Intent, Aim, Action

Intent, Aim/Broad Goal, Specific Action – an example.

 Here is something that happened to me years ago. I was the head of our office in Bangalore. I had started the office. We started showing a profit from the very first year. 80% of our business was from one large client. I had also started pitching for business and adding new clients. Soon thereafter, I added another major client, and that changed the profile of the office.

 Appraisal time

I was reporting directly to the then Managing Director. I had expected a good appraisal that year, as we delivered on target. However, in the conversation we had, he spent more time on qualitative issues like leadership and presence. He suggested that I focused too much of my energy on internal issues. He wanted me to improve my presence with the senior management of our client companies.

This left me quite perplexed. What does one do with an intent like ‘improve presence with senior management of client companies?’

When I tried to probe the issue further with him, all he said was that I needed to introspect about this and see what I can do.

He also gave me a tip. “You will find this difficult, so you will take an ostrich approach. You will bury your head in things that make you feel comfortable. That won’t solve your problem.”

I decided to catch the bull by its horns. I met the CEOs of all our clients and tried to have a general conversation about our agency's performance on their business. Within that context, I posed this question “What do you think I could be doing better on your business?”

This discussion was a revelation. I was doing well on most businesses except the top two clients who accounted for 70% of our revenues. In both cases, the CEOs were polite but evasive. They had no complaints nor did they have anything positive to say.

It was clear that I had no presence with these two CEOs and was not even on their radar screen. I shared this with my MD.

“You have hit the nail on the head”, he said.

On reflection, I realized the following:

 1. Both of them had a lot of respect for my MD. They respected his experience, intellect, and maturity. He had earned their trust. In one case, my MD and the client built their relationship over 20 years.

 2. I was a newcomer to them, and they saw me as a local representative and not as the head of an office. I had no record of accomplishment in their business.

 3. I also realized that I never met them alone. It was always with my boss. Again, when he was there, I spoke very little. They knew nothing about me, my work or what I am capable of doing for their business.

 4. I had nothing in common with them on a social level; we were poles apart. It added to the complication.

 I realized that I had to earn the trust and respect of these two CEOs in a way that was beneficial to them. I had to make them believe that I was a useful resource for them. Therefore, that became my broad aim, arising out of the intent of building my presence with senior management of client companies!

I again spoke to my MD and told him about what my broad aim was. He had a very cryptic comment. “This is like a pious new year resolution. How are you going to do this? Do you know what are you up against?”

 “I do not understand.”

 “Do you know what obstacles you have to overcome to make this happen?”

“No, I don’t.”

 “Then you better think about it.”

 “Can you give me some advice?”

 “My prescriptions won’t work for you. This is your journey. You figure out the map and the direction.”

Then started my hunt for what will come in the way of my achieving my broad aim. I realized that there were quite a few hurdles to overcome.

 1. Both were much older than me.

 2. We had nothing in common – friends, hobbies, etc.

 3. I knew nothing about them as individuals.

 4. I had my biases against both of them.

 5. I did not know what they really thought about me.

 6. I did not know what bugged them about their work, their business, and their people.

 Then I decided on taking a few specific steps.

 1. Put together a detailed dossier on both CEOs. I want to know who they are and what made them tick. I wanted to go beyond the obvious. This was my first priority.

 2. Based on what I learned from this exercise I would find out areas of relevance – where I could leverage my strengths and do things that are useful for them. It should clearly fill the blank “Let me call Sridhar because he is the right person to help me with ----------------------“

3. I would then put together a contact strategy, which will put me on their radar screen. (How often to meet, call, write, and say what on each occasion.)

Summary

Intent: Building my presence with senior management of client companies.

Broad goal: Earn the trust and respect of these two CEOs; make them believe I am a useful resource

Specific Action:

1. Put together a detailed dossier on both CEOs. I want to know who they are what made them tick. I wanted to go beyond the obvious. This was my first priority.(Must do in the next 20 days)

2. Based on what I learned from the exercise I would find out areas of relevance – where I could leverage my strengths and do things that are useful for them. It should clearly fill the blank “Let me call Sridhar because he is the right person to help me with ----------------------“ (10 days thereafter)

3. I would then put together a contact strategy that will put me on their radar screen. (How often to meet, call, write, and say what on each occasion.) (One week thereafter)