Mumbai-The Leadership Factory

Six out of the seven largest Indian companies which feature in the Fortune -500 list are based in Mumbai. The city accounts for 6.16% of India's economy. Mumbai contributes 30% of income tax collections, 60% of customs duty collections, 20% of central excise tax collections, 40% of foreign trade and US $10 billion in corporate taxes to the Indian economy. Mumbai always comes in the Forbes list of the top 10 richest cities in the world. It is home to 37 billionaires (persons having assets more than Rs 7000 Cr.) & Mumbai is among the top 5 fastest developing rich cities of the world. Mukesh Ambani is the richest Mumbaikar who owns a fortune of USD 50 Billion and appears among the top 20 richest persons in the world. Mumbai is also ranked 20th in the list of highest number of millionaires, with more than 48100 such persons (with assets more than Rs 7 Cr.), staying in the city.

These wealth creators are the leaders in their field. They are the leaders in their industry. Mumbai is home to thousands of leaders from business, politics, social, art & music field. Why is Mumbai factory of the leaders? How doe Mumbai produce such leaders? How does Mumbai groom the leadership DNA? Why is Mumbai much more than the best Business School? This is my epiphany after living in the city for 30 years.

Mumbai is a unique city of fortune. Truly Indian but equally global. Full of slums but still glamorous. Marathi attire but Indian demeanour, home to all religions & regions.

The most Cosmopolitan city in India. Mumbai is the richest city in India because it is the most cosmopolitan city of India. Immigrants within the state & from all other states of India have developed this city with their hard work. Immigrants from Iran,Pakistan,Nepal,Bhutan, Germany, Israel, France etc also have their share in the development. Mumbai gives a true picture of India. It is a Marathi pride but developed with the great support of all Indians. The best of the Tamil, Malyali, Bengali, UP & Bihari brains stay in Mumbai. Usually minorities stay in clusters but Mumbai is an exception. Everyone, no matter whether in apartment, slum or housing society, has a cosmopolitan neighbour.

Mumbai also resembles America. Everyone is immigrant here.

No community, region, language is unrepresented. Even local Marathi population who forms majority, has migrated within the state. They have migrated from Kokan,Vidarbha,Western Maharashtra, and Marathwada regions of Maharashtra. Gujaratis are in good numbers. They have also migrated from all over Gujarat, Kathiyawad, South Gujarat, Kuch, etc. Gujarathis dominate diamond business,shares trading business,trading & manufacturing. Sindhis, Jains, & Marwaris have major contribution in the economic development of the city. Parsis treat Mumbai as home town rather than Sanjan (a place in Gujarat where they migrated first from Iran). Tata, Godrej, Shapporji & many other Parsis have Mumbai as their business hub.

No two neighbours have migrated from the same district of India. Mumbai is all about the great unity in the diversity.

I jokingly say that there are more Sindhis in Mumbai than they are in Sindh. With their hard work they have created fortune in Mumbai. South Indians, Bengalis, Odiyas are in good numbers . They prefer corporate jobs. Udipis dominate the restaurant business, while Shettys control late night restaurants (Beer Bars) & hence the night life. Punjabis hold upper hand in Bollywood along with Muslims. Boharis are Shiya Muslims. They dominate hardware & sanitary ware businesses. Sikhs control transport, automobile & spare part businesses.

Mumbai carries legacy of the beloved king of Maharashtra, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the cosmopolitan Hindu king who welcomed all religions and developed a strong cosmopolitan Marathi DNA. His monument is being created in the Arabian sea with the tallest statue in the world. Heterogeneity is the real fabric of Mumbai. Legally Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra but emotionally and professionally it rules and connects every Indian. Every Indian says with great pride, 'Aamchi Mumbai' in Marathi.

Not only people but Mumbai's food, festivals, passion, attire even Gods are cosmopolitan.

Mumbai has its own street food. Vada-Pav, Misal, Pav-Bhaji, sabudana vada, Bhel-Puri, Shev-Puri, Pani-puri, roasted peanuts, Omelette-Pav, Cutting (a half cup tea) etc. (a few of the Mumbai Street food items are shown in the photo). Most of the street food is vegetarian. Even a millionaire never considers eating street food as unhygienic. Every area has their 'Khau-Galli' (street food joints) which are always crowded even at midnight. Mumbai celebrates certain festivals together. Ganesha festival, Dahi-handi are never only Hindu or Marathi festivals.Whole Mumbai gets charged up. Navratri, is another big Mumbai festival. For 9 days ladies wear only a certain coloured dresses/saris on the particular days. The day wise schedule of colours reaches everyone in office. Even men also join ladies with a great enthusiasm. People of all ages play 'Dandiya' at night. Holi, Sankrantri are also typical Mumbai festivals. Mumbaikars look forward to Bakari-Ed invitations or tiffin boxes from Muslim friends. Durga pendals, Chat puja, Aaiyappa festival procession,Onam,Pongal are celebrated in Mumbai with a great flair.

Mumbai is not the tourist destination. You must migrate to my city to know its beauty.

Siddhi Vinayak, Haji Ali, Mount Merry, Mumbadevi & Mahalaxmi are Mumbai Gods. They are never restricted to their communities. Hindus crowd Haji Ali (as seen in the picture on the left) & Mount Merry. Muslims, Christians & Sikhs enjoy Ganapati festival, Dandiya etc. They even work hard as a member of the organising committee. Mumbai comes to hault only when Shiv Sena calls for a Mumbai-Bandh or when local trains hault due to heavy rains & water-logging or when India-Pakistan cricket match is on. Cricket is the religion of Mumbai. One can't be a Mumbaikar if he can't follow & talk about cricket.

Mumbai is charged in Ganapati, Navaratri festivals; in November to January winter & during the India Vs Pakistan cricket match.

The story of Mumbai can't be completed unless we salute our 'Mumbai Police'. They are the best force in India & second to nobody in the world. Their powerful network & policing skills are laudable. They make Mumbai a safe heaven. They work for days together during the festive seasons to ensure law & order. Women empowerment is possible in Mumbai only because of the strong support of the Mumbai police. Even traffic police in Mumbai are amazing. We all call them 'Pandu' with great affection. (taken from famous Marathi movie, 'Pandu Hawaldar', a police constable of Mumbai police as a central character in the movie).

Public transport in Mumbai is amazing. it is certainly crowded but very disciplined & punctual. Local trains carry maximum load of the office-going middle class & lower class. They are the life-line of Mumbai & the fastest way to commute. It is a pride of Mumbaikars & we expect the government to do a lot more about it.Recently Indian railways have ordered Air Conditioned coaches. Nobody waits for the railway budget like Mumbaikar. Every railway budget is read carefully & with a lot of hope.

BEST bus service in Mumbai is also very efficient. They are so crowded but hardly anybody travels without a ticket. They are the cheaper option for ladies, senior citizens & students. Their safety standards are amazing. BEST drivers may be the best in the world when it comes to driving a bus in the traffic jams or in water logging in Mumbai. Till date I never heard any conductor doing a fraud in the BEST ticketing which is common in other cities. Some how BEST couldn't succeed in running AC buses. People now prefer Ola over it.

Mumbai - A Leadership Hub Mumbai leads in India in every aspect. It is the number one city financially, leads in attracting foreign investments. It leads in social change & retaining a cultural heritage, leads in cricket, leads in entertainment, leads in fashion & jewellery, leads in the law & order, leads in civic discipline, leads in women empowerment, leads in public transportation, compared to other metros, pollution is in check, leads in per capita income, leads in GDP, leads in paying taxes. Mumbai herself is the leader & also the mother of many great leaders. How does she impart the leadership training to her citizens?

Mumbai focuses on developing leaders by imparting life lessons.

Gives Life Experiences Mumbai exposes her children to the life experiences. Staying in Mumbai & travelling to work itself is a training. One learns the important lessons. The first lesson is that, 'neighbours are closer than relatives'. Mumbai residents are heavily dependent on neighbours. They reach out to them well before the relatives in case of any eventuality. One develops, sharing, caring attitude, PR skills, empathy while staying in Mumbai.

Great leaders are products of great life experiences & not just the work experiences.

People form social groups in local trains & voluntarily share seats in the hour long journey to & fro to office. These groups celebrate festivals together, fight during cricket world cup, IPL matches & at the time of elections. Some groups also sing prayers together while travelling to work. They are the most powerful off-line groups in Mumbai. Commuting in trains teaches team dynamics & empathy. There are natural leaders in every group.

Nobody sleeps hungry in Mumbai. Unlimited opportunities provide leadership grooming ground in Mumbai.

Land of Opportunities Mumbai provides food & shelter to everyone who comes to her. There is a lot of work & everyone can be employed in Mumbai. Certain small businesses are controlled by specific communities.People from Uttar Pradesh control taxis,autos rickshaws, vegetable & fish, laundries etc. Malyalis control tyre & tyre repairs businesses. Rajastanis & UP people control furniture, tiling, plumbing, electrician businesses. Muslims control garages, mutton & chicken markets. Marathi population loves government jobs,medicine, engineering jobs, IT & other professions like CA, ICWA etc. along with politics, literature, art and social services. All communities know each other's strengths.They focus their strengths & network for earning their livelihood. Mumbai provides job or business to everyone who wants to do hard work. Mumbai residents have a contented attitude. They support each other rather than getting engaged in a dog fight. Every community, family guides & supports a person in their chosen field, helping to produce leaders.

Exposure The socio-cultural & business environment in Mumbai is conducive to produce leaders.This business & cultural centre provides required exposure to a leadership aspirants. Mumbai also provides the required scale in every activity including business. Such scale provides wider canvas to the leaders.

Work Culture Mumbai has very professional work culture. People are committed to their work. Travelling to other parts of the country one can make out the 'Mumbai polish'. People have professional ethics. They will do what they promise & will only promise what they can do. Such culture is conducive to businesses. Trust is the main factor. Business leaders are groomed in this business culture; hence, they become successful.

Coaching The best part of working in Mumbai is access to world class guidance and training. The emerging leaders are benefited by the experiences & expertise of the successful leaders in their fields. J R D Tata, Dhirubhai, G D Birla did it earlier & Mukesh Ambani, Azim Premji, Ajay Piramal have been doing it recently.

Global & National Perspective/Connect- Mumbai is truly international city. It also has better business connections within India.

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Mumbai Airport has only one main runway. It has been operating well above its capacity. In 24 hours, Mumbai airport handles 969 flights and sets new world record. Thanks to Bollywood, Mumbaikars speak Hindi & can get connected to Indians from other parts. Southern connections are through fluent English & Northern connections are through 'Bambaiya Hindi'. Since Hindi is Devanagari script majority of Mumbaikars can also read Hindi. Such a national & global connectivity offers very rich work experience which is essential for the leadership.

Mumbai never sleeps & doesn't let the leaders sleep.

Rigour Hard work is a value in Mumbai. People leave their homes for office before 8 am & return after 8 pm. That may be the earliest. Some leaders reach home after 10 or 11 pm at night only to return to office the next day early morning. Incoming time for office is fixed but out going time is variable.It is the work culture in Mumbai. Working for extended hours increases the capacity to work & also the quantum of work. Leaders can work on the larger scale & in more complex situations due to this rigour & willingness to work for the extended hours. Some people go to office even on Saturdays & other holidays to perform non-routine, creative, developmental work. Such work stamina is possible only because of the passion which generates the extra energy.

Peer Pressure Everybody works hard in Mumbai. Such team work creates peer pressure. Such a peer pressure help lifting heavy work loads & achieve extra-ordinary performances.

In a nutshell, Mumbai has a unique culture. It leads in India in many fields hence placed on a different pedestal. It provides a different socio-cultural experience. A cosmopolitan environment breeds secular leaders who are biased only for the performance. Rigour & struggle in Mumbai life provide unique life experiences which are very critical to become a leader. Mumbai provides access to national & international opportunities. It provides guidance & opportunities to work with the world class business leaders. Mumbai creates rigour & peer pressure which make a person alert & alive. Mumbai is the business capital of India & on the high priority of the global companies & investors. Global businesses are comfortable with the Mumbai work culture & don't get cultural shocks. English is the business language & people don't debate its relevance. Mumbaikars are also good in Hindi so they can strike a chord with Indians from all parts of India. These factors discussed here make Mumbai a unique business school & a leadership factory.

About the Author: Prof Dr Ajit Patil is awarded 'Top Voice on LinkedIn - 2017'. He is a Management Writer; Marketing, Business Development & Retailing Consultant. He conducts Management Development Programmes; trains & coaches Sales & Marketing teams. He has been teaching MBA students in India & overseas for over 18 years. He can be reached at [email protected]

Prof Dr Ajit Patil with his Chinese friend, Yourun Li (wearing Indian Kurta) & her parents, on their farm house at Huairuo, near China wall, Beijing, China in May 2018.