Shark Tank India vs. Shark Tank USA = Ashneer Grover vs. Mark Cuban = Arrogance vs. Humility.
Ever since Shark Tank India was launched in December 2021, it has been continuously in news for one reason or the other.
But one more aspect that needs consideration is the comparative behaviour of its Blue Whales among the sharks, Mark Cuban of Shark Tank USA vs Ashneer Grover of Shark Tank India.
Although both Mark Cuban and Ashneer Grover are miles ahead of the other Sharks in their own respective shows, yet Marc Cuban is way ahead of Ashneer himself by leaps and bounds in terms of their net worth.
Yet, Mark makes watching Shark Tank USA a very pleasing and encouraging experience with his ever present warm smile and effervescence. His ever readiness to interact with the other Sharks, eagerness to know more about the personal background of the Pitchers, their travails and tribulations and motivations along their journey and the readiness to encourage them even if he is not investing in their venture makes pitchers ever more willing to strike a deal with Mark Cuban than with the other investors.
Mark’s grounded talk without even a pinch of an attempt to intimidate anyone with his Forbes List ranking seems like a practical lesson in a true humane demeanor. It is probably his background of being the son of an automobile upholsterer and himself starting off as a seller of garbage bags, stamps and coins, that has kept him rooted to the ground with an appreciation of the harsh realities of life.
By contrast, Ashneer’s sense of self pride and self glory, either for his qualifications of being an IIT & IIM alumnus, or for setting up a company worth 20,000 crore within three years of its inception in 2018 is obvious through his cold and indifferent behavior with both the other Sharks and the Pitchers alike. From such repeated and frequent comments as:
“Ye sab Doglapan hai”;
“Isne sirf ek brand banaya hai, main chaar banaye hain”;
“main din ke roj 10 crore banata hun”;
to open refusal for investing in social ventures,
or never applauding either the pitchers and the other Sharks for their deals and efforts, Ashneer Grover distanced himself from the other Sharks, the Pitchers and the audience at large.
Added to this is the controversy with the Kotak Mahindra employee, and the forged over valuation of his company, which are now distancing him from his fellow colleagues, investors and even the company that he always proudly boasts about.
One lesson that all this controversy leaves every one with is that, it is one’s humility, honesty and groundedness that keeps one running in the long run. Every human being at the end is a social animal and needs to remain connected with the people around, and needs the support of one and all to remain afloat, no matter how small or insignificant they are.
There is only a fine line dividing Confidence and Over Confidence, between ‘I can do’ and ‘ONLY I can do’, between ‘I know’ and ‘ONLY I know’. Confidence gives trust, belief, conviction and an eagerness to perform better every time, thus winning hearts. Over-confidence, on the other hand, gives birth to arrogance, leading to aloofness and eventually stagnation.
The net worth, and degrees can give an advantage and edge in the beginning for a short while for a short time, but it is eventually one’s sensitivity towards larger noble causes, one’s concern for social responsibility and respect for every human that one is respected, regarded and remembered for till eternity. This probably explains the inherent respect for the TATAs (vs. that for Reliance) that we nurture in our heart and pass on from generation to generation.
It is time now that Ashneer Grover learns his lesson the hard way, in a manner that Bill Gates did after much criticisms and court cases for his anti competitive business tactics. These eventually and permanently changed the direction of his work towards philanthropy, this time garnering him all round respect and recognition.
In Ashneer’s own words to one of the Pitchers in one of the episodes,
‘kabhi kabaar insaan ko sahi raaste par laane ke liye daantna bhi padta hai’.
The present controversy surrounding him is probably the same ‘DAANT’ that he needs to change his arrogant ways.
