Like A Boss: Rama Kirloskar on why nature can be the best inspiration for doing business, and the advantage of 'neural plasticity' when it comes to management style

Note to readers: How ​do corporate India’s leaders manage their businesses? Where do they draw inspiration from?  What is their management style? Like A Boss is a new series of interviews aimed to offer readers lessons from corporate bosses on how they run their companies.

It's not surprising that Rama Kirloskar finds inspiration from nature, instead of a business leader or a company. In fact, going by her qualification, one could mistake her for a scientist. The fifth generation scion of the Kirloskar family holds a double major in Maths and Biology, worked at the Koch Institute at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was involved with a bio-tech start-up, and co-authored a publication that was featured in science journal Cell.

Little wonder that Rama, in a conversation with Moneycontrol, talks about the advantage of neural plasticity when it comes to her management style. For the uninitiated, including this author,  that's the ability of the central nervous system to adapt to changes in the environment.

What time do you like to be at your desk?  

9 am. An early start helps me to review the reports and tasks accomplished by my team. I can share my feedback before they commence work. It also helps me to complete any pending tasks before I am pulled into meetings.

Where is the best place to prepare for leadership: at business school or on the job?

Describe your management style

I think having a management style itself is limiting and implies that one is set in one’s ways. I still consider myself too young to be set in my ways. Life is a journey of learning. I will possibly develop a management style later in life. The world is a very dynamic place and different situations demand different approaches. The advantage of being young is that one has the neural plasticity to adapt to just about any situation.

Are tough decisions best taken by one person or collectively?

Finally, only one person is accountable and responsible for making decisions and only the leader gets the credit or faces the consequences of their decision. But at the same time, its important that discussions involve everyone’s perspective so that it gives the leader a 360-degree view of the issue at hand thereby enabling them to take appropriate action.

Do you want to be liked, feared, or respected?

Frankly, I do not dwell on how I am perceived by other people as long as the job gets done.

What does your support team look like?

My support team has a combination of very young and reasonably older team members who possess diverse skillsets. I like to build teams that are energetic and enthusiastic in addition to being knowledgeable and experienced. I also like to give my team challenges and opportunities to learn and grow in the organization, even if it forces them out of their comfort zone.

A business outside of the industry, or a business leader that you draw inspiration from?

I draw inspiration from nature. I view the natural world as the epitome of perfection as far as efficiency, optimization and sustainable production systems are concerned.

Which management book has influenced you?

I don’t read management books. I mostly read books on science or history! The books that have influenced me the most have been “The fractal geometry of nature” by Benoit Mandelbrot, Chaos by James Gleick, "Campaigns of Alexander" by Arrian, and "The War with Hannibal" by Livy.

Do you socialize with your team outside of work?

No. I socialize with my team during work because work never seems to end!

What would your key management advice be?

I think passion, curiosity, and teamwork together are key to effective management