Getting Paid To Travel? Terrific! Vipul Doshi (CEO, InterGlobe Technologies) on travel, food and books |
 Q. Gym or cafeteria: where do you prefer hanging out?A. Definitely the cafeteria! That is the best place to go and relax. I get to see the fun side of my employees and have casual conversations with them on whatever topics we can think of. It is fun! Most of all, I like to go there is because of the FOOD. Talking casually with my employees over a cup of coffee and grilled sandwiches forms the best part of my day. Q. Any movies that you find relevant enough to recommend to your colleagues? A. ‘Gandhi’ and ‘Wall Street’. The movie ‘Gandhi’ is a beautiful depiction of a common man who led by his principles and was able to unify a diverse country like India towards one cause. It is about providing a vision and inspiring people to follow your lead. On the other hand, ‘Wall Street’ is all about greed. The main character, Gekko, beautifully played by Michael Douglas, did all that was ethically wrong in the corporate world just to satisfy his greed. Throughout the movie he tries to prove that greed is good, but in the end when he ends up in jail, it teaches us an important and often overlooked lesson: greed is never good. Q. When did you have the worst day at office? A. I have had my fair share of good and bad days in office. I seriously cannot think of any such day which I would like to label as “the worst”. Maybe the day we lost a major contract to the competition in a close fight. On hindsight, it was a learning experience which led to many successes in the company’s future. So if you really think about it, my worst day in office was my best day in office. Q. Where was your first job? A. My first job was with an American company called Ogden. Coming fresh out of college, it was an enriching and energetic experience. Q. Any management gurus you look up to? A. Tom Peters. I really love his views on corporate management and leadership in the new economy. Q. The most prominent trend in the HR industry today? A. People power. Knowledge-based industries rely heavily on people. Setting your people equation right is extremely important. Q. What is the best advice you ever received? A. One of my colleagues at Ernst & Young gave me some short and simple advice: never think about short-term gains, always look for long-term gains. Acting on the basis of this advice, I had passed up a job offer which seemed lucrative at that time, but would have harmed the pace of my career growth in the long run. Q. Where would you be if not at InterGlobe? A. Oh I would really love to get into travel journalism. Maybe host a travel show. I love to travel and it would be the best job if I get paid to do it. |
Q. What are the qualities that you admire in a leader? A. A leader’s best quality would be the ability to inspire people towards a cause. Honesty, transparency and belief in justice are also very important factors. Q. Your favourite books? A. I love ‘The Goal’ by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt, as the author explains supply chain management in a simplified manner. He does this by creating a story around the protagonist, Alex Rogo, and how Alex deals with the problems managers face at home and at work everyday. ‘The Search: How Google And Its Rivals Rewrote The Rules Of Business And Transformed Our Culture’ by John Battelle, is an extremely insightful book on the concept of search in today’s information age. Q. What do you enjoy doing in your free time? A. Reading! I just love reading. Reading helps me relax me and forget the daily issues of a modern day life. It is a real stress buster. Q. The toughest decision you made in your career? A. Coming back to India when things were going really great for me in the US. However, things worked out! |
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