Ram Charan: Leading from the Back in AI Age

Mumbai, Dec 2 (PTI) Global CEO advisor Ram Charan highlighted the behavioural foundations of artificial intelligence (AI) transformation, telling a Bombay Stock Exchange boardroom audience that 'Leading from the Back' (LfB) may be the most practical leadership shift boards must prioritise in the AI era.

Speaking alongside industry veteran Ravi Kant, Charan said CEO selection and leadership behaviour - not technology alone - will determine which organisations thrive in the AI age.

He described LfB as an enabler of AI adoption, stressing that trust, empowerment, and disciplined execution are critical behavioural shifts for realising AI's value.

"Leading from the Back (LfB) may be the most practical and relevant leadership shift boards must prioritise in the AI age," he said.


Kant, who introduced Charan as 'a global advisor to CEOs and a master of execution', noted that LfB is rooted in Indian ethos and demonstrated in practice. "By applying LfB consistently, we achieved more than 50 per cent growth," he said, adding that AI maturity is ultimately a behavioural journey.

Research presented at the session showed a strong correlation between high LfB maturity and high AI maturity, underscoring that digital transformation depends as much on human operating systems as on data and algorithms.

The session explored leadership shifts for the AI era, India's AI opportunity, values such as Seva, Nishkam Karma, and Sangha, building AI-ready leadership pipelines, and scaling LfB.ai as India's 'Human OS' for the AI age.

"AI will transform industries - but leadership behaviour will determine India's future," Kant concluded, echoing Charan's message that boards' secret sauce for sustainable AI transformation is selecting the right CEO and empowering them to lead.