Leadership in India: The unique skills of Indian CEOs

Over the past 20 years, a sizable number of Indian enterprises have grown significantly. However, many now have to deal with a frightening side effect: a national leadership crisis. Indian businesses are in some respects victims of their own success. Organizations have been so focused on expansion! according to a senior HR manager at a important private-sector firm, "they [organizations] have not engaged in developing the next generation of leaders. Indian companies have a solid circle of senior leadership, but no tag team.

In his book Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation, Nandan Nilekani notes that India lacks the educational institutions it requires, from pre-school to post-college. Thus, despite the fact that thousands of university graduates from India enter the workforce each year, they frequently lack the necessary "industry readiness" or global business skills. As a result, there are fewer excellent candidates available, and competition is getting fiercer for the few people with in-demand skill sets.