What's the Leadership Style of India's Youngest Billionaire? It has a lot to do with keeping the staff happy and inspired, says Paytm's Vijay Shekhar Sharma

By Pooja Singh

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur Asia Pacific, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Paytm

"The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution on an individual level. It's got to happen inside first."

Vijay Shekhar Sharma is a big fan of Jim Morrison. The founder of Paytm, India's biggest mobile payments business, often quotes him in his interviews. And he swears by those words. This intense focus and hunger for innovation have played a big role in making him one of India's most successful entrepreneurs.

But for the 40-year-old, the journey from a village in Uttar Pradesh to being the youngest billionaire of India has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. When starting out, he struggled to secure initial funding for One97 Communications (the parent company of Paytm), and in August this year, he had Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway pump in $346 million in return for a 2 per cent stake in One97.

What has helped him in this journey, besides other things, is his scale of ambition ("We have to think that we are No.1 in the world. The day we think like that, the world changes for us," he said at the recent TechSparks conference, organized by media platform YourStory in India's Silicon Valley, Bengaluru) , "not caring about the naysayers" and the way he leads his company.

We asked Sharma what his leadership style is, and this is what he had to say:

Lead by Example

If you show your team that you are open to do every task out there and ready to get into tough tasks by yourself, they follow. Setting an example of expectations is always good.

Give Them a Chance

Every person doing something for the first time won't do it in the best possible way. Best is to work with them and give honest feedback of what you liked and what could have been done better.

That way they learn and become savvy.

And in case that person isn't doing good, the feedback lets the person know of gaps and open them for a change of role.

Celebrate

Always celebrate the performances of teams and their outliers. Be public. Be open and celebrate success together.

Pooja Singh

Former Features Editor, Entrepreneur Asia Pacific

 

A stickler for details, Pooja Singh likes telling people stories. She has previously worked with Mint-Hindustan Times, Down To Earth and Asian News International-Reuters. 

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

JPMorgan Shuts Down Internal Message Board Comments After Employees React to Return-to-Office Mandate

Employees were given the option to leave comments about the RTO mandate with their first and last names on display — and they did not hold back.

Leadership

From Elite Athletes to Tech Titans — Discover the Surprising $100-Million Habit That Leads to Extraordinary Success

Success comes from mastering focus, eliminating distractions and prioritizing what truly matters.

Business News

'I Want the Best People on Our Teams': Meta Is Laying Off More Than 3,000, CEO Mark Zuckerberg Calls for 'Extensive Performance-Based Cuts' — Read the Memo

In an internal memo shared on Tuesday, Zuckerberg said it's "going to be an intense year" at the company.

Side Hustle

'Hustling Since Middle School': She Started a Side Hustle on Facebook Marketplace — Then a 'Game-Changer' Grew It to $25,000 a Month

Leena Pettigrew's "entrepreneurial spirit" inspired her to build a business with earnings that outpaced her full-time income.

Growing a Business

How Meta Generated $32 Billion in Ad Revenue Last Quarter — and How You Can Create Million-Dollar Weekends Using the Same Strategies

Meta's staggering $32 billion quarterly ad revenue isn't just about size; it's about strategy, systems and execution as well.