The SPJIMR Podcast, - ThoughtCast - brings to the listener challenging news ideas, management wisdom and practice-oriented leadership lessons. Taking forward the SPJIMR motto of thought leadership, the series showcases the 'influencing practice' principle of the institute. Each episode features an expert SPJIMR faculty in conversation with a senior industry leader on management and business.
Leader with an entrepreneurial spirit!
This episode of the podcast is a conversation between Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awardee Mr. A. M. Naik, Group Chairman of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Dr. Pallavi Mody, SPJIMR’s Professor of Economics. Mr. Naik talks about his 56-year journey at L&T where he started off as an engineer on the shop floor and went on to become the CEO of the company in 1999 and later the MD, Chairman and Group Chairman of the company.
They discuss his first 90 days as CEO of L&T, how he brought about a culture of value creation in the company and why he decided to make L&T an international organization. He emphasizes the importance of a leader to be an entrepreneur with a professional background. He speaks about how he has contested elections from the age of 6 and how that helped him be a people’s man always through his career. They also discuss the importance of Atmanirbhar Bharat, how L&T started it in 1971 by building India’s first nuclear reactor, why India needs to become a matured democracy to ensure its own growth and why every single Indian needs to contribute to the betterment of society overall. They end the chat with Mr. Naik giving a message to young budding managers as to why they need to think about their role to the country and to the society to make India a strong nation.
LISTEN TO US ON - 
Listen to the Podcast Here
Newspapers will always remain the most credible source of news
This episode of the podcast is a conversation between Mr. Partha Sinha, President at Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited (Times of India Group) and Prof. Vineeta Dwivedi, Head Digital Communications at SPJIMR. Mr. Sinha reflects on his journey from being a nuclear design engineer, a banker, a strategy and marketing head of media and internet companies, and an advertising strategist.
Mr. Sinha dismisses doomsday predictions for the newspaper industry. He says the importance of news and newspapers in shaping independent thought in society will stay forever as no other medium has the kind of source credibility. He also explains why Covid was the best possible management consultant for companies globally. He also talks about the Advertising industry and why it is still underrated. Prof. Dwivedi and Mr. Sinha discuss his passion for sports, books and having an area of passion other than work. They round off the conversation by talking about data disruption and he explains why the information superhighway has turned into a ‘prejudices and biases’ superhighway.
LISTEN TO US ON -
Listen to the Podcast Here
Young managers should learn about the difference between a papaya and a banyan tree
Mr. Amit Jain, Managing Director of L’Oreal in conversation with Dr. Tulsi Jayakumar, Professor of Economics and Chairperson of Family Managed Business at SPJIMR, reflects on a leadership journey that has seen him helm companies across industries - paint and chemicals, soft drinks, media, cosmetics – and made him a truly fungible leader. Growing up in various Air Force bases across the length and breadth of India has instilled in him certain qualities essential to successful business leaders – adaptability, appreciation of diversity and cultural sensitivity. In this enthralling conversation, they discuss why in critical markets like India, ‘differentiate or die’ holds true, why Indian leaders are always resilient, how every individual and corporate can play a part in the battle against climate change, and how beauty is diverse, eternal and is a sentiment. They end the conversation with Mr. Jain talking about what budding managers can learn from the movie ‘3 Idiots’ and why it is important for them to learn the difference between a papaya and a banyan tree.
LISTEN TO US ON -
Listen to the Podcast Here
Don’t wait for the storm to blow away, instead learn to dance in the rain
Mr Deepak Iyer, President of Mondelez India talks to SPJIMR Professor Dr Ashita Aggarwal about why it is important for leaders to plan well in advance of a crisis, enable an innovative and growth mindset in organizations, remain invested in brands and employees during crises and how to take advantage of a Black Swan event such as a pandemic to retool the organization. They talk about the myth of large companies not being agile, the ‘Snacking Made Right’ principle of Mondelez, the value of comfort food in times of strife, the ‘Cadbury tree’, the three megatrends that we are likely to see during the new normal and the steps the company is taking towards sustainability. They round off the conversation by talking about the power of dreaming big and his fond memories and learnings from his days as a student at SPJIMR that helped shape his career.
LISTEN TO US ON -
Listen to the Podcast Here
The 3 Leadership Principles to Triumph over Crises.
Mr. Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman and Managing Director at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) in conversation with SPJIMR Executive-In-Residence, noted author and corporate advisor, Mr R Gopalakrishnan talks about how the Bhopal Gas Tragedy crisis turned him from a “boy to a man”, and how the experience helped him as a leader to navigate various other crises such as the Arab Spring in the MENA countries, the introduction of GST and Demonetization in India and the ongoing Covid19 Pandemic. With examples from their own career, the two corporate gurus explain the principles of Corporate Leadership - ‘De-Averaging’, ‘And’, and 'Sense-Making' and why Sense-Making is a survival trait for leaders, managers and organizations during a crisis. They also emphasize the need to be in sync with the nuances of different cultures worldwide to be successful as an international manager. They end the conversation with a discussion on HUL’s prominent position in the global Unilever family.
LISTEN TO US ON -
Listen to the Podcast Here
Company culture fosters innovation.
In this episode of the podcast, Mr. Bharat Puri, Managing Director and CEO of Pidilite Industries Limited and SPJIMR Former Dean Dr. Ranjan Banerjee, talk about the links between an organization’s culture and its innovation capabilities, the importance of a leader listening to every last voice in a company and the role of an organization’s leadership in a crisis such as a pandemic. Mr. Puri gives a comprehensive overview of how Pidilite tackled the effects of the Covid19 pandemic and lockdown on its businesses and spells out the 3 guiding principles a leader should follow while communicating during a crisis. He also compares and contrasts the operating models of MNCs and Family Managed Businesses. They end the conversation by talking about how to mentor and nurture future leaders.
LISTEN TO US ON -
Listen to the Podcast Here
Continued Employee Engagement is a Vaccination Against Future Crisis.
Mr Suresh Narayanan, Nestle India Limited’s Chairman and Managing Director, talks about how it was his employees who helped the company survive the Maggi crisis in India, the importance of highly engaged employees in companies at all times and his conviction that well-run companies need to invest more in building a company culture than in CAPX. His insightful discussion about People and Leadership with SPJIMR Executive-In-Residence, noted author and corporate advisor, Mr R Gopalakrishnan also stresses on why being people sensitive is the hallmark of a true leader, the dangers of being blindsided by consumer market research and the role of a CEO in succession planning in companies.
LISTEN TO US ON -
Listen to the Podcast Here
