Leaders are those who see what others fail to see
Maximise leadership skills
Focus, learn, grow and enjoy – these four words in the same order maximises the impact for an individual or organisation. Discipline makes tough things to look easy.
Important decisions
Four decisions. They were not discussed with any.
- Leaving Coimbatore at 1982
- Marrying Sumathi at 1986
- Resigning Govt Job at 1995
- Deciding rate for Thyroid. 1996
Common mistakes to avoid
Distractions are main reasons for failures. Also leaders often do what is easy to do rather than doing what is right to do. Lack of frugality leads often one into personal and corporate failures.
Favourite resources
Reading, listening, talking, interacting if ideally blended, a lot can be inspiration from life and business. Leaders are those who see what others fail to see. No specific book or blog or mentor I follow.
– Dr A Velumani, Promoter, Chairman, MD and CEO Thyrocare
Leader’s actions should reflect values he espouses
Leadership is dharma…
For me, leadership is a role/ duty/ karma, to be discharged according to the dharma. I believe that one needs to lead oneself, before one thinks of leading others. A leader needs to understand and articulate the core purpose of the organisation that he/ she leads; his/ her actions shall reflect the values that he/ she espouses; he/ she shall be able to vision the future and make others dream the same; and he/ she shall identify missionaries to make the vision a reality, even beyond himself or herself.
The key to success
The key to maximise leadership skills are to communicate the core philosophy in a consistent and continuous way; to trust in the abilities of associates and delegate; to create space for independent thinking; to guide than command; to work on strengths than harping on weaknesses and to have belief.
I believe in constant change…
Life is a journey and change is constant. Every decision – important or unimportant – changes the course of life. I must confess I have no life transforming decision or event.
Common mistakes to avoid
The common mistakes one should avoid are – to equate healthcare with any other business; to forget the core purpose of Medicine, i.e., “to do no harm; to relieve suffering; and to prolong life”; to get in to the trap of market valuations; and to forget the highest ethics and morals needed.
Ancient wisdom has been my guiding spirit…
The Upanishads, that speak of universality of beings; the Gita, that speaks of the means to attain universality; the four noble truths of Buddha, that lays down the middle path to being happy and compassionate; and the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu, that speaks of living in alignment with natural patterns – are the core resources that light up my way.
– Dr N Krishna Reddy, Vice Chairman, CARE Group of Hospitals
Leadership is a privilege and not a right
Leadership is a privilege
Believe in yourself, your team, believe in change to be the change. Leadership is a privilege and can’t be considered an obligation or right. A leader of a hospital has to be a risk manager, strategic change leader and above all a patient-centric operational person with team-based approach.
Build strong teams
Create leaders at all levels and build strong teams. The key change has to be always top down but one needs to take the people together. Empowerment, motivation and leading by examples always goes a long way towards the achievement of goals for various leaders.
Change is imperative
The fact that I ensured that all stakeholders accept the change and new ways of working by bringing them on the same page and making them realise how the change is imperative.
Avoiding mistakes
A leader should always have his head on his shoulder. No leader can be successful without the support of the various stakeholders or his team. Success should not bring a feeling of superiority. Leader is because of and by the people and hence should never consider him or her above your stakeholders.
Blogs and publications
According to me blogs and publications are good resources for leaders to understand and find new ideas. Books give an overall perspective about the strategy and change management.
– Dr Tarang Gianchandani, CEO, Jaslok Hospital
A leader must be well read in several dimensions
Empowering to excel
I always aim to read up the social and cultural history of the place where the project is located. It is essential to understand mindscape and behaviour prior to focussing on the strategic positioning of the entity. Command and control vs delegation and democratic; peer role vs mentorship; experience vs youth are all aspects that need to be covered. Essentially at heart, I am a democrat and will facilitate a creative environment to empower all staff to excel. I have also had avatars as a benevolent dictator since the situation demanded this specific style.
Keys to maximise leadership skills
First key is the effective relevance of the organisational chart. The second key is a detailed credentialing and competency matrix of each individual (right person for the right job); third key- the role banding exercise and accuracy of authority band and responsibilities; fourth is the role of senior executives in mentorship and reducing power distance and fifth is the enabling environment for self development and expression.
Turning points
I have always taken calculated risks. Lots of good luck and divine grace has surely played a role in shaping my destiny. The first decision was to become the only student from my MBBS batch to go for higher studies in Hospital Management in 1996 especially when the field was not well recognised (my parents thought that I had lost my mind!!); second was to accept a dual job offer as a faculty at the Apollo Institute of Hospital Administration and Executive Assistant to MD; third to realise that I am unfit to teach PG students due to lack of relevant practical experience and to move on to full- fledged operational assignments; fourth to go for my first international assignment in 2001 far away from all comfort and support systems, fifth to pursue a further international post graduate MBA course while transiting between two jobs, sixth to become the first Indian hospital CEO to head Egypt’s biggest private tertiary care hospital; seventh – to get the facility JCI accredited in 2010 and manage the affairs of the hospital in the midst of the Arab spring and revolution in 2011; eighth to finally move on and come back to India to successfully commission and operate a large quaternary care hospital in one of the toughest and cost-sensitive tier II cities in India.
Pitfalls to avoid
- To think that you know it all
- To imagine that success with one approach in one project can be easily replicated in another
- To create comfort zones and recruit familiar people and previous work colleagues in the new place
- To take easy short cuts to please key stakeholders including the owner/ board
- To have a bloated head and takes one self too seriously
Books that inspire
I am an avid reader – some of my current favourite books are:
- Being Indian- Pawan Varma
- Towards Freedom- Jawaharlal Nehru
- Wings of Fire- APJ Abdul Kalam
- Steve Jobs- Walter Isaacson
- Biography of Elon Musk
- Imagining India- Nandan Nilekani
- India Grows at Night- Gurcharan Das
- Makers of Modern India- Gurcharan Das
Essentially to become a good healthcare leader we must be well read in several dimensions and try to become a thought leader
– Dr Harish Pillai, CEO, Aster Medcity Kochi & Cluster Head – Kerala
I believe in a democratic form of leadership
A democratic leader
I believe strongly in a democratic form of leadership. It’s a consensus form of leadership, where you involve everyone, but the final decision has to be taken by one person. I believe everyone is equal, and that is why if you come to my office, you will see I have an oval table. There is no head chair because I believe everyone should have an equal voice. I encourage my management to give me their views (pros and cons) in an objective manner. However, as a leader, the final decision will be taken once I have heard everyone’s voice, equally.
Creating a growth culture
I also believe that once you take that final decision, you should not look back. Sometimes, in hindsight, it may not be a good decision, but you should not regret it. It’s more important you focus on what you have learned from it. This is the culture in which I like to run an organisation and this is how a team should learn. It is really about how you, as a leader, can make your management team comfortable to say what they really believe. They shouldn’t be yes people. Also, all discussions should be issue based, and should never be personalised. Another thing leaders should do is to encourage employees to surround themselves with people who are better than them. I truly believe this brings out the best not only in every employee and leader, but also the organisation.
The decision that changed it all
I had lived in the US, built my practice, and stayed there for 28 years, and it was a decision I took in my 28th year that changed it all. It was my decision to focus on the Indian scenario in oncology, the great unmet demand and need for comprehensive cancer care treatment. I took a decision in spite of opposition from my own parents, and brought my wife and family back to India. This decision was pivotal in my growth story as an entrepreneur and the journey of HCG, which is the largest cancer care network in India today. It has been fascinating to work with some amazing doctors and be a part of this incredible transformative journey in the landscape of cancer care treatment in India. Today, the world looks at us as a place where they can receive the best treatment, and this is phenomenal.
Learning lessons
It is absolutely necessary that leaders should recognise contributions made by employees across all levels, and ensure they are given growth opportunities. A leader should not take all the fame for his success. A true leader is one who properly delegates, empowers, and understands the capabilities of each employee at all levels of management. The leader should nurture employees, and should communicate the expectations on how employees will be measured. It’s like that saying, you know, an iron fist in a velvet glove. Another mistake a leader can make is when they think of the company as an employment agency. While you have to develop a system that attracts talent and nurtures them, you should also ensure people who are not contributing will be removed. However, if an employee has made a mistake, you should immediately counsel them and reassign them.
Books that matter
I’m a voracious reader, and have enjoyed reading books like Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Republic by Plato. Siddhartha is an amazing book that talks about how do you get yourself free and become a free thinker. Another book I’ve enjoyed reading is The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant. I actually took time off in the 80s in Kathmandu and stayed there to finish reading this book. It is an in depth read into the subject, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also constantly read on Hindu mythology, and have read the Ramayana and Mahabharata several times. In these books, when you read the small stories and behaviour of the characters, it really depicts your own life. Another epic book is War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Right now, I’m almost done with Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty. The key thing with books is you should read few books, but you should read them in depth and as you age. The same book in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, will give you different information, different food for thought, different reflections. Apart from books, I really enjoy reading The Economist. It gives you lot of food for thought.
– Dr BS Ajai Kumar, Chairman & CEO, HealthCare Global Enterprises
A Leader should Walk the Talk
Leading by example
My leadership philosophy is very simple. I strongly believe that a true leader carries the responsibility of being a positive example in the workplace and is someone who brings his team together to work collaboratively to meet organisation goals. The best leaders lead by example and I truly believe in that. One should be able to walk the talk and thus become a person others want to become. A leader creates more leaders who are motivated and empowered to accomplish any responsibility or task assigned to them. Being accessible, approachable and available to the team is of utmost importance and at the core of my leadership philosophy.
Inspiring progress
The most important key to maximising the leadership skills within an organisation is providing honest feedback that helps the team realise their strengths and weaknesses, provide support and guidance to everyone to overcome weaknesses and excel in their work area. The other major characteristic that constantly gets overlooked is transparency. Allowing more transparency in your style of leadership opens yourself to more meaningful relationships — both with the team as a whole and with the individuals of that team. One should also create an environment where people do not shy away from taking responsibilities for failures and help them grow to learn from mistakes. One should also inspire people to take more challenges.
Deciding moments
Post my graduation, I had various fields to choose from but my passion for medicine got converted into practice in healthcare delivery. Looking back, it has been a wonderful 18 years of journey since that decision which has brought me success in my professional life and a personal satisfaction that I could part of the changing healthcare delivery system in India. My stability in the organisation has also led to a 360 degree growth enhancement.
Mark of a true leader
A true leader should always be open to receive and provide honest feedback. Also, he/ she should be able to define the strategic goals that are in alignment with the organisational goals and be able to draw realistic timelines to achieve these goals. A leader should never indulge in blame games. He should remain contemporary and be a forward thinker.
Source of inspiration
I take a lot of inferences and learnings from our epic mythology books. Apart from this, there is a lot of learning from real life case studies in our everyday life. To keep myself updated on the healthcare industry worldwide, I also read a lot of books from the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and for people management, books from the stable of Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Management books too help extend knowledge and keep you updated on latest management philosophies and techniques developed for efficient and effective management and thereby, these books serve as an important resource pool for leaders. Some of the books that have helped me grow are: Jack Welsh’s Straight from the Gut; Radhakrishnan Pillai’s Corporate Chanakya; Peter Watson’s Ideas – A History of Fire to Feud; CK Prahlad’s Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid; James Daniel’s Lean Thinking; Harvard Business Review – Leadership in a Changed World and Robin Sharma’s Leadership Wisdom. Apart from media, publications provide detailed insights into the political, economic and social development in the country and the world. So, it is also a very important resource. I read at least one financial daily, one mainline daily and a couple of healthcare trade and business publications including Express Healthcare regularly. Today, technology advancements like various social media platforms serve as important resources to keep abreast of the current developments of the world. I follow LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook in that order to keep myself updated of the current developments in the industry.
– Joy Chakraborty, COO, PD Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre
A good leader Should keep his team motivated
On leadership…
As a CEO, one has to do two things; one is to lead the business and second is to lead people. One will get a lot of external help and advisory services to lead their business well but to lead people, you have to depend on yourself completely. A successful leader is not just someone who is managing his profits well, but someone who can move in a team, ensuring that each individual grows with the business, benefiting from the business success. Managing people is a difficult balance. While handling people, one needs to be fair in dealings. Just as managing a business requires a lot of attention to detail, in the same way while we are dealing with people we need to be careful about a lot of small things. We should not let our professional stress pass on to our employees. A good leader is indeed one who can keep his team motivated at all times – good or bad.
My mantra…
For me, having a motivated team is the most important aspect of running the business because I believe no single person makes a business successful. It’s a team effort where every individual matters.
Maya Angelon’s word to inspire…
‘People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel’. So it’s extremely important to ensure that we treat people well, not just in our personal dealings but in a professional capacity as well. As an individual and as the company CEO where I am responsible for a big team working directly or indirectly with me, I have always believed in ensuring the happiness of my people. This is something which was taught to us at IIM Ahmedabad and I have made it a part of my leadership style since then.
– OP (OM) Manchanda, CEO, Dr Lal PathLabs
A leader should enable his/ her team to excel
Leadership: A multi-faceted role
Warren Bennis had once said “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality”. In order to be a truly effective leader, you have to first understand the organisation and its level of maturity – whether it is in the infant, mature or transformational stage. Also, it is about fitting your role and leadership strategy to the need of the organisation. Whenever I have taken up the role as a new leader, I have had the structure and organogram established, policies and by laws rolled out and implemented, indicators published and regular review mechanisms put in place. Once this is done, I have given my team the freedom to explore and experiment while keeping a close watch and providing guidance wherever necessary. I encourage and appreciate performance so that people can truly excel. I also believe that every successful leader has an instinct which is difficult to define but which enables them to take winning decisions at the most opportune moment. This has been the key to success in transforming our hospital to an institution with clinical, operational, technological and education and research excellence, in less than a decade.
Learnings as a leader
A leader cannot afford to make mistakes. Wisdom consists of anticipating the consequences. I have strongly relied on establishing systems of checks and balances, independent vetting of facts, ability to read early warning signs of potential problems, creation of a credible image and acquiring deep seated knowledge about the environment in which I operate. I also believe that through strategic actions, the environment can be moulded to our benefit and crises can be avoided in many instances.
Sources of inspiration
The resources on which I rely as a leader spring within myself. I have built my life on the principles of intelligence, integrity and energy. Knowledge about the market and a strong connect with it is essential for growth. Integrity to me is non-negotiable. It is the mark of a true leader. Energy or passion is what makes you reach out for more. As the great Nelson Mandela said, “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
– Dr Rupali Basu, President & CEO Eastern Region, Apollo Hospitals Group
Leadership development happens at all levels
People are key to a leader
People are our strength and I believe that everyone has the potential to do great things, to become a great leader, and to help a business achieve its vision and mission. Just as we recommend ‘know yourself’with your DNA, we make sure to understand key strengths, skills, and their ambitions that can make each employee an asset to the team. Right from hiring to operations and marketing, I am an active participant working with the team. This gives me better insights into progress of work as well as people’s mindset. Internal communication in the team is especially essential in the startup phase, when only a vision and faith keeps us going.
In addition to skill development, focus is also on the core values of discipline and accountability. Leadership development happens at all levels. We recruit, train, and support people who drive the business strategy.
The decision that changed my life…
In 2009-2010, we had already built our first venture Ocimum Biosolutions. As a B2B service provider, with 10+ years of expertise in genomics and shrink-wrapped life-sciences software development, we wanted to reach higher. We wanted to offer personal genomics and molecular diagnostics services to people. When we did the groundwork and presented a proposal to the Board Members, our ideas were vetoed. We decided to startup Mapmygenome with a vision to touch a 100 million lives. This is one decision that changed the way I look at life, health and lifestyle.
Be apart of the team…
There are some who want to just manage and delegate, but a true leader knows that there are instances when he or she has to chip in and work with the team in order to succeed. Especially in a startup, there is no task that is too big or small for a person.
Another key attribute for success is a thorough understanding of the technology and process, especially relevant to the team one is handling. Team members turn to their leaders for advice, especially when there is a problem. Without an understanding of the situation and technology, a manager stands to harm the company’s credibility and lose respect of team members. Learning should never stop.
Staying updated is important
Standard references like Forbes, HBR. Books such as The Art of War, etc. Leadership forums, LinkedIn Groups, networking opportunities, conferences, webinars – one just has to look for learning opportunities with eyes and ears open.
– Anu Acharya, CEO, Mapmygenome
Leadership skills cannot be taught
Leadership is a way of life
As we mature from adolescence to adulthood we all inculcate leadership traits and qualities from our environment but the key is to harness these traits to build synergy in a group of people or team members to facilitate the betterment of the people involved and then to achieve a unified goal for the betterment of the organisation and beyond.
Trust and transparency an important element
Leadership skills cannot be taught but a conducive environment created in a organisation to help harness all that trait in every employee of the organisation. Some of the key factors which can help in doing so are trust and transparency, trust of the employees in the management and transparency of the management with the employees which can facilitate the leadership growth in an organisation. Senior members of the organisation should be given opportunities to take some calculated risks to help them explore their inner leadership qualities and in turn build confidence.
Moving back to India…
Listening to my inner self and moving back to India after leaving a successful career in Architecture in the US to help run and grow KGD as a international and global architectural and engineering firm.
Forcing yourself onto your team is a big mistake
Leadership is not an assigned role but a role which you have to earn from your team members and colleagues, the biggest mistake we make is to force a leader on a group of people without the leader earning the role with his or her actions and contributions.
Understanding human nature is vital
Leaders seeking inspiration and fresh ideas need to understand the people around them, the best way to better yourleadership qualities is to try and understand human nature and how everyone around you are different but have varies skills and attributes which can be harnessed for a unified goal. We all need to remember the word Leader applies only when we have fellow team members who have full trust and faith in you to lead.
– Ajay Gupta, Executive Director, KGD Architecture
Hard work is the essence of success in leadership
Constantly learning and improving
To me learning is a key driving force for continued growth. Continuing education is necessary in clinical medicine, and is equally critical in entrepreneurship and leadership. The day an entrepreneur/ leader begins to believe that he/ she knows it all, is the day the organisation begins to decline.
Positive energy and passion
A genuine love for what one does and the positive energy that this engenders is what sets apart special organisations from the mundane. I am blessed to find fulfilment both in being a physician and an entrepreneur, which makes my work greatly satisfying and brings positive energy to what I do. Communicating this to the team is a key part of my role as a leader.
Client satisfaction is the ultimate satisfaction
Having respect for one’s client, identifying and empathising with the clients’ pain points, and visibly working to address these are all critical hallmarks of success in a services industry. This is one of my guiding principles and one I regularly impart to my colleagues.
Work is fun, more work is more fun
Edison’s famous 99 per cent perspiration and one per cent inspiration rule is one that has always guided and motivated me. Unfortunately, hard work today is underrated and undervalued. I believe that it is the essence of success in leadership, and in life.
Always helping the community
Many studies have shown that genuine happiness comes from giving. Our not for profit Telerad Foundation provides us an avenue for giving back, both in terms of helping charitable hospitals in underserved areas and in providing free educational opportunities for radiology students. At the organisational level, this translates into a deep sense of fulfilment on the part of both the individual and the leader. Simply put, it is my belief that giving is good.
– Arjun Kalyanpur, MD, CEO and Chief Radiologist/ Pusher Teleradiology Solutions
- Advertisement -
Comments are closed.