Mr. Arpit Agrawal, ISB & Mr. U.B. Pravin Rao, COO, Infosys

As a part of Shadow a CEO, I happened to meet Mr. U.B. Pravin Rao, COO - Infosys, and spend a day with him, attending meetings, having lunch, and going through a cultural fest launch in Infosys, where he was the Chief Guest.

The day began with a quick introduction and an agenda for the day. I attended several meetings with him and realized that problems at the top level are similar to what we face at the ground level - the only difference being the stakes which are much higher, and solution, which is much more strategic, as one grows up the ladder. One of the top things I observed was that he knew the right questions to ask, and that made his work much more efficient. Another learning was the quick decision making that the people at such positions possess. He made 2 big decisions during the day (what seemed to me as pretty big and impactful), and we had a pretty good discussion between quick and right decision making. 

The discussion turned much more philosophical during the lunch and we discussed life, his motivations to stay for 34 years in the same company, and so on. 

Overall, this was a day full of learning, fun, and a peek into what it looks like at the top of the ladder. Totally worth it!!