Amal Das: Empowering Leadership Growth at X-PM India

In a world where change is the only constant, what sets enduring leaders apart is not authority but adaptability. Amal Das, Board Member & Partner at X-PM India and also Managing Partner & CEO of Good People Consulting LLP, has spent decades mentoring leaders across industries and generations. Through that journey, he has come to believe that the single trait separating those who thrive from those who plateau is learning agility, the ability to continuously unlearn, relearn, and reinvent oneself in the face of change.

“Leaders who thrive don’t anchor themselves to past successes,” he reflects. “They treat every shift in technology, talent, or market dynamic as an invitation to evolve.” Such leaders, he believes, remain curious even when competent, humble even when experienced, and bold enough to discard what no longer serves the future.

Coaching with a Difference

Amal blends traditional executive coaching with Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and theatre-based techniques to help leaders see themselves through others’ eyes.

He recalls working with a third-generation leader in a large family business who struggled to align his senior team. Authority was unquestioned, but influence was not. Through a structured role-play, Amal invited him to step into the shoes of his CFO and Plant Head, revealing how his commanding tone and body language restricted dialogue.

Using NLP reframing and anchoring, Amal guided him from control-driven communication to influence-based engagement. The realisation came when the leader said, “I’ve been running the meeting, not leading it.” Within weeks, meetings became participative, decision cycles shortened by nearly 40%, and morale rose sharply. The case soon became a benchmark at X-PM for how blending coaching, NLP, and theatre can elevate leadership from positional to inspirational.

Redefining Leadership and Growth

For Amal, one of the greatest misconceptions about senior leadership is the illusion of control. Many assume executives command every lever of authority and clarity, but true leadership often means navigating ambiguity, competing agendas, and partial truths.

“Real leadership begins when you stop chasing control and start enabling clarity, confidence, and accountability in others,” he explains. To him, leadership is less about power and more about presence. As Dave Ulrich says, “Leaders are not judged by what they know, but by what others do because of them.”

When asked what defines true growth, Amal speaks of “capacity expansion”, when leaders and organisations evolve in consciousness, culture, and contribution. He often cites the Tata Group under Ratan Tata as an example: “The real transformation wasn’t just in the balance sheet but in Tata’s identity. From a conservative conglomerate, Tata became a globally respected, values-driven enterprise.”

The Mindful Edge

Mental health and well-being are deeply personal priorities for Amal, shaping how he advises leaders during high-pressure transitions. “I focus not just on what leaders do, but on how they operate under stress, their ability to pause, reflect, and stay emotionally balanced,” he says.

He often cautions against the “managerial dowry”, the control habits and operational patterns carried from previous roles that create bottlenecks and amplify stress. The higher leaders rise, the more they risk pushing beyond healthy limits. “Sustainable performance”, Amal reminds, “demands both a sharp mind and a rested body.”

Looking ahead, he believes adaptability, strategic awareness, and emotional intelligence will define India’s next generation of leaders. Drawing on Prof. T.V. Rao’s philosophy, he emphasises the balance of empathy and firmness to lead with both insight and conviction.”