Shibulal: Focus, Not Long Hours, Key to Work

Mumbai, Dec 22 (PTI) Infosys co-founder S D Shibulal has batted in favour of concentrating on a job rather than putting in long hours at work every week, as suggested by his fellow co-founder N R Narayana Murthy.

"In my mind, more than time, the quality of time matters," Shibulal said in response to Murthy's suggestions for a 70-hour work week.

"'... right now, I'm sitting here and I have to be present. This is it. I cannot be distracted. I cannot be distracted in my cell phone. I cannot be distracted with (any other) thoughts," he said, while speaking at a public event organised by IIMUN here.

Organisers of the event shared a recording of the conversation on Monday.


Shibulal, who steered the company as its chief executive for three years till 2014, said that ultimately, it is about personal choices and priorities one accords to various aspects from a time management perspective.

He said there is a personal life, a professional life and also a public life, and dividing time between the three is a choice which a person has to exercise.

But whatever a person chooses has to be done with full devotion, he advocated.

"You have to be 100 per cent there," he said, adding that one has to be "present" in the moment.

It can be noted that Murthy's suggestions had led to a controversy with many disagreeing with his thoughts. Later, the top brass at engineering, procurement and construction major Larsen and Toubro had also suggested a 90-hour work week.