Lessons from Vamsi

While I was in Coke, Vamsi was my first boss and thinking back I guess he was clearly the best I had. He taught me some very valuable lessons that remain with me to this day.

Unlike most companies today, Coke used to have an internship program before we were formally assigned to a role. After my internship was over Vamsi addressed our batch of Coca Cola newbies and made two points to us:

1. Know your business financials.

2. Keep in touch with people.

He was big shot director and here I was, a lowly newbie. Initially it was quite intimidating but in the end it worked out quite well. He used give very clear directions on what the end objective was and then it was for me to figure the details and get it done. The clarity of his directions meant that half my work was done even before I started. 

Lest I forget, I am recording these five instances that made the most impact on me as a person:

1. Communications: As a director he wasn't expected to make his own slides but he always did. So once I asked him as to why he did so, and he replied that it was his job to manage the communication with the organization just as it was my job to take care of the details. And boy he was a bloody good communicator. His slides were concise and a pleasure to read and the key messages always stood out. 

2. Humility and capability development: As a newbie there were times when there was a lot to do. And at that point of time Shivani joined us as a newer newbie ;) She had great enthusiasm and commitment but being so new myself I often found it easier to get things done myself rather than to take the pains to explain things and monitor her. 

One of those days when I was working late Vamsi dropped in unannounced for a quick brainstorming session. Shivani jumped in and said something that I didn't like. I now don't remember the specifics but after Vamsi left, I gave her a piece of my mind and immediately regretted doing so. She was merely trying to be of use and my reaction visibly hurt her and what was worse was that Vamsi overheard me. 

Vamsi never said a word to me but the next day he spent half an hour explaining the details to Shivani. That was a very unforgettable and humbling experience for me and greatly influenced the way I treated my team.

3. Trust your team: I was working on a system and I had a perspective on how things had to be done, which unfortunately was very different from what Vamsi thought. I spent sometime explaining but soon he interjected and pointed that I was doing a bad job with the explanations. Then there was a huge pause and he looked at me point blank and asked me if I was sure of what I was doing. I replied in the affirmative and he gave me the go ahead and fortunately the project turned out to be very well. It would have been very easy for him to overrule me and get things done the way he wanted. But he gave me a chance and in process made me feel empowered.

4. Facing challenges: Much later in Singapore, I was facing a challenging time and he was there for a stopover. He already knew my situation and his point was that its important to face those challenges as they harden you for later life. That one comment had changed my perspective on the subject, and now I am generally a lot more optimistic about life.

5. Family time: After I was married Vamsi came over to meet me and my wife. And he said that there is a difference between reaching home at 6 and 7pm. If you reach at 7 or later then you do chores and before you realize its time to sleep. However if you reach home before 6 then you actually get to spend time with your kids and family.