I like everyone else entering job world used to wonder about what really happens in “those” high-level management meetings in the top-floor-glass-meeting-room of the company headquarters. And I got my big chance quickly, 6 months in to the job.
I was invited to present my work (chuck the technical details) to the senior management of Shell Lubricants in London.
Venue: 19th floor, Shell Center, London (Next to Thames river, facing The London Eye)
Time: 11 AM
This meant leaving my home in Manchester at 5:30 in the morning to take a train to London and it’s anyone’s guess how well I slept that night. To be honest, I dint really like London from the first look. Too many people cramped in small underground trains, every public avenue swarmed with vehicles, this super city was running and running real fast. On the Waterloo station I joined the crowd of everyday commuters, nicely suited gentlemen, businesswomen, laptop in one hand, mobile phone in another. “Well… this is London baybee!!”
Riding on a “high” of London with nothing but “Shell’s top quartile performance” and “best industry strategies” on my mind, I reached Shell Center. And on the doorstep of Mecca of business, I ran into my boss (Chris) and Charlie. Charlie, (they say… “Charlie is a busy boy”) is my super boss. The “boy” to whom the 74 Shell lubricant plants worldwide report to. To my astonishment, when I first met him, I had to bend my head 15 deg below horizon to meet the eyes of a 52 yr old Indonesian.
Now I was a notch higher on my “high” and with supreme confidence entered the 19th floor where I was greeted by an Indian face. This was Kris, short for Krishna, the Indian super achiever. Known widely for turning the business around (in the right direction) and of course for his high-profile affair with a beautiful American-Chinese (a Global Manager, thanks to Kris). Tailing closely behind him was Mike: One of Kris’ sidekicks. Another high achiever (till Kris got the better of him). Some say, he hasn’t got the balls!! It was the five of us, and baring Chris & myself these folks were as high up the hierarchy as you can get before becoming a VP.
The meeting room was ordinary but so high up that I could see most of the London pretty well, if only I had that on my mind.
The meeting began.
I was presenting the work I had done in the past 4 months on optimizing our supply chain and thus reducing overall cost. Should have been pretty easy considering it was MY work (and not an overnight effort using the ubiquitous internet like we did in IIT) and also because I always thought presenting as one of my strengths. However I was used to ‘tough opposition (my usual class mates) and tooth & nail fights to defend our grounds’ presentation. Which obviously doesn’t work in 19th floor board meetings. So all I could hear from them were the occasional nods, “eh”s and “huh”s.
Nervously I finished off the ppt, when Chris asked, “ So, what do you think?”
Charlie said, “I like it”. Kris said “we can use it in China”, and Mike of course nodded. That’s it? Is that all you guys can think of, I thought.
I was growing anxious.
Chris sensed my worries and asked “what about Germany and Austria?” I think he hit a nerve for what followed was an hour-long unequivocal discussion on “the world”. On how they have given everything- money, support & new resources to Germany and yet it fails miserably. On how China was doing worse than ever and how Kris thought they need to Change the entire top management there. On the 5 million $ they invested in US last month and the effect it would have on European market in Twenty-Twelve. And of course, on how the coffee there sucks.
For a while all I could hear was the names of the countries. I knew world was bigger than I thought. But of course… it's London baybee.
Finally Kris got up saying he had a lunch meeting with one of the VPs. And the meeting dispersed. I was confused and completely knocked-out, wondering what really happened in those 2 hours. I don’t reckon it was a lot to do with me. And I really don’t understand how all those big talks came out of my presentation.
Two months later, the plant in Germany was closed and China saw a new big boss (interestingly Kris was there on his holidays with the American-Chinese when it happened).
And me… I was rewarded. Moreover, I have been to Austria, Singapore and Malaysia since. And am due in China next week :)
