Leadership matters: Transparency is key in conflict management, says Marico boss; Edelweiss MF CEO's lesson for new managers

Being a manager isn't an easy job, especially when the organisation is in crisis mode. A leader is often faced with an immense burden of striking the right balance in the face of adversity.

Harsh Mariwala, Chairman of Marico, has only two pieces of advice on conflict management for such leaders.

1. Culture of transparency and honesty

2. Look for a win-win situation

According to the 72-year-old, every organisation and leader must follow a culture of transparency and honesty. He said that any kind of issue can be handled and resolved if there is clear and open discussion.

He also said that it's the leader's responsibility to find a win-win solution for both parties involved in the conflict. Making any party feel like a loser will only add to the problems. "If either party loses more, the problems will persist," he wrote.

The FMCG boss often treats his 928K Twitter family with corporate lessons, and tags then as - #HarshRealities - a wordplay on this name and the title of his book.


Last week, Edelweiss MF MD and CEO Radhika Gupta also shared a lesson in leadership.

The AMC boss discussed the difficulty new managers experience when they take up the responsibility. She said that new leaders often feel that they have to behave like a tough manager so employees can see him/her as an authoritative figure.


While it may be natural to feel the pressure of 'appearing like a leader', Gupta said respect and authority will only come when they learn to build connections and solve problems.

"... You win hearts and authority, when you build connections and solve problems. You don’t need to try to be a boss," she added.