In a rare and extensive conversation with Nikhil Kamath on the "People by WTF" podcast, Kumar Mangalam Birla has spoken and given rare insights into his journey, philosophy, and vision. The chairman of the $65-billion Aditya Birla Group spoke with remarkable candor about everything from his management style to personal life. 

Here are some key insights from the conversation:                                                                                                            

Leadership and management
- Only lost temper 18 times in 29 years (keeps exact count as management principle)
- Manages 180,000 people across the group currently
- Has 4,000 employees who've stayed over 20 years
- "Getting angry in a corporate context means getting out of control"
- On delegation: "Trust is very important. Something in your DNA must allow you to trust people"
- Three-point leader evaluation: ability to handle complexity, learning agility, capacity to lead diverse teams
- For external hires: "It's a gut feel. Look at track record, speak to them, do sound referencing"
- "If you have ambition, the only way to build bandwidth is getting people with more experience on board"