Leadership is putting care and compassion at centre: Sanjiv Mehta

The Vuca (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) world has made the role of a leader complex. According to former HUL MD, Sanjiv Mehta (currently executive chairman, L. Catterton India), leaders of today have to be ready to face any crisis throughout the extended enterprise. “It requires leaders to rethink assumptions of constancy, build adaptive capacity, robustness and resilience within the organisation.”

Leadership today is also about putting care and compassion at the centre, says Mehta. It is also about being purposeful and collaborative. “If you are going to look after the needs of multi stakeholders then you need a larger purpose to guide you…it is not just about market cap becoming a sole determinator because you are expected to help address societal issues and environmental issues and you will have to take decisions which are in the long-term interest of the organisation and the world. For this you require a bigger purpose and you require a collaborative approach,” he explains.

Mehta says the concept of a great leader is a myth. It is always the work of a great team that matters the most. “It’s a work of collective genius, how do you unleash the genius of your team to harness and you ensure you fulfil the collective good.”