The Hindu Business Line : `Spiritual, emotional quotient key to biz leadership'

Ms Kalpana Morparia, Deputy Managing Director, ICICI Bank Ltd, Mr M.V. Subbaiah, Executive Chairman, EID Parry (India) Ltd, and Mr K.N. Shenoy, Vice-Chairman, Volvo India, at the HR conclave on `The changing face of leadership' organised by CII in Hyderabad on Wednesday. — A. Roy Chowdhury

Hyderabad , Aug. 11

IT is not just IQ (intelligence quotient) that Indian business leaders need. They must cultivate EQ (emotional quotient) and SQ (spiritual quotient) to emerge as better leaders, said Mr K.N. Shenoy, Vice-Chairman, Volvo India Private Ltd.

Mr Shenoy said Western business houses are increasingly emphasising on SQ to add value to leadership.

Despite the fact that India is very rich in spirituality, we don't use it properly, he said.

"Future leaders should achieve a balance of the three Qs," Mr Shenoy said.

The former Chairman and Managing Director of ABB was delivering a special address at the human resource conclave on `The changing face of leadership'. The conclave was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Emphasising on innovation, Mr Shenoy said one should not just look at innovation as development of a product.

"Innovation should look beyond the product. We should be able to position that product in an environment that benefits society," he said.

Mr Shenoy cited the `dabbaawalahs' in this regard. A semi-educated bunch of people innovated a model that ensures error-free delivery mechanism, he said.

"This, they built on a social network. It's an innovation talked about worldwide," he said.

Mr Shenoy, however, admitted that the focus on innovation is pitted against the constant demand for producing results quarter-on-quarter.

In his keynote address, Mr M.V. Subbaiah, Executive Chairman of EID Parry (India) Ltd, talked about the advantages of family-run businesses. "We have got much greater independence. It offers greater flexibility," he said.

Asking business leaders to do away with formalities that kill time and energies, Mr Subbaiah said that getting straight to the topic makes sense. "You need to follow global practices," said Mr Subbaiah, who teaches a course at the Indian School of Business on family-run businesses.

Walking the talk is very important, he said. Change occurs only if we can make people notice it.

More Stories on : Human Resources | Management

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page