A few years back one of the most prominent newspapers in US ran a poll on their website homepage asking readers their view on a new Bill the Congress was mulling on. The choices were “Oppose”, “Agree” or “Can’t say”. Most people voted for “Oppose”, followed by “Agree” and “Can’t say”. The next day the newspaper announced that this was a fake poll. No such Bill existed!

Sometimes fraternity events are the best place to think inwards, to contemplate what is and what should be, to celebrate the present and envision the future. Last week I attended Indian IT Industry’s flagship event – NASSCOM India Leadership Forum 2014 in Mumbai and found myself in this intramural state of mind.

Today, HCL is well known for its “Employees First, Customers Second” (EFCS) philosophy. The story of this Indian firm has been widely written up and lauded. Indeed, it has been described by Fortune Magazine as the world’s most modern management system. But this well-known story is at risk of becoming obsolete.

Life evolves. Species evolves. Flora, fauna and algae, DNA, micro-organisms and even the dark matter evolves. Charles Darwin called this simple law of nature as “evolution”.

When you are a CEO of a listed company, struggling to cover ground amidst an uncertain macro-economic environment and a world full of cynics, you have to pretty much put your all in the game. Endless meetings, challenges galore, flights and fights, overflowing mailboxes and complaint boxes, new crises and old skeletons – the baggage you carry everyday is daunting to say the least.