A leader has to be
versatile, visionary and emotional
IF THERE IS A SITUATION BEYOND
CONTROL, THEN A LEADER HAS TO PUT IT IN PLACE. A LEADER CAN’T PLAY THE BLAME
GAME
Ruchi Soya, the
maker of edible oils and soya food products, is among the largest fast-moving
consumer goods companies in India. Its founder and managing director Dinesh
Shahra believes that a leader must be versatile, visionary, emotional and at
the same time realistic. Excerpts from an interview:
How do you
define a leader?
A person who is
able to see things, which a normal person does not see in any situation and I
would say someone who is a visionary, should be a leader. A leader is able to
build a team and is able to create leaders also. A leader should is committed
to a vision and takes the team along to fulfill the commitment. These are
things that a leader needs to have.
What are key
traits of a leader?
A leader has to
be versatile, visionary and emotional; he should be realistic, service
oriented, should be positive in his approach and create positiveness in others.
He should have full conviction in himself, be an independent thinker and at the
end of the day, he should enjoy all the things that he does and creates.
Can leadership
be learnt?
Leadership can
be enhanced. Every human being is always learning. We are in a school of
learning. Nobody comes complete. There is an inbuilt character that is there
and one can definitely enhance it.
How do you identify
and groom future leaders?
A leader can be
found by a leader only. When I see people, meet them, see resumes, I understand
people of certain qualities. I try to build them, take executive assistance and
keep them around me (work with me). And while they work with me, they see
what’s in store ahead, because seeing is believing. They are also able to learn
fast. There is a process, which is followed, so we are able to improve the
qualities in them (business heads and project heads) and correct what they are
not good at. How have you overcome challenges, such as volatile commodity
costs, demand slowdown etc in making Ruchi Soya among the largest consumer
goods company? We are present in very basic foods, so challenge of demand is
not an issue. We have to ensure product innovation, pricing and consistent
supplies, that is the key. We have concentrated on value for money and have
ensured that the global players won’t be able to compete… While bigger players
operate at 30% margins, we are operating at 8-10% margins. We have had to
visualize and be ahead of the competition.
Many times
leaders are blamed for mistakes others commit. Is it fair?
In any
situation, a leader is responsible for whatever happens. He can’t play the
blame game. If there is a situation beyond control, then he has to put it in
place. What I do when there is any un-thought of crisis is, we call in
consultants, we have a core team, try to find out what exactly went wrong, we
deal with situation based on the need, either externally or internally. Leader
should correct the situation and take it ahead.
In a
promoter-driven company is grooming future leaders a challenge?
To create a
leader, you will need to find out someone who believes in his own values.
Values are very important. In family organisations, you find the sons or
daughters are the best people to learn because very simply, they have the same
value system, they believe in the same philosophy, and they have ownership.
Professionals
can also be taught. But, they should believe in the organisation and once they
believe, they will passionately work towards that.
HT140814
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