In business, some of the most valuable lessons do not come from management meetings, financial reports or strategy presentations. They come from listening to customers, understanding their problems and observing how a product performs in the real world.
The story of Sumant Moolgaokar, one of the most respected leaders in the history of Tata Motors, offers a powerful example of this approach. He is remembered not only for his contribution to India's automobile industry but also for a leadership philosophy that placed practical understanding ahead of assumptions.
One widely circulated story about him captures this philosophy beautifully. It is about a business leader who used to disappear during lunchtime, leaving his colleagues curious about where he went and what he did.
During the period when Tata Motors operated as TELCO (Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company), Sumant Moolgaokar was closely associated with the company's growth and engineering excellence.
Like many senior executives, he could have spent his lunch breaks with colleagues, discussing business plans and company matters. However, a commonly told leadership story describes how he followed a different routine.
Instead of having lunch with senior management, he would leave the office and return after the break. His unusual habit attracted attention. His curious colleagues found out that h was visiting a roadside dhaba, sitting among truck drivers and having conversations with the very people who used Tata's commercial vehicles every day. Truck drivers shared their experiences, discussed difficulties and explained the practical challenges they faced on the road.
For Moolgaokar, these conversations offered something extremely valuable: a direct understanding of how his company's products performed in real working conditions.
A vehicle that looks impressive in a showroom may still create problems when it travels hundreds of kilometres carrying heavy loads. Truck drivers experience these problems firsthand. They know which components cause trouble, what makes a vehicle comfortable or uncomfortable, how easy it is to maintain and what happens when a breakdown occurs far from a service centre.
By speaking directly with drivers, an automobile business leader can understand the difference between what a company believes it is selling and what customers actually experience. For an automobile manufacturer, such insights can help identify opportunities to improve vehicle reliability, durability, maintenance, fuel efficiency and after-sales service.
The broader lesson is simple: the people who use a product every day often understand its practical strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else.
Listening to customers is only the first step. The real value comes when their feedback leads to meaningful action. A customer complaint, therefore, should not automatically be treated as criticism. It can be an early warning about a problem that may affect hundreds or thousands of customers. For instance, repeated complaints about maintenance costs may indicate a need for better product design or improved service support.
A restaurant owner can learn from regular customers. A retailer can understand buying behaviour by speaking with shoppers. A manufacturer can discover production and quality issues by visiting distributors and end users. A software company can improve its product by observing how customers actually use it.
Moolgaokar was a business leader who was willing to step away from the comfort of his position to understand the people who depended on his company's products. This is an important reminder for business owners and managers.
A business owner may believe that customers are satisfied because sales are increasing. Yet customers may be facing service delays, quality problems or difficulties that have not reached senior management. Without direct interaction, such problems can remain hidden until they begin affecting the company's reputation and profitability.
Stay connected with customers. Speak directly with the people who buy and use your products.
Listen before making decisions. Customers may identify problems that management has overlooked. Give their experiences the attention they deserve.
Turn complaints into improvements. Record recurring problems, identify their root causes and assign responsibility for corrective action.
Spend time outside the office. Visit customer locations, dealer outlets, production facilities and service centres. Real business conditions can teach lessons that meetings cannot.
Measure customer satisfaction, not just sales. Revenue indicates business performance, but repeat purchases, referrals, complaints and service quality help explain whether customers genuinely trust the business.
Lead through learning, not position. A leadership title should never become a barrier to learning from drivers, technicians, frontline employees or ordinary customers.
Successful companies are built not merely by understanding products, but by understanding the people who depend on them. Sometimes, the answer begins with a simple conversation with a customer.
The next time you face a business problem, step away from your desk. Speak to a customer. Visit the place where your product is used. Ask what is working, what is not and what could be better.
Because the next big improvement in your business may come from listening to someone who uses your product every single day.
(The author is a management consultant at Bramma Learning Solutions, Kochi.)