KRC Times interacted with Sabyasachi Dutta, Managing Director – Vidatec India. He is heading the Indian operation of a Scotland HQ company – Vidatec. Armed with wide experience in various leadership roles spanning more than two decades, Sabyasachi has successfully led diverse Indian and global organizations multi-million dollar businesses in the past.

A National Merit Scholar, Sabyasachi is BE & MBA and has been honoured as a Distinguished Alumnus of his institute. Subsequently, he has done short term certificate courses on Leadership from VGSoM at IIT-Kharagpur and on Strategic Management from IIM-B.

Sabyasachi also has rich international exposure having worked/travelled extensively across geographies and understands the intense business demands of today’s globally connected economies.

Biswadeep Gupta, Editor KRC times interacted with Sabyasachi Dutta. Here are the excerpts of the online interaction:

Biswadeep Gupta (BG): Can you please take us through your background and your evolution as a thought leader, please?

Sabyasachi Dutta (SD): I come from the progressive and aspirational family background. A typical middle-class upbringing with very high moral values. Professionally I have risen through the ranks and not parachuted. So, I understand the importance of really hard work and not chicanery. You see, using unethical means or short-cuts can serve your purpose momentarily but won’t ever help you in the long run.

A die-hard optimist, I am fun to work with and a very easy going person. Though tough taskmaster and result-oriented but one who literally practices –Work hard, Play harder.  

I have always set high standards – on deliverables and expectations, one who takes ownership and is courageous enough to say ‘The Buck stops with me.’

I follow and agree with what former American President John Quincy Adams once said: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

BG:  We all know there are always ups & downs in life. How do you manage yourself and keep on going with the highs and lows?

SD: Life is usually full of challenges and I believe no two days are the same. Every day presents itself with opportunities but shrouded under challenges. Some get deterred, throw in the towel and retreats but many overcome those challenges to succeed. Your job shouldn’t become a chore, it should be something that adds zest to your life so that you should routinely feel energetic every morning. The gratification of overcoming obstacles – both tangible & intangible ones – has always been a great motivator.

I have always been a self-driven man. All the opportunities that came my way to lead projects/organizations from ideation through launch to successful fruition have given me an indescribable adrenaline rush. The joy and satisfaction were immense to see them take shape as envisaged.

BG: “Success doesn’t come easy.” In your opinion what are the keys to success?

SD: I strongly believe in 4 Ds that contribute hugely to achieve success in one’s chosen vocation. These are:

Desire – there has to be an extremely strong wish to succeed.

Discipline – to achieve goals and not go off-track.

Dedication – sharp focus and sincerity.

Determination – steely resolve, not to be deterred by hurdles.

Success neither happens by accident nor stays permanent. It demands a lot of sweat, sacrifice, collaboration, perseverance and a bit of luck – all contribute to different junctures of life journey in achieving that.

BG: How would you describe your Leadership Style?

SD: Going by Kurt Lewin’s 3-Style Leadership model, I am definitely a Participative kind of leader. One who believes in taking people along to excel. Strong-willed but not arrogant. I keep myself rooted to ground realities and welcome contrarian thoughts so as to enrich the overall decision-making process.

A keen motivator with excellent people management skills I believe you become a successful leader by helping others succeed. You cannot stay aloof, work in isolation and think of yourself as a ‘leader’.

In summary, Leadership emanates not from a position or title but from your exemplified actions.

BG: 2020  has been a catastrophic year yet what positives do you see coming out of the pandemic?

SD: Initial lockdown days appeared to be Abnormal that gave way to New Normal as we adjusted to living life in an altogether different way amidst the Covid19 scare.

The pandemic has forced the rapid digitisation of the business world. People are a lot dependent on the digital ecosystem now. Many who were apprehensive about e-commerce or online business models have been made to jump in now. As we see, various forms of digital technologies are playing a crucial role by enabling remote working, automating processes or facilitating contactless transactions that have ushered in new ways for businesses to grow and be more productive.

Talking more about ‘Digitalizing’ – it seems surreal that these days we are having ‘Digital Onboarding’ – 1^st day at work – happening online. ‘Virtual / Augmented Reality is helping with University convocations. I mean, see what IIT Mumbai came up with!! A digital convocation with professors and passing out students in their digital avatars interacting!! And in fact, it was so good that it drew applause even from the PM.

I believe an area that has hugely benefitted due to rapid digitalization is the Education Sector – look how it has undergone massive change and mostly need-driven. Students, Teachers, Administrators – all have happily adopted the changed environment. As they say “Necessity is the mother of invention” and that’s so well captured by the Education Sector in India. All these are positives that have come out of this pandemic.

BG: How have you managed deadline stress or prioritized multiple deadlines?

SD: I have always believed in and maintained a To-Do list. Help keep you focussed, stay on track and yes, takes away the excuses for missing deadlines. It assists you not just to meet expectations but surpassing them often before deadlines. By the end of the day, a sense of achievement seeps in if you successfully tick off most from such a list prepared beforehand.

Remember, gargantuan targets have been successfully aced by breaking them into smaller bits with an aim to scale them daily.

BG: As a leader, how do you deal with conflicts within your team?

SD: For me who believes in collaborative leadership that aims to bring leaders and staff to come out of silos, team members are very important and discords within the team are par for the course. Believe in sorting issues amicably behind closed doors. Praise publicly but admonish privately. There’s hardly any issue that cannot be addressed if you are flexible and willing to listen. Have seen people ignored or kept issues unattended that often later snowballed into massive unmanageable disasters. Try to nip problems in the bud.

I always keep myself available for my team as I attach high importance to them, their success and their concerns. Remember, “No one is always busy, it just depends on what number you are on their Priority list. You will always find time for things you deem important.”

Every piece needs to fit in perfectly to complete a jigsaw wholly as each one depends on the other.

BG: How often do you use social media? What do you use it for?

SD: I am not much of a social media person, never felt the need to show off my new watch or scream about the last vacay. Have just a couple of accounts on LinkedIn and Twitter. Use them to browse interesting perspectives and keep abreast with happenings around my areas of interest.

However, I do spend a lot of time online now as Covid19 has forced us to stay indoors. Found many new sources to enhance knowledge and discovered multiple vignettes of wisdom.

BG: If you could, what one piece of advice would you give to your 20 years younger self?

SD: I used to be so naïve when I began my career but learnt things the hard way. Trusted almost everybody, got deceived and learned that you need to judge before trusting.

I have also become less impulsive – got rid of the urge to make a decision immediately and become multi-lingual perhaps aided by multiple global assignments I undertook during my corporate journey. 

Comparatively, I see today’s generation as savvier and finely equipped to handle difficult situations.

BG: We would love to know your advice for many future leaders reading this interview?

SD:  Leonardo da Vinci said “Wisdom is the daughter of Experience” ……and through my 20+ years of corporate experience have gathered multiple nuggets of wisdom – at times bitter, at times sweet – all contributing to making the person I am.

I love sharing my life learnings with people around me so that they serve as guidance, where not to err. A few of them are:

Be courageous and persevere. Remember courage need not always roar. It is that unique stern voice that says if I didn’t achieve the desired result today, I will strive and get it tomorrow.

Align personal ambitions and growth aspirations with that of the organization’s goals. When the organization grows so will you. The unified organization success story is a cumulative reflection of numerous personal success stories.

One should always be true to oneself. Be authentic. Have compassion/empathy for peers, superiors and subordinates. Be grateful and never lose humility.

BG: Thank you Sabyasachi for speaking to KRC Times.

SD: It is always a pleasure Biswadeep. Stay safe and I wish all your readers a great year ahead!