The One Leadership Skill We Forgot to Teach
In an age of noise, overload and drifting meetings, facilitation is no longer a “tool”, it’s a core leadership discipline
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Strong Opinions, Loosely Held: How to Escape the Halfpinion Trap
In a world of echo chambers, courage and curiosity keep us honest
The Quiet Drift Toward Precarity
What the rise of contract labour reveals about the health of India’s factories — and the future of India Inc.
Zoho’s New CEO, Same Grounded Playbook
As Sridhar Vembu steps back to focus on AI, Shailesh Davey takes the lead, steering Zoho into the future, on its own terms
Character is about who we choose to be
Insights from General Stanley McChrystal’s new book ‘On Character: Choices That Define a Life’. The book is in Shivakumar’s list of best books of summer 2025
After the Crash: A Test of Leadership and Legacy
In the shadow of the Air India AI171 tragedy, the Tata Group faces a crucible moment—echoing a corporate crisis from four decades ago that still defines leadership under pressure
The checklist trap: How we turned leadership into a lifestyle product
Leadership conversations are increasingly about what can be measured and instant results. Yet, many of the most powerful shifts in leadership show up quietly
FF Live: Managing Corporate Reputation in the Digital Age
18 takeaways on crisis management and trust-building
How L&T completely muffed up a valuable teachable moment
Around the world, CEOs, even the smartest of the lot, are known to occasionally suffer from a foot-in-the-mouth disease. Yet there are playbooks in place on how to deal with such crises–something that L&T has chosen to ignore.
Leaders vs. bosses: What does it take to become a leader?
Fireside chat: Ajay Piramal, Nitin Paranjpe and Dr Anil Khandelwal, in conversation with Indrajit Gupta
Practice making mistakes
An extract from ‘The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Learn to Lead from the Inside Out’ by Dana Maor, Hans-Werner Kaas, Kurt Strovink and Ramesh Srinivasan
The biggest non-Excelable part of the startup success puzzle
An extract from Rahul Chandra’s book, ‘Tightrope to the Moon: How Mega Founders Win the Startup War’
Indian cricket’s moment of truth
BCCI faces a set of crucial decisions ahead that could set the pace for the future
Building leaders for and in India
What do we need more of: leaders who dominate global institutions or local leaders with a make-in-India mindset?
Do leadership books matter?
Where do you go for leadership insights? What makes a good biography? Why does everyone seem to be talking about meaning and purpose? A discussion on books and some recommendations
The Musk-Alexander syndrome
Leaders like Elon Musk defy the normative leadership framework. They have strong critics, but also build institutions. How do we decode their success?
Building a Premier Leadership Cadre: The TAS Story
Lessons from India Inc’s replica of the IAS
A book that raises important questions on ‘servant leaders’
Book review: Tata’s Leadership Experiment: The Story of the Tata Administrative Service
The TAS experiment
The Tata Administrative Service was created by JRD Tata to find officers who would provide leadership for Tata companies. In this extract from their new book, ‘Tata’s Leadership Experiment’, Bharat Wakhlu, Mukund Rajan and Sonu Bhasin talk about the mixed success of that experiment
How diverse really is India Inc’s diversity agenda?
Companies have an ableist bias. Youth4Jobs, and the young people they’ve trained, are fighting that bias
‘A leader’s role is to shape the decades ahead, not just react to the present’
Insights from Indra Nooyi’s memoir ‘My Life in Full’, on leadership in a world “where authority and brilliance, to many people, still look like an older gentleman”
How Bishan Bedi took Delhi from Club Class to World Class
Throughout his career, the spin wizard seldom pulled his punches. His aggressive brand of leadership defined the rise of the champion Ranji side—and for the first time challenged Mumbai’s dominance. An extract from the book 'The Sardar of Spin'
When is a consultant’s job done?
The fees they earn is not a measure of how well a consultant has served the client. These three stories of change—of BP’s turnaround, Mexico City’s municipal workers, and of young consultants who want to make a real difference—show what a consultant's job really is. Extracted from Arun Maira’s latest book, ‘The Solutions Factory: A Consultant’s Handbook for Problem-solving’
Transforming Indian banking
To transform and build better governance, which of the two levers ought a leader use? Compliance? Or culture?
Six archetypes of leaders for a new normal
The post pandemic era will need fresh thinking and an ability to learn and adapt
Gaining ‘Tracxn’ in the startup world
Neha Singh, co-founder of Tracxn Technologies, talks about why she chose to be a generalist despite her techie credentials; how the startup ecosystem is evolving in India; and what founders ought to know about venture capitalists
Masterclass | A Bold New Breed: How Leaders Can Embrace a Gig Mindset Culture
Gig-mindsetters are any entity’s secret weapon in these volatile times. Who exactly are they, and how can leaders nurture them? Jane McConnell, Ravi Venkatesan, and Santosh Desai offer different lenses to understand and encourage this new breed
What good leaders do right
As I reflect on the initial months of Hustle Fuel, here’s a curated collection of the wisdom and helpful life lessons I’ve picked up from the leaders I’ve interacted with along the way
Firms, allies & other minorities can learn from the struggle for gay rights
In honour of Pride Month, I reflect on how the lived experiences of openly gay leaders in the corporate sector can help us all prepare better for parity in the workplace
Anand Deshpande’s founder’s dilemma at Persistent
After scaling up, do you get a professional to lead as CEO or continue at the helm? Where do you draw the lines between ownership and management? Is it better to exit totally or wait until the kids have grown up? If they want to, how do you induct them? When a crisis happens, do you step in or let professionals handle it? These are questions that Anand Deshpande, founder and chairman of Persistent Systems, has wrestled with and opens up on in this candid conversation
Succeeding in the workplace: What I learnt from Adam Grant
On the virtues of underconfidence, saying yes to “no”, ending ‘manologues’, and more
Learning from The Best Business Books of 2020: A fireside chat
In Founding Fuel’s learning session, D Shivakumar, in conversation with R Sriram, discusses what’s different about his best books selection this year. He also shares some of his superpower secrets about how he is able to nurture the discipline to read in the midst of a busy professional life
The 10 best business and leadership books of 2020
An inside look at US presidency, leadership, changing trends, and life after the pandemic
‘Trust is not a matter of morality, but of predictability’
Predicting behaviour isn’t rocket science, say Robin Dreeke and Cameron Stauth in their book, ‘Sizing People Up’. It is a social science, and requires you to apply the right equation of logic, strategy, scepticism, observational skills, and the ability to accept unwelcome truths
Family as colleagues
Episode 7, Talkin’ ‘Bout My Generation: Deepa Soman and her daughter Rhea take a frank, introspective look at what it’s like to work with family and what they’ve learned as they ‘grew up’ together
Finding my place in the family business
Rhea Soman never thought that working at Lumiere, the research firm her mother Deepa founded, would be automatic. Rhea talks about how she began to see a place for herself, and is now playing a role in the firm's evolution. Deepa talks about what she and the firm are learning from the experience
People want to work for firms that consider all kinds of inclusion the same
There are many reasons for why inclusion is important—money, innovation, talent and reputation. In this extract from his book ‘Queeristan’, Parmesh Shahani talks about the LGBT inclusion journey at Tata Steel
New world, new rules and new mindsets
A panel discussion with Gaia Smart Cities’ Sumit Chowdhury and True North’s Haresh Chawla on the next gen’s abundance mindset, how digital businesses have changed the rules, and how to stay relevant
For good leadership, principles need to be a notch above the rules
Technology is changing the rules of business. But business leaders aren’t skilling themselves for the new world. And without principles, the company won’t go anywhere
Going beyond the blame game on attrition
There are a complex set of reasons why people leave organisations. Blaming it on your HR department is the easy way out. The smarter way is to understand the root causes and work as a leadership team to fix it
11 things to explore, learn and reflect on in 2020
Articles, podcasts, books and courses for leaders and learners
Ten best business books of 2019
What Uber, Netflix and Walt Disney Company show us about thriving in a tech world; leadership skills for sustainable success; and how human behaviour shapes decisions
The man who admits he got it wrong on occasion—and still ruled world cricket
In this podcast, listen to five-time ICC Umpire of the Year Simon Taufel on the game of cricket, and the learnings there for leaders who are looking to build high performance organisations
The insider with an outside in view
Should I continue as a full-time consultant to the chief transformation officer in my firm? Or am I better off moving to a part-time consulting role, take on other clients, and acquire a more diverse experience?
Is imposter syndrome holding you back?
The syndrome shows its worst form when we are given a platform to operate on and we choose to occupy only a small part of it. But there’s a simple way to beat back the self-doubt that holds even accomplished people back. An excerpt from the book, ‘Lady, You’re the Boss’, by Apurva Purohit
Bosses need to be coaches in the new workplace
Insights from Jim Clifton and Jim Harter’s book ‘It’s the Manager’. The book is based on the largest global study by Gallup on the future of work
Finding the CEO in you
Elena L. Botelho, bestselling author of ‘The CEO Next Door’ and partner at leadership advisory firm ghSMART, explains why most people misunderstand what it takes to get the corner office
‘The power of coaching is to offer a different perspective’
Google’s Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg and Alan Eagle share what they learnt from their mentor, legendary coach Bill Campbell, in their book ‘Trillion Dollar Coach’
Do I need a “Killer Instinct”?
People lose out by conforming to gender stereotypes. You need to develop a wider repertoire of styles crucial to leadership
Must reads: Five books on the surprising traits of best employees & leaders
The best books of 2019 (so far) on finding people with unique strengths, coaching, productive meetings, and bad bosses
Forging strong, compassionate leaders
In their book, ‘Character Carved in Stone’, Pat Williams and Jim Denney talk about the values the United States Military Academy at West Point cultivates to make strong leaders
The McKinsey case and consulting’s ethical dilemma
The case is symptomatic of a wider issue: in the race to generate wealth for their partners, are management consulting firms in danger of losing sight of their original purpose—to be trusted advisors to CEOs?
Stepping into Rana’s den
On March 1, Ravneet Singh Gill will assume charge at YES Bank. Will the entry of the quintessential MNC banker from Deutsche Bank be able to calm the troubled waters swirling around YES Bank?
Why the worst may not be over for Chanda Kochhar
The inside story of how Chanda Kochhar let hubris and greed implode her trail-blazing career at ICICI Bank
Top 10 Business Books of 2018
Books about the evolution of India's billionaires, understanding data, shared values, the economy, organisational culture, the risks and rewards of technology, and the rise of strongmen
Flippin’ over backwards
Less than six months after their momentous deal with Walmart, both co-founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal are out of Flipkart. It is a sad commentary on the hubris and the immaturity that’s gripped India’s high-flying tech entrepreneurs
#metoo: Searching for a silver lining
Three years after her sexual harassment allegations against then Indian Hotels CEO Rakesh Sarna, Anjuli Pandit has made her horror story public, signalling a complete breakdown of internal processes to prevent sexual harassment. Yet, Pandit shows the new Tata management a way to make amends
#metoo: It is time for CEOs to lead the way
Women will believe they will get justice when they see leaders champion a harassment-free workplace. For that, a compliance mechanism alone is not enough. Leaders must initiate open conversations that define the norms for a safe workplace
The long road to a safe workplace
The #metoo movement has provided a wake-up call for leaders across India Inc to significantly up the ante in building safe and gender-balanced workplaces
“Five years is good to put skin in the game”
Ought candidates from the private sector be inducted into the government as “lateral hires” is under intense scrutiny. How do we examine the issue? Charles Assisi asks Ashok Pal Singh, CEO of India Post Technology Centre
Is your company fostering decline?
Three learnings from the annual conference of the Society of Human Resource Management: Who do you hire, why space for dissent is an important part of dialogue, and knowing what you are not working on
The half-life of truth is 45 years
There is an old saying that goes, when the facts change, I change my mind. What will you do when you get obsolete? Or when everything changes, overnight?
Five publicity lessons Mahatma Gandhi teaches entrepreneurs
What you can learn about communicative agility from the salt satyagraha
Leadership and the power of listening
In this podcast, Arun Maira dwells on how listening without judgement can help leaders understand the big picture and improve the quality of their decisions
Opinion is free. But is it trustworthy?
That those in the media are toast is now part of popular opinion. But the fact that an opinion is widely held is no evidence that it is not utterly absurd
Building tech as if people mattered
Book review: In his new book ‘Hit Refresh’, Satya Nadella talks about operating with empathy and technology as a force for social good
The dilemma of being Nandan Nilekani
Much is being reported and celebrated on the return of one of the original co-founders of Infosys to its helm as chairman. But is that what he may have wanted? Is it desirable? What kind of lessons emerge?
Why Narayana Murthy needs to relearn the rules of the Murthy Doctrine
The Infosys founder has always claimed the high moral ground on good governance. But by taking on the current board in a high-pitched boardroom battle, he may have violated his own tenets and weakened the institution
The unfolding Infosys leadership paradox
We rarely get a live case study to engage with and test a proposition. The unfolding Infosys saga offers us a ready-made case to test my last week’s essay, ‘The leadership paradox’
The leadership paradox
It is impossible to achieve one’s leadership ambition or leverage diverse resources without pooling power. And power pooling cannot be achieved without negotiation—or power trading and trade-offs
Between a mercenary and a missionary
Two kinds of leaders exist: mercenaries and missionaries. Both can win battles. But when it comes to fighting a war, whom would you go with?
What is the matter with men like NR Narayana Murthy?
He was destined for greatness. But tragically, many like him stay wedded to their ideas. Somehow, they did not learn when it is time to let go
How do we know that our life’s work is really done?
If the only reason to do the work is to enjoy its fruits, there would be no motivation for leaders to undertake missions that cannot be completed in their own lifetimes
Is Anil Kumble as good? Is Virat Kohli that bad?
The truth lies somewhere in between. There is merit in listening to a story from every perspective. Some lessons on leadership may just emerge
Making tough calls in business and life
In his book ‘Managing in the Gray’, HBS ethics professor Joseph L Badaracco presents a framework to arrive at the best possible decisions in a hard situation
When growth leads to a slowdown, how do you tackle the paradox?
In their book ‘The Founder’s Mentality’, Chris Zook and James Allen, partners in Bain & Company, talk about what leaders can do for sustainable and profitable growth
Ask these questions to make your coaching and leadership effective
Coaching is an essential leadership skill. And questions are a good way to open doors, says Michael Bungay Stanier in his book ‘The Coaching Habit’
The secret of power: Not ruthlessness, but empathy
American psychologist Dacher Keltner says, those who gain power are the ones who work for the good of others. But paradoxically, power can lead to selfishness—and loss of power
India Inc’s Corporate Governance Challenge
A special Facebook Live Conversation with Sanjeev Aga, Subroto Bagchi and Sanjoy Bhattacharyya on what it takes to fix India's corporate governance challenge in the context of Tata-Mistry fight
Building a business in complicated times
Dynamic times call for dynamic leadership. Here are some insights from the book ‘The Hard Thing About Hard Things’ by Ben Horowitz, co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz
A new lens on leadership
Your leadership calls, and how you interpret opportunities and threats, are influenced by your lenses, which are unique and personal to you
In conversation with Vinay Sitapati
The author of ‘Half Lion’ highlights some little known facets of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao’s life, and leadership lessons from how a man without much of a mandate brought in profound transformations
The man who knew tomorrow
In this extract from his book, ‘Half Lion: How P.V. Narasimha Rao Transformed India', Vinay Sitapati talks about the attributes that enabled Rao to manage the politics of reforms. His ability to assess the situation and play mouse, lion or fox—as need be—was Rao’s paramount political skill
The Narasimha Rao they don't want you to know of
When the political mastermind of Indian economic reforms died, the apocryphal hand of the party he was part of, deserted him. Only a few were there. Those who knew what he really accomplished, like Dr. Manmohan Singh
Are you persuadable?
An ability to change decisions is not about inconsistency, it is about flexibility. Insights from Al Pittampalli’s book ‘Persuadable: How Great Leaders Change Their Mind to Change the World’
Maze runner: Negotiating and thriving in the matrix organization
Yes it’s ambiguous, diffracted and confusing, but the matrix structure also provides great opportunities for adaptable and agile leaders
What makes a winner
Insights from Larry Weidel’s book ‘Serial Winner: 5 Actions to Create Your Cycle of Success’
Sydney Finkelstein and the superboss playbook
Sydney Finkelstein, author of Superbosses, explains how to master the art of handling talent
Measuring and managing performance
K Ramkumar, Executive Director of ICICI Bank, talks about how ability combined with motivation brings forth performance. But you cannot manage ability; you have to manage motivation and commitment
How we think and how we can get better at collaboration
Insights from Dawna Markova and Angie McArthur’s book, ‘Collaborative Intelligence: Thinking with People Who Think Differently’
What makes for an exceptional leader
The ability to rise to the occasion, have a vision, be decisive, and think about now
Lee Kuan Yew: A leadership style that got results
Lee turned Singapore into a prosperous, developed nation in one generation. On his first death anniversary, a glimpse into his thoughts on leadership and governance
The emperor’s new clothes: Unravelling the disconnect between intention and results
Organizations end up overlooking obvious pitfalls when leaders fail to be inclusive or seek feedback
Managing the matrix: How to cope with ambiguity and change
A matrix organization is more flexible and better able to respond to dynamic situations. But working in a matrix requires a different set of skills than in hierarchical structures. Insights from Kevan Hall’s book ‘Making the Matrix Work’
What's common to Hitler and company budgets?
Hitler's focus on battles, not the war cost Germany its sovereignty. That's exactly what happens to companies which focus on annual budgets alone.
Sam Pitroda: The big dreamer
How Pitroda created a modern digital telecom network, backed by publicly-funded R&D
The most successful football manager shares how to be a great leader
Insights from the book ‘Leading’ by Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United with Michael Moritz, chairman of Sequoia Capital.
How to make meetings purposeful
Insights from Al Pittampalli’s book ‘Read This Before Our Next Meeting’ on how to get more done
Why Abdul Kalam continues to matter
It was not without reason that he was called the ‘people's president'. He had a moral compass that pointed True North
The Spotlight on Incest
Why it often takes an outsider to bring change and why everybody in leadership positions ought to put the movie ‘Spotlight’ on their list of mandatory viewing
Does your team have runners or passive riders?
In his book ‘Move Your Bus’, Ron Clark talks about the different kinds of people companies typically have—high performers, the dependables, average workers and deadweights—and what leaders can do to get the best out of their teams
The nonsense that is gut instinct
Conventional wisdom demands our instinct is always right. But all evidence suggests this we ignore instinct and rely on data
Am I too old for my company?
The average age in companies is getting younger and these employees are wired differently. How do you deal with the organizational consequences of that altered reality?
How to build a strong board
Bring in the right mix of competencies, facilitate constant involvement, encourage critique and your board can be a source of competitive advantage
And what about the business of tolerance?
A fair workplace and good corporate governance depend on how tolerant business leaders are to criticism and dissent
Climbing the ladder of business responsibility: A time for real leaders to show up
True business leadership lies in pursuing a higher purpose than merely obtaining a larger monetary valuation of the business
Integrity versus high performance
Should you replace an effective but dishonest guy with an honest but ineffective individual?
Unleash the potential of your people
Experiences with our teams have made us rethink our corporate objectives and the gains are extraordinary.
Haier CEO Zhang Ruimin: Challenge yourself, overcome yourself
CEO Zhang Ruimin transformed a bankrupt appliance manufacturer into a respectable brand, and is disrupting Haier again.
How to prepare for the right heir to take over your business
My daughter is better suited to taking over my business than my son. How do I manage the process?
Volkswagen: The Difficulty of Being Good and the Ease of Being a Cheat
What the Volkswagen saga is telling us is this: We may get away with cheating for some time because of our good reputation. But we will get caught and the repercussions can be terrible
How to be an objective leader
Seeing things as they are, without letting our biases distort things, is key to taking the right actions, says Elizabeth Thornton in her book, 'The Objective Leader'
The moral imperatives to a lie
Contemporary wisdom has it that any lie is offensive. But is it? As Krishna argues so lucidly in the Mahabharata, reasons exist to lie
How To Be Your Best
In his book 'Are You Fully Charged?' Tom Rath says, pursue meaningfulness, not money to find joy in work and life
Get your people to unleash their own potential
The onus of motivation is on the individual, says Susan Fowler in her book 'Why Motivating People Doesn't Work'. It also tells leaders what they can do, but not control, to motivate people
Work Smart. Not Hard
Hard work is the base, but doing the same thing many times over will not help you solve a problem or master a new skill
Shaping an Organization's Culture
The success of any change is linked to human dynamics—the culture. Yet cultures have a way of maintaining the status quo. Senn Delaney's Larry Senn and Jim Hart tackle that dilemma in their book 'Winning Teams, Winning Cultures'
Leaders with character deliver higher value
Insights on leadership, the character of leaders and executive teams from Fred Kiel's book - Return on Character.
Jim Collins on the Building Blocks of Greatness
Jim Collins, author of management classics like Built to Last and Good to Great, on great companies, managing in a networked world and leadership
What separates good leaders from the inconsequential
Insights into adaptive leadership from Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves’s book, Leadership 2.0: The secrets of adaptive leadership
6 life lessons I learnt from the racing track
On track or in organizations, competition is the essential friction that brings forth progress and performance
What leaders can do to become effective coaches for their teams
Business leaders are also expected to be effective coaches. Here's what they can learn from executive and life coach Keith Nelson's book, Your Total Coach
Doctoral dissertations from a tea stall
Cheap labour and algorithms make everything you want done possible. But it's not going to take you any place significant. Unless you’ve got chutzpah like KV Kamath or Arun Maira
Successful leaders are humble, accountable, and encourage participation
Korn Ferry International CEO Gary Burnison talks about the traits that successful leaders share in his book - Lead
Why it makes sense to outsource your life
There is only so much you can accomplish on any given day. So why not outsource the more mundane tasks? It's cheap, efficient and frees you up to do everything else
What you can learn on leadership and career success from The Real-Life MBA
PepsiCo India's CEO shares insights from Jack and Suzy Welch's latest book
The Attacker's Advantage
Pepsico’s CEO shares lessons from Ram Charan's book on how business leaders grapple with uncertainty
How to be a High-Impact Leader
These simple behavioural changes can help you become a leader
How to Get People to Follow Your Lead
For aspiring leaders, simple changes in the way they speak and behave can help improve relationships with co-workers
Connection stories to build rapport
How to introduce yourself so that you stand out and are remembered for the values you bring to the table
How FreeCharge found its Mojo
Shailendra J Singh, MD of Sequoia Capital India, who saw FreeCharge from close quarters and served on the board, offers a ringside view of the company, its evolution and eventual sale to Snapdeal
Once upon a time…
How to harness the power of stories to connect, engage and inspire
A time to reflect
A curated selection of five pieces that got our attention this past week. These are intended to help introspect on our day off.
May the fastest sperm win
16 kms/hour. That is the minimum speed entrepreneurs and CEOs ought to be able to run at to stay on top
Confessions of a recovering junkie
The pleasure centres that tickle Internet junkies and drug addicts are the same - we know this because of recent advances in the neurosciences
What makes Alibaba tick
Jack Ma who created Alibaba, China's biggest online marketplace is a hero in the country. And with good reason at that.
What Steve Jobs 2.0 can teach Housing.com’s Rahul Yadav 1.0
Many young tech entrepreneurs prefer to wear arrogance on their sleeve. Much like Steve Jobs did at Apple. Except that they are picking up the wrong lesson to learn.
How will you measure your life?
Acquiring influence alone as a tool for personal branding is a rather shallow way of looking at things in the long run
Rahul Sharma of Micromax on the greatest battle of his life
The co-founder shares the high points of his entrepreneurial journey and his next big, hairy, audacious bet.
When will you die?
That you will age and die is a given. The questions are when and whether it will be miserable or graceful
The Learned Life
We live in a connected world where ignorance is not an excuse. KV Kamath is a case in point.
Thou shalt (not?) commit adultery?
The greater part of our economy would be meaningless without sex as a driving force or organizing principle