Indian Fast Food: A short story about the art of influencing
Jack M. Pullara, Graduate Career
Management Center Advisor
This tale illustrates the idea that we can
improve our ability to influence others and achieve our objectives by modifying
our messages. Building this skill requires first understanding the idea and then
practicing the behavior until it becomes a habit.
Pragun and
Nina, two associates working overtime at the global accounting firm K&D,
decided to take a break from their busy season schedules and try a new local Indian
restaurant. The restaurant seemed to be inspired by the small family-run places
often found in the neighborhoods in the south of India, which is where Pragun
and Nina were from. They had become fast friends after finding they were from
the same area. Pragun and Nina were excited to indulge in the house special, banana
leaf curry, the restaurant’s big city adaptation of a traditional dish.
At the
restaurant, Pragun informed the waiter – who was also one of the owners – that
Nina and he needed to eat rather quickly so they could get back to the office. As
far as overtime meals went, this was one of their more memorable breaks since
it allowed them to escape to a part of India they were both feeling homesick
about. The dishes were fantastic and the portion sizes were large enough to
ensure a food-induced coma – something that would have made returning to work a
real test.
So, Pragun signaled
for the owner to come to the table and said, “Everything was great but we don’t
have room for another bite. May we have some take out containers?”
“The
restaurant does not provide containers for leftovers,” the owner replied.
Pragun,
surprised by the owner’s response, said, “What do you do with the leftover
food?”
“We discard
the leftovers, sir.”
Pragun asked
why the owner did not allow customers to take home their leftovers.
“It is our
policy, sir,” the owner replied.
Pragun, who
left India only a few years ago, reflected for a moment on the sad reality that
so many of his Indian compatriots back home did not have enough to eat. Pragun
was raised with the idea that it is wrong to waste food when so many people in
the world go hungry. At the same moment, Pragun thought about the discussion he
had earlier in the day with his manager, Victoria, about K&D’s corporate values
of integrity and the courage to stand up and do the right thing. While Nina
urged Pragun to “let it rest” and return to the office, Pragun knew that he
needed to say something.
Pragun once
again signaled for the owner to come to the table.
“I don’t
understand how a fellow person from India can have such a policy when you know
full well how many of the people in our country don’t have enough food to eat.
Nina and I work for one of the largest accounting firms in the world and there
are several thousand employees who work at our office located just a few blocks
away. While we enjoyed our meal very much, we will unfortunately feel compelled
to tell our colleagues to not dine
here.”
The owner looked
down, clearly dismayed to hear this. “I’m sorry you feel this way. I do thank
you for your business and hope that you will visit us again.”
Pragun was
proud that he demonstrated the courage to stand up for something that he
believed in. He reiterated to Nina that if people like them did not say speak
up, nothing would ever change for the better.
Pragun paraded
back to the office with a sense of purpose. When he was back on the floor, he
wanted to share his story with Victoria, his manager and mentor. Victoria and
he had discussed the importance of having the courage to do the right thing
when the situation called for it.
“Hi Victoria, do
you have a minute?” asked Pragun.
Victoria
looked up and enthusiastically waved him in. “Of course, Pragun. You know I
always have time for you.”
Pragun told
his manager the story and punctuated it with, “Nina said we should just let it
go but I thought about our discussion on values and I knew it was important to
speak up.”
Victoria
paused for a moment, placed her hand across her chin, and said, “Pragun, it is
important to speak up for the things that are important.” Pragun smiled.
“May I ask you
a question, Pragun?”
“Of course.”
“When you
decided to provide that feedback to the restaurant owner, did you have a
specific objective in mind? In other words, what were you trying to influence
him to do?”
“I was trying
to influence him to let customers take their leftovers home and not waste
food,” Pragun said proudly.
Victoria
paused for a moment and asked, “How effective do you believe you were in
achieving that objective Pragun?”
Pragun’s
shoulders fell slightly and the pride that lit up his face was replaced by a new
awareness.
“I guess
you’re right. That was not the best way to get him to change his policy.”
“It’s okay, Pragun.
Let’s pick it up again from the moment you waved the owner over to your table
to share the feedback. This time, I’ll pretend I am Pragun and you will be the
owner.”
Victoria came
out from behind her desk and sat in the chair next to Pragun. She said, “Hello. My name is Pragun
and this is my colleague, Nina. What is your name?”
“My name is Nandi.
Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet
you, too, Nandi. Nina and I really enjoyed the food at your restaurant. We are
from a town in the south of India and the experience reminded us of home.”
“Thank you Pragun.
I am very happy that you enjoyed your meal.”
“We did. Nandi,
may I share some feedback with you?”
“Of course, Pragun.”
“Nandi, we are
disappointed that your policy prevents customers like Nina and me from taking
our leftovers home with us. Both of us were raised in families where we were
taught never to waste food when there are so many people in the world that
don’t have enough to eat. Both Nina and I work for K&D, which is one of the
largest accounting firms in the world. In fact, more than 2,000 K&D
employees work out of our offices just two blocks from your restaurant. Here
are our business cards. Our phone numbers and e-mail addresses are on the
cards. If you ever do change your policy, please contact either Nina or me. We
would like nothing more than to return and to recommend your restaurant to our
colleagues.”
When Victoria
finished speaking, Pragun’s smile
returned to his face. No one had ever shared the idea that a person can improve
their ability to influence someone else by changing the nature of their
message. Victoria helped Pragun understand a very important insight about
influencing.
The next day Pragun went back to the
restaurant during his dinner break. He went hungry, ate all the food on his
plate, and then he used his new insight to again speak with the owner.
________________________________________________________________
Jack Pullara
Manager, Working Professional Career Programs
Jack Pullara joined the GCMC in Spring 2012 after 15 years in the professional services firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (PwC). While at PwC, Jack was a Principal in the New York office where he provided audit and audit-related services to clients in the capital markets, banking, and insurance industry sectors. In addition to serving clients, one of Jack's other passions has been coaching and mentoring staff. While Jack is new to the GCMC, he is not new to Baruch. Jack was the partner responsible for on-campus recruiting at Baruch for the Risk Assurance practice in the New York Office. He continues to be actively involved in Baruch’s Executive Student Partnership (ESP) mentoring program both as a mentor to students and a member of Baruch’s Executives on Campus (EOC) Advisory Committee. The ESP program provides undergraduate and graduate students with networking, interviewing and other essential “soft skills” vital to compete in the job market. Jack graduated from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY with a degree in Accountancy and earned his MBA from Columbia University. Jack lives in Hoboken with his fiancée Sandra and enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, and real estate investing.
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