The news of Parag Agrawal being appointed the new CEO of Twitter was expectedly celebrated across India. With his elevation to the top post in the microblogging site, more than five Indian-origin executives are now at the helm of the world’s leading tech companies. Many others head banks, FMCG firms, multinational companies and excel even in academia. It now does not surprise anyone when India-born people, after graduating from IITs, IIMs and other similar institutions, go abroad in search of jobs and later rise to the top echelons.
So what makes Indians succeed abroad? While all the credit goes to Agrawal himself for his achievement, there are some factors that put the likes of him on the path of success, among them Indian values, hard work and perseverance. The contribution of India’s higher education institutions too cannot be discounted. Although the IITs and IIMs are not in the world’s top 100 universities, they seem to lay the foundation for their students to achieve more and succeed in foreign shores.
But more than that, the working conditions abroad and the society in general seem to help Indians flower and reach their true potential. To begin with, there is far less peer pressure outside India. Young Indian professionals don’t have to look over their shoulders and worry about what their family or friends have to say or be told to act and behave in a particular manner. Besides this, most companies, universities and workplaces abroad reward innovation, analytical thinking and an independent mind, values and attributes that are generally not encouraged here.
A ‘Yes boss’ culture and conformist work ethic are not necessarily the path to success in foreign soil. Free and fair thinking and challenging conventional approaches, albeit within limits, are not discouraged or penalised; on the contrary they are even appreciated. Such a working atmosphere seems to extract the best out of hard-working and ambitious Indians. It is natural to hope that Agrawal would take Twitter to newer heights. In the meantime, it will not be out of place to expect an assembly line of Indian-origin CEOs.