Leading With Passion and Focusing on That “One Thing”
A culture built on trust, the courage to do what’s right, and setting “big, hairy, audacious goals” guides Bristlecone CEO Lakshmanan Chidambaram through the unpredictable era of global supply chain disruption.
Lakshmanan Chidambaram (CTL), CEO and Managing Director, Bristlecone
About one year ago, Lakshmanan Chidambaram, who often goes by CTL, was appointed chief executive officer and managing director of Bristlecone, a pure-play supply chain services provider and Mahindra Group company. He brought more than three decades of experience in global technology services and business transformation. Along with his role at Bristlecone, CTL serves on the board of the US-India Business Council and has participated in the World Economic Forum and the WSJ CEO Council.
Chidambaram, a bookworm and history buff, notes that the name “Bristlecone” comes from the bristlecone pine tree, which is the oldest surviving tree on the planet. “It’s many thousands of years old and has learned to adapt and thrive,” he says.
The lessons of adaptability are particularly relevant to many supply chain professionals today. Increasing unpredictability as a result of geopolitical conflicts, tariffs, and advancing technology, among other changes, is compelling supply chain organizations, as well as the companies that advise and support them, like Bristlecone, to adapt.
“The world needs our services and our expertise, and we need to learn and adapt and evolve as we shape the future of this company,” Chidambaram says. Here, he shares his insight on leading through disruption and change.
IL: How can you help Bristlecone employees adapt to the current, ever-changing environment so they can provide the services and expertise your clients need?
I think about this every day. Some parts of what we do will change dramatically, and we should be at the forefront. One step in preparing for the future is tripling our consulting practice. We believe that’s the tip of the spear, and we need consultants who can understand the problems our customers face and help determine how to solve them.
The second part is using artificial intelligence. It’s a transformative technology, and it will play a role in every aspect of delivery to our clients. We have to do 30% more with what we have, which means every employee has to leverage AI technology.
It all goes to the culture within the company. In good times and bad, culture is the one thing that doesn’t change and that differentiates you.
IL: How would you describe your culture?
Everyone has time to do only one thing in their professional life. You may do many things, but they should be focused on that one thing. Our executive team debated about the one thing, and then it came out clearly: The one thing that matters is customer delight.
When we said this, the next thing we heard was, ‘Everyone says customer delight. It’s cheesy. What do you mean by it? And how do you convert that into reality?’
We define it as this: the customer has given us something invaluable, which is their trust. They expect us to keep their interests in our hearts at all times and to do what it takes to make them successful.
Then, we said employees should do what’s right, even if it’s detrimental to Bristlecone. For example, if you bring in AI, you might work with 20% fewer resources, which means you’ll bill less to your clients, impacting your revenue and profitability.
It may sound naive, but I believe you can’t go wrong by doing what’s right. So, we may temporarily have situations where revenue drops because we’ve introduced AI and used fewer resources and then passed on the benefit to the client. The client will see this. In the long run, we strengthen the client’s trust, and that will lead to more business.
I endeavor to be true to this every day.
IL: What characteristics are critical for effective leaders?
The first role of a leader is to define the vision and a big goal. People don’t want to do small goals. Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘I’m going to get the British out of India, and I’m not going to use violence.’ India has 150 spoken languages and multiple cultures. This was as big, hairy, and audacious as a goal can be.
Yet Gandhi managed to touch and inspire people across the nation. People left their lives to follow him on this journey. And once he got that together, magic happened.
People will follow leaders who set big, hairy, audacious goals (BHAGs) and take them on magical journeys where they can discover a better part of themselves.
The role of a leader is to define the vision clearly. Keep it simple and communicate it again and again and again until it gets into the DNA of your people; so it’s like brushing your teeth when you wake up in the morning.
The second thing is hiring the right leaders. I need to bring in people who are smarter than me, people who bring better knowledge to the table. Once I do that, I have to define their roles, give them the resources and an environment in which they can succeed, and then get out of their way.
IL: What qualities do you look for when you’re considering potential job candidates?
Passion is at the core of everything. The impossible becomes possible when passionate people get involved. Passion, grit, determination, an undying hunger to win, a fiercely competitive approach, and ethics are the things I look for.
Obviously, depending on the job, sometimes a candidate will need expertise. But if these things aren’t there, I would not go near them.
IL: Given the many challenges facing organizations today, how do you maintain a positive mindset?
When the pandemic happened, we were sitting in our homes. We didn’t know what to do. I needed to call in and energize my team. I was thinking, ‘How the hell do I energize them? I don’t know what’s going to happen either.’
We got on the call, and the energy came. I told them that our customers were going through pain, and it wasn’t about them or their targets. We had to put ourselves in the shoes of the customer, find out their pain points, and address them.
The year of the pandemic, we grew 25% by doing the right thing and not compromising our principles or culture. They are the lighthouses that guide us.
When the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the stock market is doing well, you won’t feel the need for culture. But when the night is dark, when there are rocks and the ship has to find its destination, that’s when culture guides you. It’s all about the truth, keeping it simple, and having a big, hairy, audacious mindset.
Dream Dinner Party
CTL’s top invitees for a hypothetical leadership summit are a diverse group of visionaries. First is Abraham Lincoln, admired for his tough decisions and unwavering vision for an equal America. Next is Elon Musk, praised for his “guts and capabilities” to imagine a new world and set a bold future vision.
CTL also highlights a lesser-known but equally impactful leader: Subramania Bharati, an Indian poet and freedom fighter. Bharati, who championed India’s independence and women’s rights despite imprisonment, imbued his poems with hope and positive energy, which ‘powered India’s independence moment.’
These figures embody the blend of vision, boldness, and inspirational culture that CTL values in leadership.