Magic Book of Business

Devraj Sanyal | Universal Music Group | Stressbusters

Universal Music Group – India & South Asia MD and CEO is not easily stressed, but when he is, a long walk accompanied by music does the trick

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Published 4 years ago on Jan 03, 2020 1 minute Read

A movie that inspires you…

The Last Samurai, which is on the true power of resilience. The story is timeless. Leadership in any century or period has always come down to doing the right thing with honour and dignity, no matter the cost.

...and a song?

It’s almost impossible to pin down a single song. If I have to it would be The BeeGees’ Staying Alive. The lyrics drive me and the melody moves me. It gets me ready instantly to take on the world.

When anxiety sets in?

I’m not very easily stressed. It’s one of the biggest strengths to have in a corporate world, and I use it to my advantage. But if any situation does get the better of me, a simple two-minute meditation works wonders.

Other ways to de-stress?

I walk for 90 minutes every day, listening to music or a podcast. It’s “me time”. Some good ol’ fashioned metal music helps keep stress as far as I want it to be.

Any quote or saying that inspires you?

From Julius Caesar, Act 4. Scene 3

“There is a tide in the affairs of men which taken at the flood lead on to fortune,

Omitted all the voyage of their life is bound in the shallow and in miseries,

On such a full sea are we now afloat.”

Growing up, Shakespeare’s work moved me more than others and Julius Caesar is probably the best literary book on leadership I’ve ever read. These three lines are the most powerful and are part of my belief system. In this scene, Brutus tells Octavian and Mark Antony that you must attack your enemy before they have the time to regroup, rethink and re-strategise. Even at work, we follow the same principle. Don’t wait till your idea has been taken by your competition. Make the leap, even if you don’t know where you are going.