“Extraordinary results require extraordinary efforts,” “Nation building is at the heart of our mission,” and “The comments were casual and taken out of context,” the president said after his controversial video sparked controversy. That was the reaction of L&T and some of its higher-ups. The video, which goes viral, shows him demanding a 90-hour work week and giving unsolicited advice about how long men should stare at their wives.
But why not remember this truism: With great power comes great responsibility. Responsibilities that include communicating in a way that reflects empathy for employees. Many of the employees may not have a privileged life and are most often caught up in the web of life, working hard just to survive and make ends meet.
When profit-motivated companies emphasize the theme of “nation-building” and force their employees to work long hours, they risk falling into what famous author Isaac Asimov called “pygmy patriotism.” According to his logic, if a company is truly patriotic, shouldn’t it and its shareholders sacrifice profits, or some of them, to serve the nation? At a time when our economy is facing a consumption downturn, it is patriotic to ask companies like L&T to increase salaries to their employees in order to encourage consumption in the economy and thereby contribute to nation-building. Is it? Asking employees to work 90 hours a week for the cause of “nation building” is just as illogical.
So L&T would be better off looking around and learning rather than continuing to defend the chairman’s stupid, wrong and embarrassing comments. In this particular case, we can learn from Satya Nadella and Microsoft.
valuable lesson
Just months after becoming CEO of Microsoft in 2014, Satya Nadella made a huge blunder at a conference focused on empowering women in the tech industry. When asked how women facing the gender pay gap should respond, he gave a flippant answer that they should trust karma and believe the system will solve it over a period of time. Ta.
Of course, this video went viral and he was heavily trolled and exposed to criticism from people in positions and power. This is the first good thing Microsoft did or didn’t do. The company offered no explanation, and the human resources director did not defend his comments. Even better, unlike the L&T chief who has maintained an arrogant silence over his comments, Satya Nadella’s immediate atonement was notable.
Within hours of making the controversial comment, he posted a formal apology on Microsoft’s website, saying, “I answered that question completely incorrectly.” Without a doubt, I wholeheartedly support Microsoft and the industry’s programs to bring more women into technology and close the pay gap. I believe that men and women should receive equal pay for equal work. And when it comes to career advice about getting a raise when you think you deserve it, Maria’s advice was the right one. If you think you deserve a raise, you should ask. ”
He concluded his apology by saying he had learned a valuable lesson. As the CEO of one of the most powerful companies in the world, he had a responsibility for the mistakes he made by proactively providing solutions to the gender pay gap; I provided my own personal experience.
His stellar track record as CEO of Microsoft and the reputation he has earned in the more than a decade since this incident are a clear testament to how well he has learned his lessons. There’s nothing better than admitting a mistake and immediately correcting it.
I hope this is not lost on L&T and its upper echelons.
