I had an unlikely journey to the top. Born in India, I arrived in the U.S. in January 1968 as a young 22-year old with $8 in his pocket and an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Bombay. Thirty-one years later, I became Chairman and CEO of a global Fortune 300 company. How did this happen? I was fortunate, to be sure. But there is a deeper lesson to my story that I hope will help others build exceptional, and exceptionally diverse, teams. Ironically, my story is a story of overcoming my own biases about diversity—and then using these hard-won insights to build one of the most diverse leadership teams and board of directors in the world.
Overcome Your Biases and Build a Great Team
A CEO shares what he’s learned about diversity.
December 25, 2014
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New!
HBR Learning
Leading People Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Leading People. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
What you need to know about being in charge.