A Masterclass in high impact Questions from Azim Premji

Some moments stay with you for life not because they were loud, but because they were profoundly quiet and deeply revealing.

Azim Premji’s name is now synonymous with business ethics, quiet philanthropy, and integrity in leadership. But those who’ve had the privilege of working with him closely will also tell you about something else.

His ability to ask the right questions.

I was fortunate to experience that firsthand.

From 1994 to 1997, I was part of the team that built Wipro’s second hydraulics cylinder manufacturing plant in Hindupur, Andhra Pradesh,then a remote and underdeveloped region where no one wanted to move and work.

As the first Plant Head, I had the honour of taking Mr. Premji around the facility during its inauguration in September 1995.

In that short interaction, two questions from him have stayed etched in my memory:

“What does your wife have to say about moving to this place?”
“Why did we acquire only 10 acres? Why not 50? I see a lot of space around!”

Two simple questions. But what a world they opened up.

One appealed to the emotional side — the human cost, the family story behind a professional choice.
The other challenged us to think with strategic foresight — were we thinking long-term, planning for scale?

That day was not just an inauguration. It was a masterclass in asking high-impact questions. Questions that:
Build an emotional connect and invite stories.
Spark an intellectual connect and bring out insights.
Address business needs with sharp clarity.
And most importantly, remain open-ended and forward-looking.

AHP, as we fondly called him within Wipro, embodied the rare ability to lead not just with decisions but with questions.

What a man .What a legacy.
Wishing him many more years of good health and continued inspiration to generations of professionals.