Tuesday, 20 May 2014

'Namo Mantras' - strategic lessons to be learnt from Modi's Win

 This journey of a 'Chaiwallah' to 7RCR ( even the bunglow's name abbreviates like Sarkaar), It was not a simple feat or favouring of Lady Luck, Mr. Modi who was mostly an extramural student, completing his education through Distance Learning correspondence courses, created a history and given the management lessons that even elite Harvard people could never fathom. 

Its clear that this victory is not only to be talked of, but to be learnt from, making it a case study.
So what are the leading points that can be learnt from this historic feat. Come what may, this Man is really made of Iron, who stirred long lost emotions of countrymen, whether it is with acchchhe din aane wale hai or  with his homage to Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel for Statue of Unity or embracing the style of Sardar by giving Free Hand to bureaucrats and secretariats, focusing only on being result oriented not on methodology.


Jo tum ko ho pasand wahi baat kahenge ( will speak only what you wish to hear)- Modi always went for a 'win-win' situation, whether dealing with a stressed out Ratan Tata after Singur Problem when he invited him to Gujrat stating, this will be a J.V between Gujrat State and Tata Group, or whether dealing with MSME industries ,or addressing the weavers of Varanasi, or assuring the common man of transparent governance, effective administration or development, he was showcased as Merchant of dreams reloading the hope matrix and wagon of hataash niraash ( disappointed and with no hopes )  common man.

Dealing with competition, isolate your rival from the masses or prove them insignificant : When ramadoss said a chaiwallah could never become the Prime Minister of India , he did singular service to Mr. Modi’s cause. He turned the pejorative jibe into a talisman that merged his humble beginnings, his struggle and his ambition into the narrative of the entire campaign at the same time Modi was highlighting his archrival 'born with silver ( could as well be gold with diamond studded) spoon  in his mouth'  heir of the scion as ‘Shehzaada’ or ‘rahul baba’, a tag sufficient to make a common man think of him as still childish someone, not as a head of the state.  He began his famous ‘Chai pe Charcha’ and I guess this Chai of his  was as effective as the ‘Boston Tea Party’

Be unpredictable - Throughout his campaigning, he was unpredictable, he played different strokes for the different folks and never once used one strategy twice. Aggressively taken care of internal hostility for his candidature even by his seniors but never forget to bend and bow and touch their feet, ignored kejriwal , lashed out at Manmohan singh, ridiculed Rahul Gandhi, told Priyanka she is like his daughter, Laughed at 'Sonia Ben ' when she called him Merchant of death and told the fun only began when Sonia ben entered the field during state election of Gujrat. World is dynamic, so should be your strategy.

Align your entire team to the final goal. – The entire co-ordination of hierarchy of this leader to his wingmen to his foot-soldiers was electrifying and transfused with enthusiasm and diligence. He straight away said dont look at the candidate, look at me. 

Mere paas Maa hai – Where Maa is concerned, we Indian wear emotions on sleeves, so connect emotionally with the people of the country, your target audience. Unlike Rahul baba, he never limits his mother to his birth mother only, but Bharat Mata, Bhaajpa (BJP) Maa, Ganga Maa as well. After all Maa represent the half world population. Indian like the face of their leader as pragmatic yet emotional. Give respect to woman folk, it will increase your popularity. In fact he gives repect to doosro ki maa as well. By sending Nawaz Shareef's mother a beautiful shawl, the gesture was reciprocated with white saree for his mother by Pak P.M.


Mujh pe ek ehsaan karna, ki mujhpe koi ehsaan na karna – Poor kejriwal through out his campaign was in a way marketing Mr. Modi trying to provoke him but in return only received silence, when Mr. Modi never  mentioned him once, even after his surprising victory in Delhi State election. Where kejriwal was concerned, Modi was silent and stoic, waiting this euphoria to fade away on its own and for kejriwal to give his foot into his mouth. Modi knew even a single remark will create media frenzy wave for kejriwal which he beautifully and strategically devoid him off. Poor fellow reduced to all bark and no bite guy.


Establish Credibility before placing yourself for the ultimate challenge - He placed his Gujrat modal for development and his erstwhile tenure of turning State of Gujrat from dust to Gold. After proving his credentials amongst all section of society and citizen, he placed himself for the ultimate trial by fire, projecting himself as Candidate for PM, clearly defining his commitment and dedication for striving and toiling towards it. While others were beating around the bush over  the idea and act coy, Modi has always been clear he wanted and firmly presented himself for that. His allies came forward singing hymns when they were convinced of his potentiality.

Set the target and break the complexity into sub target - There is a story of Chanakya, when he was contimuously receiving set back to destroy Nand's empire, then during another hide out, he sought shelter in an old lady's cottage, where the hostess served him and chandragupt maurya some steaming hot rice. When Chanakya burnt his finger while trying to break the food from centre, the lady laughed and said " arent you behaving like Chankya?", perplexed Chanakya asked how, she answered try break our bites from corners instead of attacking centres, Rice there has been cooled" 
Mr. Modi also did the same, he first broke the entire target into sub parts and assigned each part to his trusted soldier by delegating the authority like UP to his right handed man Amit Shah.

Plan Meticulously - its said that failing to plan is planning to fail, Modi is Plan Man of highest order, who emphasised planning and controlling with precision. 

Corner your opponent and open flood gates - Mr. Modi turned the entire national level party  with deep roots in history as a mere pocket borough party. He attacked his opponent and never gave them a chance to even raise their heads from ducking position. 

Create Punchline that ring in the minds for long - Whether 'chappan ki chhati', achchhe din aane wale hai or ab ki baar modi sarkaar, he made his remarks mass popular and could reflect an element of truth, unlike congress ka ' kattar soch nahi yuva josh' because this sort of canvassing infuriated that yuva josh only , who is fed up of scams of the hopeless govt and has not forgotten that this yuva josh was  lathi charged at by congress Govt. when they demanded justice for Nirbhaya. Kathni karni ek karo Rahul baba coz as Modi ji reminded" Janta Maaf nahi karegi"

Act, act and it will probably come true - Dreaming is not sufficient, act on it and dream is the vision, 

Reality Distortion – Steve Jobs might have practiced it, but Modi became Head Master of this discipline. Priyanka Gandhi might still be wondering how come her ‘neech rajneeti’ remark got converted into ‘ neech jaati’ winning accolades for Mr. Modi and offering him a penetration into the hearts of backward classes.

Hit the iron when it is hot - Whether taking the former PM Manmohan Singh on independence day or frustration with the Congress lackadaisical governance at the centre, Mr. Modi identified the opportunity and started creating the friendly wave in his favour.
He also make it a point to ride on popularity wave while capitalizing every opportunity.


Always behave like a duck, keep calm and unruffled on the surface, but paddle vigorously underneath - THis dream began from 2011, when in an investor's summit, all the stalwarts of indian industries supported and appreciated Mr. Modi's powerful persona and one voiced up the desire to see him as leader of the nation. 
Thus began a ground work from grass root level to convert this dream into reality

Think out of box  - Mr. Modi is the first  political figure in the country who has mobile apps that lead to his blogs and website. his website is stated to be the most organized one. 

Branding - When dealing with globe trotting investors, he presented himself as CEO of Gujrat Inc. When he was ridiculed as 'Chai Wallah ' cannot be a P.M., he used this image to connect himself with lower section of economy, making them feel as if its our own 'banda'. 

Look Before You Leap - before facing your audience, research thoroughly and then step up on the podium. Mr. Modi definitely dreamed of this height, but as well layering every step and his every speech was foresighted and well planned.

A Marked into heart conversation - Keep you communication lucid effective and confident, infuse it with integrity, affirmative body language and face in relaxed position. Secondly his addresses are never monologue, he tries to make it a dialogue.

Maintaining self-respect will result in respect by others - Mr. Modi unlike previous PMs ( excpet Durga Vahini Indira Gandhi ) never jumped on invitation by US of A. Infact american greeting was responded later at a convenient time at his twitter handle. Its noted that Mr. Modi remains the only person ever to be banned from traveling to the United States under the International Religious Freedom Act.
At that time USA wanted to prove itself a secular country who also emphasize importance only on Christianity. Mr. Modi was considered to be scape goat in doing so, coz they couldnt put national heads like Maliki if Iran or Pakistan in that category, while Mr. Modi was at that time a small regional level leader. Modi's indifference towards USA now has manifolded the respect in the hearts of Indian who feel proud to be an Indian.
If only Bush and Obama knew they will be dealing with a man not only representing largest democracy, but as well the one man who creates emotional stirs in the heart of the leading American Gujjus. 

Stoic  - Mr. Modi never gave any hints of anxiety prepolls or excitement when confirmed a history is created. He was Stoic throughout without any flinching or balking. His calm cool demeanor is worth adapting and his biggest strength during stress management.

Connecting with the people, choose right platform  - When USA denied him visa, he spoke to NRIs through video conferencing. Even USA underestimated this power and after ridiculing him and black listing him on the grounds of secular 
Mr. Modi used latest technology and social media to connect with people as well the traditional medium of road shows and rallies in a  proactive interactive way.
Says an Indian Express report: “Narendra Modi rallies have, in recent times, gone on to become full-fledged stage productions involving light, sound, carefully chosen music, stage design and sky cameras — all intended to enhance viewer experience and build the Modi brand.”
An Economic Times report explains why a Modi rally is not just any event: “At every Modi meeting, an army of volunteers combs through the crowd, gathering feedback, profiling attendees and making a headcount. Later the party's IT cell collates all the data.”

Develop strong communication and support system at all levels of hierarchy, from grass root level to top admin - Mr. Modi is known for his intense connection with kaaryakarta to senior party leaders.

 Create a friendly wave, then take on the blazing guns - Mr. Modi initialyy gave the interviews to friendly media person, and when he knew he has taken a giant leap where popularity is concerned, took on the blazing guns.

Keep confidence in your confidantes for confidential matters – Mr. Modi knows the importance of intelligence network and had it demonstrated while dealing initial unrest over his candidature with former police offiver Vanjara’s letter making rounds against him.

Create own style statement.
Mr. Modi is lauded for his fashion statement. He knows the importance of outfit and his mont blanc pen. He has already floored US media who is busy cheering his fashion sense with a craze wave and even asking Michelle Obama to step aside for our very own Gujju Guy.

Tackling too many rivals at same time -  When Digvijay Singh was firing him for his marital status, he kept his dignified silence and never bothered to answer, came pristine white after declaring himself a married man when all the hue cry subsided coz Diggi was too busy dealing with his own love life. 
Btw I am still wondering how those intimate pics of Old Diggi with his lady love went viral.  
His strategy clearly reveals the 'management by exception' phenomenon. He figuratively played his 'Pac Man Defense' game when diggi was busy digging out the dirt over his marital status. Kudos , unique combination of Chanakya and Master Sun Tzu, I thee bow.


2 comments:

  1. wonderful dear.Must send it to editorial of an esteemed paper dear.I thoroughly enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It was truly an amazing read. Every mark was a thought of lot of awakening! Moreover, i learned loads of big time lessons! :D

    ReplyDelete