Dr Pradeep Salgaonkar lists out important aspects of a web series that management professionals and students can learn from
Inspired by the LinkedIn posts of some known people in the Facilitators community, based on the presently most talked about web series ‘Made in India: A Titan Story,’ I took to watching the series; and I got to experience a large number of examples of management, entrepreneurial and leadership excellence spanning from team building, team management, creativity, innovation, strategy etc. The series was also replete with meaningful and motivational phrases like ‘No discussion. Do demonstration,’ ‘Don’t explain excellence. Deliver it,’ ‘Freedom to fail creates freedom to innovate’ etc.
However, what caught my attention and thought is the ‘trust’ factor and the ‘relationships’ that shape throughout the series.
Here are three critical aspects related to Trust from the web series:
1. Trust of Top Management: Throughout the series, J.R.D. Tata places enormous trust in Xerxes Desai’s vision, even when success is far from guaranteed. There is nothing in place, just a vision of one man to make watches, and the decision to go ahead is given based upon trust, probably backed by capability and belief.
One could argue that such trust and faith looks risky, especially when large investments are involved. The series suggests that trust should be based on character and capability, not merely optimism.
Trust cannot survive indefinitely on promises. Eventually, leaders must deliver tangible outcomes. And this is well reflected in the recurring tension between vision and execution
2. Trust requires Results: One criticism implicit in the story is that, a visionary leader, Xerxes Desai often asks people to trust him before results appear.
Employees, investors, and government stakeholders are repeatedly asked to believe in an unproven idea and vision. Convincing each one in such circumstances is a herculean task involving tricks and emotions, in the end to succeed.
The reality is, trust cannot survive indefinitely on promises. Eventually, leaders must deliver tangible outcomes. And this is well reflected in the recurring tension between vision and execution. Well, Xerxes Desai eventually does deliver on all promises holding strong trust.
3. Trust must be earned every day: One of the most powerful undercurrents of the series is that trust is never permanent.
Xerxes Desai earns trust of his team through transparency, inclusivity, freedom to fail, and blind faith. This is something which every business leader must adapt and practice.
Whereas, Titan earns trust through product quality, customer service, ethical reputation and consistency, over time. Something which every brand struggling to make a place in the market should adapt and imbibe in its culture.
The story repeatedly shows that a respected name such as Tata may open doors, but sustained trust comes from keeping promises. Xerxes Desai is continuously handling challenges, chasing targets, and trying to deliver the best results all the time subtly strengthening the trustworthiness.
Trust is gained over a long time period, layer by layer, over repeated episodes of positive interactions, favourable actions, and instances of confidence building.
However, losing trust does not take so much time and effort. A few instances of unfavourable behaviour, an action that is hiding transparency, or any act of doubt may cause fracture in trustworthy relationships.
The relationship between Xerxes Desai and Akash (as picturised in the series) is a great example of how trust builds and how trust deteriorates, i.e how Akash loses trust in Xerxes as a boss. Once when a marketing head is hired and second when the decision to tap European market is taken in Akash’s absence, which prompts him to resign from the company.
In this web series, the character of Akash, is a fictional composite character that is loosely inspired by real-life pioneers who formed Titan’s original core founding team, one of the main character being Anil Manchanda, the real-life executive who heavily mirrors the ‘business operation’ side of Akash’s character.
What’s in it for other businesses?
Drawing inspiration from the web series ‘Made in India: A Titan Story’ from my perception, and from the broader principles of trust-based leadership, here are practical points of action for businesses seeking to build trustworthy brands.
Make fewer promises, keep every one: Trust is not built through grand claims; it is built through consistent delivery.
Demonstrate before you declare: Customers trust evidence more than advertising and claims.
Build trust through every customer touchpoint: A brand is not a logo or a tag line; it is the sum of customer experiences.
Make quality non-negotiable: Trust is fragile. Be careful. One poor experience can undo years of goodwill.
Be transparent when things go wrong: Mistakes rarely destroy trust. People understand. While cover-ups do.
Treat Complaints as Trust Opportunities: The way you respond to problems often matters more than the problem itself.
Build a Culture of Integrity: Customers eventually experience the internal culture.
Put long-term reputation above short-term revenue: Many trust failures begin with pressure to meet immediate targets.
Ensure leaders walk the talk: Employees and customers closely watch leadership behaviour.
Humanize the brand: People trust people more than organizations.
Create consistency across locations and teams: Trust grows when customers know what to expect.
Measure trust explicitly: Many organizations measure sales but never measure trust.
Empower frontline employees: Customer trust is often won or lost in a single interaction.
Invest in community trust: Strong brands contribute beyond transactions.
Build a reputation for reliability: The strongest brands are often not the flashiest, they are the most dependable.
Conclusion
Brands are not built by marketing campaigns. They are built by promises consistently kept. Well, while it may be practically very difficult for any business to put in practice all the points mentioned above, a conscious effort in implementing some of those feasible, with minimum costs, would certainly give an edge to the business and contribute in building a stronger brand trust.
While the web series is well made, and very engaging throughout, the lessons and learnings coming from the Titan story are too good to be missed or ignored. Every business owner, entrepreneur and would be business persons, should watch this series and consciously take life lessons
The writer is Professional Facilitator, Founder, SALDOTS Academy Email: pradeepsalgaonkar@gmail.com
