Employees First, Customers Second: Turning Conventional Management Upside Down

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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.

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.

© 2025 Ascent Audio (Audiobook): 9781663748348

Release date

Audiobook: May 20, 2025