Profile of Ravi Chaudhry - Founder Chairman CeNext Consulting and Investment Pvt Ltd


Book Reviews Indian business leader Ravi Chaudhry has written the best handbook for corporate executives in years, "Quest for Exceptional Leadership: Mirage to Reality." Chaudhry takes a global, long-term look at our rapidly evolving societies and their economies. He sees the crises of Western finance in 2007-2008 as a turning point that can lead to positive change. He maps the contours of the new movements to re-shape the architecture and rewrite the rules for business success. He focuses on seven key groups of change agents now leading the charge. Chaudhry's call for exceptional leadership is based on the new realities of our multi-polar world – beyond the trite formulas of the business and financial media and recipes of many consultants for short-term success. We in the West need to take off our cultural blinders and hear what the brilliant new voices are saying. Chaudhry comes out of an Indian tradition based on longer time horizons – all rooted in values beyond the money coefficients measuring Western success. In laying out his criteria for exceptional leadership, Ravi Chaudhry is precise, with hundreds of examples illustrating his strategies and recommendations, many unfamiliar to traders in London or Wall Street. Ravi Chaudhry is one of the new voices showing new ways ahead. - Hazel Henderson, Founder, Ethical Markets Media, USA Very inspiring and very thought provoking! Thoughts and knowledge collected over a lifetime have been condensed in very clear concepts that can be used in a very practical way by anyone in a leadership position in any organization. - Arnold Galavazi, Director Asia, DHV Group, The Netherlands Congratulations on writing such a terrific book. I am very much enjoying your insights. - Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director, Mckinsey & Co This is an amazing book, communicating messages that come straight from the heart and the enlightened mind in a language that will be understood by all, while evolving a completely new vocabulary in the area of business management and leadership. Although the book is primarily targeted at corporate leaders, the propositions in the book apply to all leaders and in fact to all of us. It is based on a lot of solid research and has a high knowledge density. On every page there is something to be learned or understood. The references and examples are enlightening and bring about a convincing clarity. It is not just thought provoking but action provoking and is full of change triggers, from mind-set to heart-set. I am sure that as a “critical mass” is formed of leaders who work with the Tripod of Exceptional Leadership, there will be wave of change throughout the corporate world, a gradual but firm wave of change - Toine Van Megen, Founder, Renewable Energy Group, Auroville, India A most compelling plea for open management. It is a human story, of values and attitude. It is a journey to get there! Congratulations. - Ben Veerwaayen, CEO, Alcatel-Lucent, France In Quest for Exceptional Leadership, Mr Chaudhry seeks to change the world by transforming business leaders. It is both instructive and worth exploring further - indicative of the earnestness of author’s quest for creating a better corporate world. Don Quixote didn’t manage to change the world but the world would be poorer if people like him didn’t try. - Business Standard, India In his seminal book, the Indian business and thought leader Ravi Chaudhry has stressed the “quest for exceptional business leadership” that recognizes and acts on the basis of the new realities and challenges of the 21st century. Exceptional challenges require exceptional business leadership. With it we may see the apocalyptic trends reversed. - Jean-Pierre Lehmann, Professor of International Political Economy, IMD, Switzerland Quest for Exceptional Leadership: Mirage to Reality by Ravi Chaudhry, is a wise and practical book. Interweaving analysis with the lessons of history and ancient wisdom, he shows “how leaders today can help transform societies, by marginally transforming themselves.” The paradigm change lies in taking the step forward from ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ to ‘Individual Social Responsibility of the CEO’. Ravi emphasizes that the “journey to the summit of leadership is not an exercise in philanthropy but an imperative action.” He begins by describing the “seven prime realities of business today that have caused havoc with our lives.” He identifies “seven allies to catalyze change” which by working together could accelerate the process of transformation. After describing the emergence of the triple bottom-line approach, he discusses how to overcome obstacles to conscientious choice and discover the triple top line of ¬joy, peace and contentment. With insight and nuance, he discusses the three traits of exceptional leadership: wholeness, compassion, and transparency. Ravi envisions a world in which business schools would change their Masters programs from MBAs (Masters in Business Administration) to MBCs (Masters in Business with Conscience). Business schools should integrate his book into the curriculum; business leaders will find it “a gentle guide” and a source of conviction that we need a new paradigm of leadership. - Currents in Commerce, World Business Academy, USA I do hope the book reaches out to enlighten the citizens of our country to the ills that are currently prevalent and help in building a better society for the coming generations. - Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Group A ground-breaking new book. - Jeff Black, Head of Creative MBA Programme, Meridian University, USA I find it so compelling - the way it touches the major issues of our time and how best to change these situations, and address the major causes of concern for the stability of our world. I have recommended it to a number of my colleagues as the right inspiration for 2012. - Huguette Labelle, Chairperson, Transparency International, Germany It is the best book on corporate governance I’ve ever read. I have recommended to a number of my colleagues to read and I keep it as reference material. - Joshua C. Ngoma, Founder and Chief Catalyst, Tranter Holdings (Pty) Limited, South Africa One of those rare works where straight-forward relevant management experiences and advice combine with most relevant political and philosophical foundations and provide a thrilling read! It gives a learned and incredibly imaginative guidance for top leadership in the corporate world and in other sections of society. It speaks a new language for socially responsible behaviour and shows that social responsibilities are not limited to those at the top, but rather that social responsibilities can take anybody to the top. - Philippe Welti, Ambassador of Switzerland to India This book is remarkable in its depth of research and breadth of vision, convincingly articulating why corporate objectives can no longer disregard society’s interests and why exceptional leadership comprising of wholeness, compassion and transparency can deliver enduring results for an organization in the long run. In GMR Group, we are making a journey towards building an institution in perpetuity in which, I am convinced, such leadership qualities will be essential in a rapidly changing world. - G.M.Rao, Chairman, GMR Group, India A perfect blend of corporate governance and concept of trusteeship of Mahatma Gandhi. - Venugopal Dhoot, Chairman, Videocon Group, India A magnum opus – brilliant and thought provoking. - D.R. Kaarthikeyan, Former Director General, Human Rights Commission, India A rare combination of sound business thinking and accessible philosophy. - Victor Fung, Chairman , Li & Fung Group, Hong Kong Pick of the Month -- a masterpiece worth reading. - CFO India Charting out the background, context and path for becoming an exceptional leader is a humongous undertaking. Almost akin to taking an expedition to Mount Everest. That's the kind of journey Ravi Chaudhry undertakes in the expansive stride of his book Quest for Exceptional Leadership: Mirage to Reality. And he does it with the poise, preparation and panache of a veteran mountaineer. No wonder, in his book, he has used the metaphor of climbing a summit for traversing the “path of progress” from being an average leader to an exceptional one. At the start of this meandering, tough and uphill path is the starting point with certain physical traits (basic intelligence, energy and drive, professional will); the base camp is characterised by mind traits (realistic visionary, transactional skill, perseverance); and the summit is reached with traits of the heart (wholeness, compassion, transparency). A good thing about the book is that the author doesn't get bogged down by the moral or ethical rot he sees around. Or turn this book into a gigantic lament (like many others writing on such issues often do). Instead, he shows the reader a way from turning the apparent mirage of exceptional leadership into a reality. One of his suggestions, for instance, is the need for organisations to shift their stance from CSR to ISR – individual social responsibility, in which the CEO of a company is answerable for the decisions it takes. A far cry from the generic nature – and muddiness – of collective corporate accountability. The path from average leadership to exceptional leadership, like the track of a high mountain, is strewn with difficult choices. But there is a path, all right. And Chaudhry's book, thankfully, illuminates it with ample light. http://www.thectoforum.com/content/quest-exceptional-leadership-mirage-reality - The CTO Forum Ravi Chaudhry draws attention to the changing paradigm shifts, which will become necessary for business leaders to achieve success in the future. He also suggests how leaders will have to refocus and align to the new methods to survive in a competitive and dynamic environment. The book has something for every corporate leader of the 21st Century. - The Times of India I agree with so many of your observations and conclusions. You are a great thinker and it was an honour to have dialogue with you. - Nadine Hack, President and CEO, beCause Global Consulting Inc. USA Your book and your thoughts are very welcome and timely and I truly did learn a lot from reading your book and participating in our panel conversation. - Bill Fischer, Professor of Technology Management at IMD, Switzerland and co-author of "The Idea Hunter" An excellent book. The scope and depth is truly outstanding. All sectors of our society - government , private sector, media, and representatives of civil society need to undergo a mind shift change and exceptional dissertations such as yours, go a long way in showing us the path. - Dhruv Sawhney,Chairman, Triveni Group, India An excellent treatise. While analyzing the approach of the emerging leadership to face the new challenges, the stress on human values and defining a structure of ‘Tripod of Exceptional Leadership‘ are unexceptionable. Reading through this excellent book has been an inspired experience. - D.N. Patodia,Former President, FICCI
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