Narayanan says leadership needs to be authentic and confident
Large corporates need to get over the fear of failure and leadership, irrespective of geography and economic reality, must look at 5C’s – Context, Culture, Construct, Commitment and Calibrate – concerning innovation, according to Suresh Narayanan, Chairman & Managing Director, Nestle India,
He said innovation must have a context, which must be interwoven with the purpose and values of the organisation, adding that innovation requires a long-term commitment and the ability to calibrate based on evolving realities.
Further, companies must have an innovation culture embedded in a construct where people, processes, and the reward mechanism are in place, said Narayanan during a fireside chat organized by FICCI on 23 May 2022.
He spoke on ‘Leadership – The force Multiplier for Innovation in Organisations at the Innovation Summit – Creative Disruption & Creative Resurrection’.
Nestle, he said, is innovating at three times the pace it was about six years ago.
“We launched 90 to 100 new products in the last couple of years. It would have taken us a couple of decades to launch”, he said, and added, “Nothing has been updated, same processes, brands, propositions and testing mechanisms, but teams have been recalibrated. What we have tried to do is to walk the talk, and I do it personally”.
Narayanan said that leadership needs to be authentic. “Authentic behaviour means to say what you mean and mean what you say”, he said, adding, “leadership is not leading others; it is being increasingly confident in yourself”.
“Disruptions provide us with an opportunity to respond differently,” added Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra, Chair of FICCI HR Committee & Director HR, Indian Oil Corp Limited.
Speaking on the occasion, he alluded to the COVID crisis where the three A’s – agility, adoption of new technology, and alignment of purpose led to Indian Oil Corporation delivering despite the challenges.
“None of us knew how to supply LPG cylinders to your residences during COVID; can you believe Indian Oil delivered 33 lakh cylinders to homes on a day?” “It was made possible because the workforce was agile,” he answered.
An Industry Compendium on HR Best Practices was also released on occasion. The compendium, a result of an industry survey, outlines innovative and forward looking HR policies. fiinews.com
