Tête-à-tête : Hype is a prowess, which helps you sell yourself in the market

Sudhir Narang, managing director, British Telecom, India is a very dynamic

person, responsible for most of the upcoming projects for British Telecom in

India. He has become the driving force of the company since December 2007 when

he was appointed the managing director of BT for its Indian operations. He is

responsible for all sales, business operations and the delivery of the BT Global

Services strategy, as well as promoting the company's presence and services in

the Indian sub continent. Earlier, he worked for Tulip IT Services, a data

telecom service provider and IT Solution Company. Altogether, he has a

well-backed career of over twenty years in the Indian IT sector that comprises

various leadership positions, including senior vice president, India and SAARC,

at Cisco Systems and general manager at HCL Comnet. In a close encounter with

Voice&Data, he shares his passion, lifestyle and different aspects of his life.

Excerpts

How do you start your day?



I normally wake up at 6:00 am. My day usually starts with some light

exercises and jogging. And then at 7 o'clock, I go to drop off my daughter for

school. And after that some quick e-mails and daily diaries and then the day

goes on.

What was the major factor that has contributed to your success?



There are many factors that have contributed to my success but the support

of my family and well wishers is the major one. To grow and achieve your dreams,

the support of family is the most important thing. Without family's is support

it becomes very difficult to become a good entrepreneur. There are various ways

to become a successful person but ultimately it is the family's support that

takes one to the top.

As to most of us, history always appears to be beautiful. Are you missing

something compared to the past?



Yes, history is always beautiful, that's what you feel. Though, I would not

say that I am missing anything in particular, as there are always new things

that come in one's life, and everyday we go through mean different kinds of

experiences. But yes, when I talk to our younger generation, I notice that they

are much more forward thinking and clear about their goals. At our age, we were

either at the playground or engrossed in books. The lifestyle has changed a lot.

People have much broader things to do now and even parents are capable to afford

the same.

What kind of reading do you like to do?



I am a voracious reader and encourage people to read inspirational best

sellers such as Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch, Inspite of the

Gods by Edwards Luce, Dream Big by Lisa Hammond and Bottom of the Pyramid. Being

a spiritual person, the first title is very interesting. I also enjoy reading

the works of various management gurus.

What works for you, hype or hard work?



For me, both hype and hard work are important. The ratio may change

according to the situation but sooner or later both the concepts play an

important role in the success. Although there is no substitute for hard work,

hype is required for other persons to understand your achievements and to keep

guessing about the next development. This is essentially a prowess, which helps

you to sell yourself in the market. In reality, people look at more of your

external flavors, therefore you need to change and maintain the balance as per

the demand. You can call it branding, hype or selling, but the element should be

there.

... and values?



Our goals, objectives and directions are entirely based on our values. In

reality, values are the basis of our commitment towards work. For me, the values

and relationships are really important. Sooner or later, organizations and

individuals that have strong vision and processes to operate, grow much faster

than anyone else. The moment you are process dependent, you will see some kind

of values, principles, and precepts coming in the organization. Further, they

determine what is important for us and what is not.

Do you have any regrets in your life?



Well, not exactly. I am living with my family and parents, that too in my

hometown. I have a respectable job and a decent lifestyle. So, there is no

complaint from life.

What kind of food do you like most?



I am fine with any kind of vegetarian food. I gave up on non-vegetarian diet

some 10-12 years ago and always prefer to take light food in the evenings. There

are no specific priorities as far as vegetarian food is concern.

What's your favorite holiday destination?



I do visit one of the religious places every year with my family. Had you

asked this question some 10 years ago, I would have given some specific names

outside India. However after seeing all the different countries of the world, I

believe India is the best place where you can find peace. Although I do like to

go to adventurous places, and within India I love the Himalayas.

Any embarrassing moment that you can recount?



Yes, there was something related to the financial power of our family. It is

the society which creates embarrassment, and if you are weak you can find it

really tricky at times and I guess, I was slightly weak at that time. I didn't

know the importance of life. Life is much more beyond currency notes and

probably at that time I was not mature enough to understand.

What do you consider as your strong and weak points?



In terms of strengths, I would say that I am full of energy, committed

towards my goals and have a very strong analytical approach. On the other side,

I am quite emotional which act as my weakness at times. While taking some

decisions, human element does come into my mind.

What are the major challenges you've faced in your life?



I don't think I've faced any big challenge in my life. Day-to-day challenges

always exist. For instance, if industry is growing at 30%, you should grow at

40%, is not a challenge. It is essentially a kind of job that you are trying to

do. There are similar or other small obstacles that we go through in our lives.

What is your vision for the country?



India requires an appropriate education model to improve the overall growth

in each and every sector. Education is an equalizer, which creates more

opportunities for an individual as well as for society. Further, as the salary

structure has gone high in the past few years the entrepreneurship is dying. As

people are making good money in jobs, the risk taking capability is going down.

The hunger for entrepreneurship is not as deep as it was earlier. It is

imperative for the individuals and society to understand the requirement of

entrepreneurship to build more blocks on the development path.

How would you place the telecom progress in the country?



I would say that the last ten years are really good for India. First it was

and then telecom. Apart from the regulations, policies and industry expansion,

the acceptance of services by the consumers is the major drive which made way to

several developments. We saw the wireless mania; now we are going to see the

broadband mania.

Jatinder Singh



jatinders@cybermedia.co.in