Sep 12, 2009 07:26 PM
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(Updated Sep 12, 2009 07:29 PM)
I love to read or watch interviews and biographies of successful personalities, which inspire and make us to aspire for more. Men of Steel is an in-depth profile of 11 biggest business barons of India – from traditional industrialists Ratan Tata and KM Birla to new age technology gurus Nandan Nilekani and Azim Premji to telecom wizard Sunil Bharti Mittal, Rajeev Chandrashekar and many more. This thin book(110 pages, hmm! I see smile on faces who loves to fast pace books) is a result of compilation of Vir Sanghvi's articles that appeared on Hindustan Times Mumbai HT Leadership series, (yr 2005-2006) and so each of them are not more than 2000 words(10pages).
Vir Sanghvi should be appreciated whole-heartedly for two things - first for writing a much needed book which is collection of profiles of the torch bearers of the India Inc the remarkable men who lead(and are still leading) India into the era of global economy. Unlike other profiles, interviews, media reports etc. which are aired/published frequently, MoS captures the true man behind the successful business man. And it does it in a very succinct style without going overboard, writing it in a lively, enjoyable format. Perhaps, MoS is the summary of the business barons of today's India.
Throughout the book, Sanghvi has very generously(vis-à-vis his interviewees, of course) offered us snippets of information — anecdotes, lessons learnt, and so on — from these men’s earlier years.
The glimpse on conception of Infosysas a rebellion against North Indian baniaowned business of that time by South Indian Brahmins* and the transformation of very average and cerebrally detached Nandal Nilekani(he was always in ‘on’ mode) to the passionate business leader of today.
It is interesting to know how Gen-next Icon Kumar Mangalam Birla transformed the Birla legacy radically(turned many business practices inside out like Birla’s womb to tomb policy).
The revelation of Subhash Chandra's distinctive tuft of white hair which he developed overnight due to stress and tension when one of his partners stepped back from a deal during the final stage which he is not insecure about to tell in an interview. Got to know about “pani mein namak dalna”a sacred vow within the Marwari trading community.
Azim Premji came across as a very complex man who operates on several levels simultaneously and in author’s word regarding same as “you only really get to core of the onion when you have finished peeling off the layers”
The successful genset business of Sunil'Bharati' Mittal closed overnight due to government policy changes due to so called'influence of the big boys', yet he is very happy for this divine intervention. The lesson I learnt is 'sometimes its good to hang on and wait for the tides to turn'(Sunil did so during hard times in his telecom venture).
What struck me most in the story on Bikki Oberoi, is that way back in 60's and 70's Hilton declined to give the Oberoi(group of hotels) its brand name considering that it will depreciate Hilton's value, and in the post globalized mid 2000's Oberoi are associated with Hilton but are careful to not to associate Hilton brand for their ultra luxury hotels as this would undermine Oberoi's luxury brand image. Its truly a turn around story & that India Inc. has indeed arrived.
Rajeev Chandrashekar, former CEO and Chairman of BPL Mobile, shows us that this INTEL genius and pioneer of electronic revolution who became biggest operator in mobile telephony business without paying single significant bribe too became victim of corporate sabotage. This demonstrates that so many factors crucial to the running of a business enterprise can indeed be a matter of luck.
Uday Kotak’s(of the Kotak Group) formula for success has more to do with outliving what you’ve created rather than making the big bucks(though he has made plenty of the latter as well).
What is common in most of these success cases is that all of them have had their shares of problems, challenges, fears, and loneliness, desire to run-away at one or more stages of their lives. But they chose to persist. Most of them have fought against corruption and bureaucracy in this country and won over all odds. And most of them(except few) have risen from the ground.
On the whole though, I found the book very enjoyable. A book for a wide readership — not just for the “business” minds — and this, I believe, was the author’s intention. This book is a must read for anybody who wants to understand the contours of the Indian success story. It is an insight into the new India and offers a glimpse of corporate India’s true leaders.
