Interview with Subash Bidare for Page 3

Interview with Subash Bidare for Page 3 (Nov 07)

SUBASH J BIDARE

(Alumnus Class of 1998 IBS BANGALORE..)

Regional Director South Asia & Country Manager India

MTI Consulting

IBSAF: Briefly tell us about yourself & your work?

Subash: Am currently the Country Manager of MTI Consulting – an international business strategy & marketing consulting firm with offices in 10 countries having done consulting work in more than 30 product/service categories across 32 countries. I was instrumental in setting up the Indian operations of MTI and am also a brand consulting specialist for the South Asia region. Currently MTI in India is working with clients like the Madura Garments of the Aditya Birla Group, Modi Group, Marico, Fashion brands like Satya Paul, Samsaara, etc.

Before MTI Consulting, I was with Vertebrand Management Consulting for five & half years – where I started as an Associate Consultant & when I left I was Sr Manager – Marketing Services. I started my career with Quality Research Group – into Consumer / Market Research, Consulting & Executive Coaching.

IBSAF: Tell us a bit about yourself and your family background

Subash: I was born in Hassan in Karnataka, studied & started working in Bangalore. I have lived in Delhi for a couple of years when in Vertebrand. In the last 2 years I have mostly lived out of my suitcase traveling across South Asia & Middle East on work.

My father is a banker, my mother is a homemaker, my sister is a Chartered Accountant and my brother in law is a doctor. I live with my parents in Bangalore (its more like my home is in Bangalore – I largely live in hotels, airports, flights, taxis & offices) & my sister + BIL live in London.

IBSAF: How has your career progressed after passing out of IBS (look back at your sojourn in IBS)

Subash: Career has progressed well – I stated in research, moved to brand consulting and then moved to strategy consulting at an international level. At each level it was a different experience & I have enjoyed every day of it. When I was in IBS – I was once told that I wouldn’t be a good consultant by a visiting professor who taught us Management Consulting. Here I am with 7 years in consulting.

IBSAF: With your kind of profile, you must be faced high pressure situation very often, How were able to overcome them?

Subash: High pressure situations are part of everyday life. You have to have a definite plan for everything & everything has to be done according to plan. At the end of it all your confidence in your abilities to pull things off is what makes the difference.

IBSAF: How do you balance work and family (time spent with your family)

Subash: I have been basically poor on this front. Over the last 5 years I have made very few friends – & struggled to keep the existing friendships… some how I haven’t been able to dedicate enough time towards this. On the other hand I have many many acquaintances – in fact far more people than I can handle.

Am still a bachelor – difficult for relationships to grow as most of the time I don’t have time or am not in town. My parents on one hand are happy that my work life is happening & on the other they are sad that they don’t get to see me at all. My mom once complained “You arrive late at night from a different city & will leave early in the morning to another city – why do you come home at all cant you get your laundry done in the hotels you stay?”. In another instance my boss quipped “How was your visit to Bangalore?”.

So if you asked me about balance – right question – but am the wrong person to answer it!

IBSAF: Why is your idea of relaxations(or de-stressing as it is called lately)

Subash: I let the stream off by traveling, trekking, partying… work hard – party harder is the way I look at it.

IBSAF: What has been your biggest lesson so far in life

Subash: Believe in yourself & your belief will make ANYTHING happen through smart work & conscious efforts.

IBSAF: Which is the Sector which can expect a big future apart from Finance and IT sector in India and globally? Can you share your vision of the future of our Country during the next decade?

Subash: In India I feel sectors like Tourism & Hospitality, Real Estate, Research & Development, Entertainment, etc are already up but still have a lot of stream left in them.

Coming to your second question – I think its better left to delinquent politicians & bureaucrats to make news headlines. I think the country will progress at an unprecedented rate & its upto all of us to take a piece of it.

IBSAF: How connected are you with you friends an batch mates at IBS

Subash: I am connected to my batch mates on email, phone & networking sites.

IBSAF: Your Advice to fellow alumni embarking upon their careers especially in your field

Subash: Smart work, logical thinking & a limitless mind will take you places in any field.

IBSAF: Quote : A few lines to your Juniors at IBSAF.

Subash: All IBS did was taught me how to think & aim for the sky. My message is think big – aim for the sky & nothing less – if you miss the sky at least you will end up hitting a lamp post.

http://www.ibsaf.org/ibsafworld/2008/march/IBSAF%20March_kala.pdf

India - a Challenging yet Rewarding Market - Subash Bidare

"DESERVE BEFORE YOU DESIRE" by Dr Gopalakrishnan

Dr. Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director - Tata Sons, may succeed Mr. Ratan Tata as Chairman of Tata sons Ltd., the holding company for many of the Tata blue chips like Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Voltas etc. Possibly he will be the first Non - Tata person going to head the Tata Empire.

The below article is really interesting.
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The grass isn't always greener on the other side!!

Move from one job to another, but only for the right reasons. It's yet another day at office. As I logged on to the marketing and advertising sites for the latest updates, as usual, I found the headlines dominated by 'who's'
moving from one company to another after a short stint', and I wondered, why are so many people leaving one job for another? Is it passé now to work with just one company for a sufficiently long period?

Whenever I ask this question to people who leave a company, the answers I get are: "Oh, I am getting a 200% hike in salary"; "Well I am jumping three levels in my designation"; "Well they are going to send me abroad in six
months".

Then, I look around at all the people who are considered successful today and who have reached the top - be it a media agency, an advertising agency or a company. I find that most of these people are the ones who stuck to the
company, ground their heels and worked their way to the top. And, as I look around for people who change their jobs constantly, I find they have stagnated at some level, in obscurity.

In this absolute ruthless, dynamic and competitive environment, there are still no - short cuts to success or to making money. The only thing that continues to pay, as earlier is loyalty and hard work. Yes, it pays!

Sometimes, immediately, sometimes after a lot of time. But, it does pay. Does this mean that one should stick to an organization and wait for the golden moment? Of course not. After, a long stint, there always comes a time
for moving in most organisations, but it is important to move for the right reasons, rather than the superficial ones, like money, designation or oversees trip.

Remember, no company recruits for charity. More often than not, when you are offered an unseemly hike in salary or designation that is disproportionate to what the company offers it current employees, there is always an unseemly
bait attached. The result? You will, in the long term have reached the same level or may be lower levels
than what you would have in your current company.

A lot of people leave their organisations because they are 'unhappy'. What is this so called unhappiness? I have been working for donkey years and there has never been a day when I am not unhappy about something in my work
environment - boss, rude colleagues, fussy clients etc.

Unhappiness in a work place, to a large extent, is transient. If you look hard enough, there is always something to be unhappy about. But, more importantly, do I come to work to be "happy" in the truest sense? If I think
hard, the answer is "No". Happiness is something you find with family, friends, may be a close circle of colleagues who have become friends. What you come to work for is to earn, build a reputation, satisfy your ambitions, be appreciated for your work ethics, face challenges and get the job done.

So, the next time you are tempered to move on, as yourself why are you moving and what are you moving into?

Some questions are:
* Am I ready and capable of handling the new responsibility? If yes what could be the possible reasons my current company has not offered me the same responsibility?
* Who are the people who currently handle this responsibility in the current and new company? Am I good as the best among them?
* As the new job offer has a different profile, why have I not given the current company the option to offer me this profile?
* Why is the new company offering the new job? Do they want me for my skills, or is that ulterior motive?

An honest answer to these will eventually decide where you go in your career - to the top of the pile in the long term (at the cost of short - term blips) or to become another average employee who gets lost with the
time in wilderness?

"DESERVE BEFORE YOU DESIRE"

- Dr. Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director, Tata Sons.

The Quintessential ‘6 to Success’

The Quintessential ‘6 to Success’

Subash J Bidare, Head of Marketing, Kaati Zone – East West Ethnic Foods Pvt Ltd, belts-out the six to hit for success.

1. Dream: The need to have a vision – a dream is of paramount importance. This should not just be for you, but also for your organization / work. Always dream big – aim high, that way you will end up achieving something significant as a result of stretching yourself.

2. Plan: Always start with the end in mind. Have measurable milestones defined in intervals to reach your goals step by step. Don’t loose customer focus – always keep in mind what your output will be & how it will make a difference to your customers (co-workers/departments) life.

3. Lead: Inspire people around you, build a team, soil your hands, deliver – lead from the front & be a Connoisseur of talent. Communicate with your team, have open communication lines for all to reach you. Share success, plans, visions, pains, everything with your team. Never forget to communicate the macro picture to your team – its important for them to know the big picture where they fit in.

4. Systems & Processes: A process for everything & everything according to its process. I can’t emphasize the importance of this enough, but rest assured this will bring in leaps & bounds of efficiency & effectiveness to your & your organizations efforts. At the same time keep improving on the processes & keeping it relevant to achieve the end objectives is equally important or you risk bureaucracy, resentment & mediocrity.

5. Passion & Commitment: Be passionate & committed about what you do, your dreams & goals. Be determined to make a difference in whatever you do & don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Your ideas may look freaky at times to others, don’t loose heart, but always play on your strengths. Have your own style – do things differently – create an identity for yourself.

6. Grounded in reality: Always have an ear to the ground, do a rain check – assess your progress –measurement against objectives & goals you have set. Seek feedback & make course corrections. Learn from your own & others success & failures / mistakes.