Let me start with by setting the context. I am out of India working for a big client on a project that may last more than a year for me. I would not divulge more details because I do not want you to zero down on the person this article is about but you would still guess that anyways, if you are smart enough and in touch with me.
My first 'Billion dollar company CEO handshake moment' recently came, when I got the opportunity to meet the client CEO, who heads an organization with 1.62 Billion USD of annual revenues (much more in NZ dollars). For guys more comfortable with 10's and 20's, thatz lot of money and a big company.
So recently, there was a big out-of-office event to mark the beginning of a key phase and many important people gathered for it. Before the event formally began, Mr. CEO was just hanging around and chatting with people. I did not get an opportunity to say Hi to him, then. The seating layout was such, that there were about 8 round tables, each with 8 chairs and a list of 8 people. I saw my name on one of the tables and took a chair. Some one asked me to shift to the next chair and I did. What I didn’t notice was that Mr CEO was supposed to join my table, until he reached there looking for his seat and stretched out his hand to me telling me his name. We shook hands, I told him my name and he sat right next to me. After about 5 minutes into that session, I realised that this is the first time I ever shook hands with a CEO. As a matter of fact, I can call my friend Pradeep the CEO of the business which he manages - but this guy was the top executive of a publically listed company with more than a 1.6 billion in revenues!
When you are doing your MBA, you have a feeling that going forward your circle would mainly be the CXOs, with whom you will get to attend evening parties and play golf. That image fluttered for a second or two in my mind. To get people talking, the MoC started a game where everyone on the table had to tell two statements about themselves to rest of the table occupants - one true, one false, and everyone would guess which one is true and which one is false. Shitty game, isn't it? I'm sure I would not play such a game even back in 3rd standard. But here I had to play it at 27! Anyways, all the people, including me said two statements and everyone guessed the true and false statement. Mr CEO was the last one to go. The story that follows in interesting.
Mr CEO said following two statements:
1. I have a girl friend who is 24 years old, and
2. My favourite sport is golf.
Since he was sitting next to me and we were playing this crap game, I thought of having some fun. I told the big guy that 'I'm sure you hate golf' - and I laughed as I was quite amused at my sense of humor. Surprisingly, there was silence on the table. My table occupants (the jackasses) either dint get the joke, or dint find it funny, or were scared to laugh off at their CEO! Mr. CEO looked at me with a straight face, he then looked at others. They were already staring at me. Alright, I'd realized I've made a boo-boo, but why did everyone had to embarrass me like that? All of us have had that moment when we say some things after which we wish we could just vanish. There is nothing that we could say to undo the damage. During that awkward silence and staring which lasted for about 1-2 seconds, I was hoping if I could turn into a rat - at least they would not think about my comment! In the middle of this, one member on the table started laughing - so late! I think this genius got the joke. The air got relaxed. The discussion went on and soon it was 'discovered' that the first statement is false. Mr. CEO endorsed it and I could not have cared less about that. I was thinking about my comment. It made me realize that everyone is not the 'Bakar type' material.
I feel it must be whole lot boring up the corporate ladder, where golf comes to your mind when you think of sport! Or having a 24 year old girl friend is the most whacky false statement that you can tell people - instead of something like "I’m wearing pink colored polka dot underwear today" (of course if u r actually not! And if you are - u can be anything but boring)
Herez my advice to all CEO's. Get a life babies. Have a genuine smile at times, that doesn't go into the news papers. And when some idiot cracks a joke on you - at least laugh because it wont be very often that you'll come across something like that :-)
