1. What have you found most challenging as a leader of a small or medium enterprise?

Scaling up. Competing with myriad players. Getting customers to put their faith in us.

2. How did you become a leader of an SME? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I was working inside a corporate, leading a team that was doing similar work. We achieved stupendous success.
Later an opportunity arose to set up a services business, doing similar work for multiple organizations. I believed great value could be provided, so I set up Interskale.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I follow a disciplined lifestyle especially (but not only) because of the Covid-19 situation that has required WFH.
I do yoga or walks in the morning and evening. I work from 9 am to 6.30 pm with a lunch hour in between. Evenings are devoted to reading and Netflix. I also find time to do writing on the weekends and during the weekdays.

4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?

One has to follow one's own path. Find what you are passionate about and stick to it. That will give you leadership in your chosen field or profession, self-satisfaction and hopefully material success.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

The most inspiring book I have ever read (non-fiction) is "Lessons from the 20th Century's Most Remarkable Entrepreneur" by Prof. John Kotter of HBS. The book was published in '97 and tells the life story of Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of the companies with the name Panasonic, National and Matsushita. It is an unbelievable life story of how a weakling child educated just till grade 4 survived extreme poverty, World War II and other adversity to build an empire from scratch - not once, but twice over (he lost his fortune after WW II due to the Americans).

6. How do you build leadership capacity in an SME?

Mentoring the team? Using outside people to work as part-time advisors ?

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader of an SME so far?

I value hearing people who have worked with me in the past saying how much they learnt by working with me and/or at our organization.