This is the ‘win with stories’ newsletter. Every week I send an email with a short story wrapped around a message. I also share an actionable tip and recommendation to enhance your storytelling skills.
Life keeps changing, and sometimes things can get tough. What is it that sees us through the good and the bad times?
Values see us through. Here is a story of a rarity in Indian business, a values oriented leader.
Adi Godrej and the elevator.
Godrej Consumer Products Ltd announced its quarterly results that day. Mr. Adi Godrej asked me if all the press calls were done.
Still in awe of the man’s stature, I only managed to mumble, “Yes, sir.”
I walked with him from his office to the elevator at Godrej Bhavan in Mumbai.
I offered to carry his suitcase. He politely refused, thanked me for my work and took the stairs on his way down.
One of the staffers came up to me, and said, “He never lets anyone else carry his stuff. And he almost always takes the stairs to his office on the sixth floor.”
I felt slightly embarrassed about having taken the elevator earlier that day 🙂
Working with Mr. Godrej for his press interviews was a wealth of learning. I was a fresh and unpolished PR professional. But he was always respectful and comfortable to work with.
CEOs are known to be inaccessible. But ABG(as we used to call him) was always available to his employees, partners and press. And if there is one quality I hope I had learnt better from him, then it would be his punctuality. He respected everyone else’s time and his own.
In an age of fads, people like ABG are timeless classics that never go out of style.
Have you got a chance to work with a leader like him? Do share.
Now for today’s communication tip:
The power of repetition:
There was an interesting thing Mr. Godrej did during his press interviews. He used simple statements and repeated them in one interview after another. It took me a while to realise that by design or by default, he understood the power of repetition.
We always want to say something new. Be it our employees, clients and investors. But, repeating simple messages and improving on them is a far more effective process.
One video you could watch today:
Back in 2019, Shekhar Gupta of The Print did a ‘Cut the Clutter’ on Youtube. It was about Adi Godrej’s bold remarks on social disharmony, unemployment and taxes. You can watch the video here.
But Mr. Godrej speaking his mind was nothing new. In the eight years that I worked with him, he would make his view known. He never felt the need to succumb to the narrative of the day. And that kind of honesty is a hallmark of great leaders.
The Print’s video will give you a lot more insights than it directly intends to. Do watch it.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of ‘win with stories’ newsletter. Have a question about your startup, SMB or personal brand’s story? Feel free to reply here or connect with me on Linkedin or Twitter.
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Cheers.
Sachin.
