A Business Winning Hearts - Can Goodness Drive Business?

Tricolour with Pride

On the Independence Day, our National Flag is hoisted with pride across the country.  Government Institutions, individuals and even commercial organisations hoist the National Flag. While governmental institutions are mandated to hoist the Tricolour, private citizens and commercial entities do it out of pride.  Commercial entities however, do not hesitate to use the event as an exercise in ‘image building’. In fact, I feel, it is good for an organisation to draw on nationalistic pride, provided they really mean it.

When, I was approached, by Mr Satish, the manager of one such organisation, to unfurl the National Flag on the Independence Day, I readily agreed. I wanted to utilise the occasion to address the gathering about our duties as citizens and increase awareness about defence forces.

Brilliant Organising Skills

Having spent most of my life in uniform, punctuality is integral to my existence.  I had made it clear to Mr Satish. I was elated to see Mr Satish arrive exactly at the appointed time to pick me up and we reached the venue dot on time, despite the detour forced upon us by flooded roads. I was pleasantly surprised to see more than 400 people, all employees of the organisation, each one neatly dressed, standing in orderly manner. It felt like walking into an army unit ready for inspection.

The function was meticulously organised and concluded with all of us enthusiastically singing the National Anthem. The flawless manner in which the event unraveled rivalled an Army function. The command and control of the organisational hierarchy, the willing and automatic compliance to instructions already given and unity of purpose was very visibly evident. There was something more than mere employer- employee relationship that was at play. It was the sign of healthy organisational climate. I was eager to identify the cohesive force.

Beyond Footfalls

Discussions with people can become real learning experiences if one has requisite skills and patience. If carried adequately long, conversations with people reveal the real organisational dynamics at play, however hard they attempt to mask. If the employee’s trust has been won, one can get to know the real organisation, in flesh and blood beyond the glittering facade.

Subsequent to the event, I sat down to an informal cup of coffee with Mr Roju Mathew, the senior most employee of the organisation and got him to talk. He was neither the proprietor masquerading as ‘chief worker’ nor one with any shares in the business. He was just an employee – a dedicated happy employee who has been with the organisation for 22 years and has climbed the ladder from the lowest step. He seemed to be in complete control.

In the course of the discussion I told him that, I had been to his organisation many times as a customer and felt that there was tremendous scope of enhancing the footfalls and converting the existing casual footfalls into benevolent ones. I also told him about my experience in managing CSR and my personal involvement in rehabilitation of the flood victims of 2018 in Kerala.

I found myself unprepared to handle the information I was made privy to.

Heart of Gold

If what he told me was true, I was getting to know about a businessman with a heart of gold. The proprietor I was told, got about 250 houses constructed for the victims of the flood that devastated Kerala in 2018. I was told that no publicity was given to any acts of philanthropy by the individual.

With regards to the reluctance to tap the business potential inherent to casual footfalls, I was informed that peripheral activities are run not for profit, though they are not in loss. Because he was making sufficient profits in his core business activity, he continues with peripheral business activities despite inadequate ROI because a large number of families depend on it for their sustenance.  Even when he could easily maximise profits by closing down the not so attractive ones, he continues with it because it provides livelihood for a large number of people.

I think, I stumbled upon the connect that held the business model in place. 

It may be proof that even good hearts can be engines of sustainable growth.

Kudos to the big heart.

Claims & Disclaimers

1. I have never ever met the proprietor. I am not even distantly related to him.

2. I don’t have any stakes or shares in this business. 

3. I have written this article based on my personal observation and purely on the inputs gathered during the conversation with the staff. 

4. I don't expect and will not accept any remuneration for the article from this business house. 

5.The details of the philanthropic work done by the businessman have not been verified by me on ground. However, I did see photographs of the houses said to have been constructed.