INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY, GHAZIABAD

A Project Report on

LEADERSHIP

Under the Guidance of

Dr. Bindu Gupta

Submitted by:–
Manoj Gaikwad 09IT-009
Kartik Satija 09IT-034
Ram Vikas Gunnam 09IT-022
Rajan Roy 09IT-021
Garima Srivastava 09HR-033
Saurabh Aggarwal 09HR-019

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 Contents

LEADERSHIP...........................................................................................................1

Contents.....................................................................................................................2

Executive Summary...................................................................................................3

Acknowledgement......................................................................................................4

Introduction................................................................................................................5

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi - Leader of the Century............................................7

Sourav Ganguly - An Astute Leader with his very own ‘DADAGIRI’!!........................13

Indra Nooyi: The ‘Iron Woman’ of Business..................................................21

Comparison of the three leaders: An Analysis..........................................................27

Discussions and Recommendations.........................................................................30

References...............................................................................................................31

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 Executive Summary

In today’s intense competitive environment, Leadership has emerged as one of the most
important areas of concern for all organizations. In fact, it has become a differentiating
factor between success and failure in both the short and the long run. In the present
scenario, it has become quintessential for every organization to work on developing
leaders and nurture their skills to ensure long term sustainability and growth. Keeping this
is perspective, for our project, we have chosen three different leaders from diverse
backgrounds and have performed qualitative analysis on each one of them. The leaders
we have chosen are Sourav Ganguly, Mahatma Gandhi and Indra Nooyi. We have
primarily focused on the varied qualities and skills of each of these leaders and have
highlighted the reasons responsible for their immense success. Also, we have looked into
some of their real life instances which portray their vision and their zeal for success. In the
end we have objectively compared all the three leaders to effectively understand the
common characteristics and qualities that they share and which have been responsible for
tremendous success in their respective fields.

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 Acknowledgement

We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere indebtedness and sense of
gratitude to all those who have contributed greatly towards the successful completion of
this project.

First and foremost we would like to thank Dr. Bindu Gupta, Associate Professor, IMT
Ghaziabad for her constant encouragement and incessant support that was critical for the
development of this project and without which we would not have been able to complete
this project.

We would also like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the members of our team as well
as our class, for providing consistent support, help and encouragement in implementing
this project.

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 Introduction

Leadership is and has been described as the “process of social influence in which one
person can enlists the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.

Leadership is the ability to influence a group towards the achievement of vision or set of
goals.

Trait theories of leadership differentiate leaders from non-leaders. They focus on personal
qualities and characteristics. Individuals such as Mahatma Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher,
Nelson Mandela, Richard Branson(Virgin group CEO), Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Ratan
Tata of Tata Group, Azim Premji of Wipro, Narayana Murthy of Infosys, Indra Nooyi of
Pepsi and others are recognized as leaders and described in terms such as charismatic,
enthusiastic and courageous.

A leader with vision has a clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on
what success looks like and how to achieve it. But it’s not enough to have a vision; leaders
must also share it and act upon it. Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General
Electric Co., said, "Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision,
passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion.

Hallmarks of great leaders

Communication Skills: A leader must be able to communicate his or her vision in terms
that cause followers to buy into it. He or she must communicate clearly and passionately,
as passion is contagious.

Discipline: A good leader must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision single-
mindedly, as well as to direct his or her actions and those of the team toward the goal.
Action is the mark of a leader. A leader does not suffer “analysis paralysis” but is always
doing something in pursuit of the vision, inspiring others to do the same.

Integrity: Integrity is the integration of outward actions and inner values. A person of
integrity is the same on the outside and on the inside. Such an individual can be trusted
because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do
so. A leader must have the trust of followers and therefore must display integrity.

Honest dealings, predictable reactions, well-controlled emotions, and an absence of

tantrums and harsh outbursts are all signs of integrity. A leader who is centered in
integrity will be more approachable by followers.

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Dedication: It means spending whatever time or energy is necessary to accomplish the
task at hand. A leader inspires dedication by example, doing whatever it takes to complete
the next step toward the vision. By setting an excellent example, leaders can show
followers that there are no nine-to-five jobs on the team, only opportunities to achieve
something great.

Magnanimity: It means giving credit where it is due. A magnanimous leader ensures that
credit for successes is spread as widely as possible throughout the company. Conversely,
a good leader takes personal responsibility for failures. This sort of reverse magnanimity
helps other people feel good about them and draws the team closer together. To spread
the fame and take the blame is a hallmark of effective leadership.

Humility: Leaders with humility recognize that they are no better or worse than other
members of the team. A humble leader is not self-effacing but rather tries to elevate
everyone. Leaders with humility also understand that their status does not make them a
god. Mahatma Gandhi is a role model for Indian leaders, and he pursued a “follower-
centric” leadership role.

Openness: Openness means being able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not
conform to the usual way of thinking. Good leaders are able to suspend judgment while
listening to others’ ideas, as well as accept new ways of doing things that someone else
thought of. Openness builds mutual respect and trust between leaders and followers, and
it also keeps the team well supplied with new ideas that can further its vision.

Creativity: It is the ability to think differently, to get outside of the box that constrains
solutions. Creativity gives leaders the ability to see things that others have not seen and
thus lead followers in new directions. The most important question that a leader can ask
is, “What if …?” Possibly the worst thing a leader can say is, “I know this is a dumb
question ...”

Fairness: It means dealing with others consistently and justly. A leader must check all
the facts and hear everyone out before passing judgment. He or she must avoid leaping to
conclusions based on incomplete evidence. When people feel they that are being treated
fairly, they reward a leader with loyalty and dedication.

Assertiveness: It is not the same as aggressiveness. Rather, it is the ability to clearly

state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. A leader must be
assertive to get the desired results. Along with assertiveness comes the responsibility to
clearly understand what followers expect from their leader.

Sense of humor: A sense of humor is vital to relieve tension and boredom, as well as to
defuse hostility. Effective leaders know how to use humor to energize followers. Humor is
a form of power that provides some control over the work environment. And simply put,
humor fosters good camaraderie.
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 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi - Leader of the Century

- An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind

- A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to
please, or worse, to avoid trouble.

- The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

- You must be the change you want to see in the world.

- M. K. Gandhi

Introduction

One of the greatest figures of the twentieth century, and perhaps of the millennium,
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in Gujarat on October 2nd, 1869. Popularly
known as Mahatma Gandhi, he was one of the most successful Leaders of the century. He
was charismatic, but he was also deliberate and analytical. Gandhi was very much a
product of his times, yet one of his greatest sources of inspiration was the Bhagavad-Gita,
written thousands of years ago. He was a politician, a writer, an intellectual and an orator.
Without doubt he was a very complex man, but a man who believed in simple
things. Gandhi declared that "Action is my domain", so it is necessary to study the details
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of his life to begin to form a clear picture of his Leadership. The start point is also the end
– he was called both "Mahatma", meaning great soul, and "Bapu", meaning Father. He
was both of those things, not only to his native India, but also to millions of people around
the world.

Background

Gandhi was born into a minor Hindu political family, whose beliefs were influenced by
Jainism (a non-violent religious group), and who were vegetarian. Both his father and
grandfather was at one time Prime Minister of nearby, small princely States. Of note,
"Gandhi" means "grocer" in Gujarati.

Gandhi did his law from London. After a small stint in law practice in London and then back
at home in India he went to South Africa. Gandhi spent 21 years in South Africa. Gandhi
learnt his Leadership skills during his years in South Africa, and honed them in India.

He was naturally charismatic. But he did develop formal tools and methods to become a
better Leader over time. He is a classic example of the Leadership model put forward in
"Leadership Truths". That is, he had a rock-solid value system from which all of his
activities stemmed, he wanted to make major changes at every turn in his life, and he had
a totally interdependent relationship with his followers.

Vision and Goals

His vision of the future was a combination of the spiritual, the moral and the practical, and
it was through his consistent application of his vision that he led.

He clearly felt that the apparent Indian lack of self-respect enabled the British to rule India,
so he felt that Indians should take prime responsibility for their own situation. Thus, as
consistently noted, Gandhi wanted not only the political independence of India, but the
spiritual renewal (and independence) of all of India’s people. In expressing his vision,
Gandhi touched the hearts of millions, and to this day holds a moral beacon for millions
more.

Practically, he chose causes that were of great importance to his potential followers, and
brought alive his vision of what success would look like. Examples are his work to bring fair
treatment to people in South Africa, the repealing the Salt Tax and Indian Independence
itself. In every case he did not just use philosophical statements or flowery visions, but he
laid out concrete objectives which people could buy into and then act upon.

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Gandhi’s goal was none other than the complete transformation of India and its people.
Whilst many of his later political colleagues shared some of these ideals, few shared all. We
will return to these thoughts as we analyze Gandhi’s Leadership.

Courage

A critical event in his life was one week into his stay there, where he was asked to leave the
First Class compartment of a train by a European. Despite having the right ticket, he was
forcibly removed from the train. He suffered other racial indignities in those early months.
Unlike other Indians in South Africa Gandhi didn’t took this injustice and racial
discrimination for granted and decided to fight against it.

Communication Skills

Mahatma Gandhi was a great orator. His speech used to inspire people and masses. He
was the one who ignited the minds of thousands of Indians; he inculcated self belief
among them and made them stand for their right. He would always participated in talks
with different parties. He represented congress in Round table conference held in London.

Gandhi as a creative leader

Gandhi reinvented the rules of the game to deal with a situation where all the available
existing methods had failed. He broke tradition. He understood that you cannot fight the
British with force. So he decided to change the game in a fundamentally different way. He
unleashed the power of ordinary people, inspired women and men in the country to fight
under a unifying goal. Resource constraint did not bother him. He aimed at a common
agenda: Poorna Swaraj. That was the motivation.

Follower Centric leadership

Mahatma Gandhi's example is a perfect case of adopting styles to suit the local culture.
Gandhi's leadership style is being termed as 'follower-centric' and one that took into
account existing conditions before determining the strategy.

Gandhi advocated having leadership styles that were dependent on the circumstances.
When Gandhi was in South Africa, he launched his protests in a suit and a tie. But when
he came back to India, he thought of khadi and launched non-violent protests on a greater
scale.

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In 1915, he during the early days of the march, Gandhi made one of the most moving
speeches of his life, berating his supporters for being overzealous in using the resources of
villages on the way in supporting the marchers. Gandhi called for "personal purity", and
equality between marcher and suffering populace. He succeeded, and the march from that
point was on the firmest moral ground, in his view.

It took 24 days and 241 miles to complete the march - from March 12th, departing from
Sabarmati Ashram, to reach the coast at Dandi, on April 6th. He started with 78 followers,
and ended with thousands. Gandhi was 60 years old when he symbolically picked up salt on
the beach, and broke the law. He and thousands of others were arrested, but he was not
put on public trial. Unfortunately the Salt Tax was not abolished until October 1946, during
Nehru's interim Government.

Charismatic leader

Mahatma Gandhi was a charismatic leader in its own sense. His leadership was
unquestioned and followers accepted him whole heartedly. They had complete trust in him
and obeyed his commands.
Gandhi possessed with him qualities of true leader such as; he was a wonderful strategist,
showman and a charismatic leader. He had an amazing public relations network and a
very good relationship with the press media.

For instance, taking into account the Dandi march. If Gandhi had gone there quietly, it
would just not have made an impact and no one would have known about this incident. He
knew he had to create an event to make an impact and so he took his followers on a
march that stirred popular imagination of the time. He had a total understanding of the
human psychology and used it along with his public relation skills.

Influencer

Gandhi’s effect on the world was and still is immense. On the positive side, he helped
create the world’s largest democracy. He also gave to the world a way of thinking about
and acting upon value systems that profoundly influenced such important figures as Martin
Luther King and Malcolm X. Gandhi directly influenced the American Civil Rights
movement, and thus the broader Human Rights concerns and activities of today.

From a practical viewpoint, his focus on "Swadeshi" formed the core of India’s industrial
policy, and that did deliver some real successes under Nehru’s Leadership. Yet, it is clear
that the lack of Indian openness to the world economy, and the internal bureaucratization

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of Indian systems have held back that country over time. How much one can apportion
"blame" to Gandhi is moot, as certainly those that followed him share the responsibility.

Leading from front

In August, the month of Independence, Gandhi started a "fast until his death" to stop the
incredible Hindu versus Muslim violence in Calcutta. His success prompted Mountbatten, a
firm supporter of Gandhi, to write:

"In the Punjab, we have 55 thousand soldiers and large scale rioting on our
hands. In Bengal, our forces consist of one man, and there is no rioting.” - Lord
Mountbatten

Energetic

Gandhi had a knack of choosing causes which would have maximum impact, and which
would have the maximum chance of touching everyone. Many members of Congress were
skeptical of overly focusing on the Salt tax issue, as it had been a long-standing source of
discontent. It could be seen as a minor issue in the grand scheme of the fight for
Independence. Yet, the Salt March caught the imagination of the Nation, the global media
and the world.

Gandhi’s humility and obvious care for his opponents as equally as his followers, meant
that virtually everyone Gandhi met had an emotional response to the man and his actions.
Witness the Lancashire mill workers in England, who should have disliked his boycott on
their products. His obviously truthful and heart felt explanation, both of why he was doing
what he was doing, and why he hoped the mill workers would not suffer, struck a
significant cord.

Gandhi also chose his personal symbols well, from the white dhoti ("cleanliness and
humility") to only wearing sandals made of leather from cows that died naturally. The only
decoration on the walls of his room at the Ashram was a crucifixion. He took the
philosophy he espoused and turned it into visual representations of his "story". These
symbols clearly provided a consistency to the energizing process he consciously used.

From a "story telling" viewpoint, his speech on the Salt March, almost angrily denouncing
the overzealous use of scarce rural resources for the benefit of the marchers was a classic
case of his speaking from his values, and galvanizing his Followers back onto the right
course.

Single handedly, he stopped slaughter at partition in Bengal, with two of his most powerful
energizing tools. He fasted without fear, and he met the "combatants" face to face, with
no fear for his own safety. In fact, it is worth noting that his apparent fearlessness and
disregard for himself was in itself a powerful energizing force and a great problem for his
opponents.
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Conclusion

M.K Gandhi the Farther of India, the Mahatma or Babuji as we loving call him
revolionalized the people of his country and the world. He chooses to work and dedicate
his life for the freedom of his country and nothing could stop him form doing so. The
mighty British Empire didn’t have any counter weapon against the Satyagragh movement
that he started. They were found helpless before him. He won the war for country using
the tool of non violence. As a leader he is the greatest of this century. He is the
inspiration for many in today’s generation. Even films which are based on his ideology are
well accepted all over the world.

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Sourav Ganguly - An Astute Leader with his very own ‘DADAGIRI’!!

Introduction:

This is world which demands aggression. A world which wants us to win, a world which
wants us to be more determined to achieve our goals in life, a world in which we cannot
survive if we do not possess the ‘never-say-die’ attitude, where we need to rise from the
ashes again and again, where we need to stamp our authority in our respective fields. In
short we need to possess all the attributes which Sourav Ganguly displayed as a true
leader.

When Sourav Ganguly announced his retirement bidding farewell to cricket after 12
glorious years, the entire nation stood in disbelief. It wasn't as if no one expected this to
happen, but when it did none could believe it had actually happened. Sourav Ganguly,
right from the beginning of his career demonstrated his never-to-die-down attitude as his
12 years of cricket was not at all smooth to say the least. He did have patches in his own
performances but what are deeply admirable are his unparalleled leadership skills. I salute

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the way he molded a once subdued and demotivated Indian team into a bunch of
aggressive and in-the-face go-getters.

Who is Sourav Ganguly?

Sourav Ganguly, born on 8th July 1972, is a former Indian test cricketer, and captain of
the Indian national team. Till date he is India’s most successful Test captain, winning 21
tests out of 49 tests he captained and leading India into the 2003 World Cup finals. He
was a prolific One Day International batsman with over 11,000 runs to his credit. Despite
his ODI success, his test place was often lost to younger players towards the later stages
of his career. On October 7 2008, Ganguly announced that the Test series against
Australia would be his last. Ganguly played his last first-class match on 21 December
2008.

Early Life

The youngest son of Chandidas and Nirupa Ganguly. His father ran a flourishing print
business and was one of the richest men in Kolkata. He had a luxurious childhood and was
nicknamed the Maharaja. Though he was asked to concentrate on his studies and not to
play cricket, he was inspired to do so by his brother Snehasish Ganguly, an accomplished
left-handed batsman for Bengal. Though he was actually right-handed, he batted left-
handed so that he could use his brother's equipment. After he showed some promise as a
batsman, he was enrolled in a cricket academy. An indoor multi-gym and concrete wicket
was built at home for him and his brother, and he would often watch cricket videos,
especially those of David Gower, whom he admired. After he scored a century against the
Orissa U-15 side, he was made captain of St Xavier's School's cricket team, where several
of his teammates complained against what they perceived to be his arrogance.

International Career

The Beginning:

Following a prolific Ranji season in 1990-91, Ganguly made his One Day International
debut for India against West Indies in 1992, and scored three runs. He was dropped
immediately since he was perceived to be "arrogant" and his attitude towards the game
was openly questioned. He toiled away in domestic cricket, scoring heavily in the 1993–94
and 1994–95 seasons. Following an innings of 171 in the 1995–96 Duleep Trophy, he was
recalled to the national side for the tour of England in 1996 amidst intense media scrutiny.
He played in one ODI, but was omitted from the team for the first Test. However, after
Navjot Sidhu left the touring party citing ill-treatment by the then captain Mohammed
Azharuddin, made his Test debut at Lord's alongside Rahul Dravid. He scored a century,
becoming only the third cricketer to score a century on debut at Lord's, but his 131 still
remains the highest by any batsman on his debut at Lord's. In the next Test match at

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Trent Bridge he made 136, thus becoming only the 3rd batsman to make a century in
each of his first two innings. The rest is history.

A total of 11,363 runs in ODIs and 7,212 runs in tests with 22 and 16 centuries
respectively. He captained India during the period 2000-2005 for a record 49 test
matches and 146 One Day Internationals. He also has 100 and 32 wickets respectively
too.

His own fight

He was dropped from the team in October 2005 following indifferent form in 2004 and
poor form in 2005. He remained active on the first-class cricket scene, also had an English
count stint in 2005. Finally after India's poor batting display in the ICC Champions Trophy
2006 and the ODI series in South Africa, in which they were whitewashed 4-0, Ganguly
made his comeback to the Test team. With impressive performances thereafter Ganguly
was also named in the squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. He was the leading scorer
for India in their first round defeat against Bangladesh. On 12 December 2007, Ganguly
scored his maiden double century of his career while playing against Pakistan in the first
innings of the third and final Test match of the series. In April-May 2008, Ganguly led the
Kolkata Knight Riders team owned by Shah Rukh Khan in the IPL.

Retirement from International Cricket

On 7 October 2008, Ganguly announced that the Test series against Australia starting in
October 2008 would be his last and stated "to be honest, I didn't expect to be picked for
this series". Ganguly played in every game of the four-Test series, repaying the selectors
faith in him by amassing 324 runs at an average of 54.00. In his last innings, he was
dismissed for duck off just one ball. India won the series 2-0, and in the final match, with
India needing one wicket to secure a victory, the India captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni,
allowed Ganguly to lead the side in the field one last time.

An In-depth Insight

When Ganguly made his debut in 1992 against West Indies in Australia, he left nothing in
the fans’ hearts with his bat but gave a big blow to the manager of Indian cricket team in
the pavilion, which was remembered by the manager forever. When the manager ordered
Ganguly to bring him a lime tea, Ganguly just said “I am here for cricket” which made the
agitated manager realize that he was not just a young player making his debut but a
legend in the making!!

Though it could be he lost important 4 years of his life for that incident. He never played
for India for the next 4 years. The tough phase of his cricketing life started from then.

After, all the criticism from the then senior players, Ganguly was selected to play against
England in 1996. He proved that he was the lord of the pitch with his maiden debut ton.
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What next? He was again brought into ODI squad and the rain of runs began, he is still
the fastest to score 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000 ODI runs. When he took over the
captaincy, he proved that he is shrewd, tough and an uncompromising leader at any
moment against any team.

Under Ganguly's leadership, various cultural changes were brought about in the Indian
team. Ganguly who was considered a very aggressive player soon instilled aggression in
the team and the team started performing well. The team members, especially the young
crop of players that Ganguly had helped groom, were very loyal to the captain. Ganguly
not just instilled a self-belief in his team mates but he also made sure that they knew he
would always be there to back them no matter what the situation is. Sure he did. Yuvraj
Singh, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, M S Dhoni are some of today's
shining stars who were bred and brought up under Ganguly's regime.

"I saw in Sourav a committed individual who wanted to inject some toughness
and combativeness into a side that had often tended in the past to roll over and
expose a soft underbelly."

- The legendary former Australian captain Steve Waugh

Sourav Ganguly has often been accused of rubbing oppositions the wrong way, be it
making Steve Waugh wait at the toss or the Lords' balcony showdown. Yet in a way at the
end of it all, he managed to get the results. His frequent clashes with opposing captains
pretty much showed the amount of passion he had for his nation and its victory. He was
someone who could go to any extent in order to make sure his team won and so did it,
against all odds.

There's one particular question which no one ever asked him but one which holds the key
to several managerial lessons be it in sports or the corporate sector. It’s often said that a
successful leader is one who inspires by performance. Ganguly's batting during his
captaincy days was ordinary to say the least yet the team was performing at its peak. So
how exactly did he manage to inspire his team even when his performance was below
par? The answer to this question might just solve the problems that loads of leaders all
over the world face on a regular basis.

"Ganguly's deft management skills, I know, have also influenced many of us in

the corporate world. Sourav has demonstrated very effectively all the qualities of
a corporate leader. Sourav has demonstrated how to build and manage a team;
how to succeed at home and to replicate that success overseas. Sourav has
demonstrated the importance of getting the best resources and talent;
motivating them; and to emerge as a serious player in a competitive
environment."

- B Muthuraman, managing director, Tata Steel, in 2004.

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The fact that Ganguly was considered the first Indian captain who was free from the ills of
parochialism, and his courage to stand up to the powers-that-be in the interests of team
members, endeared him to the team. Under Ganguly, the team started winning away
from home, something at which it had never been very good.

After 20 years India entered world cup finals, but couldn’t make it again. They won 9 out
of 11 matches and lost only to Australia in that world cup. Ganguly was the 2nd top scorer
in that series with 3 tons by his side. The only Indian captain to hit 3 tons in a world cup.

It’s quite obvious that Ganguly wouldn't have been such a huge name had it not been for
his captaincy, management and temperamental skills. For someone who was accused of
having an attitude-problem when he debuted way back in 1992 to being mocked at as a
zonal selection on his comeback trail in 1996, the man has seen it all. As if this wasn't
enough his attitude was again questioned during his final days of captaincy and thereafter.
Yet on all these occasions he answered his critics through performance. He knew that
when the entire world is against you, it’s best to be quiet and wait for your turn. No one
would ever forget the Pepsi ad that was on air when he was out of the team. The ad
wherein Sourav Ganguly was seen rooting for his comeback out of obvious pain made
even his die-hard critics mellow down for a while.

Some Hallmarks of Ganguly's Leadership

Vision

Ganguly was considered as a leader with a vision, who could set goals and inspire his
team-mates. Experts credited Ganguly with bringing in an optimistic vision to Indian
cricket. Ganguly felt that India could achieve better success in international cricket than it
had been doing till then.

Eye-for-an-eye

The rivalry between Ganguly and Waugh was a part of cricketing folklore. Experts felt that
Ganguly had turned "antagonizing opponents into an art form". Ganguly even managed to
get under the skin of the usually unflappable Waugh.

Assertiveness

Who can forget that shirt take off incident at Lords by him after a great victory. That was
a best suited reply to the English team (Flintoff in particular) who did this in India after
“equaling” the series. This act by Sourav shows that how much he was hurt by that defeat
and how eager he was to give it back to them. That was something which an Indian can
never forget and was surely a moment of pride for us being an Indian who have the guts
to reply everything back to the opposition when it comes to the nation’s pride.

17
Then there are stories of Ganguly being too demanding, putting pressure on his bowlers to
deliver. It could be seen as part of the job, these hazards not really showing him in poor
light but a minus point no doubt. He might benefit if he accepts the limitations of his
bowlers than keep them on their toes. In the process, there is every possibility of the
bowlers losing their composure. Aggression sounds very fine but only if it is directed at the
opposition.

Honesty

What goes in favour of Ganguly is his honesty. It is one trait which has remained the
strongest point of his character and former skipper Dilip Vengsarkar confirms it. "Sourav is
very, very honest. He's very faithful to his colleagues and I know he's very forthright in his
views too. It's a big plus if the captain can remain transparent. A player in the team
should know where he stands in the eyes of his captain and Sourav ensures that he gives
the right message at the right time to his colleagues. I won't say much on how good he's
tactically because that depends on the quality of the opposition. When I was the captain, I
led against the West Indies which was the best team in the world. So how could anyone
judge how good I was tactically? But Sourav has improved a lot. He knows how to groom
his players and handles them very well. I've always found him a nice person to deal with.''

Team Player

To be cricket captain of India can be extremely demanding. People come from different
parts of such a large country and there is always this regional bias, which is quite natural.
As Pataudi said "a captain has to be able to organize and he can do that by being accepted
as a person who is playing for India and for the team, rather than Delhi or Bengal.
Country has to be put ahead of the rest.'' Ganguly till date has done precisely that. To
Ganguly's credit he has backed players from outside his state. It is another matter he
hardly had any talent worth backing in Bengal or even in the zone. But he has remained
above petty politics in backing players like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Mohammad
Kaif, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra. It is also true that commercial interests have also guided
the backing and selection of certain players. A trend which was missing when Sunil
Gavaskar and Kapil Dev led the team. But Ganguly cannot be faulted on this account.

Fairness

Ganguly always believed that fair chance should be given to everyone in a team. He firmly
believes that a young player must be given at least 5 games to prove his worth. Probably
he has developed this thought because in 1992 he was sacked from the team only after
providing a single opportunity in which he failed and thus his international career suffered
a major blow. He did not want new players to face the same consequence.

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A True Leader refuses to Quit

In November 2006, Ganguly made a memorable comeback to the Indian team. This was
considered significant as everyone had written him off after having being dropped from
the Indian test squad in February 2006 and being out of international cricket for almost a
year. But he kept himself fit and in practice and returned to the circuit which many had
considered to be impossible.

Deliver under pressure

Not only is he the most successful captain of Indian cricket but he is also one of the best
performers who have delivered under tremendous pressure. Be it the first test in the
India-Australia series in 2003 where Ganguly hit an unexpected and incandescent hundred
at Brisbane that set the tone for the series where India fought the world's best team to
retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy. He has several match-winning performances under his
belt where he has lived up to the situation and delivered beyond expectation, in most
occasions leading from the front. After his comeback, it was all about delivering under-
pressure, as one or two bad innings would have meant an end to his international career.

Adaptability

The prince of Kolkata has not only been India's best captain of all times, but easily the
best south paw that India has ever seen. Rightly nicknamed as the God of offside, Sourav
Ganguly had the ability to strike better than anyone else on his day. His brother
Snehashish was born five years before him and became an accomplished left handed
batsman. Though Sourav is a natural right hander, he learned to bat with his left hand
from his brother, Snehashish. Sourav does everything else, including writing and bowling
with his right hand. Convenience was one of the reasons for Sourav to become a left-
handed batsman as he could then use his brother's cricket gear. Even after he was left out
of the Indian team, he showed great adaptability in sweating it out in the domestic circuit
which isn’t so easy after having played in the international level for so many years. After
he returned as just a player, he also adapted well to the situation playing just as a player
under the likes of Rahul Dravid, M.S.Dhoni as captain and Greg Chappel as coach.

The People’s Leader

As Ganguly's great comeback became the taking point of the nation, many cricket fans
wanted Ganguly to don the captain's role for the 2007 World Cup. Some cricket experts
too subscribed to this view. Surveys of viewers on TV news channels showed that Ganguly
was the clear choice of the public to lead the side.

"You need to have your priorities clear. You have to have a clear idea of what
you want to do, what is good for you, and what will make you happy. I wanted to
play for India again. The love for whatever you do is your driving force."

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- Sourav Ganguly, February 2007

Conclusion

All said and done, irrespective of the number of enemies and critics he managed to create
by his hard-nosed ways, Sourav Ganguly would always be remembered as a leader who
never gave up, be it on the field or off it. As a final tribute to the man, for once let us
salute his spirit and wish him luck for all his future endeavors. Let’s just hope that retiring
from the on-field activities doesn't take him away from the game for he is someone who
could prove to be an immense contributor in other activities related to the game, be it as
a coach or a commentator. For a man who has the power to motivate even a dead pan,
his contributions in the dressing room and the commentator's box would be of immense
value.

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 Indra Nooyi: The ‘Iron Woman’ of Business

"Leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder. But if you can get
people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader. As a leader,
I am tough on myself and I raise the standard for everybody; however, I am very
caring because I want people to excel at what they are doing so that they can
aspire to be me in the future."

-Indra Nooyi

Introduction

Background

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi was born in Madras, India, in 1955. She grew up in Chennai
(formerly Madras), on the southeast coast of India, the daughter of an accountant and a
stay-at-home mother. Though her family is Hindu, Nooyi attended a Catholic school, was
an avid debater, played cricket, badgered her parents (and the nuns) until she was
allowed to play the guitar, and then formed an all-girl rock band - the first ever at the
Holy Angels Convent. She received a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Madras
Christian College in 1974 and earned an MBA at the Indian Institute of Management in
Calcutta. Beginning her career in India, Nooyi held product manager positions at Johnson
& Johnson and textile firm Mettur Beardsell. She was admitted to Yale School of

21
Management in 1978 and earned a master's degree in Public and Private Management.
Graduating in 1980, she did stints at Boston Consulting Group and then held strategic-
planning positions at Motorola (MOT, Fortune 500) and the engineering firm Asea Brown
Boveri. Nooyi then joined PepsiCo in 1994 as senior vice president (strategic planning) and
was named President and CFO in 2001. She became the CEO of Pepsi on October 1, 2006
and assumed the role of Chairman on May 2, 2007. She has directed the company's global
strategy for more than a decade and has led PepsiCo's restructuring, including the various
mergers and acquisitions. Today, Indra Nooyi is among the most successful women in the
American Business and corporate world and shows great promise in directing the company
to reach greater heights.

According to the ‘Time’ Magazine, the most appropriate way to describe Indra Nooyi,
chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, is "world class leader." Her sharp strategic mind,
tremendous market insight and humanitarian contributions all combine to make her a rare
executive among the global corporate giants.

Initial Struggle

Nooyi quickly settled into her new life at Yale, but struggled to make ends meet over the
next two years. Though she received financial aid from Yale, she also had to work as an
overnight receptionist to make ends meet. "My whole summer job was done in a sari
because I had no money to buy clothes," she told Murray. Even when she went for an
interview at the prestigious business-consulting firms that hired business-school students,
she wore her sari, since she could not afford a business suit.

Vision

Her vision is “Performance with Purpose”. It's about sustainability on multiple levels:
human, talent and environment. Indra Nooyi believes that each of PepsiCo’s 18000
employees is a leader. She cares for PepsiCo’s consumers and credits a culture that
recognizes hard work and encourages initiative.

Awards and Accolades

In Fortune Magazine's annual ranking of America's leading business women titled ‘50 Most
Powerful Women in Business ’, she was ranked No.1 for three successive years in 2006,
2007, and 2008.

She was also listed among Time magazine's World's 100 Most Influential People in 2008.

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 In a poll conducted by Forbes Magazine for the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in
2008, she was ranked Number 3.

Values and Beliefs

In an interview to CNBC, in June 2008, Indra Nooyi named five skills that she believes are
the hallmarks of good leaders:

Competence: You must be an expert in your function or area of expertise. You will
become known for that.

Take a Stand: You must be known for your courage and confidence to act and say what
you believe is right.

Communication Skills: Communication skills are critical. You can never over-invest in
them.

Coaching: Surround yourself with good mentors. Listen. Learn. Your mentor is a major
force.

Your Moral Compass: Have the strength and courage to do what’s morally right, not
what’s expedient. Your moral compass must be your true north.

Incredible Support from Family

Nooyi remains profoundly personal. She told the BBC in March that she calls her mother in
India twice a day. "At the end of the day," said the CEO of one of America's biggest
enterprises, "don't forget that you're a person, don't forget you're a mother, don't forget
you're a wife, don't forget you're a daughter." When your job is done, "what you're left is
family, friends, and faith."

Leadership Qualities of Indra Nooyi

Strategic vision

Nooyi recommended selling off Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut, arguing that PepsiCo couldn't
bring enough value to the fast food industry with restaurant businesses as it required
dedicated services industry management. Nooyi also led the $3.3 billion acquisition of
Tropicana in 1998 and $14 billion acquisition of Quaker Oats Company in 2001. She
proved herself both analytical and visionary.

She could sense that the biggest opportunities were overseas. PepsiCo's international
business grew 22% in 2007, triple the rate of domestic sales, and now contributes 40% of
total revenue ($39 billion last year).

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Long term strategic vision

Very early on she made the right calls on the green issue as well. She so readily loosened
the capital expenditure requirements for water- and heat-related conservation projects in
a Frito-Lay meeting eight years ago that executives remember being stunned by it. "Was
that a yes? Can we do that?" sustainability VP David Haft recalls asking his boss
immediately after. Those kinds of projects now save Frito-Lay $55 million annually.

Tremendous Market insight

She implemented a number of measures to improve the sustainability of the company's

operations and image by focusing on improvements in the health implications of PepsiCo's
products. She expanded PepsiCo's business into developing markets worldwide and
focused on increasing the composition of healthy foods in PepsiCo's product portfolio.

She was also involved in anticipating consumers' desire for both healthier products and
more sustainable business practices. Measures such as removing trans-fats from PepsiCo
snacks, product innovations in the Quaker Oats brand to come out with a range of
consumer perceived healthy snacks, categorization of its snacks into three categories
named ‘fun for you’, ‘good for you’, and ‘better for you’ were undertaken under her
leadership.

Other measures under her leadership included aggressive expansion into the emerging
markets of Brazil, Russia, China, and India and product and process simplification across
the organization.

The company's overall sales increased from US$ 20,337 million in 1996 to US$ 26,935
million in 2001 and net profit doubled from US $ 1,149 million to US$ 2,662 million in the
same period. After she became the CFO and President, sales recorded a further growth
from US$ 25,112 million in 2002 to US$ 35,137 million in 2006 when she was promoted
as the CEO.

Confidence

When Indra Nooyi was questioned “What did you offer that PepsiCo did not already
have?”, she tactically says “PepsiCo did not have a woman in the senior ranks, nor a
foreign-born person who was willing to think differently”.

This portrays the level of confidence she carries.

One of the ex-CEO of Pepsi, Roger Enrico commented that Indra Nooyi was the best
negotiator that he had seen in his life. To this she replied “I’m very honest – brutally

24
honest. I always look at things from their point of view as well as mine. And I know when
to walk away”.

On very good terms with her Competitors

After becoming the CEO, Nooyi flew to Cape Cod to meet her competitor Mike White who
was one of the contenders for the post. As her plane landed on Cape Cod, there was Mike
White waiting for her at the airport with a card he'd written to congratulate her. They took
a long walk on the beach. Back at his beach house, he played the piano and she sang.
Before she left, they went for ice cream. PepsiCo's three ex-CEOs, all on good terms with
one another, weighed in to help Nooyi keep White onboard. She says she asked the board
to increase White's compensation to nearly match hers. Says Nooyi: "I treat Mike as my
partner”. That isn't the way a new CEO usually takes charge, but Indra Nooyi is an entirely
different kind of CEO, a product of her native India as well as of PepsiCo's family-values
approach.

Humanitarian approach: Social Responsibility

"Companies today are bigger than many economies. We are little republics. We are
engines of efficiency. If companies don't do [responsible] things, who is going to? Why not
start making change now?" said Indra Nooyi. Her predecessor, Steven Reinemund, calls
her a "larger-than-life leader." In a speech to the food industry in January, she pushed the
group to tackle obesity. At the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos she told Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice it was critically important that "we use corporations as a
productive player in addressing some of the big issues facing the world." She had a strong
urge to give back to the society and the country and this was reflected in one of her future
plans to work for Washington as part of the cabinet.

"If you look at the job entirely from the American perspective, then it becomes impossible
to run a global business," says Kissinger, who consults for Pepsi and other companies on
international matters. "You have to relate your interests to the interests of other parts of
the world - to be relevant in their societies. Indra seems to understand this instinctively."

Learning from her mentors

When Nooyi stepped into her new job as CEO, she had an unusually large council of elders
to guide her: three former PepsiCo CEOs who keep in touch with one another almost daily.
They have no organizational ties - they're friends. "She gets help if she wants it, but not if
she doesn't," says Reinemund. He stays in contact from his home in Dallas, as does his
predecessor, Roger Enrico. Don Kendall, 86-year-old co-founder of the modern PepsiCo,
has an office down the hall from Nooyi's and serves as a consultant. Nooyi says
Reinemund will e-mail her back in 30 seconds and offer to fly up to her office in Purchase,
N.Y., if she needs advice. "They were my bosses and my best, best friends," she says.
They call her on special occasions and sometimes show up for birthdays.

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Tremendous Understanding of her business rivals

Nooyi also gave a pivotal presentation to the board in 1998 - just as the heat from Coke
was becoming unbearable - that dissected the rival's business model and made a
persuasive case that its double-digit growth was not sustainable. "It was a tour de force,"
says Enrico, who was convinced that "at that moment the PepsiCo board understood
Coke's business model better than Coke's board did.", all because of Indra Nooyi’s in-
depth understanding and insight. Four months after the presentation Coke stock peaked at
$88 and began a long downward slide.

Innovation and Change

Indra Nooyi was able to stick to her plans for change, which call for gradually shifting the
percentage of "better for you" and "good for you" snacks to 50%, up from 30%, and
widening the product portfolio with grains, nuts, and fruits. She helped shape a model that
enabled PepsiCo to pump out new products. Last year the company offered potato chips in
150 different flavors and 55 different variations on orange juice.

She recruited Dr. Mehmood Khan from the top R&D job at Takeda Pharmaceuticals to be
PepsiCo's first chief scientific officer. That may sound dramatic, but in the area of food
research, says Morgan Stanley analyst Bill Pecoriello, U.S. food companies are actually
falling behind.

A Global Perspective and Vision

After all, Pepsi gets about 40% of its $39 billion in sales of beverages, food and snacks
from beyond the U.S. And most of the company's growth is overseas.

As Pepsi's strategist—she was a former management consultant—Nooyi helped position

PepsiCo for growth in China, the Middle East and her native India. (She is now a U.S.
citizen.) "I am a global thinker in everything I do," she says.

Commitment towards employee development

She firmly believes that each one of PepsiCo’s 18,000 employees is a leader. She credits a
culture that recognizes hard work and encourages initiative. She insists that everybody's
birthday is celebrated with a cake. Belief in employees:” you give the team of people a set
of objectives and goals and get them all to buy into it, and they can move mountains."
She is also "a deeply caring person" who "can relate to people from the boardroom to the
front line."
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Comparison of the three leaders: An Analysis

Methodology Used: Upon carefully studying the three leaders viz. Mahatma Gandhi,
Sourav Ganguly and Indra Nooyi, we have tried to identify some of the common traits and
characteristics that all of them possess irrespective of their diverse backgrounds and
irrespective of their types of leadership.

For the purpose of this analysis we have outlined certain parameters and have hence
compared all the three leaders with respect to these parameters:

Parameter 1: A concrete Vision

This is the most important trait of a great leader that distinguishes him/her from an
ordinary person.

• Mahatma Gandhi had the vision of a “Free and Independent India “.

• Sourav Ganguly had the vision of making the Indian team the best in the
world.

• Indra Nooyi had the vision of “Performance with Purpose “for making Pepsi
the most admired company of the world.

Parameter 2: Confidence

• Mahatma Gandhi had confidence in his ideology of peace and non-violence

with which he achieved the impossible.

• Sourav Ganguly had complete confidence in his team and the coach. It was
this confidence that was the driving force behind his enthusiasm and
determination.

• Indra Nooyi has confidence in all the employees of Pepsi and firmly believes
that all of them are potential leaders.

Parameter 3: Innovation and Change

Any leader, be it from the past or the present or from business or sports or traditional or
contemporary is known to believe in Change and Innovation which are very critical for
success.

• Mahatma Gandhi introduced the “Dandi March”, “Satyagrah”, “Quit India

Movement” etc. These are the innovations that brought about change and were
instrumental in achieving freedom.

• Sourav Ganguly experimented with various batting orders and various

bowling and fielding combinations and hence achieved several milestones of
success.

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 • Indra Nooyi encouraged Pepsi to acquire “Tropicana” and “Quaker Oats” and
worked on changing the product portfolio of Pepsi from colas to a range of healthier
products. This Innovation yielded great returns for Pepsi and its market share in
snacks and drinks doubled under her leadership.

Parameter 4: A Global Perspective

A great leader needs to be competent not only in his/her local sphere but should also be
aware of what is going on around the world and should be able to understand its
implications on the current local situation.

• Mahatma Gandhi was aware of the revolutions and struggles in other parts
of the world and used some of those successful practices to achieve the goal of
freedom.

• Sourav Ganguly was aware of the best international practices in terms of

trainings and strategies around the world and made sure that the Indian team used
them judiciously to improve their competency.

• Indra Nooyi was well aware of the opportunities in the overseas markets
and had an intricate understanding of how to adapt to different business
environments. Thus by expanding into developing markets and growing rapidly she
made sure that Pepsi emerged as one of the leading brands internationally.

Parameter 5: Commitment

A great leader portrays huge amount of commitment towards the ultimate goal and works
hard to synergize all the energies in the right direction.

• Mahatma Gandhi’s commitment towards India’s freedom was unmatched

and unparalleled. He displayed great strength and zeal towards achieving this goal.

• Sourav Ganguly also showed great commitment towards the country and his
team. He worked very hard to make sure the team excelled in all its endeavors.

• Indra Nooyi portrayed immense commitment towards Pepsi and she even
had to sacrifice her family life to ensure Pepsi moved forward in the right direction.

Parameter 6: Honesty

Honesty is a very important trait that all great leaders possess. It is of utmost importance
because Honesty infuses faith and trust in the followers.

• Mahatma Gandhi set an example of honesty right from his childhood when
he stole some money from his father and later on owed up due to guilt. From that

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 day onwards he decided to be truthful and honest throughout his life. He proved to
others that honesty requires a great amount of courage.

• Sourav Ganguly was one of the most honest cricketers of his time. In a
match, during one of the crucial innings, he knicked a ball which was caught by the
wicketkeeper behind the stumps. The umpire was unsure and so he did not give
him out. But Ganguly walked away and portrayed great honesty and true
sportsmanship.

• Indra Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994. At that time she was offered a job at
GE Electric with a higher salary and better post. But she was honest enough to
admit to the CEO of GE Electric that she was already working for PepsiCo and
wished to continue working there.

Parameter 7: Charisma

Charisma is a trait that is not common among all leaders, but after analyzing our findings
we have come to the conclusion that the greatest of the leaders have this quality inherent
in them. It is this Charisma that actually attracts followers and inspires them to religiously
follow the path shown to them by their leader.

• Mahatma Gandhi was perhaps the most charismatic leader India has ever
seen. This can be very well concluded from the fact that when he started the Dandi
March, thousands of people followed him. When he initiated movements like the
“Satyagrah”,”Quit India Movement”, and “boycotting of British goods” the whole
nation supported him.

• Sourav Ganguly’s charisma was such that after he was removed from the
Indian squad by the selectors, there was a public outrage and common people of
India came out on the streets in his support. Even the other players of the Indian
team backed him. Such was his charisma that BCCI was compelled to revert their
decision.

• Indra Nooyi was the first Indian women to become the CEO and Chairman
of an American Fortune 500 company. Such was her charisma that she was able to
excel in a primarily male dominated organization which had no women in its senior
ranks. She had the ability to convince and influence the top management of Pepsi.

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Discussions and Recommendations

After studying and analyzing each of the three leaders from diverse backgrounds, we can
very well conclude that leadership is a skill that is both intrinsic and at the same time can
be developed. Some people are born leaders, while some can be conditioned to acquire
the requisite skills. A very interesting observation that comes into light is that all the great
leaders have some common personality traits among them. If worked upon, the
organizations can effectively develop techniques to foster the development of these skills
and hence in turn prepare the leaders of tomorrow.

Based on our study, we firmly believe that every person can rise to be an efficient leader by
inculcating in himself certain traits which all great leaders proved to possess. Therefore, we
recommend organisations to develop on these characteristics to transform their employees
into future leaders:-

• Honesty - Display sincerity, integrity, and candor in all your actions. Deceptive
behavior will not inspire trust.
• Competence - Base your actions on reason and moral principles. Do not make
decisions based on childlike emotional desires or feelings.
• Vision - Set goals and have a vision of the future. The vision must be owned
throughout the organization. Effective leaders envision what they want and how to
get it. They habitually pick priorities stemming from their basic values.
• Inspiring - Display confidence in all that you do. By showing endurance in mental,
physical, and spiritual stamina, you will inspire others to reach for new heights. Take
charge when necessary.
• Intelligence - Read, study, and seek challenging assignments.
• Fair-mindedness - Show fair treatment to all people. Prejudice is the enemy of
justice. Display empathy by being sensitive to the feelings, values, interests, and
well-being of others.
• Broad-mindedness - Seek out diversity.
• Courageous - Have the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of the
seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Display a confident calmness when under
stress.
• Straightforward - Use sound judgment to make a good decisions at the right time.
• Imaginative - Make timely and appropriate changes in your thinking, plans, and
methods. Show creativity by thinking of new and better goals, ideas, and solutions
to problems. Be innovative!

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References

• Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.com

• “Organisational Behaviour” by Robbins, Judge and Sanghi

• “Managing Behaviour in Organisations” by Jerald Greenberg

• “Organisational Behaviour and Analysis” by Derek Rollinson

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