Veterans Unpacked | Winning gold all the time isn’t necessary: Sandeep Goyal

What have you been up to since hanging up your boots?

Lots. And yet nothing. I kind of switch into either mode as and when I feel like! Very busy for a few weeks. Then on complete time-out, till I feel like getting active again. When you ‘hang up your boots’ that luxury of choosing when to work and when not to is always there.

Well, post-selling Dentsu I thought this is now my dream state of freedom. The euphoria lasted a few weeks but soon I started to feel a strange emptiness. Yes, I now had some newfound riches but otherwise, the day seemed so empty every morning. I figured that even ‘retirement’ needed a plan.

So, I sat for the CAT exam in 2011. I went back to B-school to do a Ph.D. Physically attended classes for a full year. Had fun interacting with classmates as old as my daughter. Then wrote a 480-page thesis on ‘Celebrities as Human Brands'. That became the foundation of the Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB) which I now mentor. I also started a mobile business as Airtel’s exclusive partner and established market leadership in that space. After that, I partnered with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor to launch FoodFood TV. Launched another dozen interesting enterprises in digital, programmatic and voice. Then I started writing. I wrote columns in Business Standard, ET BrandEquity, Business World, The Print, Campaign and many more. It went further and I wrote six books. The seventh was released last month.

I’m also the India chair of Snapchat. And these days I am CEO of the Punjab Govt.’s CSR Authority in the rank of a Principal Secretary. A job I do pro bono.

So all this keeps me busy … when I want to work!

What keeps you busy now?

I think I have answered most of that above as far as ‘busy’ is concerned.

When I don’t feel like doing anything, Tanya my wife, and I just travel. We have traveled from Peru to Alaska, Bulgaria to Macedonia, Croatia to Bratislava, Oman to Israel, Guyana to Ireland … over 40 countries in the last decade, perhaps more.

I have built up some nice collections too: a rare 500-piece collection of Toby mugs – many over a hundred years old. A 1000+ pieces collection of ceramics. Some nice art too. In fact, we are setting up a private
museum in Delhi NCR. Just inaugurated a huge 2000 sq ft installation at Chandigarh at Matka Chowk. So art has been both a great escape and indulgence.

A friend and I are just launching The Bombay Breakfast Club, a first of its kind. Also, I  just started the Le Corbusier & Pierre Jenneret Forum in Chandigarh on design and architecture.

There has been lots of fun stuff to do.

Looking back, can you tell us about three interesting events or anything that has stayed with you since?

In 2008, while at Dentsu, we bought all the retail inventory on IPL 1 because the broadcaster Sony was unable to sell to clients who were not sponsors. IPL had no takers! We too had a slow start and missed 35% of the sale on the first match because of lukewarm interest. I thought I would have a heart attack if that trend continued: we had big monies at stake.

Then in the very first match, Brendon McCullum hit a century and there was no looking back … clients just came in droves. I launched Indian Fantasy League (IFL) to coincide with the IPL in 2008. It was a JV between me and the Times of India. I had no idea of what we were getting into. We had the league on a couple of servers.

The first ad was a full page in ToI. By 7 am, our servers had crashed: so huge was the traffic. We had 4 servers up by 8 am. They crashed in 90 seconds. After many other rounds of adding servers and them crashing, we had to engage an external vendor to provide us the required server space. We were getting millions of hits! IFL was the original precursor of Dream 11. Just that we were felled by Lalit Modi who took us to court. Otherwise, we would have been perhaps where Dream 11 is today.

My mentor, Fumio Oshima san taught me one big lesson: to think big. I had submitted one small acquisition proposal to the Dentsu board. Nothing came off it. Another small proposal a few weeks later again received a polite no. I started getting hassled. I went to see Oshima san. He heard me out, smiled, and said, “Sandeep san you are thinking too small. Your 1 crore - 2 crore proposals are so tiny that the clerks only reject them. The Board never gets to see them. Think BIG if you want to get their attention and support!”. I got the message.

What do you miss most about the C-Suite?

I don’t really miss the C-Suite. I just miss the company-paid travel to exotic places for needless conferences and meetings! With all the trappings of the best hotels, choicest entertainment, and practically no meaningful work. Those perks I miss.

If you had to relive your corporate career again, what would you do differently?

I would have run slower. I was President of Rediffusion before I was 35. I was Group CEO of Zee at 38. I was JV partner and Chairman of Dentsu by the time I was 40. At 48, I had made my fortune and retired. Now I look back and wonder where was the rush? I worked 24x7, all 7 days a week, doing an easy million miles a year. I could’ve gone much slower; perhaps savoured and enjoyed a bit more of all that I had created. I was just running all the time.

What are the changes in the corporate world that you see now that are vastly different from your time?

Seven out of my 10 closest friends today are former clients. In my time, you met clients, worked with them, got to know them, came closer, became friends and then stayed friends. Clients respected you; trusted you; liked you; became close to you. Today all that has changed. Most client relationships are transactional. There is no respect, no love. I find that very difficult to stomach.

Which business leader in the current crop impresses you?

I admire Elon Musk … he is so much fun. Eccentric genius. Incredible visionary. So future focussed. So technology savvy. And what I admire most is his “I don’t give a sh*t” attitude to the rest of the world.

In India, I think Ratan Tata is the best. How he is transforming the Tata empire to new age thinking is absolutely awe-inspiring.

My old boss, Diwan Arun Nanda of Rediffusion may not be ‘current crop’ but he has been my most inspirational leader. Mr. Nanda was a gutsy leader who could tell a client to his face that you are wrong. That took a lot of courage.

How did you plan for life after retirement?

Oops! There was really no plan. I ‘retired’ 10 years ago. But it didn’t feel ever that I was actually retired. Except that I could wear my pathani salwar suit to the office and indulge in a post-lunch siesta without feeling guilty.

In fact, don’t be surprised if I pad up for a second innings in advertising soon. Sometimes I just miss the action and the adrenalin.

Is there anything you would tell your younger self?

I always told myself: You never win silver; you lose gold. To the younger Goyal, I would say, winning gold every time is not necessary. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone.

To the younger me I would also say, “When was the last time you did something for the first time”. I needed to learn so much more, I didn’t.

What is your advice for the next cadre of corporate leaders?

Play hard. But play fair. Ethics are the biggest casualty in today’s business. Avoid greed and avarice. And much of that comes from over-reach. The journey is as important as the destination. Sometimes we are so consumed by where we want to reach that we don’t celebrate the little victories or toast daily successes along the way. That robs us of half the joy of the ultimate achievement. Don’t treat the family as second fiddle. Precious time with loved ones will never come back.