Shirish Gariba
CIO,
Elbee Express

This CIO draws his strength from ‘owning your goals’ and believes in integrity and courage as the path to achievement. A senior member and Secretary of the Mumbai CIO Club, Shirish sees an opportunity in every crisis and advises upcoming leaders to lead the way with hope, self-confidence and conviction.

In this special series titled ‘The One Thing’, CIOL attempts to discover and unravel the many facets of Shirish Gariba’s challenging and inspiring portfolio as a CIO, a Decision Maker and an IT Leader.

Q: What is the one thing that you draw your strength to achieve your goals?
A: That “The Goal is yours and you own it” - Keep high morale

Q: What is the one facet of leadership that has truly inspired you?
A: Courage: How courageous am I when my goals, vision and values are challenged.

Q: What is the one thing that you would advise to upcoming and aspiring CIOs?
A: Don’t accept defeat in the face of the odds, challenge negative forces with hope, self-confidence and conviction.

Q: Who is the one leader that you have admired?
A: This one is not a celebrity but a very dear friend and I admire his intelligence, courage, integrity and his sense of good humor despite the stress of his business

Q: What is the one major challenge you face as a CIO?
A: Faster Innovations.

Q: What is the one successful practice you deploy to motivate your teams?
A: Treat the team with Respect, don’t loose temper or ignore the staff. Give them freedom to accomplish the goals but surely guide.

Q: What is the one thing you do to manage stress?
A: Work out in Gym.

Q: What is the one thing that decision makers and leaders must avoid as a rule?
A: Never defer decisions take them right or wrong.

Q: Name one HR best practice that can aid in people retention?
A: According to me there is no one best practice to retain but I would Take Chance with “Be approachable”

Q: What is the one great opportunity you see in these tough times of global recession?
A: Every crisis is an opportunity, when the chips are down build for the future.