Mr. Murthy believes that for any company, there are five “context-invariant and time-invariant attributes” that lay the foundation for success:

·         The first is openness—openness to new ideas in an environment of pluralism, and subordinating individual egos to accept better ideas from others.

·         The second is meritocracy—making sure that the best idea is selected in everything that we do; making sure that all discussions are based on data, facts, and logic, and not on emotions or past precedent. As I like to say, “In God we trust; everyone else must come with data.”

·         Third is speed. We have to do things faster today than yesterday, last month, last quarter, and last year.

·         Fourth is imagination. Are we bringing better ideas and more ideas to the table than yesterday?

·         Fifth is excellence in execution. Ideas have no value unless they can actually be executed and implemented well and then improved so that we are constantly delivering at higher levels of customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction.