Marico Chairman Harsh Mariwala on Wednesday shared his views on leadership and building strong organisations, reflecting on how he scaled his business without formal management education. “I did not have an MBA or a fancy degree when I started building my business. But I had clarity on one thing. I wanted to build a team that was smarter than me. MBAs. CAs. Experts in their fields," he posted on X.
"I did my homework to hold my ground. Because real leadership is not about knowing everything. It is about creating a space where talent thrives. Hire for your weaknesses. Never be threatened by people smarter than you. That is how you build something that lasts,” he added.
Mariwala has consistently underlined the importance of nurturing talent and building a growth-focused culture. In a tweet from October 2021, he wrote, “For any organization to grow, it has to acquire and retain good talent. People will only continue in an organization that makes them happy, where they feel fulfilled, and can grow. Developing that culture is what determines success.”
In October 2023, responding to NR Narayana Murthy’s 70-hour workweek comment, Mariwala added, “Undeniably, hard work is the backbone of success, but it is not about the hours clocked in. It's about the quality and passion one brings to those hours.”
He argued that young professionals thrive when placed in roles that challenge and grow them. “When an individual sees a path where hard work translates to a promising future, they are naturally inclined to give their best,” he said, calling for a culture rooted in “transparency, trust, and meritocracy.”
Mariwala also stressed the importance of placing people in roles that match their strengths: “This helps to create an environment where they can thrive and reach their full potential.”