Annoyance sets in easily. But learning to enfeeble it and roll up your sleeves to confront such emotions head on, and in the right manner, is what Vijay Prasad imbibed during his journey through his career. Heading the Enterprise Applications and Business Intelligence Solutions at Satyam Computer Services Limited as the Director and Senior Vice President, Prasad holds his managers, Ramalinga Raju and Rama Raju as his gurus and fine examples of stability and calmness!

Upset over a shabbily documented proposal by a team member, Prasad berated him and hung up the phone. On introspection, he realized his annoyance was disapproving. At once he called him back to reason the cause of the dismal work. Reflecting on this situation, Prasad says, “Anger is always there, but it has to be used sparingly. Therein lies the emotional quotient of a leader.” Quoting his manager A.S. Murthy, Prasad says that an important lesson of management is to understand that management boils down to “people, people and people”. With a calm and collected mind Prasad reasons that it becomes easier to assess an issue and raise it above the predicament.

An adherent of John T. Molloy’s “Dress for Success”, Prasad engages his cavalier in his management as well. Patting the back of an achiever at his desk is a common scenario, but spicing the commendation with the complement, “I would be worried if you didn’t do it” is where he stands nonpareil.

And if he knows when to say it, he knows who’s worth the commendation as well. “It’s not the positional power that appeals but the expertise,” articulates Prasad. He asserts a manager’s need to have an edge in his avocation. Formulation of the work is not all that matters if the delegated work isn’t executed appropriately, he adds.
“Work can be executed well when there is collaboration within the team and the organization,” says he. With people becoming more computer-friendly and personal interfacing lying on the decreasing trend, Prasad emphasizes that success can be achieved only through team effort. And team effort is an inherent piece in the game of collaboration. For him, a manager must gain synonymity with this collaboration. “However, just as you can’t light a match with a wet stick, you can’t kindle the fire of enthusiasm in your team if your own enthusiasm is hanging low,” Prasad exudes his philosophy of managership.

Canonizing Jack Welch’s four Es of a managerial style – Edge, Energy, Execution and Exciting oneself and others, Prasad adds two more to it – ‘Stand as an Example and Empower your team members’. “Treating a team member one level ahead of where they are excites them to perform better.” Lauding their good points and pointing out the strategies for improvement after empowering the team member is where a manager can pave the success path.