Chairman of Zydus Pankaj Patel on Friday said that people are the most valuable asset for any organization. “People are the core to anything you do. The only mantra to succeed in any business is to take care of your people; other things will follow,” he said. He was speaking at the formal announcement of the SOUL (School of Ultimate Leadership), a privately funded leadership institution in Gujarat established by a group of like-minded individuals, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

SOUL brings in insights, skills, and expertise necessary to navigate the complex challenges of leadership in today’s world. It reimagines leadership by moving beyond the traditional heroic model, embracing a collaborative and values-driven paradigm inspired by India’s civilizational wisdom and global best practices.

Mr. Patel asked businesses to create an environment conducive to people. The culture of the team is important for making it sustainable. The culture inculcated in human resources is important for the success of the business. He also suggested to leaders of companies to make decisions collectively, communicate the decisions well, and execute them properly.

He said that leadership has undergone great change in the last two decades. Leaders are not born now but are evolving, and are made, he added. Today’s leaders have become planners and coaches and create teams to make work happen. They should have vision and humility and see the world as one large family.

Emphasizing positive thinking, Patel said, “Everything is possible. Don’t get influenced by people discouraging you.” Another quality dear to Mr. Patel was out-of-the-box thinking. “You cannot be better than the ‘copy’, so never copy anyone in the business and think original,” he added.

Today’s event ignited passion, challenged conventional wisdom, and empowered the next generation of leaders to think boldly and act with purpose for a brighter, more inclusive future. The event brought together leaders from across politics, sports, arts and media, public policy, business, and the social sector to share their personal leadership journeys. They engaged in insightful conversations and shared transformative leadership experiences to inspire a new generation of change-makers and leaders.

SOUL aims to train and empower youth for careers in key public sectors such as health, education, rural development, and sanitation. The institution will offer a range of programs designed to cater to the evolving needs of leaders at various stages of their careers. These include short-term, medium-term, and long-term education programs aimed at shaping visionary leaders for the future. The institute will offer specialized leadership programs ranging from one-week workshops to long-term courses of 9 to 12 months from March 2027.

SOUL is the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose aim is to enable authentic leaders to advance the public good. It is to broaden the landscape of political leadership in India through formal training and to include those who rise through merit, commitment, and passion for public service and not just from political lineage.

It is located on the periphery of GIFT City in Gandhinagar, in a sprawling 22-acre campus. The SOUL campus will be developed over the next two years at an estimated cost of INR 150 crore.

Today’s session was addressed by Union Railway Minister Ashwani Vaishnav, Sunil Bharti Mittal of Airtel, Mr. Ajay Piramal, Gukesh Dommaraju, Mr. Pankaj Patel, Sridhar Venkat and Dr. R Balu and Rahul Kanwal.

Through candid conversations, the leaders discussed the pivotal moments in their lives when they took a leap of faith and were able to demonstrate strong leadership for exponential impact and greater good.