Dear Pharma Veterans! Another Guest Blog is here. It is an interesting and inspiring story. Guest Blogs are also published on https://pharmaveterans.com Please share your stories/ thoughts/ ideas for publishing here. Please send to asrar@asrarqureshi.com
My career with Hoechst is laden with number of interesting incidences and to mention all of them is simply impossible. But I want to narrate and share one experience which made me a turnaround person and entirely changed the trajectory of my working style and greatly infused sense of urgency in me.
It was 1983, while I was working with the sales manager (SKM) as his assistant. One day I reached the office routinely. I was called by SKM and he told me that he wanted a big chart paper to be placed on the wall in front of him in his room. The chart should contain the unit sales, value sales of all the products and presentations for the last four years with the percentage growth rates, negative or positive, for each year over the last to be mentioned against each year. The information for the current year to be mentioned at the end and be written with lead pencil (it was July). For this I was asked to contact the printer, who used to print our promotional literature. I acted accordingly and told the person all what was required. He told me that it is a very lengthy job and he would take at least ten days to complete it and asked me to give him the figures fully prepared with all the calculations and percentage growth rates fully done. I told him to provide him the information in two days.
Next day at about 9.30 am, I was called by SKM again and asked me about the job. I reproduced all what transpired with the printer. I saw his face turning red and in his thundering voice started firing me left and right. I was totally at loss to understand as to where I went wrong. He had expected the work completed the next day. Never after and ever before I faced such a tormenting and traumatic situation in my entire career. As he rose to crescendo, everybody started getting worried about me. There was a pin drop silence in the office and everyone knew that this would be my last day in the company. After about half an hour of tumultuous firing and onslaught on me, the only person who could gather the nerves to enter the room to my rescue, was the Pharma Manager Mr. Wilson.
I was asked by SKM to sit outside on my seat and in 15 minutes inform him exactly when he would get this work ready. I came out in anguish, frustration, and was completely in the spin. I found everybody beckoning me and sympathizing by facial expressions only. A secretary fetched me a glass of water. The first flash came to my mind ‘resign’ but I held myself back. I remained in this swinging situation for few minutes trying to recover from the quandary.
Then I collected myself, settled down a bit and decided to take the challenge. I made certain mental plans. I do not know what really got into me but I went back to his room with full confidence, shedding all fears and with no qualms told him that he will get the job completed tomorrow, although I was aware of the disconcerting bulk of work. I took half day off, collected statistics from Irshad Hussain and stationery from my desk, asked secretary of SKM if she could come next morning at 8.30, which she readily nodded to and left the office.
On my way home, I purchased two giant size chart papers. Reaching home, got freshened up and declared that I should not be disturbed and asked for regular supply of coffee. It was here that I developed adoration and taste for black coffee. I organized my things on dining table with chart paper pinned on it, made a check list and set priorities on pad and started off.
It was much before computers, so everything had to be done manually. Lot of calculations and statistical work, checking and rechecking, erasing, writing and rewriting went on non-stop for the whole night. Finale came at about 5.30 in the morning.
I reached office at 8.30 and found the secretary waiting for me. We both fixed up the chart on the wall in SKM room. Ensured if the alignment is correct and settled down in our seats. SKM came dot at 9.00 and as he entered the room, we saw him jammed in front of the chart and started looking at the jaw dropping work for 15 minutes. It was only at this moment that he realized the quantum of work.
I was called by him in the room; he remained mute for a while and then boldly admitted that he had no idea of the amount of work. He apologized to me and asked me how I managed all this. I told him the whole story. Holding my hand, he came out in the hall and applauded me publicly and also admitted his mistake. Almost everyone in the office including the Pharma Manager was invited in the room to see the feat I had accomplished.
Incidences like these make us strong and confident. They also increase our sense of belonging to the team because we can see the right being upheld.
