Addressing a crowd of 423 students at the 17th convocation of the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT-H) on Saturday, Infosys founder Kris Gopalakrishnan advised graduates to aspire for continuous learning as every aspect of life, every field of study and every business sector, is being disrupted. He, instead, said they should work on acquiring abilities to face this ever-changing world.
Krish had a five-point advisory for the students:
Foreseeing tech evolution
Understanding and foreseeing the role of technology in one’s life is the first ability that he wanted the students to work on. “You need to be productive despite the information overload. The concept of ‘pass out today and that’s your education life’ is not valid any longer. You need to learn continuously throughout your life,” he said.
Problem-solving techniques
“Keep in mind that biases will impact your ability to solve problems,” he said. He gave an example for the confirmation bias. “During a product launch, people tend to seek out positive information that puts their company product in a good light,” he observed. Creative techniques such as brainstorming, lateral thinking and design thinking help think out of the box.
Be a leader
The third ability, he said, is acquiring leadership skills. “You are never too young to be a leader. You may soon be starting your careers. And you may wonder how you can be a leader if you are occupying a low spot in the office hierarchy. Understand that leadership is not a position or tile. Leadership is about inspiring other leaders.” He cited the examples of Sourav Ganguly, Virat Kohli and Mahndra Singh Dhoni to dwell on how to inspire others by being aggressive, standing as an example and dreaming big. “Leadership is not rank or privilege. It is situational. There is no single best leadership style. Practise leadership in the workforce or in your personal life. Identify areas where you are good and offer to help others in those areas. Find a mentor at your workplace and in life, who can show you the ropes of life,” he added.
Values and ethics
He mentioned that it is important to develop a set of consistent values and ethics in life. “Your core values will guide the way you live and lead your work life. When we started Infosys, we were clear that we wanted to create an exemplary company that the world trusts and respects. Our tag-line then — powered by intellect and driven by values — reflected this thought.”
The six values that one must imbibe in life are integrity, fairness, transparency, excellence, compassion and innovation. “Live these values every day of your life and in every transaction,” he advised the students. “Most of us are obsessed with breakthrough innovations or disruptive ideas. They are important. But remember that the incremental innovations too are important. Smartphone is a disruptive innovation as compared to the PC. But every year, the smartphones get a little faster, the screens get a little brighter, the cameras get a few more megapixels. These are examples of incremental innovations,” he pointed out.
Customer centric mindset
The fifth ability, according to Kris, is to be customer-centric and business-aware. “Understand who your customers are and carefully listen to them. Be aware of the business fundamentals, such as setting the price, cost structures, profitability of your product or service, how branding works and how to negotiate,” he said. “No matter what role you play in your organisation, you must learn to be a sales person, be a finance person, and be an economist. You must develop a customer-centric mindset and must be curious and listen to your customers and other stakeholders more,” he added.