Word of the Day – Stormannsgalskap

Stormannsgalskap is a Norwegian word which means great men’s madness.

Our only encounter with the word so far has been in Adam Lashinsky’s recent book Inside Apple.

Lashinsky borrows the term’s extension to the business world from former Harvard professor Richard Tedlow who used it to refer to extraordinary leaders who create great enterprises.

In the book, Lashinsky writes:

If any company could fairly be described as being influenced by a leader with stormannsgalskap, it was Apple.

Source: Inside Apple by Adam Lashinsky, P.160

In the Indian context, can we think of any living business titan with stormannsgalskap?

No.

Not even Indian business icons like Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji or Sunil Mittal.

For none of these are visionaries in the mold of a Steve Jobs or Henry Ford.

The only Indian businessman to describe whom the word stormannsgalskap would be apposite is the late Dhirubhai Ambani, who used his modest savings as an emigrant worker in Yemen to build the giant Reliance group.

4 Responses to "Word of the Day – Stormannsgalskap"

  1. Naveen   March 20, 2012 at 10:03 am

    Ratan Tata?

    Manmohan Singh in the early 90’s opened the Indian economy to the world and this has proved to be the single biggest reason for whatever growth achieved by India.

    How about the brain behind the $35 Aakash? 😉

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Ratan Tata?

    Hell No.

    He’s more of a bureaucratic businessman. Not the Visionary, Big Dreams kind of guy.

    Ratan lacked the hunger that Dhirubhai had.

    Small businessmen think small.

    Even Ratan’s auto plan called for a small car. 😉

    • Naveen   March 20, 2012 at 11:29 am

      I actually meant JRD Tata. Tata Steel is pretty huge isn’t it?

      SearchIndia.com Responds:

      Tata Steel was set up by Jamsetji Tata (cousin of JRD’s father).

      JRD is more like Ratan in that he was a good caretaker leader rather than a visionary. Someone like Tim Cook (current Apple CEO).

  2. gandhiji   March 21, 2012 at 8:45 am

    Is SI going to watch Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games.. I got it on my Kindle Fire during the free 1 month prime membership, but was too lazy to read it. You still have a prime membership, right?

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Yes, to Jenny baby.

    No, to Amazon Prime. Cancelled after free trial because we were not watching it at all.

    We’ve put NFLX also on hold since it’s the same story – watching too few movies.

    We only have Mela now. Watching that too rarely. But keeping it for the moment.

    BTW, a garrulous bozo from Mela called recently and whined and whined about that Billing Problems post. But she acknowledged it was accurate.

    Since you recommended Mela (if our recollection is right), it’s all your fault. 😉

  3. Naveen   March 21, 2012 at 11:21 am

    The chutiyas in Indian Govt. cannot control price rise in India and now they are offering gas exports to Pakistan.

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Energy-crisis-India-offers-gas-export-to-Pakistan/articleshow/12356281.cms

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    So, we’re going to import LNG and then export it to Pakistan. Wonderful!

    Sounds like a only in Mera Bharat Mahaan story!

    If Pakistan is desperate for gas, then we suggest that 1.2 billion Indians collectively point their backsides toward Pakistan and expel one loud fart.

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