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Dhirubhai Ambani
Dhirubhai Ambani
In 1948, J.R.D. went on to start Air-India International. Within ten years he was president of
Inter-national Air Transport Association (IATA). Though the airline was nationalized in 1953, he
remained at the helm of Air India till 1978, making it one of the most efficient airlines in the
world.
In 1938, at the age of thirty-four, he became the chairman of the largest industrial group in
India, which he led with distinction for fifty-two years.
When I asked him why he was appointed at such a young age as chairman of Tata Sons,
when senior, more distinguished men like Sir Homi Mody and Sir Ardeshir Dalal were on the
board, he shrugged it off and said, 'It was an aberration.' When pressed for a reply, he said,
'Perhaps, because I was hard working.'
With his limitation of formal education, how did he discharge his res-ponsibilities? 'Because of
a lack of technical know-ledge, my main contribution in management was to encourage others.'
He elaborated on how he dealt with each man in his own way and brought out the best in
people. 'At times, it involved suppressing yourself. It is painful but necessary... To lead men, you
have to lead them with affection.'
With more than sixty years of experience in top management, he developed his own
philosophy and method where leadership was concerned. 'One of the qualities of leadership is to
assess what is needed to get the best results for an enterprise. If that demands being a very
active executive chairman, as I was in Air-India, I did that. On the other hand, in one of our
other companies where I know that the managing director likes to be alone and will get the
results that way, I argue with myself and decide that it will be stupid for me to come in the way
when the other person has a capacity for focusing his genius and producing the results. Often a
chairman's main responsibility is to inspire respect.' And then he added, 'Don't forget, I like
people.'
Every interview with him was an exhilarating experience, Each time I learnt something. I once
mentioned to him, 'Of course, Sir, you believe in excellence.' He retorted sharply, 'Not excellence.
Perfection. You aim for perfection, you will attain excellence. If you aim for excellence, you will
go lower.'