The Hindu Business Line : Articulate your expectations

It was a Sunday and Suresh, a close friend, had come by to share his workplace sorrows with me. He is a very bright, passionate and committed professional who felt completely short-changed and betrayed by the founder of the company, which he is a critical part of. It was an oft-repeated tale of betrayed trust and broken promises.

Suresh was a senior professional in a multinational company when he was virtually serenaded at every corner by the founder of a promising start-up. Ultimately, Suresh accepted the offer and joined the start-up. He did so on a handshake and with the expectation that all his needs would be taken care of in time. After weathering many ups and downs, the company prospered and many more well-qualified professionals joined the company. Investors came in and paid a good price for their stake. All this while Suresh soldiered on and gave his all to the cause of the company he had helped build; he had also brought on board many talented people.

With success came some unfortunate changes in the behaviour of the founder of the company and Suresh was the first to feel its consequences. Questions regarding promises of stock grants were conveniently evaded and at one point, amnesia also set in. When Suresh started pushing harder, hints were dropped that perhaps he should find greener pastures elsewhere.

Suresh's problem is not unique and is one that happens frequently in the workplace. In many ways, it is about the cupidity of some founders, but is also about the inability of most professionals to clearly articulate their expectations when they are being wooed. Much like the courtship phase, when everything looks rosy, no hard questions are asked and when reality sets in after marriage, fuzzy expectations lead to lots of unhappiness. In extreme cases, it leads to a sense of betrayal and bitterness.

Given today's fast changing world, it becomes incumbent on everyone to make sure that his/her expectations are well-articulated and their rights protected through suitable mechanisms. It is not to say that all founders and senior managers have convenient memories, but it is important to protect one's downside early in the engagement. This is much like taking out a policy on one's life — not in the expectation that it should ever be invoked but `just in case'.

In many cases, altered external circumstances (be it in the marketplace or in terms of people resources) compel the CEO to behave the way he does with some senior folk who have been an integral part of the company. Equally likely is the case where the CEO becomes a victim of circumstances and is asked to leave or the company itself is taken over and power equations change. In all such cases, relying on promises from the past may not translate into benefits for the affected persons; in the altered circumstances, these promises may not get the weightage they deserve.

As much as the CEO may be culpable of not keeping his promises, it is equally likely that the pace of change and its attendant consequences have also a large role to play. In such a scenario, it is prudent to clearly articulate one's expectations, arrive at a mutually acceptable list of rewards, the time periods involved for such rewards to be bestowed and translate all this to contractual terms that are enforceable under foreseeable changes in circumstances. Once this is done, this contract can be put away and never looked at unless there is an imperative need to do so.

The danger in not doing all this is to arrive where Suresh was that Sunday — feeling betrayed and extremely upset with the founder CEO of his company; ripe conditions for self pity, that most corrosive of sentiments, to thrive. Suresh had reached a stage where he was so bitter with the past that he had no energy to focus on the future; a double whammy. This is akin to driving a car with too much focus on the rear view mirror and too little attention to the windscreen that will show us the road ahead.

Oliver Twist had it right when he said: "Please Sir, can I have some more." We need to ask for what is our due in clear terms and safeguard it zealously. If we don't, we can hold no one responsible but ourselves.

(The writer is corporate advisor to 3i Infotech Ltd and Manipal Education and Medical Group)

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