Boomerang

Lately Mrs Shalini Bhatia was mighty deranged. All the time she was feeling somewhat let down.

Even in the ladies’ club parties she had suddenly started feeling pretty left out. The ladies club mainly consisted of the wives of the senior executives of the company Victory Incorporation. The importance of the members of the ladies club depended on the importance of their husbands in the company. The annual promotion time of the husbands used to present the most trying time for their wives. If the husband got promoted, the wife of that executive used to feel elated and her status in the ladies club would soar high all of a sudden. And the lady whose husband did not get promoted used to feel ashamed of herself (and her husband) and was treated lowly. In short, the hierarchical level was very important for these ladies and that squarely depended on how much promotion potential their husbands had.

During past couple of seasons, Mrs Shalini Bhatia’s husband could not impress the top management of the company and was left behind as compared to his contemporaries in the company who got promoted faster than him. Earlier times, it used to be the other way round. Mr Anubhav Bhatia was the star of the sales division of the organization. And therefore, Mrs Shalini Bhatia was a star too.

Mr Anubhav Bhatia was personally picked up from an outside organization by the managing director Mr Victor Darbari. Anubhav had impressed Victor Darbari in his employment interview and was taken in the company some eight years ago as a sales engineer. Within a short span, he got promoted to various senior levels and his present designation was deputy general manager (sales). But after reaching at this level a couple of years ago, his progress experienced a brake. And subsequently for consecutive three promotion seasons he did not get a promotion and not even a raise in the salary.

He had obviously fallen out of Victor Darbari’s favors. He and his wife were trying to research into this stalemate. Anubhav felt that he was meeting the sales targets assigned to him though could not go beyond them as per his earlier reputation. But then couple of others in his division had got promoted despite their similar performance. So, he was bit confused. Then Mrs Shalini Bhatia came out with her theory. She thought that she was one of the most presentable and beautiful lady of the ladies club and many ladies including Victor Darbari’s wife used to feel threatened due to this fact. Shalini pouted and said, “Now how can I help? I am made this way; it’s none of my fault. If others feel jealous, it’s their problem.”

Anubhav replied, “But darling, others include managing director’s wife- you got to remain close to her.”

Shalini was pretty street smart types and she understood what the husband hinted. She agreed, “Yes, I appreciate what you say. Here onwards, I will try to get closer to her. But that’s only half the story. You will have to work on Victor also. Your relationship with him has been pretty intimate. After all, as per Victor’s claim it is he who found you and he has enjoyed many accolades due to your performance in the past.”

Anubhav suddenly felt enlightenment, “Oh, that’s that. I have not been giving that kind of enjoyment and pleasure to Victor lately for past three years in succession despite his several hints to me and so, others in the division have taken my place and pleased Victor. And worse- whenever Victor hinted at me, I ended up arguing with him as to why sales could not be stepped up with the current product mix. Victor does not like my arguments; he gets cheesed off. And that has been happening for quite some time now. I never realized but now I guess that my questioning him has not gone on well with him; after all he is the managing director and I am just a deputy general manager. I should have remembered that. No one else argues with him but me. Since we had developed an intimacy of sorts and had worked together so closely with each other over many years, I have been pretty open with him in my discussions. I am a fool; I should not have done it. And on top of that you have been acting like a beauty queen in the ladies club. Victor’s wife must have definitely mentioned about it to Victor.”

Shalini was quite unhappy, she complained, “OK. OK. But all of this has created problems. These others have been promoted as general managers and let me tell you, that’s the real level in this company. They have been allotted company’s palatial bungalows and we are stuck with this rented apartment. They have recently upgraded their cars too. Our car is too small and old fashioned. They have been given the latest mobile phones and you are still carrying something that even our maid servant possesses. Frankly, I have started feeling too small these days. You must work on Victor. You are still on intimate terms with him. Why don’t you meet him when he is in a relaxed mood outside the office and have a heart to heart chat with him. For what all you did for him all these years, you can always demand a promotion to general manager’s level as a return favor to you, just one promotion. Tell him that you will not ask any more promotions from him. But he must promote you to general manager designation this coming season which is just around the corner.”

So, Mrs Shalini Bhatia and Mr Anubhav Bhatia strategized.

And finally Abubhav found an occasion when he thought that Victor must be in a real relaxed mood. He was at the airport waiting for the announcement of his flight. And he found that Victor too was at the airport. He prayed for Victor to travel in the same aircraft with him. Then he could find lots of relaxed time in the business class with him.

To his luck Victor boarded the same flight. As they settled down in their seats, Anubhav got up and went up to Victor and said, “Hi, what a surprise, you are on the same flight.”

Victor said, “Yes, my program always gets formed at the last moment.”

Anubhav lost no time and announced, “Can I have a personal chat with you? It’s pretty personal and I could do so here without taking your time in the office.”

Victor hesitated a bit but he had no alternative but to accede to Anubhav’s request. Seat next to Victor’s was not occupied and so he sat down there. After a few minutes after the take off, he started talking with Victor.

He rattled out everything the way it was planned between him and Shalini.

After he finished, Victor showed a surprise, “I never ever thought that you and Shalini were so hard up to get that blessed general manager designation. You definitely must be knowing that I cannot deny your personal request any time and now particularly coming out to me with so many emotions. But it’s going to upset my organization structure and division of responsibilities quite a bit which I just don’t like; I hate it rather. But on the other hand I cannot upset you and Shalini. So, have your way. Congratulations; I promote you as general manager. I will instruct HR division to do the paper work.”

Anubhav was in seventh heaven already. He was the general manager now and would soon get company’s palatial bungalow, upscale car and the brand new latest model of cell phone and many more perquisites. In this excitement he could not fully fathom the seriousness of the undertones of Victor’s communication with him. Victor further expressed it in terms of his body language that he was not interested in any further communication with him. He just closed the eyes pretending that he went to sleep.

As soon as the aircraft landed at its destination, Anubhav rang Shalini and congratulated her. She started dreaming of her new hierarchical position in the ladies club.

After that the things started toughening up for Anubhav. Victor promoted him as general manager alright but in doing so, Victor had to disturb his plans significantly which he did not like. As a fallout of all this, he allotted Anubhav a very small portfolio of selling some new trial products of the company (which was a very tough job and Anubhav just did not have any experience in it) and gave him a small contingent of manpower. He set pretty ambitious targets for Anubhav for the next three years.

Anubhav could not meet the targets the first year, he was way below them. Victor called him and reprimanded and reminded him that he expected lot more at the rank of a general manager. The second year was not any good for Anubhav. Victor repeated his reprimand and the reminder about his general manager position and the expectations attached to it.

Anubhav realized that though he had a better designation, better salary and perquisites, he was totally on an unfamiliar territory and his span of operation and control had reduced dramatically. He was not quite satisfied with the situation despite getting the designation he and his wife had chased.

Before the end of third year, Anubhav knew that his ouster from the company was imminent and he started the job hunt for himself very seriously.

Related Books

1. "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World" (available from Amazon, get it online as a paperback or an eBook)

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2. "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Volume 2)" (available from Amazon, get it online as a paperback or an eBook)

Read many more management anecdotes/management case studies in the eminent author Shyam Bhatawdekar's best selling book "Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Volume 2)" available online from Amazon as an eBook as well as a printed book.

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