In 2014, when Vishal Sikka took over as chief executive officer of Infosys, India’s second largest information technology services firm with annual revenues of billion, the company was grappling with challenges on many fronts. Artificial intelligence and automation were edging out IT outsourcing models, putting pressure on the entire industry. Internally, Sikka discovered that while Infosys scored high on quality, professionalism and delivery excellence, clients did not perceive it as being proactive and innovative, and it lacked strategic relevance.

This became a primary driver of Sikka’s “Zero Distance” strategy: Get close to the client’s needs to “go beyond the charter of the project and do something innovative to delight the client, and do something that they did not expect.” As the first non-founder CEO of Infosys, Sikka has instituted other reforms as well that are turning around the company.…