Thursday, March 26, 2015

CEO SPECIAL........... Why I turn up at work

 Why I turn up at work -CEO, KPMG INDIA

The greatest asset I have built over my working years is the wealth of relationships. The human connection; the ability to make a difference and empower change­ that's what puts a spring in my step every morning. For me, people are the heart and soul of an organization. The quality of work from motivated and engaged people is what will lead an organization to success. Our lives get so busy that it is easy to forget to connect. That's why I make a conscious effort. I have made it a practice to meet newly qualified chartered accountants across offices to have a chat with them about their careers, their lives, their ideas about the firm I feel it is important to have honest conversations with people. It is the same with clients. I do not believe in being transactional. When we deliver jobs, we are making a difference to businesses where people work for a living, where people may have staked their life's worth on. I try and never forget that. So it's never just a job for me. Trust is important. People come to me because they believe that they will get the right advice, that puts a huge responsibility on me.
I have been fortunate that I had a mentor very early in my career. He has had a huge influence on the way I approach my life and towards the underlying principles, values and work ethics that I hold dear to my heart. Integrity, honesty, open and transparent way of operating, positive thinking, empowering people to grow, giving back to society, motivating people -I had the opportunity to work with someone who lived his life in this manner. I cannot forget the day he said to his partners, “With god's grace, I have provided for my family; you are young and you need to provide for the future. From today onwards, you can divide the profits amongst yourselves.“ He limited his own income to a small amount. He encouraged us to give away a percentage of our gross revenues for causes that we believed in. He ensured that we punched above our weight and that we never gave up.
Everyone has setbacks in their life. When I expected to make it to partner earlier in my career and did not make it, of course there was disappointment. But I put aside negative thoughts and worked even harder to prove both to myself and to others that I deserved the position. Another time in recent years, one of our clients terminated a contract without reason. A lot of investment and work had already gone in. The contract had a clause to invoke penalty for termination and initially I did consider imposing it. In the end, I decided to discuss the client situation with empathy and an eye on the long term relationship between the firm and the client. My decision to discuss their future plans instead of the early termination propelled our relationship with the client in the long run. We have since done significant business with the same client and are privileged to be their preferred advisors for numerous engagements.
What helps me go through bad patches at work is having a vision and a long term view. I've never expected life to be easy so I take disappointments in my stride. I focus on solutions and not on the problem. I focus on innovating, adapting if possible, changing the trend and setting new precedents altogether ­ but avoid the frustration and disillusionment of the inevitable blame game. I am fortunate to be working with some of the most talented people in the industry who are constantly focused on pegging higher benchmarks and reinventing the wheel. The only goal I set for myself is to do my best, to go beyond expectations. Work is worship for me, I want to see my firm grow into a centre of excellence for both staff and clients. It must be the best place to work for. I am trying to build a differentiator that is seen by all, deliver high quality services, focus on innovation and client servicing. For this I am always challenging the status quo, listening to people, understanding the trends to keep ahead of the curb. We are on a transformation journey and at the end of it I want the firm to emerge as a name that people are proud to be associated with. Heads should turn when our name is spoken. It is not the top revenue numbers I seek, but respect for our work, for our ethics and for our culture. Trying to make individuals go beyond their potential to find purpose and meaning in their lives is what drives my passion. In the end, it's the thought of touching the lives of 8,500 people at work and those of our numerous clients, making a positive difference to them and through our work to society at large is what keeps me coming back to work day after day. CD
By Richard Rekhy
CEO, KPMG India

CDET20MAR15

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