Mumbai, February 12th, 2026 – Great Place To Work, the global authority on workplace culture, recently released startling data indicating a widening leadership readiness gap across India Inc. New findings reveal that only 2 in 10 CXOs believe their leaders took early action and were able to maintain stability during business crises. Compounding this, every second, CXOs report that managing change is their single biggest leadership challenge today, signalling a critical moment for organizations navigating unprecedented transformation.
These insights were presented at the Great Place To Work For All Summit 2026 in Mumbai, the nation’s largest workplace culture summit, which convened over 1,200 senior leaders. The findings set the stage for urgent discussions on a new leadership playbook, featuring prominent voices like Prof. John Amaechi OBE (Founder, APS Intelligence & Former NBA Player), Mithali Raj (Former Captain of Indian Cricket team), CP Gurnani (Co-Founder & Executive Vice Chairman, AIONOS), Pramod Bhasin (Founder, Genpact Ltd.), Gaurav Sehgal (Senior Vice President Human Resources – Asia, Synchrony), and Ajay Vij (Senior Country Managing Director, Accenture), among others.
Balbir Singh, CEO, Great Place To Work India, adds, “Leaders embracing The Great Adaptation are shaping organizations through clarity, agility, and consistent actions toward change, while fostering a great employee experience. The strongest organizations are those that spot leadership potential early, invest time in mentoring, and build trust by consistently doing the right thing, every single time. The For All Summit 2026, by Great Place To Work India, is where leaders have come together to collectively share insights on leadership development, shaping stronger cultures and future-ready organizations.”
A central theme emerging from the summit was the necessary shift from “command and control” to “care and enablement.” Speakers emphasized that individual heroism is no longer sustainable. As Accenture’s Ajay Vij articulated, modern leadership is not about being the smartest person in the room, but about “making the room look smart.” This idea of collective leadership, built on shared accountability and on empowering teams by removing barriers, was echoed by founders like Pramod Bhasin, who advised leaders to “go get people who are better than you and give them freedom.”
This new leadership mindset is critical as India embraces AI-led transformation. Technologists CP Gurnani and Arun Kohli demystified AI not as a threat, but as a powerful amplifier of human capability. They highlighted that India’s young population, strong learning culture, and massive data ecosystem position the country as a global AI engine. The key to success, they noted, lies in clear communication and rapid upskilling to ensure AI becomes a catalyst for innovation.
Beyond technology, the summit drilled down into the daily employee experience. Rituraj Chaturmohta of Uber for Business highlighted that a great experience is shaped not by grand programs but by removing small, everyday irritants. He noted that today’s workforce expects friction-free, trust-based systems, emphasizing that “employee experience doesn’t need big budgets; it needs trust, care, and leaders who empower.”
Underpinning these strategies was a profound discussion on purpose and influence. Author Gurcharan Das (Former CEO, Procter & Gamble, Author and Economist) reminded leaders that meaning is found in humility and immersion in one’s work, advising leaders to “take your work seriously but not yourself.” Similarly, Dr. Santrupt Misra (National Spokesperson, Biju Janata Dal Party & Former CEO Chemicals Business, Aditya Birla Group) observed that true influence has shifted from authority to human connection, stating, “Impact has moved from how I impact to who do you impact”.
