Leading by Example

What makes B Ramalinga Raju, founder and chairman of Satyam and

present chairman of Nasscom, such an excellent role model for generations of

young professionals joining and building the IT and BPO services industry in

this country? Three anecdotes may bring out some characteristics that

distinguish truly inspirational leaders from a band of other successful CEOs.

Speaking at the World Bank's Infodev workshop in Hyderabad, where Raju, Kiran

Karnik and I were on a panel, discussing models of innovation and

entrepreneurship, Raju spoke quite frankly of some false starts they had had in

building innovative models and services-though he ended on a note of

justifiable pride by noting that innovation had made Satyam's market

capitalization jump over 800 times as customers and shareholders saw the company

delivering to its potential.

On the afternoon of the same day at the inauguration of Zensar's

new development center in Hyderabad, Raju spoke again about the importance of

seeing things in different ways and not forsaking opportunities because they

were not in the predictable formula for success that everybody follows. And the

dynamic IT Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, Ms Ratna Prabha underlined the

importance of being Raju when she spoke glowingly of his willingness to be a

pioneer in setting up a facility in Visakhapatnam, which has lead to that tier-2

city become a beacon for new entrepreneurs in the state.

These three simple facets of a successful businessman-the

ability to learn from success as well as failure, the willingness to recognize

that there could be a new way and, of course, the true entrepreneurial zeal of

continuous exploration-are what links successful entrepreneurs like Sam

Pitroda, Baba Kalyani and Ramalinga Raju. My colleague Manjiri and I wrote about

this in the book Inspired, and it has been heart warming to see the

number of young and old people in the country who have taken heart from our Formula

Inspiration and set about acquiring new meaning in their lives!

So what differentiates a truly great CEO from just a good one?

My favorite definition of the term CEO has always been Clairvoyant, Evangelist

and Orator. In the fast changing IT industry, the ability to look into the

future and discern patterns that can have a significant impact on the business

model of the firm in the foreseeable future is a key attribute. Evangelism: of a

new cause, a new process or a new initiative that may seem a nuisance today but

can have long term ramifications is another must do for CEOs in an industry that

too often seeks instant gratification rather than building for the long term.

And, there is no getting away from oratory or good communication skills as

organizations grow at a frenetic pace, and young employees and associates look

to their leaders to provide them inspirational and aspirational leadership. Will

the Industry CEOs stand up to be counted and build more members of their ilk?

A last word: with all the attributes we have already mentioned

in large abundance, what makes Raju truly special is his willingness to reach

out with friendship and go the extra mile to respond to others. Whether it is

the outstanding work done by EMRI in Andhra Pradesh, the pioneering employment

and social improvement work done by the Byrraju foundation or his simple gesture

of coming on time and speaking with grace to our people at the center's

inauguration, people like Raju have the ability to touch our intellect and our

emotions simultaneously!

The author is deputy chairman & MD of Zensar and is chairman

of the Nasscom Innovation Forum for 2005—07. He can be reached at ganesh@cybermedia.co.in