He describes himself as akin to the ocean – calm on the surface with a lot of turbulence beneath. Siddarth Bhide
is the Country Operations and Project Manager for Ikea – one of the world's largest furnishing franchises.
With 16 years of experience in the retail industry, he took up this position when Ikea opened its flagship store at Dubai Festival City. His job responsibilities extend beyond the UAE to Qatar and Oman.
Even as he oversees the vast treasures in the stores, personally, he considers the relationships he has built over the years – both at work and socially – to be his true treasure.
His personality (as well as his home) reflects an eclectic blend of city style and deep-rooted tradition. The only thing that seems out of place in his life – he forgets to eat breakfast with regularity!
He was born in 1971 in Mysore during the Indo-Pakistan war. His father was in the navy and as a result, the family travelled all over India. His schooling began in Goa and continued in cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Ooty and Dehradun. Bhide calls it an all-round Indian experience.
I
I began my career with Carrot Moran which is a coffee and tea auctioning company. Getting into the retail industry was pure chance. One of our buyers was ill and I was sent
to Mumbai to do the buying. While there, my client asked me if I would be interested in working for them.
So I landed a job in Little Woods in Bangalore which is a UK-based clothing store. That is how I – a history major student – got into the retail clothing industry. In 1997, Omar Al Futtaim, who was in India on a business trip, happened to visit our store. My sales pitch must have worked on him because he asked me on the spot if I would consider a job in Dubai. I was interviewed that evening. Three months later, I joined Marks and Spencer as a manager. In 2003, I began working for Ikea as store manager for their Abu Dhabi branch.
I was actually moving within the company as both are franchisees of Al Futtaim group.
I wanted to be a fighter pilot like my father. I could not pursue that dream because before I graduated, the rules of aviation changed and you had to study science as part of the matriculation curriculum. I had already started my 11th year without it. I still hold on to the hope that some day, I will get to study aviation. The only similarity between flying planes and my present job is that both are fun – and have an element of risk.
I have a very close-knit family. I met my wife Rebecca when I was working in Bangalore. She is the force behind my domestic happiness; despite being a career individual she has taken complete charge of the upbringing
of our sons and I appreciate her for her dedication towards keeping the family tight-knit.
My father, Yashwant Bhide, is my role model. I have also been blessed in that I have the complete support from my mother, Vyjayanthi, in all that I do. Overall, I think that I have a very interesting and diverse family. Rebecca is a Christian. My sister, Mythili, is married to a Muslim.
In my extended family, we have an American, Italians, Indonesians and many other nationalities. We are a very close family. Rather than paying attention to one another's differences in culture and traditions, we celebrate our family's multiculturalism. Every occasion we get together, we consider it reason enough to celebrate!
I believe that the road to success is always under construction. Life is a continuous learning process. A good day is when I have learnt something new. One should enjoy that experience, incorporate it in one's planning and success will find it difficult to evade you. By planning, I mean dealing in a practical way with unforeseen setbacks. Don't get stressed or be angry (at the situation) as it will only aggravate it. Maintain a positive attitude even in times of adversity.
Problems are man-made and so are solutions. View the problem as a challenge and seek a solution to it with an I-can-do-it attitude. This is my motto in life.
I tend to learn different things from different people. I really admire the level of commitment and dedication
of the employee who makes and serves us coffee in my office. For lessons in management, I would want to approach Sir Richard Branson. For improving my batting technique in cricket I'd call on Sachin Tendulkar. Also, in our daily life, we come across many people who can teach us a lot.
It all depends on how much you are willing to learn. No matter how bad
a situation (is for you), there are people who are worse off.
So the most important lesson is to take life head on and keep smiling.
I would advise people who wish to enter the field of retail marketing to align themselves with target customers. (Retail marketing) is one of the few jobs where dimensions change every day. You meet new people and deal with new issues on a daily basis, especially in a cosmopolitan city like Dubai. So pay attention to the buzz and innovate and improvise. And as with any job, work at finding something you are passionate about!
I love the look on my wife's face when
I surprise her. For our 10th wedding anniversary, I took her to Venice but she did not know that it was the destination. Only upon arrival did she realise it. It's a great feeling to make your loved ones feel happy.
As a family, we make it a point
to travel twice a year – one trip is always to India because the kids
have to connect with their roots
and experience the love of their grandparents. The other trip is usually to a destination in Europe. We have travelled to about 14 countries so far. Scenic places like Oman and Khor Fakkan are also hot favourites for short holidays.
I would say Ikea is a very humble Swedish company. It integrates honesty, humility and trust in its corporate philosophy. There is little difference in approach to each other between the top and lower levels
of staff. Its core belief is to improve the lives of everybody.
I believe a cohesive team is what produces exceptional results and
what makes achievements possible. We won the ‘Star Performers Award'
in the retail division in 2007. The award is an acknowledgement of the efforts of the Ikea team. We have a multicultural, multinational team
of workers, all of whom form an important link in the company's chain.
ME
Me and my awe of nature
In 1991, I bore the brunt of nature's anger during an earthquake in Uttarkashi near the Himalayas.
It measured 6.8 on the Richter scale.
I was 19 and staying in my uncle's house in Mussoarie. I realised something was wrong when the bed started shaking. Then the whole house began to tremble. The tremor was emanating from the Himalayas which is just 5km away and it was gaining momentum. Everybody ran out of their homes. It was utter chaos, with people running and screaming.
Even though it lasted for only a few minutes, sheer helplessness left you rooted to the spot ... your entire being filling up with terror. It was a huge lesson in humility as you awakened
to the might of nature, the need
to respect it and realised how fragile life really is.
Me and my hobbies
My entire family is passionate about sport. I have played basketball and cricket at university level. My wife
is a national athlete. I also love hiking and have been to the Himalayas a couple of times.
Stamp and coin collecting is
a tradition passed on to me by my father and grandfather. And occasionally, though many people might not want to believe it, I can
even cook a decent meal.
Me and my love for cricket
My father and uncle have played cricket for the Ranji Trophy. My sons seem to have a gift for the game too. Though of late I do not have much time to watch the game – test matches often take up five days! – I think Indians are fascinated by cricket because it's a sport they excel in.
I love cricket because it is a physical, technical as well as a strategic game.
Me and boarding schools
Going to boarding school at 12 was a life-changing experience. I enrolled at the Good Shepherd School in Ooty and later on at the Doon School in Dehradun. Boarding schools are great places to ride learning curves. The spirit of independence you experience is amazing. You learn how to deal with people and situations on your own. From 5am to 9pm, you have to fend for yourself. The friendships and bonds forged during those years are for life.
Me and my managerial techniques
Working in the UAE is different
from (working in) India
because the workforce here is multinational. I believe this offers
a greater challenge.
Retail techniques in Dubai are more advanced and offer a better learning experience. Marks and Spencer and Ikea can be considered as giant textbooks in learning as both companies are among the biggest retailers in their respective fields.
Working with them has helped me mould my own style of management because they have given me
ample freedom – the freedom to choose, freedom to think and in
some instances, the freedom to
make mistakes.
I advocate a democratic
approach to management with
a continual process of coaching, teaching and correction. I believe
this also gives workers an immense sense of empowerment.
Me and my sons
The birth of my two sons has been the most memorable experience in my life. Aneesh is eight and Tarun is four. Sometimes handling them is more difficult than managing the staff at Ikea. That's why I say when I am at work, I am on a holiday. But they are great kids and they get along really well. I love to watch them play and
do things together.
Me and customer relations
However much one might try to cater
to everyone, there is always a tiny percentage of customers who are not satisfied with a company's products or its services. At Ikea, we try to please them in every way possible even as
we abide by the rules of the store.
We make them understand our policies as we try to sort out their issues. In such cases, although the customer is not always right, the customer definitely is king.
Me and time management
I am incredulous when people say they don't have the time. Time is the only impartial thing in this world and nobody gets more than 24 hours a day. The important thing is to prioritise and plan. Sit down with a pen and paper and draw up your plan. Constantly review it in light of changing conditions. This is vital.
In matters of work, list issues and see how you can approach them with better strategies. When it comes to family matters however I prefer spontaneous decision-taking. Although it does help to plan in advance sometimes. Without proper planning, I don't think even 48 hours in a day would be enough.
Myself
Which do you think is more important –
form or function?
I would say function, as the whole idea of furniture is its usage. Otherwise it defeats the purpose of the piece. An ideal sofa is one that is comfortable to sit on, however it may look. I think the best technique would be to improvise on form keeping the basic function in mind.
Name three pieces of furniture you would choose from the store and why?
Everything in the children's section because they look good and are very colourful. Aside from the kids' section,
I would probably go for the poang chair. It was designed in Japan in 1967. It's one of our bestsellers as it is
very comfortable and reasonably priced. The mattresses are also very comfortable and durable. And I really flip over the bed linen and textiles. It is really difficult to choose just three.
What is your impression of the city of Dubai?
The city is a great blend of Asia and Europe. There have been many developments in the past couple of years but I believe in the exemplary vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who brought the world's attention to Dubai. The city has become a brand in itself.
Give us a checklist of five things you would like to do before turning 50. I like having a checklist when I want to perform in a structured way. But having a checklist for everything in life would definitely ruin its spontaneity. However, my personal checklist is: get a pilot's licence, sky dive, run a marathon, trek through the Himalayas again and have an animal farm.
What are the three most important lessons you have learnt in your career thus far?
Hard work is the bottomline to success. But you need honesty and self-belief to back it up. Having a positive attitude is vital as it brings out the best in you, and trusting
others and gaining their trust is also very important as it builds confidence all round.
Who would be on your guest list at your dream dinner party?
Mainly my family and close friends. It's not that I don't appreciate talented and famous people but
I don't have any illusions about them either. On the other hand, the role of family and friends in my life has been truly phenomenal. They are my support system and my confidence boosters.
– As told to Zenifer Khaleel, an Abu Dhabi-based freelancer
