Think Win-Win
“Leaders are visionary; they can see forest in seed.”
Opening Case Study :
R.S.Sodhi –ALeader Creating Win-Win Job Opportunities
Mr. R.S. Sodhi is working as a managing director for Amul (also recognized as Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation). He joined the company in 2011. Prior to being promoted as an MD, Sodhi has also served as a CGM and GM to Amul Ltd. He is associated with one of the leading FMCG segments that enjoy a sales turnover of Rs.38 crore and consistent revenue of Rs.27 crore. Due to his excellent duties and services, Mr. Sodhi is enjoying an extension of 5 more years in the company. He gives credit to his mentor, Dr. VergheseKurein for all that he has learnt till date.
Talking about his personality, Sodhi is a calm headed person who loves to take challenges in an easy-going manner. His work and accomplishments never found a need to be in the limelight. It’s his generosity and hard work that has brought his success story to people. He is a man of substance who doesn’t believe in boasting about his dedication and achievements.
For those who dream of working in a huge firm like AMUL, it’s a pride moment for Sodhi to have worked for a truly deserving company. The company and Sodhicompliment each other well. Under his guidance and managerial skills, many people have learnt to become professional leaders in Amul and various other similar firms. Amul is proud to have him as their Managing Director.
In the recent board meeting by the directors of Amul, it was mutually decided to extend Sodhi’s services for another 5 years. This is a proof to know his sincere efforts and dedication towards work. Being the MD of Amul, Sodhi manages various sectors such as, sales and development, HR and recruitment, marketing and advertising, etc. Due to his key skills, the company has managed to deliver its products even to the remotest areas and towns. In return, the firm has enjoyed increased employment rate. As a result, there has been a tremendous change in the financial growth of Amul.
Sodhi speaks good English, Hindi, and Punjabi. He belongs to a Sikh family. The last college he attended was Institute of Rural Management, Anand.
‘In a recent meet, Sodhi announced that there won’t be any major changes in the revenue of Amul after the practice of GST.’
He beautifully highlighted that the consumers will be benefited on some products. For instance, on one side the company has increased the prices of Ghee, whereas on the other side due to GST, they have reduced the prices on milk products by 5%. It is so because the milk products are listed under a low tax slab. The prices are quite transparent and easy to understand.
The latest initiative that Sodhi took for Amul is the expansion plan of its chocolate production. Sodhi said in a meeting that Amul will be focusing on adding five more plants in different locations of India such as Gujarat, Pune, West Bengal, Mumbai, and Kerala. Many such initiatives taken by Sodhi have made the company go gaga over him.
In his best-seller The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey defines Win-Win as a frame of mind which constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions.Win- Win means that agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial, mutually satisfying. With a Win-Win solution, all parties feel good about the decision and feel committed to the action plan.
Covey states that in order to manage our relationships with others effectively, we need to think “Win/Win”. Beyond being a technique, it is a philosophy. According to the author there are 6 paradigms of human interaction:
- Win/Lose
- Lose/Win
- Lose/Lose
- Win/Win
Win: people working in the Win paradigm wish to win at all costs, other people don’t matter. It’s an “every man for himself” mentality.
Win/Lose: The Win/Lose mentality is dysfunctional, often overly competitive and requires the use of power, position, possessions or personality to get one’s way, i.e. your boss uses his authority to impose a potentially stressful deadline on you.
Lose/Win : people prefer to keep the peace by giving in or giving up rather than disturbing the relationship. In the long run a build-up of resentment can easily lead to an eventual breakdown of the relationship.
Lose/Lose : is the philosophy of highly dependent people, and results from the encounter of two Win/Lose individuals. Covey illustrates this case by a divorce in which the husband is ordered by the judge to sell his assets and turn over half of the earnings tohis ex-wife. In compliance, he sells his car, worth $10.000, for$50 and gives $25 to his ex-wife.
Win-Win: sees life as a cooperative, not a competitive arena. Most people tend to think in terms of dichotomies: strong or weak, hardball or softball, win or lose. But that kind of thinking is fundamentally flawed, because it is based on power and position rather than principle.
Win-Win is based on the paradigm that there is plenty for everybody, that one person’s success is not achieved at the expense or exclusion of the success of others. Win-Win is a belief in the third alternative. It’s not your way or my way; it’s a better way, a higher way.
Think Win/Win is the habit of interpersonal leadership. It goes beyond transactional relationship, to transformational leadership, where the people and the relationship are transformed.
It’s the art of finding the 3rd alternative in action.
It starts by looking at the bigger picture, or creating one, and it flows from an abundance mentality. You ask the question, “How can we both win?” To do this, means looking beyond your self- interest, and looking for mutual interests and shared goals. Integrity is the cornerstone that keeps you grounded in your values, and serves as a foundation for trust, and empathic listening helps you build the bridge of mutual understanding.
According to Stephen Covey, the five elements of a Win/Win agreement are:
- Desired Results
- Guidelines
- Resources
- Accountability
- Consequences
- Desired results are the what you want to achieve and when.
- Guidelines are the parameters such as any principles or policies that guide how you achieve the results.
- Resources include the people, budget, technical resources, and any organizational support to help achieve the results.
- Accountability sets the time frame and the standards of performance to expect.
- Consequences are the good and bad things that happen or will happen as a result of the evaluation.
CONCLUSION:
By using a Win/Win approach, you move from competition to cooperation and collaboration, and you can achieve better solutions. The downside is it takes longer and is more work. The upside is that the relationships, good will, and trust will serve you for the long run.