Ratan Tata has been the chairman of Tata Group since 1991 and will be retiring in 2012. During his tenure, he has transformed Tata from an India-centric company to a global business through major acquisitions such as Tetley, Jaguar Land Rover, and Corus. Some of his acquisitions faced criticism for overpaying but helped make Tata the fifth largest steel producer. He started his career at Tata Steel working on the shop floor and was later appointed chairman of Tata Industries in 1981.

1. Brief about Ratan Tata-
Ratan Naval Tata (born 28 December 1937) is the present chairman of Tata Sons and
therefore, Tata Group. He is also the chairman of major Tata companies such as Tata Steel, Tata
Motors, Tata Power, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Tea, Tata Chemicals, The Indian Hotels
Company and Tata Teleservices..
When he returned to India in 1962 after turning down a job with IBM on the advice of JRD, he
was sent to Jamshedpur to work on the shop floor at Tata Steel with other blue-collar employees,
shoveling limestone and handling the blast furnace. In 1971, he was appointed the Director
of National Radio and Electronics (Nalco), which was in dire straits when he came on board:
with losses of 40% and barely 2% share of the consumer electronics market. However, just when
he turned it around (from 2% to 25% market share), the Emergency was declared. A weak
economy and labour issues compounded the problem and Nalco was quickly near collapse again.
In 1981, JRD Tata stepped down as Tata Industries chairman, naming Ratan as his successor. He
was heavily criticized for lacking experience in running a company of the scale of Tata
Industries.
In 1991, he was appointed group chairman of the Tata group. As group chairman, he has been
responsible for converting "the corporate commonwealth" of different Tata-affiliated companies
into a cohesive company. He has been responsible for the acquisition of Tetley, Jaguar Land
Rover and Corus, which have turned Tata from a largely India-centric company into a global
business, with 65% revenues coming from abroad.
In August 2007, Ratan Tata led Tata Group's acquisition of British steel maker Corus. At that
time, this was the largest takeover of a foreign company by an Indian company, and resulted in
Tata Group becoming the fifth largest steel producer in the world. According to the BBC,
however, some analysts criticized the move, saying that Tata Group had overpaid for Corus and
had prioritized national pride before its shareholders.
Tata is set to retire in December 2012 to be succeeded by Cyrus Mistry, the 42-year-old son
of Pallonji Mistry and managing director of Shapoorji Pallonji Group.

2. Five best practices of exemplary leadership –
Model the Way
Inspire a Shared Vision
Challenge the Process
Enable Others to Act
Encourage the Heart
1. Model the Way –
Leaders establish principles concerning the way people (constituents, peers, colleagues, and
customers alike) should be treated and the way goals should be pursued. They create standards of
excellence and then set an example for others to follow. Because the prospect of complex change
can overwhelm people and stifle action, they set interim goals so that people can achieve small
wins as they work toward larger objectives. They unravel bureaucracy when it impedes action;
they put up signposts when people are unsure of where to go or how to get there; and they create
opportunities for victory.
Ratan Tata himself leads the way. He always tries to motivate the employees by persuading them
to perform activities which are fruitful for them and organization as well. The earliest evidence
of Tata’s thought leadership could be found in a document unofficially called the Tata Plan that
he authored way back in 1983. Under the leadership of JRD Tata, the group got Ratan Tata (then
Tata Industries’ Chairman) to draw up a blueprint for the future. In it Tata recommended that the
group `seek substantial growth in international operations.’ He also suggested restructuring the
group to address the global opportunity better.

3. 2. Inspire a Shared Vision-
Leaders passionately believe that they can make a difference. They envision the future, creating
an ideal and unique image of what the organization can become. Through their magnetism and
quiet persuasion, leaders enlist others in their dreams. They breathe life into their visions and get
people to see exciting possibilities for the future.
Ratan Tata always wanted to enter into mid segment vehicles for low income families. He had a
dream of bringing in 1 lakh rupees car, so he had a vision in his mind to deliver it back to the
society. Ultimately he made it possible in bringing 1 lakh rupee car Tata Nano to the society
sharing an inspired vision. He made the dreams of low income people of owning a car true.
3. Challenge the Process
Leaders search for opportunities to change the status quo. They look for innovative ways to
improve the organization. In doing so, they experiment and take risks. And because leaders know
that risk taking involves mistakes and failures, they accept the inevitable disappointments as
learning opportunities.
Ratan Tata has always been facing challenges since the beginning. Firstly he faced a challenge
from JRD Tata for doing work in IBM beside having such a huge business.Thw recent example
could be of the singur issue in west Bengal where govt. refused the company to set a plant their
.He realized from his mistakes and set up the plant in Gujarat facilitating employment to many
and bringing in prosperity too. He faced the challenge and at the end succeeded in getting what
he wanted.
4. Enable Others to Act
Leaders foster collaboration and build spirited teams. They actively involve others. Leaders
understand that mutual respect is what sustains extraordinary efforts; they strive to create an
atmosphere of trust and human dignity. They strengthen others, making each person feel capable
and powerful deal, he makes himself available 24x7 to the CEO doing the acquisition. Tata
encourages aggression among group mangers in many ways. To begin with, he is always
encouraging companies to think big and be bold enough to attempt the impossible. When such
thinking leads a company to a cross-border.

4. 5. Encourage the Heart-
Accomplishing extraordinary things in organizations is hard work. To keep hope and
determination alive, leaders recognize contributions that individuals make. In every winning
team, the members need to share in the rewards of their efforts, so leaders celebrate
accomplishments. They make people feel like heroes.