It took them 190 km and 14 years to muster the courage to let him go. And yet, two weeks before E Sreedharan quits as managing director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), their trepidation is palpable. The question is not whether Phase III of the Delhi Metro will be completed by its deadline - 2016. The question is whether it will be done the Sreedharan way. Will his legacy continue after he is no longer at the steering wheel?
The man himself is unruffled. Sreedharan has full faith in his team to carry forward Delhi Metro's sterling tradition. After all, the credit for the project's success must go to the 7,000 employees who work hard everyday, he says.
This is Sreedharan the leader, who has evolved a system that he believes, can do without him. This is Sreedharan the man, who is self-effacing in his humility and can't be bothered with glory.
Yet, in the past decade fame chased him. As the Delhi Metro rolled out track after track with speed, precision and transparency, the 'Metroman' became the icon for many Indians.
Along the way, there were several attempts to deconstruct his success. Every little idiosyncrasy was analysed, each quote repeated several times over. Fans tried to build his work philosophy with scraps of information about how he ran the Delhi Metro. But very few succeeded in inculcating a bit of the Sreedharan style in their lives.
So as Sreedharan prepares for his time off, ET on Sunday decided to revisit the decade and a half that made him an icon. Only this time, we have culled the learnings and formatted them to fit into your role in life. This is the list of lessons with tips from the legend, customised for YOU.
IF YOU ARE A POLICY MAKER
Redefine the Context
Benchmark yourself against the prevalent system and you'll land with moderate success. It will not measure up to the grandeur of a Delhi Metro. Such things demand a vision not limited by convention or expectations. People would have been happy if the first phase of the metro was completed by the deadline - 2005. But Sreedharan raised the bar. He told his team, Delhites couldn't wait for 10 years for a Metro. The deadline was shortened by three years and met.
Focus on Goals Not Politics
Shore up your perseverance and prepare for maximum resistance, especially by political expediencies. "I don't know why some bureaucrats are not able to function. They should have the courage to stand up to their convictions and take decisions and not leave everything to the politicians," says Sreedharan. He followed this principle throughout his career.
One such occasion was as the head of the Konkan Railway project in the 1990s. They were years of flux as Goa saw chief ministers change four times between 1993 and 1994. Every change brought a fresh group of lobbyists into the spotlight. "Sreedharan was a rock who was determined to get the project completed," recalls PV Jayakrishnan who at the time worked as the chief secretary, Goa.
Sreedharan shares another anecdote. In the early years of his DMRC stint, he was to appoint international consultant for the project. His team chose the Japanese on the basis of their bids. But the then railway minister insisted on the Germans as they had lobbied hard for the position.
"I refused to give in. And refused to even give him any explanation," says the Metroman. He was confident he had chosen the best and followed all the required procedures. Finally, Sreedharan's choice was accepted. "That one incident [withstanding political pressures] increased the confidence of my team enormously," he explains.
Source: Economic times
The man himself is unruffled. Sreedharan has full faith in his team to carry forward Delhi Metro's sterling tradition. After all, the credit for the project's success must go to the 7,000 employees who work hard everyday, he says.
This is Sreedharan the leader, who has evolved a system that he believes, can do without him. This is Sreedharan the man, who is self-effacing in his humility and can't be bothered with glory.
Yet, in the past decade fame chased him. As the Delhi Metro rolled out track after track with speed, precision and transparency, the 'Metroman' became the icon for many Indians.
Along the way, there were several attempts to deconstruct his success. Every little idiosyncrasy was analysed, each quote repeated several times over. Fans tried to build his work philosophy with scraps of information about how he ran the Delhi Metro. But very few succeeded in inculcating a bit of the Sreedharan style in their lives.
So as Sreedharan prepares for his time off, ET on Sunday decided to revisit the decade and a half that made him an icon. Only this time, we have culled the learnings and formatted them to fit into your role in life. This is the list of lessons with tips from the legend, customised for YOU.
IF YOU ARE A POLICY MAKER
Redefine the Context
Benchmark yourself against the prevalent system and you'll land with moderate success. It will not measure up to the grandeur of a Delhi Metro. Such things demand a vision not limited by convention or expectations. People would have been happy if the first phase of the metro was completed by the deadline - 2005. But Sreedharan raised the bar. He told his team, Delhites couldn't wait for 10 years for a Metro. The deadline was shortened by three years and met.
Focus on Goals Not Politics
Shore up your perseverance and prepare for maximum resistance, especially by political expediencies. "I don't know why some bureaucrats are not able to function. They should have the courage to stand up to their convictions and take decisions and not leave everything to the politicians," says Sreedharan. He followed this principle throughout his career.
One such occasion was as the head of the Konkan Railway project in the 1990s. They were years of flux as Goa saw chief ministers change four times between 1993 and 1994. Every change brought a fresh group of lobbyists into the spotlight. "Sreedharan was a rock who was determined to get the project completed," recalls PV Jayakrishnan who at the time worked as the chief secretary, Goa.
Sreedharan shares another anecdote. In the early years of his DMRC stint, he was to appoint international consultant for the project. His team chose the Japanese on the basis of their bids. But the then railway minister insisted on the Germans as they had lobbied hard for the position.
"I refused to give in. And refused to even give him any explanation," says the Metroman. He was confident he had chosen the best and followed all the required procedures. Finally, Sreedharan's choice was accepted. "That one incident [withstanding political pressures] increased the confidence of my team enormously," he explains.
Source: Economic times
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