I was particularly influenced by Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. Unlike many business authors, their perspective is based upon meticulous research. In culling through mounds of data over several years, they discovered some of the enduring core elements that special companies share.
(This story appears in the 09 October, 2009 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
Cannot agree more. The "cult-like" customer-centric culture of Cognizant is second to none. The leadership team drops everything for a customer meeting or call. One of my friends at Cognizant told me that on the day when the company got listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, Francisco (then head of American Operations), Gordon (then and now the CFO) and other senior members of the management were not at the NASDAQ market site but busy presenting their credentials to a prospect and subsequently won the deal. The story goes that the deal value was larger than the total company revenue at that point in time. No wonder Cognizant's cult-like customer-centric culture is helping it post industry-besting growth, year-after-year.
on Oct 7, 2009