R Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director, Tata Sons Limited, receives the prestigious Bombay Management Association’s `Management Man Of The Year Award’ today. Here, he tells Martin D’Souza that being talented alone is not enough…

Cannot miss the obvious one, even though it has been asked a thousand times. How does it feel to win this prestigious Award?
Great. But I am not a guy who yearns for Awards. So it is a perfect solution to a problem I never had!

Obviously, there is a lot of hard work involved in managing the affairs of a big firm, how do you strike a balance between home and work. Are you able to say, `work is work’ and time at home is for family or does your work schedule also eat into your family time?
I have not faced a problem in such balancing. I do what I enjoy and enjoy what I do, whether at work or at home. So I am a fortunate guy, I reckon.

What’s the secret of being a successful team manager?
I cannot pontificate about how to be a successful team manager. I recall the words of Gen. Omar Bradley about the wellsprings of humility being in the field. For a business, it is our customers, salesmen, factories and so on. Those are the “colleges” where I have learnt about management.

What would your advice be to someone junior who you see has potential to grow within the company?
My advice to youngsters would be to spend the first 10 years of the career in “real” work, in the mayhem of factory operations, of selling to customers, of trial balances and book- keeping.

How do you spot talent within the company?
I spot talent by the reaction of their peers. If peers look up to a person, even if grudgingly, it is a good sign. Talented people also come through as “unstoppable”.

Do you think we in India reward those who need to be rewarded. I mean, in the West, talent is rewarded and one does reach places. But in India, sometimes being talented alone is not enough.
No reward system is perfect, whether in India or the West. It is a part of the quest of management to improve reward systems but everybody is far away from the ideal. You know why? Because the ideal does not exist! Being talented alone is not enough, I agree. You also need God’s grace (some people call it luck)!

How do you unwind from the stress of office work?
I am fond of sports, writing and reading.

Your favourite holiday destination in India and abroad?
I have only one favourite holiday destination—Coonoor in the Nilgiris.

What’s the secret of your success?
God’s Grace.

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