Play to Potential Podcast

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Kartik Hosanagar is the John C. Hower Professor of Technology and Digital Business and a Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School of the …

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Kartik speaks about the extent to which machines and algorithms have pervaded our lives. To give an example, 80% of view on Netflix is based on algorithmic recommendations and 70% of Youtube consumption …

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Kartik speaks about how AI has moved from being expert systems (where humans input a certain set of rules that machines follow) to …

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Kartik speaks about how different FAANG Companies (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google) are trying to inject hosepipes into our lives and capture data for their respective algorithms to get …

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Kartik speaks about how we need to be mindful of the risk of being exposed to a certain type of content or view point as the …

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Kartik speaks about how, if we are not watchful, algorithms might end up creating outcomes that we hadn’t really pictured when we …

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Kartik uses the example of music (Pandora, Last.FM and Spotify) and speaks about the different approaches to algorithm design and the implications on the kind of content we are likely to see as …

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Kartik speaks about how we should think about using algorithms for decision making versus decisions support. He urges to think about …

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Kartik speaks about the impact of AI on jobs of the future. He cautions that it is not just the menial blue collar type of jobs that …

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Kartik speaks about how we all could be thoughtful about equipping ourselves with some basic level of literacy around AI. Even if you …

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Rajat Gupta is a former CEO (Managing Partner) of McKinsey & Co. and led the firm between 1994 to 2003 across 3 terms of 3 years each. He was the first non-American CEO of McKinsey & Co. and arguably one …

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Rajat speaks about how he plans to spend time in the coming years. He talks about how he plans to resume his journey of contributing to philanthropic causes and work on some of the intractable issues …

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Rajat provides some context around the style he adopted in the book and talks about the fact that notion of success is so contextual to each individual. He talks about sharing his journey candidly with …

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Rajat speaks about the kind of leadership style that is required at the helm of a firm like McKinsey. He speaks about how one has to think about influencing and nudging rather than commanding and …

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Rajat speaks at length about how he led McKinsey over the 3 terms when he was the Managing Partner. He says that during the first term he co-created the future strategy of the firm and started executing …

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Rajat speaks about his stints as leader in Scandinavia and in Chicago and the key levers he focused on to drive the growth of each office. He also make the distinction between the approach in Scandinavia …

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Rajat speaks about what it takes to build trust at the highest level with clients. He talks about how sometimes, it takes several …

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Rajat speaks about how he grew as a leader through his tenure in the firm. He speaks about the combination of mentorship, apprenticeship and entrepreneurial space where there is a vacuum that one has to …

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Rajat speaks about how he evaluated opportunities outside of McKinsey through his journey. He also speaks about how he took stock of various options in front of him when he finished his third term as the …

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Rajat speaks about some of the choices he is proud to have made in his journey. He also reflects on choices that he wonders if he …

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Falguni Nayar is the Founder and CEO at Nykaa.com. She founded it in 2012 with the vision of making the best of beauty products available all …

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Falguni speaks about how her childhood shaped her personality and her wiring in the years to come. She speaks about how she and her brother were treated equally across various aspects of life and the …

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Falguni speaks about how she made some early career choices post IIMA. She speaks about how she was independent in the way she went about making decisions. She also speaks about the context in which the …

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Falguni speaks about how she juggled her family and her career at various points in time. She specifically speaks about the Maternity …

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Falguni speaks about the phase of life when she decided to become and entrepreneur after 25+ years post IIMA and after a successful …

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Falguni speaks about the key shifts that she has made to her leadership style as she moved from a Senior Leadership role in an …

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Falguni speaks about the key shifts she has had to make as Nykaa moved from a start-up phase (where the proof of concept was still being established) to a scale up phase. She speaks about understanding …

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Falguni speaks about how she thinks about managing Investors in the context of her desire to build a long term sustainable business at Nykaa. She talks about the need to be transparent in the …

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Falguni speaks about the criticality of being focused on what the consumer wants and using that as the guide for coming up with the vision and the aspiration as you grow. When you are often the leader in …

GUEST 

Rich Fernandez is the CEO of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute (SIYLI). Prior to this he was a Director of Executive Education and People Development at Google.  

SIYLI began as an initiative in …

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Rich talks about how Google things about spotting potential and about Leadership Development. He quotes an interesting statistic from a piece of research by Corporate Leadership Council. He said that …

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Rich talks about the origins of the Search Inside Yourself programme. It started out as a quest for Googlers looking for a solution …

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We normally think of attention in broad terms but Rich breaks down the various types of attention. He speaks about Attention being the ability to focus our mind on something specific and Meta-Attention …

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Rich talks about how he thinks about ritualizing meditation and baking it as a hygiene in the way he goes about leading his life. He also talks about the importance of not treating meditation just as a …

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Rich speaks about the benefits of journaling and refers to research in neuroscience that suggests that journaling is superior to typing on a digital device given the speed at which we do each of the …

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Rich discusses the distinction between choosing a response to a situation and reacting. He also speaks about the difference between …

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Rich speaks about three levels of resilience – Inner calm, Emotional Resilience and Cognitive Resilience. He talks about the example …

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Rich speaks about why we have a negativity bias as a default setting. He traces it back to human evolution and talks about the fact …

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Stewart D. Friedman is a professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and the founding director of the …

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Stew talks about the building blocks of his Total Leadership Model that he has developed at the Wharton Work Life Integration Project. Of the four domains (Self, Work, Home and Community), he expands on …

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Stew talks about notion of positive spill overs across the 4 domains (Self, Work, Home, Community) and describes why finding harmony across domains is a more sustainable than looking at them as …

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Stew speaks about the role of authenticity (being real by clarifying what is important), integrity (having a clear view of who you …

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Stew speaks about how the nature of the issues people grapple with varies depending on the stage of their journey. He specifically speaks about 3 points of people. 1) Point of graduation from Business …

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Stew speaks about what has stayed the same and what has changed significantly in his thinking around work life integration. He talks …

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Stew speaks about the criticality of unearthing what the stakeholders really want and solving for it. He suggests that we should go …

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Stew speaks about the role of two types of coaches in such journeys. Firstly, he speaks about the value of peer to peer coaching …

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Stew speaks about how we should try and stretch the boundaries of our current context before we start thinking about drastic …

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Ramachandra Guha is a historian and biographer based in Bangalore. He has taught at the universities of Yale and Stanford, held the Arné Naess Chair at the University of Oslo, and been the Indo-American Community …

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Dr. Guha speaks about his journey from playing cricket for St. Stephens (along with players like Kirti Azad who played for India and was part of the 1983 World Cup winning Cricket team) to pursuing a PhD …

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Dr. Guha shares his perspectives around some of the elements behind being an effective historian. He talks about how his early years in cricket prepared him for the grind of being a historian and refers …

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Dr. Guha speaks about some of the key choices he made at various forks in the road that presented themselves in front of him. He …

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Dr. Guha speaks about how Gandhiji straddled multiple careers concurrently (including that of a Politician, Social Reformer, Prophet …

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Dr Guha speaks about the phase of transition when Gandhiji moved from South Africa to India. He talks about how Gandhiji was advised (by Gopal Krishna Gokhale) to spend about a year understanding the …

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Dr Guha discusses the dichotomy between Gandhiji’s accomplishments on the public front and contrasts that with some of the challenges he had with relationships on the home front. He provides some context …

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Dr Guha talks about how Gandhiji openly spoke and wrote about his flaws (defects, manias, lusts, passions and superstitions) without any inhibition. This approach is in such a stark contrast to how …

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Dr. Guha speaks about Gandhiji went about making complex decisions. He talks about how he was able to combine the need to be democratic and to listen to the various people around him with the ability to …

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Dr. Guha speaks about Gandhiji’s inner journey on multiple fronts – diet, medicine, celibacy and inter-faith harmony. He speaks about …

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Dr. Guha speaks about how he has learnt (from Gandhiji) the criticality of using the right language when you engage with people who might have a differing point of view.

GUEST

Ramachandra Guha is a …

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Tarun Khanna is the Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at the Harvard Business School (HBS), where he has sought for two decades to study the …

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Tarun talks about developments in the field of Strategy and maps that to how individuals should think about their careers. He …

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Tarun discusses how he has crafted his self-assigned space of thinking about issues around creativity and entrepreneurship in Developing countries. He talks about being known as the “clearing house” for …

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Tarun makes the case for why it is critical for entrepreneurs in developing economies to build trust in their local economies. He contrasts the differences between a start up in Boston and its …

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Tarun talks in detail about the mind-set with which entrepreneurs need to think about creating the conditions to create. He talks about the example of Charles Shao and how he battled the decline in trust …

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Tarun talks about variations in how companies and entrepreneurs think about returning capital to the shareholders and talks about the …

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Tarun talks about how entrepreneurs (keen on having impact at scale) in developing economies should think slightly differently from …

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Tarun talks about the realities of building and measuring trust. He shares some of his thoughts on how entrepreneurs could take his …

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Indranil Chakraborty runs StoryWorks, that helps organisations and leaders harness the power of stories to create and deliver impactful …

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Indranil talks about his challenges in transmitting some of the elements of the credo he had crafted as the head of Marketing and Strategy of his organization. He underscores the risks of abstraction …

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Indranil distinguishes business story telling from Storytelling (that we see in Ramayana, Harry Potter or in movies). Indranil speaks about the fact that brevity and story-telling are not contradictory …

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Indranil talks about some of the common areas in the Corporate world where we could use stories – building rapport, influencing and …

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Indranil talks about the curse of knowledge using the example of “tappers and listeners” – an experiment conducted by Elizabeth Newton at Stanford University in 1990. He talks about how asymmetry of …

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Indranil talks about the criticality of story-listening and how it is critical to ask the right questions to elicit stories. He speaks about the fact that we often have a propensity to ask the How, Why …

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Indranil talks about how we can apply the concept of Story-listening in the context of understanding another human being. He also discusses the power of stories in a home context. He says that stories …

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Indranil talks about what it takes to build story-telling into a habit. He talks about what deliberate practice looks like in the context of building this capability. He suggests that we need to put a …

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Indranil talks about what it takes to build the habit of story-telling within an organization. He underscores the futility of one-off programmes that leave you with a high but don’t really move the …

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Indranil talks about some of the hidden talents that story tellers have. He mentions that a lot of them are naturals in the way they tell stories and over time they have fine-tuned that capability. He …

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Mr Om Prakash Bhatt (OP Bhatt) is the Chairman of Tata Steel Limited and a Board Member at Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and Standard Chartered Bank. He started …

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Mr. Bhatt talks about how Chief Executives should be thoughtful about deciding which Boards they want to get onto. They need to have …

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Mr Bhatt talks about the criticality of the Chairperson to build good one-on-one relationships with each of the Board members so that he/she can facilitate effectively during a Board discussion. He …

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Mr OP Bhatt talks about the role of a Chairperson in ensuring that good decisions are made. He talks about the situations where …

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Mr OP Bhatt talks about how the leadership context for a Chairperson in a Board is very different from that of a Chief Executive in a Company. He talks about the hierarchy in an organization with KPIs, …

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Mr. Bhatt talks about the criticality of a Board review to ensure Board members get tailored, actionable feedback that can raise the bar on the performance of the Board. He talks about the importance of …

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Mr Bhatt talks about the tact with which Board member should provide and seek feedback. He specifically underscores the criticality …

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Mr Bhatt talks about how in every role he has done, he has tried to look for a “plus” which is an additional dimension beyond what is …

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Mr Bhatt talks about a simple habit that he has found helpful in his journey over the years. He talks about the role of the conscious …

GUEST

Ambi Parameswaran is the Founder of Brand-building.com, a Brand Advisory Organization. In a career spanning 30+ years, Ambi has handled assignments in Marketing, Sales and Advertising with companies like …

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Ambi talks about how he has approached some of career choices. He specifically talks about some context behind moving to IIMC after IITM and then after graduating from IIM Calcutta, he discusses how he …

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Ambi talks about how effective CEOs set a climate so that their teams feel comfortable presenting risky ideas to them. He talks about how if you don’t set the right atmosphere in the organization, the …

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Ambi talks about what it takes to develop and maintain an account over a period of several years. He speaks about the criticality of …

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Ambi talks about his key insight around what it takes to influence clients. Given Advertising is a domain where there is arguably a lot of possible subjectivity, it is an interesting canvas to see how …

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Ambi talks about his first interaction with Pradipto Mohapatra (a legend in the retail industry with the RPG group and ex Chairman of Coaching Foundation of India) and how he had a very unusual client …

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In the book – Sponge – Ambi shares an illustration. Let us say, you have an architect who designs a house for you with 5 pillars. You feel that this doesn’t look good aesthetically and you want her to …

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Ambi discusses how some of the leaders he has worked with combine science and art in making good judgments. He talks about how some …

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Ambi talks about what he has learnt from individuals like Late Pradipto Mahapatra, Late Mr Rohinton Aga and Mr M. Damodaran when it comes to storytelling. He draws the connection between storytelling and …

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Ambi talks about how we can all learn from the world of brands to think about our personal brands. He talks about the criticality of …

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Ambi talks about how leaders like Karsanbhai Patel of Nirma have an intuitive understanding of the customer need. He specifically talks about the “chaiwalla test”, a concept he discusses in his book, to …

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Ambi talks about some of the key choices he has made over his journey that has helped get to where he has. He also spends time talking about his curiosity (that led him to do a PhD when he was past his …

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Arun Maira is a former member of the Planning Commission of India and former Chairman of BCG India. He had a distinguished career in Tata Motors (then called TELCO) and rose to be on the Board of the company. He …

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Arun talks about how we could potentially move from understanding the data that somebody presents to us to going deeper in our …

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Arun discusses his definition of a leader – “she or he who takes the first steps towards something that she or he deeply cares about …

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Arun talks about insights from Dalai Lama (who also wrote the foreword for his book) who says that Listening is the first wisdom tool …

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Arun talks about how the depth of insight and intimacy gets compromised when we start having conversations across a large number of …

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Arun talks about how one must be clear about how one should think about structuring a meeting/conversation. He also suggests …

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Arun talks about how values play an important role in how we build a sense of judgment on situations. He specifically presents the …

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Arun talks how we might not be feeding our “thinking slow” part of the brain enough (using the phrase made popular by Nobel Prize …

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Arun talks about the downsides of being a good listener and says that sometimes, it might be harder for people to notice you given the noise around them. He also goes on to talk about how sometimes, we …

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Arun talks about how he was a cross-roads when he had to move from a successful stint as an executive in Tata Motors to a role as a …

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Arun talks about how one can listen to build credibility in a new context, especially if you are in a situation where you feel you do not have the capabilities on Day 0. He talks about how he learnt from …

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Arun talks about his perspectives on Leading in an Open System where you do not have money, authority or power to wield as a source of influence. As we move towards a world where more and more value is …

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Arun talks about how it is easy to get lost in the here and now and the buzz of the day to day that we sometimes might forget where we are headed. He likens it to Spanish tiki-taka where there is a lot …

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Bombay Jayashri is one of the leading Carnatic musicians in the country. She is born into a family of musicians with a rich lineage in classical music. She represents the fourth generation of music practitioners …

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Jayashri talks about her chance meeting with Shri Lalgudi Jayaraman and how that changed everything for her. She discusses the faith that he had in her when he asked her to learn music under his guidance …

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Jayashri discusses her observations of Shri Lalgudi Jayaraman and how he would unlock the potential of each of his students by …

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Jayashri discusses how she splits time during practice. This includes building stamina and preparing your mind to think faster when you perform with other musicians. She also talks about practicing new …

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Jayashri talks about what it takes to perform with other artists on stage and discusses the notion of emptying oneself and a levelling attitude with oneself for the music to take over. She talks about …

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Jayashri talks about how she made choices along the way, more specifically, the choice between going deep into Carnatic music versus …

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Jayashri talks about overdependence on technology and how that is coming in the way of learning where the student puts off the …

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Jayashri talks about her collaboration with Sir Ang Lee where when she collaborated with him to sing for the movie – Life of Pi. The …

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Jayashri talks about the challenges of being a performer who has to travel around the world and how she is often split between the two worlds. She talks about the criticality of the ecosystem around her …

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Jayashri talks about her approach to giving back to the community through the various things she does, whether it is helping children who have autism or performing for seniors at locations where they …

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Deepa Malik is a Silver Medalist at Paralympic Games (Rio 2016), an Arjuna Awardee (2012) and a Padma Shree Awardee (2017). She has won 58 National and 18 International medals (and counting) in her sporting …

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Deepa talks about the discipline that she got from an upbringing in the Armed Forces context. She specifically discusses the point around planning for tomorrow and having Plan B and Plan C for …

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Deepa recounts her twin-ordeal in 1999. Her husband was fighting in the Kargil war and she was anxious about his well-being. At the same time she had a tumour in her back that worsened which got her to a …

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Deepa talks about the mindset with which she took stock of life when she had chest-below paralysis and had to recalibrate her …

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Deepa shares her thoughts on the trade-off between seen as a “different person” versus being seen as just another individual who can …

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Deepa talks about how she took charge of life and how she became a restauranteur and in seven years, had built a flourishing business giving her financial independence. She then talks about her passion …

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Deepa talks about her pursuit of excellence led her from one place to another and eventually to a medal in the Olympics. She talks …

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Deepa talks about her disciplined approach that enabled her to win the Silver Medal at the Rio Paralympics. She also talks about her frame of mind and personal context which gave her the fire to make the …

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Deepa discusses her approach to picking a Coach while training for Rio Olympics. She mentions that given the uniqueness of her body condition and the training need, the traditional coaching approaches …

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Deepa talks about what gives her the resilience to deal with difficult situations and how people can build that muscle. She talks …

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Deepa talks about Wheeling Happiness Foundation, an initiative she and her daughter have started. She talks about how they plan to bring hope to the life of people and become a medium towards creating an …

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Deepa shares her perspective on people playing to their respective potential. She discusses the criticality of having a happy mind, staying positive and having the discipline and work towards it. She …

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Neera Nundy is Co-Founder at Dasra - India’s leading strategic philanthropic foundation. Dasra actively shapes the process of social change by …

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Neera talks about how her early years in a Boarding school in Bangalore (while her parents were in Canada) shaped her as a person and …

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Neera talks about her transitions to Morgan Stanley, Harvard Business School, UBS and then to Co-founding Dasra with her spouse – …

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Neera talks about how Dasra has evolved into an organization that works in three broad areas (Research, Building Organizations and …

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Dasra was co-founded by Neera Nundy and Deval Sanghavi in 1999. They discuss how they have evolved their roles as the organization …

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Neera talks about how she and Deval have thought about where they have wanted to take Dasra. She also discusses how when they had a funding challenge a few years back, they had to revisit almost all of …

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Neera talks about how she has thought about her role as Dasra has grown and her plans for governance as we look to the future. She …

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Neera talks about some of the common challenges that entrepreneurs in the Social Impact space face. She talks about founders often being “too mission driven” and thereby coming in the way of systems and …

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Neera talks about the distinction between Needs and Wants as people think about a career in Social Impact as against the Corporate world (although the lines between the two are being blurred). She also …

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Neera talks about some of the unique characteristics of the distinctive leaders that have made a lasting contribution in the Social Impact space. She talks about a combination of a desire for large-scale …

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Neera talks about how it is not about each of us individually fulfilling our potential but more about how we can work with a group of …

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Vinay Sitapati is an Assistant Professor in Political Science and Legal studies at Ashoka University. He has a PhD in Politics from Princeton …

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Vinay talks about how he has thought about his career choices. He speaks about the fact that after his 12th, he could have possibly …

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Vinay talks about how the same judgment can have a different journey of implementation depending on the ecosystem in which the judgment is pronounced. He talks about the distinction between barking and …

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Vinay talks about Narasimha Rao’s habit of reflection and journaling which helped him deal with the ecosystem he was in. Vinay talks about how Rao used the habit of journaling to develop a nuanced …

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Vinay talks about Narasimha Rao spent his time at various points in his career. More specifically, he breaks down the pie chart of time across different phases - when you are campaigning, when you are in …

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Vinay talks about how Narasimha Rao combined the notion of intellectual agility (ability to fundamentally shift one’s beliefs when new data presents itself) and implementation agility (knowing how to …

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Vinay talks about how Narasimha Rao stayed relevant through the various transitions that he went through in his journey. He also talks about how he learns and grows when he did not gets a transition …

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Vinay talks about how Narasimha Rao picked his team members and think about the portfolio of capabilities in his team. He …

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Vinay talks about how Narasimha Rao made decisions or chose not to make decisions strategically depending on the political context. …

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Vinay discusses Narasimha Rao’s strategy to usher in liberalization without too much fanfare given the fragile situation he was in. …

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Vinay talks about how Narasimha Rao was a fusion of Don Quixote (somebody who acted without too much thinking) and Hamlet (somebody who thought a lot but didn’t act as much) and how he brought the …

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Roopa Kudva is Partner at Omidyar Network and Managing Director of Omidyar Network India Advisors, where she leads overall Investment …

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Roopa talks about the flexible capital model at Omidyar Network (ON) and discusses how they do a combination of investing in tech enabled start-ups driving social impact and grants to organizations to …

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Roopa talks about how she grew up amidst nature in the North Eastern part of India and how some of her perspectives on working women started getting shaped right from an age of around 10. She also talks …

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Roopa talks about how she drifted into CRISIL and how she was not necessarily career oriented in the early years of her professional life. She talks about the notion of focusing on excellence and on …

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Roopa talks about the transition to the role of a Chief Rating Officer being the defining transition in her journey at CRISIL. She …

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Roopa talks about how she took stock of options after her successful run in CRISIL. She talks about the process she went through to …

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Roopa talks about how she had to adjust her leadership style when she moved from leading a team of 4000 plus people in CRISIL to Omidyar Network which had about 150 people globally and about 15-20 people …

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Roopa talks about she developed a sense of judgment in the new context when she moved to Omidyar Network. She talks about the fact that she now has to exercise judgment on entrepreneurs who in turn will …

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Roopa talks about the fact that there is a lot of commentary around women coming back to the work force after they start a family. …

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Roopa talks about how she thinks about success and frames it as a journey than a destination. She talks about how the notion of purpose has energized her during her days at CRISIL and in the work she …

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Roopa first talks about what she learnt at IIMA before she delves into what they don’t teach there but should. She talks about the …

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Roopa talks about the attitudes that have held her in good stead as she has gone through her journey. She also talks about how a lot …

GUEST

Chandramouli Venkatesan (Mouli) has a strong corporate track record of over 25 years. He is an alumnus of XLRI, Jamshedpur and spent his …

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Mouli talks about the context behind writing the book which is a combination of him finding time across multiple flights to Singapore …

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Mouli talks the fact that the time people put in a job is not an appropriate indication of the experience they have gained. He …

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Mouli talks about the concept of Learning Cycles and how it is critical for people to focus on completing large learning cycles to …

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Mouli discusses that a lot of the wins in the first half of the career are often on the back of low hanging fruit but the wins in the …

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Mouli underscores the criticality of having sound mentors in todays world where there are more forks in the road and several choices …

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Mouli talks about how people often mix up the two decisions and how they can end up over-appreciating what is right in the new …

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Mouli talks about how the early years were often focused on achievement, which later gave way to an orientation towards Mastery and …

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People often talk about Work-Life Balance and the rhetoric is often around “Life” being the residual figure after work has consumed …

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Mouli talks about the notion of Values as something that has a significant upside over the long run and challenges the current …

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Mouli talks about how he has made some of his early career moves based on the notion of fit. He also acknowledges that there is often …

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Mouli talks about how people need to consider evolving the metrics with which they measure their success as they move towards the …

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Mouli talks about the notion of Potential being an infinite term and not something finite and well-defined. He uses the phrase “you …

GUEST

Amit Chandra heads Bain Capital in India and is a Managing Director in the Financial and Business Services Vertical and a member of the Asia Pacific Private Equity team and a part of its leadership group. Before …

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Amit talks about how his parents have influenced his attitudes towards giving and his parenting style. He talks about how he and his siblings were encouraged to be grounded and contribute with their …

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Amit talks about how he thought about pursuing an MBA in the US. He also goes on to talk about the considerations he had when he decided to come back to India immediately after his MBA. He also talks …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Amit reflects on the common misconceptions people have when they get into Banking. Amit talks about how he made the decision to join DSP Merrill Lynch despite it being the job with the lowest pay and …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Amit talks about how he has benefited from mentors along the way starting from Hemendra Kothari at DSP Merrill Lynch. He also goes on to talk about how mentors need not be from within the company and how …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Amit talks about how he thought about the transition from the world of Investment Banking to Private Equity. He talks about taking stock of life after reaching the heights of the Investment Banking …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Amit talks about what it takes to build a sustainable Private Equity business over the long term. He also talks about the criticality of apprenticeship in people growing to become effective investors. He …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Amit discusses how people get better at judgment calls over time. In an industry where the lead time to feedback is long, this is a significant differentiator over the long-term. He also discusses how, …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Amit discusses how he thinks about hiring and creating a nurturing climate for his team to deliver performance. He also shares how he …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Amit currently operates on a 50% model where he spends 2.5 days at Bain Capital and 2.5 days on Social Impact, Boards and other matters. He talks about how he and his wife gradually started spending more …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Amit talks about how he and his wife Archana have been thoughtful about how they would spend their time and money towards …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Amit discusses how he has always surprised himself over time with the goals he has set for himself on the work front and the Social Impact front. He talks about the importance of setting goals and …

GUEST

Baijayant Jay Panda is currently serving in his 4th term in the Parliament of India. He was elected to his second term (2014-2019) in the Lok Sabha from the Kendrapara constituency, Odisha. He graduated from the …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Jay talks about the criticality of financial independence if somebody is considering a career in politics. He also talks about some …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Jay discusses what a “lambi race ka ghoda” looks like in Politics. He also talks about the role of circumstance playing a much bigger …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Jay talks about what the bad days in politics look like. He talks about how easy it is for people to assign motives when you have …

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Jay talks about what how successful politicians have managed to stay relevant over time and have reinvented themselves. He also talks …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Jay talks about how he has grown as a politician in all these years. He also talks about Track II dialogues where he is active. These …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Jay talks about how he thinks about the macro discussions he has when he is in Delhi or with an international delegation (which is …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Jay talks about some of the advice he has received that has helped him in his political career. This includes being cautious about …

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Jay talks about the criticality of creating the leverage as a leader to find a mechanism to process the volumes the data that comes …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Jay discusses how the risk appetite is different in politics is different from that in the corporate world largely because, in …

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Jay discusses he thinks about picking ideas to champion and talks about how you could get a pulse of the acceptance of the idea. He …

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Jay shares examples of three leaders (PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi) who have driven significant change despite the challenges that came with the implementation. He talks about …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Jay talks about importance of us cherishing the fact that we have a democracy before we get down to analysing what its short-comings might be. He also talks about the criticality of doing things that you …

GUEST

Devdutt Pattanaik writes on relevance of mythology in modern times, especially in areas of management, governance and leadership. Trained in …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Devudutt talks about the profound influence of some of his teachers when he was studying medicine. He elaborates that they would …

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Devdutt talks about his journey after graduating with a degree in medicine. He mentions that he didn’t have any childhood inclination …

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Devdutt talks about what it takes to thrive in the Gig Economy. At the surface level, quitting a steady job and taking the plunge to be a player in the Gig Economy can be attractive and seductive. …

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Devdutt talks about people transitioning from being a Parasuram (rule follower) to Ram (Role Model) to Krishna (Coach) as they go …

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Devdutt talks about what leads to an effective coaching relationship. He describes the complexity of a coaching process and mentions that the onus is often on the Coachee to tap into the database of the …

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Devdutt talks about the distinction between Focus (Rana-bhoomi) and Perspective (Ranga-bhoomi). He talks about how when you adopt focus, you see the world from your perspective while when you have …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Devdutt talks about the distinction between building habits and enhancing awareness. He mentions that habits are often relevant only in a certain context and it is critical not to become a slave of the …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Coaching is often about understanding the deeply wired beliefs that drive leadership behavior. Devdutt shares that understanding people’s fears might provide insights into people’s beliefs. He talks …

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Devdutt talks about the distinction between sarpa drishti (focus, short-term) and garuda drishti (perspective, long-term). He talks about how there is merit in having a certain rhythm with which one …

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Devdutt breaks down story-telling and shares his perspectives around how we could become story tellers. He mentions that …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Devdutt makes the distinction between the market wanting a certain type of fruit (phala) and each one of us being a certain type of …

GUEST

Suresh Narayanan is the Chairman and MD of Nestle India Limited (which recently crossed INR 10,000 Crores for the first time after about a century of operating in India). Suresh is often dubbed as a turnaround …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Suresh talks about the importance of values that he derived from his childhood. He talks about the emphasis on Goddess Saraswathi (education) than Goddess Lakshmi (Wealth) in his family. He also …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Suresh talks about how serendipity got him to Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL). He speaks about initially appearing for the interview as practice for the IAS entrance but provides context on why he joined …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Suresh talks about his experiences in transitioning across companies and roles. He moved from HUL to Nestle and within Nestle, he …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Suresh talks about how he took charge when he came back to India during the Maggi crisis. He talks about how he prioritized the various elements of the business and how he spent time for the first 6-9 …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Suresh talks about the trade-off between long-term considerations like consumer trust and the short-term cash flow pressures. He specifically talks about the considerations that went into them …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Suresh talks about the journey of rebuilding trust using the example of what happened with Maggi in India. He provides an insight into what it takes to rebuild trust by talking about the various elements …

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Suresh speaks about how he used the crisis as an opportunity to ensure that people in the company spent time on the right things. He speaks about how he went on a war-footing to cut down meeting times in …

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Suresh talks about how Marketing has a function has evolved given the Digital age we are living in. He says that instead of Digital …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Suresh shares his wisdom around Where to go (building navigational principles as one moves along in a career) and How to grow (how one scales up their leadership capability over time)

GUEST

Suresh …

GUEST

KV Sridhar (Pops) is one of the most respected creative leaders in the Indian Advertising World and has been the driving force behind several international awards including 22 Cannes Lions. He currently runs …

NUGGET CONTEXT

KV Sridhar (Pops) talks about how Hypercollective (a company he has just started) operates at the intersection of Strategy, Creative, …

NUGGET CONTEXT

KV Sridhar (Pops) talks about his childhood and how he had challenges due to Dyslexia (which was discovered much later). He mentions that in a lot of ways his story is not that different from Taare …

NUGGET CONTEXT

KV Sridhar (Pops) talks about how he thought about an early fork in the road where he had to choose between disparate options in front of him. One was to become a Medical Representative which was highly …

NUGGET CONTEXT

KV Sridhar (Pops) talks about how came to Mumbai to pursue commercial opportunities and cast his net beyond Hyderabad – where he grew up. He also talks about the fact that very quickly he got himself …

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KV Sridhar (Pops) talks about how he thought about the move from the world of Advertising to the world of Technology. He also speaks …

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KV Sridhar (Pops) talks about the inherent traits one should possess to flourish in the world of advertising. He talks about the …

NUGGET CONTEXT

KV Sridhar (Pops) talks about how his metrics of success have slowly shifted from business outcomes (brand performance, ad recall) towards the impact he makes on humanity. He talks about the …

NUGGET CONTEXT

KV Sridhar (Pops) talks about the downside of being competitive in a space like Advertising where it is critical to create a climate where the members of the team can be creative and come up with …

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KV Sridhar talks about his perspectives on settling into an organization and how leaders should think about what to maintain and what …

NUGGET CONTEXT

KV Sridhar talks about what separates the great ads and film makers from the rest. He shares his insights from his recently launched book – 30 Second Thrillers where he goes behind the scenes of …

NUGGET CONTEXT

KV Sridhar talks about the distinction between creativity and craftsmanship. He mentions that all living beings (not just human beings) including creatures like ants have the ability to be creative. But …

NUGGET CONTEXT

KV Sridhar talks about the criticality of finding one’s purpose and impacting society beyond oneself. He also talks about not being anchored or limited by one’s educational background. He talks about how …

GUEST

Meher Pudumjee is the Chairperson of Thermax Limited, one of India’s leading energy and environmental engineering companies. She is also an active Philanthropist with a passion for making a difference in …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Meher talks about how her early years have shaped her approach to life, specifically around giving and social impact. She also talks about how her parents treated her and her brother in a gender-agnostic …

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Meher talks about how the baton of leadership passed to her mother (Anu Aga) when her father passed away and how things changed even further when her brother passed away shortly after. She also reflects …

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Meher talks about how she and her mother (Anu Aga) dealt with the sudden loss of her father and her brother within a span of a few months. She talks about how they got the strength to deal with the loss …

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Meher talks about how her experiences as a singer in a choir have helped her in her corporate pursuits. She talks about how it has helped her build a sense of purpose beyond numbers. She also talks about …

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Meher talks about her approach towards CSR and Philanthropy and how she thinks about “chunking” rather than “sprinkling” (a phrase Adam Grant uses in his book Give and Take). She also talks about the …

NUGGET CONTEXT

Meher discusses her approach towards her children getting involved in Thermax moving forward. She talks about the distinction between …

Nugget context

Meher shares her perspectives on what it would take to have more women leaders at the top. She starts with the challenges in basic …

Nugget context

Meher talks about the role of self-awareness and discovering what energizes you. She also offers a practical tip to people who claim …

As we approach the end of 2017, we at the Play to Potential Podcast decided to step back and reflect on the year that has gone by and the incredible learnings from the various conversations at the podcast. It is hard to …

GUEST

Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand is an Indian chess grandmaster and a former World Chess Champion, considered as one of the greatest chess players of all time. Anand was the first recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vishy talks about how he thought about committing to a career in Chess. He specifically talks about how he didn’t stop his education despite his meteoric rise in the Chess world. He spoke about why he …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vishy spoke about how his habits and attitudes have been shaped by his parents. He also talks about his style of chess being significantly influenced by his parents. He traces his pragmatism on the chess …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vishy talks about how his approach to development has changed as he has grown as a player over time. He talks about his approach to picking Coaches that get the best out of him. He also discusses the …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vishy talks about how players need to adapt their style in a world where machines are makin the games longer and more nuanced. He specifically talks about the declining relevance of a dogmatic approach …

NUGGET CONTEXT In this nugget, Vishy talks about how he harnesses the potential of his mind in being a chess player at the very top over a prolonged …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vishy talks about how humans should think about staying relevant in a world where the processing power of the machines has become hard …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vishy talks about the various elements that matter to perform at the highest level in addition to IQ. He specifically discusses the …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vishy discusses his approach to dealing with losses. He candidly talks about how his approach to dealing with losses has not changed significantly over time. He talks about how he tries to clear the …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vishy talks about what he looks for when he is looking for long-term potential. He talks about the criticality of consistency in performance coupled with an attitude where someone is willing to grind away …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vishy talks about his take on the parallels between the Chess board and the world of business. He mentions that in both contexts, the notion of “what got you here won’t get you there” might apply if you …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vishy talks about the criticality of loving what you do in order to sustain the interest and passion and to rise to the very top of the field. He also refers to an Ad where he is shown playing cricket (…

GUEST 

Anu is a Partner with McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), the economics and business research arm of McKinsey & Company. She is an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and worked for a few years in Banking before joining …

NUGGET CONTEXT Anu talks about the influence of values, freedom of choice and financial independence through her growing up years. She also talks …

NUGGET CONTEXT Anu talks about the transitions she went through within Banking before she entered the world of consulting. She also talks about the …

NUGGET CONTEXT Maternity is a critical transition for women and like Anu mentions, you don’t know what you don’t know in terms of how things will play out. She talks about her lessons from that passage of play. She …

NUGGET CONTEXT Anu talks about her moment of epiphany during an interview with a McKinsey partner that really pushed her to reflect on what she enjoyed and what she didn’t. She talks about how she has tried to get to …

NUGGET CONTEXT Anu discusses the transition from high intensity consulting projects with a tight feedback loop to a relatively open ended and longer …

NUGGET CONTEXT Anu shares the key insights from MGI's study on the future of work. She reflects on the disconnect between what the future world of work needs and what the education system of today is delivering. She …

NUGGET CONTEXT Anu talks about her take on Leadership Development in the context of the Future of the workplace. She discusses the need for "start-up like" projects and initiatives that need to cut across functions and …

NUGGET CONTEXT Anu reflects on the notion of heightened risk in the workplace and sensitizing students to that. She also refers to the need for integrated learning across disciplines and functions given that the big …

NUGGET CONTEXT Anu shares her perspectives on how aspiring women leaders should think about their careers. She underscores the point about the need …

NUGGET CONTEXT Anu refers to the notion of Infinite Game in the context of playing to potential. She talks about challenging the boundaries and extending the scope of how you define the game (instead of taking the …

GUEST 

Dheeraj Pandey is Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Nutanix, Inc. (Market Cap of ~USD 3.5 Billion) that had an IPO in September 2016. Nutanix is a cloud computing software company that sells what it calls …

NUGGET CONTEXT Dheeraj talks about his childhood and how his parents have given him an interesting mix of resolve and humility. He talks about how …

NUGGET CONTEXT Dheeraj talks about the distinction between process and substance in the context of making career choices. He also talks about how he built optionality at various points in his early career. …

NUGGET CONTEXT Dheeraj talks about how the relationship between him, the co-founders and the company has evolved over a period of time. He also …

NUGGET CONTEXT Dheeraj talks about how he looks at the company like a combination of multiple sub-companies that are building, scaling and …

NUGGET CONTEXT Dheeraj talks about the parallels across the fragility spectrum (that Nassim Nicholas Taleb refers to in his book Anti-Fragile) and …

NUGGET CONTEXT Dheeraj discusses his perspectives on how students and professionals should think about choices and learning. He underscores the …

NUGGET CONTEXT One of the key challenges as one moves from a start-up to a scale up includes getting senior talent from the outside and setting them up for success. Dheeraj talks about how he looks for the "operating …

NUGGET CONTEXT People often look at work and life as two different compartments that do not intersect. Dheeraj talks about how he tries to weave in work and life, learns from one and applies in the other and has …

NUGGET CONTEXT Dheeraj talks about how he thinks about evolving as a leader and discusses the criticality of breathing and staying present even …

NUGGET CONTEXT Dheeraj talks about how businesses and leaders need to have clarity around the interfaces where they have strengths (man-man, machine-machine, man-machine). That self-awareness at an organizational and …

GUEST 

Rama Bijapurkar is India’s most respected thought leader on market strategy and India’s consumer economy. She has an independent consulting …

NUGGET CONTEXT Rama has been a solo-advisor for several years now. She talks about how she has thought about her portfolio of work (she likens it to …

NUGGET CONTEXT Rama talks about the parenting context in which she grew up and talks about how that has played a big role in shaping her journey till …

NUGGET CONTEXT Rama talks about how she ended up joining Market Research by accident after joining the Advertising world. She talks about the notion of "sliding doors" where small events along the way can have a …

NUGGET CONTEXT Rama talks about her attempts to work at the intersection of consumer and business understanding and discusses how she ended up going …

NUGGET CONTEXT In a world exploding with choice, Barry Schwartz argues that consumers are often worse off due to the complexity in decision making …

NUGGET CONTEXT Rama talks about the notion of identifying and playing a game that only "you" know how to play, as espoused by Prof. Indira Parikh. She talks about how she has taken consumer insights and applied it to …

NUGGET CONTEXT Rama talks about the various elements that go into the personal brand beyond the pure technical capability that one brings to the table. She describes the notion of "balance tilters" which has an …

NUGGET CONTEXT 

Rama talks about some practical tactics she uses perform effectively in forums (such as Boards) that are often filled with men. 

GUEST 

Rama Bijapurkar is India’s most respected thought leader on …

NUGGET CONTEXT Rama talks about how people who have led companies end up getting empathetic with the management (by default) of the companies where …

NUGGET CONTEXT Given how hard it is to get into places like IIMA, Rama talks about the mindset of the typical person that is getting in and how that is at odds with the climate at the workplace of today. She talks about …

NUGGET CONTEXT Rama talks about importance of navigational principles in a world where we are all headed in a direction where the destination is unclear. She relates this approach to how Google builds its products. She …

GUEST 

Zia Mody is an Indian legal consultant and considered an authority on Corporate Merger and Acquisition Law, Securities Law, Private Equity …

NUGGET CONTEXT Zia talks about how her mother’s strict parenting in her early years played a key role in shaping her as a person. She talks about the …

NUGGET CONTEXT Zia talks about what it takes to be a successful lawyer. She also teases out the difference between traits that are good hygiene in …

NUGGET CONTEXT Zia talks about the leaky pipeline of women leaders and talks about the key inflection points where the leakage is maximum. She talks about the false glass-ceilings that women often have in their heads.

NUGGET CONTEXT Zia talks about how there are several hidden variables that need to be taken care of for a woman to re-enter the workforce effectively after a maternity break. She outlines the small things that a spouse …

NUGGET CONTEXT Zia talks about how, in her generation, the notion of work-life balance, didn’t really exist for ambitious women who wanted to make a mark in the corporate world. She candidly talks about the real …

NUGGET CONTEXT Becoming a Trusted Advisor is often the holy grail for every Consultant, Lawyer, Banker, Doctor etc. who are providing advice to the …

NUGGET CONTEXT Sound judgment is a must have for any leader in any domain. Having a sense of what makes sense all things considered is hard and critical. Zia provides her perspective on what it takes to have good …

NUGGET CONTEXT Zia talks about the journey from being a successful lawyer leading a small boutique with 15-20 people to heading a 400-person …

NUGGET CONTEXT Zia talks about the key attributes that have enabled her to succeed as a lawyer and as an institution builder. She talks about how …

GUEST 

Vinita Bali is a distinguished leader who has held leadership roles in 6 countries (UK, Nigeria, South Africa, Chile, USA and India) across 5 …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vinita talks about how the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) works with various stakeholders across the world to deliver …

NUGGET CONTEXT A lot of who we are often gets formed in the context of our childhood. Vinita reflects on her upbringing, her parents’ influence and …

NUGGET CONTEXT "What should I do with my life" is often a question that we grapple with at different inflection points in our life. Vinita talks …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vinita talks about how she got into a career in Consumer Goods and reflects on what elements of it have been rewarding for her. She …

NUGGET CONTEXT Navigating your career in a large, complex MNC can often be challenging and confusing. Vinita talks about how she navigated her career …

NUGGET CONTEXT The first few months in a new organization can be a nervous passage of play for the incoming leader and for the hiring manager. If not …

NUGGET CONTEXT Moving from a functional leadership role to a general management role is a big shift and Vinita argues that it is possibly the biggest …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vinita transitioned from an American MNC in their Latin American division to Britannia in India. It was a transition across multiple …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vinita talks about how she evaluates Board opportunities that come her way and how they are a part of her Learning and Development plan. She also talks about her thoughts on the opportunities for Indian …

NUGGET CONTEXT Where to go and How to grow are two questions leaders ask all the time as they navigate their career. Vinita talks about the need for conviction in direction, coupled with abundant curiosity to grow as …

GUEST 

Vedika Bhandarkar is the MD in India of Water.org, an organization that empowers families with access to safe water and sanitation through affordable financing. Water.org pioneers innovative, community-driven …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vedika talks about the criticality of solving for water and sanitation at the bottom of the pyramid. She talks about how Water.org is …

NUGGET CONTEXT A lot of who we are often gets baked in our early years. It is often a function of the context we grow up in and the family culture. …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vedika discusses her perspectives on Investment Banking as a career and how B-School students should think about the option. On a …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vedika talks about her initial days at ICICI which has been a breeding ground for several women leaders in India. She also shares her …

NUGGET CONTEXT Leaders during transitions often feel like trapeze artists as they go from one to another. It is the role of the hiring manager and …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vedika is a Non-Executive Director on 6 Boards today. She talks about the transition from being an effective executive to being an NED. She talks about the significant shift often required in style for …

NUGGET CONTEXT Vedika talks about how women should think about approaching Board roles. Clearly there is an opportunity for more women to get onto …

NUGGET CONTEXT "How do I bring greater meaning in my life" is a question that people start grappling with as they approach mid-life and beyond. However, people struggle with making this happen. Vedika discusses her …

NUGGET CONTEXT In the world with growing complexity in terms of emerging business models and career paths, how does one play to potential. Vedika …

GUEST 

Dr. Pramath Sinha has worked in diverse fields spanning business and strategy, consulting, leadership and academia. He spent 12 years with …

NUGGET CONTEXT Pramath talks about the portfolio of initiatives that he has today. More importantly, he talks about the underlying principle behind …

NUGGET CONTEXT Pramath talks about how he ended up joining McKinsey in Canada instead of pursuing a career in academics which he had originally …

NUGGET CONTEXT A career in Management Consulting in a firm like McKinsey can be immensely rewarding but also inexorably intense. Pramath talks about …

NUGGET CONTEXT Authenticity is a word that is often used by people in different contexts. Pramath shares his perspectives on Authentic leadership and talks about what it takes to get there. He also talks about how he …

NUGGET CONTEXT Management Consulting often provides a whirl-wind exposure to multiple problems across industries and topics. However, one needs to …

NUGGET CONTEXT The fact that we need to have more women leaders at the top is well-known and there has been enough commentary around it. Pramath talks about the unconscious biases that still exist in the society and his …

NUGGET CONTEXT We are growing into a future where there are several unkown unknowns. Pramath talks about what sort of leaders would flourish in the …

NUGGET CONTEXT Staying relevant is one of the key challenges that is facing the leaders of this generation. A few decades back, they could check into …

NUGGET CONTEXT We all benefit from mentors at different points in our careers. Pramath talks about his approach to configuring his personal Board of Directors. He describes how he has leveraged his Board of Directors at …

NUGGET CONTEXT Pramath reflects on his journey till date and talks about what has enabled him to get this far. He discusses the role of staying …