Business: J.R.D. Tata

J.R.D. Tata was a visionary far ahead of his time. An industry leader with a deep commitment to India's development, his pioneering efforts in combining nation-building with business growth were instrumental in conditioning the thinking of Indian businesses.

Leaders raise the aspirations of their people to achieve what was previously thought impossible. In this, JRD was a true leader. He headed the country's largest industrial empire whose destiny he guided for over half a century. Under his leadership, the Tata group's assets climbed from Rs 620 million in 1939 to over Rs 1,00,000 million in 1990. Over the years he helped establish many new enterprises—the number of Tata ventures grew from 13 to around 80, encompassing software, steel, power generation, engineering and hotels, among others.

JRD was among the first to realise that employees are among the most important resources in any organisation. He introduced employee-friendly measures such as the eight-hour working day, free medical aid and workers provident scheme. Many of these subsequently have been adopted as statutory requirements by law. He also believed in leadership through consensus and, in 1956, initiated programmes for closer employee association with management.

Today, when corporate social responsibility is increasingly becoming a norm in India, we must remember that JRD set the trend way back in the early 1960s. He believed that every corporation has a responsibility towards the people of the area in which it is located. He contributed in developing Jamshedpur into a model town. In fact, the Tata group continues to have well-established community development programmes at most of its industrial sites.

It is important that leaders fight for the right cause. JRD saw the country's developmental process as an integral part of business growth. To quote his own words, "No success in material terms is worthwhile unless it serves the needs or interests of the country and its people". JRD undertook several initiatives towards this. For instance, he arranged for training of employees of the three new public sector steel complexes that came up in the '60s. He was among the first to realise the effects of unchecked population growth on the country's developmental efforts. In 1970, he started the Family Planning Foundation jointly with the Ford Foundation.

While building an empire, he advocated a holistic approach encompassing social change. The economic and social development goals in India's development planning owe much to JRD. He crusaded for issues critical for India—women's education and spread of literacy. Further, he was instrumental in establishing Asia's first cancer hospital in Mumbai. In all, J.R.D. Tata was an inspirational business leader who looked beyond narrow short-term benefits. He inspired the Tata group to become one of the most respectable and successful business houses in the country. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "Men of character will easily inspire confidence". Indeed, JRD symbolised this.