Attorney Murthy Featured in SmartCEO Magazine

Attorney Sheela Murthy, founder of the Murthy Law Firm, and a prominent philanthropist in the United States and in India, was featured in the July edition of SmartCEO Magazine, a leading business publication in the Baltimore-Washington corridor. The article summarized the lessons of a recent panel discussion of leadership, which took place in May at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore, featuring business luminaries including Sheela Murthy, Bill Ripken of Ripken Baseball, Doug Strouse, president of the CEO Club of Baltimore, and corporate leadership expert, Dr. George Everly. (See SmartCEO Matrix: What Makes a Great Leader? Baltimore SmartCEO, July 2010, available online by subscription.)

Reporting on the event, SmartCEO reasoned that, “A great leader is one who earns respect instead of commanding it, leads by example, sets realistic self-expectations, motivates his troops and bounces back in the face of adversity.” Resiliency is a key attribute of a good leader, Dr. Everly pointed out, and Attorney Murthy concurred, SmartCEO reported, adding that at her firm, “We don’t know the word ‘failure.'”

According to SmartCEO, Murthy revealed some of the secrets of her success, telling the audience that:

“…growing up in India, her family viewed her as a failure for not pursuing a career as a doctor or engineer. “I have to work harder than smart people,” she said. “But I’m grateful to my family because I focused on giving 100 percent. You need to stay true to yourself and your values. Continue to learn and stay positive to stay ahead of the curve.”

Elsewhere in that same issue of SmartCEO, Sheela’s leadership was again on display, as a host and sponsor of the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland’s annual Distinguished Women event, a program designed to develop strong girls in all sectors of society, by giving them an opportunity to observe and interact with creative and dynamic women leaders in central Maryland. All of which points to another lesson in leadership: outstanding business leadership and exemplary social leadership are far from being mutually exclusive, but actually belong together, working hand in hand.