Aditya Birla organized himself and his executives effectively, giving them decision-making power. Birla's top management consisted of Marwaris, and he viewed each business unit as having its own chairman. Birla's succession planning of senior executives was admirable. He preferred hiring CAs over MBAs and there was a conflict over his daughter's education. Birla distrusted international bankers and found it difficult for Indian companies to tap global capital. In his spare time, Birla enjoyed hobbies like art and sports.

1. All The Kings’ Men
•
Birla’s success lay in his ability to organize himself and everyone around him.
•
They gave their executives tremendous powers of decision making and policy
making.
•
Birla’s top management includes all Marwari's.
•
Birla protested: “we are not a company without a soul”. As each individual is
literally the chairman of that unit.

2. Continued…
•
Aditya’s succession planning at the senior executive level has been admirable.
•
Cast in the sons-of-the-soil mould, none of Birla’s generals are high-fliers Darbari
Seth or Russi Mody. Nor do they have fancy degrees.
•
He argues that there are few women in India because of the traditional nature of the
companies.
•
Birla prefers CA’s to MBA’s as he finds that training given to MBA’s is suitable for
multinationals.
•
Conflict of mind between Birla and her wife for her daughter’s further education.

3. ‘How Private Is The Private Sector?’
•
Aditya Birla doesn’t like the bankers, 'a banker confided in him over a couple of
drinks.
•
He believed that for an Indian company it was difficult to tap the international
capital.
•
The honor of GDR offerings goes to Dhirubhai Ambani.
•
Grasim issues did badly.

4. Continued…
•
Birla’s success made him the target of some unsavory manipulation.
•
It was just European bankers that Birla distrusted.
•
Birla’s outburst surprised many, though had they linked it to its trimmings, they
might not have found it so odd.
•
There was a wide spread perception that Aditya Birla held large shareholdings in
his companies.
•
Their friendship proved to be a mutually beneficial association of the kind
singularly lacking in post independence India between businessman and politicians.

5. The Artistic Side
•
In between factory blueprints and account ledgers, Birla reserved time and energy
for some serious hobbies.
•
A weekend artist, he revealed a closet passion for copying the masters at a one-man
show in September 1990.
•
Birla discovered his talent when he was laid up in bed for three weeks in 1974.
•
Birla's short life is paradoxical in a family where respect for health is a big
tradition.

6. Continued…
•
GD in fact had laid down a comprehensive set of rigorous tenets to which every
Birla was expected to adhere.
•
When in Bombay, Aditya launched in a private room on the top floor of industry
house, screened off from the larger dinning area used by his executives.
•
A fitness enthusiast ,Birla used to play regularly at Gymkhana, an elite city sports
club.
•
Adityas extraordinary entrepreneurship bequeathed a mammoth legacy on Kumar
Mangalams young shoulders.