Death of an Entrepreneur - Lessons in Leadership from VG Siddhartha

Like many Bengalureans, the last 48 hours have been difficult to come to terms with. The untimely death of Mr. VGS Siddharth (or VGS as he was fondly referred to) has left a vacuum in the life of many. Most Bengalureans have a personal attachment to the CCD brand which is so tightly linked to its founder, his loss is extremely personal.

To me, what I am struggling to come to terms with is how a Corporate leader with a known track record, with personal and family influence succumb to the pressure and give up. Many probably see it as a sign of weakness but I see a morally strong person who was led by his conscience, albeit in the wrong direction.

Being a coffee lover and in retail, its easy to have CCD as one of your fav brands. As a Bengalurean, it was a matter of pride to call it the city’s brand. Before Bengaluru became the hip city it now is, sp on the F&B front, CCD was the first to give us coffee lounges, free WiFi access (tho phones were not so smart then!) and even international coffees to sip-n-enjoy!

As a retailer, it’s a chain that grew at its own pace – its taken 20+ years to become a 1,000+ store change. International and international sounding chains have come and struggled to stay afloat. That’s a great example of good steady growth. Leadership Lesson No. 1 from VGS.

The brand at its core has its origin – the coffee estates of Chikmagallur, Karnataka. The flavours, the mix all spoke of this language. International coffees were added to fulfil the aspiration and give the brand a not lesser than any international experience touch to the brand. All this while keeping the prices affordable. With the growth the brand had and also the enhanced spending capacity of its customers, CCD didn’t capitalise on the same. It added at certain locations a premium format – CCD Lounge or CCD Square. Leadership Lesson No. 2 – Identify, build and stay true to the core of your brand for long term growth.

I have many friends and colleagues in retail who have always always spoken highly of VGS. A great employer, giving people a chance to grow, giving back to his society at Coorg and across the country. In fact someone also mentioned quite candidly that they weren’t the best paymasters but yet had better retention rates than other retail employers. Clearly VGS was a people’s person who took care of his staff (his last purported note also addresses them, almost like family), ensured they were paid on time, didn’t have to put in crazy hours of work; making him / CCD a great retail employer brand. Leadership Lesson No. 3 – Take care of your people and they will take equally good care of your business.

I am no finance specialist nor do we know what Pandora’s box will open up in the days to come on the financial front of the organisation and individual. But to me, here was a man who had access to capital, funds, political clout and goodwill, yet what he could not live with was having failed. His act, in its own way, brave. When India today has seen business leaders abscond, flaunt their ill gotten wealth overseas (Nirav Modi strutting around in a 10,000 pound ostrich leather jacket!), get a new passport or even stash up personal wealth while the company just runs itself to the ground and comes to an automatic halt (Jet Airways!), VGS stands apart. His moral compass would not allow him to even consider this.

His last Leadership lesson – Being moral in your dealings is paramount.

RIP Shri VG Siddhartha! Your city, your state and coffee lovers will miss you. I pray that your family can bear your loss and your employees continue to grow your legacy.

A deep bow to you Sir!