Consulting Parlour

We come across zest of many executives be in finance or operations or any other domain who have exceeded their potential and produced world class strategies.

In my current stint at Middle East I came across an Indian Beard Man. Yup a man having slight beard, Chartered Accountant by profession leading the finance domain of one of big corporate houses in Oman. Looking at job profile and going by the exact wordings of his designation one would presume him as the head of finance. No my estimation was wrong, he is heading the company ahead of anybody else; be it engineering/management graduate from pioneer institutes. And it exists in a company where marketing remains the top most priority.

Well honestly the company principle of handling matters is unique. It’s like playing Davis Cup at Wimbledon stadium. You got one center court that’s the Head Office, various courts for profit centers (basically retail marketing). For court other than the center court we have “non playing captains” or the division heads who are overshadowed by their own past. They chase a bunch of unrest, money starving, for whom things have gone wrong suddenly, particular breed /community of people for so called unruly profits in a highly monopolized market. As far as the center court is concerned you can see only one man-yeah the legendary “Beard Man”. He is non-playing captain, among players, among benches-you name anything.

The beard man moves in leaps and bounds in last decade, jumping from one height to another, soaring past targets. Compensation manifold to numerous extents. He earned many facets in this journey- be it foes, disciples (these are all Gandhi’s talking monkey who smiles as soon as the beard man signals bonus like malnourish umpire signaling wicket and he earned highly biased match referees (owners) too!

All this does not perturb the beard man, after a smooth year of politics a fat cheque goes into kitty leaving behind the change for disciples. The non-playing captains cry foul, complaint against beard man to the match referee. Referee takes a sigh, move his head back. No egalite, only jeu for beard man.

His post retirement benefits stands at couple of million dollars. The regular earnings also a million dollar per annum. The beard man is adding more and more fat cheques to the piling stone of “moneyment.”

The Company structure came as a bonaza for the beard man. Company boasts domain where engineers are forced to sale products and non-engineers sitting in the dark room churning away so called IT revolution of Oman without peeking at mights of others. Like a ship of fools run aground to fly the paper doves during night!

The sordid saga of beard man is still going strong- simple ethics and principle. Don’t look at the bush at all; you don’t have to clarify for the birds inside the bushes!

Lets take the routine cycle of beard man-

Highest paid CFO Beard Man

Salary 2-3 million USD 1 million USD
Post retirement benefits 2 million USD 1 million USD

We found a difference of 2-3 million USD, then how can I say he is the highest paid while he is miles away from competitor.
Ok- let us put it this way

Difference with highest paid CFO 3 Million
Less:
Compensating factors for working
Hours 0.5 Million
Non involvement in strategy 1.0 Million
Even advisory level!
Free lance politicizing 0.5 Million
Effective working hours
50% time beard man do not work 1.0 Million
Commission from employee strategy 0.5 Million

That leaves us with a galloping difference of 0.5 Million USD. The undoubted king among CFO!

His employee strategy is unique and has seen many historical changes over the years. His brilliancy in cutting employee salary, putting new circulars to cut expenses is simply outstanding.

Perhaps it’s sanguine to blame beard man for his witty. You might argue that anybody in that position would have done the same thing. After all what is the harm in crying for a few million dollars, but the point remains same. Cry, cry louder but do not hurt anyone to move up in ladder. You are bound to succumb, only incident is a matter of time.

The draw a bottom line for Beard Man will be a very complex and difficult task. What you will call him; a genius employee crusader or an asshole sitting on pot of gold trying to make a hole in pot.

Answer is mute???

You can sing a song meanwhile- “monkey sitting on a pile of stones asking almighty for a yellow submarine to destroy all the oceans”

Serious Note- if anybody on earth does have prudent thinking as an ordinary human being kill these soft beasts before they over power you. It’s happening in many places leaving a trail of betrayal, disloyalty, and hatred among millions of employees. Yet employee, sundries never found a solution as to how to push these highly undesirable characters out of mainstream. An apathetic owner, greedy disciples making situation more miserable.
I wish someday management will take serious note and take stern against people like beard man; of course it has to come before doom’s day. Till that point of time lets wish for those who dedicated themselves into mainstream irrespective of returns and rewards. My sincere salute to them.