Practical thinker
A.B. Singh, Senior General Manager, OTE Group, believes a good manager is always adaptable to change, since that is inevitable. Sunil Kumar Singh meets him over a cup of coffee

Good managers often incorporate their instincts and experiences along with hard facts and data in making heavyweight business decisions. Take the case of A.B. Singh Bhatia, Senior GM (Tyres, Shell and Batteries division), OTE Group, who has had a long managerial spell, spanning over 25 years, with over 15 years with the OTE Group, since it’s inception. “Management styles cannot be fixed. They undergo changes as the situation may demand. One should never lose sight of the fact that nothing lasts forever: market situations in Oman have changed so often,” says A.B, a techie who did his Chemical Engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and subsequently switched to management.

Balancing act
A.B. believes in following an inclusivist approach. For him, life is a package – consisting of one’s family, work, God, beliefs, health, friends, self-respect, and money. And life can only be lived up to the brim if all these elements are managed in a balanced way. No wonder, A.B. is today content with what life has taught him – belief in hard work, fairness, honesty and fun. It is these that keep him motivated to move forward. Before coming to Muscat, A.B. worked in Basel, Switzerland, as well as in India, where he was a national head with Usha International Ltd and was declared the Best National Manager for a record three times at the annual divisional manager’s contest.

But today for him, Oman is what every country should be like. “Oman is a combination of tradition and modernity; has world-class infrastructure; is going through rapid industrialisation and expansion; is adorned with beautiful landscapes and has friendly people with respect for others.”

For A.B, success is all-encompassing that takes into account one’s professional well-being, a good bringing up of one’s family, good relations with friends and co-workers, and a sense of fulfilment. “You can achieve professional targets, but at the same time leave a highly de-motivated and dissatisfied team. Such success at the most will be short term.” he explains, adding, “Permit your co-workers and staff to take part in decision making and give them considerable freedom to carry out their work. Each team member should know the ultimate as well as their individual objectives and will thus be more willing to take ownership of his role.”

Family matters
A.B. is a complete family man and never forgets to spend quality time with family and friends. He also has a penchant for oil painting and music and used to play the Hawaiian guitar but now finds little time for such pursuits. While in the IIT, he hitchhiked through South East Asia roughing out 63 days on the road without spending any money on food, accommodation or travel. “I slept even in telephone booths”. Today, it is his job that fulfils his fondness for travel helping him visit numerous countries, either on professional or personal trips. To keep himself in shape physically and mentally, his schedule includes daily morning walks, swimming and meditation.

On the whole, A.B believes that a manager’s key role lies in minimising obstacles coming in the way of his staff, expanding opportunities and recognising that the role of each member is important in the success of the organisation. And his message to budding managers – ‘Focus on the objective, go out there and get the job done’.