The Corner Office

Let us turn the clock back by 40 years and take a look at where this journey began. With the G-Class.

Developed first as a military vehicle, the G-Class was made available to civilians in 1979. What began as unstoppable wheels of war went on to write history. When we launched the first of our SUVs, we were sure that luxury could in fact, conquer every terrain. And our first ever SUV, the G-Class, became engineered proof of that.

Car design at Mercedes-Benz is process that blends art and science to create beauty. With the tradition of innovative design, each new model is a rewarding challenge for the design team at Mercedes-Benz. The philosophy is based on intelligent and progressive design that is efficient and effortlessly functional. It combines contrasts such as tradition and modernity to conceptualise masterpieces that stay true to both the elements. 

Personalities manifest themselves in different forms. Things that attract us are distinctly appealing to us. They match our personality traits, qualities and thinking. They become a reflection of ourselves as we choose them from infinite options that are available to us.

Mercedes-Benz cars are the preferred vehicle of many exceptional individuals who have had achieved success and set benchmarks. These leaders choose a Mercedes-Benz as it fits flawlessly in their lives while reflecting their personality.

Here are some of the personality traits of leaders that each of Mercedes-Benz model emulates through its features, design and technology.

As an expression of modern luxury, the new Mercedes-Benz CLS personifies the Sensual Purity design philosophy of the brand. The striking design and look of the car has a character of its own while maintaining the quintessential elements of belonging to the Mercedes-Benz family.

A pioneer, designer and a revolutionary, Wilhelm Maybach changed the future of automotive design.

Read about the features invented by Mercedes-Benz that became standard across the industry. #BestKeepsLeading #Innovations

Carl Benz once said, “The love of innovation never dies”. Learn how Mercedes-Benz lived up to this statement in the new millennium. #BestKeepsLeading #Innovation 

With his futuristic approach, immense talent and superior intelligence, Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler was a true visionary.

Every Mercedes-Benz car comes with a host of innovative features. Read about the features that influenced the industry and became standard in every car. #Innovations #Technology

Read about the origin of the world’s first internal-combustion engine. #TheBestOrNothing

Bertha Benz, a woman celebrated for many reasons but most importantly for co-pioneering the automotive industry with Karl Benz. #TheBestOrNothing

The history of Mercedes-Benz is the compilation of innovation and invention. It has revolutionized the world's mobility with many firsts in safety, design, and performance. The designs and ideologies merge with the company’s historical philosophy which was started by two exceptional inventors- Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. 

Feedback. A single word that can change your upbeat mood into a pensive one in a matter of seconds. While it can be both positive and negative, the negative aspect of a feedback conversation strikes most of us much more promptly. As employees, we dread its repercussions on our performance evaluations. As leaders, we often struggle to strike the right balance of giving constructive feedback without affecting the motivation levels of our teammates.

Setting up the customer relationship management (CRM) function can end up becoming the last item on the to-do list while launching a new product. Creating a competent customer relationship department requires dedicated effort and a strong strategy. In the world of digital, it has taken a whole new meaning. Expectations of customers when it comes to support and service are extremely different.

Owning a Mercedes-Benz is an aspiration for many. An achievement that is the ultimate sign of success. For an ambitious entrepreneur, it is a symbol of success like no other. At Mercedes-Benz, we understand that although your dream car maybe in your means, it is a significant investment. Through Daimler Financial Services, we make this aspiration a reality. We offer exclusive loan facility designed to meet your every requirement and long-term needs.

Introduced over four decades ago, Mercedes-AMG G-Class has surpassed time to become more progressive with its each version. It is a testament to the importance Mercedes-AMG places on tradition and innovation as the G-Class continues to be a phenomenon designed to take you on every adventure in unparalleled luxury while ensuring a driving experience like no other.

In the world of luxury, a customer’s association with a brand begins the moment they choose to buy the product. Well-known brands with years of legacy are easily recognizable. They are often seen as symbols of prestige and status. These products, small or big, act as conversation starters. They continue to be a part of the customer’s life even after the product is longer in use. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that customer’s relationship with a luxury brand begins with a purchase and continues as long as it manages to stay on their mind. A brand can achieve this through the experience, quality and efforts that the brand invests in maintaining the relationship.

One of the most crucial events in the lives of individuals is buying a car. It is unlike buying any other product or an inexpensive commodity that can be easily replaced. A lot of thought is gone into choosing an automobile and finalising purchase. We believe that customers should be rewarded for their deliberation in the form of constant, efficient and personalised customer service.

The arena for customer service is huge, especially in the automotive sector.

As a leader, your work is like your ‘brainchild’, something you nurture with endless grit, dedication, and attention. In the organisation, you will come across team members who are a notch above the rest. These employees will redefine your goals, reinvent innovation and lead your ‘brainchild’ to new heights with their exceptional technical abilities. These high potential employees are treasures which require your time, investment, and dedication to make a big impact and advance as better leaders.

“People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” - John C. Maxwell

Leadership at any level is about establishing a relationship first. Leadership is more about having a positive influence on the individuals and the group as a whole than about the position or title.

"Organizational learning is the process of creating, retaining, and transferring knowledge within an organization. An organization improves over time as it gains experience. From this experience, it is able to create knowledge. This knowledge is broad, covering any topic that could better an organization."

It is imperative for companies to put in place an effective and structured learning strategy with realistic opportunities for implementation which aligns with both the mission and vision of the company.

Take a gracious bow! Your drive towards innovation, excellence, and performance has borne fruits. This moment of truth is truly a moment to capture. Leadership is like a drive towards excellence, innovation towards the best. Whether planned or unplanned, it is a milestone in life, especially for first-time leaders. During this career-defining moment, you will venture into a world of first successes, failures, and more. Embrace this opportunity as you step into this new role.

Leadership comes with a wide range of responsibilities. Being a designated leader, often means that you can influence and change policies, approaches and mandates that affect lives of your co-workers and peers. This is the time in your career to create a positive difference in not just your life but also in the lives of others. Decisions, goals, and objectives set by you no longer affect just you and your team but they have repercussions on the entire company. While this may seem like a burden to some, but to a true leader this is an opportunity to chart a path of progress and positivity along with contributing to the strength of the company.

Breaking the glass ceiling is no easy feat. But there are remarkable women from all over the world who have time and again proven their ability to excel and choose to lead. By outshining every other contender in their periphery, these women are leaders of today, the best in everything that they do, and the inspiration for the ones who will assume the same mantle someday.

There is a lot that these women have learnt through their audacious journeys. Invaluable knowledge through experiences that have tested their mettle at every step. Their path to being the best is a collection of stories that warrant a platform.

The strength of any organisation lies in how well the employees work together. A couple of years ago, when we used the word ‘team’, we immediately imagined a bunch of people working together at the same place, exchanging ideas, building plans and working towards achieving collective goals. While the function and role of a team remains the same, teams are no longer a bunch of like-minded individuals with similar skillsets working together.

Warren Bennis once remarked, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” The first step in doing this is being able to articulate the vision and do it justice while doing so. The impact that we aim to create begins with our ability to impact and motivate our teams to work towards our objectives. The same is the rationale behind the leadership of Roland Folger, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India.

Communication is the key in this scenario. It is impossible to flip through the history books and find a leader who didn’t inspire others. This skill isn’t something that you can fake or pretend to have. Any leader has to work tirelessly towards bettering their communication skills in order to be good at their job.

While each leader has their own unique style, there are some noticeable commonalities amongst those who communicate well. 

Mercedes-Benz is known for its ground-breaking engineering, it is the continuous innovation that drives it to deliver best or nothing. Right from inventing the first car to reset safety standards for all cars, Mercedes-Benz is recognized for leading through innovation. As Carl Benz stated, the love for inventing never dies, this has driven Mercedes-Benz to unfold a series of firsts in safety, performance, luxury, driving and more.  Every Mercedes-Benz vehicle is engineered with intelligence and safety. It is a masterpiece crafted for those with a meticulous eye for beauty, a taste for unparalleled luxury and a desire for thrilling performance. Every vehicle refines passion, performance, elegance and more than one could have imagined.

Luxury and adventure can be visualized as two distant elements but if you observe closely they co-exist and can make the best of every ground. Being adventurous is a state of mind that transcends what you do in your profession and goes beyond who you are. Adventure is stepping out of the cosy space known as the comfort zone.  But only a few are able to take it to a point where adventure coincides and merges with luxury. Is it true the other way around? Confused? Don’t be.

As the largest luxury car network in India, Mercedes-Benz is deeply involved in the progress of the country. We aim to impact not just the lives of our customers and employees, but also those who can benefit from our expertise and efforts through our philanthropic endeavors.

Mercedes-Benz India focuses on making a difference by addressing macro issues and needs in order to assist local communities. The company is engaged in improving the quality of education, providing infrastructural facilities, enabling healthier lives for the marginalized people and facilitating the local community with clean and safe drinking water systems.

AMG - The company from Affalterbach stands worldwide for outstanding engine expertise, which includes not only development, but also the "one man, one engine" philosophy, which means that each engine is, so to speak, hand-crafted by one engine builder. Often, individuals associate Mercedes-Benz vehicles with AMG. It is not exactly the same, AMG is the performance division of Mercedes-Benz. This technology is tuned to upgrade additional power. 

Greek philosopher and scientist, Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” The same can be said about work culture and the methods of developing it. Creating a culture of high-performance and inculcating processes that promote it, is a conscious decision and effort. While every company has its own unique values and goals, Mr. Roland Folger, the Managing Director & CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, shares certain practices that contribute towards creating a high-performance culture.

Leadership roles come with big responsibilities, where you have the chance to not only guide but also influence and mould your employees to cater to your core business objectives. You have to constantly be an example of what you preach and motivate your team through all the ups and downs. After all, that is the true test of your potential as a leader.

Here are five things every leader must excel in penned by Mr. Roland Folger, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India