Most of us have come across someone who changed the moment they got a promotion, the tone got sharper, the eye contact shorter, and the “please” and “thank you” quietly disappeared.And then there is the one who reaches a big title and somehow stays exactly as easy to talk to as before.This contrast says more about leadership than any organisation chart ever could.It is this essence of humility that sits at the heart of who Dr. Sudha Murty is as a leader, as an engineer, author, and philanthropist, the one who built one of the country’s most respected charitable foundations while staying unpretentious about her own success.She has famously spoken about being grounded, no matter how successful one becomes or what position they attain, it is actually the kind of human beings they are, and how they take their position of responsibility, that actually matters.
Photo: @SmtSudhaMurty/ X
Here is a lesson on leadership by Sudha Murty on how to truly utilise success when it comes to you
Be a good human being first and help those in need
Dr. Sudha Murty is not someone who arrived at her opinions on leadership secondhand. She’s an engineer by profession, the founding chairperson of the Infosys Foundation since 1996, the author of over two dozen books, and a member of the Rajya Sabha. She’s also widely known for having managed the family’s finances early on, so her husband, N.R. Narayana Murthy, could pour his savings into starting Infosys, which is one of the most popularly known success stories to date.Speaking at a literature festival session, she reminded her audience that history is really just a long list of people who once held the highest titles imaginable and were still eventually replaced.Sudha Murty talks of the momentary nature of success, “Never show off your position; today you have this position, tomorrow it will go away.There are many people; before we were born, they were emperors, kings, and queens. There are many great people who will be prime ministers and presidents later also, so do not think this position is permanent, it is transient. Don’t show off.”
Treating a title as a personality upgrade, rather than a temporary responsibility, is where people go wrong
What she says ahead is a gem of advice, that what actually matters is not the rank you reach but how you behave once you’re there. She adds, “Be humble and be natural and be a good human being, and when God has given you a position, please help people who are poorer than you or those who require some help.”
Who you are at heart is what actually matters more than what you achieve
She also talked about how she never expected her own children to achieve big outcomes, “You get a first rank this-that I never told. Be a good human being first; that’s more important than achieving ranks. Though I myself got a Gold medal, I still never expect my children to have a Gold Medal. I got it, it’s okay, they don’t get it, it’s also okay. Be a good human being, be honest, be positive”
