Leadership lessons from ‘people like us’

R Gopalakrishnan shares thoughts on life, what he learnt from his career and his latest book

November 29, 2015 12:56 am | Updated 04:55 am IST

R.Gopalakrishnan at his office. Photo: Prashant Nakwe

R.Gopalakrishnan at his office. Photo: Prashant Nakwe

R Gopalakrishnan, director, Tata Sons will step down from the board of Tata Sons next month after a 48-year career (31 years with Unilever and 17 years in Tata). In an interview with The Hindu at Bombay House, the Tata group’s corporate headquarters, Mr Gopalakrishnan, known as Gopal in business circles, talks about his new book, Six Lenses – Vignettes of Success, Career and Relationships . Piyush Pandey brings you edited excerpts.

What motivated you to write this book?

The idea for the book came from the 40th alumni meeting of my alma mater, St Xavier’s College in Kolkata. During the course of a conversation with my classmates, I recalled that we retained lessons from professors who illustrated them with examples. I found the human ability to retain matter fascinating; besides how two different people have different perceptions about the same issue. I arrived at the hypothesis and later the conclusion that there is no objective reality; it’s only a perception. I have taken a number of examples from science.

Further, though you work 40% of the day, it occupies 120% of your personal life. Employees believe it’s either a work-life balance or a zero sum game, but the aim should be to maximise both. The six lenses describe purpose, authenticity, courage, trust and luck leading to fulfilment.

Who are the protagonists? Are there examples from the Tatas or Unilever?

I wanted to write on Shivaji. But also I want to live in Mumbai (laughs). Gandhiji was a great leader but was he a great father? I don’t know. It’s not about Ratan Tata or Rahul Gandhi. This book is on the lives of People Like Us, ‘PLUs’ as I call them, and includes corporate leader Nihal Kaviratne, my wife Geeta and Jamshed Irani, the man who led Tata Steel from darkness to light. I firmly believe that the lives of famous people inspire you while the lives of ordinary people instruct you.

The logic behind borrowing from the lives of PLUs is that ordinary people can easily identify with their issues and struggles. People need at least some authentic and practical examples from the life stories of real people, rather than well-known figures who have struggled for answers in life.

How is it different from your earlier books?

I have written four books; three of them are management books. In my first book, ‘The Case of the Bonsai Manager’, I say there is too much emphasis on rationality in decision making at the expense of intuition.My second book, ‘When the Penny Drops’, in 2010, explored a phenomenon I have been observing, which is that science follows common sense. As a lot of people grow in the organisation, their self awareness dips. In the third book, I tried to explain to people what the CEO really wants of you. My fourth book is more-or-less my family history.

Who is your target audience?

I wrote this for business people with some credibility – there are anecdotes and examples. The face that kept popping up for me was that of the mid-level executive. It’s about a middle-level management executive in his 40s, moving from the gathering phase to the scattering phase. I tested the book on my children and they said it’s readable.

How long do you take to write a book?

I signed the contract to submit the manuscript in July 2014 but did so only in July 2015. Publishers keep throwing questions at you. I started writing my first book in 2005, so it’s an average of two years per book.

Did working in two great organisations like Unilever and the Tatas inspire you?

They have shaped my thought process. I joined

Hindustan Unilever in 1967 and in the 1970s, came across the case of an elderly supervisor. He was travelling second class from Madurai to Trichi, but claimed a higher class fare.

The fare difference was only Rs 8, but he was fired. Almost 50 years later in the Tatas, a young woman in the secretarial department inflated her medical bill by adding a zero, so Rs 90 was turned into Rs 900. The management took a decision to retain her though they stopped her increments for a couple of years.

Excerpts from his book

Strong Influence of Childhood

Fulfilled people often refer to childhood influences as having had a particularly strong influence in shaping life's perspectives. When Nihal Kaviratne spoke to me about how he came to set up St Jude, he first referred to his childhood, and how he had absorbed his mother's strong association with charity. When Geeta spoke about raising funds for cancer, she first spoke about generosity as a value, inculcated in her by her grandparents.

...............

It was the same with sporstmen. Jackie Stewart,three-time Formula One champion, admitted that 98 per cent of his effort came from the need to prove himself different from the failure he had been dubbed in his school.

...................

Living life your way

This last story, indeed all of the stories in this book, suggests that each person has to live his or her life in his or her own way. The choice of that way is determined by the view he or she takes through the six lenses.

When all that has been done and life has been lived out, to feel fulfilled is a privileged gift.

Those sentiments were so evocatively captured by Frank Sinatra in his wonderful song, My Way.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

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 The Hindu 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.