Piyush Pandey: A leader juggling infinite roles

In the last 34 years, I have had the opportunity to work with Piyush as a senior advertising colleague, my boss, mentor, and, above all, one of the finest marketing persons. But he has been the same person, the same Piyush in all these roles — a person who is sharp, forthright, lovably warm, and a person who wears his heart on his sleeve.

In this, he shatters one of the most prevalent ways in which we live by dividing our lives into boxes: one at work, one at home, one with friends, and so on. He is a living example of how one can be the same person in all life roles and be easygoing and successful while doing so.

I recall an incident from 2002 that taught me many lessons I carry with me to date. I was working at Ogilvy in Mumbai and had to present a big campaign for a leading financial services client. The campaign had not taken shape until a few days before. I went to Piyush the evening before the presentation to seek help. He heard me and asked, “Vivek, I will surely help you if you can tell me the brand problem and give me a brief in just two lines."

I did that, and he asked me to come the next morning at 8.30 AM, which is very early by agency standards. The next morning, he again asked me to repeat my brief in two or three lines and then went on to write the campaign in front of me while I ate the breakfast that he ordered for me. Needless to say, the campaign presentation went very well. And that morning taught me many life lessons. The first lesson I learned was that good communication work comes from a clear brief, and the clear brief must be concise in just two or three lines. Strategic and clear thinking is a prerequisite for good creative work, and the clearer the thinking, the simpler and more precise the brief.

The second lesson was that one can be as encouraging as a leader by leading from behind, but when it comes to the crunch, the leader must wear pads and take on the role of a ‘playing captain’ (in Piyush’s words).

That morning, in Piyush, I saw an unwavering dedication to his work, his clients, and the people who often get hidden behind his light-hearted nature and booming laughter. You can see Piyush having fun till late at night, but he would be awake, alert, and at work early in the morning wherever he is. I think he said that “good work often happens at places where there is laughter in the corridors".

As a marketer, I have taken another learning from Piyush that many of my marketing colleagues may not agree with. That is, consumer research is imperfect and does not always tell you what the consumer thinks of your brand, communications, or how they will react. Therefore, consumer research must inform the marketing strategy but cannot be used to either derive or judge the communication strategy. The most brilliant and successful creative work is often not researchable.

I can go on and on, but now I find comfort in calling him on weekends without any reason and hearing the same warm, caring voice talking about the world. It is so nice to feel that Piyush cares about me, and I care about him.

Vivek Sharma is the founder of Altivyst Advisors, a marketing and communications consulting firm