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| M. Narendra |
When the
nation is celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Swami
Vivekananda (original name Narendra), we feature another Narendra, who transformed himself from a
manager to a leader. Narendra, presently
the Chairman and Managing Director of the public sector, Indian Overseas Bank,
has almost doubled the business within two years of his taking charge, galvanising
27000-plus employees, who lacked motivation in the past decade.
Galvanising Indian Overseas Bank
From
the day of his taking charge of the bank in November 2010, he tapped the
potential of every employee, towards better business growth. His initiatives like involving the employees
in every aspect of management function, empowering women to become senior
officials, large scale promotions, and communication with front line staff,
created a conducive atmosphere for excellent growth and customer delight. Even
today, if one checks up with any employee of Indian Overseas Bank at field
level, they would proudly accept him as ‘leader’. How did he get transformed from a ‘Manager’
to a ‘Leader’?
Parents as Role Models
Narendra,
born into a middle class family in a village near Mangalore (Karnataka),
converted every challenge into an opportunity for success. According to Narendra, his parents, Shri M Shankaranarayana Ayya and Smt. M. Sumathi
were his role models and they played a great role in moulding him.
“My
father was a teacher. He was the Head
Master of a High School at Suratkal. He
was a Gandhian and a great admirer of Swami Vivekananda. That is why I was named after Vivekananda’s
original name” said Narendra, proudly recalling his early days.
His
mother Smt M. Sumathi, besides looking after the big family, was engaged in
women welfare. She headed the Mahila
Mandal for more than 25 years in that locality and devoted her time for the
welfare of poor and downtrodden women.
“I
learnt about the importance of knowledge, discipline, time management and
perfectionism from my father, and leadership qualities and passion for service
to the society from my mother. These
qualities have always helped me to become successful, braving all challenges”,
Narendra says with emotion.
Early Days – Passionate Student
Narendra
completed his B.Com with a University rank.
His ambition was to become a Chartered Accountant. He joined a Chartered Accountancy firm. Meanwhile, in 1975, the then Private Sector
Corporation Bank offered him a job as Officer-trainee, since he was a
University Rank holder. He discontinued
CA and joined the Bank. He pursued law
(L.L.B) as a part-time student, attending the classes both in the mornings and
in the evenings, outside the office time.
Again, he secured a University rank in law also. He also completed his banking diploma CAIIB
with a top rank at the national level.
“Though I wanted to become a Chartered Accountant, I started my journey
as a banker”, says Narendra.
Tips to Manage Challenges
Narendra’s
journey in the banking career was not without challenges. After joining Corporation Bank in 1975, he
rose to the level of Chief General Manager in the Bank. Then, he was posted as Executive Director of
Bank of India. After a brief stint
there, he was posted to Indian Overseas Bank in November 2010 as Chairman,
which post he still continues to hold.
He will retire from the bank in less than two years.
“To
become a leader is not an easy one.
There may be a lot of frustrating moments for any person in any
profession. Your good and sincere
efforts may not get recognised; your trusted close friends may ditch you; your
boss may get angry without reason; your minor mistakes may get projected as
major issues; there may be caste and communal politics in the organisation. Every such moment is a testing time for
us. We need to learn to manage such challenges
without getting upset. Every challenge is an experience. Leave it to God. Continue to do your work with all
sincerity. A time will come when you
will be recognised and rewarded”, says Narendra after a deep pause.
Mentoring and Learning
Narendra
recalls how his father used to review his performance frequently, even when he
(Narendra) was holding the position of General Manager and mentor him to manage
the challenges and to go to the next level.
Narendra emphasises the need for good parenting, and parents becoming
role models for children.
Narendra
says that whenever he meets the customers, he learns from their success and failure
stories. Even from the routine business
meetings, he picks up a message for
life.
Though
there were offers to join Private Banks at the top level with a huge salary, he
refused to join them. “Public Sector is
my passion. Public Sector banks give
more opportunities to support farmers, small industries and nation
building. We should not forget the roots
from where we have come” says Narendra passionately.
He
wants to focus on education and social service after his retirement from the
Bank. He wants to continue the initiatives his parents had started.
Gratitude
“While
my parents have played the role of the mentor, my wife is playing a supportive
role throughout my banking career.” Concludes Narendra with tears rolling in
his cheek as a mark of gratitude.
Within
two years of his joining Indian Overseas Bank, he is able to nearly double the
business and bring in a new environment galvanising the entire bank. His new
slogan “Energy, energise, execute and excel” has become the new mantra to all
his colleagues to continue their journey in nation-building and self-improvement.
PodUniversal Edition 160
Please listen to his inspiring interview (13 minutes). His interview may also be listened at
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