Must you be aggressive to be successful?

Vinita Dawra Nangia,

Sunday TOI, 04 December  2011

At a time when self-marketing has assumed annoying proportions, modesty blazes an attractive trail!

Youth, business acumen and very importantly, humility and a feet-on-the-ground attitude helped Cyrus Mistry make it to the coveted appointment as successor to Ratan Tata! Amongst the many things said about the man right after the announcement, what sent eyebrows rocketing were paeans to his low-key, modest profile! "Soft-spoken, candid and down-to-earth" is what he was described as.

In an era of dog-eats-dog, where we see the loudest voices compete for attention and the soft ones drown unsung, unseen, Cyrus's appointment comes as something of a pleasant shock! How could a man who shunned arclights and the party circuit, preferring to work nose-to-ground, win over several more visible contenders? Does this portend a changing trend then? Can the quieter, but still capable man/woman be more hopeful of getting noticed now?

 When everyone is busy selling themselves aggressively, the voice that reaches out loudest from amongst the crowd is the softest one! As the self-aggrandizing cacophony creates chaos, you strain to hear the soft and steady voice of reason and capability. 

Not everyone can scream or shout. There are those who cannot and others who see no reason to do so when they can be equally effective otherwise. Not long back, with the advent of the dotcom era, there seemed no hope for the quieter, even though capable ones.  Until you made yourself heard, you didn't stand a chance of succeeding. However lately one hears success stories of even those who maintain a low profile, so long as they are exceptional at work.

The country's highest profile job is held by a man whose instinct is to maintain a low profile -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Rahul Gandhi, despite the limelight his family status catapults him to, likes to keep as much as he can to himself. So does Priyanka Gandhi. Infosys legends Narayana Murthy, Chairman Emeritus and S.D.Shibulal, the present CEO, are known for their love of sticking to the shadows.

Some time ago when a selection committee for Jamaican Rhodes Scholar made their final choice of candidate, to the surprise of others, they declared that it was the winner's "modesty" that won over the judges!

When Amitabh Bachchan asked a school teacher on KBC why he spoke so softly in class that students complained they couldn't hear him, pat came the reply, "That's a strategy, sir! They focus sharper when they strain to hear me!"

When all are pushing to get to something, your eye is perforce drawn to the one person who stands aloof, unconcerned. So, whether natural manner or strategy, maybe at a time when self-marketing has assumed annoying proportions, modesty blazes an attractive trail! 

However HR experts warn that one should not look at this as a shifting trend really. They talk of many companies that are still on the lookout for candidates with some amount of aggression, especially the smaller operations which conclude that aggressive personalities may also be the ones who help them move ahead faster. Says Pritul Sanghavi, senior VP, Anakin Management Consultants, "Some companies require people who are street smart and aggressive. Just like in the movie, Social Network, they actually check how much pressure candidates can take! It really depends on the job requirement and the interviewer."

And so Tata's choice was right for them, but may not be so for another. Says consultant and entrepreneur Pritha Dutt, "A mature and steady company like Tata that never sees the reason to shout (remember their line 'We also make steel'?) made the right choice with a low profile, capable man like Cyrus Mistry. But it really depends on the culture of the organisation. The big difference today is that companies are more careful in matching candidate profiles with their own culture."

Jyotirmoy Bose ,CEO White Spaces Consulting, says that flash-in-the-pan companies today may still be looking for rashness  but for sustainable and enduring players, certainly business tycoons, humility is a desired quality. He quotes Level 5 leadership -- fierce result combined with humility, leaders who are humble but driven to do their best for the company. He adds, "You can't win the game alone; you need friends and that's what succeeds!"

And so today companies look for assertive rather than aggressive personalities, more collaborative people who resolve conflicts, not create them! To be politically correct, they also look for individuals who show a softer side to their personalities, as in caring for and protecting the weak and of course for integrity of character.

 Pritha Dutt adds that even during campus recruitments, companies now are looking more for depth and for facilitating individuals who certainly make their own points, but also listen to others. She advises that one should help carry forth the discussion by building on points others make as well, rather than coming across as the sole owner of all ideas! All companies, says Pritha, will be looking for originality and creativity, but very importantly, they will also be looking for people who get along with each other and fit in with the spirit of the organization!

And so the lesson is to cultivate skills and focus on work, all the time ensuring one remains grounded. And to develop a personality that is confident, yet not overpowering; assertive, but not aggressive; pleasing and yet not ingratiating!

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/O-zone/entry/must-you-be-aggressive-to-be-successful