in their industry and redefined work culture with their visionary leadership. This initiative has helped me gain practical insights into successful business operations and leadership skills.During this journey, I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Harit Nagpal, the CEO of Tata Play. A visionary, calm, composed, and a sharp leader who has been the CEO for  a decade and a half  and has witnessed a lot of industry firsts to date.

Mr. Nagpal is a stalwart in the Indian media and telecommunications industry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Panjab University and an MBA from FMS, Delhi. His corporate career spans several decades across iconic companies, including Shoppers Stop, PepsiCo, Vodafone, and HUL. Since taking over as Tata Play’s (formerly Tata Sky) Boss in 2010, he has guided the company through seismic changes in technology and markets, including the proliferation of OTT platforms and the shift to hybrid consumption of content.

Pragmatic as a manager, a people’s person, and known for his transparent communication, Mr. Nagpal has earned a respectable voice in India’s corporate leadership. Known as a doer, he is a highly respected leader within the Tata Group, which is renowned for its high standards of business and integrity in India and globally.

The Job: Reinventing Leadership in the Media Age

When asked about how his role has evolved, Mr. Nagpal emphasized a simple yet powerful idea: you need to learn something new every day. At the core of his leadership philosophy lies the unshakeable belief that companies, especially consumer-facing ones like Tata Play, exist to serve their users. His job, he explained, is to continuously adapt, anticipate consumer needs, and ensure that what they want is what they get with efficiency, relevance, and care.

One of the biggest differentiators of Tata Play, according to him, is its culture. “I can walk around, crack a joke with the younger guys, and sit down watching them excel at their tasks.” This informal and approachable culture, he believes, fosters camaraderie and trust —an essential ingredients for innovation and success.

To my surprise, when I went around the office, I was told that Tata Play’s office has no fixed cabins. “People often change where they sit 3-4 times a day. Whoever needs to work with a team joins them.” This dynamic seating policy not only breaks hierarchies but fosters real-time collaboration and organic problem-solving.

He dismisses the obsession with physical presence in the office. “You have work to do; whether you finish it in 3 hours or 11 hours is up to you.” What matters is the outcome, not the appearance. Insight, empathy, and clarity in communication, especially as a leader, are non-negotiables.

If I cause my people to be unhappy and cannot persuade them to see their mistakes, then I have failed as a leader.” He said strongly.

His hiring and success attitudes are wonderfully human. It’s all about mindset,” he explained. “You can skill people at any time, but you can’t undo what they have learned in their formative years of life.” Attitude trumps aptitude every time, in his view. Indeed, a perfect recipe for success!

The Personal Connect: Simplicity, Sanity, and Staying Grounded

What struck a chord with me during our conversation was the emotional honesty and unwillingness to romanticize overwork in the day and age where a 70-hour work week is being debated in boardrooms and on Television channels. Mr. Nagpal’s two cents to this debate were “I don’t believe in the long-hour system,” he said with calm assurance. “I go to work from 9 and leave at 5.”  

While there are the rare 14-hour days, there are also 4-hour days; it balances out. Indeed, a fantastic perspective from the top Boss stems from his belief that balance makes for better professionals.

His stress management style forms his practical personality: don’t get worked up. “You make mistakes. Big deal. Learn from them.” Not only has this style enabled him to excel for a long time in a high pressurize business, but also to perform without regret.

He appreciates the current generation of young adults for being less ideologically inclined and more adaptable. In contrast to previous generation that remained fixed on a standard track, the current generation of young adults’ experiment, fail quickly, are open to owning their mistakes, they pivot quickly and are ready to run the marathon. Their never say die attitude is worth admiring.

When asked to share words of wisdom to students and young professionals, he stated one sentence that summed up his philosophy of life. “Life is all about attitude, attitude, and attitude.”

The Learnings: Takeaways from a Thoughtful Leader

The Shadow the CEO program gave me the privilege of meeting and understanding Mr. Nagpal’s journey. This meeting left me with powerful insights that extend far beyond the business realm. I learned that culture drives performance; creating a collaborative and hierarchy-free environment fosters innovation, loyalty, and organic growth.

He reinforced that success stems from mindset more than skill, while skills can be taught, values and attitude are deeply ingrained. Leadership for Mr. Nagpal means having complete clarity in communication, which, when blended with sensitivity, is the ability to lead from the front and motivate others, which is non-negotiable or, as one would say, a prerequisite to being a good leader. He also demonstrated that work-life balance is not a sacrifice, but a long-term benefit that gives longevity to excellence. Mistakes, he emphasized, are unavoidable, but learning from them is where the real growth lies.

Above all, his belief, “Life is all about right attitude, empathy, being authentic, and carrying your team along with vision and clarity,” encapsulated the idea that if you had the right attitude, greatness would embrace you with a huge smile!.