The Secret of Success

By Madan Lamsal

Have you ever wondered why some managers are more successful than others?

It is not a secret. They have learned how to be so by investing most of their valuable times in learning the 'art of talking'. This is the most valuable asset of the present day Nepali managers. They can outdo any so-called professional manager of the world in talking.

There is a saying that the success of an individual, organization or country depends on the quality of its people. I have spoken to executives of many organizations including that of foreign countries, and asked, "If you had a magic wand and there was one thing you would want changed, that would give you cutting edge in the marketplace resulting in increased productivity and profits, what would that be?" The answer has been unanimous, "smart people." Yes, those 'smart' people who are talkative and convincing.

After that I have come to the conclusion that managers abroad can better learn from their Nepali counterparts. They know the nitty-gritty of even the smallest things. They are so smart that by using their hard-acquired skill, they know how to avoid decisions, they know all the personal details of each and every employee of the organization including those of the promoters of the company. They know how to make their company a great place for gossiping where every employee would know who is going to be the next prime minister of the country, who is Rita marrying with, why did Sarita's grandpa use to smoke and get drunk etc. etc..

William James of Harvard University once said, "The greatest discovery of any generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind." If James knew that our managers are very much aware of this fact he could write books on Nepali managers. Because Nepali managers are very prompt in changing their decisions, though not the attitude. In today's fast changing world you cannot and should not stick to your plans and objectives. That's what our managers also believe. Therefore, you don't need to fear them sticking to their decisions. If you do not believe me then you have forgotten how often the managers have changed the appointments that they fixed for you, or how many times they have postponed the payments they promised for tomorrow. The universal truth that Nepali managers have imbibed so well is, "tomorrow never comes".

I think, in the present situation, our corporate world requires managers with ability to alter their promises. People can be the biggest asset of any company if they can talk proficiently with their customers like a lover does with his beloved and promises of bringing down the stars for her. Otherwise, she would not care for him. By analogy, the customers will not care the company if its managers do not make high promises. The management Gurus keep on saying that the foundation of any good company is 'TQP', as the Japanese popularized it. Today, TQP has, however, changed and it stands for Talking Qualified People. The Gurus better learn this sooner and change the text books accordingly.

For any organization to run smoothly you need right foundation, and the foundation is TQP, talking qualified people. Most of the customer service programs teach participants to say 'please' and 'thank-you', give smiles and shake hands. But how long can a person keep on a fake smile? If one has to do it compulsorily, than it is not going to be durable one. Therefore, have TQP who by virtue of their proficiency in talking will spellbound the customers today. Who cares for tomorrow? Nobody has seen tomorrow. Therefore, don't bother about such nonsense as tomorrow or after sales service.

You know, most of the Nepali business houses nowadays hire people not because of their attitude, smartness, or knowledge of facts and figures, but because of their ability to join the heaven and the hell by talking a great deal so as to keep the customers lingering. That means, nobody is going to be able to stop these farsighted companies from taking the world market by storm in the near future.

If the ability of talkativeness, which is our national character today, is such a critical factor for success, shouldn't you try to hone it up further?