Humility, Prayer, and Humanity: Nestle chief's recipe for effective leadership learned from the Maggi crisis

"Management dealing with people, dealing with circumstances, is about prayer. Why have we forgotten it? Why is prayer such a weak thing? Why do we have to be aggressive. Why do I ever come here and show my power as the chairman of a company and hopefully try and impress you guys and go out feeling miserable?" Narayanan added.

Insaniyat, the final principle, according to Narayanan, highlights the need for compassion and humanity in leadership. He recounts the impact of a simple gesture of encouragement from a superior early in his career and stresses the importance of showing kindness and empathy to others.

"And then the third one is Insaniyat. Somewhere along the line as a leader, when I respond, I'm fairly up on LinkedIn, when I respond to a young trainee who's joined this company and I tell her good luck to you. She feels so happy and it goes back to my time when I was a trainee. But one of my bosses gave me a check saying well done, young man. You will do well. For me that was a greatest thing to happen. Why don't we show a little bit more of Insaniyat?," he said.

Reflecting on the Maggi crisis, Narayanan emphasised the crucial lesson that leadership is not about oneself but about the well-being of the team and the organisation. He credits the success in navigating the crisis to maintaining moral integrity and prioritising the welfare of the company's employees.

"I think...so Inayat, Ibadat, Insaniyat. And the last one is, it's not about you. One of the biggest things I've learned in the Maggi crisis is, it's not about you, it's about your people. It really doesn't matter. If I'd handled it...if I had botched it up...I would have retired by now...I would have gone to Chennai I would have been having my coffee and I've been reading The Hindu newspaper, probably, right? What's the worst that can happen to you? But I think if you have the moral fiber to do good, and to be human. I think there is a whole world out there that you will conquer," Narayanan added.