WHY DO SMALL INDUSTRIES REMAIN SMALL? — PART 7
Minish Umrani (Industrial Consultant)
Mobile: 9822390363
“WE NEED A GOOD PERSON”
While working with many industries, I am often asked, “If you know a good person, please send him to us.”
They then laugh because I have previously told them that the idea of a “good person” is itself an industrial superstition.
They already know that there is no such perfect person. Yet they have a reason ready: “In a backward place like ours, intelligent students do not stay. Good students run to Pune, Mumbai, large multinationals, foreign countries or IT jobs. Where will a small industry like ours find good people? We are left with the leftovers.”
So what exactly is a “good person”?
What kind of person do we consider suitable for work?
Should he be highly educated? Should he be intelligent? And what does intelligent mean?
Should he simply listen to whatever you say, or should he think independently?
If he does only what you tell him, exactly as you tell him, you call him a follower.
But if he uses his own judgement and makes a mistake, you say, “Why didn't you ask me first?”
Isn't that true?
I have also seen entrepreneurs who speak badly about their own employees.
One respected entrepreneur once told me, using a word I will not repeat, that his workers were “X.”
I asked him, “If you already know they are X, how do you expect them to work like horses? Your expectation itself is wrong.”
Blaming your employees is like looking into a mirror and blaming yourself.
You selected those employees. You trained them to behave in the factory. They learned by observing you.
Never forget that your employees are, in many ways, small reflections of you.
On the other hand, I have met many entrepreneurs who always speak to and treat their workers with respect. Their teams naturally become good as well.
Just recently, I met a spice manufacturer who proudly told me:
“Not a single employee has left us so far. If a new employee stays for the first six months, he generally stays for the long term. I always speak respectfully, even to a helper. If you respect workers, they also work well.”
I remember working in a small factory 30–32 years ago.
One evening, the owner noticed that the accountant was sitting late doing some work. He went over and asked, “Why are you late today?”
The accountant replied, “Dada, I have been trying to balance the petty cash. Something is wrong. I cannot account for ₹20.”
I have never forgotten the owner's reaction.
He laughed loudly, sat down beside him and said, “Come, let us solve your calculation.”
They actually sat together for another hour, found the ₹20 discrepancy and then went home.
It was the first time I had seen a boss laugh openly when an employee made a mistake and then sit with him to correct it.
An entrepreneur cannot build a business alone.
He needs employees and workers.
Building a great team is therefore his responsibility.
We have an extraordinary example of this in Maharashtra's own history.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built Swarajya, and his Mavalas were prepared to give their lives for the mission.
Tanaji said, “First Kondhana, then Raiba.”
Bajiprabhu fought in the pass without caring for his own life until Shivaji Maharaj reached the fort.
These are examples from our own history.
Today nobody needs to give or take a life for a business. But an entrepreneur does need to build a team that works well, understands the work, and is inspired by a common objective.
Samarth Ramdas wrote beautifully about Shivaji Maharaj's relationship with his Mavalas:
“॥ Shivrayanche kaise chalane,
Shivrayanche kaise bolane,
Shivrayanche salagi dene kaise ase ॥”
The word “salagi dene” is particularly important.
For a worker, something can be more important than even his salary: the respect and sense of belonging he receives from the owner.
That respect must flow naturally from the owner to the worker. It must be genuine. The worker should feel warmth in the owner's behaviour.
Otherwise the respect may appear fake.
Workers may begin to feel: “The owner speaks sweetly only when he needs work done. Otherwise he does not even look at us.”
Just as you want your business to grow, your employee also wants to grow as an individual.
His growth depends significantly on you.
Every employee should have an opportunity for personal progress. Only then will he remain happy and be more likely to stay.
Employees play a major role in growing the business. Therefore, building a strong team united by a common objective is extremely important.
You do not need to search outside for the “good” person.
Believe that every employee you already have can become a good employee.
Take them into confidence and build a strong team.
Ultimately, this depends on your leadership skills.
.... PART 7 ENDS | 28 July 2024
Minish Umrani (Industrial Consultant)
Mobile: 9822390363
“WE NEED A GOOD PERSON”
While working with many industries, I am often asked, “If you know a good person, please send him to us.”
They then laugh because I have previously told them that the idea of a “good person” is itself an industrial superstition.
They already know that there is no such perfect person. Yet they have a reason ready: “In a backward place like ours, intelligent students do not stay. Good students run to Pune, Mumbai, large multinationals, foreign countries or IT jobs. Where will a small industry like ours find good people? We are left with the leftovers.”
So what exactly is a “good person”?
What kind of person do we consider suitable for work?
Should he be highly educated? Should he be intelligent? And what does intelligent mean?
Should he simply listen to whatever you say, or should he think independently?
If he does only what you tell him, exactly as you tell him, you call him a follower.
But if he uses his own judgement and makes a mistake, you say, “Why didn't you ask me first?”
Isn't that true?
I have also seen entrepreneurs who speak badly about their own employees.
One respected entrepreneur once told me, using a word I will not repeat, that his workers were “X.”
I asked him, “If you already know they are X, how do you expect them to work like horses? Your expectation itself is wrong.”
Blaming your employees is like looking into a mirror and blaming yourself.
You selected those employees. You trained them to behave in the factory. They learned by observing you.
Never forget that your employees are, in many ways, small reflections of you.
On the other hand, I have met many entrepreneurs who always speak to and treat their workers with respect. Their teams naturally become good as well.
Just recently, I met a spice manufacturer who proudly told me:
“Not a single employee has left us so far. If a new employee stays for the first six months, he generally stays for the long term. I always speak respectfully, even to a helper. If you respect workers, they also work well.”
I remember working in a small factory 30–32 years ago.
One evening, the owner noticed that the accountant was sitting late doing some work. He went over and asked, “Why are you late today?”
The accountant replied, “Dada, I have been trying to balance the petty cash. Something is wrong. I cannot account for ₹20.”
I have never forgotten the owner's reaction.
He laughed loudly, sat down beside him and said, “Come, let us solve your calculation.”
They actually sat together for another hour, found the ₹20 discrepancy and then went home.
It was the first time I had seen a boss laugh openly when an employee made a mistake and then sit with him to correct it.
An entrepreneur cannot build a business alone.
He needs employees and workers.
Building a great team is therefore his responsibility.
We have an extraordinary example of this in Maharashtra's own history.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built Swarajya, and his Mavalas were prepared to give their lives for the mission.
Tanaji said, “First Kondhana, then Raiba.”
Bajiprabhu fought in the pass without caring for his own life until Shivaji Maharaj reached the fort.
These are examples from our own history.
Today nobody needs to give or take a life for a business. But an entrepreneur does need to build a team that works well, understands the work, and is inspired by a common objective.
Samarth Ramdas wrote beautifully about Shivaji Maharaj's relationship with his Mavalas:
“॥ Shivrayanche kaise chalane,
Shivrayanche kaise bolane,
Shivrayanche salagi dene kaise ase ॥”
The word “salagi dene” is particularly important.
For a worker, something can be more important than even his salary: the respect and sense of belonging he receives from the owner.
That respect must flow naturally from the owner to the worker. It must be genuine. The worker should feel warmth in the owner's behaviour.
Otherwise the respect may appear fake.
Workers may begin to feel: “The owner speaks sweetly only when he needs work done. Otherwise he does not even look at us.”
Just as you want your business to grow, your employee also wants to grow as an individual.
His growth depends significantly on you.
Every employee should have an opportunity for personal progress. Only then will he remain happy and be more likely to stay.
Employees play a major role in growing the business. Therefore, building a strong team united by a common objective is extremely important.
You do not need to search outside for the “good” person.
Believe that every employee you already have can become a good employee.
Take them into confidence and build a strong team.
Ultimately, this depends on your leadership skills.
.... PART 7 ENDS | 28 July 2024
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