MANAGEMENT MANTRA

“Deliver Experience & Not Product”: RAJESH KHOSLA, President & CEO, AGI Glaspac

Rajesh K Khosla is extremely passionate about his work. The president and CEO of AGI Glaspac, a part of the Packaging Products Division (PPD) of Hindustan Sanitaryware and Industries (HSIL) – the makers of the iconic Hindware brand – has been driven by passion throughout his career. And it is this passion that has enabled both Mr Khosla and his company to soar high.

Mr Khosla brings to the table his rich experience for business development that reflects in his stellar work ethic. Focusing on practical implementation, his end-to-end approach towards business growth has entailed employees’ development, financial analysis and debottlenecking of operations quite efficiently. Mr Khosla’s ability to create convergence between innovation and creativity has helped HSIL’s PPD business to scale newer heights.

Mr Khosla’s ability to induce relevant micro-cultures within departments and align their operations accordingly has catalysed overall business efficiency for the container glass business of HSIL. He also has rich experience of joint ventures, Anti-Dumping Duty norms and market development, among others.

In an engaging conversation with Sharmila Chand, Mr Khosla talks about his management principles and practices that have helped his career scale new heights.

Your five management mantras

1. Nothing is permanent.

2. Temporary problem, temporary solution; permanent problem, permanent solution

3. Deliver the experience not the product

4. Simple and transparent internal environment and complex external environment  

5. Cultivate learning culture.


Any game that helps your career

I love playing Chess and 2048, as they help improve planning skills and train the mind to stay focused.


What is the secret of your success?

My secret for success is three Ds – dedication, discipline and detailing.


What is your philosophy of work?

My philosophy when it comes to work has been to strive to do the best each day, never procrastinate and always approach any challenge with an open mind. This mentality has certainly helped me work my way through many challenges over the years.


Any person you admire who has inspired you

Mother Teresa – she is a great role model due to her achievements around impacting and improving the lives of people in need during her entire lifetime. Mother Teresa is a deserving hero because of her selfless acts, dedication and compassion towards the society. I believe that she spent her life full of love, support and respect around her.


Is there any interesting episode that you wish to share about food-related interest?

Hyderabadi Biryani is famous worldwide, and I have gained a good hand over cooking it during the lockdown period.


Do you have any fitness regime? How do you keep yourself fit?

I take up early morning jog or brisk walk for 60 minutes. I often practise Yoga and skip the running bit those days.

Your mantras for success in business

My business mantras for success are:

*Macro and micro: You still walk back for a large-scale view in a macro-view. You do not know how things are achieved, so instead you try to find out how your business operates in key fields that impact success or failure. For instance, a macro-viewpoint may inform you that you have decreased your profit margin over the past six months, but then a micro-view will tell you why this happened when you look closely at your sales and marketing operations. Improve productivity, and improve the efficiency of the team and daily contact with the team.

*In comparison, the tiny details that provide the answers to the big picture will still concentrate on a micro-view. In a micro-perspective, specifics are important, and this perspective is characterised by the ability to quantify output using metrics. A macro-perspective will tell you where your business is, and a micro-perspective will tell you why this is your business. You must strive to use both the viewpoints to achieve genuine success.

*Plan v/s actual: To put it simply, plan versus actual is just the active review and adjustment of financial forecasts or sales target based on your real-world results. During this process, you will also be reviewing your actions during that period to better contextualise your results.

*Strategic brainstorming: We always try to design and obtain the maximum number of ideas relating to a specific area of interest. This is an old school, but an important technique, to generate new ideas and solutions constantly to keep an organisation ahead in the market.

*One company, one mission: It is no longer the case where big eats small. Now, is the time when the fast eat the ones who are slow. As a unified company with a common mission, we will make multi-channel supporter engagement a reality, that too rapidly.

*Decision-making: It is very important to make the right decision at the right time for achieving goals and objectives of an organisation.

 

What message you would like to convey to youngsters?

I believe that one must follow a burning idea or inspiration that you are passionate about, and that is the secret. Also, there are no shortcuts to hard work. Even smartness at the perfect level is achieved with experiences, and experience comes from working on something passionately.

It probably has been the secret of my career because I was passionate about what I did. One does not need to be reckless, but one needs to take risks as well. Do not be afraid to take a calculated risk. It is a part of a person’s development. If it works out, it is great, but if it does not, you will learn what specific mistake you can avoid in achieving your mission. At times, it is important to know what you don’t want to do than what you want to do. I would like the youngsters and budding entrepreneurs to concentrate on innovation and harness all the resources available to help them and focus on the target and even beyond.


What is your favourite book, and why is it so?

It certainly has to be Rich Dad Poor Dad, as its talks about the dynamics of money.

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