Leadership Journeys [275] – Janardan Dalmia – “Success has many fathers and failure is an orphan”

This is the Leadership Journey series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast.

I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other’s stories – of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing. If you know a leader whom you would like to see celebrated on the show, please send me a message on LinkedIn with their name.

What does it really take to walk away from certainty and choose leadership in the unknown?

In this episode of Choosing Leadership, host Sumit Gupta sits down with Janardan Dalmia to unpack his journey from Wall Street banking to building Trukkin in one of the world’s most complex logistics markets.

JD shares the unglamorous truths of entrepreneurship—unlearning old mindsets, navigating uncertainty, and building resilience when the playbook no longer exists.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t about linear growth or perfect balance, but about endurance, self-awareness, and choosing courage over comfort.

If you’re a leader facing big decisions, internal resistance, or the fear of starting over, this episode will challenge you to raise your bar and play a longer, bolder game.

You can find Janardan Dalmia at the links below

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdalmia/
•  jd@trukkin.com. 

In the interview, Janardan shares

• “Leadership isn’t a title you earn once — it’s a choice you make every day.”
• “Leaving Wall Street didn’t make me brave — staying uncomfortable did.”
• “Entrepreneurship isn’t a straight line. It’s a messy, non-linear journey, and that’s the point.”
• “You don’t rise in business by avoiding failure — you rise by learning to recover faster.”
• “Success is temporary. So is failure. What lasts is who you become through both.”
• “Unlearning the banker mindset was harder than learning how to build a startup.”
• “Real leadership is about endurance — staying in the game when the excitement wears off.”
• “You can’t professionalise chaos without first learning to operate inside it.”
• “Work-life balance isn’t about equal hours — it’s about protecting your energy.”
• “Growth isn’t about doing more. It’s about becoming more.”