This story is from some years ago. A person visited One of the offices of TATA. At the reception he asked the receptionist, "Ma’am, I'm here to meet Mr Mehta". The receptionist politely said, "He is not in the office” The man did not have an appointment, and knowing the common culture within his sales industry insisted, "Ma'am, why are you lying? Please, I won't take much of his time. I just need 5 minutes." The lady’s simple response was, "Sir, at TATA, we don't lie". I am not sure of the authenticity of the story, but one can expect such a response in as organisation like TATA. This story simply has to be read as a folklore. But the intent here is to bring to attention the simplicity in the receptionist’s response.
Often, an individual's way of behaviour and conduct catches on as a culture of an organisation, and soon the culture translates into the identity of that individual or that organisation. Then be it in any domain, one finds such examples across time and history. From Gandhiji, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela to Amitabh Bachchan, Vishwanathan Anand and Rahul Dravid – they have all demonstrated a degree of ethics that apart from leaving them transformed has also influenced others within their circle, and has led to create a culture.
The lady’s simple response was, "Sir, at TATA, we don't lie".
Image Source for the Cover Art of this story: TATA
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