MANAGEMENT MANTRA
“Always Protect Your Client” - Kush Gupta, Director, SKG Assets & Holdings
- Sharmila Chand
- Oct 06, 2023
Kush Gupta is a stickler for routine. He believes that
a day planned in advance and in detail will help in completing work smartly and
efficiently. Mr Gupta, the Director of SKG Assets & Holdings, has had remarkable
career in the financial industry. SKG Assets & Holdings has carved a niche
for itself as a boutique wealth management and investment banking company.
Since its inception in 2005, it has been serving ultra-high net worth individuals,
corporate entities and institutions. With offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Dubai,
SKG offers a comprehensive range of solutions, including investment advisory, family
office services, estate planning, IPO listing and investment banking. In an
interesting conversation with Sharmila
Chand, Mr Gupta shares his management principles and practices that have
steered him to success.
Your five management mantras
*Surround yourself with optimistic people. They will
always find a way out of difficult situations.
*Provide simplicity: A business could be complex
but by creating simple narratives, efficiency increases, and employees know
exactly what is expected out of them.
*Honour time: Time is more valuable than money. So, choose how you spend
it. Consider the value of time before starting a project or a marketing
exercise.
*Be decisive: Top management cannot be double-minded and confused. Decisions
can go wrong, but one should have a sense of action rather than concern while
making them.
*Be in connection with industry leaders: It teaches you best practices, creates collaborations, and motivates
management.
A game that helps your career
I play golf. It complements my work in various ways. Usually,
my day is full of meetings and staying indoors. Golf provides much-needed
outdoor activity and connects you with nature for two to three hours which acts
as a reset button for me. It is a game of focus and patience where you are
challenging your own self. It teaches you how to perfect the same thing over
and over again. It is important for character building as golf is more about
learning from mistakes than about not making them.
Turning point in your career life
In 2018, we started our investment banking practice
and represented a steel company called Rama Steel. In five years, the market
cap of Rama Steel went up from Rs 150 crore to Rs 2,000 crore, giving a
shareholder return of over tenfold. Rama’s success gave us industry recognition
and cemented our position in the SME space.
What is the secret of your success?
Trust and unbiased advice hold more importance in the
finance world than it does in any other industry. My elder brother, who has
mentored me since I joined him in SKG, told me that people always remember you
when you give them advice that is for their good. I have always held on to that
thought, and it has served me well in life.
What is your philosophy of work?
Stay hungry, stay foolish.
In 2005, Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs gave the
commencement speech at Stanford University and ended it with this phrase, and
it caught my attention.
A person you admire
I read the biography of DLF Group Chairman K P Singh, and
it has inspired me a lot. The scale at which DLF has transformed an entire city
(Gurugram), created one of the biggest business hubs in the country and
generated economic value that is impossible to ascertain is truly mind
blowing. His vision and far-sightedness
is inspirational, and it motivates you to think out of the box, take risks, and
dream big.
Best advice you got
Before making business plans or a growth strategy,
imagine the end of the task and ask yourself: ‘Am I truly winning in this
scenario? What is the absolute result of this activity?’ More often, we realise
that plans and strategies do not have the desired result or the most effective
outcome that we had imagined, and we end up wasting time and resources.
Your sounding board
My Brothers Vikas and Luv Gupta
Your favourite books
The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson
Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins
The Big Short by Michael Lewis
The Anarchy by William Dalrymple
The Indian Summer by Alex Von Tunzelmann
Your fitness regime
I do Yoga thrice a week. I have a great, old school
instructor who pushes me not to miss sessions. Thanks to him, I have managed to
get a routine going. Over the weekends, I play golf at the Delhi Golf Club. It
relaxes my mind and improves focus.
Your five business mantras
*Ask yourself,
are we creating value?: Whether it is products or services, at the end
there has to be value creation. And once you champion that, you can then demand
your own price, and you will get paid.
*Always protect your client: In 2021, Apple
added a feature where iPhone users can block apps from following their activity
and data collection. Apple made enemies with pretty much everyone in the
advertising, social media and app world, but their sole focus was to protect
their client. Today their sales are higher than ever, and the brand value is
through the roof.
*Work smarter,
not harder:
To tell you the truth, I am still trying to ace this.
When I have less work in the office, I feel that I am missing something or
forgeting something. But time and again, I have realised that approaching a
project or a situation with planning and thought often results in efficient and
effective results rather than throwing man hours towards it which often leads
to sub-optimal performance.
*Be a good listener, and articulate well.
I read it in a management book that there are two
things that everyone is constantly doing, that is listening and talking. Right
communication is the key to success. Whether you are talking to a client or to
your employees or attending a conference; one has to develop a habit of
listening carefully to truly understand pain points, gaps and opportunities.
And while talking, I think keeping things simple is the best way to get your
message across.
*Routine and discipline: I know it sounds obvious, but
I have to mention this. I am a stickler for routine. I like my day planned, my
calendar booked in advance and running my meetings on time. It gives me room to
indulge in activities outside of work. I am able to get a better work-life
balance and spend quality time with my wife and two daughters.
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