'You Must Lead By Example'

Courage is the topmost trait of leadership, which means you refuse to back down, come what may.

Around 30 years ago, Naik and his colleagues were in Mumbai’s Powai workshop, working late one night as there was a problem with the machinery. After some anxious moments, they finally left the workshop at 2 a.m. The next day, at exactly 8.20 a.m., Naik was standing outside the company office’s punch card machine and asking the workers why they were late. They said: We left at two in the morning! Naik replied, “Coming to work on time is your duty. Going back home after duty hours is your pleasure.”

You can excel in leadership only if you are a role model. You must lead by example.

My mantra for work is very simple. It is passion, commitment and devotion. This cannot come from outside. It has to come from deep within you – only then will it be sustainable for months that will become years and years that will become decades, and decades that will become – who knows – half a century!