Vinod K Dasari, Ashok Leyland

Posted by kamal on September 6th, 2016

What is a day in your life like?

Reach office by 9.30 am. Work till 7 pm. Exercise or play sport for an hour. Then dinner and a movie with the family. Sleep at midnight or so!
How do you prepare for an important business meeting?

I organise my thoughts, keeping in mind what the others are interested in as well. I try to also keep in mind the deliverable from the meeting so that it doesn’t drift to other subjects.
What do you think are the best ways to hand out pink slips?

Be honest, be respectful. Sometimes this could be the best thing for an employee. Having said that this is never an easy thing to do.
How do you motivate your staff? Any favourite incentive programme for good performers?

Keep them focused on the goal. Celebrate successes well. Substantial differentiation in the wallet based on performance.

Please elaborate on CSR and community service programmes undertaken under your guidance.

We have started to work with primary schools to provide them with facilities, nourishment, and help with better teachers. By the end of the next year, we will be working with over 100 schools.
Please give some instances of how you have used technology and innovation to grow your company.

We track daily sales calls by the dealer sales executives. These are made using an app and a tab specifically designed for the purpose. This provides a substantial enhancement to productivity.
Five interesting things in your office.

View, proximity from home, location (central and close to airport too), nice facilities, good food.

How do you unwind?

Play sports, sometimes cook, but mostly by watching movies or interesting shows.

Your ultimate holiday destination and why?

New Zealand was the most fun, because of all the interesting activities. I did bungee jumping. Very scenic too.
What is your greatest indulgence?

Casino, about twice a year but within a budget!  Other than that it’s my Audi A6.

Are you fond of collecting anything?

I used to collect stamps, coins, and so on. I built a small collection of gold-plated historic stamps but no time for this anymore.
What kind of books do you like? Please name a few favourites.

Not much of a book reader but like reading articles. The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt and Zero to One by Peter Thiel are ones that I fondly recall.