A question must have arisen in your mind. Nadella seems like a ‘nice guy. But don’t nice guys finish last? After all, Silicon Valley is dominated by aggressive, brash, combative, and, at times, autocratic barons. More importantly, do nice guys deliver numbers?

Nadella’s performance says a lot. In 2018, he was rated the best CEO in the US based on ratings by employees: Under his watch, Microsoft has become the world’s third most valuable company. Nice guys do win and deliver numbers.

We often hear many of you saying that Satya Nadella may be an exception. So let us invoke another Indian-born professional.

Born and brought up in a middle-class household in Chennai, he now leads Google.

There is no doubt that Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, is highly competent. He would not have been elevated by Larry Page and Sergey Brin or accepted by peers as their leaders. What makes Pichai’s elevation stand out in Silicon Valley is that he is known to be ‘shy,’ ‘self-effacing,’ and unfailingly polite and affable. This is in sharp contrast to warlords of Silicon Valley, like Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, and Travis Kalanick, famed for their aggressive leadership style. The winds of change are sweeping across Silicon, Valley too. The baton is being passed to humbler, warmer, friendlier leaders.

At Apple, it is Tim Cook; at Microsoft, it is Satya Nadella; at Google, it is Sundar Pichai. Therefore, you can be reassured that being an ‘admired’ leader will get you to pole position.

Strategies of ‘Warm’ Leaders

• What strategies has Pichai deployed to earn this reputation? They are like him: simple, uncomplicated, but effective.

• He lets his work speak.

• He does not monopolize the limelight but shares it with his team.

• He favors cooperation and collaboration over confrontation.

• He communicates in a ‘conversational style that helps him build emotional connections with people. He maintains equanimity. ‘There is not much difference between an enthusiastic Sundar Pichai and a quiet, thoughtful Sundar Pichai.’

• The combination of competence and warmth has earned him ‘admiration’ from a large section of people he leads at Google and worldwide. It is not surprising that Sundar Pichai finds himself occupying the ‘admired’ quadrant.

• You might surmise that being ‘warm’ may work in tech companies, and that too in Silicon Valley. Nothing could be further than the truth. Even in India, this strategy has delivered results.

• Dhirubhai Ambani, for example, founded Reliance Industries, which today is ranked among India’s most valuable companies. He possessed one quality that endeared him to his people. It was genuine warmth that he radiated when he met people.

Putting an arm around people in a friendly manner, also called supportive touch, leads to positive outcomes. It reduces the stress hormone—cortisol and a release of the cuddle hormone—oxytocin—which promotes trust behaviors.

We have always emphasized the importance of having a good website for your company because it can act as your best tool for marketing and sales. A poorly designed website can repulse people from your business and can cause you to lose customers before you even have them. Get in touch with HyperEffects to work on creating, enhancing and making the website of your company more user-friendly.