#WomenDisruptors: Decoding the 5 Ps of Megha Tata’s leadership mantra

We, at Adgully, have always saluted and honoured women managers and leaders across diverse fields. ‘Women Disruptors’ is Adgully’s special initiative to bring to the fore some remarkable women achievers in M&E, Advertising, Marketing, Communications industries, how they think, how they manage things, how they lead from the front and much more.  

With nearly 27 years of experience, Megha Tata, Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery, brings expertise in management of television network operations in the Media & Entertainment industry. She has worked as part of the leadership teams at BTVi, Star, Turner and HBO. Tata has a consistent record of increasing business performances in the companies she has worked with. 

Apart from being recognised for her business acumen in various industry forums and being involved in industry initiatives, Tata loves to interact with young minds and does that by giving guest lectures in leading educational institutes of the country, such as IIT, IIM, ISB, UBS, Rims International, Jamnabai Narsee School, Wellingkar Institute of Management and so on. She is also involved as a volunteer for Isha Foundation, a non-profit organisation started by Sadhguru. 

How do you inspire and motivate your employees as a leader of your organisation?

I think it starts by sharing the vision and setting clear goals for the entire team, myself included, to deliver. I believe, buy-in of the leadership and their extended team is necessary so that everybody has a personal skin in the game – and that’s why they are likely to try that much harder. 

I am a firm believer of effective and transparent communication within the team as that always builds confidence and makes you a cohesive potent unit. Rewarding and encouraging individuals/ team is the next logical step to ensure that office environment remains productive. 

Your three valuable tips or guidelines to become a winning leader?

I don’t have three, I have five! I call them Megha’s five Ps:

1. Passion- Which we all have and should have to build a successful career.  Every morning has to be energetic; if it is not so, it is time to introspect.
2. Prioritisation- A very critical aspect; it is important to know what action to prioritise over another as we all have limited time.

• Perception - If you want people to perceive you in a certain way, you have to walk the talk.

1. Public Relations -I love the saying – ‘Baat Karne Se Baat Banti hai’. The potential to learn is huge when one engages with the best talent.
2. Positive attitude - Most important one for me. I’ve always been a “glass half-full” kind of a person. Find solutions, always see the silver lining.

How do you nurture and train your people to become a leader in the future?

Discovery is a people and culture driven organisation. In fact, we have a People & Culture team, and not just an HR team, which speaks volumes about the fact that the focus on people and culture is right at the forefront. This focus on culture really helps as we try and nurture new leaders. In my personal capacity, I focus on fostering a culture of risk-taking amongst my team. The most important aspect is building strong relationship with business leaders and offering them the opportunities to learn and excel in varied capacities. 

What would be your approach to manage a crisis as a leader?

It is the leader’s responsibility to help navigate the team during the time of a crisis. In my view, decisive decision making is critical so that immediate steps can be taken resolve an unanticipated situation. Active and transparent communication with all the stakeholders also plays a very important role in managing crisis. 

I believe in rallying with my leadership team and the extended team. The chances of us collectively navigating a crisis are far better, as we need to cover all aspects of the business.