Being on time is more than simply being punctual – it demonstrates the respect, reliability and professionalism expected of a good leader, says Pacific Island Beverages director and co-founder Rajesh Patel.
He shared this leadership lesson during the Leaders Lounge event, ‘Voices of Leadership’, held as part of Leadership Fiji’s 25th Anniversary celebrations.
Mr Patel said his leadership perspective was shaped by 28-and-a-half years in the family business before leaving the Motibhai Group in 2022 to pursue entrepreneurship.
His career at the group spanned manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods, importation, distribution, export, retail, print media, including The Fiji Times, and property management.
After a four-month break, he entered the ready-to-drink market and established Pacific Island Beverages in November 2022.
The company launched its first products in October 2023 with four alcoholic beverages and has since expanded to 23 products across alcoholic and non-alcoholic categories.
Mr Patel identified six key leadership lessons from his experience – discipline, self-awareness, relationships, investing in people, networking and giving back.
He said building strong and engaged teams was critical to organisational success.
“The most successful organisations are built by engaged people,” he said.
Mr Patel also urged emerging leaders to remain adaptable as technology, consumer expectations and workplaces continue to change.
“Today’s leaders must be adaptable, willing to learn and comfortable with change.”
He said entrepreneurship had taught him to embrace uncertainty and remain humble when making decisions.
“Entrepreneurship forces you to leave behind certainty and embrace ambiguity.
“It teaches you humility because each decision matters.”
