“A leader was an ant who gave up being an ant and now is a butterfly”

“A leader was an ant who gave up being an ant and now is a butterfly”

This visionary and humanistic Indian businessman dared to take a big, risky gamble at his company, one that goes against the tide of today’s fashionable “customer-centric” approaches: flipping the management pyramid to give power back to employees and putting staff before customers. We were eager to meet this man who has shaken the status quo, taken gambles others would refuse, and who illustrates the boldness we admire, because we, too, love being challenged and surprised in this ever-changing world full of uncertainty.

Formerly CEO of IT services giant HCL Technologies, he is today one of the world’s most respected management gurus. Despite a crisis in his sector, he enabled his company to nearly triple its sales in just four years by putting employees at the heart of his strategy.

We were lucky to get an interview with him at the Entreprise DU FUTUR (‘Company of the Future’) exhibition, just after an autograph session for his bestseller “ Employees First, Customers Second”– because Vineet Nayar is in great demand!

During a conference, he shared his vision of the world with the school’s teachers, students and staff, shedding light on his innovative management methods that include placing trust in employees, encouraging entrepreneurship, demanding complete financial and strategic transparency from the Executive Board and more.

Cheerful and approachable, Vineet Nayar also gave us a more intimate glimpse of his life. We showed him a series of pictures — both personal and professional — that hold great meaning for him. We hadn’t informed him about our line of questioning, and we were delighted by his spontaneou and sincere answers !