ALTERNATIVE MARKETING LEARNING FROM KRAV MAGA
Violence: AVOID IT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN
Krav Maga learning interpretation 3
AVOID IT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN
This is the third in the series of alternative learning from Krav Maga.
Cranky old bastards.
You heard that right. Two big elephants are sitting in my path and sabotaging everything I do.
That is what John and Govind do in every divisional heads meeting.
This note is my rant, and this is my story.
I am Reena, 30 years old, single, and extremely ambitious.
Let me flashback a couple of years. I cut my teeth in a fast-growing startup that was subsequently sold. Impressed by my work, the CEO on the board of my previous firm recruited me. My remit was clear: To start a new division and scale it, blazing fast! I did well, and I can say so unabashedly. I had the growth to show for it.
I was promoted to the divisional head and was clearly on the fast track. Well, with power comes additional responsibility. I loved these challenges, which kept the startup “intrapreneur” in me alive and kicking. The thrill of the chase and the small victory celebration kept me going before the next hunt started.
All good things need to have a villain or two.
Here are mine.
Govind was a podgy older man who grew within the company. He was used to getting his way. He wanted total respect and obeisance. A bully is how I would describe him. In my opinion, though, he didn’t have much to show for. He was still basking on something he did over a decade ago.
John, a petite man if there were such a word. He was a player, a politically savvy person who wanted to be the kingmaker and the decision-maker — but without responsibility. He is who I would call a WIGGLER — wiggling into and out of situations.
Their job was to question and scuttle most of the new initiatives, except those proposed by them or their cronies and acolytes.
Deadweights, that’s how I would describe them. And haters of women in power. Yes.
I call them the two elephants. Nothing derogatory. That was how it was in the meetings. Both sat at the head of the table and ordered things around. They threw a tantrum or two when things didn’t go their way. How you ask: shouting, screaming their way through, not allowing any decorum or etiquette in any meeting that didn’t go their way!
You know them. You’ve seen them. They have blocked your path before. And will be back later to do the same.
THE ISSUE AT HAND
Small successes grew into larger ones. Enemies known and unknown, seen and unseen, were emerging from the woodwork.
This is not a “female against the world” rant but feels like that, doesn’t it.
A new CEO was brought in, and now I was involved in regular skirmishes just to do my work.
Constant pitches and approval and rejections! It was as if somebody tied my hands and legs and I had to win a swimming competition. Do I look like a mermaid to you?
What the heck do I do? How can I get the right way through?
My division was an open one, encouraging people to try out new ideas. We were known in the organization as problem solvers. When folks were stuck, they came to my team and me. Little by little, through positive action, we build up a strong informal network of alliances. We had support through the rank and file of the company.
This support was still not enough as the division heads meeting was a regular war zone.
I was introduced to Radhika at this point. She had retired from a senior position and was now consulting and helping other professionals. I started having coffee chats with her. Some of my steps to tackle the elephants were based on her guiding hand. She never explicitly stated what to do, only related to what she did under a similar situation.
I am a startup specialist keen on solving things, not letting them fester.A couple of these stretch-help went to divisional heads whom the two elephants supported. Word carried through that Reena’s team gets things done, but that still wasn’t enough to get them to see my vision (for my division). Not enough for both, but I could see John mellowing and seeing the value I brought to the company. I met him separately and asked him for advice. Reconciliatory move, but I needed all the support here.
Every divisional meeting came up to a fight and a vote. This took up most of my time, thinking about the counter moves and attacks from these two, now only one. I won some, and I lost some. Hey, I started engineering the losses, to pander to the egos of the elephants. John did come around in crucial pitches and threw his support behind the initiative.
What do I do with Govind? It was clear; he was a male chauvinist and a turf-warmonger. He was slighted and looked over for the role of a CEO, but can you have a bully as the head. The CEO needs to be a leader showing the way, not an autocrat ordering things around without any strategy. I did have one card, though. Should I use it? Govind was a bully and had harassed two ladies in his team. Quite significantly. One left the company. Another joined my division. She was ready to file a complaint with the internal POSH team. Should I take the war full on?
Radhika helped me out here. This wasn’t my doing, but I had a duty to get justice. My job was to ensure my colleague had a safe environment for her career. I let the HR team handle it. One complaint lead to many more, and Govind was out after a few months. Permanently.
Flash forward. In two years, I became the youngest CEO of the firm.
(Saccharine sweet ending, I know, and I like it!)
**
AVOID IT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN
Violence.
What do you do when you have two options in front? One well-lit path back home but a much longer route. Or a shortcut through a dark, dingy alley that had cigarette butts, syringes and bottles are lying around. Which way would you take if you were walking alone, late at night?
Common sense answer, isn’t it. Krav Maga lesson 3 from Sreeram (trainer). If you can avoid violence, do it!
The potential for violence and danger sometimes is quite evident. Yet, we have an inflated view of ourselves and think nothing will happen. When someone scratches our car, our blood boils, and we are itching for a fight. When that fight is denied, we carry it within wherever we go. To the office, back home, over the phone, in the meetings. That violence spills over in different forms.
When your blood is boiling, it is best to retreat into silence and some introspection, perhaps. To let your breath slow down and your blood to cool. When I receive a “hot and angry” mail, I type out a response thick and fast and DO NOT send it out. I let that reply mellow in my drafts folder for some time. When I cool down, I delete that and write another mail giving the right responses.
What can we learn from Reena’s story: She tried the four classic moves recommended by Chanakya.
- She tried reasoning and built up alliances that support her.
- Assistance through compensation. Work-related support and help through which she strengthened her allies and her positioning/standing.
- Split the two elephants. Handling one is more manageable. Over time and consistent work, Reena won John over to her side. At least for all the crucial decisions.
- Punishment, destruction, violence: The last card in her hand, Reena didn’t have to play it, but she guided it through.
Saama, Daana, Bheda, Danda.
- Parley/Alliance
- Compensation/giving them something of value to get them to see your point of view
- Divide
- Destruction/Violence/Punishment
The last one, Danda or violence, to be avoided as much as you can!
This is the third in the series of learning from Krav Maga.
1. A fully extended arm is useless.
2. Find the weak spot
Pravin Shekar is an outlier marketer, parallel entrepreneur and a raconteur.
mic @ PravinShekar.com .
For creative collusions, join: http://bit.ly/JoinMyOutlierTribe
Pravin is the author of seven books: Devil Does Care, Marketing lessons from Mythology, Getting paid to speak, a Virtual Summit Playbook, Climb your way out of hell & a collection of travel pics/romantic poems, and stories from the heart!
http://tiny.cc/PravinShekarBooks
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