A TRUE Story of EVOLVING & THRIVING. I am So humbled, proud, touched and thrilled at the same time!


The following letter was sent to a board member (Steve D.) of a manufacturing company in India who kindly shared it with me. I have masked / replaced the name of the company and individuals to ensure privacy. Additionally, the LATEST PROGRESS based on a Sept. 26 email also follows. 

___________________________________________ 

 Dear Steve,

 

I wish to thank you for gifting me the book "Caterpillar's Edge". This book may transform our company into a success.

 

Initially, when I started reading the book, I felt that it was indeed for big companies and my interest was more from intellectual view point.  However, as I got into the thick of it, I realized that I could relate this book to the story or lack of it at MASKED CO. I started having intense discussion with Vikram as well as Avinash as what is truly wrong with MASKED CO. and what is missing. Since Vikram is also reading this book, he could also relate to the same.

 

We realized that MASKED CO., though a 20-year-old company, has never transformed from a caterpillar to butterfly and all our solutions to problems seem like to assume the other way around. While the company is going through losses, quarter after quarter, year after year and have recorded 16 quarters without profit, the management team looks relatively contented and has all explanations for why we fail (most reasons are wrong). Vikram seem to have accepted the reality and feel satisfied based on his optimism and hope that new orders and or products will bail out the company in the near future. Directors on the other hand looks frustrated but hope that Vikram is right and will come and help the company should he seek for the help. As a result, organization chucks along, make losses again, we express disappointment and keep moving. Every now and then we get some news, through some event that shocks us and indicates that the organization is dysfunctional, but then we accept explanation from management and patch the event and keep quiet. All these events and quarterly failures and rejections from the field and key customers are tail -tail signs of something grossly wrong in the organization, but we at director level hope that funds are the solution and putting funds will self-correct the problem. Surprisingly the organization looks content and feels fine with it and keeps its moral high. 

 

All this points to the fact that we have evolved into a culture of failure and it will continue till we run out of money. We have invested millions during last one year and another many times over in previous three years with same results. 

 

This book helped me take a new look at the whole company working and left me thinking that our company has never really never transformed. We need to transform the company culture to a winning culture. That means transform MASKED CO’s caterpillar into a butterfly.   

 

Further discussion revealed that we do not need funds or new market or new employees, or new products. As the book describes, we need to apricate our reality. We need to take this current team, with current products, technology, plant and resources and undergo grilling to change our mindset as well as approaches to transform the entire company into a lean and mean machine, hungry for a win and demanding performance at every level. We want a total transformation of attitude. 

 

We also recognized that the transformation will not be easy and will require a rough ride for all. It will be painful (Ego, self-respect, accepting real causes of failures, hard work, etc.) and could lead to disruption. We have a lot of old habits and beliefs. We are now confident that to win we must break from the past. We do not seem to have any choice. 

 

Ravi - Vikram - Avinash had a series of brainstorming meeting to focus on how we could generate The Caterpillar's edge. We started talking to employees and started taking their inputs and started going deep into the organizational working. Relationships, working methods and started shaping up our views on how to proceed. 

 

Next, we created a 90 days strategic plan that would transform the MASKED CO. to butterfly (Caterpillar's Edge book take a large credit in shaping the strategies). This was a broad plan and we were ready to modify the same as we get more inputs from ground up. 

 

We created a team of three senior employees who shared our views and approach that we plan to take and see if they want to be part of the driving force for company transformation. They also understood clearly that the next 90 days will be tough but would transform us into a winning team. 

 

We hired a trainer Mr. PD who had done some work with our “THE OTHER CO.” after 2008 fire. PD will work with directors as well as senior managers and will take several half-day session that would help individual as well as teams to sharpen their approach to things. Goal at lower level was fast and sharp decisions focused towards company goals.

 

On Jan 2nd, 2017, we called the whole MASKED CO. team and launched the program.

 

Now, two weeks have passed since we launched the program, I see, increased activities in the group and a good chance that we will make this quarter Jan - March 2017 a profitable one. 

 

It is still work in progress. Thanks again for sharing the book. Any inputs from you will be highly appreciated. 

 

Best, Ravi

 

________________________________

LATEST PROGRESS – based on September 26 email to me

 

Sid,

 

Update from MASKED CO. It has been nine months since we introduced structural changes in the company based on inputs from your book. All these three quarters have been profitable (vs 20 preceding quarters of losses in the past). Equally important, company moral, overall transparency, ability to make complex decisions, quick decision making, program focus, all have shown improvement. When we walk around the company, most employees are able to articulate their individual goals in relation to corporate goals. Board meetings are more effective and debates are more intense and thus more productive. 

 

Ravi

 

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