Russi Mody showed the way

Tata Steel’s legendary Chairman and MD, Russi Mody, held a meeting every week with Tata Steel employees in Jamshedpur, in the 1980s. During one such meeting, a worker raised a serious issue. He claimed that the workers’ toilets were of poor quality and sanitary. In contrast, he stated that the executive restrooms were always clean and well-kept.

Russi Mody asked his top executive how much time he needed to correct the situation. When the executive requested a month,  Russi Mody said he would do it in a day and asked the executive to send a carpenter.

Russi Mody instructed him to swap the sign boards on the toilets when the carpenter arrived the following day.  The workers’ toilet now said ‘Executives,’ while the executives’ toilet said ‘Workers.’

Russi Modi then directed that the sign boards be changed every two weeks. The two toilets’ quality had equalized, within three days.

Being a leader entails much more than being an executive. Identification of problems necessitates critical thinking. However, solving a problem only requires creative thinking. This is not only a story, but also a leadership lesson from the great Russi Mody.

Russi Mody began working for Tata Steel as an office assistant. He had quadrupled the company’s production capacity and set the tone for India’s fledgling human resources practice by the time he left.

Russi Mody died in 2014 when he was 96 years old. It’s unclear whether his longevity was due to his famous 16-egg omelets or his insistence on living life on his own terms. Russi Mody was, without a doubt, a rare Indian corporate hero.

Read More:- Russi Mody showed the way