He who lost Babylon
He was busy at his office. Having
returned from abroad armed with a master’s degree, he was asked to oversee two
of the smaller companies of the business empire that his family owned. He knew
that the companies were not going anywhere in spite of his best efforts. It was
on a cold evening that he received a phone call asking him to helm the entire business
group. He wondered as to why he was chosen.
To be the Chairman of a world
renowned business group was not a small responsibility. It weighed down on him
considerably. He found it difficult to convince veterans during board meetings.
He felt that he was not being taken seriously. He tried his best to reason with
the seasoned leaders. They refused to budge. One fine day, he changed the rules
of the game. He slowly started bypassing them. They were not told about
important decisions. They were made to feel irrelevant. Those who couldn’t understand
the language of subtlety was told in loud and clear terms to leave. He knew
there would be backlash and he was ready for it.
Years went by. He strived hard. He
managed to turn around some businesses. He made some smart investments. He was
leading the business empire in to the future. Soon he realized how newspapers
and public relations worked. Newspapers
wanted Ads to stay afloat. When he could control about half the revenue of the
entire private enterprise of a nation, he knew how to rein in the newsprint. He
also realized that people care more about stories than numbers. He created a
very smart story around his business empire. They told the story of ethics,
corporate social responsibility and governance around the business group. They told
similar stories for all the group companies. They told them repeatedly. Soon it
was as if no one could question the credibility of his business house.
He had friends in all the right
places – ministries, newsrooms, corporate circles and everyone that mattered.
The government felicitated him with the highest civilian honors. His business
empire grew by leaps and bounds. Along the way, he made some bad decisions. For
fear of upsetting him, not even one newspaper criticized him. His corporate
circle heaped praises on him for the failed endeavors too. Many knew that the
group was bleeding money. Everyone kept quiet.
It was time for him to retire. He
found a replacement, quiet and conscientious – more importantly not charismatic
and hence less threatening. He expected the new chairman to toe the line. The
newbie did just that in the beginning. And then, the winter set in the board
room and the relationship. He tried all the tricks in the trade. But nothing
helped. The newbie conquered the boardroom like an old
king captured Babylon. That would mean his legacy would be
threatened. His foibles would be revealed. He asked the newbie to step down. The
newbie reminded him of his younger days; how he had pushed aside the veterans
thereby implying that now he was the veteran who needs to be removed.
He had to make a decision. It is
either his legacy or his business group’s that was at stake. He knew the group
would eventually recover from the bad press. But it was upon him to guard his
legacy. He underestimated the clout of newbie. He expected everyone to sing his
praises. Alas! That was not to be.
He and his group, both stood
tainted. And he became a fallen hero.
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