Maya Pai waited as Ajit Saigal, the MD of Delaware India signed the letters, humming a non-existent tune. Maya was Saigal’s secretary; everyone knew the MD’s office would be in shambles if Maya was away for even a day. In fact, she was greatly respected.

“Uday was here this morning,” she began slowly, referring to Uday Basu, Delaware’s sales director. “He asked to see a copy of his mid-year appraisal. I noticed you have not filed a copy... have you forgotten to? Quite unlike you though...”

Saigal: Well Maya, between us, Uday is going. I need to shepherd the process sensibly so that he goes without kicking and screaming. Mark and I have been working on this for over a year, which is why there is nothing to his mid-year 2011 appraisal.

Maya: Oh! So...

Saigal: Let’s leave it there. If he comes back, tell him some story. And if he asks me, I will tell him you would know.

Uday is going.... What had led to this? Just two days ago was Uday’s appraisal; it was held right here in the MD’s office. She remembered Uday coming in and even asking her to book his tickets to Ooty as his secretary was on leave and there had been some silly joke they made about that... all had been normal. In fact, when he came out of Saigal’s cabin (rather quickly) she had even heard them discuss a thriller at the door. And in less than 48 hours, Uday is going... Saigal’s tone now appeared to conceal a plan.

What Maya did not know was that at the appraisal, within seconds of his sitting, Saigal had said, rather directly: “Uday, we will get to the details soon after, but it will be sensible for us to set the platform for our meeting today so that we both don’t waste time. I believe that sales needs a new leader.... So now you have two choices: One, move to rural MR as their head,  or two, leave Delaware.”

No further explanation followed. But the abruptness and urgency with which he had said it all was very disturbing.

But Uday noticed how much Saigal squirmed as he dealt with the moment. So Uday said, “It is much more difficult for you Ajit to say this to me than for me to hear it... I will think over your proposal to lead the small business. And if I choose to instead quit, I really expect from Delaware and from you personally to be treated with respect and fairness.”

Saigal chose to be quiet but pushed the two-sheet appraisal towards Uday artlessly. Silence took over the judgement. Uday did not even look at the sheet. In his heart he knew those sheets would contain a justification for what he now saw as a political strategy, of which Ajit was either a part or the orchestrator. Uday reminded himself that when it came to power, the best men are rendered helplessly smitten.

As Uday got up to leave, Saigal said, “Of course, we will treat you with respect, Uday! Come back in two days with your choice....”

Uday: George R.R. Martin says in Meat House Man: ‘Of all the bright cruel lies they tell you, the cruelest is the one called love.’ We can adapt that to ‘Respect’. You must read
this book...

Saigal: You read too much fantasy, don’t you?

Uday: But in George’s words, ‘we read fantasy to find colors again’!

As he left Saigal’s office, Uday thought, here is a man with whom I have a perfectly healthy personal relationship, yet he is now being challenged to take a professional decision that is going to lead to unpleasantness. At the end of the day, we are nothing but hunting dogs who are let loose in the marketplace to go grab the top line numbers. And when we sit in our kennels licking our wounds, we do feel terrible about all those people we had to run over.

Strange, he thought, same time last year the words were glowing — “great performance. Uday and his team have designed a new market strategy that in one sweep addresses the small kiosks right up to the hypermarkets, with least disruption and maximum efficiency....” Saigal had been all gung-ho. Ditto during the mid-year review. Not a frown or even a doubtful word. Except that, Saigal had chosen not to record the mid-year praises! But was everything really alright?

Some things did not add up. For instance, in June 2011, during the review meeting, Saigal had also said, “I have been discussing your move with Mark (Steiner, AMEA —Africa, Middle East and Asia region — HR president) already for six months....”  His tone had then seemed quite normal, but today those words rang with heavy significance. What had they been discussing? What move? And why? And is this appraisal verdict linked to that?

That was when Uday met Maya in the lunch room separately and said, “I need your help with something. Can you give me a copy of my June 2011 review?” Maya agreed she would, but she had not found them. That intrigued her. Saigal was fanatical about papers being in place. Where was the review sheet?

That was how we heard her ask Saigal, more out of anxiety at not finding it in the files, and in replying to what she had not asked him Saigal had planted the seed of doubt.

When Maya went to give him the bill for his Ooty tickets, Uday asked about the review sheet. Maya, fresh from the loaded exchange with Saigal, said, “Well, it occurs to me that it never was filed.” Then they looked at each other in the manner of senior executives bound by and reverential of a sacred code of ethics. She knew what had happened. He knew she would know. But he would not ask her, nor would she tell. Such was the beauty of the moment as they both converted the loaded look into a “Well! Then that’s that!”, ending it with the forced spread of pursed lips into a stretch, that pretended to be a smile.

As both furiously battled with their confusion, Maya’s thought pool read, “Taking into account that he is very accurate and pedantic with papers and procedures, it seems to me like Saigal decided not to leave a trail... Nor was he intending for you to take corrective action. My dear friend, what you will not see is that as early as June, he had made his decision about you.”  

When Maya left, Uday thought, what lies behind this web of lies? The most recent review before the current diabolic one in November 2011, was in June and there was not even a hint of unhappiness. Wasn’t it just September 2011 that Saigal was telling him to guide him on Little’s Meadow? Then what explained the exchange at his year end appraisal? None of these added up.

Uday, who had been matter-of-fact and congenial in the MD’s room, was now slowly stewing in his questions and doubts. It was all triggered by a simple fact of the June report not being in the file. Maya will not lie.