Dinesh Rohira, Founder and CEO of 5nance strongly supports the No Sir No Madam culture. Dinesh is an alumnus of VJTI Mumbai. He has over 20 years of experience in the Software Services Industry. Dinesh has been associated with a number of IT firms, including Microsoft, IBM, HP, and Microland in various capacities. His company 5nance aims to provide clients comprehensive and structured financial insight.
Dinesh believes that the No Sir No Madam cultural is necessary to make people work as a team. There are about ninety-two people in his company who have been working together for nine years. Dinesh states, “We are equal in terms of work, so we should address each other by first name.”
The members in 5nance share a friendly relationship. Here, first-name based bonding acts as an ice-breaker. People easily reach out to one another and share their challenges. This enables people to connect rather than following a superficial structure that hierarchy teaches.
Dinesh observes that this flat structure also teaches him to be humble and considerate. Power can at times make people egoistical and corrupt their ethics. Dinesh does not allow that to happen. He listens to all the members rather than imposing his views. The members help Dinesh to solve problems faster in complex situations.
Dinesh shares that a few years ago, he faced a challenge while working with a bank. His experience in the organization had been splendid as they practiced salutation-free communication. However, when they appointed a new General Manager (GM), problems began. The new GM insisted that the juniors should address him as Sir and also interfered in their tasks. Dinesh confronted him on the subject which later solved all issues and formed a healthy relationship between them.
However, Dinesh is aware that the government sectors are still bounded by the norms of salutation. He has regretfully avoided any difficult conversation with such officials so as not to miss out on opportunities. Dinesh states that these sections follow — preconceived and predefined system where there is no chance for collaborative work.
Dinesh asserts, “Respect is a mutual feeling which should not be forced upon anyone. People should encourage one another rather than being roadblocks.” Once people learn that authorities cannot force them, officials and executives will not be able to demand respect to boost their ego.
He continues, “Without equality, there will be no progress.” Hence, we must respect every professional. Dinesh tries to incorporate staff, including the help in the events of the company. This boost their self-confidence. He indicates that human emotions are valuable for creating a healthy environment.
Learning starts from childhood. Hence, Dinesh adds that we should not force a certain discipline on children. Even if we teach children to use the Sir or Madam out of respect, we do not need to. If we can eradicate this taboo, there will be a significant better effect on the society.
Dinesh states, “Respect is necessary. However, the Sir or Madam terminology should not be a compulsion. Real respect is more important than an artificial show.” He remarks that some parents regard their children as ‘aap’ which teaches children the value of mutual respect. This brings everyone on an equal platform irrespective of their age.
He suggests that the authority figures should ensure that a first-name based communication continues in the personal and professional arena. Therefore, he makes his members feel that he is offended by these terms.
When we give people a different perspective about these terms, they will naturally avoid it. Hence, Dinesh suggests that the No Sir No Madam initiative should keep promoting in volumes.
In conclusion, Dinesh states, “Value of work and productivity matters in the end. We can have robots to agree on all conditions uttering ‘Yes Sir’ or ‘Yes Ma’am’. For real progress we must drop the Sir/Madam terminology.”
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