Inclusive leaders today, pride themselves on a focus toward the triple bottom line where people and planet are as important as profits, but how many corporate success stories flaunt exceptional community results as key success parameters besides revenue and profits?
Bishop Westcott School in Ranchi in the seventies had many flaws, its science and mathematics teaching was not the best, the focus on hymns being sung every morning at the school assembly may seem excessive in these times and many of us who studied there remember the school more for our extra-curricular exploits than the education we received. However, one aspect of the school made it stand out, the strong focus on diversity in its student intake, and the fostering of national pride in the community of over five hundred Westcottians who passed through its portals in my time.
The school motto in Latin read Non Nascor Mihi Solum – ‘Live not for self alone’ and the national pledge was repeated many times during the school year with the opening lines “India is my country; all Indians are my brothers and sisters” getting embedded deeper in the soul of every student with every recitation. All this and a family orientation towards social work lit an undying flame of gratitude in me towards the country and the community which has stayed bright through decades of corporate life and entrepreneurship. A heart that beats for social causes is something that sustains me and many CEOs in our country even as they serve the principal stakeholder community of shareholders and customers that makes them successful in conventional terms.
Inclusive leaders today pride themselves on a focus towards the triple bottom line, where people and planet are as important as profits, but how many corporate success stories flaunt exceptional community results as key success parameters besides revenue and profits? It is a rare set of leaders who commit themselves to truly changing lives within and outside the organization. And the rewards one can reap by having a heart that beats for these causes and leads career and life decisions are richer than any monetary measure and can lead to a richer dividend earned for oneself and for the community one seeks to serve.
A heart that beats for social causes is something that sustains me and many CEOs in our country
Another milestone: New launch of SVP in AhmedabadMy own experiences with this approach have been truly rewarding. In two companies I led for over twenty-five years, Aptech and Zensar Technologies, the leadership teams’ commitment to a balanced triple bottom line approach led to excellent community results and superior employee retention and also huge rewards from customers and shareholders with the stock values jumping manifold in comparison to industry peers. And having plunged with passion and renewed energy into the social sector after finishing my third five-year term at Zensar, it has been a pleasure and privilege to lead scaling organizations that are making a huge difference to society and also providing opportunities for well-meaning senior leaders as well as young social sector enthusiasts to combine head and heart in their search for meaning and fulfilment.
Pune City Connect has become a true exemplar in this area, enabling a rare public private partnership that is transforming Marathi and Urdu municipal schools, targeting hundred percent digital literacy in Pune by 2022 and setting up national award winning skills lighthouses in every municipal ward to ensure that Pune’s youth are able to dream and turn these dreams into reality in a truly “safe space”. City corporate leaders and entrepreneurs – Meher Pudumjee, Rati Forbes, Pradeep Bhargav, Ashwini Malhotra, Rahul Kirloskar, Rajan Navani and Sudhir Mehta on the Board and many more CEOs of Indian and global corporations give us the energy and funding to follow our heart and do good in a highly professional manner. On a national scale, Social Venture Partners India has adopted and adapted SVP International’s venture philanthropy approach and started building a new generation of focused philanthropists working collaboratively for major social initiatives. One of the big hairy and audacious goals is to enhance or create sustainable livelihoods for a million Indians by 2022 and the energy of the leaders engaged in this mission is admirable.
Even at 5F World, which has evolved in its two-year existence to be not just a leader in digital transformation and Industry 4.0 consulting, but also a mentor and investor in high growth technology companies in India and the US, we have been able to judiciously choose areas that impact inclusion in the country. One of our investee companies, Skills Alpha is developing digital platform solutions for up skilling corporate employees, college students and even underprivileged youth to develop new and relevant areas of expertise, and another, the Center for AI and Advanced Analytics is enabling a new breed of professionals to be developed for the industry armed to be the managers of data that the country and the world so needs.
Here is an exhortation to readers of this column who are looking for passion and purpose in their careers and lives. It is never too early in your career or life to let your heart lead your head and if there are opportunities where you can volunteer or lead initiatives that lead to more love and inclusion in this country, jump for it. That decision can change the course of your life and put you on a path that is full of better rewards than just the chase for filthy lucre! Go for it.
Ganesh Natarajan
