Human resource development expert Vijay Menon talks about his experiences, during a recent seminar on self-excellence at the Leadership Forum  

By Shevlin Sebastian

At the lunch break during the day-long seminar on ‘Self Excellence’, for the Leadership Forum at Kochi recently, human resource development expert Vijay Menon is bursting with energy. The adrenalin is still flowing, as he elaborates on the subject. “Self-excellence is rare,” he says. “Very few people make a conscious effort to understand themselves. There is a difference between knowing and understanding oneself. Knowing is at a primary level, like your name, address and the skills you have, but understanding is when we are able to unearth the deeper person. And when we do that, it usually leads to excellence.”

This can be achieved through reading, inner reflection and engagement with society.

In his 16-year career, Vijay has mentored a cross-section of professionals from all over Asia: judges, CEOs, leaders of Fortune 100 companies, civil service officers, women corporate leaders, teachers, and students. “What I have discovered is that nearly all of them have a deep desire for self-development on the personal and professional fronts,” says Vijay.  

This can be seen soon after the conclusion of an event. People will come up to Vijay and ask for some book to read. “When I meet them the next time, they will tell me they have read the book,” says Vijay.

For Vijay, one of the books which made an impact on him was the late President APJ Abdul Kalam’s ‘Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji’. “The book says that if you have the right purpose, the possibilities are infinite,” he says.

Vijay also tries to increase the possibilities of his participants. Two years ago, he was talking to a group of Class 12 students at a school in Kochi. They told him that they would be going for an excursion to Mysore. Vijay spoke to them about how money is important and it should be spent carefully. Then he began speaking about tribal colonies in Wayanad, where in summer they go through a harrowing experience because of lack of water.

The talk had an impact. A group of 12 students decided to forego their trip and used the money to build a well in a village at Wayanad. “Today, they have a well which benefits 45 families,” says Vijay. Later, students from seven schools set aside money and 25 wells have been built.

Thanks to his numerous interactions, Vijay has a different perspective on people, who normally do not have a good image, like public sector employees. He has addressed the managing directors of many public banks, as well as trained the chairman and managing directors of all the seven public sector insurance companies in India. “What I found was that, despite all the constraints, like lack of autonomy, some of the things that they have done are absolutely amazing,” he says.

In a corporate set-up, a managing director has important bullets in his armoury. “He can give somebody a promotion, a salary hike, or send him abroad for an overseas placement,” says Vijay. “But a public sector MD cannot motivate his team by saying, ‘I'm going to increase your salary’. It has already been mandated by the government. So, literally speaking, it is his personal charisma that makes people do something out of the way.”  

Vijay, who is also on the training panel of the judicial academies in Kerala, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, also has a high opinion of the judiciary. “One judge told me that he was keenly aware that every judgement that he wrote today will be taught tomorrow in a law school,” says Vijay. “He felt it should be one which has power and depth. So, he hoped to gain something by attending my programme.”

As for tips on public speaking, Vijay says, “Today, unfortunately, public speaking is dominated by PowerPoint presentations and graphics. While this is important in a formal presentation, the greatest traction as a public speaker comes through the power of stories and anecdotes. Every concept comes alive through a story. Every fact gets meaning with an illustration.”

Secondly, delivery should be genuine. “There is a tendency to change your accent, but you end up sounding artificial and unreal,” says Vijay. “It is through the authentic self that the trust of the audience is won.”

Thirdly, he emphasised the importance of unconscious modulation. “You can have the greatest content, but for that to live on in the hearts and minds of people, you have to employ voice modulation. That means, one has to emphasise keywords,” he says. “So, if you say, ‘the late Dr Varghese Kurien was a wonderful institution builder’, the emphasis should be on the word, ‘wonderful’. Now the problem with voice modulation is that when people start doing it consciously, it becomes artificial. However, through constant practice, it can become natural.” 

(The New Indian Express, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram)