Why ''Make in India'' is still a far fetched dream?

In December 2010, a group of 19 Indian students landed in Beijing after an exhilarating voyage across the islands of Indonesia and Malaysia. None of us expected any surprises. A temperature controlled bus would ferry us to our cozy hotel rooms and we would prepare ourselves for the gruelling study trip the next day – that was the standard plan.

But fate had different plans. The luggage conveyor belt stopped turning and I realized that my luggage was missing. Lost in transit at Malaysia – we were told by the airport staff at Beijing airport.

The temperature outside was -4 degrees Celsius and all I had with me was a hand luggage with just a night's change and a fleece jacket. While it might sound like a lot to most men, it is definitely not enough for a woman. Trust me about that. The lady at the airport understood that too. With 400 Yuan as compensation for the hardship and a promise of luggage recovery the next day, we had no other choice but to leave for the hotel as scheduled. On the way though, I made it a mandate to stop and shop for some essentials to tide me over for the next couple of days atleast.

It was midnight by the time we booked into our rooms and we had an early start scheduled for the next day. The only thing I was capable of thinking about was sleep and that’s what I did.

On waking up the next day, I realized how cold it was in the room despite the heater. So I made myself a cup of coffee. The standard red Nescafe sachet beckoned and the coffee was made. With my very first whiff and sip, I realized that this coffee smelled and tasted better than the one at home. Perhaps, the Chinese grew better coffee than Indians hence, Nestle created better products here I thought.

But I didn’t have much time to ponder, so I rushed to get ready. Now, I truly believe that if you want baby soft skin, use only baby products. So a Johnson’s baby oil is a standard feature of my toiletry kit. Since, my luggage had gone missing, I had to purchase one last night. Again a known and much loved product but this too felt different. It felt creamy and smoother in comparison to its Indian counterpart. I will be fair - The smell was the same though. Never mind I said to myself, they make it better because Chinese babies are more important perhaps for Johnson & Johnson.

My luggage was delivered to my hotel my noon that day and the hotel called me to confirm the same. I was elated. What service!

After a long day of study visits across Beijing, we were all tired and hungry. The hotel plan did not cover dinner. But more than the prices, we shuddered at the menu that was on offer. So we decided to take a walk and catch some grub at the nearest KFC or Mc D. The Mac came first and we ordered a Mc Chicken with fries on the side. As students, we opted for the cheapest combo. At 50 Yuan (~ 300 rupees) we were thrilled and shocked to see the portion size of the meal. So why were Indian Mcs so tiny? They looked like a joke in comparison. Believe me, Indians can eat just as much as any Chinese if not more. Our hunger is no less inferior to our Chinese friends.

This was just a one day account of my experiences with different brands in a NON-INDIAN environment. There are more.

Back in the 90’s when dad came back from London, Singapore, Oman and other foreign visits, we eagerly awaited the perfumes, cosmetics and soaps he brought for us. The sweet scent of the perfumes lingered even after the clothes had been through a wash. The Camay soaps were milky and the scent lingered for hours after a bath. The makeup made us glow and made heads turn not because we wore too much of it but because, the product was doing its job right.

The QUALITY was top notch. There was no compromise on the quality of a product made in a NON-INDIAN country.

If we want to really “MAKE IN INDIA” we INDIANS have to be QUALITY CONSCIOUS. It is not okay for Olay so deteriorate to a runny consistency just ten months after its initial launch. It is not okay for Nestle or Coke or Pepsi to sell us substandard products that will be rejected in the international market. To those in the decision making echelons of this country and corporates, please note – RESPECT INDIA before you MAKE IN INDIA.

“Wanted - SUPERMAN OR SUPERWOMAN with a better dressing sense”!

While I love to write and share my thoughts with others, I rarely get the time to do so these days. So I decided to write a few short articles on some recent observations at work and in the industry as a whole.

Most HR professionals identified in the elite cadre across the industry, agree that it is important to induct non-HR persons into HR roles in order to speed up the function of an HR Business Partner (HRBP). However, over the last year, while more and more roles have opened up for HR Business Partners across all organisations, the job descriptions have sadly remained backward in approach. Most JDs of HRBP outline the role of an HR purist.

An HRBP according to any typical job description (JD) is expected to deliver a role that spans across the entire spectrum of HR operational activities such as recruitment, performance management, exits and statutory compliances as well as analyze the myriad data, capture trends, report the same to the management, train and coach on leadership development and manage the talent pipeline. Oh Wait! That’s not all, the HRBP has to also strategize, manage the external branding as well as internal communication, engage and motivate employees and aid in change management.

Here’s a thought - Why don’t we simplify the JD instead and simply write “Wanted - SUPERMAN OR SUPERWOMAN with a better dressing sense”!

If your organisation is in a bad shape and really needs an HRBP, what you are actually serving the HRBP at the very start is a ‘’big basket of rotten apples’’.

In case you are an HR person who belongs to an organisation that cares for its employees and is really serious about sustaining an HRBP role, here are some helpful tips you can use –

1. If you add too many areas for any role, then don’t expect the incumbent to succeed.
2. Don’t expect an HRBP to start performing from day one.
3. The first job of the HRBP is to listen to the employees and the leaders. Make copius notes and then bring order to the chaos.
4. An HRBP is not a one man/woman army model. HRBP has to be a team of experts who identify and undertake one project at a time in order to succeed at the same.
5. Do not expect an HRBP to succeed if he/she has to impose upon the remaining HR team members. He/She will belong to the HR team and in order for them to succeed, they need to be able to make friends in the team. A role that acts as a data collector/fault finder of his own team will seldom be able to make friends internally. Such an HRBP is bound to be de-motivated the fastest and leave your organisation for greener pastures.
6. None of the HRBP JDs mention anything about knowledge of business or developing leaders from within his/her team or grow more HRBPs internally.

Lastly, an HRBP role is that of a doctor who has to treat an accident victim. No wound can be healed overnight. No one medicine can cure all ailments and no one treatment is a sure shot guarantee of complete recovery. Hope this helps.

Own your Professional Growth

The role and responsibilities of professionals, needs to change and evolve over a period of time. People often ask me how this can be done. So here are six easy steps to do just that.

1. One of the easy ways to make this change happen is to track the changes happening in the industry vis a vis your role.
2. Even if you do not have a network of professionals in the same role at other organisations, just look up the job descriptions of a role on multiple job boards. See if you fancy any new addition to your role and list that on your KRA.
3. Don’t be over ambitious though. Understand what you can do and what you cannot keeping your organisational context in perspective.
4. Identify low hanging achievables and jot them down.
5. Make a separate list for training and certifications that you need to achieve a certain competency.
6. And last but not the least, keep abreast of what is happening in your organisation and the industry in general. An outdated professional with a meritorious past is the worst qualification to have.

Just remember that if you don’t own your own growth, no one else will.