Joining HCL Technologies as a management trainee in 1985 and being appointed as the company’s vice chairman 25 years later, Vineet Nayar, CEO, HCL Technologies is on a dream run. Nayar, who authored a recent book on employee power, overturning conventional business logic, tells HT that passion and innovation has been his key drivers. Excerpts:
Are you being groomed to take over as chairman?
I don’t see that happening. I think Shiv is a master strategist who has risen from the grassroots level and has continued his focus on this sector. He has allowed professional managers like me to step into his shoes, which is not seen very often. Most promoters cannot get their fingers off the business. I think he is the chairman for life since he is the guy who has created it. It is just an honour that the board has made me the vice chairman.
It has been an impressive innings for you, from trainee to the vice chairman….What have been your driving values?
The centre of my interest is radical innovation around business strategy, employees and change around how employees are going to be dealt with. I personally feel that putting humans back in business is the core motivation I have in life. We undervalue humans, we under expect from them and we tend to under invest in them. In fact, they are the core difference.
What do you look in an employee?
When I hire, I search for passion in an employee. In my mind capability does not matter but passion matters. I look for the employee who jumps up from the bed and feels like doing this job. I can teach a person what to do but I cannot motivate him to do it. An employee needs to motivate himself. I can teach and make him be good on the job.
What do you look in an employee?
When I hire, I search for passion in an employee. In my mind capability does not matter but passion matters. I look for the employee who jumps up from the bed and feels like doing this job. I can teach a person what to do but I cannot motivate him to do it. An employee needs to motivate himself. I can teach and make him be good on the job.