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'A happy man': Suresh Narayanan bids farewell to Nestlé India with 10 life lessons after 44-year career
As he signs off as Chairman and MD of Nestlé India, Suresh Narayanan reflects on his remarkable four-decade journey in the corporate world, sharing powerful life and leadership lessons for the future.
Suresh Narayanan reflected on his journey that began on June 8, 1981, as a young and uncertain recruit at Hindustan Lever Ltd.
After an illustrious career spanning over 44 years, 1 month, and 23 days, Suresh Narayanan, the outgoing Chairman and Managing Director of Nestlé India, has officially stepped down, marking the end of one remarkable corporate innings and the beginning of another.
In a candid and emotionally charged LinkedIn post, Narayanan reflected on his journey that began on June 8, 1981, as a young and uncertain recruit at Hindustan Unilever Ltd, and culminated with him leading one of the most well-established FMCG companies in India.
"Does it really matter to me - not in the least," he wrote, adding that his transition to being the "Former CMD" of Nestlé India signals not an end, but the start of an exciting, unexplored second innings.
He framed his reflections into 10 profound life and leadership lessons, serving as both a retrospective and a guide for future generations of professionals.
1. Seize Opportunities with Integrity: Unsolicited opportunities often came his way - and he embraced them with conscience and capability.
2. Value Mentorship and Resilience: From seniors and well-wishers, he gained strength to weather storms — building resilience through adversity.
3. Impact over Influence: Across continents and companies, what mattered most to Narayanan was touching lives and making even a small difference to colleagues around him.
4. Learn from Great Institutions: His stints at HUL, Colgate-Palmolive, and Nestlé gave him a strong ethical compass and nurtured professional excellence.
5. Lead Through Crisis: From the Maggi crisis to COVID-19 and the Arab Spring, he discovered that purposeful leadership can turn any chaos into opportunity. “Give people purpose and magic happens,” he said.
6. People Make the Balance Sheet: A passionate believer in people-first leadership, Narayanan noted: “They don’t appear on the balance sheet; they make it.”
7. Culture is Strategy in Action: Strategy, he said, means little without a nourishing culture - likening it to a river without water.
8. Decency is not a Weakness: “High performance” can co-exist with ethics and respect. Trustworthiness and decency, he insisted, are hallmarks of great organizations.
9. Diversity and Sustainability are Imperatives: They’re not buzzwords, but leadership responsibilities. Building a better world requires active commitment.
10. Gratitude is the Ultimate KPI: Beyond metrics and performance indicators, Narayanan believes life should be measured by how one made others feel and the blessings one accumulates.
As he steps away from his formal responsibilities, Narayanan signed off with grace and humility: "I begin my “ second innings “ a “ happy man “ - proud to leave a strong , vibrant , committed Nestle family... My apologies if I have hurt someone or shown neglect - never an intention but an avoidable accident."
"Proud to be Nestlé," he said in closing, "I will always be the solder who answered every bugle, whatever the time of day."
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