3 - Being versus Doing - Ramesh Srinivasan on dealing with Lifequakes and Leadership

Ramesh speaks about how CEOs of companies have had to focus on 4 elements during this crisis over the last few months. 1) Using the opportunity to set even bolder aspirations 2) Focusing on their To-Be list, not just the To-Do list 3) Embracing the notion of stakeholder capitalism 4) Harnessing the full power of their peer networks. He also speaks about how they have had to adapt their ways as they have moved from the crisis mode to the long-tail.

Ramesh speaks about the construct of the Bower Forum – McKinsey’s program for CEO learning. He speaks about some of the themes that come up in the Bower Forum and specifically speaks about the notion of discerning the mandate and how leaders from within or from the outside can do this in a thoughtful way.

Ramesh speaks about the notion of Being versus Doing. He speaks about what it takes to create a safe space, and bringing down the anxiety level to establish a deep authentic connection with the leader you are working with. He speaks about how it has become critical for leaders to be authentic in these times.

Ramesh speaks about how the Consulting model has evolved over the last several years. He specifically talks about how the teams have evolved from being 2-3 people to a much larger group of diverse people from across domains (designers, data specialists etc.)

Ramesh speaks about how he has stayed relevant over the 26 years in the Firm and how he has taken on different responsibilities to align his professional pursuits with his personal passion.

Ramesh shares his perspectives around why he has chosen to stay with McKinsey. He also speaks about an informal Board of advisors/mentors that he has architected to stay relevant and to stay interested and interesting in the world.

Ramesh speaks about how he and his wife Charuta dealt with the trauma after losing two of their children to cancer. Their daughter Shruti was 9 when she passed away in 2009 and their son Aditya was almost 12 when he passed away in 2015. He speaks about how they dealt with the shocks and how they found meaning and purpose post that to move forward.

Ramesh speaks about how he ended up getting involved with Education. He speaks about how his meeting with Shaheen Mistri galvanized his wife Charuta and him to involve themselves with Akanksha Foundation, Teach For India and Peepul. He urges us to pick a topic that we are passionate about and stick with it for a long period of time to make a dent.