In these pages Newman and Hotchner recount the picaresque saga of their own nonmanagement adventure
From the Blurb, “Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of Common Good”
As mentioned in the blurb, this book is about how two unconventional friends built a all natural food empire, with a difference, by giving away all profits to charity every year and start all over again. It gives a hilarious account of how they got the idea, built on it and finally expanded it like mad, all of it, contrary to experts’ advice. The book also presents various feedbacks that sampled their products and enjoyed their generosity.
It’s a must read for any fan of Paul Newman and Philanthropy.
In the queer mess of human destiny the determining factor is Luck. For every important place in life there are many men of fairly equal capacities. Among them Luck divides who shall accomplish the great work, and who shall fall back in obscurity and silence.
Movies and the process of movie making are great sources for learning or refreshing management and leadership concepts. Tom Reilly is one such true believer. He presents several management themes drawn from his decades of experience in Hollywood, and how they can be applied to any similar situations across industries.
Movie industry is highly competitive and for most of the work force, their work is project based. The results of their contribution are out on a Friday so to speak, and everyone is on their toes to deliver their best. Further, success or failure literally guarantees their next project of the opposite of it. So, they are fairly motivated. This is very different from a salaried work force situation, but Tom Reilly makes sure that there is a good correlation with such non-filmy worlds.
A must read for management enthusiasts and professionals alike, with solid takeaways, especially related to people management and project management.
Themes covered
Invert Control
What
“Small changes in the way directives are worded, can alter outcomes significantly”
How
Reframe the specific wording of directives to better achieve desired outcomes
Evaluate and mage structural changes accordingly
Outcome
Increased efficiency and productivity
Smooth functioning
A Safer workplace
Begin to Build Tensile Strength
What
“Focusing on collective team strength rather than on individual weaknesses”
How
Create segmented jobs and discrete tasks
Creative ways to manipulate geography to increase contact across teams
Set common goals
A keystone manager who functions without a personal agenda or bias
Result
Better communication flow
Greater chance of overall success
Engineer Epic Trust
What
“A high level of trust between those managing and those being managed”
How
Make sure the manager is emergent (by virtue of respect from the team) as well as assigned (by virtue of authority) leader
Extreme task segmentation to the extent possible
Small wins and progress loops
Outcome
Greater chance of successful task completion
Higher confidence and cohesion
Replicate the “Oscar Effect”
What
“Creating a highly self-motivated workforce improves outcomes across all success metrics”
How
Create a feeling of ownership and accountability for the quality of what you produce in the workplace (sense of pride follows)
A way to emphasize the sense of pride in work.
Embed novel experiences and growth opportunities for all employees
Provide some degree of public- or industry level scrutiny and recognition.
Outcome
Automated motivational synchronicity (Ron Friedman) across the spectra—doing work on hand (by virtue of systems and processes) to doing it better (by virtue of innovation)
Enhancement of Productivity and Profit
Accommodate Employees
What
“Benefit packages and employee accommodations are a big factor in employee motivation, and getting them right is complicated”
How
Review and put in place the basic benefits and accommodations—as per statutory and industry standards
Go beyond by identifying the true motivators and eliminate/modify as needed.
Make sure to get the individual benefits right and package them well.
Outcome
Higher employee engagement, motivation and better retention rates
Greater respect for management
Higher productivity
Bank Equity with Your Labour Force
What
“Banking equity with your team/s as a future encashable asset”
How
Understand that small gestures often mean more than big ones
Respect individual differences and expression of their individuality
Trade favors in a judicious and self-serving manners
Be authentic and genuine (true to your character)
Create team-wide “I am Sparctacus” moments
Result
Improved relationship between management and work force.
Optimize and Exploit Diversity
What
Optimizing and exploiting diversity is good for the bottom line.
How
View diversity—race, gendger,age, ethnicity, education, background and the like—as an asset, not a ‘management problem’
Expect adhoc and abnormal power shits (virtue of their diversity) and accommodate accordingly.
Learn to tolerate, not ridicule, inconsistencies.
Outcome
Greater innovation
Greater representation from the society.
Find the Hard Corners
What
Identifying the hard corners (aka eat the frog ; things we need to do that require lot of effort/planning or things that have to be done prior to anything else) that frame a decision is a simple way to set parameters and limit options in decision making
How
Take the time to isolate the hard corners in an decision making situation or at the start of the project during planning phase
Incorporate the hard corners into your forward-moving strategy
Recognize that in cases where there is no single right decision or options, a decision is often better than no decision, as it moves you forward.
Result
Enables an effective project planning and a streamlined, expedited decision making process.
Adopt a Crisis-Management Model
What
Not every problem is a crisis, even though it can feel that way.
How
Set up your won Richter scale to assess the gravity of individual problem
When facing a genuine crisis use the rubric—objectify (around a hard corner), contain (the damage) and act (swiftly)—to structure a response
Outcome
Separates the small problems from big ones
Stabilizes situations in a very productive, forward-moving manner.
Modulates response and prevents over-or under reaction.
Provides structure and logical direction for fast and efficient problem and crisis resolution
Reduce stress and assures better results
Remember to Lead as well as Manage
What
Employees want and expect both active day-to-day management and real leadership.
How
Lead as well as manage
Be decisive
Look for step up opportunities to lead
Recognize that you will have conflicting loyalties
Lead with confidence
Practice compromise like it’s your religion
Defuse volatile situations
Have Humility
Trust the process
Manage above as well as below you
Always be closing.
Outcome
Stronger, more cohesive teams
Higher efficiency
Greater chance for positive results
Excerpt from the book
People working in other industries also face similar conflicts of interest and competing allegiances-loyalty split between up per management, board members, investors, stockholders, outside clients, customers, and, of course, the team they are managing, as well as any self-serving interests of their own if their jobs are not structured as keystone positions. A measurement of a good manager is someone who can handle the day-to-day issues of scheduling, work flow, and delegation while fostering an atmosphere of high motivation, high productivity, and creative problem-solving with efficiency and decorum. But a measurement of a good leader is someone who sees past those day-to-day responsibilities, who understands the shifting nature of his or her loyalties, and who knows who and what to stand up for and why.
CBI 5: The Brain is a 2022 (Directed by K.Madhu) released recently in theatres, stars the veteran actor Mammootty reprising his role as CBI officer Sethurama Iyer along with an ensemble cast. It is the fifth instalment of CBI film series. It’s a good time to revisit the first movie where it all began, streaming now on Disney Hotstar.
Oru CBI Diary Kurippu, is a murder investigation led by a methodical and shrewd CBI officer—Sethurama Iyer, brilliantly essayed by Mammotty. The film kicks off with the death of a daughter-in-law in a household, followed by a police investigation declaring it a suicide and the case being handed over to CBI due to daughter-in-law’s family’s repeated appeals to higher authorities.
The film released in 1988 still packs a punch in terms of storytelling and terrific acting. Mammootty has to be singled out, for his portrayal of a hero who has all the authority, yet lets the job and its process decide the course. (A big lesson to all the stars and actors today, to submit themselves to the story and characterisation, instead of resorting to ‘mass’ tactics) Mammotty lets the story build on its own and saves the best for the last. Pages can be written about his acting style and how his character has been conceived, here are just a few.
In one of the character’s introduction scenes Mammotty speaks to his family over the phone and cajoles his son to attend the school with a promise of chocolates. In one simple scene, the writer establishes the main character’s priorities (his family and profession)and his working style (using force or authority only when it is absolutely needed)
When his team is on board he communicates clearly how they will proceed with the case—the process they will follow sequentially. That first they will check if corruption took place in the previous police investigation; Second, they will make sure if it were a murder instead of a suicide; Third, re-investigate the whole case to nab the criminal. This scene lays out the framework of his modus operandi as he himself calls it and also the writer in the background who establishes what the hero will do next.
The writer and actor establish the character’s method and what he thinks about their roles in two brilliant scenes. In one scene, he asks his team not to react to an outburst of a suspect at their guesthouse and ‘focus’ on the job on hand. In another, he presents his open-mindedness and objectivity in taking the feedback from his team member (Suresh Gopi) and acts on it.
The character of Sethurama Iyer is established as a person who practices what he preaches. There are a few brilliant scenes where Mammootty brushes aside references his caste both as a threat and an attempt to establish kinship, and looks for facts. ‘Focus on the job’ and ‘Objectivity’, both these characteristics come to the fore and vintage Mammotty just uses his persona and body language to present these intrinsic qualities. These scenes are as powerful as a hero beating the goons to a pulp.
Mammootty the star comes to the fore when he does use his force when cracking a hard nut as he calls it in an interrogation scene. And finally, in the climax when he decides to tighten the noose on the killer and conclude the investigation, he displays the shades of a true commercial hero.
All of the above are a treat to watch as the hero unfolds himself during the course of the movie, and the movie becomes a true origin movie at that. And, a guiding light to the writers to present heroism as a part of the story and that a ‘hero’ doesn’t have to do overt scenes as a display of his power or process. Such writing effort, of course needs an actor of the calibre of Mammotty who can beat the living daylights out of anyone by a mere look.
This film was remade in Telugu with Dr.Rajasekhar in the lead (‘Nyayam kosam’) and in Hindi with Raj Kumar (‘Police Public’). One should check out these movies to get an idea as to how the original idea sometimes gets lost in translation…how a genuine inspiration is allowed to vaporise and transformed into something else, in the name of nativity.
Tailpiece: Eddie Murphy starrer ‘Beverly Hills Cop’(1984) presents an unconventional and an entertaining cop, and is worth a revisit (Streaming on Amazon Prime), which is also famous for its signature tune, the Axel theme. Btw, ‘Oru CBI Diary Kurippu’ theme music is top notch as well.
