A few days back we completed the annual mandatory Code of Conduct training. Itron has zero tolerance against any violation of ethics, discrimination, conflict of interest, violation of human rights, etc. The training covers various hypothetical scenarios to explain these. Today’s successful corporates try to maintain the highest level of ethics.
About 20 years back, I was talking to the students of Vivekananda Study Circle at IIT Madras. It was a general informal Q&A session. One of the students asked the question, “Sir, we are being taught about honesty and importance of speaking the truth in the Study Circle and in the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna. But, people say that to be successful in the world, a person must tell lies, especially in business. How can we be successful being truthful?”
This made me think back into the past. When I was in school, the general talk in the society – parents, teachers, newspapers, etc. – is what the student expressed. “You cannot survive in the world as an honest person.” I too grew up being fed this idea. When I came in touch with the literature of Ramakrishna Math, Divine Life Society, Chinmaya Mission, etc., I was taught the importance of being truthful at any cost. Being in the protected environment of seven years of college hostel life and the only contact with the external world being only devotees and monks, I had got soaked into this “new” idea, without I noticing it.
After college, I got into a startup with a classmate, Synergy Infotech. I had been working with the company for almost 10 years. I could not recollect any situation where I had to tell a lie to a colleague, employee, manager, vendor or customer. The founders had created a work culture of honesty and respect. I was quite successful at work and financially. I told this to the student and told him that you can always find a workplace which is honest. The IT boom had created a new industry and way of doing business breaking the old stereotypes.
After working for 9 more years in that place and working for another almost 10 years in the current place, I can still stand by the statement, “There has never been any situation in my almost 30 years career that I had to tell a lie to anyone at work.” And, this is not an isolated case. I have seen a number of instances where my seniors and colleagues hold up to high moral standards as the normal way of work. Let me tell you two instances.
As a global team, we were discussing a technical problem. The problem statement was presented to a dozen subject-matter-experts. The floor was open for brainstorming. A colleague stood up and said, “I joined Itron six months back from Itron’s competitor, xxxxx. Last year, we discussed the same problem and came up with a solution. As it is a conflict of interest, I cannot participate in this discussion. However, I am very interested in this. So, I will listen to the discussion, but I cannot speak anything here. Please excuse me.” Everyone agreed. This is exactly what we are taught in the Itron’s code of conduct. We respect the confidential and proprietary information of other companies. We are taught to play the game fairly and honestly. We don’t want to “win at any cost”. Honesty is placed above profits.
There was a CSR activity where the employees and their families planted trees to create a Miyawaki forest in a bald patch in the outskirts of Bangalore. The activity was early in the morning to finish it before it became hot. After planting trees and washing up, we were served packed breakfast. All of us were sitting on the grass and having breakfast. I overheard a conversation between my wife and the HR lady. My wife asked her, “Rajani, are you not having breakfast?” Rajani replied, “No, I am fasting today.” My wife said, “You can take your packet home for your children.” Rajani replied, “No, as HR lead, I cannot do it.” My wife asked, “Why?” Rajani replied, “You and I know that I am taking home only my breakfast packet because I did not eat it. But, others don’t know. If I take a packet home, it will be seen as HR lead is taking extra packet home. That will set a wrong precedent. We, leaders, need to be extra careful.”
This is today’s corporate culture. Companies are run with the highest level of honesty and integrity. And, I would not say Itron is an exception. Most of the MNCs in the world and in Bangalore have this culture of integrity. I know that this is the case with businesses run by my friends and relatives also. I am very proud and happy about this. Having people like Ratan Tata and Nandan Nilekani at the helm and as role models, the old idea that one has to be dishonest to be successful no longer holds true. In today’s business and job, honesty and integrity are essential and is the new normal. I hope the next generation takes this to still higher heights.
Be honest and truthful. If you are asked to tell at lie at work, switch. There are enough companies who want you to be truthful under all circumstances. Don’t compromise your truthfulness. Let us spread the new normal, “you cannot survive being untruthful”.