It is important for Indian IT professionals to master the art of “Speaking Up” in a globalized world. Without going into “preaching mode” I will show four representative examples of people who could “Speak up”, often firmly (yet friendly), precisely (communicate the “essence”) and communicate the vision. I have chosen Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Atal Behari Vajapayee and Mahatma Gandhi
1 Be firm, be bold to go against the mainstream current & yet be friendly
Steve Jobs “Stay hungry, stay foolish” (Stanford Commencement Address 2005)
2 Be quick on your feet
Mahatma Gandhi’s famous repartee when he met King George V in London at the time of the Round Table Conference. “Is that all you wore when you met the King?” an incredulous journalist asked the Mahatma when he returned from Buckingham Palace in his loin cloth. “The King wore enough for both of us,”
3 Communicate the “essence”
Atal Behari Vajapayee “My strong point – never hit below the belt”
4 Communicate the long term strategic vision of an organization very early in the game
Bill Gates “A computer on every desk in every home”
(Fidelity IT “All Hands Meet” at Christ College on Oct 4, 2007)
