Humility & bonding. Key to great teams, great leadership, and great work.
Jan 1989. Chennai. I had just got posted there as an Account Executive with Mudra communications after my induction at Ahmedabad. Since I was new to the organisation and Chennai, I was not assigned to any client yet. It was thought that I need to settle down and get acclimatised in all respects. So, I was just floating around.
During one of these very early days of being in Chennai Branch, I was told to attend a shoot for one of our clients BSA MACH I. The location was a college, and we were shooting with actor & model Jugal Hansraj. Jayendra & PC Sriram were the producers of the commercial. (Jayendra & PC Sriram as cinematographers are names to reckon with in the film industry of South India in general and Chennai in particular. They are like institutions in themselves.)
Shots were being taken as per the story board. There was a lot of commotion and excitement in the college campus. There must be about 40-50 people from the film crew. Then there were college students who were keenly watching the film shoot. For me it was a totally new experience.
At about one in the afternoon, the director said pack up for lunch. Soon a special pantry car arrived managed by one of the crew members. It was equipped with everything. Shimmering steel cutlery was out. Everybody started sitting on the ground holding the steel plates waiting to be served.
What surprised me the most was that Jayendra & PC also sat on the floor like everybody else and had their food. PC Sriram had already shot into fame with movie Nayaken (with Kamal Hassan as hero) which was a super hit in South and then it’s Hindi remake Dayavaan (with Vinod Khanna as hero), was a super hit as well. Jayandra was a noted and acclaimed ad-maker even at that time. And I see them sitting on the floor having their food with their crew members. No airs. No qualms. It was something to notice & imbibe.
And then I began to realise that this trait of theirs was manifesting in dedication, commitment and complete order & discipline while the shoot was on.
For me, the takeaway was the huge management lesson. Humility leads you to bond with people, which leads you to make great teams. And great teams produce great work. It is almost 35 years. Both of them are still doing great work. PC is busy in films and Jayendra is now leading Real Image & Qube Cinema, providing digital film solutions to the world.
And when they are shooting, during lunch break, they still have their food the same way.
Add a Comment