Management Mantras by Dhirubhai Ambani

Management Mantras by Dhirubhai Ambani

The article from Mukesh Ambani states the following:I would like to share some of my father’s management mantras that we at Reliance cherish:

• Growth has no limit – Keep revising your vision:If you make one grand plan, and then stick to it without updating it with new inputs, adapting to new forces and adopting new practices, then it is a recipe for disaster. Remember, a goal is worth it only if you get there. And growth is life.

• Leap, look, leap:There’s a saying that there are only three kinds of people. Those who make things happen. Those who watch things happen. And those who say, what happened? Those that belong to the first category think big, project with clear vision and then move with great speed to achieve their goal.

• Nurture and motivate the youth:The youth are energetic, brimming with ideas, talent and a desire to excel. Extend them the support they need, nurture them. Each one of them has infinite source of energy. Create the right environment and they will deliver with glorious returns on investment.

• Build competencies:Holding people hostage to core competencies restricts them. It is more productive to create competencies around people and processes to create value. This promotes flexibility, encourages growth and the value add-on will far exceed anything a conventional approach can bring.

• Break out of your orbit:The world is a series of hierarchically stacked orbits. To be successful, you must break out of your orbit and enter the one above. After a spin in that orbit, you must break into the next one, and so on till you reach the top.

• Bet on people – ‘trust’ is a five-letter word for success:Trust is the most valuable thing you will earn and it is also the most valuable thing you can give. There is nothing like partial trust—you either trust completely or not at all. Trust is the foundation of growth.

• Reject incremental thinking:Piecemeal, blinkered and incremental thinking guarantees slow and stunted growth. True growth can come only with lateral thinking, with multiple options and paths to attain a goal. Always encourage people to think out-of-the-box. Ideas are no one’s monopoly.

• Be humble:Humility in success is the greatest virtue. Realise that success is a matter of hard work and teamwork—of employees, shareholders and well-wishers. Never let them down and always make them feel they are part of the family. In turn, they will never let you down.

• Shun pretence:A leader is not afraid to say he—or she—doesn’t know. There is no equitable distribution of knowledge, expertise and energy. Do what you can do to acquire knowledge and apply it. Delegate the rest to the best.

• Detail. Detail. Detail:God is in the detail. Worship it. There isn’t a single successful individual, enterprise or nation that has succeeded without paying attention to detail. Some will argue and say ‘simplify’. I say, simplify the process but never forsake detail. Work with determination and perfection, and success will follow.

• Achievement is history. Look ahead:This is often the most difficult to achieve but the most crucial for continued success. Any achievement is instant history; it becomes the past as soon as it is achieved. How you build on that achievement will decide how far you go