As corporate leaders around the world seek to build sustainable businesses, there is no doubt that innovation lies at the heart of the solution. But there is a nagging question that’s been cropping up in the debate: Does experience kill innovation?

Looking back at my student days, I remember a fairly linear and one-dimensional pursuit: Study hard, get good marks, go to college, get a good job...you get the drift.  Solving problems in society were mostly theoretical discussions over endless cups of chai in the college cafeteria or, at best, participating in a protest march.

I truly enjoy chatting with young professionals. Their point of view is so refreshingly different that it compels you to question your own. On my way back from New York last month, I met a spirited young woman who made me do just that. I had stopped at the airport bookstore to pick up some in-flight reading.

Just the other day, a group of young colleagues and I were debating the relevance of the Great Man Theory of Leadership.

Just the other day, a friend and I were discussing the living legend Sachin Tendulkar and his incredible feat of scoring a hundred centuries. A cricket buff himself, my friend believed Sachin’s magic ingredient was happiness.  “Look at him carefully when he is at the pitch,” he said. “He looks so happy!