A few weeks ago, I went to our Bangalore office for four days to review the key managers as well as to thank the office personally for their great work.
Our Bangalore office is the most professionally run, dynamic, organized, sharp and passionate office in the company. What I mean by “passionate office” is that most people in the Bangalore office are more than just committed to their job and the company — they are doing extraordinary things to make success happen.
The General Manager, Saleem has proven over and over to be a great leader, and even more importantly, loyal.
Saleem, Ian Tracy, Kavana, Jonathon, Murali, Vijay, Liam, and many many others have developed an office that generates consistently big revenue — and at the same time, they have created a corporate culture in the Bangalore office that is challenging everyone to make their lives happen.
Everytime I go to the Bangalore office I get inspired — such great people.
Two weeks ago, Sophie, the COO of naseba, went to Bangalore for 8 days — 7 employees on the team took her camping in the thick forest of southern India over the weekend. When she came back to Monaco, she excitedly told me about how she slept in an open tent with wild elephants, deer, and monkeys roaming right next to the tent. She mentioned that when she woke up in the morning there were 100s of deer right in front of the tent …pretty amazing experience…..
However, I noticed that she talked the most about how inspiring the office environment and key people in Bangalore were for her …the incredible hospitality that the office, esp. these 7 people gave her throughout her trip definitely made her reflect.
She told me a story that I did not know and definitely will not forget … Murali, one of our key people in Bangalore last year used to walked 20km a day to come to work because he did not have a bus that ran at the hour he needed … He never moaned. He never complained. He never boasted to anyone about how hard he was working … he just made it happen.
I have been in Cape Town for the past 8 days. Johan launched the Cape Town office 5 months ago with a first training school of 8 … the office now has 30 exceptionally hard working men and women. 6 from the first training school are still with us and these people have all been involved developing and solidfying a great foundation for the office.
Cape Town and surrounding cities is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Although South Africa is changing - developing and emerging … years of oppression and inequality makes it is impossible to change over night — however, there are definately many people who are not focusing on the negative past and seizing their lives and opportunities of today.
Yesterday, I reviewed “Coco,” a young black woman, the third best sales woman in the office. I was impressed with Coco the first time I met her because she is very sharp and a brilliant, aggressive sales woman — Coco is not her real name, but she is probably one of the most stylish young ladies in the company, even more stylish than Coco Chanel …so I call her Coco.
Anyways….yesterday, I sit down with Coco to review the past 4 months and get her thoughts and input on the future … within 30 seconds of sitting down, she absolutely “hammered” me with her ideas … her input .. her passion. I got excited just listening to her tell me how naseba is going to own Cape Town…
She explained to me that the job and the corporate culture has motivated her and her best friend Mia, another naseba employee, to make their lives happen …
as I sat there listening to her brilliant presentation … I could not help but think about all the spoiled babies that have worked for me in the past….each had the talent, and should have been great … but were not …because being mediocre is so much easier than being great.
We have two young women in the Cape Town office that take a bus at 5am every day and get to the office by 7:00 so they can research for 2 hours before work … and they catch a 7pm bus home at night. Incredible. These two ladies told me that they see the opportunity … and are making sure they seize it. One of them has sold three times this week.
Everyone (seriously), everyone in this office is exceptionally talented and doing what it takes, and more to make it happen at naseba.
On the plane ride back from India several weeks ago - after witnessing greatness … I decided to “clean” the company of mediocrity - and I did.
When I came back to Monaco after my trip to the Bangalore office — on that Monday, I fired 7 people (all European).
I had to chase these 7 people several times over many weeks just to get them to do their job properly…enough was enough.
Because of the local market and standard of living in France as well as government regulations, a Monaco naseba employee makes at least 4 times the basic salary of a sales person in Bangalore and Cape Town ….
Not to mention every Monaco employee gets a warm hug from the company and the government when they quit or get fired …
Unfortunately, the French/Monaco (European) social culture has created a society filled with spoiled babies.
Adam Smith’s invisible hand has been crushed and replaced by an open, out stretched hand … “expecting” instead of earning…
… do the people in the Monaco office want to be successful as much as the people in Bangalore and Cape Town???
Certainly.
Will a majority of them go the same extra mile with the same passion and enthusiasm - and dedication as the people in Bangalore & Cape Town????
No F……..ing way.
Please note - I am not saying that people in the Monaco office are “spoiled babies.”
The Monaco team has many great people who every day work passionately and focused… Stephan who comes to the office by 6:30am every day - leaves the office around 7pm …Bambina … Terry …Josephine …Agata …Stuart … Dennis and of course many more …
I am proud of all the naseba offices and the exceptional people that work at naseba. I did not mention our London, Prague, Dubai or Shanghai offices in this blog. All 4 of those offices have many brilliant people making it happen…
We all need to reflect …
why is it that those who have the least, want it the most ….while those who have the most, want it the least?
Each of us can be more focused, dynamic, hard working, passionate — not just as a sales person or employee … but more importantly, as people making our lives happen.
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