Should Indian CEOs blog?

While businesses, entrepreneurs and CEOs across the globe seek new and innovative ways to connect with customers, employees, stakeholders and the rest of the world, blogs have emerged as a platform to share, inform, educate and engage with people. As a blogger and business writer, I was curious to know if Indian CEOs are using blogs, and how they are using them.  Here’s what I found:

Why should Indian CEOs blog?

Because they are among the best in the world and spearheading path breaking initiatives, making them perfect candidates to share experiences and inspire other leaders and managers. The “100 Best Performing CEOs in the World” were revealed in a recent edition of The Harvard Business Review. The list was compiled after analyzing more than 3,000 CEOs across the globe, based on their long term performance, including metrics such as growth in market cap and shareholder returns during their tenure.

The 5 Best Performing Indian CEOs among them have not only bagged spots among the Global Top 50, but on an average were ranked 140 places higher than U.S. CEOs. The Indian CEO in the top slot had delivered Market Capitalization Growth of more than $45 Billion during his tenure—something to make people stand up and take notice.

Y.C. Deveshwar, ITC (ranked 1 in India, 7 in the world), Subir Raha, ONGC (Ranked 2 in India, 13 in the world), Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Industries (ranked 3 in India, 28 in the world), A.M. Naik, L&T, (ranked 4 in India, 32 in the world) and A.K. Puri, BHEL (ranked 5 in India and 38 in the world) were all mentioned in The Harvard Business Review January-February 2013.  Each one of them undoubtedly has a wealth of experience and insights to share.

Which Indian CEOs have a blog?

Vineet Nayyar, of HCL: Vineet’s blog aptly called Leading a Transformational Journey covers topics like learning, leadership and collaboration.  Being the forerunner of a company that has global recognition in technology and innovation, Vineet’s blog also sparks off discussions on various topics at the Harvard Business Review.

Dr. Anand Deshpande, of Persistent Systems: CEO’s Blog is a mix of posts by several writers and the posts are mainly updates and musings about recent trends and publications in the IT arena. The Persistent Systems blog has had two posts this month till 21^st June, 2013 and the previous ones were in April, 2013.  The focus here is that the company is using their blog to reach out, build and consolidate its image.

Here are some other digital savvy Indian CEOs, who blog.

Which international CEOs have a blog?

Richard Branson, Virgin Group: “Richard’s Blog” discusses a number of issues, from a rally against Cancer to the importance of talking to strangers and making sustainable fuel a commercial reality. The posts are short, crisp and enlightening, drawing comments and sparking off discussions.

Dallas Mavericks owner and dot-com billionaire Mark Cuban basically blogs about whatever he likes and often adds his own perspectives to debates. ‘Help the Mavs design a New Uniform’ and ‘The Dumbest Words in New Technology,’ both recent posts on the blog are both engaging and insightful.  Other topics in the past have been ‘The Business of Sports,’ ‘Prospect of Video on Cable vs. the Internet,’ ‘E-mail Scams, Success and Motivation,’ and the FCC.

Guy Kawaski, author, speaker, investor and business advisor was one of the Apple employees originally responsible for marketing the Macintosh in 1984. In his blog “How to Change the World”, Guy discusses a number of topics like entrepreneurship, publishing, venture capital and offers business tips and insights.

What can Indian CEOs learn from them?

Set up a blog pronto! Make it the world’s window into what you do and how you do it. Post your thoughts on recent and emerging trends. Talk about challenges faced by you because someone out there might just be looking for a solution to a similar problem.  Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Whether you are opinionated or flamboyant, make your blog your voice. Use it to leverage your image as a leader and boost the corporate image you desire.