Outstanding Mr.

Business Dhirubhai

leaders Ambani

in

Asia:(1932-2002):-

Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani (1932- 2002) was an exceptional human being and an outstanding leader. He was man far ahead of his times; he had a great entrepreneurial spirit. He dared to dream on a scale unimaginable before, in Indian industry. His life and achievements prove that, backed by confidence, courage and conviction, man can achieve the impossible. His life journey is reminiscent of the rags to riches story. From a humble beginning, he went on to create an enviable business empire within a span of just 25 years. Reliance Group is a living testimony to his will power, single-minded dedication and an unrelenting commitment to his goals. Under Dhirubhai Ambanis visionary leadership, the Reliance Group emerged as the largest business conglomerate in India, and carved out a distinct place for itself in the global corporate giants. The Group's track record of consistent growth is unparalleled in Indian industry and perhaps internationally too. Today, the Group's turnover represents nearly 3 percent of India's GDP. Shri Dhirubhai Ambani was not just firmly rooted in traditional Indian values, but was also a modern man. This was reflected in his passion for mega-sized projects, the most advanced technology and the highest level of productivity.

Dhirubhai Ambani is remembered for shaping India's equity culture, attracting millions of retail investors in a market which were dominated by financial institutions in the 1980s. He revolutionised capital markets in India. From nothing, he generated billions of rupees in wealth for those who invested in his companies. With innovative instruments like the convertible debenture, Reliance quickly became a favourite of the stock market in the 1980s. Indian Heroes

His corporate philosophy was short, simple - "Think big. Think differently. Think fast. Think ahead. Aim for the best". He inspired the Reliance team to do better than the best - not only in India but in the world. Prestigious awards and titles were awarded to him by national and international organisations. He was acclaimed as the top businessman of the twentieth century and lauded for his dynamic, Mr. pioneering Dhirubhai Ambani and a innovative brief genius. History:

He was born on 28th December 1932 at Chorwad, in Gujrat, India. He was born into a poor family and his father was a teacher in a school. He is said to have started his entrepreneurial career by selling "pakora (Indian fast food snack)" to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the weekends.

When he was 16 years old, he moved to Aden, Yemen. He worked as a dispatch clerk with A. Besse & Co. Two years later A. Besse & Co. became the distributors for Shell products and Dhirubhai was promoted to manage the companys oil-filling station at the port of Aden.

Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani returned to India in 1958 and started the Reliance Commercial Corporation with a capital of Rs. 15,000.00. The primary business of Reliance Commercial Corporation was to import polyester yarn and export spices. This company is now Reliance Industries Limited and is India's largest private sector company on fortune 500 list with a turnover of US $28 billion and profit of US $2.033 billion for the fiscal year ending in March 2006. Reliance Industries Limited has a wide range of products from petroleum products, petrochemicals, to garments (under the brand name of Vimal).

Leadership Leadership

Lessons as

from an

Mr.

Dhirubhai Art

Ambani:-

Mr. Dhirubhai never took leadership lessons in school or college, nor did he learn any leadership skills. He was not an MBA. He developed his own style. Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani never followed the textbook style of management. Instead, he evolved a unique

style, which combined the American style of entrepreneurship, with the Japanese focus on the latest technology. And to this, he added the innate shrewdness of a Gujarati businessman. He learnt leadership from practice and hands on experience, as well interpersonal He was a exploration Charismatic and and Transformational development. Leader:-

His approach to business was very different. His moves made people write new theory in the Indian stock exchange. He came up with the innovative idea of converting the debentures of the company into equity shares. By doing this he converted all his liabilities. The share prices of his company went up and investors made money through him.

He is the person who influenced 1000s of people to invest in the share market , his seed has grown up to 3 million people, Reliance is the company having the highest number of share holders in the world. Source BBC NEWS. He was able to convince people of rural Gujarat that being shareholders of his company will only bring returns to their investment. Reliance Industries holds the distinction that- it is the only Public Limited Company whose several Annual General Meetings were held in stadiums.--Source BBC News. He Few Roll up believed in new technology, innovative from your sleeves products, and his and new ways to manage people and style (Team get things done. are:player):-

lessons

leadership help

According to Ambani he and his team share the same DNA. Reliance, during the time of Vimal's (Reliance Textile- was known as the brand Vimal) initial days had organized a fashion show at the Convention Hall, at Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi. Every seat in the hall was occupied, and there were an equal number of impatient guests outside the hall, waiting to be seated. The management was trying hard to handle the confusion, chaos and protests, when to everyones amazement and relief; Dhirubhai Ambani went to the door trying to pacify the guests. Dhirubhai at that time was already a name to reckon with and a VIP himself, but that did not stop him from rolling up his sleeves and diving in to rescue a situation that had gone out of control.

Most leaders in his place would have gone home in their expensive cars and would have delegated this task to their managers. Not Dhirubhai Ambani. When things went wrong, he was the first person to sense that the circumstances would have been beyond his team's control, and not being a slip on their part. He trusted his teams capabilities. His first instinct was always to join his men in putting Be a out safety the net fire for and your not team (He crucifying empowered them his for it.

managers):-

There was a time when Reliance agency Mudra was the target of some vicious propaganda by few managers in the top management, when on an almost daily basis business ethics were put on trial. The managers, who followed business ethics, never raised this subject during any of their meetings with Dhirubhai because they were hesitant to raise this issue.

But one day, he gently asked one of the managers if he needed any help in combating it. That did it. That was all the help that the manager needed in combating corruption. Overwhelmed by his concern and compassion and the knowledge that he knew and cared for what they were going through, and that he was there for them and for the right cause, worked wonders for their confidence. Managers went back fully armed to face whatever came their way. By letting them know that he was always aware of it and that he was Be on a right side through benefactor it all, (He this gave was them humble, courage, they never generous thought, and they had. kind):-

silent

caring,

This was one of his remarkable traits. When Dhirubhai Ambani helped someone, he never uttered a word about it to anyone else. There are many employees and managers who have come across his kindness and generosity, yet he never went around broadcasting it.

He never used charity as a platform to gain publicity. Sometimes, he would donate money without even letting the recipient know who Dream the donor with was. open Such eyes was the (His extent visions of his were generosity. real):-

He is a living proof that whoever dreams big and has the courage to fulfil it, than nothing is impossible. Whenever people working under him or with him tried to point out that a task seemed too big to be accomplished, he would say: No is no answer! He not only Whenever proves dreamt things big, seemed difficult, he he taught used to us say "It's to difficult do but not so too. impossible!" that.

He dreamt big, but he was able to distinguish between perception and reality and his favourite phrase "dream with your eyes open"

He would never let preset norms, laws or policies govern his vision. He worked hard, night and day familiarizing himself with every element that constituted his dreams. He studied every thorn that came his way and between his visions, and made sure it was eradicated. This is how, as he puts it, even though he dreamed, none of his dreams turned into nightmares. And he achieved one dream His arm around the after shoulder (His motivation another. technique):-

This is Dhirubhai Ambanis very own signature style. Whenever he had time to speak to employee of the company in person, or if it was a conversation for a short walk till up to his car, he would instantly put his arm around the persons shoulder and proceed to discuss the issues at hand as they walked. With this simple gesture, he managed to achieve many things. He would put the person at ease instantaneously. He will make them feel equal, someone who was loved and important enough to be close to him. And employees would walk away from that meeting feeling good about themselves and the work that they were doing, and highly motivated. He was always encouraging people to share their thoughts and ideas. Yes, this was one of the things that was uniquely Dhirubhai his warm arm around the shoulder of the employees did much more than words in letting every employee know that he belonged to the Always company, stay that ahead he had of trust times in him. (Foresight):-

Mr. Ambani was not an economist. He was born poor, was from a conservative society of India. But his ideas were modern. At a time in 1970s and 80s other industrialist in India would invest in capacities only after a careful study of market, he had the vision, courage and risk to invest in gigantic plants and manufacturing units that would supply more than the required demand. The initial capacity of Reliance textile plant was 10,000 tonnes of Polyester Fibre way back in 1980, while the market in India for it was only about 6,000 tonnes. He had the ability and the foresight to judge the scenarios. The result was that the market blossomed to absorb supply, the consumer gained due to reduced prices and they demanded more. Soon Dhirubhai started exporting Polyester yarn to the U.S. He had an uncanny knack of knowing exactly how the market is going to behave and stayed ahead of times. Believe in being the best, success and money will follow (He believed in Quality):-

This was his belief and Dhirubhai lived by it. For instance, when he was setting up Reliance Textile he briefed the marketing head clearly: Produce the best textile advertising in the country. He did not breathe a word about profits, nor about cost of such advertising. Great advertising was his goal. He did not dream of making profits as the end result of advertising. His instruction and goal were simple, produce the best advertisement the country has ever seen. So work toward a goal and dont worry about the by product or the end-result. Success in attaining that goal will eventually bring in cash. If we work towards creating a name for our self and earning a good reputation, then money/profit will be the end result. People will pay our product or service if it is good. Risk Taker (He was decisive, courageous and non conformist):-

He was known for his risk taking ability. Normally, in management we say Never put all the eggs in one basket. However, he had so much belief in his ability and decisions that he invested his entire earning to purchase huge stock of Polyester Yarn when he started his new business. Everyone around him advised him that it was wrong decision to invest so much money in Polyester; however he was stubborn and knew what he was doing. This decision made him a billionaire today. Great leaders take risk and they believe in their ability.