Vijay Iyengar

Vijay: He has an boiled egg-shaped face, his grizzled hair sticking out like an eagle, fair complexion, sparking eyes, and one of those characters who generate a fantastic first impression so much so that you will write a blank cheque with your eyes closed. But as you see him on a daily basis you realize that he is no longer that hot.

Vijay talks like an advertising man; long on sermons and perfect accent to carry the message. He has his habit of stooping below and shrugging shoulders the American way. His mouth curls and the two lips don’t close down upon one another; the bottom lip juts out conspicuously.  

Vijay is the CEO of Mentor with long stint in consumer non-durables P&G and Mani’s buddy.  

 He comes across as a person with a keen intellect and fantastic presentation. He has a marketing man’s penchant for problem solving. He briefed me on a couple of jobs and I was impressed. I found his ideation on the Ezines refreshing and relevant. But try hard as I could, I never succeeded in relating to Vijay at a social level. He seemed determined to keep the likes of me away.   

In the initial days, I was in a mood to please for these were my employers. I was often rankled with his frequent use of the word “claim” and he used it as a missile. His first reaction to my brochure copy of “Multiple Learning Stimulus’ was that it was more a bombastic spiel of the company and a mere “claim” not substantiated. That was fantastic insight and I worked harder and digging my mind further.  

Then during the conference at Mahabalipuram, Vijay introduced me to the Devdutt Patnaik, the mythologist, as a “self-claimed writer”. I lost all preserve and lambasted him for such a clumsy introduction notwithstanding his CEO rank. He shrugged off the outburst in a sportive manner. Then we played the pingball game in which two teams battle each other with guns and pigment shaped ball for bullets; Vijay proved the winner in almost all the games he participated and showing extraordinary patience in wearing down the opposition.  

Vijay is an effective speaker in front of the podium and he is gifted with charisma that is hard to explain. He is front face of the organization and interviewing people is his chore. He is trusted for his judgment. He is an avid blogger, self-“claimed” foodie, and sees a political role for himself in the future.  

But I never found him endearing. He never wanted to involve me socially or even work-wise. Right from my day one, he was as distant as a fly on the wall. That in an office of 10 people that requires some maneuvering!! It does not speak highly of a manager to hire someone only to warm the bench. My sole occupation at Mentor was to eat my lunch on time or smoke at the portico in frustration.  

He takes people into the organization after extensive interviews but the recruits don’t stay long enough. He is smart, personable except to me, motivated, his excel charts are the best in Asia and even Bill Gates can’t reach those levels of sophistication (Vijay holds a PhD degree levels on Excel proficiency with chart in different colours and they flash an intimation to him on deadline!), an effective manager but something got fogged in the cold November rain.

Verdict: Rajasic

Lesson to be learnt: With such characters put on a BIG act if you wish to survive. Try all the tricks of Dale Carnegie and get on his right side. Or else you’ll you left alone writing another resignation letter.