Manoeuvring the Corporate Ride

Bipul Chandra, Managing Director, Ducati India, considers himself to be a salesperson for life. A result-oriented manager, he expressed his thoughts and guided budding students into the nuances of passion at work, developing the correct techniques in operations and setting up mission statements for a fruitful career landscape

"Setting goals is a key criterion for any manager and is akin to one’s life or corporate journey. It is well understood that one has to specify what is more important to a successful journey, define personal mission statements"

As a bike enthusiast, it is important to know how to ride an automobile correctly, and more specifically, riding a bike is one thing and riding a bike correctly is another thing,” said Bipul Chandra, Managing Director, Ducati India.

In a session addressing management students, Bipul Chandra, related corporate goals, missions, and management principles akin to a biker’s passion and nuances of motorcycle riding and handling high-powered engine bikes. “If you cannot handle the bike properly, the bike will never let you ride it,” said Bipul. Facing the complexities of corporate life would mean following management models and concepts involving a mastered set of techniques. Bipul believes that there is a technique involved in everything that one does. “It is not easy to ride a bike without a technique. It is like riding a car with its appropriate techniques. Otherwise, one has to face the consequences”, he said.

Journey or Destination?

Setting goals is a key criterion for any manager and is akin to one’s life or corporate journey. It is well understood that one has to specify what is more important to a successful journey, define personal mission statements, and perhaps translate them to either the journey or the destination. It gains to redefine criteria for individual or corporate goals in the journey leading to the set destination. Bipul questions, “how is a journey more important if you don’t know where to reach?” His two cents to the students are about setting a goal like riding a bike or driving a car and working towards it, as without knowing where to go, one cannot reach anywhere. “A goal is important, but setting the goal is more important, and in doing so, one can have one or 10 ways of reaching the goal/mission”, said Bipul.

Linking the automobile sector, he reiterates that if one does not know where to go, it can leave one wondering about the journey’s possibilities, whether life or corporate. He exemplifies that one’s desire to join the automobile industry should be backed up by knowledge of the sector and the specific areas of specialisation in the industry of one’s choice. Likewise, the fundamentals remain the same if one has the drive to succeed in FMCG or any other sector. The sector knowledge and the anticipated journey needs stepping up through techniques and goal statements. Gaining first-hand grassroots information on distribution channels for any FMCG products is essential. Consumer reach and the management’s journey towards profitability must have linkages and goal sets. “In management, the best part is nothing is right and nothing is wrong so that you can define all the thought processes,” he said. While setting goals is critical, working tirelessly to achieve that goal is equally essential.

Thriving to Ride

Akin to riding a bike, a biker is focused on his sight, and the rider’s silhouette follows that sight or direction of the rider’s sight. The rider twists and turns accordingly to keep a safe and steady path. As the body follows the sight, the bike would follow that direction. Likewise, when one has defined goals and follows that direction, one is most likely to arrive closer to one’s career or life’s destination. “When you have defined your goals, you will go that way, unless you shut down, then the rider will have nowhere to go or not know where to go,” said Bipul.

Speed Checks

Life can follow speed breakers or imitate a Grand Prix (GP) race. Handling a 200-kilo bike at a speed of 200/250/300 km and manoeuvring directions, often almost scrapping the ground, seems an almost Herculean task. However, GP Motocross racers have displayed viable possibilities with the appropriate riding technologies and personal capabilities. It is in the rider’s mind and what he cares to hear. The rider’s clarity in his thought processes guides his direction and the journey. “It is in the clarity of thought, and you must have a vision, and then the body will follow the mind,” said Bipul.

Juggling Choices

Heading towards a crossroad in life and career can sometimes be defeating, but the urge to ride it over adds more thrill to any ride. It could be related to career choices when one desires to pursue a certain sphere of work but has been studying in some unrelated field. Often students find themselves studying for civil services exams and learning marketing techniques. It’s a mismatch and needs to carve out informed decisions akin to setting a GPS before commencing any ride.

Constant Learning

With about 10 lakh MBA students passing out each year, it would be valuable to turn around and gauge the changes that have occurred in the past across corporates. No matter where you graduate, what you do in life is also crucial. “Never think that someone studying at IIM or Harvard is better than you and someone studying in other lower ranked colleges to be worse than you. You never know who your competitor is and never think of a competitor as weaker than you”, said Bipul. He focuses on the fundamentals of upskilling to overcome phases in one’s career when one can feel blocked. “Keep reinventing yourself and try to learn new things,” he said.

Raising The Bar

Bipul has had a towering career, especially in the automobile sector, and kick-started his journey with Bajaj Auto, which manufactured 100cc bikes, especially the Pulsar and Eliminator 180cc, the biggest engine capacity bike that Bipul handled during his Bajaj days. However, that did not deter him from recently selling the Ducati 800cc bike. He draws from his example in which he constantly strived to develop sound product knowledge. He also learned to ride different bike variables. Leadership and progress need constant learning, especially if a manager has to support his team; building ownership is crucial. He consciously tries to ride different bike variants, keeping him up to date with his product knowledge by raising his bar and setting an example. “I have to keep proving myself and learning for progress,” he said.

Passion Perks

The passion for riding through one’s journey adds to skills and offers a window to differentiate oneself from the herd. But, getting mentors and support along the way can sometimes be life-changing. Everyone need not be an expert in every field but gaining support and asking for support is a great way to cross limitations. The differentiation can offer more corporate mileages and scope to learn and grow. He cites the launch of the limited edition of the bike, Ducati - the other Lamborghini, commemorating the Lamborghini’s 1963 launch. Bipul narrates that they modeled the bike as a collectors’ edition. Its fixtures are similar to the original Lamborghini car fixtures. They targeted those passionate about the brand and desiring to own a slice of history. The branding of the special edition bike signifies corporate life and one’s passion for excellence, which can unfold many perks in life.

Building Customer/Audience Respect

While passion at work impacts one’s corporate journey, it cannot be in isolation. A marketeer has to respect the target customer’s mindset; likewise, a speaker must impress their thoughts on the audience with grace and purposefully. “If I present something to you, you should get the best quality from me. People, on the other side, are important when trying to sell something, which should go beyond the experience gaps between individuals. When you have to sell something, the people on the other side are the most important,” said Bipul.

The network is Net worth

A car and an automobile can be viewed as a transportation mode, but how you position the stakes defines a brand, whether personal or product. A corporate journey is a bridge to identify and forge relationships in the sector for personal and industry growth. Cultivating the right people in the industry and beyond and building a strong relationship offers a wider network and diverse learning leading to greater human net worth and a path for individual and corporate excellence. “You have to have a good friendship, an urge to learn, build on that learning, and rise to a level which is way beyond what you have ever found or even thought for yourself,” said Bipul.

A bike rider’s journey is one of passion, prioritising the path, intelligently manoeuvring the bumps, and continuing to ride beyond the path to a journey full of excellence, adventure, and a fruitful destination.