Mukesh Ambani and all other top leaders of Reliance have to follow this one rule which is….

Mukesh Ambani recently shared a simple rule he wants every senior manager at Reliance Industries to follow: always look people in the eye. Ambani has done this for more than 40 years. He says having an “eye contact” shows you are open, honest, and have nothing to hide. Neuroscience backs this up that steady eye contact helps people feel trusted and respected.

In a chat with McKinsey & Company, Mukesh Ambani explained that he started this habit early in his career. Over time, it turned into an unwritten rule for all leaders at Reliance. Managers are expected to make eye contact not as a formality, but to prove their sincerity.

Ambani calls the practice a kind of “insurance.” If leaders can look any employee straight in the eyes, it keeps them accountable and grounded, reinforcing Reliance’s values every day.

Backed by Brain Science

Mukesh Ambani’s habit of making eye contact isn’t just something he personally believes in, it is also supported by science. A study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that eye contact has a strong effect on the brain during conversations. Using brain scans, researchers saw that when someone keeps eye contact while listening, many key parts of the brain become active.

These include areas that help us see clearly and others that help us understand what the person speaking is thinking or feeling. The study also showed that these parts of the brain connect better when eye contact is made. This helps the listener stay more focused and understand the message more clearly.

Leadership beyond business

In the interview, Mukesh Ambani also spoke about what he sees as the biggest risk he’s ever taken is by launching Reliance Jio in 2016. At the time, many financial experts warned him that the venture might fail. But Ambani had a different vision.

He believed that Jio had the power to digitally transform India, giving people across the country access to affordable internet. For him, the impact on society was more important than the business risk. He even said that even if Jio hadn’t made any profit, it would still have been Reliance’s biggest gift to the nation.

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