Here Are 10 Money Lessons We Can Learn From Mukesh Ambani

When the wealthiest man in the country, who is a thriving conglomerate and one of the finest business minds, continues to march the path of unabated success, then the success is not measured in money alone. With his charter of success, he turns into an inspiration to millions of minds who would want to borrow the genie from him. When one looks at the path that has been trodden by Mukesh Ambani, the challenges become as visible as the feats. And, they co-exist in equal measures too.

Dictionary explains a ‘genie’ or a ‘jinn’ is a sort of tutelary or a guardian spirit that is assigned to each person at birth. Few of them are ‘born’ with it, and some more earn a genie through hard work, focus, commitment, perseverance, which helps them remain steadfast on the path they have chosen to walk, against all odds and shortcuts. So, is genie, in business terms of a corporate world, destination or a journey? Is it the theory or viva? Is it an impressive resume or a confident demeanor with which one faces a barrage of questions, answering each one with clarity and vision?

Pinning down success to something simple, like a surefire theory or a formula that would yield desirable results, has always been attempted. In other words, when a businessman speaks of his success and what kept him going, he does so from his experience and would generalise it to suit a large section of the listeners who are hoping to follow his footsteps to achieve success and money.

If you ask someone like Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani to share his secret of success, he may be able to say really few words. Because the man is among those who are ‘doers’, and not a ‘talkers’. He will not spend time pepping people up, or saying big things about his success formula since he believes everything that happens to you is a direct outcome of the ‘understanding’ you have about your business environment. The better you understand your business ecology, your efforts are sure to meet success. Below are 10 money lessons we learnt from Mukesh Ambani:

1. Money is a by-product
This owner of a Fortune 500 company and India’s second most valuable company got his early lessons from the life of his father Dhirubhai Ambani, who built a business empire from scratch. His father was his teacher, and the student that Mukesh was, he imbibed every little detail from his father’s words when he took over the Reliance Company. Dhirubhai said money is a by-product and chasing money alone would never make anybody a successful businessman. Mukesh aimed at creating a space for his company in the top cadre of success stories in India.

Today, Reliance is not only the leader, but also a massive employer with nearly 25,000 workforce and 3 million stakeholders who share the success of the company.

2. Have a dream
Like money is not a means to the end, money isn’t a dirty word in Reliance. Mukesh believes having a dream and working towards it is the most essential thing for any business to identify its niche space. Words may sound hollow when one speaks of a ‘dream’ but, really how can a business take shape without a concept and a dream that would show the road ahead?

3. Revenue figures speak louder
Today the PR companies make a killing trying to position someone as a ‘subject expert’. For a startup company, PR agencies keep stressing on the need to be ‘seen and heard’ than ‘work and be noticed’. Contrary to the popular belief, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance is almost everywhere, but the man barely has the time to be ‘seen’ in the media. When work speaks, everything else falls silent. And when the company is on growth trajectory, you needn’t worry about being ‘seen’. After all, revenue figures do matter more than anything else!

4. Let your instincts guide you
Reliance may be blamed as a company that has feudal values, and Mukesh a ‘rich man without a heart’ owing to his splurging of money on building his house Antilia and investing in cricket team. Mukesh does what he deems right and mostly, it so turns out that it is the ‘right’ thing to do.
5. Trust all, but depend on none
When it comes to work, Mukesh Ambani knows nothing can match the aspects of perseverance and self-learning. There’s no bitterness here, but having waded through some difficult situations himself at a very young age, Mukesh has been a very hands-on-leader who knows the last nuance of his work. Trust is something, but being prepared for all kinds of emergencies is what keeps the company going – he knows it well.

6. Risks give greatest lessons
There is a fundamental difference between adventure-seeker and gambler. Both set out to make memorable experiences. But, both choose different ways to do so. Mukesh is more of an adventure seeker than a gambler. He knows his goals and will chase them to their logical end.

7. Be hungry, be impatient
Success eludes those who rest in the middle of a run. You gotta recharge your batteries, agreed. But, don’t time it right in the middle of a competition that’s hotting up. Markets wait for none, so be on your toes. Resting time is when the market slips into slumber.

8. Build team-morale
Be there for your team. Trust the professionals. Learn, learn and learn. It’s never too late for that. When you build teams that are trustworthy, every moment you spend with them contributes directly to revenue of the company.

9. Stay alert, on-guard
It always pays well to understand your surroundings. You may have created a niche product. But if there is a better product in the market that’s going to outdo yours, you better pull up your socks and sit down to improve your skills. A product is not sacrosanct. Competition always yields better deal to the customer.

10. Credibility carries high premium
Whether your team needs you, or your competition – be there on both occasions to give your fullest. Understand, innovate and prepare for the future. You settle into your resting chair, and you will be the biggest loser. Credibility is something that needs to be safe-guarded beyond your cash inflow and outflow.