Excerpts from my opening speech at the NASSCOM Annual Conclave in 2012 I would like to share with you five key themes that I believe are most important for GIC (Global In-house Center) leaders to consider and act upon. Just as context, over the past 1.5-2 years a very special movement has been happening in…

Note: We have used the term “GICs – Global In-house Centers” through out this note instead of the more traditional term “Captives” Part 1 – GICs reaching a Tipping Point Part 2 – GICs can become Revenue Centers Value Addition an imperative for GICs to retain relevance Embarking on the value-addition journey can not only…

Greg Chappell has done it again. The worst thing to have ever happened to Indian cricket continues to be a miserable pain. Now he has come up with sweeping generalizations condemning the Indian culture at large and our ineffectiveness as leaders in particular. Much as I detest Chappell and his sanctimonious pontifications, it is difficult…

It has been my great privilege to be involved in building the McKinsey Knowledge Centre in India.  Popularly known as McKC, it is a shining example of the depth and breadth of research and analytics capabilities that can be delivered from India and how such a centre can become a force for innovation and transforming…

Finding our life’s purpose is one of the most profound quests of human life.  In the daily pulls and pressures of life, this question often get’s lost.  You float through life driven by forces around you.  It sometimes feels like you are a puppet with an unseen hand pulling the strings of your daily existence. …

We often cry about the ‘system’ and find faults in situations and people around us.  We blame the ‘system’ for the various problems we face on a day-to-day basis, whether it is corruption, traffic or pollution.  We are perennially disappointed with the companies we work in, whether it is the policies, the politics or the…

Another year is drawing to a close.  It has been a rather interesting year.  In addition to my professional commitments, I had a number of new experiences in 2011. I started to play an active role in industry forums, write a blog and speak more regularly.  Happily, I also took more than my usual quota…

I just finished reading Gurcharan Das’s book “The Difficulty Of Being Good”.  This book is an analysis of the epic Mahabharata especially to understand the nature of Dharma i.e., “what is right”.  The epic starts with a rather boastful claim that “What is here is found elsewhere. What is not here is nowhere”.  I was…

Inspiring others is a critical test of a leader.  To achieve outstanding results in an increasingly complex world, you need to go beyond just managing efficiently.  You need to touch people at a deep level where they get inspired from within.  Inspiration is the elixir that helps individuals go beyond ordinary limits and achieve great…

Note: We have used the term “GICs – Global In-house Centers” through out this note instead of the more traditional term “Captives”Part 1 – GICs reaching a Tipping Point Part 2 – GICs can become Revenue Centers Part 3 – Value Addition is an imperative for GICs Part 4 – Realizing full potential of GICs…