OP Bhatt
Guest is known for...
OP Bhatt, Chairman of Tata Steel Limited and Board Member at ONGC, HUL, and Standard Chartered Bank, had a long career in State Bank of India (SBI) where he started as a probationary officer in 1972 and retired as the Chairman of SBI in 2011. They met during a Director’s Club program that prepared individuals to be effective Board Members.
Here's what I will learn...
The conversation is about Om Prakash Bhatt’s thoughts on what it takes to be an effective board member, including the distinction between skillset and mindset, building new influencing muscles, and the critical role of a chairperson. It is relevant to individuals considering board roles.
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From the Podcast
Mr. Bhatt talks about how Chief Executives should be thoughtful about deciding which Boards they want to get onto. They need to have a very clear “Why” before they take a Board role. He also goes on to discussing the key behaviors that leaders need to embrace and let go as they transition from leading a company to influencing a Board. He underscores the criticality of a contributing mindset and says that it is possibly a greater indicator of effectiveness than competence on a topic.
Mr Bhatt talks about the criticality of the Chairperson to build good one-on-one relationships with each of the Board members so that he/she can facilitate effectively during a Board discussion. He mentions that the biggest contribution a Chairperson can make is to orchestrate the discussion in the room effectively to ensure that all the relevant voices are heard and the group makes a robust decision.
Mr OP Bhatt talks about the role of a Chairperson in ensuring that good decisions are made. He talks about the situations where sometimes not making a decision and seeking more information is better than suboptimal decisions. He also discusses how he would handle divergent opinions on the Board by facilitating a more nuanced conversation that embellishes the issue and the nuances come out.
Mr OP Bhatt talks about how the leadership context in a Board is very different from that of a Chief Executive. He talks about the hierarchy in an organization with KPIs, Metrics and other variables that gives the CEO control over outcomes. He contrasts that to the context in the Board where individuals have to be nudged and cajoled to carry on tasks that might be critical for the Board.
Mr. Bhatt talks about the criticality of a Board review to ensure Board members get tailored, actionable feedback that can raise the bar on the performance of the Board. He talks about the criticality of the role of a Chairman in processing the feedback that he/she is given as part of the process and in how he/she leverages that to get the most out of each Board member.
Mr Bhatt talks about the tact with which Board member should provide and seek feedback. He specifically underscores the criticality of the role of the Chairperson in ensuring that he/she doesn’t have a blind-spot in the way he/she is performing. He discusses how some effective Chairpersons find the subtle opportunity and timing to elicit timely feedback from some select Board Members.
Mr Bhatt talks about how in every role he has done, he has tried to look for a “plus” which is an additional dimension beyond what is expected in the role. He also talks about the criticality of understanding the role that the service you provide plays in the role of the consumer and ensuring that it gets reflected in every touchpoint the consumer has with your organization.
Mr Bhatt talks about a simple habit that he has found helpful in his journey over the years. He talks about the role of the conscious and the subconscious mind and how that can be leveraged for self-development. He talks about spending 5 minutes at the start of the day and at the end of the day reflecting.