Pick your battles wisely, says Rahul Agarwal, CEO, Lenovo India

In Isaac Newton’s words, tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy. This is something Rahul Agarwal, CEO, Lenovo India, says he learnt the hard way. For someone who “hates” diplomacy and feels that it is the “worst thing in the corporate world,” Agarwal’s simple advice instead is to pick your battles.

“I took a long time to learn (this). If you fight every battle, you lose credibility and the day you lose credibility, you can’t move ahead. If you pick your battles, people will find you reasonable and you will feel more positive. Otherwise, you are left thinking —‘Why am I the guy who has a problem with everything?’”Agarwal says.

As conversation turned lighter, Agarwal jovially recalled that he used to fight every battle but lost most of them. “Now, I have become a bit more refined,” he says with a smile, adding that at times, one has to be outspoken for the good of the organisation.