LEADERSHIP QUALITIES OF
ANAND MAHINDRA.
Anand Mahindra, the chairman and managing director of
auto to aerospace conglomerate Mahindra Group, is not
an unknown name in the Indian business diaspora.
In his 34 years as a businessman, Anand Mahindra has
built an enduring organisation while keeping true to his core values and admits that a firm
is as good as the people it hires.
Anand Mahindra was born on 1 May 1955 in Bombay, India to the late industrialist Harish
Mahindra and Indira Mahindra. Anand has two sisters; Anuja Sharma and Radhika Nath.
He completed his early schooling from Lawrence School, Lovedale and then went on to
study film making and architecture from Harvard University where he graduated magna
cum laude in 1977. In 1981, he completed his MBA from the Harvard Business School.
In 1981, Anand joined Mahindra Ugine Steel Company Ltd (MUSCO) as an Executive
Assistant to the Finance Director.
In 1989 he was appointed as President and Deputy Managing Director of the MUSCO. He
initiated the Mahindra Group's diversification into the new business areas of real estate
development and hospitality management.
On 4 April 1991, he took the role of Deputy Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra
Ltd., a producer of off-road vehicles and agricultural tractors in India. In April 1997, Anand
was appointed as the Managing Director and then in 2001 as the Vice Chairman of
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
In August 2012, he took on the role of Chairman of the board and Managing Director of the
Mahindra Group from his uncle, Keshub Mahindra.
In November 2016, Anand was re-designated as Executive Chairman of Mahindra &
Mahindra Ltd and continued to be the Chairman of Mahindra Group.
Anand was a co-promoter of Kotak Mahindra Bank (formally known as Kotak Mahindra
Finance Ltd). In 2013, he ceased to be a promoter and stayed on as a non-executive
director.
Today, the Mahindra Group is a US$19 billion organisation, and one of India's top 10
industrial houses.
Anand Mahindra has been tagged as the face of Indian capitalism by The Economist. Forbes
India Magazine has recognised him as their 'Entrepreneur of the Year' for the year 2013.
Beyond Mahindra
In April 2014, Anand became a member of the board of U.S.–India Business Council (USIBC).
He helps promote the policy advocacy priorities of USIBC and advises members and senior
USIBC staff.
In 2011, Anand was invited to join the International Advisory Council of Singapore's
Economic Development Board.
He is the Chairman of the India Advisory Council at the Lincoln Center, New York. In January
2015, he was appointed on a four-year team as a Trustee of the Natural History Museum of
London.
An avid advocate of using 'design for human happiness' Anand is the chairman, Governing
Council National Institute of Design and President, India Design Council.
In 2014, Anand Mahindra with his brother-in-law and sports commentator, Charu Sharma,
launched Pro Kabaddi League, a professional-level kabaddi league in India.
Anand, along with Mukesh Ambani and Mahesh Samat, was the co-founder EPIC, an Indian
television channel in 2014 that showcases Hindi content. In 2016, he became the sole
owner after both the co-founders sold their stakes to Mahindra.
Anand was featured in Fortune Magazine's list of The World's 50 Greatest Leaders in 2014
and in the list of the top 25 most powerful business people in Asia in 2011.
He was the World Economic Forum co-chairman in 2009.
He was one of the contributors for the book 'Reimagining India' published by Mckinsey &
Company.
In 2003, he was elected as the president of the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Be A People’s People
Anand Mahindra said that a person cannot be a good leader if he cannot put
himself/herself in somebody else’s shoes and empathise with them. "And to do that you
have to be a good listener," he said.
Empathy just doesn’t mean that you feel for someone. It means you can get out of your
skin. When you empathise with the other person’s point of view, you are able to hear it and
integrate it.
Empathising helps you know things and inevitably makes you a good listener who is
intrigued to know and gather information from others, Anand Mahindra added.
A person who can imbibe empathy will be a constant learning machine.
Be A Renaissance Leader
Strategic and Intuitive Thinker
A Renaissance Leader is adept at creating a shared vision across all areas of an organization.
They view change as a developmental process that requires understanding not just where
they want to take their company, but also their people, creating a holistic model for future
success. Renaissance Leaders also take the process of strategy development a step further
than usual and consider the ramifications of national and international developments in
their thinking process, as today's world truly is a global marketplace.
Vital Communicator
A Renaissance Leader recognizes the value of communication and can create dialogue
throughout the organization at all levels. Renaissance Leaders constantly work on their
ability
to manage their relationships with employees and customers and strive to become skilled
conversationalists, great listeners and adept storytellers who approach situations with an
openness that allows others to influence them.
Talent Developer and Attractor
Renaissance Leaders value diversity in their organizations and recognize that people offer a
wide range of competencies and skills. They approach succession planning as a continual
process and proactively look for the next generation of leaders among their ranks.
Renaissance Leaders also place a high value on both education and coaching, and look at
employee development as a vital responsibility.
Innovation Enabler
Renaissance Leaders are never satisfied with doing things as they've done them in the past.
Instead, they encourage creativity and innovation at all times and at all levels. Renaissance
Leaders also embrace change and allow themselves to take risks, using every situation as an
opportunity for professional and organizational growth.
As more and more new technologies arrive in today's marketplace, Renaissance Leaders
especially look for those that allow for improved communications.
Ethical and Grounded Implementer
Renaissance Leaders are concerned with ethics and engage their companies with the
utmost of reverence for diversity, inclusion and integrity.
Renaissance Leaders also remain grounded and engage in some form of personal reflection
as part of their daily regimen.
Avid Collaborator
Renaissance Leaders emphasize building strong teams where people contribute and
encourage high levels of employee involvement throughout their organizations.
Global Entrepreneur
Renaissance Leaders realize the economy is the major engine for creating change
throughout the world and devote their energies to improving the world around them.
Aleena Merin George
RA 2052001010167
MBA bfs (AA)
