And yet, when the values and reputation of the Tata Group were threatened, he could put his foot down. The Cyrus Mistry affair is a good example of this. Ratan clearly felt that some of Cyrus Mistry’s actions were not in line with the Tata values, and tried to perusade him to step down. When Mistry refused, Ratan fired him.He was not perfect. Not all of his ideas worked out. The Nano microcar, one of his favourite projects, looked great on paper but made little impact on the market. This did no harm to Ratan’s reputation, though. Failure the Nano may have been, but everyone knew the intentions behind the project, and respected his sincerity. One of the marks of a great leader is to emerge from failure stronger than before, and Ratan Tata had that quality.I have interviewed many CEOs and other leaders around the world, and Ratan Tata remains one of the most impressive I have met. His achievements in expanding the Tata Group’s size and global reach are a matter of record.His style of leadership showed that leaders do not have to be loud, brash or bullying. Patience and sincerity and, above all, trust, are at the end of the day far more effective. He was a talented leader, a compassionate man and a gentleman in the truest sense of the word, and we shall not see his like again.Morgen WitzelWriter, management historian.Author of Tata: Evolution of a Corporate Brand
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