Legendary Tech Leader, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist
About The Leader
About The Leader
Narayan Murthy is a legendary tech leader of Infosys, one of the largest multinational tech companies in the world, headquartered in India with a net market cap of over $100 B
N.R. Narayana Murthy is legendary co-founder of Infosys.
Murthy was listed by Forbes Magazine as an entrepreneur and global leader of next-generation digital services and consulting with a net worth of $ 3.6 billion as of March 25, 2021.
Murthy has been listed among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time by Fortune magazine.
He has been described as the "father of the Indian IT sector" by Time magazine and CNBC for his contribution to outsourcing in India
As of October 2021, his net worth was estimated at US$4.3 billion
His Purpose
"Create a company that will create millions of job opportunities, will exist over 100 years and put Indian economy on the world map and make it competitive by empowering a next-generation workforce."
Narayan Murthy has been described as the "father of the Indian IT sector" by Time magazine and CNBC for his contribution to outsourcing in India. He put Indian IT industry on the global map and created millions of jobs and opportunities for the Indian economy. In 2000, Infosys, the first Indian company to be traded on NASDQ, was worth about U.S. $27 billion.
Case for Change
Case for Change
“Create a company that is globally competitive and considers the global economies as its market and will put Indian economy on Global map.”
Growth Gap
Growth Gap
“Create millions of job opportunities and uplift the middle class from poverty. ”
Investment Portfolio
Investment Portfolio
“Make huge investment in automation and tech services and create an environment of transparent governance that is driven by trust and ethical behaviors.”
His Leadership Qualities
His Leadership Qualities
Narayan Murthy’s life journey is nothnig short of a fairy tale, yet his leadership style is more collaborative than authoritative, and his lifestyle is simple and humble.
Lead by Example
Lead by Example
Infosys almost wound down in 1990. Murthy did not want to sell the company. He asked co-founders if they wanted out and offered to buy their shares. All of them then decided to stick together. Infosys then went on to win a major contract from Reebok in the early '90s.
Key Actions
Key Actions
When Infosys was established in 1984, it was very hard for businesses to survive as it took almost 18-24 months for a business to acquire one computer.
With liberalization of the economy in India in 1991, business conditions improved. Murthy attracted financing through equity and acquired the right technologies to improve productivity.
Leadership Behaviors
Leadership Behaviors
Make others participate in your vision
Show zeal and resilience to overcome challenges
Lesson Learned
Lesson Learned
Leadership is about making what seems impossible, possible; about changing the perception of what reality is.
Narayan Murthy took chances and prepared his mind to overcome all obstacles.
He also leveraged the new set policies to his advantage to position Infosys to better compete with global competitors.
Keen Eye For Talent
Keen Eye For Talent
Narayan Murthy had a keen eye for acquiring new talent. He built the right team and set the right goals to motivate team members to stick together. Infosys was the first Indian company to have performance-based incentives and stock options rather than compensation being strictly tied to seniority.
Key Actions
Key Actions
Narayan Murthy set some unwritten rules for acquiring and retaining the right talent. For example, arguments are only won by reason and merit; seniority has no influence in the matter.
Murthy also set the clear values for Infosys employess to follow. For example, no employees can speak ill of customers in any situation at Infosys.
Leadership Behaviors
Leadership Behaviors
Keen eye for details
Never forgets the big picture
Lesson Learned
Lesson Learned
Hiring the right talent that complements your skills, which very important for succeeding as a leader
A young, argumentative Indian, was asking too many questions at an annual general meeting of Infosys. More impressed than irritated, he hired the employee, Mohandas Pai, who went on to help Infosys list on Nasdaq.
It was the first Indian company to list on Nasdaq. It was also the first Indian company to make it to the Nasdaq 100 list.
Simple & Humble
Simple & Humble
Keep your life simple and straight. That way, you get to work more and worry less. Murthy is known to be frugal with money. Despite being one of the richest Indians, he leads a simple life. However, he does not cut corners on buying books or brushing up on literature.
Key Actions
Key Actions
Narayan Murthy has kept his personal and professional life separate. At the same time Narayan Murthy's personal values could be clearly seen in the way Infosys operates.
At Infosys, he never flew business class; instead, he always used economy class to travel.
Leadership Behaviors
Leadership Behaviors
Balance brain with heart and be compassionate
Lesson Learned
Lesson Learned
The best use of all your wealth is to share it with those who are less fortunate.
He donated most of his earnings to charity and lived a simple life in the same apartment where he founded Infosys. Also at Infosys family has no influence on leadership succession; instead, the next generation of leaders were chosen on merit.
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