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Vital Stats:
- Player: Sunil Joshi
- Company: Neotel
- Position: MD and CEO
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Ask yourself
Are you using your time effectively to keep on top of strategy development, maintenance and execution?
On the ability to adapt: If you think your business plan is going to work, think again. Spreadsheets don’t always withstand the test of the real world.
On the value of operational meetings: I have a Monday meeting with my team and we talk about the past week and the priorities for the one ahead.
A detailed monthly business review in which each business unit presents its scorecards and priorities keeps us focused on operations. Sometimes brutal, and sometimes less so, it results in action items.
For a more granular view of operations, I do an alternating, detailed review of half the business units every month.
On never losing sight of strategy:
Monthly strategy meetings give my team the opportunity to focus on the horizon, discuss competitive trends, look at how the landscape is changing, and see what new technologies are making an appearance.
On discipline:
Everyone gets a chance to run a meeting their own way and to be creative about it. I don’t allow people to arrive late, or be distracted by phones – there is a R100 fine system in place to ensure this does not happen. This brings discipline, focus and attention to the meeting, with each person remaining present and being able to make a meaningful contribution.
On structure:
Rigorous structure helps us know what we are aiming for, how much progress has been made and, if things have not gone according to plan, what lessons we have learnt so that we can always improve and become more efficient.
On being direct:
I like to know where I stand, and I like to tell people where they stand. I regularly offer leadership of meetings to other members.
On being an optimist:
Without being ignorant of realities, I believe every problem can be solved, perhaps not to your satisfaction, but at least to the point where you can move on. I do not stand still in the face of a challenge.
On leaders of the future:
What counts is self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, social skills and empathy. As Stephen Covey said, the best you can do is to live, to love, to learn and to leave a legacy.