Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys and a key figure in India’s IT industry, shared a pivotal experience from his early career during an interaction with students at Mount Everest School, Byatarayanpura. The event was part of Teach for India’s Leaders Week, where Murthy addressed students from classes 7 and 8, imparting valuable life lessons.
During his tenure as Chief Systems Programmer at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A), Murthy encountered a situation that profoundly impacted him. While engaged in a technical debate, a colleague used abusive language, leaving Murthy feeling ashamed and disheartened. Later that evening, their professor, who had witnessed the incident, invited the group to dinner and treated them warmly. Murthy, puzzled by the professor’s calm demeanor, asked how he managed to overlook the earlier behavior. The professor responded, “The lesson learned is more important than how it’s communicated.”
This experience taught Murthy the importance of focusing on the message rather than the manner in which it is delivered. He realized that in teamwork, it is crucial to separate the person from the lesson they impart. This approach has been instrumental in maintaining strong relationships and ensuring that decisions benefit the team as a whole.
Throughout his talk, Murthy shared several key lessons drawn from his own life, emphasizing the significance of discipline, generosity, citizenship, and leadership. He recounted how his father instilled in him the value of discipline, which helped him excel academically, and how his mother taught him the joy of giving when he was a young student. These experiences shaped his approach to leadership and responsibility, which he later applied at Infosys.
Born on August 20, 1946, in Sidlaghatta, Karnataka, Murthy graduated in Electrical Engineering from the National Institute of Engineering in 1967 and later earned a Master’s degree from IIT Kanpur in 1969. Rather than pursuing a high-paying job, Murthy chose to take on the challenging role of Chief Systems Programmer at IIM-A, where he worked under Professor J. Krishnayya on India’s first time-sharing computing system. This role marked the beginning of a career that would eventually lead to the founding of Infosys in 1981, a company that has played a significant role in India’s tech-driven growth.
Murthy concluded his session by sharing his unique definition of success: “Success is when you bring a smile to other people’s faces.” His words served as a reminder that true success is not solely measured by personal achievements but by the positive impact one can have on others.
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