A man who wears different hats

“Consulting brings all my diverse interests and knowledge into one place ”


Abhilasha Rayamajhi
Kathmandu

Sohan Babu Khatri since the beginning of his career knew that 9 to 5 jobs were not for him. He understood that it would be difficult for him to work under someone and follow specific procedure. As a student he never believed in mugging up formulas, he always enjoyed deriving them. Connecting the dots and problem solving always fascinated him. He is an excellent communicator who expresses his ideas freely without being calculative.


Khatri currently spearheads Three H Management as the CEO of the company. He is a man wearing different hats and has performed all his roles to the best of his ability. He is a Licensed International Financial Analyst (LIFA) charter, an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Bangalore University, a Civil Engineer from the Institute of Engineering (IOE), Pulchowk. He is a lecturer at reputed universities in Nepal and a Technical Advisor and Consultant at a number of national and international organisations. Further, he is an avid reader and a passionate painter. He has done four painting exhibitions all for social causes.


He shares, “I am a critical thinker. I analysed even hoarding boards, their positioning and their marketing strategies.” He says that everything has a meaning and he likes to reflect on them. As a person with a management background, he felt that the modern concepts of management are not yet applied in organisations in Nepal.

“I chose consulting other organisations because I observed that management practices are quite poor in the country. Consulting brings all my diverse interest and knowledge into one place and helps organisations solve their existing or potential problems.”

Talking about his leadership technique he says he follows one grand style, “I strive to develop people along with me as they are the greatest asset of the organisation. As a leader I value the human side and to be more empathetic.” He also mentions that as a leader he focuses on the process of any work rather than the end result. He points out, “You cannot use human beings just as a tool to get your work done. I don’t even like to use the term ‘resources’ to refer to people who are working in my organisation.”

According to him, in this day and age it is irrelevant to simply delegate work and expect them to complete it just because you pay them. He adds, “Every human being has aspirations, families and societies. It is very crucial to treat human beings as human beings.” He further adds that people have short term, medium term and long term aspirations. In short term they make sure that they are compensated fairly. In the medium and long term their job enrichment, learning, challenges and growth are considered.


He questions, “Nobody can compensate people at work for the negative externalities that come with the work. For instance, how will I pay for the sacrifice for the social life that my juniours have made for working in my organisation? How will I pay for the mental and emotional burnout that person has gone through for my organisation?” He believes that he cannot put a value on these things; however he tries his best to make sure that his employees are treated right.
Lastly he concludes, “My vision is to see my organisation as a top consulting firm that works not only with the big branded businesses but also with the bottom of the pyramid.”

Khatri’s management tips
1. Have the 3 Cs (Confidence, Capability and Credibility)
2. Nothing can substitute hardwork and diligence
3. Be empathetic to employees


Three H Management at a glance


Three H Management, established in 2010, is a 360 degree professional service organisation that specialises in business/management consultancy, research and training. It thrives on solving existing and potential organisational and management related problems, issues and dilemma through innovation, better methods and the application of the best of human faculties - Head, Hand and Heart.


The core service profile of Three H consists of business management advisory and structuring, strategy formulation, planning and audit, business modeling and business plan development, financial portfolio management and restructuring, strategic brand management, policy formulations, marketing management and solutions, digital marketing solutions, commercial and social research, customised training related to various aspects of management skills, design, documentations and graphics solutions.

Photo: Samir Limbu

(The article was published on The Himalayan Times Perspectives on September 18, 2016)

(With Sohan Sir after the interview in front of one his painting..Interviewing and writing about him was a great experience.)