Value-Based Leadership: Nestle India CMD on Corporate India

New Delhi, May 16 (PTI) There is a dearth of good leadership, and corporate India should develop a body of leaders, encourage people who can handle crises with ethics and empathy, Nestle India Chairman Suresh Narayanan said on Friday.

Now people are ascribing everything to themselves, and the workplace is getting "pretty corrosive", said Narayanan, suggesting the leadership should engage with employees empathetically and build a culture of trust and support, even in challenging times.

A good leader should prioritise the well-being of the entire organisation and its employees over personal career concerns, he said while speaking at the 2nd edition of the HR and L&D Conclave here.

The outgoing chairman of Nestle India, who steered the FMCG firm in its most challenging times here, said that corporate India should work on the development of leaders who are competent and ethical.

"I think corporate India needs to develop a body of leaders, or at least encourage leadership with ethics and empathy, rather than leadership purely based on financial performance," said Narayanan.

Besides, he also suggested that investors in companies or businesses "need to look at sustainable leadership of an organisation as one of the matrix of determining the worth of the organisation, rather than earnings per share and return on invested capital alone".

According to Narayanan, a leader in an organisation should be judged on three characteristics.


"One is the ability to understand and forge a path ahead for the organisation under the circumstances. Number two is to live with the purpose and values of both himself or herself and the organisation. And number three is to unleash and orchestrate the power of people," he said.

Narayanan further added that the essentials of leadership should never change.

He stressed the need for leaders to be confident, selfless, and to prioritise organisational culture over personal success.

Narayanan shared his personal experiences of handling crises for the Swiss FMCG major Nestle SA, in markets like Egypt, the Philippines, and the one related to Maggi in India.

Citing the Maggi crisis which followed reports about presence of lead content in some of the samples of the noodle brand, eroding almost half of the business of Nestle India in 2015, Narayanan said that after taking the leadership role, he chose to externalise himself rather than becoming a "superman" for the organisation.

He preferred to work with the stakeholders for the revival of the company.

Narayanan added that most organisational failures are due to poor leadership rather than flawed strategies, citing issues like self-centeredness, hubris, and governance problems.