I just finished reading "Ten Commandents of Business Failure" by Donald R. Keough, the former President of Coca-cola. What an exciting account of his advices to leaders! Donald did a great job of putting complex messages in simple language - and that makes me trust him a lot because one of his commandments of business failure is "Sending Mixed Messages". You guys must read this book to know, at least, how much leaders must bend to touch the ground from their ever rising positions! I am due to attend one one-day workshop at HO at Mumbai tomorrow morning and had to reach here tonight. Since I had purchased 4 books at a go recently I thought of finishing the TCBF at Delhi before departing so that I can start my new book - Cold Steel. I was so eager to read Cold Steel that at one point I stopped reading TCBF and engrossed myself in this book. However, ratinality took over soon. I started reading TCBF to finish it as I did not want to carry two books with me to Mumbai. Well, I did finish it on time and rushed for the airport to catch the flight. Flight was generous enough to get delayed by one hour and I utlised this time to start my journey with Cold Steel.

But before I move on to say things about Cold Steel, as the rationality has just taken over, I would first give you an account of TCBF.

TCBF is a fabulous series of lessons on leadership, specifically. Its about how positively we keep pursuing negative paths without even knowing the consequences. If you are working in an organization you will get a feeling of dejavu in every chapter - every commandment - and will keep relating those commandments with so many actions you organization is taking or has taken. And believe you me, all these commandments are so simple to understand that you dont really need an ex-president of Coca-cola to tell you about them! But then who would read and respect these commandments if they come from me? Moreover, who would be able to give such a huge list of exmples for every commandment? It would actually require a person with extensive experience at different levels of the organization; and Don has that. Well, without wasting much time I will write down whatever I remember from this small yet impactful book. Since I dont carry book with me, I am giving you the commandment snapshots based on my memory and hence, the commandment serial mismatch from the way it is in the book is bound to occur.

C1 - Quit taking risk: Don says if you wish to fail in business, stop taking risk. He goes on to say that the ability to take risk among people goes down as they become successful. Leaders start enjoying the past successes and think taking any risk may erode their past success - fear. Nonetheless they lose in the process. Why? Because a huge bunch of other competitors who are willing to take risk (because they are new and have nothing to lose) start leading the way ultimately marooning these old successful chaps. (This reminds me of a saying "Success is a journey, not a destination" so you must keep on running and not stop to enjoy the destination reached so far). Don narrates the story of his own father who migrated to a new land and assumed a huge risk by not staying with a low paying job at a time when the job market was going through the gloomiest phase and there was no guarantee that the new place would provide any living to him. But his father took the risk and went on to become the most respected cattle merchandiser in the new land. Through out the book Donald has given number of examples from his father's style of working who was, in a way, his first management guru.

C2-Trusting outside experts/consultants: This one I liked the most. I actually have a strong disliking for the outside consultants who would come to you, ask few questions, know about your business from your colleagues, keep sending those mails across the company, have meetings in your conference halls at your cost, present something to you in a beautiful slide show to be presented by a high accent gentleman/woman, and tell you here are the loopholes and the wayouts! They will then take away a good moolah from you because they told you something which they heard from you all in different cabins and put that sutff together and made this cake by adding their jargons to everything possible they heard... Isnt that so stupid???

I am happy that Donald said this so that I have an authority to support my views. Don narrates the example of his own company as how they were fooled by an agency which kept on insisting, of course based on their own so called fool proof statistics, that the company must change the taste of the drink as people were eager to see a change. It did (though Donald himself was not convinced but had to bow down against those statistics) and heavily came down the customers on the new taste. People started writing criticism letters to Donald and other top leadership. But their agency kept on insisting that it is only momentary and the results will be great. However, sensing the mood of the public, the company came back with old drink and people again wrote letters to the leadersihp - this time praising them. This is how outside experts can fool you at your own price. So to fail you must take their advice.

Friends, since, it is too late and I want to attend the workshop 2moro with open eyes, I will come back to you soon with other commandments. Till then keep reading whatever is here...

Bye...