Leadership: Micky Unlimited

He has always been running to the top. And Reebok India was a natural fit for the marathon man. A.k.a. Muktesh Pant, whose 100-metre sprints to success have now earned him a place in Reebok Unlimited's top management team at Boston. His unique mix of super-energetic leadership and incisive analysis make him the role-model for the Global CEO in the New Millennium.

Run. 10 kilometres a day, 6 days a week, and a marathon on Sundays. Run. From Levers to Pepsi to Reebok. From Mumbai to London to Delhi to Boston. The man in the track-suit and the shoes with crossed darts on them is Muktesh 'Micky' Pant, 45. Athlete, manager, star-gazer, occasional celebrity-endorser, and, now, Veep-designate, Global Brand Marketing, Reebok International (a.k.a. Reebok Unlimited). Needless to add, he doesn't, belying his name, even break a sweat at work.

The former life-and-sole of the top end of India's footwear market-he and Reebok invented it back in 1995, remember?-is sprinting off to Boston to joust with a Knight (Philip) and his merry men at Nike. The first Asian to break into the American-European stronghold of the world's No. 2 sports-shoe company, Pant was hand-picked for his new job by Carl Yankowski, 51, Reebok's President and CEO of 9 months' vintage. His task is as simple to explain as it is difficult to perform: create a new strategic marketing plan for recapturing some of the free spirit and individualism that Reebok has lost.

LEADERSHIP LESSONS

D-I-Y. And encourage your employees to follow suit.

Believe. It's not just a job, but a way of life.

Change. Not the answers, but the underlying assumptions.

Relate. To peers, superiors, customers, and suppliers.

Run. It makes you fitter, as an individual and as a manager.

Answers Yankowski, who spent a week with Pant in India in January, 1999, travelling around the country in a chartered aircraft: ''Muktesh has been doing an excellent job. The Indian market has been a success story for us.'' Well, a 60 per cent share in the nascent premium-footwear market would, probably, have to be seen that way. So would the emergence of India as a significant export-base for Reebok. And so would dominant positions in the footwear markets in Egypt, Russia, Morocco, and Israel, all of which are part of Pant's parish.

The clincher, according to Yankowski: ''We have re-positioned Reebok along the dimension of humanity. And Muktesh is the embodiment of what Reebok stands for.'' What might that be? The drive to get things done through personal action, which is precisely what Pant thrives on.

The Emotional Quotient

Good leaders have their heart in the right place. How does Pant score on Daniel Goleman's dimensions of emotional leadership?
Self Awareness
SELF-CONFIDENCE. Ever heard of a CEO being approached by teenagers for an autograph? The physically-fit Pant is.
SELF-DEPRECATORY SENSE OF HUMOUR. When things weren't going well for Reebok, Pant took the lead in making fun of the company's, and his limitations.
Self-Regulation
COMFORT WITH AMBIGUITY. As a techie who knew little marketing, and as a manager moving to a start-up-twice-Pant has always handled uncertainty well.
Motivation
STRONG DRIVE TO ACHIEVE. Pant moved to Reebok specifically to head the Indian operations of a high-profile global company.
ORGANISATIONAL COMMITMENT. A week before he was to join Pepsi from Levers, an embezzlement committed by a manager in his department came to light. Pant stayed back to sort things out.
Empathy
CROSS-CULTURAL SENSITIVITY. Pant creates teams comprising individuals with diverse backgrounds, and manages the differences adroitly.
CUSTOMER SERVICE. Manning retail outlets personally, Pant regularly meets customers.
Social Skills
PERSUASIVENESS. Making friends and building relationships comes easy to Pant. So does using logic and data to prove his points.
EXPERTISE IN BUILDING AND LEADING TEAMS. Hands-on, Pant leads by example, and creates an environment in which employees can question the thinking of their senior managers, and expect answers.

Actually, Pant had been picked before he knew it. During his India tour, Yankowski had asked Pant about his willingness to work for Reebok in the US. Pant nodded his agreement-''I thought it was a general question, and replied I wouldn't mind doing so''-and forgot about it. Yankowski didn't. Says Pant's long-term mentor, marketing consultant Siddhartha 'Shunu' Sen, 59, the CEO of Quadra Advisory: ''Muktesh has always had opportunities seeking him out.''

Just like the other members of the growing tribe of Indian managers headed for global postings with transnationals? Yes, and no. The general shift is explained thus by Arun Maira, 59, the Managing Director of the Boston-based Innovation Associates, a subsidiary of the consulting firm, Arthur D. Little: ''The ability to learn, create learning organisations and teams, adaptability, and cultural flexibility have spawned a number of Indians in the higher echelons of global management.''

But Pant brings much more to his managing: a unique blend of effervescent energy, can-do-must-do chutzpah, a learn-while-you-earn mentality, and, let's not forget, the mythical Indian skills of analytical incisiveness and the ability to crunch numbers for brunch and high tea. Adds Harish Manwani, 45, Director (Personal Products), Hindustan Lever Ltd: ''He is a manager with a high emotional quotient-qualities that go far beyond sharp intellect and high skills.''

The only company Pant has ever headed is Reebok India, with a turnover of Rs 200 crore and 60 employees. No matter. He brought to that position an approach-the culmination of lessons learnt and responsibilities shouldered over 15 years at Levers and two-and-a-half at PepsiCo India-that is so results-oriented that Reebok's think-tank in Boston has decided that that is just what the company needs globally. In terms of formal experience, the 3 years that Pant spent in the UK as well as his focus on international marketing-and, inter alia, developing a branded basmati rice while being the head of Pepsi's exports division-will count.

However, it was the speed and grim determination with which Pant, who led a lean-and-mean team, put Reebok on the Indian map that mattered most. In fact, what Yankowski expects is a replication of those results on a global scale. As Ajay Kalsi, 38, Managing Director, Phoenix International, Reebok's joint-venture partner in India, puts it: ''India and the region were really small markets for a man of Muktesh's abilities.''

Of course, Pant's fit with Reebok extends to a common interest in athleticism. And the extent to which he has internalised his passion is evident in his favourite Sunday occupation-provided he's in Delhi, which is no more than 2 times a month. He drives to an orphanage in nearby Ghaziabad, organises a 10-km race for abut 50 children, shortlists the 12 fastest, bundles them into a jeep, personally drives them to Delhi's National Stadium, trains them for marathons, and drops them back to the orphanage by sundown. Says Siddarth Verma, 37, CEO-designate, Reebok India, and Pant's successor: ''What is important is not that Muktesh will know each of these kids by name. It's that he has been able to dovetail his personal interests with that of the organisation as well as the nation.''

The Handbook Of Indian Athletes, a Who's Who of Indian athletics that Reebok plans to publish shortly, is another such initiative. Points out Ram S. Ramsunder, 48, CEO, Electrolux, one of Pant's former comrades at Pepsi: ''Muktesh has the ability to identify the long-term goals of the organisation, dovetail them into social and individual goals, and then, follow through with conviction and courage.'' What lessons, then, does Pant's leadership offer to the aspiring Global Indian CEO?

He identifies a coach, studies at his feet-and, most important, looks at the process, primarily, as a learning opportunity. Pant joined HLL in 1976, a rookie chemical engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur. India's most admired marketing company served as his B-school. Recalls Sen, his first mentor: ''It is not that Muktesh has not made mistakes. He has. But, more importantly, he had the ability to acknowledge them, the humility to learn from them, and the ability to move fast to rectify them.''

It has been the same with every colleague, whose ranks include marquee marketers like Levers' Harish Manwani, Ramsunder; P.M. Sinha, now CEO, Pepsi India; K.B. Dadiseth, now Levers' Chairman; and Sandeep Khosla, now Director, HLL. Explains Pant: ''I believe in mentorship. If you have a special relationship with any senior manager in the company, you learn by osmosis. Once you trust a person completely, you open up, and receive critical and valuable feedback.''

THE GLOBALISATION QUOTIENT

Being a top performer in a regional market isn't easy. But duplicating that level of performance in a global arena requires a different bag of skills. Does Muktesh Pant have them?
Personal Values
INTEGRITY. Sticking to the straight may not provide the best short-term results, but will, eventually, prove beneficial, believes Pant.
CLARITY OF GOALS. Early in his career, Pant decided that he wanted to head an organisation. That was one of the reasons behind him accepting the CEO's job at Reebok despite the high risks.
Managerial Values
CROSS-BORDER SENSITIVITY. Managing markets in 40 countries as the regional chief has given Pant wide-ranging insights into different cultures and consumption systems.
NETWORKING. Pant's ability to manage relationships at various levels, from the canteen boy to the CEO, is legendary. He communicates with many of his people in Hindi, which is unthinkable in a transnational. At the level of superiors and peers, it is done through trust, openness, constant and interactive communication, and delivering on promises.
TEAM-ORIENTATION. Managing through teams has always been Pant's chosen method, especially because of the frequency with which he has had to parachute into new situations, where people already present know the ropes. His abilities to stay cool, diffuse tensions, and motivate people count too.

Tarun Sheth, 58, CEO, Shilputsi Consultants, who was the head of human resources at HLL when Pant was with the company, had noticed this trait too. ''Muktesh always had the ability to receive feedback,'' he says. But it wasn't just devoted apprenticeships that Pant was serving; he was, actually, leveraging one-on-one learning for quick lessons in managerial techniques, strategic insights, and market wisdom. These short-cuts, he realised, were necessary because the systems-driven marketing machineries of those companies would not yield learnings either easily or swiftly.

Moreover, Pant learnt to develop these learning-based relationships for the future. When Reebok India was having trouble getting its localisation initiatives in manufacturing approved by a parent that did not wish its subsidiary to fall into the over-localisation trap, it was Pant's personal equation with the international head of manufacturing, S. Thomas, that, eventually, swung the deal.

He may start from scratch every time, but he has repeatedly shown himself capable of building a team. ''Based on my experience in Pepsi, I knew what Reebok needed was a team with a high frustration-tolerance,'' he says. Pant believes that the sheer entrepreneurial energy needed in a start-up, in particular, can only come from a motivated, but experiment-oriented team, which wouldn't give up easily. Thus, his selection-process for Team Reebok involved lengthy interviews-conducted by Pant on himself-why executives from blue-chip corporations, like HLL, ITC, and Titan, wished to move to Reebok: ''I satisfied myself completely that all of them were willing to accept failure.''

The other characteristic Pant sought was the ability to unlearn past ways of doing things, and, instead, do them the Reebok way. That was not a requirement that was easily met, nor was it easy to implement in an A-team drawn from India's best marketing companies. Explains Matangi Gowri Shankar, 41, former director (Human Resources), Reebok India, and now Vice-President (HR), ICIL, who was part of the original team: ''My colleagues were people who were willing to yield to common ground. That way, we were able to create a distinct Reebok culture. And this kept the team together during the critical start-up period.'' Obviously, it was because Pant picked his people to ensure just that.

His fuel for the team is not inspirational story-telling, but guts-and-glory motivation. Avers Jyoti Sagar, 45, the legal advisor to Reebok India: ''Despite the initial difficult days, one thing about Muktesh stood out: his ability to articulate issues to ensure that people remained focused.'' Adds Shankar: ''One of Muktesh's biggest strengths is the ability to think young. He generated a sense of passion around the brand even when things were not going well. And he has shown himself capable of inculcating that feeling in the rest of the team.'' That spirit will be evident when Pant breaks with Reebok convention by personally visiting every region soon after taking over instead of summoning the SBU-heads to Boston.

The friction-filled start-up period demanded that Pant and team find an outlet for their frustrations. He had the perfect solution for this: running. Every morning started with a team-run for those employees who enjoyed running, and most-ranging from Reebok's canteen-staffer, Pyarelal, a champion 5,000-metres runner, to its former sales and marketing director, Dutchman Huub Vaulkenberg-did. And when tempers at the company's headquarters in Bijwasan village near Delhi ran high, managers would retire to the cooler environs of the Lodhi Gardens. To run.

Pant remembers an occasion on which he and Vaulkenberg disagreed violently on an issue, argued intensely, and then broke off and drove down to the Lodhi Gardens for a run. Reminisces Pant: ''That day, we ran with a vengeance. About 4 rounds of 10 kilometres. I believe the worst thing one can do in business is to lose one's temper.'' Running, in particular, didn't just create a sense of bonding between employees; it served as a stress-management technique.

He leads by doing. In 1996, when Reebok launched its first franchise store in the country on Linking Road in Mumbai, Pant spent the entire night before the opening at the store, physically carrying the merchandise to the shelves and using a dart-gun to affix price-tags onto them. And when Reebok India opened its first company-owned outlet in Delhi, Pant spent a few hours every day at the shop for the first fortnight of its existence, ensuring that everything was just right.

Few managers are more avowedly empirical than Pant, who always uses data and analysis to back his arguments. For Reebok, 1997 was really the year when things turned around in India. That was when the company introduced Nylon Racer, a sports-shoe priced at Rs 990. Nowhere in the world did Reebok have a product like that in terms of features and pricing. Avers Verma: ''Nylon Racer was outside the Reebok paradigm, but it was critical for us to expand the market.''

To convince Boston, Pant called upon an old strength: the ability to make data-based presentations. For 3 days, he closeted himself in his office, studying the Indian footwear market. In terms of segments, product-categories, and growth-potential. When he did make his presentation in Boston, he compared Reebok's performance with that of old faithful Bata, provided data on the size and the purchasing-power of India's middle class, and, instead of presenting Reebok's marketshare as a proportion of the total market for global brands-a statistical format recommended by the company-presented it as a proportion of the market for sports-shoes.

The result? A strong case for developing the market as the insignificance of Reebok's share, compared to the size of the potential market, was highlighted. Significantly, having won the case, he made it stronger by agreeing to launch the low-priced product as an experiment. Says Pant, ''We managed to convince them that, if the product didn't take off, we would withdraw it.'' Nor did Pant restrict his lateral thinking to manufacturing.

Reebok had, initially, decided that the best approach to retailing in India would be through franchised outlets. And, indeed, stuck to it till the end of 1996. In 1997, 2 years into the company's operations, Pant changed the rules, and decided to invest directly in real estate and build a company-owned franchise operation-the equivalent of the beverage industry's company-owned bottling operations. After scouring the by-lanes of the capital's Connaught Place, he identified an outlet, only to realise that his estimate of sales in the first 3 years did not warrant an investment of that magnitude. Pant flipped the paradigm again by revising the sales estimates, and driving volumes through aggressive retailing.

Of course, Pant's empiricism starts with the market. To ensure that the company never loses sight of the customer, he has made it mandatory for every Reebok employee to spend at least one day a week in the market. Explains the legendary positioning specialist, Jack Trout, 64, CEO, Trout & Associates: ''It's a war. And what you have to do in war is exploit the weaknesses of your rivals. To do that, the CEO will have to know the market as well as the customer very closely.'' That also explains why Pant runs when others walk or drive; after all, what better way to put himself in his customers' shoes?

Vindicating the faith that Reebok is placing in him won't be easy. Sure, the technology-savvy Pant should find it easy to interact with the design and development team of an organisation that can boast of technological innovations like the DMX pump and Ultralite. Points out Saurav Adhikari, 41, CEO, Tefal India, a former colleague of Pant's at Levers: ''Muktesh is a technology buff. He is able to relate to complicated applications, and get a feel of their applicability.''

But the problems are in the global marketplace, where Nike outsells Reebok 2:1. Avers brand-management guru John Philip Jones, 68: ''The challenge facing Pant is to establish differentiation. But he must be careful. What he must do is to build on existing strengths, and change parameters within them.'' And regional success does not guarantee that global goals will be met, especially since the competition is different. Besides, Pant has earned his spurs with a start-up, which is a far cry from energising Reebok's worldwide organisation.

If he succeeds, could Pant be headed for the very top at Reebok? Muses Noni Chawla, 49, CEO, Korn-Ferry, a human resource consultancy: ''Muktesh has successfully had regional responsibility for over 40 countries. Since he has graduated from a university called HLL, which is one of the finest marketing schools in the world, I see no reason for him not to hit the top.''

However, his personal ambition, claims Pant, is to learn new skills, meet up with some batchmates from IIT-K, and return home. ''I have not planned out my career. If you are obsessed with your career, you get nowhere. Today, I could not ask for anything more. I'm happy,'' says the head of a family of 4 which will be moving to Boston: wife Vinita, 42, daughter Sara, 3, and golden retriever, Bamboo, 6. One secret behind the happiness of Planet Reebok's newest global denizen: the famous Boston Marathon. Run Micky, run.