At Ogilvy, you learned from Piyush Pandey even if you never met him

In the starting years of my career, I was at Ogilvy Mumbai for a stint. Needless to say, meeting Piyush and just observing and learning from his genius was something that I was looking forward to. It was one of the biggest pulls to join. But somewhere in my heart, I was also realistic about it. I knew he wouldn't sit with a junior and discuss things. After joining, I realized that he probably would have, but knowing how much work he had to complete every day, I knew it was impossible. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. During my stint, apart from the advertising genius he is, these are the things I learned from him without ever directly working with him.

He taught me the power of words. 
I remember my first day there and getting roped into a brief for a film for a bank that was launching. I went in expecting a task but received a brilliant piece of poetry. It was beautiful. From the tagline to the narrative, the piece was oozing with craft. Piyush had written it for the pitch and read it out himself in the meeting. And, since it was brilliant, the client approved it. We had to think of how to execute it, which was a pleasure. That day, I felt proud of being a copywriter because he showed me that if written well, words had the power to do what so many rounds of PPTs couldn't. 

He taught me that leaders are also humans.
Piyush's birthday was celebrated on the floor, with everyone coming in and cutting a cake. As tradition would have it, he was requested to say a few words. While delivering his speech, he got so overwhelmed by the celebrations that he broke down in tears. In an era where all the agency leaders projected a state of power and arrogance, the biggest one in our country showed vulnerability. And this was happening in front of at least 200 employees. And every one of us loved it. Very early on, I learned from him that leaders are humans too, and it is OK to show your emotions as a leader sometimes because that's the honest thing to do.

He taught me that making someone feel nice doesn't take much.
At the Westin office, waiting for lifts was a thing. I remember one such instance where I was waiting for one to go down for a smoke, and the doors opened, and he was in it. I froze for a minute seeing him in there, and I think he noticed it, too. Maybe that's why he smiled and called me in. I entered the lift, and only the two of us were in it. He could not have done anything and exited the elevator on the ground floor, but he didn't. He spoke to me like a friend on our way down, asking about my team, my brands, etc. It didn't seem like he was a living legend but seemed more like an approachable friend. He might not even remember this incident, but I remember that this made my day. 

He taught me that even leaders can stay close to the work. 
I remember not just one but multiple projects throughout my stint that Piyush reviewed. He would never bomb something but build, give inputs or create something on his own in the mix. It was always enlightening to hear the inputs, but I was also amazed at how much work he was doing in a day. Leaders sometimes become so tied up in everything else that they eventually end up too far from the work. If Piyush, at his level, could stay close to the work despite everything else that he was handling, then any leader can, is what he taught me.

Piyush is an inspiration, and a lot has been said about his work, but the kind of leader he was is also essential to talk about because he is extraordinary. He has taught many others like me about the leader one should be. He was a lighthouse that showed so many of us the way, and I'll always be grateful for what I learned, even if I had to Eklavya all of it from him.