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Getting the Best Out Of Oneself
KEY
TO GOOD LEADERSHIP:
Leaders have the task of finding the spark — both in
themselves and in others. In order to tap their own potential first, some
rely on sense of humour, others on unlearning. Here are five business
leaders sharing how they have managed to spot the hidden talent.
Amitabh Chaudhry
MD & CEO, HDFC Life
Huge Value in Doing Small Things Right
I grew up in a small town where
life revolved around a factory and the simple pleasures of a multi-cultural
community. It was here I imbibed my early leadership lessons of having a
strong work ethic, the value of humility and the ability to spot leadership
and a spark in everyone. I never fail to use the example of the shop floor
with my teams. When we ran a large transformation programme at HDFC Life, I
insisted on beginning the day at every branch with a 30-minute huddle to
discuss the day ahead. There is huge value in doing small things right,
every time. My last four years at HDFC Life have been challenging. The life
insurance sector has seen huge changes. The only way to manage in such an
environment is to keep challenging status quo. People find a comfort zone
and stay within it. The task of a leader is to motivate them to dislike
that zone. For instance, we are the leading online life insurer and we have
a strong social media presence. While this is good, I make sure that every
quarter I move the goalpost for my online business head. The day you
believe you have all the answers, you will find you are in the wrong
examination.
Anumeha Chaturvedi
CP Gurnani, MD & CEO, Tech
Mahindra Unlearning is as Important as Learning
My early nomadic life because of my father’s transferable job taught me to
deal with changing environments, adapting to different cultures and groups.
It taught me the benefits of socialising with the unknown. Taking over
Satyam was like catching a falling sword. Gaining the trust of Satyamites
and making them see the larger picture was the greatest priority.
Circumstances taught me the importance of listening and maintaining a
transparent communication culture. While there were periods of pain and
self-doubt, the trust that was built helped in being focused on the
objective. Every day teaches me new mantras for success. I have learnt that
unlearning is as important as learning so that we are not burdened by the
baggage of the past. Challenging status quo, and bringing forth
unconventional solutions to conventional problems have helped me and the team
define new frontiers. And no one should ever forget that we are but a
microcosm of the team that we represent and that we should remain committed
to the team that made success possible.
Devina Sengupta
Ashish Hemrajani Founder &
CEO of BookMyShow.com
I Try to Learn From the Youth
I would meet people and observe
that bosses create an air of bureaucracy around them. They have secretaries
to book tickets, run errands and I did not want that as a leader. None of
us have designations printed on our visiting cards and I know the first
names of our office staff. I learnt it early on that no one person has all
the answers and instead of keeping seniors as mentors, I try to learn from
the youth. They teach me new trends, what is new in technology, social
media and how I can use it to interact more with consumers. I want to
become an evangelist and a user of technology. Another way to hone my
leadership skills is by reading. I read books about those who have walked
the road and not just theoretical ones that explain the process through
examples. I also learn about my skills from people around me.
Devina Sengupta
Deep Kalra
Chairman & Group CEO, MakeMyTrip
Self Belief is the Driving Force
I believe that leadership is an
inculcated skill born out of practice with self-belief being the driving
force — the one critical quality that sets aside leaders from followers.
Once one starts working with a team it becomes even more critical to
harness your leadership potential and build a shared vision that guides and
propels progress. This means keeping track of the bigger picture and
remaining calm under pressure. As a result of the dot-com meltdown, our
investor eVentures withdrew from all their investments in the country,
including MakeMyTrip. Saddled with a young business in the red, the choice
I had was to either wind down the company and go back to the corporate
world or muster further investment. I decided to back my instinct. I took
money from angel investors, right-sized the business and focused on turning
profitable. Working on a bootstrapped model for 18 months, the company
turned profitable in 2003. All employees are encouraged to share their
concerns with their managers. Good ideas are appreciated and constructive
feedback provided to ensure employees derive value from this exercise.
Sreeradha D Basu
Mukund Mohan
Director, Microsoft Ventures, India
Great Leaders Have a Sense of Humour
One of the lessons I learned
early on is using the power of humor to diffuse challenging situations in
everyday business. I judge people by how they respond to tough situations
and have found that those who have a sense of humor, tend to get better
outcomes. These leaders are not standup comedians, or pranksters, but they
are able to find something funny in a rather tense moment and figure out a
way to keep perspective. Early during my negotiations with a potential
acquirer, the discussion centered around three specific conditions on their
term sheet. While two were benign, one of them was a contentious point that
our lawyers and theirs had argued for over three days with neither side
budging at all. The term is called ROFR (Right of First Refusal), a condition
that allows the buyer to be able to pass on an acquisition. On the 5th day
when I came on the call with the entire team, tensions mounted even
further. When I likened the condition to ROFL (Rolling on the Floor
Laughing) and said we should change the clause to reflect its true intent,
the entire team burst out laughing and saw how petty the arguments were
both for and against.
Shreya Roy
ET140418
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