Big Dreamer Insight: Kishore Biyani

Believe in oneself – Kishore Biyani, CEO: Future Group

Responses from Kishore Biyani during Dream Session 1:
Equal Dreams — Pursuing inclusive futures

What’s your approach to retail?
I keep my eyes and ears open to observe our customers and turn those insights into How do we serve better them? When you focus on the consumers’ perspective and what can be done for them rather than just on how to move goods – that changes everything.

How do you capture and interpret customer insights?
We start by taking note of memes within popular culture with things like TV serials, cinema, songs, etc. We ask ourselves Why is this getting popular? What’s driving this? – because there’s a reason why these specific stories have captured the imagination of the people.  We believe since these stories resonate widely that it’s reflective of the dreams people share.

What is the role of business in helping individuals achieve their dreams?
An organisation is a collection of many individuals, with their own dreams, coming together to work on a common vision. It then becomes our responsibility as managers and human beings to ensure that we start asking ourselves how do we increase their satisfaction and thinking capacity – it’s not just about economic output.

You’ve mention that dreaming is the essence of simplicity. Can you elaborate on that?
I’ve come to learn that design thinking has a place in business. People have a tendency to create a lot of complexity with layers and layers of thought when most issues actually have simple solutions. Unfortunately our system has conditioned us to think that you’re not a good manager unless you complicate things then solve them! On the other hand, people’s dreams are often simple and positive. This simplicity should inspire our problem solving.

What is your personal dream?
I believe that what differentiates us from animals is imagination and fear. One of my own observations on life is that 7 out of 10 thoughts an average person has is negative. So the big question becomes – How do we use reduce our fears and increase our imagination? I dream of being able to reduce the fear quotient and convert negative thoughts through imagination.

We are a nation that doesn’t believe in ourselves as much as we should. Even with our rich history and knowledge, we have yet to produce strong thought leaders out of India. If we are to prosper and grow, we need to plan future scenarios that not only look at economic indices but also take into account the measures of happiness, culture and values. This is a long-term approach to planning the future of India.

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