“Be You, The World Will Adjust”
Book TITLE: The Dolphin and the Shark; AUTHOR: Namita Thapar
Namita Thapar, the Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, is today a well-recognised face thanks to the popular television show 'Shark Tank India' where she was one of the investors. Now, Thapar has authored a book. Excerpts:
What has been your biggest learning in your journey as a successful businesswoman and now, as an author?
My biggest learning has been that staying authentic is the only way to live no matter what role one takes up. I try to do the same in my various roles – business leader, shark, and author. It is in line with my favourite quote, “Be you, the world will adjust!”
If you had to list three core areas of expertise that one needs to build in business, what would those be?
It would be the three Cs that I have written about: courage, competence and compassion.
Courage is needed to take risks, to venture out of your comfort zone, which is the only way you keep learning and growing. Competence or expertise is needed in order to excel at whatever you take up. Compassion is the most important, for what is life without a higher purpose. We all have a dolphin (compassion) and shark (aggression) within us, and we need to learn to balance the two.
You have mentioned about the role of mentors and the power of networks in your book, The Dolphin and the Shark. Could you please take us through it?
I have grown a lot; thanks to the three mentors I have. They have helped me tremendously in my personal and professional life and truly made me a more authentic and kinder person. I personally believe that mentors are your mirror and help you become your most positive and productive self.
Regarding networks, I have effectively used my network of doctors, hospitals, distributors to build my business at Emcure as well as help the healthcare ventures, I have invested in.
I have also used my business and investor networks to help other founders. Additionally, many of my professional networks have helped me in various aspects and it is an art to cultivate these networks.
As a leader, what are your top three tips?
Less is more, hire people smarter than you and focus on execution rigour. Most importantly, always remember that there is no substitute to hard work. These mantras have helped me tremendously.
How do successful leaders build winning teams?
Walking the talk and organisation first approach are most important to hire and retain the best talent. Building a culture of empathy and dissent takes a lot of time and effort but this is the only way to ensure teams are not afraid to take risks, not afraid to fail and remain most creative and innovative.
I have spoken about various ways we have worked on building teams at Emcure in my book, The Dolphin and the Shark. Talent is the biggest lever for any organisation to truly excel and be the best it can.
How crucial is it to understand the business’s investment framework?
Having a well-thought-out investment framework that fits with your individual expertise and goals ensures that you have absolute clarity while hearing a pitch. This, in turn, ensures that you invest in the right startup for the right reasons.
What pushed you to write a book?
I have been inspired by many stories and I felt the urge to share these stories with others, to inspire and motivate them to push their limits.
Take us through your journey of writing The Dolphin and the Shark.
It has been one of my most gratifying experiences. Hours of sitting by my son who was studying for his 10th Boards finally gave me the time to do this. I finished writing 50,000 plus words in merely four weeks and requested the publishers to keep the editing to the minimum to retain the rawness and authenticity I wanted. From concept to launch, it took only five months and that is truly unbelievable. I am proud that every word is written by me, straight from my heart.
Who has been your biggest inspiration in your journey?
Every story, every entrepreneur I have written about has been an inspiration to me.
What’s next for you?
This is just the beginning. I believe there is so much more I can achieve at Emcure, at my entrepreneurship academy, Shark Tank and most importantly by using the power of my voice to inspire and influence on much-needed social impact topics.
