What Africa can learn from Indian Managers International Success.
The measure of a society is how it converts its pain and suffering into something meaningful and useful. India has done that through the remarkable success of its overseas managers. Indians are rightly happy with the international success of their compatriots.
Do India-born managers possess something distinguishing? What makes the Indian professionals such a hit worldwide and one may have to keep waiting for an affirmative answer.
Recently, Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey announced his departure from the company, just hours after reports of his departure began circulating. Dorsey, however, acknowledged the veracity of the reports about the release of a post on his microblogging site, saying that after 16 years with the company, it was time for him to step down.
There was a lot of speculation about who might be the next CEO, and Dorsey ended it with his announcement. Parag Agarwal, a native of India, is set to lead the company as the new CEO.
He joined a growing number of global CEOs of Indian origin, according to social media and online searching (by the way, Google is run by an Indian). Here are Indian CEOs who are holding the helm of affairs at international companies:
- Shantanu Narayen, Adobe
- Sundar Pichai, Alphabet, the parent company of Google
- Satya Narayana Nadella, Microsoft
- Rajeev Suri, Nokia
- Punit Renjen, Deloitte
- Vasant “Vas” Narasimhan, Novartis
- Ajaypal “Ajay” Singh Banga, Mastercard
- Ivan Manuel Menezes, Diageo
- Niraj S. Shah, Wayfair
- Sanjay Mehrotra, Micron
- George Kurian, NetApp
- Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto Networks
- Dinesh C. Paliwal, Harman International Industries
Africans are already pushing to have a chance in the technology world by teaching people software engineering and being at the forefront of the technological revolution by providing solutions to Africa problems(Fintech, Health-tech, Agrictech, Cryptocurrency). Just like the Indians, it is believed that in the next decade(s), they may join their Indian counterparts at the train of international success. We are seeing the move of financial technology and cryptocurrency and mass funding for founders. Recently, Stripe acquired a Nigerian payment channel technology company, Paystack and Flutterwave(another Nigerian Startup) is valued at $1bn.
I’ve broken down some of the unique characteristics with the intention that the lessons within might apply to all of us. This uniqueness was taken as an excerpt from the book- ‘The Made in Indian Manager’ written by R GopalKrishnan and Ranjan Banerjee.
- Embracing Unconsciousness. The ability to predict what’s shaping our marketplace is a necessary trait in a leader. Indians are specially equipped, thanks to their embrace of data and constantly, perhaps unconsciously, crafting a Plan B for their situations due to their environment.
- Acceptance of change and adaptation. Every company is wrestling with some form of disruption. Imagine India, a country of more than 1 billion people, dozens of languages, uneven infrastructure. At every turn is uncertainty, including their environment. This breeds both an acceptance of forces beyond our control and the need to persevere, despite them. It allows innovation and patience with the process to coexist in a corporate bureaucracy. From the peculiarity of the weather to the unreliability of infrastructure — they learn to deal with a lot of things that are uncertain and develop the ability to quickly assess situations and help themselves without waiting for the system to help them.
- Diversity. A diverse workforce and leadership have perhaps never been more important to companies. Diverse candidates who land top jobs — are the exception rather than being a rule. Diversity and inclusion are internalised early by many, and this keeps the Indians in good stead later, when adjusting to a different or a variety of cultural environments.
- Continuous learning. An average student struggle in India compared to elsewhere: commuting in chaotic cities, inadequate privacy and unable to study at home, facilities for sports and libraries, and a crushing burden of exams. Almost every student has faced early setbacks: inadequate marks in exams lost college admission or a limited job choice. Chance plays too important a role in the Indian student’s life, making it quite stressful, hence youngsters just have to learn to face setbacks early on and the intensity to confront and overcome these obstacles on a day-to-day basis.
- Family values. The growing role of the family in shaping values through demonstration, pointing at the value of education, and proving an “always there” support provides a strong value core that builds resilience. The Indian middle-class student has typically grown up in an extremely stable family environment, which is backed up by high aspirations and deep self-confidence.
- Meritocracy. An immigrant rising to be CEO of an international company is rare and remarkable, and yet also supposed to have worked hard enough to merit the position. Hence, it is not a lie that Indians are so diligent and smart.
Satya Nadella says of his mother, “My mother cared deeply about my being happy, confident and living in the moment without regret.” Indra Nooyi speaks about the things her mother did to help her daughters believe that they could “become whoever they wanted to be.”
Conclusion
The above characteristics are similar to the breeds of Africa and with the new wave of technology sprouting out from Africa, especially Nigeria, the world should be ready to accommodate the best brains coming from Africa.
Africa is seeing a rush of funding for its fintech sector, and some companies have already emerged as the continent’s biggest fintech bets, becoming unicorns in Africa. Examples include Wave, Flutterwave, Fawry, Opay, and Interswitch.
These are characteristics that Africans should leverage on and build for the next decade if they are to be at the top companies or build something worthwhile.
Africans may be the next Indians serving their creativity to the international market. The arrival of big, global VCs into Africa(Nigerian) tech sector is creating excitement among startups and local investors.
