Leadership is about clarity: Former IOCL chairman SM Vaidya

Shillong, Oct 30 (PTI) Former Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) chairman Shrikant M Vaidya on Thursday urged engineering graduates to lead with integrity, purpose, and resilience, drawing from his own four-decade career in India's energy sector.

Speaking at the 10th Convocation of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Meghalaya, he shared lessons from his journey "from the control room to the boardroom," including how IOCL ensured uninterrupted fuel supply during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Recalling his early years, he said, "I began on the floor of a refinery. No job is small if done with sincerity. Leadership is not about hierarchy; it is about ownership and the courage to act when the outcome is uncertain." Reflecting on the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, he highlighted one of IOCL's most defining moments.

"The country was still, but our mission wasn't. India needed fuel to run ambulances, distribute food, keep lights on, and maintain kitchen fires. While the world worked from home, we worked from the field from terminals, depots, and refineries," he said.

"We delivered not 24 lakh LPG cylinders a day, but over 33 lakh per day. That period taught me what no business school ever could, that leadership is not about control it's about clarity and showing up when it's hardest," he added.

Vaidya reminded graduates that their relationship with their alma mater continues beyond convocation.

"Your kinship with NIT Meghalaya does not end today; it begins anew. From this day forward, your name and your alma mater are entwined," he said.

Encouraging students to think beyond personal gain, he added, "Your question cannot be: What will I earn? It must be: What will I solve? The future is not being written in distant capitals," it is being written here, and you are its authors.

"The best leaders don't shout, they serve. Reputation is your most valuable currency. Never underestimate the power of showing up consistently," he said. PTI JOP RG