the existing product that costed and was priced 2.5 times higher but was unique in its performance. Unable to appreciate the uniqueness in performance I still remember that Dev got a tongue lashing from some of the highest in the land in politics and administration since they felt that the company was cheating the Government. But he stood firm and proved us right even if it took many months of stress and anxiety for all.
Dev would locate a unique product in some obscure location, see an application or usefulness for it and then sign up to manufacture the product in India. Under his leadership and encouragement, I had the proud privilege of locating and bringing in at least 3 unique products. He got us the opportunity to work with a famous automobile Designer in building a armored political campaign bus. If someone in an organisation had the conviction to chase and develop his product ideas for manufacture in India, they would be rich and famous.
Very interestingly both me and Dev quit and were jointly relieved on the same day.
The last one in this series on Amazing Bosses with yet another Amazing Boss – Mr. Dev Avadhani
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