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Johnny Oommen
Head of Operations
Al Jenaibi Int’l Automobiles

If one enjoys one’s work, I think the workplace itself is a party

This journalist turned executive believes that one needs to have an unbridled passion for work

Spending time at airport lounges
I surf, shop, sleep and read depending upon my mood. Usually I visit the lounge and use its Internet facility and do some work. While flying I tend to skip meals, preferring to eat only once I have reached a destination.

Dress code
In a customer facing organisation there should be a dress code. It should reflect the character and brand image of the company. In Starbucks for example the staff dresses in a way that reflects its character and image. A dress code though should not be confused with a uniform as it varies across ranks. A service technician for example needs to be dressed in a manner that when he meets customers he looks fresh, despite having worked on a number of cars.

Working hours
The kind of business that we are in, we cannot afford to have flexible hours as one does not know when a customer might walk in. We have been thinking whether we should have a split shift or work straight hours. In today’s world though there is hardly anything called fixed hours. Overall, if one gets time for work and other priorities, it will be great.

Office parties
If one enjoys one’s work, I think the workplace is itself a party. It does not hurt anyone if everyone in office can meet and get to know each other in an informal atmosphere. It helps in making relationships personal as one gets to know a different side of the same people.

Advice for people who want to work with you
To be a good athlete in today’s fast changing environment, we manage things by running around. Apart from this one needs to have unbridled passion for work.

Had you not been in this industry what would you have been doing?
I would have been an author writing either about businesses or non-fiction. I started my career as a journalist and so somewhere the desire to write is still there. Since I have lost touch with writing, I hope to continue being an executive.

Anyone who has left an imprint on you
There have been many people from whom I have learnt things, but it’s my father who has been the biggest influence. He is an academician with a passion for teaching. Even at the age of 70, he travels a lot more than what I do for seminars and lectures. This is a spirit that I would like to inculcate.

Your big dream
I have this itch of wanting to start something on my own. This could either be a business or an advisory firm. This will give me a chance to be my own boss and hopefully allow me enough time to indulge in my other interests.

Working in a global village
In the 1990s, countries used to be measured by the number of PCs per household. From the turn of the century, the measure became bandwidth and Intranet. Going forward, by 2010 analysts expect that it is going to be Evernet (Internet all the time). It will mean that one can be at anyplace and still get to know what he or she needs to know. This will be way ahead of what we have seen so far leading to what Bill Gates calls, ‘Business at the speed of thought.