Joining The Dots | A Week Of Leadership Lessons: In The Classroom And From The Boardroom

While leadership is often defined by how you lead an organisation, sometimes it is also about how you quit. This was on display in the high-profile exit announcements from the top echelons of Tata Sons and Godrej Consumer.

In the case of Sudhir Sitapati, erstwhile CEO of Godrej Consumer, the conversation was marked by curiosity over why stock price movement under his tenure made it into his official communication. Indeed, the GCPL stock has gone from around Rs 715 to Rs 1,050 under Sitapati's reign — it rallied 15% on the day his appointment was announced, and fell 10% on his exit day. But the fact that it was mentioned, and that his exit was pretty much immediate, has raised eyebrows. In Godrej Consumer's case, though, the presence of a clear successor in Asif Malbari may have assuaged investor concerns.

ALSO READ: Godrej Consumer Appoints New MD And CEO As Sudhir Sitapati Exits

N Chandrasekaran's announcement that he would not be offering himself up for an extension beyond February 2027 was another matter entirely. Murmurs of boardroom discord have been growing since earlier this year, when the question of his extension came up at a board meeting of Tata Trusts . Chandra, as he is widely known, in his statement confirmed many of those rumours. The Tata veteran, who has spent 40 years at the conglomerate, laid out the sequence of events that led to his decision. It made one thing very clear: in the absence of unanimity and clarity on his continuation, he had chosen to step away. Tata Trusts effectively accepted the decision within 48 hours.

The hunt for a successor has now begun. Among the many comments from long-time Tata watchers was one common question: shouldn't the succession question have been settled by now? What happens next at Bombay House is now a matter of intense speculation, as are the reasons why this happened and where the fault lies. But once the rumour mills die down, what will remain is the question of whether the end of an illustrious stint at the Tatas needed to conclude with fault lines exposed so publicly.

ALSO READ: Tata & Chandra: Three Decades, One Company, Coding Floor To Corner Office

Another leadership lesson came in the form of an illuminating interview with the FDA Commissioner and now viral sensation, Tukaram Munde. Munde's crackdown on restaurants, government canteens, posh Mumbai clubs and even online delivery platforms has made him a real-life 'Nayak'. "I am just doing my job and listening to my conscience," he told us in an exclusive interview at our offices. The fact that so few in public life are seen doing their job is perhaps why an officer who has been transferred over two dozen times is now such a sensation. Maybe sometimes, leadership is just doing the right thing.

One reason I have been ruminating over leadership this week is the time I spent at a quick five-day workshop at the Indian School of Business, learning from the best what leadership is essentially all about. The biggest takeaway: LISTEN to what people are saying, and understand the message being given. Maybe that is the most important lesson of all.

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