Winning Manager

Walter Vieira (certified management consultant or CMC) was among the first to be elected a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants of India (FIMC); and also the first to start a marketing consulting company— MAS—in 1975, in Mumbai, India, after a 14-year successful career in the pharmaceutical industry, with Glaxo, Warner and Boots. In a span of over 40 years, Walter has worked with many of the largest companies in India—both multinationals and Indian—which have been family-managed or corporates. MAS offers consulting in marketing strategy, and selection and training of marketing personnel in India, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.Walter has published 14 books, three of them in collaboration with C. Northcote Parkinson of Parkinson Law fame. The 5Gs of Family Business is his sixth book published by SAGE.He has been a business journalist, having written a fortnightly column for Business World for 20 years, and for the Times of India for 10 years; has published over 900 articles in the business and general press. He was on the advisory board of the Journal for Management Consultants, USA. He is the only consultant invited to address three consecutive World Management Consultants meets in Rome, Yokohama and Berlin, and the World Marketing Summits in Dhaka and Tokyo.He has been president of the Institute of Management Consultants of India, founder-chairman of Asia Pacific Conference of Management Consultants, and later elected chairman of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes, the world apex body.Walter is listed by Speakers Academy of Europe for speaking engagements worldwide. He has been a visiting professor at the Bajaj Institute of Management, Bombay University for 20 years, and he has lectured in the USA at Kellogg, Lake Forest, Rady, Drexel and Cornell, and also in Bangkok, Colombo, Singapore, Spain and Beijing.Walter now spends considerable time in NGO work and is chairman of the Consumer Education and Research Society; trustee of MoneyLife Foundation, IDOBRO; and has been advisor to WWF for Nature for many years.Walter is also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award (LAA) for Consulting by IMC India in 2005, and another LAA for Marketing by Indys India in 2009.

• Foreword K V KamathPrefaceIntroductionI: STARTING OUTOn the Threshold: Start of the Work Phase of LifeSketching Out a Grand Career Design: Fixing the MilestonesApplications That Work: And Why Some Don′tPlaying the Interview Game: When Basics Are Often ForgottenNegotiating the Interview: Insights into the Minds of InterviewersFollowing Up on Interviews: How Far Will You Push?Choosing an Employer: Look Before You LeapWithstanding Pressures: A Formidable ChallengeKnowing the CEO: The CEO Casts a ShadowThe First Job Change: A Major HurdleBe Wary of Titles: They Can Be MisleadingUnderstanding Long-term Gains: Look Beyond the HorizonII: DEVELOPING SKILLS AND ABILITIESGetting on with Your Boss: An Ongoing ChallengeA Mentor Can Help You Succeed: Makes the Journey EasierDon’t Let Accidents Derail You: They Can Be Opportunities in DisguiseLittle Things Show Up: And Reveal the Real PersonBeneficial Associations: Using the Power of SynergyEnhancing Career Option with Networking: Extending the ReachGrabbing Opportunities: Needs Grasp and ReachThe Importance of Being a Team Player: Leveraging the Power of ManyBecoming an Effective Manager: And not Just an Efficient ManagerOpportunities to Learn: They Are Many and VariedThe Need to Learn/Unlearn/Relearn: A Lifelong PursuitManagement of Time: A Key Element for SuccessEffective Communication: The Hub of Fayol’s WheelTaking Notes: Useful Backup to MemoryBlocking Communication: I Know It Already!Communicating Facts without Tact: You Could Be Right, the Wrong WaySeparating Issues from Persons: The Art of DiscernmentDithering on Decisions: A Major Disability with ManyHow to Motivate People: And Keep Them MotivatedThe Need for Creativity: Because Innovation Is the KeyLearning from Job Transfers: Travel Is EducationPerseverance Pays: In the Long RunIII: ATTITUDES AND VALUESIs Business Etiquette Outdated?: These Are Lubricants that Help Human InteractionsIndiscretion Can Harm Others: Hallmark of Poor ManagersIndiscretion Can Even Harm You: Shooting Yourself in the FootA Question of Trust: Creates Followers for LeadersKeeping Your Word: Is Being True to YourselfBuilding Credibility: Helps Create ReputationsMaking and Breaking of Reputations: The Long and the Short of ItPeer Group Pressures: Can Be OverpoweringThe Limits of Honesty: Challenge of Black and White and Shades of GreyTolerance for Corruption: Getting Used to Seeing Weeds, Not FlowersGifts: Giving and Receiving: Making it Innocuous, Both WaysGreater Expectations from Others: It Is Futile to Expect GratitudeA Yearning for Solitude: Learning to Be Alone—Not LonelyAre you Doing Well?: The Answer Can Spark Sympathy or JealousyFooling People at Work: Some of the People, Some of the TimeWith a Little Bit of Luck: Fortunes Can Change!Values and the Executive: Some Things Are Unchangeable, Even in a Changing WorldShould You Be In Business?: With the Right Nature and Nurture, You ShouldCharacter and Self-Discipline: The Foundation for LeadershipThe Protective Umbrella: For Many, the Grass Is Greener Here

"[This book] should be read by all aspiring managers, as well as experienced managers, to get a picture of the real world of commerce and industry. Walter covers a wide spectrum of many practical questions and situations, that academicians generally ignore in their rarefied teaching. A job seeker who is ready to enter the business world needs to learn the ropes of job hunting, creating value and moving up the ladder of management. The person needs a full understanding of the business challenges and opportunities he or she will face. Those in middle or senior management have other and sometimes more complex challenges, as they move towards the CEO position or towards retirement.Let Walter be your guide, as you seek to enjoy a rich and rewarding career in management, with his central theme of high performance in tandem with high ethical standards."