A Leader Extraordinaire

From a management trainee to the CEO of Wockhardt Hospitals Group, Vishal Bali's life is an incredible tale of dogged perseverance and sincerity. Rita Dutta unveils the personal and professional sides of this larger-than-life persona

It is difficult to pin down Vishal Bali, CEO, Wockhardt Hospitals Group, for an interview. Such is his unflinching passion for work that people in the industry call him a "monomaniac workaholic."

So, when I hear that he is trooping to Mumbai for a conference, I grab the opportunity. Well, the conference begins and ends, but chances of getting an exclusive look bleak. The usual hounding by media people for prized sound bytes and quotes from him seems interminably long. Amid the jamboree of flashbulbs and cameras rolling, my photographer and I literally whisked him away from the plush hotel room to the terrace for a photo session and the much-awaited conversation.

For this Banglorean accustomed to soothing weather in the garden city, standing under the scorching summer sun of Mumbai for almost an hour was obviously uncomfortable. Even as his eyes would narrow and close once in a while and his cheeks turned pink under the sweltering heat, the suave gentleman, as he is known in the industry, never uttered a word of complaint.

Deconstructing His Success

At the age of 38, when people still struggle to climb the peaks of success, Bali has reached the zenith, hailed in the industry as a leader par excellence. His life is an encouraging tale of grit and determination of a youngster who slogged and clambered to become the CEO of an organisation. Much as Jack Welch, his favourite author, did with GE.

His phenomenal triumph did not happen overnight. In 1991, Bali joined Wockhardt Pharma as a management trainee and was soon sent on assignment to Wockhardt Hospital, Bangalore. It is from Bangalore that Bali crafted his strategies and scripted a growth plan for Wockhardt, which propelled the group from strength to strength, clocking a 30 to 35 per cent annual growth. Unlike other corporate groups which are aggressively enlarging their territory, Wockhardt has taken calculated steps.

Bali's growth has been parallel with the group's development: from a trainee, he graduated to become Product Executive, then Product Manager, Centre Manager, General Manager, Vice President (Operations) and CEO. Over a span of 16 long years, Bali has worked 13 to 15 hours a day, travelling 18 days a month. "Whenever I go to our hospitals at different locations people say it is 'Shivaratri', as the work goes on till wee hours in the night. And by the time our work gets over, we don't find a single restaurant for dinner," he reveals, bursting into a peal of laughter.

What are his major contributions to the group? With much prodding, the modest Bali declares, "Getting the best of clinical acumen, emphasis on quality and patient care coupled with good management practices." His success mantra is four-pronged. "I have never given less than 100 per centof myself for my job. I work very sincerely and passionately and enjoy every moment of it," Bali divulges. Bali does not take any break during his work time as he believes that it breaks the rhythm.

Much of Bali's success also comes from the team that works with him. A self-confessed people's person, Bali transmits his zeal to others. "Working for a big organisation, you need to possess a lot of energy, which you also need to pass on. I believe no organisation can function without taking pride in their employees," he states. "Quite true," a colleague tells us, "Bali loves to work and we love to work in his company."

A major part of his success is due to having no airs. Bali is always the first one to greet someone, whether he is a security guard, receptionist or a patient. And they say he has an elephant's memory; he never forgets a person's name once he meets him. "I remember names without any labour. During my early years, when I used to interact with patients and relatives, I groomed myself to greet everybody by their name. Striking a personal chord is key in the service sector," he voices.

Finally, it is his habit of being always on his toes and his insatiable thirst for knowledge that gives him an edge. "I believe you are never well-equipped for a job. There is always somebody who is better than you and hence you must always keep learning," he says, with a jab of his clenched fist. While most experts are masters of only their own domain, Bali's knowledge is more holistic. Whether it is operations, strategy, finance or even keeping pace with the advancement in various medical specialities, Bali is well-versed in every possible healthcare topic under the sun. "I do most of the reading on flight," he discloses.

And what is his favourite subject? No prize for guessing—it is management. And what does success mean to this super achiever? "It means humility. Success is ephemeral. So, you should never let it get to your head and affect your work. To me success is more about helping my team achieve success," he maintains.

The Wockhardt Growth Story

From just one hospital in Bangalore in the '90s, Bali has seen Wockhardt Hospitals grow and acquire an empire of eight hospitals in Bangalore, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur and Hyderabad. With Bali, the group has experimented in building hospitals catering to a single speciality. "Our Kolkata hospital was built for urology, whereas Bangalore was for cardiology. We have slowly broad-based ourselves to other super specialities." By the end of June, the group is unveiling a 400-bed hospital in Bangalore.

With the Nagpur hospital, the group dabbled in operations management with success. "We made the turnaround in Nagpur in a few months' time, without any major investment," Bali said in a previous interview with us.

The group is spreading its tentacles across the country, planning a chain of 25 hospitals in the next few years, sources say. Though Bali is mostly reticent about business strategy, he surprises by revealing, "Yes, we have a planned expansion and our chairman has already mentioned an outlay of Rs 500 crore for the next few years. In the pipeline are 10 hospitals in various parts of the country."

Will Wockhardt Hospitals be listed in the near future? "I have no idea," he evades.

In this age of high attrition, where people are hopping organisations far too often, how is it that he is glued to one organisation for 16 long years? "I don't believe in short-term goals and that is also my advice to others who are changing jobs too often. First, find out what you want to do in the long-term and then chart out the ways in which you will realise them," says the visionary.

Getting Acceptance & Recognition

The recognition and adulation have not come overnight. Imagine in 1991, when doctors used to hold the reigns of administration, this 21-year-old MBA from Mumbai's Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, filled with mint-fresh ideas of management, trying to get a foothold in the industry, keeping stride with senior doctors. "It was not easy to match steps with mature people and still create a space for myself. I took it up as a challenge to be accepted by everybody," he remembers. The question that hounded him at that time was how to make himself valuable to the organisation and to the "highly knowledgeable" clinicians who were associated with the group. "The answer was by building cohesion among the team members and respecting everybody," he says. Today, these traits have endeared him to everybody in his organisation.

The Godfather

Among his colleagues, he is known for possessing excellent people management skills—he believes in delegating work, nurturing talent, trusting others immensely and is non-meddlesome by nature. "He is very approachable, open to new ideas, gives a lot of freedom, and as he is young, we find it very easy to connect with him," reveals a colleague. Bali is fun to work with and laughs uproariously, says another. They wax eloquent over his leadership skills. As an ideal leader, he is known to motivate others, correct their mistakes and never loses his cool. "But he can be tough and firm too," quips a colleague.

When I quiz Bali about his image, he tells me, "Yes, I do believe in delegation and trusting others. I have received immense trust from the Wockhardt management and I would like to pass it on to others. Trust makes one responsible."

And how does he take strategic decisions? They are mostly taken in the boardroom after discussion and debate with others. But moments before taking a crucial decision, he isolates himself to retrospect and think quietly. He also approaches crises in a methodical and scientific manner. "I never look for short-term goals in a crisis. They may look tempting for the moment, but can be detrimental in the future. So, I first try to find out what is the cause of the crisis and then work towards a long-term solution. I prefer to make a very well-thought and informed decision," he maintains.

His non-impulsive method of working is reflected while dealing with even undisciplined persons. "Maybe the person is undisciplined because his colleagues are undisciplined. Indiscipline is not a permanent trait, it can be corrected. I would urge the person to change and I would give the person an opportunity and if the person still refuses to mend, then I would not work with him," he says, with a firm wave of his right hand. Now that he excels in managing and leading the team, which job is more challenging—that of a successful leader or manager? "From a successful leader emerges a more effective manager," he states.

The Face Of Indian Private Healthcare

While Bali breathes and lives Wockhardt, today he is perceived as the face of the Indian private healthcare industry, which is undergoing a rapid metamorphosis. In the words of Anupam Verma, Director Administration, PD Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai, "Bali has brought managerial perspective in private healthcare to the forefront. He is one of the best leaders in the Indian healthcare industry."

If India is riding the wave of medical tourism today, some credit should go to Bali, who was a key member of the committee which prepared the CII-McKinsey report on Indian healthcare, charting out a path for medical tourism. Now, he is the chairman of CII Young Indian National Healthcare Forum, which was formed three years ago. "We are a group of experts in our 30s trying to make a difference. Our focus is primary healthcare and health education in schools," he explains.

What are his predictions for the future of Indian healthcare? 'With the growth of the Indian economy, the growth of Indian healthcare would only get better. The growth will be less sporadic and more organised. We will be the global doctors," he prophesies. Will the growth occur only in some specialities? "No, the growth will be across specialities," he says.

His Pillars Of Strength

They say behind every successful man there is a woman. In Bali's case, it is his beautiful wife Tanya, a textile designer by profession. When Bali met her in 1994, Tanya was a lecturer in textiles in Lady Irwin College, Delhi. They tied the knot in 1995. With Tanya and his four-year-old son Varun, Bali lives in Bangalore's Langford Town. They say Bali loves Bangalore and has a sentimental attachment to it.

Much like Bali, Tanya used to be busy, when she was head of the product development section at Yamini. After Varun's birth, Tanya has put her busy career on the backburner to spend more time with the family. Now, she is planning a pre-school curriculum. "Tanya has made a lot of sacrifices for me and the family. She is very tolerant and I owe a lot of my success to her," says the fond husband. His eyes light up while talking about his bundle of joy, Varun. "He has just started his pre-school," Bali exults.

Suddenly, a streak of sadness crosses his face. "Since I travel 18 days a month, I have missed much of Varun's growing up. I still reach home after 10 pm. I hope things will change soon in the future and I will be able to spend more time with the family," he hopes.

They say every success has a motivation and an inspiration and in Bali's case the person who has moulded Bali and made him the person that he is today is his father SK Bali, a former Director of Sales at Pfizer. "My father was very passionate about his work and that is what I have learned from him," he observes. There was one single ethos that was instilled in Bali and his younger brother Vikas, who works in Mumbai, in their formative years. "We were always asked to work hard," he remembers. Bali's consistency and loyalty to Wockhardt also stems from his dad, who worked for Pfizer for the major part of his life.

Another person who has honed Bali's professional abilities is the Chairman of Wockhardt, Habil Khorakiwala. "Our chairman's vision and energy and the constant drive that he instils in us to think differently has contributed immensely in my becoming a better manager," Bali states.

Looking At The Future

If he has become the CEO at this age, what will he do at the age of 50? "Probably retire," he quips, before breaking into a guffaw. Would he be allowed to do that? He would probably be asked to come back by public demand. "You think so?" he asks me and then philosophises, "Wockhardt has been a great organisation to work for. I have a very talented team and colleagues who have helped me to achieve a lot in life, I have made a lot of good friends in the industry and I am very grateful for that. Everyday just gets better, what more can I ask for?" After a pregnant pause, he adds, "I just have to ensure that I don't face a burn-out and so I have to take care of my health."

With that, he hurries to catch a flight to Hyderabad. As he continues his whirlwind schedule, with the support of his near and dear ones, the Indian healthcare industry gears up for its spiralling growth, largely because of dedicated people like him.

rita@expresshealthcaremgmt.com