“I think education forms a singular aspect of how a person can progress in their career. Education is naturally important, but the key is what you do with that education”
The greatest stories are about those who come from nothing and yet achieve eveything. These individuals pave the road to success with their grit, perseverance and passion against all odds. Perhaps no one embodies these qualities better than Nathan SV, Partner and Chief Talent Officer at Deloitte India. His commitment to excellence is only matched by his hunger for continuous self-improvement. During an event at a leading management institute, Nathan SV sat down with Corporate Citizen to share insights about his journey, what it takes to be a good consultant, and why belonging to an ivy league college is not at all integral for a great career
My first remembrance of education is studying in a municipal corporation school in Madras. We came from very humble beginnings. The school was run by the government. We didn’t even have chairs or tables then, so we used to sit on the ground to study. We didn’t have books or stationary, we had slates and chalk. The senior classes did have notebooks though. We used to scribble on the slate with chalk pieces. We did not much care. To tell the truth, I loved my teachers. They were fantastic. They did the most important thing a teacher can do-they got me interested in the subjects. I will forever be indebted to them for this.
After a while, we moved to Kolkata. My primary education was done there. In Kolkata, I went to a school called Auxillium Convent, and then to Saint Mary’s. Once again, I was fortunate to have been admitted in great schools. My father then got transferred to Madras, and so I moved back. Fortunately, by then his financial situation improved. I joined a very good school called Padma Seshadri. Padma Shashadri is now a very well-known school. They believe in quality education. They expected a lot from the students. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there but not for long! My father again got transferred, and he was asked to help set up a manufacturing plant in Nagpur. I moved from Madras to Nagpur. There I studied in St. Francis De Sales School and St. Francis De Sales College. In the 9th and 10th standard, I faced a challenge. I had to take Marathi as my third language. I knew nothing about Marathi. Fortunately Marathi has the Devanagari script the same one as Hindi , but I did not understand anything about the language then. How was I to clear Marathi in the 9th standard? People learn languages from a very young age. To pick up a language in the 9th standard is quite difficult. My Marathi teacher was a gentleman called Mr Jambekar and I will never forget him. Mr Jambekar was a person who asked me to attempt a test in Marathi as soon as I entered the class. He did not much care that I did not know the language as I had joined from Madras or that I joined the academic year mid-way. I was totally lost. My father then did a very unique thing. He enrolled me into a tuition class where the lady teacher neither knew English, nor did she know Hindi. The only language she knew was Marathi. She spoke to me only in Marathi, and I had no option but to pick it up. The journey was painful but I guess she was a great teacher as I learnt fast. I scored more marks in Marathi than I did in Hindi, when I attempted my 10th board exams. I stayed back for 11th and 12th in Nagpur. After 12th, I wanted to try engineering. I came down to Chennai, but the academic year timings in Tamil Nadu did not match with Maharashtra, and I was told that I could not be admitted in the current academic year, although I would surely be granted admission in the following year as I had excellent credentials. I got admissions to Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT Nagpur), formerly Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering, and Lakshminarayan Institute of Technology, but my father could not afford the fees for both these colleges at that time. So I came down to Chennai and did Mathematics from a wonderful college called Vivekananda.
In Vivekananda, I participated in sports, I was my college athletics captain, I was into long distance running, I was a part of my college quiz team, and I was also a prolific debater. I did multiple things when I was in college. I was also in NCC. I was a NCC C-certificate holder, which is the highest level you can get. The nicest thing about Vivekananda was that it had given me an all-round grooming, based on which I had applied to IIMs and XLRI. I thought with my Mathematics I could crack IIM. I sat in the entrance exams for only 20 minutes and I walked out. I realized that I was not at all prepared. Around that time, The XLRI exams were round the corner. Not wanted to repeat the same mistake, I prepared for a whole month. I applied myself and studied very hard and I cracked the exam. That’s how I got into XLRI. I wanted to excel in my academics. My father had spent so much of his savings to send me there. Almost 50% of his salary went in the fees. It was difficult for him to manage with the remaining 50% of his salary. But he did it for my sake. This was always on my mind, and it motivated me to work extra hard. When I graduated from XL, I was the topper of my batch. This was in 1983. I was conferred the ‘Distinguished Alumnus’ award in 2014 in recognition of my contributions to the industry which have in turn brought credit to the institute. It felt good.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I was always interested in English. In those days, I used to go to the public library. My grandfather made me read the editorials to learn new words. I read the words and shared it with people as to what they meant. That was the easy part. But how do I pick up a whole language? How do I speak it? I went to a friend of mine who was an Anglo-Indian. My sole idea was to learn how to speak English. I spent a lot of time with him and even at his home in Nagpur. His mother told him to ‘keep the company of this boy as he will teach you something’. I didn’t know how to tell her that I was keeping the company of her son because he was teaching me something – English.
I didn’t even know how to hold a spoon or a fork. I learnt from observing. I used to go to a place called India Coffee House. At three in the afternoon, you would usually find a group of Parsi women who would come and order masala dosas. They would cut the dosas and use the fork in an impeccable fashion. I used to try and emulate them. Of course, in the early days the dosas used to fall off the plate. Dosas at that time cost Rs.3, which was a fortune for a student like me. I learnt to eat using cutlery watching these elderly Parsi women. You have to go to the right place to learn the right skill. You learn by watching and you learn by doing.
I have one credo in my life. Anything you take up you should do exceedingly well. Even if it is shining shoes, make sure you shine them well.
“When I graduated from XL, I was the topper of my batch. This was in 1983. I was conferred the ‘Distinguished alumnus’ award in 2014 in recognition of my contributions to the industry which have in turn brought credit to the institute”
I think education forms a singular aspect of how a person can progress in their career. Education is naturally important, but the key is what you do with that education. I have known a number of people from ivy league colleges in India, but what do they do with that education? Most squander the potential. Some of the best performers I have had working with me have been people who have never been to any of the ivy league colleges. The people who work harder are the people who generally have not been to any of the top colleges. They overcompensate by their imagination, their hard work and they are incredibly devoted. Of course everyone is different, but the best of the best who really want to do well will do well regardless of their circumstances or education.
My first job was at ICI (Imperial Chemicals Industries), which is one of the nicest companies to work at. I had three placement options during my college placements, I chose ICI because I liked the guys who came at the campus to interview people. These were people whom I could relate with. They made me comfortable, they were who said they would invest in me as a person and in my career. I felt that I would rather be with someone who wants me to succeed rather than someone who has no stake in my career. The man who made me comfortable was a gentleman who I immensely like. I did not know he would eventually be my boss. He was such a senior person but he was humble. I learnt humility from him. I also learnt about standing up to support another, the meaning of integrity and community building. I also learnt what it is to be a good human being. ICI was outstanding learning.
From ICI, my career took me to several other places. I went to a company called Sterling Holiday resorts. Then I moved to IT and joined a company called Microland. From there I passed through Philips, spent some time there in their IT organizations, and then in 2002 I joined Reliance. I was in Mumbai for three years. I was working in Reliance Infocomm and have been in several meetings with Mr Mukesh Ambani. What a man! I was staying in Bengaluru and working in Mumbai and after a point it didn’t work for me. So I wanted to move. That’s when Deloitte came into the picture. I really liked the people who came in for the interview. Wonderful people. Very grounded and warm. A great reason to join them. It was for the US firm’s offshoring centre in India. I joined the group, the firm grew several fold. It wasn’t just about the numbers though, it was more important for us to bring in the right people, to build the right culture to the place. How do you make sure that you create a place which the colleges and institutes would vie to place their students? How do you build a brand in a marketplace which is so cluttered? I then moved to the India firm which is headquartered in Mumbai.
“You have to go to the right place to learn the right skill. You learn by watching and you learn by doing. I have one credo in my life. Anything you take up you should do exceedingly well. Even if it is shining shoes, make sure you shine them well”
The best consultants in my opinion have the following four attributes.
Of the four attributes, there are two attributes I feel we can do much better at in schools and colleges. Problem solving comes very easily for Indians. The big challenge for us is how you train people to be curious. Curiosity comes by asking the right kind of questions. Curiosity is sadly something which is not taught today. What matters is what you see beyond the data. A good consultant looks beyond the data. He brings great insights to the data. How do you bring insights to the table? That’s a challenge. Another attribute that they don’t teach you in schools and colleges is good listening skills. Listening skills are crucial for self-improvement and more so for building the much needed patience.
If you believe that every consultant knows everything about the topic he is consulting about, then it is a really tall ask. Of course, they need to be aware and need to know what is happening around and invest in themselves to be even more tech savvy. A consultant is supposed to understand what the issue is, look at solving the problem, but they needn’t do all this by themselves. They need to find the source of talent which can solve that particular problem, and then we can go back to the client with the solution that is required. In this rapidly growing technology world, what is most important is finding, a way to tap talent and experts out there in the world, even the gig workers. People today don’t want to work in an organization for life. If they stay in a company for two years they feel it has been too long. They want to learn and grow, and be the experts in their streams.
How do you get such and talent from the right place? That is the source where the consultants search for. Look at what is happening to the food industry. We never expected food and service to be of the scale and size it is today. People have understood that there is merit and people will pay for convenience and service. Look at Swiggy, Swiggy has almost become a colloquial term in some cities. In a talent context, what Swiggy has done is provide a platform which connects all the users, the customers on one end and the various sellers on the other. Similarly, in consulting, we need a platform which connects all the gig workers on one side and all the people who need their services on the other. Earlier, organizations were looking at how we can train people on these skills and retain them for long periods. Some try to do so, and with some measure of success. Much of today is about build vs buy.
Today, things are getting to be specialized. There are great opportunities for gig workers. By the way, the gig workers, we have always had in our lives – like the carpenter and the electrician on call. Today’s gig workers need to be qualified for the work they profess to be experts at. This is necessary as there are opportunities for such gig workers. With so many gig platforms coming up, if you have to be on a particular platform, then they will test you for the skills that you have claimed to possess. Some platforms don’t even do it and instead ask of the rating of the gig workers from clients where they have worked as that becomes a basis for future referrals. Much like the Uber feedback system for drivers. They will certify you. Only then are these gig workers understand what it means to be delivering their best.
I’ll flip the question on its head. I will in fact say that this is a great opportunity for consultants to come in and help solve some of these issues that are plaguing companies. Consultants can step in and worry about these issues that face the world, and bring solutions to the table (laughs). AI will only help consultants to be better at what they do. I do believe that there are two or three sectors in India which can do very well, the service sector in particular. I also think that the sector which is going through some turbulence today is the automobile sector. We need to understand, vis-a-vis manufacturing, that we have certain capabilities. If you look at the steel sector, India produces world class steel. What we have to worry about is consumption. How do we kick start consumption? The sector which is being ignored and which can make a big difference to employment is the agriculture sector. I think we need a sectoral focus and the right questions to be asked with respect to growth. I believe consults can be a great help in this regard. They come in with a mindset that this is what we can do.
“A consultant is supposed to understand what the issue is, look at solving the problem, but they needn’t do all this by themselves. They need to find the source of talent which can solve that particular problem”
I don’t think women are adequately represented in the Industry. We have to work exceedingly hard to get women in the workplace. Statistics show that at the entry level, the gender parity is almost 50-50. The first exit of women is seen when they get married and have children; this is about 27%. At a senior manager level, this number drops to 18%. At the leadership level, it plummets to 10% or even less. When you have an Arundhati Bhattacharya who rose to the level of SBI CEO, and SBI under her leadership saw very good growth, it sets a clear example of how this is done. There could be several more such role models. Banks do it very well. And policies that help. Actually, Deloitte was the first to introduce this maternity leave policy of twenty six weeks. Having women specific policies that make it easy for them to return back to work.
There are special goals that need to be set by organizations. They need to be looking at their leadership pipeline and the funnel of women that will lead a path to leadership. We need special drives to bring in women into the workforce. China has 30% of women in leadership in the private sector, and the number is a staggering one given their large number. Research has demonstrated that companies that embrace gender diversity at the highest levels in particular, enjoy superior corporate performance. There is a business case for gender diversity and men can play a big part in moving the needle.
Research shows that women in the workforce enhance corporate performance by over 30%. It is not for altruistic reasons or socialism.
It is not different from any good consultant – listen, observe, solve problems, build relations and address business issues ahead of time. At the centre there is all but - people. What strategies can we engage to get the best out of our people and have them learn and grow is the best part of our jobs. An HR professional needs to be a people champion, and connect with people and understand their source of motivation. The whole thing boils down to - how does one address the Connect, Develop and Care as it relates to Talent.
The best of strategies cannot come good without outstanding people. A good HR professional also spends time understanding talent. Lastly, a good HR professional must do some good thinking and be even better at doing good things. Today’s HR professional needs to think ahead and use the latest technology like AI and robotics to assist them. Building a great internal brand and attracting the best and retaining is key to a business.
“Research has demonstrated that companies that embrace gender diversity at the highest levels in particular, enjoy superior corporate performance. there is a business case for gender diversity”
My wife Chitra Nathan is a remarkable woman. She is a homemaker. She has done her M.Sc in Chemistry from Jabalpur University. She is from the Central Provinces. The difference between her and me is that she thinks in Hindi and translates in Tamil, and I think in Tamil and translate into Hindi. She decided early on that she wanted to focus on our two boys, Vivek and Vignesh. Her role in my life cannot be understated. She has been my pillar and the anchor in our family. A very positive person and simple outlook to life makes me feel normal
You have to manage your work, you have to manage your home, and it’s all in your hands. Sometimes, one requires more attention than the other. It all depends on how you manage both. I would use the term ‘Work/Life adjustment’. Sometimes, when home demands more you adjust everything about work and focus on the home and sometimes when there is a lot happening at work, you focus on work
When I have time for myself, I love listening to old Hindi music or music of just about any kind. I can listen to Tamil music and any music from the 70s and 80s, which is basically my time. I like the pop of the 80s. I love jazz music in particular. I also love reading. I am a voracious reader. I also write. I blog a lot. Every day, I put out my thoughts on LinkedIn. It’s called ‘#OfficeTruths’ This keeps me occupied. I am always curious about what happens around me. I also spend a lot of time at home, watching movies with my wife, or going out to a theatre. When I come back home, I make it a point to write about that movie. I also enjoy the company of good friends and like to spend some time with them. I would also have my moments of exercise and meditation. In all, something that relaxes me and refreshes me.
By Neeraj Varty
