Management by stories > Birbal like KRAs
Mohan Prasad

Today all organizations big or small new or seasoned are working rigorously on Performance Management System as the strong leverage to achieving the Business results and in this regard every performers Key Results Areas (KRAs) have become an integral part of the process.

However only a very few are aware that the man who conceived this idea and brought lots of laurels to this concept to the larger world is some one from India!!! .

‘ Akbar the Great ‘ the well known Mughal Emperor needs no introduction to any student of history

The story dates back when one fine day Akbar summoned all his ministers to his chambers for a crucial meeting.

“ I would like each of you to spell out your Key Results Areas for the year with specific period objectives on how the results are going to be achieved “ he declared to the august assembly.

That set the entire team of ministers who decorated his cabinet to think and ponder over. They knew for certain that when Akbar demands there is no option but to deliver. Soon each of them made out their KRAS spelling out elaborate plans of action.

The only soul just not showing any excitement was Birbal. He seemed the least interested in the exercise that had set the mid night lamps to burn all over the palace. Birbal was a special decoration to Akbar's court and it was well known how the entire kingdom had benefited out of his wit and wisdom . However Birbal’s lackadaisical attitude to the new plans of Akbar did not amuse the emperor.

The place was idyllic, the time the morning hours when Akbar was on a lazy ride with his pride of possession " the black horse " that he met Birbal and enquired about his KRAs. Birbal did not have even the faintest idea of what he is going to deliver but not to be out done in this new exercise and as if suddenly he declared “ I have finalized my KRA for the year! “. He looked at the black horse near him and said, " I will make this horse fly "

Akbar could not resist the temptation to laugh it off but knowing Birbal he controlled himself and said " If that's what you intent to deliver it's perfectly OK with me "

Days passed into weeks and weeks into months and much to the concern and worry of the other ministers there was no sign of the black horse flying. The ministers knew that Akbar was quite serious about this new idea and that he would just not spare anyone who did not deliver.

One fine day when it was almost the end of the year the ministers met Birbal and enquired " you seem to be blissfully unaware that the year is coming to close shortly and your promise of the making the emperor’s horse to fly just does not seem to take off. The chorus of their common concern could not be missed out in their comments.

Birbal was his usual self un perturbed " look my dear friends between now and the year end quite a few things could happen which makes me feel least worried “ he said with his usual gay abandon. .

He further went on to explain in his own style the secrets of his confidence " As I see things I am not too worried. You see there are quite a few probabilities in my favor. Well, to just spell it out before the year-ends I could die all too suddenly! Or may be the black horse could contact some disease and die! Or our emperor who is not getting any younger by the day could pass off peacefully! And even if nothing like any of these happens there is a possibility.

He stopped for a while and staring straight at the other ministers came out with the punch line “ who knows by the end of the year that black horse may actually fly!!!! "

The ministers were shocked and frozen to silence. Knowing Birbal they did not venture into an argument with him and left him alone with his theorem of probabilities.

History is not clear which of the probability worked in favor of Birbal. Anyway that that should hardly matters for us.

The very thought of such risky probabilities immediately brings to light the need to look into our own lot and that sets us thinking.

Can we be as lucky as Birbal to shoot off the cuff a phantom like promise and rest be assured that something from somewhere will somehow save us at the end of the day??

Have we made some commitments to deliver which like the flying horse seem to be almost impossible?

What will happens if we survive in the organization till the fateful day and have to face the immediate superior to discuss results?

What will happens if our boss is not going to be leaving the organization as we suspected and is definitely going to confront us at the end of the day??

Will some of our KRAs turn out to become so obsolete that it would make no business sense by the end of the year and our achieving or not achieving will go unnoticed?

And finally can horses really fly at a future date?

A host of such thoughts crop up our mind and cause the uncomfortable churns in our stomach.

Well to sum up .The basic fear that grips us could be strong possibilities of some impossible promises, which we would have made just, meant to impress and not implement??? .

We almost feel like leaving the story here and rushing to our desk to quickly check and review in case we too have by the slip of our pen inked in the " Birbal like KRAs “.

Don't work hard; work smart is a well-known management maxim.

Smart?

Yes. When we examine this 5 letter wonder word! a little more closely it magnifies itself beautifully to form ;

SIMPLE and Specific from S , Measurable from M, Achievable from A , Relatedness and Realistic from R and Tractability from T !!!!!!. ' Making it in a shorter version; SMART.

Oh! That’s Great!

May be with this check list in our pocket, we could get back to our desk and quickly review and diligently deletes those " Flying Black Horse “ like KRAs from our deliverables .

A wise man said “ Honesty to admittance of mistakes pays rich dividends especially when we show this quality not when our chips are down but when there is scope to make amends “

How true. It will not be a bad idea at all to get across the table of our boss right away and admit to those Birbal Brand of bad promises and substitute it with those smart ones that can seldom fail as long we are willing to sweat it out to succeed!

Ask Peter what his boss had to say on his new look KRAs. He would have a happy ending story to narrate.

Author:

Mohan Prasad

Director - Human Resources
South Asia International Institute
(Member, Sylvan International Universities)
Mahavir Chambers, Liberty Cross Roads, Hyderabad - 500 029.

Tel: +91-40-55826155/ 55826156/ 23260183 (extn.105) Fax: +91-40-23260013
Mobile: 40-31059347

website: www.saii.org
e-mail: mohan.prasad@saii.ac.in