India's best strategists: 15 dreamers who have translated their insight into reality

Have a dream, and make a plan on how to live it and realise it. If you eventually get there by being consistent and unwavering in that objective, overcoming uncertainty and obstacles along the way, best utilising the (often limited) resources at your disposal, and translating that foresight into a product or service that is unique and difficult to replicate, you will have emerged a successful strategist - a person with a single-minded objective who doesn't get distracted from his goal by his rivals, setbacks and detractors.

That sums up strategy, and the people behind it, shorn of management gobbledygook like five forces analysis, directional policy matrix et al. And, yes, you can actually be a strategist without having to resort to, say, a calibration meeting to leverage game-changing synergies and hit the sweet spot!

We identify 15 such dreamers who have made significant progress in translating their insight into reality. For some it's still work in progress, but that they are steadfast in their belief that this is the 'right' thing to do has propelled them onto our list.

The strategists profiled in alphabetical order are a diverse lot - from the corporate world (CEOs as well as honchos who have made a big difference to their organisations), bureaucracy, academia, law, the social sector, healthcare, films and sport. You may not agree with all the names; if you have your own ideas about who should have made the cut, send in your suggestions via economictimes.com. For now, take a deep dive (oops).

Rajiv Bajaj, 46: MD, Bajaj Auto

MASTER, AND POWER, OF ONE

Ask Rajiv Bajaj what is strategy and he sums it up in a word: specialisation. And that relentless focus on what you do best calls for "sacrifice" - of what self-styled experts and rivals, and even what daddy (Rahul Bajaj), thinks is best. In business terms, it meant exiting scooters - a segment many believe still has steam for growth - and narrowing the vision to motorcycles.

"You can play 10 games and be the best in Pune or concentrate on one and be the best in the globe," explains Bajaj. "It [the strategy] is the alignment of the front end with the back end. It is more about what you choose not to do rather than what you choose to do."

Read More>>

10 Mozart sites of Vienna

Schonbrunn Palace. Photo: Sandip Hor

The Austrian capital city of Vienna is often touted as the “City of Music”. Legendary musicians like Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Strauss lived, composed and played in this imperial city. But Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart appears to dominate the scene. There are several sites in the city associated with the maestro who was born in 1756 in nearby Salzburg, but spent much of his short and eventful life in Vienna.

Cardiovascular diseases in women & children

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the number one cause of deaths worldwide, accounting for 17.3 million deaths. Over 80% of these deaths take place in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). By 2030, 23.6 million people are predicted to die from CVD which places a burden on national economies.

Women have an important role to play as gatekeepers of the family and guardians of health, especially in lower and middle-income countries, where eight out of 10 CVD-related deaths occur. We are urging all women to adopt heart-healthy behaviours. Taking action to prevent exposure to risk factors will have a positive impact on children, as they learn by example.

An open letter to a daughter

My dear daughter,

This letter is not just to you but to all those young women out there. This is from a concerned mother to all of you who are racing against time that they have forgotten to stop and smell the rose in their journey called life.

Somewhere down the line, we mothers in our quest for giving our girls independence and financial security have not taught them the beauty of being a woman. We have coaxed and coached you and today you wonderful young girls are standing on the threshold of an exhilarating world of a career. You are all happier carrying a briefcase than a rolling pin — why not? You are all princesses at multi-tasking and most of you learn to handle both the briefcase and the rolling pin with finesse. Why, then, this letter?