Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited

Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India LimitedFrom commencing his career at Maruti Suzuki India as an executive in the corporate planning strategy team to currently serving as the automotive giant's senior executive officer, marketing & sales, Shashank Srivastava has charted a distinguished trajectory in the Indian automotive industry. Here’s a little sneak peek into his interests, productivity hacks, and advice to young professionals. The best part of my job is...I consider myself fortunate to be in a role that encompasses travel, meeting new people including customers, independence, and freedom of decision-making. These factors have also played an important role in helping me grow in my personal as well as professional life. My leadership mantraMy leadership mantra is simple. I believe ‘The task of a leader is to make more leaders and not followers.’ Moving ahead in life with this perspective can truly make all the difference – for you and the people around you.My career-defining moment When the launch of the Wagon R, a top seller in Japan, initially failed in India. This taught us not to take customer expectations for granted. With this epiphany, we revamped the product and the overall strategy of communication. This is how Wagon R became the success that it is today, and I would like to believe it was a career-defining moment in my life.My advice to young professionals I think learning is an ongoing, never-ending process and it all comes down to this – ‘When you think you have finished changing, then you are finished.’ Acknowledging and living by this principle will make life easy manyfold and help lead a satisfying, meaningful life. How I recharge on weekendsMy idea of an ideal weekend includes reading, chess, and spending time with family and friends. I like utilising weekends to work on myself and discovering ways to evolve with time.Recent ad campaigns I likedTwo of the recent ad campaigns that I like are ‘Jimny – Never turn back’ and Arena’s ‘Find your match’. While ‘Never turn back’ brought about an element of adventure and thrill, ‘Find your match’ has truly struck a chord with the young generation.