I had the good fortune to listen to a wonderful speaker this week. The CEO
& MD of KKR and Red Chillies Entertainment - Venky Mysore, behind-the-scenes-star
of the turnaround of KKR in the IPL was at office and speaking to us J
It was a wonderful experience to listen to his transition from a core
financial professional to what he is today. What a journey! He even got into a
Q&A and answered all our questions so patiently. He almost looked disappointed
when none of us women in the room asked him about SRK (even though we were
dying to, we were not courageous enough to steer the discussion in that direction).Our
boss took it upon himself to do the needful, also insisting that he was doing
it for everyone in the room who was secretly wishing someone else would ask
that question (bless him).
So, apart from the Bollywood and some inside stories of KKR ;-), I might
have just picked few “leadership & management” gems from him, which I haven’t
got even from few certified management trainers! I mean, yes, most of them
sound clichéd, but no one put it in context like he did, with live examples of
KKR and the results seen by all!
He said:
- Do not attach sanctity to a bar that has been set. How else would anyone create new records?
- There is no substitute for experience. The next best thing to do is to observe successful people and imbibe what they do. Be open to fail in the process…
- …And when you lose, don’t lose the lesson
- Know what skills you want in your team and then start selecting people with that skill, rather than the other way around
- Constantly work towards setting a higher bar for yourself and your teams.
- It is important to shake up a team, even if it is a winning combination. It provides a level playing field for everyone and also creates an environment to try new strategies and encourages innovation.
As usual, a ton of questions came to my mind after the talk ended. The search
for these answers always seems endless!
