How I lead
Hire curiosity. Build the rest.
When Motilal Oswal gave me a blank page, the reasonable move was to hire an agency. I built an in-house team instead — 35 people from zero — because I’d rather own a capability than rent one. Nimble teams that own the work beat retainers that rent it.
Own the capability. Don’t rent it.
But the more important choice was who. I didn’t hire the most finance-literate marketers I could find. I hired thinkers curious enough to learn finance — people who’d rather understand a new domain than defend an old CV. Curiosity is the one thing I can’t train and won’t compromise on; almost everything else, a good team can build.
I protect the bar the way the best houses I worked in protected theirs. A high standard isn’t a happy accident of talent — it’s a discipline someone has to defend, every day, through every layer. My job is to be that someone, and to make it safe for the team to hold the line too.
Protect the bar
A high standard isn’t a happy accident of talent. It’s a discipline someone has to defend — every day, through every layer.
And I lead toward accountability, not applause. I keep score by whether the work moved the business and whether the people grew — which is, not coincidentally, why people have chosen to follow me from one company to the next.
Key takeaways
- Build capability in-house — own the work rather than rent it.
- Hire for curiosity over credentials; the rest can be built.
- Protect the bar deliberately — a high standard is a discipline, not an accident.
- Lead toward accountability and growth, not applause.