R. Gopalakrishnan (or Gopal) has spent 46 years in Business Management. For the first 31 years he worked for Unilever, rising to Vice Chairman in 1996. In 1998 he joined Tata Sons as a director and latterly became a non-executive director as well as Vice Chair or Chair of several publicly-listed Tata companies. He is also an independent director of Akzo Nobel India and Castrol India.
Masterclass overview
A career in business management is like a journey: from being a ‘doer of things’ to becoming a ‘manager of people’, from a ‘manager of people’ to a ‘leader of ideas’, and finally, from a ‘leader of ideas’ to a ‘shaper of institutions’. This journey asks us to transit from dealing with the ‘known problem–known solution’ arena to the ‘unknown problem–unknown solution’ arena. Sharing the story of his own journey and of those he worked with side-by-side at Unilever and Tata, in this masterclass ‘Gopal’ will take a unique deep dive into the leader’s journey that resonates both with experienced top managers and those just starting out.
Value and expected outcomes
- The act of thinking about individual issues will trigger the desire to learn more and develop an individual plan of action. Tools for this will be provided during the program.
- This masterclass develops leadership potential and helps form a personal leadership style for every participant
- Attendees gain a motivational boost, inspiration for personal growth and insights to perfect their leadership and team management skills
What is covered?
- This masterclass covers concepts such as the ‘Bonsai Manager’, the ‘Clementine Mirror’ and the ‘ImOpCoRe cycle’
- During the first session, through presentation and interaction, Gopal recounts the characteristics of ‘the journey’ and highlights the importance of purpose, self-awareness and human relationships
- During the second session, Gopal will touch upon a paradox: why smart people end up doing stupid things
Gopal is guiding the group through some of the crucial questions one confronts on the journey from manager to transformer:
- Am I really doing what I enjoy doing? What is my ‘purpose’?
- How can I better learn lessons that are inherently diffcult to teach?
- How can I learn by reflecting on my experiences?
- Do I have faults that may affect the progress of my career?
The workshop is reflective and inspirational rather than instructional and uses lots of examples, lessons learned from personal experience and motivational stories from different parts of the world.
