No Option

Published in the Sunday Vijay Karnataka on 24 November, 2024

…I remember my father taking me to the well to teach me how to swim. When I hesitated, he would give me a push, and suddenly, I was in the water, battling to stay afloat…

A message arrived from our technology team last year: ‘We are updating the platform next month, shifting from ‘Work Chat’ to ‘Teams’. All tests have been completed. This new platform will increase your efficiency, support faster decision-making, and benefit the organisation as a whole.’ Veena World is, at its core, a young organisation. But both Sudhir and I are old-school, senior citizens. My love for technology is practically non-existent. The organisation, recognising this, hasn’t provided me with a laptop—‘cost control’ is the reason. The team jokes, ‘Here’s the only CEO who doesn’t use a laptop!’ But why should I, if my work gets done using pen, paper, an iPad, and my phone? I believe we shouldn’t keep adding gadgets to our lives unnecessarily. ‘Does the work get done or not?’ I ask. As our General Manager Shilpa More says, ‘This phone is enough.’

In the last ten years, technology and processes have changed countless times, and we are all used to adapting. ‘Change is the only constant’ is a mantra we must internalise now more than ever. While we are accustomed to change, there’s always some reluctance or indifference when a new tool replaces one we are used to. When ‘Work Chat’ was replaced, a quiet sense of reluctance lingered in the office: ‘This new system? More to learn on top of everything else?’ But, one by one, the team got the hang of it and smoothly integrated the new system. For me, technology changes always feel daunting—there’s a knot in my stomach. Last year, moving from ‘Work Chat’ to ‘Teams’ made me anxious, so I decided to use the ‘Burn the Boats’ method. Perhaps some wisdom came with age. On the morning of the transition, I said a silent ‘thank you’ to Work Chat on my iPad and then firmly deleted it, saying, ‘This journey ends here.’ Then, the learning process for ‘Teams’ began. To my surprise, I picked it up in just two days. Without the fall-back of Work Chat, I had no choice but to master Teams, which allowed me to overcome the fear and become stress-free.

The ‘Burn the Boats’ technique is believed to have originated with Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator, reformer, and strategist, over two thousand years ago. When Caesar embarked on an expedition to England, his weary soldiers were discouraged, apprehensive of facing the powerful English army, and eager to return home. With the boats still visible, thoughts of retreat kept surfacing. To eliminate any possibility of retreat, Caesar supposedly set the boats on fire, forcing his army to press forward with the determination of ‘win or die.’ While some historians consider this a legend, its essence—leaving no option but to succeed—has been a strategy for centuries.

Another notable application of this strategy is Hernán Cortés’ conquest of the Aztec Empire in Mexico. When Cortés arrived in Mexico in 1519 with only 600 soldiers, they were exhausted after their 10,000-kilometer journey from Spain. Facing the powerful Aztec Empire, thoughts of returning home crept into their minds. Realising that retreat could spell failure, Cortés burned the ships, leaving them no option but to press forward. This decisive move led to the Aztec Empire’s surrender in 1521. Since then, the ‘Burn the Ships’ strategy has become a timeless principle of commitment, used across fields.

Growing up in the village, I remember my father taking me to the well to teach me how to swim. When I hesitated, he would give me a push, and suddenly, I was in the water, battling to stay afloat. Moving my limbs became a necessity. Parents and teachers give us this push at times, much like Cortés, even if we only understand their foresight years later. They simply want us to be able to fight.

This philosophy of ‘No Other Option’ proved invaluable during COVID. For the tourism industry, the pandemic was an unprecedented setback. Tourism was the first to be impacted and among the last to recover. People had erased us from their lives for two and a half years. During this time, many left the industry for new pursuits, but we held fast, convinced that tourism would eventually revive. We had no alternative, no backup plan—tourism was all we had. When offices reopened post-pandemic, we held our first Managers’ and Tour Managers’ meetings. I recall telling them, ‘When we have been kept alive, let’s make the most of it. We now know that we are here for tourism, so let’s make the most of our presence and dedication.’

Our role in the service industry is to wholeheartedly serve our tourist guests and maintain constant vigilance to ensure we don’t falter. The awareness COVID imparted remains, and each team member strives to improve daily. Although perfect service remains a journey rather than a destination, there is consistent improvement. Mistakes happen, but we are committed to immediate corrections and preventing future errors. This diligence, I believe, is the right path. It’s up to each of us to put in our best efforts.

In essence, ‘No Option’ is Veena World’s success mantra. In fact, I can say confidently that ‘No Option’ is indeed the best option.