[GTO]

Have you ever met the Indian CEO or MD of any car / bike manufacturer? I've met several and trust me, they are b-o-r-i-n-g public speakers . So boring that they might as well have been selling soaps or dishwashers, and not necessarily an object of desire such as an automobile. They speak like trained robots reading out a statement prepared by the PR department.

In this dull & colourless group of elite individuals, Rajiv Bajaj comes across as a breath of fresh air. Man, he stands out! His intelligence & wit are so obvious in the way he speaks. I hope I'm lucky enough to someday hear him deliver these remarkable speeches in person.

Here's one that has been doing the rounds recently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbezlMyDEYs

Being a strong public speaker is an asset for any business leader....not a must, but most definitely an asset.

[heydj]

Saw this and few other clips by Rajiv Bajaj. Found his approach to be quite candid and NOT BORING at all.

Saw another one. Liked the way he said people thinking he has disheveled appearance need to open their minds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEFvwBJ-KX8

[SmartCat]

I have never seen this side of Rajiv Bajaj. I have only seen him on CNBC giving interviews at the time of quarterly results or launch of a new bike. He comes off as either arrogant (if you don't own or like Bajaj stock) or confident (if you own and like Bajaj stock) man!

We are an anti-car company
We will not make scooters

However, I'm not quite sure if MD's public speaking skills plus sense of humor is an asset for the company. In the same way that Abhishek Bachchan's sense of humor/speaking skills has not helped him much in his career.

[avisidhu]

Originally Posted by smartcat

........
However, I'm not quite sure if MD's public speaking skills plus sense of humor is an asset for the company. In the same way that Abhishek Bachchan's sense of humor/speaking skills has not helped him much in his career.

The clients maybe not much, but significant number of employees are motivated by leaders whom they can look up to, despite the fact that they might not get to interact with him/her. It's an intangible contribution that might not get reflected in any numbers.

I would still rate good public speaking skills such as Mr Bajaj possesses, as a significant if not essential element of corporate leadership.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by smartcat

I'm not quite sure if MD's public speaking skills plus sense of humor is an asset for the company.

From the business POV, it doesn't matter if an automotive CEO really 'knows how to drive' either, or if he really 'knows his cars'.

Yet, both certainly help.

I think that strong public speaking skills are a great asset for any leader. Ever seen the charismatic Lee Iacocca in action? Legend has it that his personality single-handedly sold 30% of Chryslers at one time .

[The Brutailer]

A very commendable business man and strategist.

Joint venture with KTM was a master stroke. Duke 200 was the first performance bike which was affordable for masses. Nothing like it was ever launched in India before. And if people found it little expensive, he launched Pulsar 200 NS.

And then they launched Duke 390 and as they say, the rest is history. Also, he focused on motorcycles by stopping production of old age scooters and that was a good move.

And yes, a good product is not enough. Look at Apple. Look at Steve Jobs' oratory skills. I've watched his product launch videos innumerable times. Has an impact on me every time I watch. He made Apple a desirable brand. And then went on to make it the most valuable company.

Bajaj has brilliant products in it's portifolio and Rajiv Bajaj seems like a passionate man who cares about what his company sells.

[Cool_leo_guy]

Being a "bajaj wala" since my early riding days, going back to 1987 on a bajaj super 1982 model scooter, it's heartwarming to see the company now, in the hands of a man, who sure has a vision for the future and a roadmap on reaching there. The very principles propounded by Mr. Bajaj are there for all to see in his working style and the performance of his company.
Good public speaking skills in this case are an adjunct to his management skills and vision.
A definite plus I would say.

[Alfresco]

Candid, confident CEOs are a highly endangered species.
People who actually put their money where their mouth is, are even more endangered!
Anybody who speaks frankly and embraces out-of-the-box solutions is commendable.

[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by smartcat

However, I'm not quite sure if MD's public speaking skills plus sense of humor is an asset for the company. In the same way that Abhishek Bachchan's sense of humor/speaking skills has not helped him much in his career.

I think it has no direct relation to business success, but does give you vital cues about a company leader, especially when you are a small investor and have no access to management and yet want to evaluate how good the management is.
It is an important attribute for me when displayed and i look at these cues while evaluating a company. To me effective public speaking is defined as a discourse given in very simple language that entertains, educates and leaves you seeking for more. Case in point - Warren Buffet.

It doesn't matter if you are not a good public speaker, your business can do equally well. But there in lies an important corollary. If a leader knows his/her public speaking skills are not par for the course, he/she will realize this weakness and will make rare speaking appearances. I am beware of leaders and (as a result the companies they lead) who speak eloquently, commonly come on stage and yet fail to speak in simple terms..or in other words are dealing in marketing.

[MDED]

Be it Shri Rajeev Bajaj, or any other orator including our PM; it is a proven fact that oratorical skills can take you everywhere from nowhere. In sales field if you have the core knowledge of a product and excellent verbal skills, then sky is the limit for you.

The likes of Mr Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther Jr. and many others had the great gift of being a stupendous orator. The work done by these people in their respective field is known acorss continents.

Here, the moot point is not to sound like an aggressive arrogant person when exhibiting your oratorical skills, but to be more humble in your approach and build your message on your strengths.

Henry Ford has said, “You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.”

[sudeepg]

Originally Posted by smartcat

I'm not quite sure if MD's public speaking skills plus sense of humor is an asset for the company.

Originally Posted by The Brutailer

Look at Apple. Look at Steve Jobs' oratory skills. I've watched his product launch videos innumerable times. Has an impact on me every time I watch. He made Apple a desirable brand. And then went on to make it the most valuable company.

Originally Posted by GTO

I think that strong public speaking skills are a great asset for any leader.

As an employee who look upto leaders, I can definitely say that public speaking skills are extremely important for a leader. The way they articulate (and I take note of the fact that Rajiv said - Einsteins words are relevant - If you cannot explain things well in simple terms, you haven't understood well). Many out there understand plain simple language and to be able to reach out to them and communicate in a fashion they can hear and understand is very important for a leader to inspire & lead. Getting started is important and then stay on course

Steve Jobs - Oh yeah he is one of the best orators. Bill Gates can't do as good as that and look at their companies! Apple surely appeals mass market although Microsoft makes more money. Apple is the most valuable company compared to Microsoft! He communicates so clearly and his choice of words and phrases are something I always admire. Take a look at the Steve and Bill interview on youtube. Steve is able to clearly show his vision, direction and the work he wants to achieve in very simple words, and that's just fantastic!

Take for instance Team-BHP postings. There are many folks out here who write in such plain language, it's just worth reading over and over again. GTO's Beemer ownership review of how he bought it from cadburys is very interesting to read. Another one is Mi10's S-Cross ownership - simply beautiful read. There are many others who write as though they are right there in front of you and speaking to you in person. These people can explain difficult stuff in very simple terms - for instance Torque vs Power. Just search the forum and you will find a few threads that can tell you the difference in plain simple terms and that's one of the reasons why I always pay attention to posts from a subset of folks.

[pradkumar]

Rajiv Bajaj's brother, Sanjiv Bajaj, is no lesser a personality. In fact, Bajaj Finserv is a star performer:

BFS’s market capitalisation has grown sharply to Rs 27,112 crore as of March 31, 2016, from Rs 7,590 crore on March 31, 2011, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29 percent over five years. In fact, the NBFC, BFL, is an even bigger star performer, clocking a staggering 71 percent five-year CAGR over the same period, its market cap growing to a jaw-dropping Rs 37,329 crore from Rs 2,559 crore in 2011.

http://www.forbesindia.com/article/a...rhouse/43283/1

[srishiva]

He is a good speaker. But anyway his business and sales to consumers do not depend on that. Phones or tech toys are different. Also, I dont think he talks about his bikes addressing the consumers.

It however shows someone talking when everything is going fine and assumes its all because of him ? CEO's during the 2000 bubble thought so too. (just my personal opinion)

[haria]

The complete session/link is here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGQ6-gXsKnE

His answers are also quite witty and spontaneous he hasthe ability to think on his feet which is also a great asset.

[veerubhai]

Having a good orator at the top can only do so little. Having business acumen in where to invest etc is much more desirable. After success of Pulsar bike, Bajaj from top-2 two-wheeler position went into topsy-turvy. (when they could have toppled market leader HeroHonda).
I had read Rajiv Bajaj's interview in Businessworld way back (maybe 10 years back). Like I have seen Rajiv's assessment of "stopping" production of scooters. This was a big disaster. Right now the scooters (or just activa) has more sales than all of the bajaj 2-wheelers sales. Or Stopping of lesser power (100cc) bikes when they had market leader (Platina) was big blow.They estimated wrongly that people are moving to bigger engines and there won't be any takers for lesser CC engines.
I'm in no way disrespecting his credentials, but probably he did not see (or listen) where the market was heading into.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/Bajaj-h...le16853629.ece