Bharat Wakhlu, the president of Tata Inc, US, has made a fine art of empathising with people of every hue and appreciating the merits of different cultures

Bharat Wakhlu has a soft corner for people, a strong belief in creating harmony through human relationships, and a personal philosophy that emphasises the absorption of everything without bias. These attributes serve the president of Tata Inc in the US very well in his chosen endeavour: taking the Tata imprint, in terms of values as much as business, to the far reaches of the word.

"A truly international person is one who is extremely sensitive to diversity," says Mr Wakhlu. "Such a person is clear about the core values that make for effectiveness in dealings with people around the world, but is sufficiently flexible to be able to assimilate everything without prejudice."

The New York-based Mr Wakhlu, who took charge of his current post in January 2003, brings a remarkable degree of empathy and clarity to the many interactions that are the staple of his job responsibilities. This was much in evidence at the dinner hosted by Tata Inc in New York recently to mark the 60th anniversary of the trading arm's presence in America. The very next day, Mr Wakhlu took the time to send out tokens of appreciation to the people who contributed to the success of the event.

To understand Mr Wakhlu, a cosmopolitan executive, you would have to delve beneath the surface. "A good leader creates value on a global scale," he says. "You cannot focus on a small segment of people; you have to consider the global community.What good is it if a leader achieves something benefiting a few, but while in doing so undermines the lives of many more?"

The development model where consumption is the only driving engine does not impress Mr Wakhlu. "If every nation in the world indulged in wanton consumption, we would need six ecosystems the size of planet Earth to sustain it," he says.

The Tata Group's emphasis on sustainable growth is what he appreciates about the organisation with which he has spent over two decades of his professional career. "It is so heartening that our
Chairman, Mr Ratan Tata, has advocated the creation of a car that costs less than $2,000 dollars. We do not need large-sized gas-guzzlers or lifestyles that gobble up our shared resources, be they oil or rain forests."

Mr Wakhlu's early exposure to different cultures helped shape his worldview. He was an infant when he moved with his parents to England, then spent a large part of his childhood in Srinagar, Kashmir, before setting off for a two-year stint in Karlsruhe, Germany.

He remembers being awed in Karlsruhe by the many ways in which well-run corporate entities can transform society. "In Stuttgart I got a thrill to see the Mercedes-Benz plant, and was
impressed with the productive capacity of people who were disciplined and committed to hard work. These experiences may well have influenced my book, Total Quality: Excellence Through Organization-wide Transformation, years later," he says.

Mr Wakhlu joined the Tata Administrative Service (now called TAS), after graduating from IIM, Bangalore. He started his career with the Tatas as a graduate engineer at Tata Motors, soon after passing out of BITS Pilani. Later, as an employee of Tata Steel, he visited various parts of Asia and Europe, continuing his professional development along the way. He studied at the INSEAD Centre for Continuing Education in France and at the Wharton School in the US.

The Tata Steel years were a defining experience for Mr Wakhlu. "I worked in operations, information technology, quality management, HR training and development, e-commerce and supply chain management, and everything was an exciting challenge," he says.

He particularly remembers a tricky situation he dealt with as the head of corporate relations. The wife of an employee who was to be part of an 'early separation scheme' stormed into the office and started hurling abuses at him. "Typically, the security would have led her out, but I told them to let her give vent to her emotions. I could empathise with the lady. Much to the consternation of those in my office, I didn't try to stop her, even as she continued being vituperative. In a while she broke down and started to cry. I helped her calm down and gradually had an open conversation with her. The situation was transformed and the family accepted the separation package."

Mr Wakhlu believes that the human mind tends to see any kind of change as a threat, but the ability to let go and move on is a very important one. He thinks the capacity to take flux in one's stride necessarily evolves from a deeper spiritual insight.

"If your centre holds, your ideas and thoughts can create positive outcomes. This centeredness is not equivalent to inaction, but is more in the nature of focused action; almost like a top spinning at such a high speed that it looks like it is stationary." Mr Wakhlu stays centred by meditating regularly. His interests also include writing and playing squash and golf.

After he has laid out his primary preoccupations and you begin to think you have come to the end of the conversation, he springs a little secret that catches you completely unawares. "Someday I would like to enter politics in India," he smiles. Why? "We need world leaders who are not national to the point of ruining the well-being of our planet. Ours is not an isolated nation any more; we are all inter-dependent. You have to be good to your nation, undoubtedly, but you also have to create value for all of humankind."

Indian politics could certainly use someone with Mr Wakhlu's sensibilities and calibre, but, meanwhile, the Tata Group will continue to occupy this worldly executive's attention.