Leadership Archives - Debashis Sarkar

Ten Lessons from Ten Business Moments & Trends of 2023

The business landscape of 2023 was a mixed bag, offering both bouquets of roses and thorns. Ten moments stand out, not just for their headlines, but for the lessons they whisper.

Top three pre-process transformation actions to ensure success

When we talk about process transformation, what comes to our mind are the obvious elements that include process, technology,

Five process excellence areas to focus on in a Covid-19 world

The last few months have changed our lives with large numbers of people working from home under lockdown

Operational Metrics – The five Fs which every small business should know

When an entrepreneur begins his journey, his focus is to manufacture products of high quality and make sure it's bought by large number of consumers.

Lessons on Quality Management From Kobe Steel

Building a culture of quality requires top management to participate in quality initiatives

Spotlight: Developing a relationship with customers can be a game-changer for SMEs

Customer-centricity simply speaking means bringing customers at the centre of the enterprise and aligning strategies,

3 Reasons Why Scientists And Researchers Need Formal Leadership Training

Even brilliant minds need emotional intelligence and social competence.

9 Reasons Why Leaders Are So Big On Hugging

Modi has been honing this ‘skill’ for a long time!

Here Are Six Ways To ‘Bask In Reflected Glory’ In The Workplace

This is a word derived from the acronym, BIRG, which stands for - basking in reflective glory.

Does A Company Really Care About Its Customers: These Three Instances Will Tell You

Organisations aspire to be customer-centric. They launch big transformation programs to try and align...

Here Are 7 Reasons Why Teams Often Leak Information

In recent days we have been reading about leaks from the White House.

10 Good, Bad And Ugly Shades Of ‘Choice’ In Business

Choice is such a powerful concept. We all love it. When we have choice it gives us a sense of autonomy and control.

Use These Eight Guiding Principles To Build A Customer-Centric Company

Customers are the reason why businesses exist. Many businesses want to be customer-centric and spend time,

Are Slackers Dragging Your Team Down?

Teams are an integral part of all organisations. Without an aligned team it's almost impossible...

4 Lessons For Business Leaders From AAP’s Downhill Slide

The Aam Aadmi Party was an experiment that promised exceptional results.

3 Ways In Which United Airlines Could Have Averted The David Dao Mess

The brutal "deplaning" of Dr David Dao from a United Airlines flight, which ended with him bleeding, bruised and concussed,

3 Subtle Ways To Persuade Your Team To Comply With Requests

Persuading a team, or just about anyone, to do something can be quite an uphill task.

5 Not-So-Obvious Strategies For Better Problem Solving

Problem solving is an integral part of all business organisations.

10 Reasons Why Employees Don’t Follow Organisational Processes

Processes are an integral part of all enterprises. And as I mentioned in one of my earlier pieces,

Four principles of organisational excellence which every small business should know

Embedding excellence is the aspiration of all small businesses.

Narendra Modi And The Art Of Creating A ‘Sense Of Urgency’

After a long time India has a prime minister who has proven through both his words and actions...

How To Spot An Intellectually Toxic Person

We’ve all come across people who love to show off how much more they know than others.

6 Silver Linings Of Making An Error

Errors are never looked at in a positive light. Since childhood, we are taught to aim for perfection and avoid mistakes...

How To Not Serve Your Customers Deep-Fried Lizards

Recently, a pregnant woman found a fried lizard amidst her fries in a McDonald's outlet in Kolkata.

5 Business Process Lessons From The Oscars Goof-Up

I had written sometime back that 2016 was a year of the unexpected.

Three strategies that any small business can use to innovate

Innovation is the bedrock of all businesses. As is rightly said, if a business does not innovate,

7 Reasons Why People Around You Could Be Phubbing

Technology has quietly changed our lives, both for good and bad.

Is This A Lost Decade For Business Quality In India?

Quality has been a key pillar for enhancing India's competitiveness.

How small business owners can make their customers raving fans

All small businesses have an aspiration that their product or service should be so good that customers become raving fans.

5 Management Lessons From The Samajwadi Party Imbroglio

The recent developments in the Samajwadi Party are much like a Bollywood pot-boiler,

‘Quality’, the biggest differentiator for your business: Why SMEs should take note

Irrespective of the type of an enterprise, quality is an anchor that gives credibility to a business.

4 Lessons On Survival From 2016

The year 2016 was rather unlike the last few that preceded it,

5 Lessons For The C-Suite From The Wells Fargo Banking Scandal

Wells Fargo had been a darling of sorts in the financial services world.

4 Reasons Why Politicians Are So Liberal With Lies

We regularly come across politicians who lie or twist the truth. They lie on TV panels, they lie during rallies,

4 Lessons In Change Leadership From Modi’s ‘Surgical Strike’ On Black Money

The recent surgical strike on black money is truly a bold move. Not surprising, industry doyens,

You’re Wrong If You Think Donald Trump Is ‘Authentic’

Before the US elections many writers talked about the "authenticity" of Donald Trump.

7 Reasons Why Donald Trump And Narendra Modi Should Not Be Compared

There have been reports in the media highlighting how Donald Trump and Narendra Modi have similar traits,

3 Leadership Lessons From Tata’s Boardroom Coup Against Cyrus Mistry

Anyone who reads/watches the news is aware of how Cyrus Mistry was made to resign by the board as chairman of Tata Sons.

4 Reasons Why The Tata Sons ‘Crisis’ Will Blow Over Soon—And Even Win Praise

So much is being written about the latest saga at Tata Sons-the unceremonious firing of chairman Cyrus Pallonji Mistry

4 Communication Lessons From Hillary Clinton In The First US Presidential Debate

The first presidential debate on 26 September was widely watched all over the world,

3 Aspects Of Workplace Culture That CEOs Should Make Their Business

While a CEO must focus on the hard stuff, there are a few "soft" things which they should never take off their radar.

The One Value That All CEOs Need To Enshrine In Their Organization

While it's true that corporate values are determined by the organizational aspiration,

Do You Feel Incompetent And Shaky At Work? You May Have A Toxic Boss

The self-centredness and obnoxiousness of a toxic leader have an adverse impact on everyone at work.

3 Fatal Traps That Can Trip Up The Best Leadership Teams

Are you a part of a leadership team where meetings and discussions are always smooth?

4 Communication Lessons That Business Leaders Can Take From Donald Trump

While some critics say Donald Trump is "incoherent" his message is certainly getting across to large numbers of people.

5 Deadly Habits Of Bosses That Kill The Trust Of Employees

As a boss and a leader, never take the trust of your teams for granted.

7 Reasons Why Leaders Shed Tears in Public

Two decades or so ago, there was an unsaid rule about showing emotions in public: don't do it.

4 Things That Every CEO Should Learn From KV Kamath

My impressions of KV Kamath are from my stint at ICICI Bank from 2002 to 2010.

3 Lessons On Change Management From The Stories Of Alan Kurdi, Alexis Tsipras And COP21

The past year was filled with stories and insights on passion, persistence, perseverance,

3 Leadership Lessons From Modi’s Surprise Visit To Lahore

Whether or not Modi's visit will thaw the relationship between two nations or not,

5 Takeaways Lean Leaders can Pick Up from India’s dynamic Prime Minister, Narendra Modi– PT II

In the second instalment of a two-part article, Debashis Sarkar, author

5 Takeaways Lean Leaders can Pick Up from India’s Dynamic Prime Minister – Narendra Modi – PT I

Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister of India, has just completed his first year in office on May 26th, 2015.

15 Types of Process Excellence Professionals

Process excellence professionals come in a variety of shapes and sizes,

5 things process excellence professionals can learn from nurses

In honour of the recent World Nursing Day, Debashis Sarkar looks at five things process excellence professionals can learn from nurses.

Taking over as Process Excellence leader? Ten things you must do in the first 90 days

What you learn about your company in the first couple of months as Process Excellence leader

The Eight Habits of Effective Process Excellence Leaders

A lot is written about process excellence, writes columnist Debashis Sarkar,

13 Essentials of Coaching for Process Improvement

As organizations embark on their process improvement journey,

Seven Signs Your Process Improvement Initiative Is Failing

Many companies start the process excellence journey with a bang, says Debashis Sarkar,

Enablers for a Successful Lean Transformation

When you decide to embark on a Lean transformation, you must make sure that the right enablers of a successful deployment

Dear Lean practitioner, remember you don’t know all

Lean agents making the transition to service industries should speak softly and carry a list of questions.

How to lose friends and alienate staff – a lean sponsor’s guide

What happens when management is not properly equipped to undertake a Lean Transformation?

Make Your Organization More Customer-Centric with the Kano Model

Looking at products and processes from a consumer’s point of view is critical for building a successful business.

The ABC’s of A3 Performance Improvement

Having introduced the basics of A3 problem solving over my last two columns,

The Seven A3 Problem Solving Steps in Detail

As I introduced A3 problem solving in my last column,

Despite the Recalls, Service Businesses Can Still Benefit from Adopting Toyota Practices

A lot has being written about Toyota and its ability to wade through the current crisis.

15 Ways to Tell if You’re a Process Centric Company

Does your company leadership treat processes as strategic assets? If not,

Challenges of Service Lean Implementation

Lean implementation can be quite challenging in a service organization.

Lean Services: Asia’s Preeminent Deployment Leader Gives Global Insights on Lean Six Sigma for Services

While Lean has been an effective process improvement method for the manufacturing industry,

The philosophy behind his writing and his books is to share his experiences and learning

Dubai