TiECon Delhi 2008: Nokias Shivakumar offers his leadership and management mantras

Addressing a group of entrepreneurs, he said, Leadership is a complex journey. A leader lives his role every day. Sometimes he fails, but he continues to visualize the future and lead his team forward.

Drawing distinction between roles of various management hierarchies Mr Shivakumar said, Junior manager is supposed to execute the basics of business, while middle manager has a master the basics of business. Senior manager is expected to deal with the complexities and conflicts of the business, such as the growth vs. profit dilemma. However, a leader is supposed to shift the mindset of an organization. Leader is responsible for making the transition of the organization from what is, to what should be. He added, managers should realize what they are expected to do, and excel in their roles. Only then are they poised for future leaps.

When asked what is the most important trait when hiring people, Mr Shivakumar emphatically said, Hire for attitude, and fire for skills. Attitude of a person is the most important trait. She should have a winning attitude that takes the organizations goals forward. No one wants to work with a cynic anyway!

When MBAUniverse.com asked for career advice to MBAs and young professionals, Mr Shivakumar said, Today MBAs have so many opportunities. They can choose for sectors like Banking, Finance, Telecom, Retail, Consulting and so on. When I was at IIM Kolkatta, we had limited options. My advice is simple dont presume that your success at B-school will automatically translate into success at work. In fact, I have seen that one can be very good at academics, but fail miserably at work.

Mr Shivakumar received his B.Tech. in Aerospace Engg. from IIT Madras and an MBA from IIM Kolkata, where he finished at the top of the Marketing Class.

Prior to joining Nokia, Shivakumar was the Senior VP and Executive Director on the Philips India board. He joined Philips in 2003 as Vice President for the Consumer Electronics Division. Prior to Philips, he spent 15 years with Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL), working across a wide range of brands in Oral Care, Beverages, and Hair-Care. Since 2006, Shivakumar has been responsible for growing Nokias mobile phones business in India while providing strategic direction and operational focus.