MANAGEMENT MANTRA

“Always Protect Your Client” - Kush Gupta, Director, SKG Assets & Holdings

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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