Industry leaders reflect on leadership in times of chaos, disruption and volatility

Industry leaders at The Hindu Huddle 2026 shared candid reflections on how leadership must adapt to chaos, disruption and volatility.

The 45-minute session titled “Leadership Architecture: Designing Blueprints for an Unstable World” was moderated by LV Navaneeth, CEO, The Hindu Group. Panelists including R. Ganesan Senior Vice President, L&T; Neeti Sharma, CEO, TeamLease Digital; Praveen Someshwar, MD & CEO, USL and Member, Global Diageo Executive Committee; and Shailendra Katyal, MD, Lenovo India, shared their experiences of reflecting leadership in times of

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In opening the discussion, Mr. Ganesan emphasized the value of a structured approach: “I activate what I call ‘pause, think, then act. It’s a regression of wisdom gained over time, and it works,” he said.

Ms. Sharma added that listening to stakeholders is critical. “Dashboards and analytics abound, but leaders need to hear the noise of the industry. What keeps CXOs up at night is understanding that noise,” she noted.

Middle management bottlenecks

Mr. Katyal emphasized clarity and focus in the session. “Chaos is always a short-term show of hands. You have to drown out the noise, but keep an eye on Polaris. Fewer, bigger and better decisions matter most,” he said, also warning of middle management bottlenecks. “Build pilots, fail fast and explain the ‘why’ to the front lines. Radical simplification and clear communication are essential,” he noted.

Mr. Katyal also cited Lenovo’s supply chain issues, saying “tariffs change every day. Memory shortages have doubled laptop prices. We had to prioritize commercial markets over consumer markets. There is no perfect solution.”

Recalling the COVID-19 crisis, Mr. Ganesan said that L&T had mobilized more than 120,000 skilled workers to build hospitals and oxygen facilities. “The structure and capacity allowed us to respond,” he said.

Referring to geopolitical upheavals, he elaborated: “Conflicts in the Red Sea, Ukraine and the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted supply chains. We started implementing algorithms that mix multiple variables – logistics, suppliers, raw material sources and geopolitical events – to see how much uncertainty we can turn into structured decisions.”

The ability to say no

Reflecting on consumer behavior and adaptability, Mr Someshwar said: “Are consumers drinking differently? Do they want local artisan provenance or global experiences? Change is a reality. The ability to say no is the single biggest challenge – choosing what not to do is as important as what we do.”

Ms Sharma emphasized the permanence of the disruption, pointing out that most retailers saw e-commerce as temporary. “But they missed early signals and lost huge market share. Likewise, AI is a permanent disruptor. Leaders need to redraw structures, talent maps and skill sets,” she warned. She went on to say, “Chaos is always temporary, but since COVID-19, we’ve become accustomed to permanent chaos.”

Mr. Someshwar, who was previously at HT Media, reflected on the upheaval in the media industry: “We thought search traffic would remain stable, but when Google integrated Gemini, everything changed. Plans have to adapt to reality. Don’t give up on plans, get into the context,” he said. He concluded by reminding that while AI uncovers patterns, technology scales intelligence, but leadership scales judgement.

Hindu Huddle is presented by Sami-Sabinsa Group as a presenting partner. The event is co-sponsored by the Government of Telangana and is being held in association with Khaja Bandanawaz University.

The event is further supported by Bank of Baroda, Larsen & Toubro, Apollo Hospitals, IIM Sirmaur, ICFAI Group, TAFE, Wizzmon, Uttarakhand Government, Associate Partners; Casagrand, real estate partner; Toyota, the luxury car partner; Amity University Bengaluru, Partner University; Harrow International School Bengaluru, Education Partner; Meghalaya Tourism, State Partner; and NDTV 24×7, TV Partner.

In an earlier version of this article, Praveen Someshwar’s quote was erroneously attributed to LV Navaneeth. We apologize for the mistake.

Published – 05 Jun 2026 17:02 IST