Employees First, Customers Second - by Vineet Nayar (Hardcover)

About the Book

One small idea can ignite a revolution just as a single matchstick can start a fire.
One such idea--putting employees first and customers second--sparked a revolution at HCL Technologies, the IT services giant.
In this candid and personal account, Vineet Nayar--HCLT's celebrated CEO--recounts how he defied the conventional wisdom that companies must put customers first, then turned the hierarchical pyramid upside down by making management accountable to the employees, and not the other way around.
By doing so, Nayar fired the imagination of both employees and customers and set HCLT on a journey of transformation that has made it one of the fastest-growing and profitable global IT services companies and, according to BusinessWeek, one of the twenty most influential companies in the world.
Chapter by chapter, Nayar recounts the exciting journey of how he and his team implemented the employee first philosophy by:
- Creating a sense of urgency by enabling the employees to see the truth of the company's current state as well as feel the "romance" of its possible future state
- Creating a culture of trust by pushing the envelope of transparency in communication and information sharing
- Inverting the organizational hierarchy by making the management and the enabling functions accountable to the employee in the value zone
- Unlocking the potential of the employees by fostering an entrepreneurial mind-set, decentralizing decision making, and transferring the ownership of "change" to the employee in the value zone
Refreshingly honest and practical, this book offers valuable insights for managers seeking to realize their aspirations to grow faster and become self-propelled engines of change.

Book Synopsis

MORE THAN 100,000 COPIES SOLD

One small idea can ignite a revolution just as a single matchstick can start a fire.

One such idea--putting employees first and customers second--sparked a revolution at HCL Technologies, the IT services giant.

In this candid and personal account, Vineet Nayar--HCLT's celebrated CEO--recounts how he defied the conventional wisdom that companies must put customers first, then turned the hierarchical pyramid upside down by making management accountable to the employees, and not the other way around.

By doing so, Nayar fired the imagination of both employees and customers and set HCLT on a journey of transformation that has made it one of the fastest-growing and profitable global IT services companies and, according to BusinessWeek, one of the twenty most influential companies in the world.
Chapter by chapter, Nayar recounts the exciting journey of how he and his team implemented the employee first philosophy by:

- Creating a sense of urgency by enabling the employees to see the truth of the company's current state as well as feel the "romance" of its possible future state

- Creating a culture of trust by pushing the envelope of transparency in communication and information sharing

- Inverting the organizational hierarchy by making the management and the enabling functions accountable to the employee in the value zone

- Unlocking the potential of the employees by fostering an entrepreneurial mind-set, decentralizing decision making, and transferring the ownership of "change" to the employee in the value zone

Refreshingly honest and practical, this book offers valuable insights for managers seeking to realize their aspirations to grow faster and become self-propelled engines of change.

Review Quotes

"In this short, personable book, he explains EFCS's principles and how he put it to work at HCLT, turning the company's fortunes around in just five years. The good news: EFCS strategies can work at your company, too." -- The Washington Post

"modern classic" -- The Financial Times

About the Author

Vineet Nayar is the CEO of HCL Technologies Ltd., India's leading global IT Services Company. Fortune called his leadership style "The World's Most Modern Management," and the London Business School labeled him "the leader of organizational innovation." IDC recognized him as having "the most cohesive and articulate vision" in the IT services sector.