Category Archives: Thought Leadership

Political & Economic Uncertainty – Mr Manish Tewari, Minister of Information and Broadcasting

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Mr Manish Tewari, Minister of Information and Broadcasting

First of all, I would begin by thanking Mr.Goenka for his extremely kind words, and yes, there is a certain sense of dejavu. I had the privilege of being part of the AIMA proceedings last year this time in Mumbai and I must say it was an extremely invigorating experience to interact with such bright and ignited minds from all across the country.I also take this occasion to congratulate AIMA on its Ruby Jubilee.

It takes a lot of perseverance to build institutions and I think, the successive leaderships of AIMA have persevered and have been able to create this into an institution, which is not only very widely respected but adds value not only to the managerial resources of this country but to the broader national canvas of interaction which in any democracy serves as a very important input to invigorate and enrich our discords as we try and move from one milestone to another.

If we were to go back to 1991, when the Indian economy started opening up or liliberalizing some people say under the force of circumstances, others would tend to believe that it was a logical conclusion or a logical continuation of the policies which have been put in place by the government of Late Prime Minister, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, from 1985-89.But 1989-91 were extremely cataclysmic years for the world. The Soviet Union was collapsing, east Europe was transforming and a lot of strategic thinkers around the world and in that broad sweep, including economists as well, were proclaiming and declaring that this was the end of history. Continue reading →

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Courage in Uncertainty – Sachin Pilot, Minister of State(I/C) for Corporate Affairs

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Sachin Pilot, Minister of State(I/C) for Corporate Affairs

The topic given to me this morning is ‘Courage in uncertainty’. Well, I think we should have courage in the most certain times. I will just spend a couple of minutes talking about what’s happening generally and I am sure you heard other speakers yesterday and you will hear more this morning and this afternoon.

All of you know, exactly, where the art way in terms of our economy, where is India’s position, what needs to be done and I am sure you all are brimming the ideas on how best to fix the situation at hand. When I say ‘fixing it’, I say this with the sense of reality that today we are growing at between 4-5%, perhaps .5% +/-. But generally speaking, the last 18months have been a slower growth than expected. Again, the key word is ‘expected’. If the US economy grows at 1%, the base is so large that it’s a phenomenal growth for them. The European economies are struggling to get positive growth. However, when India grows at 8-8.5%, it’s expected to grow at 8-8.5%. The potential for the economy is perhaps more than that. Where does the word potential come from? It’s the expectations from the people of this country and the global community because we have the talent force; we have the engines, the capacities to absorb that kind of growth, the consumptive capacity, the productive capacity. So, when India grows at 4-5%, everybody, all the rating agencies, the World Bank, all the pink press, the entire world says it’s not good enough. Sure, not good enough. But what needs to be done to fix this growth of the GDP and the forward momentum, is what we have to take into account. The first thing we have done as a government from the last 6months or so, is to reduce the current account deficit. And I think the finance minister has done a great job in pulling back the current account deficit to the target that he set for us, as 4.8%. Also, I think, we have done a little bit better than the 4.8% target that we set out for ourselves. Continue reading →

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Economic Uncertainty – Mr Kamal Nath, Minister of Urban Development

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Mr Kamal Nath, Minister of Urban Development

Good morning everyone. I’m delighted to be here amongst AIMA for the 40th National Management Convention and I would like to congratulate AIMA on its ruby jubilee of NMC.

Ruby jubilee seems to be a nice word. It has always been a pleasure to attend AIMA’s conventions. I have seen AIMA grow from strength to strength and I have attended many of their conventions as it evolved into a think tank and a hub of management development and education. Though it’s not easy for a purely voluntary, non lobbying organisation, to succeed, AIMA has won the respect and support of the management fraternity, academia and government through its efforts to build India’s management capacity. Once again, through this convention, AIMA is trying to explore the possible management responsive, prevailing uncertainty and this is indeed commendable. I would like to congratulate Ms. Chanda Kochar & Mr. Aseem Premji, who have become legends in the lifetime of stupendous achievements. You have not only led corporative institutions but have made several contributions to the brand India. Your work is an inspiration to the new generation of Indian entrepreneurs and executives. Mr. Gopalakrishanan, you are a visionary of the TATA Group and a wonderful writer. I would like to congratulate the award winners as well. Continue reading →

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Courage in Uncertainty – Mr Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto Ltd

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Mr Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto Ltd

Good morning everyone. This is perhaps the third or fourth time AIMA has invited me to speak and I don’t know why they have called me up again but I’ll tell you why I like coming here. Well, first of all, because Rekha is wonderful and also, Shiv, Gautam and Sanjiv and the others, you all are very nice and very warm and welcoming. But most of all and I say this from my heart, I find that this is the best audience to be with. I mean, there is always so much energy in this room.

The theme of the conference is ‘courage in uncertainty’ and when I was given the executive summary, this is what it said: facing the future and uncertainty with courage is not a way, but the only way. This is what I received from AIMA. Well, this in itself is not new. Aristotle said centuries ago, that courage is the first of all virtues because without it we cannot act on any other virtue. So, that has been acknowledged a long time back. But let me also share with you what a very well known doctor said, a very long time back, Dr. Michael Boyd. He said, “All that which is powerful for good is potent for evil”. It’s good to diet, but it’s not good to diet too much. It is good to exercise, but it’s not good to exercise too much. It’s good to work, but it’s not good to work too much. Therefore, all that is powerful for good is powerful for evil as well. So, courage, I think, is powerful for good but courage can also be very potent for evil, and that is why my presentation starts with a question- “courage is uncertainty?” What I mean to convey is that there is a lot of uncertainty that we find ourselves in, self inflicted, brought upon us by ourselves because we’re being too courageous, perhaps full hardy. So, what I’m going to do for the next few minutes is as Shahrukh said to all of us yesterday, he’s here less to talk about success and more about failure in the context of success. Continue reading →

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Role of Courage in Success – Shahrukh Khan, Actor, producer & television presenter

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I am going to say good evening again, because that’s how I started the speech. First of all, it’s really scary here. Some of the biggest managers of the biggest corporations in the biggest convention for management – AIMA.

It’s very sad that in such an august company of people, big business houses and managers, all you could manage was to get a speaker from Bollywood to speak at the convention. The economy must be really bad.

Well, who am I to speak about the economic downtrend across the globe etc, or anything, for that matter? Just reading the topics being discussed before I came on stage, I was frightened. And if I’m allowed to say so, shit scared. I couldn’t understand a word. Let me tell you one of the discussions they had earlier on in the day – ‘Could financialisation of commodities be used to incentivise supply growth without inflating prices?’  Continue reading →

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Indian economy is growing in all spheres – Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India

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Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India

At the very outset, I would like to take the opportunity of congratulating all the award winners. I am happy to join you on this happy occasion – Managing India Awards 2013. These are prestigious corporate awards that recognize outstanding contribution of individuals and organizations to Indian business management. Our country today has corporate leaders who can manage the development of Indian business into models of excellence. Indian managers are recognized all over the world for their managerial capacity. Many global business giants are headed by Indian managers and technocrats today.

Philip Kotler, the acclaimed expert on Marketing had once observed and I quote: “Today you have to run faster to stay in place” (unquote). We have set upon us a challenge to make India count amongst the top few nations in the world. To mark India’s growing stature, management principles should find application not only in our business and industry, but also in other important processes such as social change and governance. How change is managed will determine our progress. This is a need that the Managing India Awards denote, and is also a reality epitomized by this year’s award winners. Continue reading →

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Merging NGO world with the corporate world – Kiran Bedi, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee

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Kiran Bedi, Ramon Magsaysay Awardee

I had set up Navjyoti India Foundation in 1986. This foundation was first of its kind as it wasset up by a serving police officer at that time. The foundation just happened by coincidence. Slums in area of Yamuna Bank were a hub of crime, drug pedaling, prostitution, garbage picking, and children in burglar groups. It was the area in my beat for crime prevention. Policing for me stands for prevention than for detection. That is why when the December 2012 Delhi gang rape happened, I kept on shouting at the top of my voice that this was a preventable crime. According to me prevention can be so intensive that a lot can be achieved through it. I have always questioned myself for why should I not work on prevention before detection of crime?

From the belief in this power of prevention my foundation Navjyoti was born.  I set up drug addiction treatment centers in Delhi Police Stations. We called it Navjyoti as it was new hope for people who actually needed help.  We started off with 8 drug abuse treatment centers in Delhi Police Stations. We set up vocational schools for women in drug pedaling, we set up primary schools for children to prevent them from begging. The foundation started in 1986 and it moved on with me. 16 other serving police officers became the founders of Navjyoti as we all believed in the power of prevention. I believe that we all are in a position to give out some time for community service and we all can volunteer for a cause that has an impact on the growth of our country. Continue reading →

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Importance of Reforms in process & governance for growth – Shri Kamal Nath, Minister for Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation

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Mr. Kamal Nath, Minister for Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation

In India we have developed a psyche to believe that what is not boom is gloom. I have seen the growth of auto sector at 34% and this is the moment of rejoice and celebration as we are growing and all auto manufacturers in other countries envy us for growing at such a pace, but still there is a feeling of gloom.

We should look at the future with the perspective of national growth in comparison to other countries. “Reforms” has become a buzz word and we do need reforms as they will become the strength in future. I must share with you that after the events that happened in 2008-2009 in UK & USA, we were concerned which model will be most suitable for India with the best reforms for the growth of our country. The bankers from the western world teach and preach us for the reforms that we need to do in financial sectors for many years but we have to understand that our priorities and needs are different and we have to act in a different way to achieve our goals. Reforms in process and governance are most important as they affect growth the most.  We have to put our heads together and work together to provide these reforms for our country. Continue reading →

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Young Generation: An asset for India – Shri Sachin Pilot, Corporate Affairs Minister

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Sachin Pilot is Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and IT

 

In any company whether Indian or foreign, the lines are getting blurred as more and more foreign companies which have set up shop in India. Over the last decade foreign companies have tried to make themselves as Indian as possible to appeal to the large domestic market that we have and individuals like you who are working in these companies have done a commendable job in getting foreign companies to come here and establish themselves.

What is more remarkable now is that entrepreneurs and enterprises from within India have gathered enough strength, determination. And I think the resources were available in past perhaps but not to the extent of how much they are today. But what has taken companies and individuals across the political borders has been the fact that the kind of self confidence we have within our own system and economy is the reflection of kinds of investments and acquisitions Indian companies are making overseas. Continue reading →

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Women making it big in extreme sports

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Skydiving is known as an extreme sport and we enjoy it to the max. I remember one journalist who was literally dying to ask me: Are you normal? To him and all others who wanted me to comment on why women are getting into this bizarre phenomenon of adventurous extreme sport , I want to say “Take Wings my friends and fly and you will discover the magic called life.”

The lady who is No. 1 in competitive skydiving is almost 50 years old and there’s nobody to take away her number one spot in competitive skydiving. In skydiving, like is relevant in every other field, one has to take that first step, that first plunge into thin air, the first step to do something.  That’s when you find yourself sooner than later that you are really being reckoned in an elite group of path breakers like how I am standing out here in front of you. I have had a very short journey. I started skydiving in 2009. But October 8th 2011 was a big day for us because on the 79th anniversary of Indian Air Force we were launched as the first ever official women skydiving team of the Indian Air Force.

Continue reading →

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