Learning, Unlearning & Relearning Are Fundamental To Leadership: CK Ranganathan, AIMA President & Cavinkare Chairman

Staring his journey with a mere investment of Rs 15,000, CK Ranganathan renamed Chik India in 1998, to what we fondly know as CavinKare today. With the company pioneering the concept of 'Unisex Salons' in India, it also stands tall as one of the leading manufacturers of various personal care products. 

Ranganathan is currently the President of All India Management Association for the year 2021/22 and President of TiE – Chennai Chapter. He is also one of the founder-members of the Ability Foundation – an NGO working towards the rehabilitation of the disabled. 

In a quick confab, Ranganathan spells out how his leadership style has ensured better efficiency and helped him achieve his key goals in all these years.

Excerpts:

Q. How do you describe your leadership style?

My leadership is inclusive, open, transparent and participative. I ensure that I am easily approachable and I pick up ideas from anywhere.

Q. How do you look at relearning leadership for the changing world?

Continuous learning, unlearning and relearning are fundamental to leadership in a fast-changing world. There is no time to rest on your laurels. I prioritise agility, nimbleness and adaptability. One has to become comfortable with the VUCA world.

Q. How do you handle disagreements on your team?

Disagreements are healthy. Disagreements can be solved by discussing the issue in-depth, going to the root of the issue, tabling it transparently, having an open mind, and accepting a new angle. If both parties have this mindset, all disagreements can be resolved.

Q. How do you motivate your team?

One of the best ways to motivate one's team is to teach them how to fish rather than feeding them fish every day. Another important way is to visualise the future along with them. The key is to co-evolve and co-dream with them. If a leader merely says that they are doing fine, they would not look higher. But, if one tells them what more can be done and build a new idea, a new dream, they are motivated. Visualisation of the future together with them is the key to getting them excited.

Q. How do you lead through change?

By leading from the front. One has to be willing to dirty one's hands, help colleagues and share their pain. I am willing to adapt and change courses when I have new information.

Q. How is AIMA helping leaders and senior professionals prepare better for the new normal?

Preparing business leaders and senior professionals for the next is a core activity of AIMA and the organisation routinely undertakes new initiatives to help them deal with the constantly changing normal. For example, during the lockdown and through the pandemic, AIMA offered specific business advice for the extraordinary situation through its BusinessUnusual programmes. To inform on and explain the developing complexity in business models, technology, regulation and geopolitics, AIMA has been holding nearly weekly sessions with current and former CEOs, ministers, bureaucrats, scientists, technologists and social leaders in its LeaderSpeak series. AIMA routinely takes business leaders and senior professionals on visits to the Silicon Valley in the US, and it has also arranged visits to other global innovation hotspots in Israel and China. AIMA also holds thematic retreats for business and function heads to educate them about the upcoming management issues and the latest strategies, tools and skills.

AIMA's newest initiatives in this area include setting up forums for senior leaders to facilitate peer learning at the top. 

Q. Any advice for the young achievers aiming to make it big in their respective sectors?

It is important for the youngsters to invest in themselves every day by doing the following: by acquiring knowledge in the relevant field, by inculcating the right habits for winning, by finding time for thinking and imagining career and business every day, and by learning to imagine and visualise the future. Of course, hard work must go with all this.