Anupam- The Dreamer

A body without a soul, an organization without organisational values (it’s soul), work without involvement (it’s soul), pursuing anything without a purpose (it’s soul), is as lifeless as a deadwood. Without the soul or the core thing, every other factor that determines the outer characteristics of these things is a farce and a sham. Without the soul, it fails to make a difference and touch the hearts of the people. It may seem hard to understand, so let’s start with an example first.

What is the differentiating factor between Ferrari team and other teams in Formula 1 race? Just ponder over this for a moment…Every other team has the similar set of talented engineers, drivers, manufacturing and testing facilities, tracks, sponsors and bla bla bla. Yet, the followers of Ferrari (called Tifosi) outnumber any other team like Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Aston Martin etc. The Tifosi are mad about Ferrari and their love for the team goes deep down their hearts. The reason? Because the Team Ferrari has a soul, that goes back to the times of its founder Enzo Ferrari. Everything about the company like the passion of its founder, its rich racing legacy, it’s unique love for red colour, its prancing horse logo, its design and craftsmanship, its limited manufacturing, the emotional appeal of its admirers is what makes Ferrari special. As The great F1 champion Sebastian Vettel once remarked that “Everyone is a Ferrari fan. Even if they say they are not, they are Ferrari fans”. This kind of loyalty and legacy can’t be built by other any team, and it can’t be bought in the market by paying millions! Because when you put your heart and soul into making the car and driving it, there is nothing you can’t do! Winning races then just becomes a by-product.

Similarly, the love for cricket in majority of the Indians is because of the rich legacy of the game in the country and the legendary players. Cricket is more than just sport for many people, because it evokes deep emotions in the fans. The fans still remember the knock of Sachin or Dhoni or Kohli in any particular match, and they have so emotionally invested themselves in it, that they can leave everything to watch the match on their TV or mobiles. They can fire crackers with every big win of India and they can also be sad for the whole next day if India loses a big match as if it is their personal defeat. Such a craze is not commanded by any sport in the country till date. The reason? Because their idols like Sachin, Dhoni or Kohli have put in so much devotion, talent and excitement in the game, that it is hard for anyone to not feel the same when watching them play. They have put in their hearts and souls into the game and it is this very thing that makes the cricket lovers go gaga.

Similar thing I have noticed in great organizations like TATA. What makes them different from other thousands of organizations that came, that survived for a short time and then perished? It is the core organizational values of the founder Jamsetji Tata that have been deeply imbibed in the company. The values of trusteeship, quality, trust, concern for all stakeholders, creating wealth for everyone in the society, welfare initiatives, focus on human resource, define the soul of the TATAs. You can feel it when you work for any of the Tata Group company. You feel these values in their leadership, its work culture, its people. It is next to impossible to not get a brush of these values when you are working with such inspirational and caring leadership. The stories of the founder Jamsetji Tata, then JRD Tata, then Ratan Tata, and other leadership are so inspiring in itself, that they automatically command your respect and love for the company. And when the people love their company, then miracles happen! The trust and loyalty that I have seen in the employees of Tata is very difficult to find in the corporate world and it can only be cultivated and cannot be bought. I was once telling someone that “You can take out the person from Tata company, but you can never take out Tata from that person again”.

I was so inspired to join Tata Steel way back in 2012, that even before joining I started reading so much about the organization. I read to the extent of the meaning of the word “Tata”. And when we went for a visit to the ‘Centre for Excellence’ in Jamshedpur immediately after joining, I asked the person telling us about the rich history that-Does Tata mean “hot-tempered”? And his eyes suddenly lit up in surprise and awe. He asked me where did I read that, to which I told that I read it somewhere on the internet. He was so impressed that he asked my name and gave me special attention in the group of trainees from that moment onwards. Then, the person was showing us the multiple generations of the Tata family (which I think was more than 20 generations). Then, I was intrigued how come they know about so many generations? When I asked him the question, he was amazed and told me that it was an amazing question. Then, he went on to tell that Tatas were from the family of Parsi priests. And the family of priests keeps the records diligently, hence they know the names of so many generations. Some of my friends complain and even make mockery of my love for the Tatas. But, that love and loyalty goes much deeper at the level of soul, something they probably can’t understand without reading about the rich legacy and organizational values of the legendary people that built the company with their hearts and souls. And because of this, the company has survived over 100 long years.

A few days back I went to Mayfair Lake Resort in Raipur for a conference. The Resort is strikingly different from the other hotels or resorts that I have visited till date. From the moment I stepped in, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the beautifully carved artefacts, each one unique and different, which adorned the galleries and walkways. Every statue, every piece of decoration, the careful attention to details, the architecture, the aroma around the reception, the lake view, the lush greenery etc. was so exquisite and so damn beautiful that it gave an amazing feeling to be engrossed in the blissful, picturesque and serene environment of the place. The resort has artefacts assembled from various places, mostly from Odisha, but you wouldn’t have seen anything like them ever before in any hotel or resort. This resort had a soul, which made it unique from others. You could sense it when you walk around or even in the rooms. It was not like any other standardised hotel room, it had all the essential things, yet it had a different vibe of its own. I was intrigued to know more about the place, so I interacted with some of the staff who told me that it has a library too! Library in the hotel!!!! That’s pretty unique! I immediately found out where it was. When I went there, there was no one, so the staff accompanying me switched on the lights and fan for me. Then, I sat there to read a Coffee Table Book on its founder- Dilip Ray ji. And slowly, I began to realize the imprint of the values, likings and taste of its founder, who created it like a “hotel with a soul”. For him, this was not just a business, rather it was an expression of his immense love for the culture of Odisha, his home state, his interest for art and culture, and empowering his employees with a source of livelihood. In this resort, you see many of the Odiya employees, some employees from nearby states, who were not as fluent in Hindi/English, or super-skilled like other 5-star hotels. Yet, they were polite, well-behaved and caring. I loved interacting with the gardener there, Kamleshwar Dhruv, who told me insights about his interaction with Dilip Ray, like Mr. Ray is so humble that he even taught him how to water the plants starting from leaves first so that leaves are also cleaned and the water coming down will automatically go to the roots. The loyalty of the employees could be seen in their eyes. It was the soul of the founder being reflected in every nook and corner of the resort and even in the people around.

This “soul” is what differentiates a dead entity from a living entity. Similar to a human body, if there is a soul, then it is everything about life. Otherwise, bereft of the soul, we would just be as good as dead. Even if we are able to survive, then there will not be any passion, devotion and enthusiasm to do good things.  It is the vital energy that invigorates the spirit of life and gives it expression, for it to shine manifold in all we see, we say and we do. I have given you a few examples, you can see it for yourself in the things that you find beautiful, lively and full of energy. I am sure you will find some kind of “soulful energy” out there. Because soul and life are just the two sides of the same coin. Without soul, there is no life and without life, there is nothing! Period.