Leading in times of Change by Jerry Rao

Jerry Rao is a well know figure in the IT industry. He sold the comapany (MphasiS) he had founded to EDS. His still continues as Chairman of MphasiS.

It was nice to hear Jerry talk about the 'Integration' of MphasiS in to EDS and the way the merger went about. Quite an insightful and frank talk. Surprisingly, he even talked about the hard part of being in business and firing people when the personal goals are not in alignment with the companies goals. He meticulously stressed that leaders are not born but made. There are leaders who can outperform under specific circumstances and are not fit to be a leader during other times. A good example he quoted was that of Moses. The God of the Hebrews choose Moses to liberate the Jews from Egypt; but later gave the leadership to Joshua to lead the Jews out of the desert. The followers also have a great role to play in making a successful leader.

I quite liked the frank straight talk offered by Jerry. One of the biggest advantages of being in Cambridge is the chance to listen to talks and interact with folks who have made a difference in their professional and personal lives.