New Delhi, June 15 -- The family dinner table served as a business leadership training ground for Rajiv Kumar. It was where school and its happenings were discussed as regularly as organisational values and emerging market trends.

"This unique environment turned every evening into a continuous masterclass, where the thrill of innovation and the weight of responsibility were ingrained through the stories that bound us together," says New Delhi-based Kumar, 63, Vice Chairman, DS Group.

A hands-on apprenticeship unfolded at the family office, even as he pursued a Bachelor of Commerce from Delhi University. He would observe his father and elder brother make high-level decisions, even as he initially tackled small tasks that brought in handy...