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