I was looking for unhappy leaders in pursuit of greatness: Vineet Nayar, Sampark Foundation 

He was looking for that one thing that makes a person stand out from the crowd, unafraid and willing to risk a lot for that idea she/he believes in.

Number of candidates: 10

How he picked them

He was looking for that one thing that makes a person stand out from the crowd, unafraid and willing to risk a lot for that idea she/he believes in. The interactions were a search of that same one thing and then testing the boundaries of conviction, resolve and determination to stay the course.

CEO Take

"I was looking for unhappy people. Unhappy with what they had done based on their conviction that they are capable of 10x more. Unhappy with just optimising resources and growing incrementally because they are capable of path-breaking ideas. Unhappy with themselves, thus hungry to learn and experiment more. I was looking for unhappy leaders in pursuit of greatness and not happy mangers who made small, look big."

Candidate Take

- "It was an enriching experience. The conversation was awe-inspiring. We spoke about aspirations and motivations that drive us. His mantra 'you can stand out only when you don't want to belong', is going to stay with me."

- "The interview was a great platform and a learning for a lifetime. The 30 minutes I spent with him definitely augmented my quest for leadership."

Fun Moment

Nayar asked each candidate to point out two mistakes Nayar had made in the interview process to test how far a leader would go to call spade a spade. He also asked some of them to sing, including one who sang from a balcony sitting in Croatia on a Skype call for the interview to test the free-spirited approach to new experiences, unafraid to test the unknown.