Comments
Learning to lead starts with a vision that is bigger than oneself, according to Debashis Chatterjee, Director, Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode.
Launching the campus edition of Business Line at a function at Hotel Beaumonde The Fern here on Monday, Chatterjee cited the examples of leadership styles enunciated by N. Narayanamurthi of Infosys and Ratan Tata.
“Kaun Banega Narayanamurti is quite different from asking ‘kaun banega croprepati,’” Chatterjee said. While the TV show aimed to select a sole winner of the riches at stake, Narayanamurti’s was an inclusive agenda, many times over.
He would want even his driver to benefit from the growth of his enterprise, a value that was integrated into his vision, Chatterjee said.
CLEAR GOAL
Ratan Tata did not mind sparing five minutes to introduce his cook, he added.
His ‘full-minded approach’ was largely responsible for the fact that the Jamshedpur plant of Tata Steel was able to function without a strike for no less than 50 years.
Chatterjee also mentioned the attribute of a ‘beautiful mind’ for a successful leader and mentioned how the late space scientist Satish Dhawan would mentor protégé Abdul Kalam.
A ‘focussed mind’ was what led Sachin Tendulkar to perform unwaveringly for his nation for this long and made Arjun Bajpai to scale Mount Everest at the age of 14.
Chatterjee also called for a clear goal that needed to be integrated with the goal of others. He referred to the example of the dabbawalas of Mumbai who delivered exceptional value to their work, and not just meals on the hour to tens of thousands of customers.
Chatterjee exhorted the assembled gathering of graduate students to treat each human being as an individual of equal intellect.
“One should not be arrogant or dismissive of another,” he said, and added that one should be ready to acknowledge greatness in others.
Responding to a query from the audience, he said that an aspiring entrepreneur should not be bogged down by constraints. On the contrary, he must be able to visualise the opportunity and the space, which is there for asking.
Trend reversal
Leading chartered accountant Venugopal C. Govind, guest of honour at the function, said that Kerala had witnessed tremendous entrepreneurial growth during 60s and 70s. But this trend was suddenly reversed, leading to the wipe-out of companies in the 80s, including the BPL group of companies in Palakkad.
He said that this presented a case that needed in-depth research and reflection.
He called upon young managers to come forward to take opportunities for building the nation. “You should have a vision to drive your ambition,” he added.
Rasheeda Bhagat of The Hindu Business Line and P. Narayanan, Regional General Manager of The Hindu group, Kochi, also spoke.
The event was sponsored by the Life Insurance Corporation of India and Dhanlaxmi Bank.
> sajeevkumar.v@thehindu.co.in
Comments
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.