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The free hand - a mythical concept which has been
in existence ever since the term 'management' was
invented by a group of orangutans figuring out how
to nail a bunch of bananas (ok, I lied about the orangutan
bit, but there were definitely some bananas involved).
It is meant to be an empowerment tool that serves
to motivate and nurture employees and prepare them
to assume more responsibility. However the chances
of this definition actually being implemented in the
real world are as remote as the odds of the orangutans
returning those bananas, even it there is a world
famous card and a curvaceously crafted star actress
being waved in their faces.
"Never trust boss
who says the decision is your own, soon the issue will come back and you will
cry and moan." The high pitched, heavily accented oriental cackle, and Chai-La,
the mystical Chinese tea boy, had disbursed his morning ascetic pearl into the
unsuspecting ears of Ram Shankar, as always with the customary tea cup, nestled
in Ram's fingers. Vikas (Ram's boss) had been away, incommunicado for a
week. The office speculation was that the (in) famous Russian pole dancer who
he used to chat with, was in town and Vikas had felt it was an opportune moment
to learn the 'Russian tongue shuffle'. Thus, he had excused himself by saying
it was merely a case of paying lip service to some pressing issues for a while
(which it was) and had zoomed off into an unspecified direction leaving behind
an excessively overburdened and outrageously confused Ram Shankar in his wake.
His parting words to the young chap were, "Don't wait to get in touch with
me for any decisions, act like you are captain of the ship and just move ahead.
I am backing you all the way." Those words, after rather lazily tracing
some motivationally challenged, elliptically orbital paths in Ram's mind, had
settled and resonated in meaning, inflating Ram Shankar's ego and chest dimensions
almost to match those of his stomach. He felt wondrously alive and detected a
distinct surge of electricity running through his veins making his hair stand
on end, until he realized that he had absent mindedly inserted his pen into a
three pin socket. Nevertheless thus 'charged', he had attacked each day
with a ferocity that would have done a pack of teen age girls entering a shoe
sale proud. And the days, as also the various assignments, had zipped by. When
Vikas resumed, looking a little odd with puffed and bruised lips, the first thing
that he did was ask for a status update with Ram. Ram felt, for once, that he
was in for some praise. Everything over the last few days was running extremely
smoothly. "Things will change when boss is back, as things need to
get back on track," Chai-La's sermon for the morning had Ram a little bewildered.
What could possibly go wrong? He had performed a minor miracle over the week.
Even PP (the creative director of the hideous moustache fame) had a few good things
to say about him, and if you were in servicing that was as rare as a meeting ending
without an exhortation for the need of 'out of the box' thinking. "What
has been the progress on the market research brief that we were supposed to initiate?"
asked Vikas, scratching his head in a bellicose manner.
"Well the
research has been initiated, it began three days ago," answered an elated
Ram. "What?" screamed Vikas, touching the high octaves, causing
an ageing Indian ex-captain to momentarily take his eyes off the ball and nick
yet another one into the waiting slips.
"I only asked you to initiate
a research brief."
"But you told me to take decisions; I was
in charge you said."
"You don't know the sensitivities on the account,
now talk to the research agency and stop whatever has been initiated.
Figure
out how the costs will be absorbed."
"Don't you even want to
see what the brief was?"
"At my level, I don't need to. I just
can sense things becoming issues."
Retorted Vikas, with his mood
visibly uplifted. Ram felt his morale sag like the male interest in a Ms. World
pageant after the swimsuit round is over. "What about the new press
ads needed for the Gujarat market? Can we see the creative? When are we looking
at releases?"
Ram's mood perked up again. "We have already
begun the campaign, one ad has already appeared and the others are due over the
next few days." Ram replied, beaming ear to ear like a reality show participant
waiting for the audience vote to come in Vikas's clapped his hand to his forehead
and slumped back into his chair.
"Why do you take these decisions?
How much do you know of the brand?"
"But I presented it to Mr.
Bose (the client), he approved it, in fact he said this was the most incisive
idea that the agency has created over the last year."
"Mr. Bose
wouldn't know an idea if it stood up and slapped him, get PP over here."
Interrupted Vikas, then seeing PP pass by hailed him.
PP sunny disposition
vanished the moment he set his eyes on Vikas.
"PP, our boy here…"
PP
brightened and slapped Ram on the back, "has come a long way, I never knew
he was that smart, he hardly gets in a word when you are there. He has helped
create and sell some cracking work."
Vikas was clearly unimpressed
with the endorsement.
"I was going to say that he has caused enough
mayhem and was going to tell you to stop work on the campaign, we will give you
a new brief."
"Why?" boomed PP, always eager to combat his
nemesis.
"Because I head the account and it's my call."
"Its
better for the account when you are away, take leave more often."
"This
account is with this agency because of the relations that I enjoy at the client
end. I have the final say on everything!"
They were standing toe to
toe, just when the referee, oops sorry, the President motioned them both into
his room in a manner that meant that the rest of the afternoon was gone.
"I
want all the releases stopped by the time I get back, also you better reverse
all the bright decisions you have taken when I was away," hissed Vikas, closely
resembling an extremely agitated viper as he left the cubicle.
PP offered
Ram a sympathetic smile, and a wink of encouragement. Ram sat in his chair,
a little stunned by the course of events. His brain seemed to have shut down.
He was trying to contemplate what all he would need to do to reverse the 'Vikas
effect' and the ramifications on his esteem and his job list were immense. "Never
take decision when boss is away, when he is back he will make you pay," those
wise words of wisdom, the express delivery of the teacup and Chai-La had vanished
into a page of a textbook on empowerment that was lying on Ram's table. The page
was titled. "How to use empowerment to keep subordinates motivated."
 After
stints at Lowe, Mudra and Everest the author is now general manager Client Service
Network Advertising. In addition to that he is also patron saint of Juhu Beach
United - a movement that celebrates obesity and the unfit 'out of breath' media
professional of today. To join up contact vinaykanchan@hotmail.com
(The
views expressed here are those of the author and Indiantelevision.com need
not necessarily subscribe to the same) | 
