e Magus

Management's history is steeped in the rigid discipline of military order. I remember my MBA professor’s mnemonic— Manage/Men/Tactfully —a sly nod to management’s early roots in hierarchy and precision. F.W. Taylor, the father of scientific management , designed a system built on oversight and efficiency, where managers commanded from their thrones of polished mahogany. When I joined the workforce in the mid-90’s, the control structure was very much visible. The manager’s workspace spoke volumes: a cavernous office with a desk that could seat a small nation, side tables, a fridge laden with benevolence, and a sofa set that whispered exclusivity. In India, most meetings called by the manager, was called a durbar : audience in the royal court.   Control was about proximity. Managers were gatekeepers of information, issuing directives and reinforcing order with the close watch of an army general. In some companies, at the time of joining, they even required a conduct certificate, prov...

  This Diwali holidays, apart from the regular cleaning of the house, I also spent time clearing out old files, an archive of past pitch decks/presentations, from my laptop to save space. As I went through these remnants of previous efforts, one thing became clear: the pitches that resonated most with clients and were successful, were those that was anecdotal rather than data-heavy. Rather than charts, graphs, and research reports that dominated the slides, it was structured narratives, telling a story that clients connected with. What kept me thinking was, why do we instinctively lean towards stories, and why do stories often win over data? Our everyday interactions offer clues. Stories, whether in advertising, news, or casual conversations, are more memorable and engaging than standalone facts. Psychologists have long suggested that humans are “wired” for stories. Studies such as those by Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow , reveal the power of heuristic biases—me...