Situational Background

Sridhar Vembu, co-founder of Zoho, is an independent, frugal builder who invests in people and places overlooked by others. He prizes craftsmanship, patient compounding, and values-led autonomy. Vembu communicates plainly, builds for the long term, and treats profits as fuel for freedom. Distinctive for humility and principled independence, he shows how thrift, trust, and talent cultivation can power resilient organisations.

Practical Leadership Principles

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1) Independence through frugality.

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Spend less to choose more.

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Behaviours to model:

• Prefer in-house skills over costly dependencies.
• Share a simple cost discipline everyone follows.
• Reinvest savings into talent and quality.

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2) Grow talent everywhere.

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Potential is universal; opportunity is not.

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Behaviours to model:

• Create apprenticeships with clear outcomes.
• Rotate leadership chances beyond HQ.
• Credit teachers and mentors publicly.

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3) Patient craftsmanship.

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Fewer features, higher standards.

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Behaviours to model:

• Maintain a “not yet” list until the quality bar is met.
• Fix defects at the source.
• Track customer delight, not just adoption.

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Call to action

Name one expense to eliminate, one apprenticeship to start, and one quality bar you will not compromise—then publish the plan and owner.

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