CEO Insights Exclusive: 10 IIT-ian Entrepreneurs Share Priceless Business Advice
Within the ever-evolving field of leadership, one particular style of influential leadership and innovative strategies stands out for its long-lasting influence and capacity to steer teams and organizations in the right direction through leadership insights. IIT Alumni entrepreneurs have a profound kind of leadership that focuses on motivating and enabling people to accomplish shared objectives rather than only a collection of abilities. CEO Insights magazine recently interviewed 10 Successful IIT ians, and here is their business advice.
Sanjeev Rawat, Managing Director, Illustrious Technologies
“To aspiring industry leaders, I would advise this: Embrace change as a chance for growth rather than a hurdle. In an ever-changing environment, innovation and flexibility are your most powerful tools. Maintain your curiosity, cultivate a culture of continual learning, and uphold your fundamental principles. Success isn't solely about reaching your goals but also about the journey and the influence you exert en route. Keep in mind that genuine leadership hinges on your capacity to motivate and enable others; thus, lead with integrity, empathy, and a vision for a brighter tomorrow.”
Vidya Bhushan, Co-Founder, Daalchini
“Drawing from my industry experience, my paramount advice to budding industry leaders would be to prioritize self-care. While it's natural for leaders to get deeply involved in their work, it's crucial to remember the importance of taking care of their physical and mental well-being. A leader who maintains a healthy and balanced lifestyle gains heightened clarity and energy, which in turn enables them to lead with greater effectiveness and resilience.”
Rajesh Puneyani, Senior Director, Lowes India
“The most important piece of advice I can provide is to always question the status quo, even if it seems unchangeable or has worked for a long time. Now, what's the point of making this adjustment if it would only bring about a little improvement or bonus? Instead, larger-scale alterations and transformations in the environment will result from the accumulation of many little ones. For this reason, it's essential to always question established practices and maintain doing so until you achieve a level of quality comparable to Six Sigma. There naturally, we need to keep the wheels turning.”
Satyapal Singh, CEO, GE3S
“Leaders and professionals in the sustainability field must have a genuine passion for making a positive impact. They should choose this path with a long-term plan and focus on a specific area within sustainability. It is essential to implement ideas and demonstrate measurable results to substantiate their efforts. Education, capacity building, and execution are key to success in this field. By showcasing real examples of their work, leaders can inspire others and contribute to a sustainable future.”
Dr. Sanjay Agarwal, Director & COO, IJM India Infrastructure
“As an upcoming leader, always prioritize ethics as it is fundamental to achieving success. Be ready to step up and fill in leadership gaps, tackle significant challenges, and align core strategies with senior leadership. Effective communication and collaboration are essential qualities for a COO, as these traits encourage others to work with you. Additionally, develop the ability to make quick decisions, as delays in decision-making can seriously impact project timelines. Embracing these qualities will pave the way for a successful and fulfilling journey in this industry.”
Sudipto Haldar, Managing Director, Peernova
“Be on a continuous learning path to understand the customers’ business; put yourself in the customer's shoes to understand the pain points. Make it your mission to bring fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to the market.”
Sooraj Vasudevan, Founder & CEO, Calculus Business Solutions
“A business without a solid growth plan, having a fair level of predictability about the cash flow for the next five quarters, cannot sustain itself as a Startup. So, budding leaders need to be focused on their goals, strategies, planning, and executions. And strike a balance between their determination and their ability to improvise to deliver uncompromised results.”
Sumanta Ghosh, Senior Vice President & Head - Technology, Aegon Life
“There are two principles I lead by; first is knowledge, and the other is empathy. Knowledge and wisdom are required to become a good leader because that's when people feel confident to approach you for problem-solving. So, deep knowledge about technology is important in our industry.
"At a personal level, empathy is important to understand the team. What it takes for certain team members to deliver a service comes with empathy, and to some extent, I enforce empathy because it allows us to learn from our mistakes. Trying to lead by knowledge and empathy is not easy, but it is the only way to success because that is how it has been for me,” Ghosh adds.
Amit Agrawal, CEO at Roton Consultancies
“To emerging industry leaders, my advice is to view change as an opportunity for advancement in the constantly evolving tech arena. Continuous learning is paramount, so keep yourself informed about industry developments and invest in your personal growth. Empower your team by nurturing a culture of innovation and collaboration. Effective communication and agility in decision-making are vital for achieving success. Remember to maintain a healthy work-life balance, and don't underestimate the stress-relieving power of humor. Networking with mentors and peers and striving to make a positive impact within your organization and society will greatly contribute to your leadership journey.”
“Leaders and professionals in the sustainability field must have a genuine passion for making a positive impact. They should choose this path with a long-term plan and focus on a specific area within sustainability. It is essential to implement ideas and demonstrate measurable results to substantiate their efforts. Education, capacity building, and execution are key to success in this field. By showcasing real examples of their work, leaders can inspire others and contribute to a sustainable future,”
Abhijay Datta, Head ‑ Data Engineering and Analytics Services, Emids
“In my mind, a few critical things will differentiate tomorrow’s business leaders. The first one is lifelong learning - setting aside time daily to read and keep up with new concepts, technology, and ideas and be able to map them with the business goals. Secondly, ethics and personal values would be critical. There would be a temptation to improve business performance at any cost using technology. Regulations will lag far behind. So, leaders will have to step up and self-regulate. They must weigh their decisions against any harm to employees, customers, and society as a whole. Third would be the mindset of taking risks. I see the new generation of leaders showing the way to try new ideas and make rapid decisions. A lot of management literature of the future will imbibe the fail-fast frameworks for these upcoming leaders,”