“Look both inwards and outwards to catch the wind in your sail.” – The CEOs Panel

CEOs of all hues should sniff out business opportunities thrown up by a hypercompetitive market. The CEOs proclivity to push unknown frontiers had been under check during the past two years of recession. The spillover effects of recession had inspired a ‘back to basics’ mentality. This diminished the risk appetite of CEOs. But now the world is sighting the fading signs of recession. And corporations around the world are scrambling to come back on the growth track with renewed vigor. A CEO has to play a crucial role in the recovery phase. This was a thought that reverberated resoundingly through the session titled 'The stimulus of change - Why looking outward is leader’s job" at the NASSCOM Leadership Summit 2010.

The panelists shared the view that it’s a CEOs job to look both inwards and outwards to tap business opportunities.

A CEO should be forward looking. He should be farsighted and visionary while making business moves. Some of his decisions may not seem relevant in a specific scenario but they do have a long term impact. N Chandrasekhar, CEO and MD, TCS cited an example from his company – When TCS decided to launch operations in Latin America the efficacy or prudence of this decision came under the scanner. But, it proved to be a wise decision when the region became one of the valued customers for the IT behemoth.

A CEO also has to be a custodian of the core values his company stands for. There is a plethora of opportunities available, but the CEO has to take a call judiciously. He has to capitalize on opportunities that are appropriate. A CEO has to make smart choices and safe bets. “He should not get seduced by opportunities that seem to be enticing but are not appropriate. He should define the principles and look at possibilities with cautious optimism,” said Rajeev Bajaj, CEO, Bajaj Auto. He believes that a CEO’s job is about aligning the front and backend of a business.

IT is a people’s business and the CEO of an IT company should focus on customer intimacy and foster innovation, believed Paul Hermelin, Group CEO, Capgemini. “After the dotcom bust of 2001, companies were fatigued and were not spending on technology. This time the situation is better. People are cautiously spending on technologies such as cloud computing, unified communications and other disruptive technologies. A CEO should tap into such opportunities created by increasing appetite for technology,” he said.

Bajaj stressed that the wellness of the organization is of prime importance. "In this allopathic world, we tend to treat only the symptoms and not the disease itself. It is important to look outside, at the same time it is necessary to have a clear understanding of oneself and the objectives we have,” he opined.

Making right choices is a tough balancing act and a CEO must have a sharp focus on the objectives of his business to achieve this. “You have to choose what you want to do,” said Chandrasekhar.

“There is enough in this world for everybody’s growth but not enough for anybody’s greed,” said Bajaj. Greed should not blur the vision of an organization, he added.