Leadership is all about taking responsibility: Murthy

Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy on Friday surprised everyone by admitting that his first love holds more importance for him than his first job.

 He was speaking at a gathering after releasing a book authored by his former colleague Dr Bala V Balachandran and Kavipriya A on 10 legends in the country.

Murthy shared many of his personal experiences and lessons which he learnt in his life, which are a part of the book titled ‘Living Legends Learning Lessons: Up Close And Personal With 10 Global Icons’ authored by Dr Bala V Balachandran, Founder, Dean and Chairman, Great Lakes Institute of Management, India, and co-authored by Kavipriya.

Speaking about the launch,Narayan Murthy, said, “I would like to thank the authors for considering me to be a part of this book. They saw something in me which even I did not see myself. The lessons that we learn through our life’s journey are the most important ones which help us achieve what we desire. Learning is a continuous process and we learn from people around us like our teachers, parents, peers, bosses and subordinates. This book captures the leadership aspect and is a classic example of the significance of bottom-line accountability as a trait of a good leader.”

He also said that some of the greatest life's lessons that he learnt were taught by his parents and teachers. He shared many examples from his life — from the time he worked in Paris, what he learnt from his chemistry teacher in high school etc. He said leadership is all about taking up responsibility and bottom-line accountability even during a crisis.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Bala V Balachandran said, “This iconic book is a reflection of the great success stories of ordinary people. Kavipriya and I have tried to capture moments from the lives of these living legends, which have played a pivotal role in making them what they are today and can help others in learning a lot through their journeys. Learning, according to me, is a perpetual process and I urge everybody to read this book and learn from these legends.”

The book contains success stories of leaders like Ratan Tata, N R Narayana Murthy, Adi Godrej, Kiran Shaw, Vinita Bali, among others. The book gives insights into traits that are essential to become a successful leader.