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Have sport-led triggers harmed Australia’s business interests in India?

Ponting’s restrained comments before the India-Australia ODI series had seasoned journalists smiling. Many good-humouredly rued the lack of pre-match aggro!

For some it was a welcome relief to closely focus aggression onto the playing field, and not have it overflow into the wider India-Australia environment.

A series of triggers, sport-specific as well as off-the-field, have sent a negative signal about Australia in India over the past year.

Some of these triggers are:

Australia's Commonwealth Games chief Perry Crosswhite aggressively and repeatedly raising doubts about the security measures in New Delhi, stating that athletes would have to decide themselves whether to compete or pull out.

Persistent rumours that Australia was on stand-by as Plan B host, if India wasn’t prepared in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games

[Non-sport, but highest public impact] A spate of attacks that have dented Australia’s image as a country that welcomes Indians.

Impact on Australia’s image:

Country perceptions are formed in a cauldron of fact, first-hand experience and news.

At this nebulous frontier, basic questions matter: Do you feel welcomed – as an individual and a business entity. Are India/ Indians liked? What are the cultural/ social barriers to doing business?

On these counts, Australia’s image of being a tolerant & welcoming country has taken a beating.

This impedes new business initiatives with prospective Indian partners.

Let’s look back at why?

Rumours that Australia is geared up to host the Games should preparations for Delhi 2010 falter, was the first major negative signal that shot across the public graph a year ago.

When that subsided, reports of Indians, especially students being attacked started pouring in with alarming frequency. There are over Indian 90,000 students in Australia.

While the Indian media went overboard and sensationalized developments, the Australian media took a defensive-aggressive stance – neither of which helped.

Who loses out?

Mid-sized and small businesses from both countries have found it more difficult to establish partnerships. Uncertainty thrives in a negative environment, making it more difficult to trust.

While established business relationships may weather this tough patch more successfully, the current spell of uncertainty ‘might impact those who are thinking about doing business. In this case, perception is powerful and it would be good if that perception was universally positive, affirms Steve Manallack.

Statements such as, “Australia wants to benefit from India’s growing economy, but doesn’t like India [ns]” are not an exception in private business circles. Mid-sized businesses that are active at Indo-Australian business forums have found the going tough over the past few months.  

In Australia, concerted efforts are being made by organisations such as Australia India Business Council which is deeply involved in working towards reduction in violence against Indian students, according to Steve Manallack, Vice President of the Council.

“Some of our sporting clubs are coming forward to work on a ‘buddy’ system which would link Indian students with local families. We feel this is a good idea for the long term’, adds Manallack.

Curbing triggers, strengthening trust

The attacks on Indians have thankfully tapered off and the local police are actively tracking this now.

However, the Commonwealth Games will continue to be a thorn in our sides, until the Games are done & over with.

The recent visit of Stephen Smith, Australia’s foreign minister was too little, too late in the day. Showing the ‘inspection of venues by Australia’s Foreign minister’ may have unwittingly strengthened negative perceptions, as media reports quote Smith reiterating ‘any decision to boycott the Games on safety grounds would have to be made by Australia's sporting federations’.

While the triggers in this case, are difficult to curb, I hope both India and Australia learn from the challenges of the past year and our bond, as a people and as tolerant, multi-cultural nations, are strengthened.

So besides gagging Perry Crosswhite, offering more [than three] hockey scholarships and praying that India wins some cricket matches against Australia during the upcoming series - what do you think Australia should do, to strengthen the country’s image in India?

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Start-ups and the Indian innovation conundrum

Discussions about innovation and start-ups in India's technology sector often lament the lack of breakthrough products that capture the global market. Where’s the next Google, Facebook, Twitter or Posterous from India?

The dissonance is striking considering many successful Silicon Valley start-ups have atleast one Indian core team member. So clearly we’re not short on ideas that work! And the innovation conundrum pervades far beyond just the technology sector.

So why aren’t Indians equally innovative while working in India?

Besides the usual suspects – lack of funding, weak support structures, absence of mentors, red-tapism, inadequate rewards, etc – who’s the elusive robber that slips in unnoticed, but leaves a decisive impact?

Let’s look at it another way:

Have you hired someone whose first attempt at setting up a business didn’t work out?

Do you know a small business owner who had to seek employment with the ‘corporate sector’?

And what hurts them most while transitioning?

Was it being made to feel their whole life is a failure, not just that particular business?

Or that the experience of running a business doesn’t really count, because they didn’t succeed

Or a sense of causing deep personal and family embarrassment that pervades social interactions.

We all know people and families who’ve been through this.

It’s still very difficult to wipe the slate clean and get a fresh start in India. For instance, the year[s] spent running the business are eyed warily & questioned repeatedly as ‘gaps in employment’. And salaries – should they be computed against last job held or income as a business owner – lower/ higher? Designations become another sticky point. KRA’s a never-ending cycle of obfuscation! The process wearies the heart and drains the mind.

Our ecosystem doesn’t accept failure as a part of success –for people and for businesses – as yet.

When the personal and social risk of failure is so great, isn’t risk-taking and therefore innovation deterred?

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“Its a mistake to define good work by awards”: Celebrating trophy Indians

News that India-born Venkatraman Ramakrishnan’s among the three researchers who’ve won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry spread across India with amazing rapidity yesterday.

Social networks were abuzz with congratulatory messages from Indians, with many an amused observations from the rest of world because ‘Venki’ is an American citizen, who happens to be of Indian origin! It was the Sunita Williams story all over again!

While I respect Venkatraman Ramakrishnan who must have worked incredibly hard all these years to be awarded the Nobel Prize; I was appalled at how quickly we claim, as one of our own, an American/ British national who has some remote Indian-sounding connect, but isn’t a citizen!  

The only condition being they should have won a significant ‘prize’ – a Nobel/ Booker/ Oscar: anything that’s recognised in the US and UK! And then we descend into this public orgasmic fawn – according huge media play and even state honours when they visit a long-forgotten home in India.

While raging about our inability to encourage fundamental scientific research and recognise good work in India, two separate instances questioned my cynical view.

The first was a random interaction with a group of college students and young executives starting their first job. I was amused by their innocent enthusiasm about an ‘Indian Nobel Winner’ but their reasons blew me away:

“It just proves that we can dare to chase our dreams! Even if we have to work out of India, Ramakrishnan’s success proves that we can succeed. He is a better role model, than all the corrupt people we read about! And when we succeed, we want to bring about change in India.”

In this simple statement was a tacit recognition that the dreams of young Indians are not bound by country, or corruption, or the absence of a supportive ecosystem. This is young India recognising that corruption must be dealt with, by stripping it of respectability and new followers.

The second was Ramakrishnan’s forthright response in an interview:

“I think it’s a mistake to define good work by awards. This is a typical mistake that the public or even the press make. None of you called me about my work two days ago. I think people have to do what interests them and then pursue it — that’s the way to do important work. Whether these prizes come your way or not it’s really not so important. There are lots of very good scientists in India but I notice the press is hung up about these Western prizes like the Nobel Prize, instead of appreciating that they are doing excellent work within the context of India.”

[Complete interview here: http://bit.ly/19z9n6]

Sunita Williams and now Venkatraman Ramakrishnan are no longer defined by their citizenship. They are now symbols of something bigger – of dreams achieved with persistence and courage – and proof that you don’t have to be corrupt to succeed.

Their accomplishments inspire young Indians – and for me, this is reason enough to celebrate trophy Indians!

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IPL franchise owners get lessons in what cricket players and fans want

Indians love Bollywood and cricket with rare passion. When the two mix, you would expect an explosive entertaining cocktail.

However, the IPL has delivered harsh lessons to the Bollywood demigods - Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, and [to some extent] Shilpa Shetty - who own IPL franchisees.

So here goes:

1. You’re the owner not the coach. So stay in your VIP box and don’t exert pressure on players by high-fiving in the dug-out and then pulling a sour-face when the team doesn’t do well!
2. You’re not a cricket expert, just as cricketers aren’t actors. Don’t try to assume a ‘cricketing role’ and discuss team composition with the media, before the coach and players have figured stuff out.
3. Let the captain and coach talk cricket. Please show unstinting support and marketing smarts, but don’t stray onto essentially play-related decisions.
4. Put the team first. Don’t single out a player for undue praise or criticism – injects unwanted stress into a competitive situation.
5. No leaks: Discussing pre-match strategies is also a no-no. This isn’t a film that needs leaks to keep the buzz going. Zip up, smile and wave from your VIP box! Makes for great TV!
6. No remote-control: Everyone recognises you’ve made an investment. Now be a smart investor and monitor, but do not try to ‘remote control’ cricketing decisions. The under-performance of remote-controlled teams is a clear indicator that exerting undue pressure doesn’t lead to wins.
7. Respect the team: Treat all team members with respect i.e. players, coaches and support teams. All of them matter in helping the team perform well. Remember, a coach has 'been there, done that', and whereas you haven’t.  So please listen, by all means discuss things out, but don’t hoist your methods without considering whether they will work in the operating environment.
8. Handling a loss: How will you Teams dread meeting you after a losing a match. What can you do to make them feel better? [Hint: Its not a lecture! Its not TV interviews saying how disappointed you are.] This is where you can make a real difference. How about trying to cheer the team up – emphasizing that ‘we’re all in it together, till the end’.
9. Interacting with sports journalists: Cricket reporters love the game, have tracked matches & players for years. They can spot a fake from the word go! Don’t make yourself look ridiculous by pretending you’ve suddenly acquired cricketing insight, and especially, don’t attempt to defy the logic of the game by presenting 'exciting changes'.
10. It’s a game. You win some, you lose some. If you’ve made an investment, stick with it through thick and thin, and help create a strong community of supporters i.e. the FANS who have made this whole industry worth all the money it attracts.

While we’re at it, these ten apply to the non-Bollywood franchise owners too, ahoy Vijay Mallya, Tina Ambani! Remember Roman Abramovich didn't buy the Chelsea football team to decide team composition or play decisions – a professional coach did this. The club benefitted from the assurance of steady financial support and superb marketing, while the players were focused on football all the way!

Invest in building your team’s fan community. Work on ensuring that the 'halo effect' of your brand rubs-off onto the teams’ brand. And reap a steady harvest of support that will outlast seasons and enhance the valuations of your investment. As Rahul Chopra, avid cricket fan says, it takes one egoistic owner to ruin a team, and one smart investor to reap the benefits!

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