an icmr-iipm think tank publication - Cycbth.org

GOVIND SHRIKHANDE
your work. The minute it becomes
a Job, it starts weighing on you
heavily & you know it’s time
to change or move on. I have been
part of some of the best
moments in Indian Textile, Apparel
& Retail Industry.
How do you think change management
is playing a pivotal or
key role in the growth of the
company and re-structuring?
India has changed dramatically
over the last 20 years of my journey.
It is now on its way to be amongst
the top three economies of the
world. It is the hub for IT, car manufacturing,
fastest growing mobile
market and retail market. Women
are now coming on to their own and
leading businesses, social service
and consumption. The'Chak De'
spirit is evident across various sectors
and groups of youngsters.
Companies have to adopt to these
changes in the consumers, economy,
technology & competition, both local
& global. We have gone through
various changes over the last 20
years reflecting this change. Sometimes
very successfully, sometimes
not so successfully. The restructuring
has happened in areas of management
& team structures, technology,
people practices, store design,
customer service, formats etc.
So change is continuous, inevitable
and necessary and our management
has been flexible and forward
looking in their outlook to face the
challenges of today and tomorrow.
What are the changes Shoppers’
Stop brought under your leadership
to penetrate the Indian retail
market?
I would say there are five key things
that, we as a team have achieved,
over the last few years:
1. Repositioning our brand to a
bridge to luxury positioning from a
contemporary level, through logo
evolution and other touch points.
2. Strengthening our trading model
and operational efficiency to make
our model recession proof.
3. Closing down loss making formats.
4. Taking a leadership position in
the beauty category by creating the
best beauty halls in India through
launch of brands such as Mac, Estée
Lauder, Clinique Shishiedo, Dior
Lancome etc.
5. Expanding into Tier 2 Towns.
There are very few CEOs who
have taken steps in transforming
the companies. Have you faced
any resistance while implementing
any change in the company?
Inertia / comfort with the current
and fear of the new are common
traits amongst humans. That's why,
very few people dare to think of
new ideas and changes. While a lot
of CEOs believe that 'if it ain't broken,
why fix it', while the new breed
thinks that creating new is part of
the cycle of life. So, not all CEO's
think of change as a must for transformation.
Hence, they are reluctant
to innovation.
Just as music lovers don't listen
to the same song every day and
every season, consumers want
change. And many a times, they
don't actually know what they
want. In such circumstances, one
looks at research, focus group studies,
market data, observation on
retail floor to understand the
change. Obviously, when a change
is proposed, a lot of people need to
change the way they currently operate.
Hence they resist the change
for their own valid and invalid reasons.
Hence, it is important to bring
objectivity, as the key to focus on
the merits of the change. The pros
& cons should be debated, differences
settled with the key stakeholders
and a crack team to deliver
the objective and they should be
formulated along with key milestones
towards the goal. Such an
approach can convert the very
thought of change into reality.
What are the characteristics
that you believe a leader
should possess?
A leader requires various skills &
competencies – Personal & Professional.
The personal skills cover his
HR skills – relationship building,
learning capability, passion for
work and team members growth
etc. The professional competencies
cover his understanding of indus-
A LEADER NEEDS TO FOCUS
ON STRENGTHENING THE
COMPANY'S TRADING MODEL
AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY IN
ORDER TO MAKE THE BUSINESS
RECESSION PROOF
try, the drivers of the business, key
challenges & solutions. Apart from
the key leadership principles, I
strongly believe that a leader must
lead by example. So, a Mike Brearly
can lead a good team to winning
ways for a certain duration but if his
own performance is below par for
too long, his leadership will be
questioned. Steve Jobs, the founder
of Apple was sacked from his own
company but on his return, he took
the company to greater heights
through his personal drive. If I had
to state only one characteristic, I
would say leading from the front
with passion.
Who would you say are the people
who had a tremendous impact on
you as a leader? Why and how did
they impact your life?
I have looked up to various role
models across various sectors. Right
from the Nawab of Pataudi's fight
back from an eye injury to play
cricket at international level to JRD
Tata's simplicity to Steve Jobs wizardry
to make complicated things
intuitive to Narayan Murthy's
achievement of creating a truly global
company without having any
business background to Kapil Dev's
passion to excel & to always give
110 % ,,, I can go on & on.
Nearer to me, I have also been influenced
by the personal characteristics
of my grandfather & father.
They were both hard working, humble
people who always helped others
and always remained grounded, even
when they had power and glory. And
of course the Gurus that I mentioned
at the beginning, Mr Anubhai, Mr
Mogra, Mr Phadke & Mr Mirchandani.
Each one of them has given me
a lot . And I would be forever indebted
to all of them.
count your chickens before they hatch 27 april 2012