30 Lessons

1. 30 Lessons From, Life and Career of N R Narayana MurthyFounder & Mentor, Infosys

2. Seize Your Gandhi Moment 1 Murthy, a self proclaimed socialist in the mid ‘70s was jailed for 72 hours in Bulgaria. The experience taught him that entrepreneurship and job creation is the way to alleviate poverty. Inductus

3. You might fail, but get started 2 Learn from mistakes and move on. In 1976, Murthy founded Softronics, a company that lasted a year and a half. When he realized that his first venture wasn’t taking off, he moved on. 12 Inductus

4. Think Big. Don’t Hesitate to Start Small 3 In 1981, a determined Murthy started Infosys with Rs 10,000 he borrowed from his wife. In few years, Infosys went on to become one of the largest wealth creators in the country. Inductus

5. Cut Yourself a Slice, Not a Large One Always 4 When Infosys was set up, Murthy took a pay cut while salaries of other co-founder’s were increased by 10 percent. According to Murthy, a leader needs to show his or her sacrifice and commitment. Inductus

6. Lend a Hand and Throw in a Foot Too 5 After Murthy convinced seven of his colleagues, there was a problem. Nandan’s future in-laws were not sure about him. Murthy met Nandan’s uncle and convinced him. Inductus

7. Own Up, and Then Clean Up 6 In the ‘80s Infosys developed an application for a German client. Murthy noticed a single character error and informed the client immediately. Inductus

8. Trust in God, But Verify with Data 7 In God we trust, the rest must come with data, is perhaps Murthy’s favorite statement. When confronted decisions, he tends to rely on data. Inductus

9. Keep the Faith 8 Infosys almost wound up 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 stuck together. Inductus

10. Get Involved 9 Infosys won a contract from Reebok in the early ‘90s. Seeing the founders involvement, the software, was nick named ‘Dinesh, Murthy and Prahlad.’ Infy veterans still recall those days. Inductus

11. Sharing is Caring 10 After the IPO, Infosys decided to share a portion of its equity with employees. This helped them retain talent and gave employees a sense of ownership. Murthy is proud of having given away stocks worth over Rs 50,000 crore to employees. Inductus

12. Treat your People Good, but Your Best Better 11 Murthy always had a thing for good performers. And he rewarded them well. When Infosys decided to give its employees stock options, Murthy insisted that some shares be given to good performers through the ‘Chairman’s quota.’ Inductus

13. Hire a Good Accountant, Even if he is Argumentative 12 A young, argumentative Indian, was asking too many questions at an annual general body meeting of Infosys. More impressed than irritated, he hired Mohandas Pai, who went on to help Infosys list on Nasdaq. Inductus

14. When is Doubt, Disclose 13 Keep your books clean and leave the cooking to the chef. Murthy‘s philosophy about being open and transparent has given the company a lot of credibility. He often says, “When in doubt, please disclose.” Inductus

15. Leave the Family Out 14 Murthy told his wife that only one of them could be with the company. Murthy, along with other founders, said that none of their children would work for Infosys. This left no room for nepotism at Infosys. Inductus

16. Don’t be a Pushover 15 In 1994, when General Electric wanted to re negotiate rates, Murthy said no to selling services any cheaper. This helped Infosys not to be overly dependent on any one client. Inductus

17. Make hay While the Sun Shines 16 In late 90’s, India’s Tech companies made use of the Y2K opportunity to make themselves known in the global market. For Infosys, it was in a great opportunity to enter into long-term relationships with their customers. Inductus

18. Brand-aid First, Get Clinical 17 When sexual harassment case against Infosys’ top sales guy Phaneesh Murthy threatened to tarnish the company’s brand, Murthy decided to quickly react. He let go of Phaneesh, and settled the case out of court despite Phaneesh wanting to fight it out. Inductus

19. Mind your Business, you’ll See Things Coming 18 Murthy carries and updates a mental model of Infosys’ business all the time. According to him, every leader must have a model, consisting of six to seven parameters that might affect business. Inductus

20. Keep it Simple, Not Silly 19 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. Inductus

21. Founders Keepers, but Not Forever 20 Murthy’s decision to not allow founders to continue with the company after the age of 65 set another standard for the company. This way, younger leaders at Infosys had a greater chance at the top positions. Inductus

22. Talent Spotting and Division of Labour 21 Murthy is known to have an eye for dividing labour. Nandan was given sales responsibilities while Krish and Shibu did the tech stuff. N S Raghavan was asked to handle people and Dinesh was assigned quality. Inductus

23. Hold on to Your People but don’t Cling 22 Letting go is never easy but its not good to cling on your colleagues either. Amongst the founders, Ashok Arora, Nandan Nilekani and K Dinesh have quit Infosys. Infy veteran Mohandas Pai has also left Infosys. Inductus

24. Give, it only gets you more 23 In 2010, the Murthy’s donated $ 5.2 million USD to Harvard University Press for a Project that aims to make India’s classical heritage available for generations to come. He is also supporter of the Akshaya Patra Foundation. Inductus

25. Do it First and Do it Right 24 Infosys did many things First. And most things right. For example, it was the first Indian company to list on Nasdaq. It was the first Indian company to make it to the Nasdaq 100 list and it was the first Indian company to attain the highest level of quality certification. Inductus

26. Perils of Being a Poster Child 25 Being the poster child of Indian IT industry, Infosys and Murthy have been at the receiving end of many criticisms. The company has been accused of taking away American jobs and been called a “chop shop.” Inductus

27. Get Rich. Honestly 26 Rich businesses were considered to be dirty in the days when the country had a socialist bent. Infy was a company which got rid of this sentiment. Murthy, with his ‘no compromise’ policy on greasing palms and doing ethical business, set the standards. Inductus

28. Do Not be Afraid to Court Controversy 27 Ever since Infosys became a success, Murthy was under constant public glare. This did not deter the straight talking Murthy from courting controversy or voicing his opinions openly. Inductus

29. Invest in Learning 28 With big investments in training, development building facilities, India’s IT bell-weather has always been keen on grooming the younger generation. Murthy drove the culture of learning in the company in its early days. Inductus

30. Never Lose the Common Touch 29 The big man of Indian IT kept his personal life simple, middle class house and flies economy till date. Murthy has always been accessible to people around him. Inductus

31. Do good, look good 30 Murthy knew the importance of creating an image for Infosys. He invested in creating a sprawling, world class campuses early on, bigger than any other’s headquarters in the country, that would make his global customers feel like they were in a global office. Inductus

32. N R NARAYAN MURTHY He is a visionary, is forthright and resolute in action. His contribution to the industry has been phenomenal and his efforts have been instrumental in putting India on the global map. I wish him the very best for the next phase of his life. AZIM PREMJI CHAIRMAN, WIPRO Inductus

33. N R NARAYAN MURTHY When I was in the US during 1993-94, Murthy said the action was shifting to India and asked me to come back and take charge of the support functions. I wondered then why, but later realized that it helped me with very good learning. S GOPALAKRISHNAN CO FOUNDER, INFOSYS Inductus

34. N R NARAYAN MURTHY After many unpleasant conversations with Mr. Murthy, I finally decided to take his advice and get a diary. The impact it had on my professional and personal life was phenomenal. SD SHIBULAL CO FOUNDER, INFOSYS Inductus

35. N R NARAYAN MURTHY Whenever we got requests from ministers and bureaucrats, Murthy would say hire only on merit. There were repercussions but Murthy was always clear not to give in to pressure. NS RAGHAVAN CO FOUNDER, INFOSYS Inductus

36. N R NARAYAN MURTHY He always spoke about how he hired his co-founders and why they were the best because he had hired them, making us angry and despondent. He heard my arguments gladly, always patient and sparring with him was the best. MOHANDAS PAI FORMER INFOSYS LEADER Inductus

37. N R NARAYAN MURTHY After an interview with Patni, I was waiting in the corridor when Murthy walked up to me. He told me that he would make me the offer but his concern was whether I would accept it. He said it would be a risk but it would be worth it. And what a turning point for me. K DINESH CO FOUNDER, INFOSYS Inductus

38. N R NARAYAN MURTHY The best advice Murthy gave me is to take honest feedback with grace and humility. NILEKANI CO FOUNDER, INFOSYS Inductus

39. MR. N R NARAYAN MURTHY Founder & Mentor, Infosys Text Courtesy: News Paper, The Economic Times, Dated 19th August 2011