JRD Tata: Motivation Through Earned Respect

The view of a senior leader as a commander has given way to the more friendly coach like leader, who learns even as he teaches. A great senior leader demonstrates:

• the ability to communicate,
• the ability to look for solutions outside the box,
• transparency in private and public life, and
• empathy to understand and gently nudge employees onto the correct course.

All this plus tons of energy and enthusiasm just about sums it.

Over the years, senior leaders around the world have set standards in different spheres – be it in providing motivation and leading by example or setting in place systems like mentoring and succession planning. India too has a few sterling examples.

One of the most successful leaders, JRD Tata held that the key responsibility of senior leadership was motivation through earned respect. Apart from ushering in an environment of consensus, he was ultra-passionate about quality. And he groomed Ratan Tata to carry the torch forward.

These qualities are deeply embedded across the entire Tata Group. Noteworthy examples are  Tata Consultancy Services and Titan Industries. Today, these two are great global brands from India.