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

Attracting Talent & People management.
High caliber professionals rather work with the multi-nationals and those who are willing to work with us, we don't want.
And once they join, motivation levels are generally low, so it's a hard drive to success.


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

Started as a one man show. Did everything from Planning & Strategy to Business Development to Execution.
Then as business came in, hired staff for routine tasks. As we moved up the value chain, we hired professionals who would ideate and focus on customer delight. Managing them remained my role.
We managed the people who managed the customers and business.
Finance was through internal accruals and a little bit of debt leverage.
Office space was acquired when we reached critical mass; till then it was rented premises.
We invested in technology a little late and that is a big regret. Must remember to invest in the latest to keep ahead of the curve.


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

It has to be me-time as soon as I wake up.
Some Yoga and stretching to get the mind racing.
The walk with the dog is a great activity on the other side. Gets you unconditional love, allows you to understand him and is a great emotion to experience.
Breakfast is a lil food and lots of talk.
Then onto the news, the newspapers, catching up on Email & What's App, checking the calendar and making a mental day plan.
The office begins with reviewing the client status, the finances, who is doing what today and how are long term projects progressing.
Then routine transactions, client interaction, staff management, some developmental work etc. grab a heavy lunch and back to routine.
Listen to music on the drive back and at home catch up on the phone with friends & family.
Dinner is elaborate. Not so much the food but the conversation.
Then onto the couch for some TV, more What's App, some pals calls and zzzzzzzzzzzzz.


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

That life is a tough ride and owes you nothing. And nobody’s watching over you.
The pandemic killed people, businesses, enthusiasm, hope, friendships ….. everything. But we are going to bounce back because we are humans.
And that the world is a ruthless place, where the meek have to suffer and shall inherit not the earth but its burdens. And might is almost right. Financial might, political might, muscle & military might, emotional might, communication might…..


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?

Our religious scriptures. That talk about karma. Whatever will be will be. What goes around comes around. You get what you deserve.
Quite relevant in day-to-day life & leadership.
It has made my leadership inclusive, tolerant of others and their mistakes, shed that small shred of ego I had, and focus on the goodness of things & people. Focus on the task ahead rather than worry about its consequences.
Every living being has a story that’s worth knowing. And imbibing or learning from.
The animals teach us if we observe closely enough. So do the plants & trees.
And since life itself is beautiful, why shouldn’t good leadership include being good to all around?


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

Step by step. Brick by brick. It is always a dilemma between spending money on a resource or activity versus saving it.
One has to start by building your own capacity. Take on more. Move out of your comfort zone. Stretch onto things you don’t like to do (eg: accounts). Deal with clients who are difficult. Whom you don’t like. All this builds resilience that is useful in a test of leadership.
Identify a promising manager. Along with her, analyse her strengths & weaknesses. Help her with both. Hold her hand and push her at the same time. Build the human resource.


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

That one has always to be hands-on. The professionals will come & go but the SME leader has to be on top of her game. The strength of a SME leader is that she has the ability to manage all functions and roles. A lot of hard work goes into achieving that, but it is necessary. An all-rounder will always prosper over a specialist.