Ravi SharmaFounder, Institute of Goodness Goodness Score
Ideas

Eight ideas,
one argument

Each began as a column in Business India. Together they say: what we do not measure, we do not value — so measure goodness.

The cycle of value

What is not counted slowly disappears.

Nations are judged by GDP, companies by market value, people by income — and everyone organises around what is measured and rewarded. Goodness is not rejected in that world; it simply goes unseen. His whole body of work starts from this observation, and from one request: add goodness to the scoreboard.

“What we do not measure, we do not value.”
Ravi Sharma, Founder, Institute of Goodness · Spreading goodness
Read “Why do we need a Goodness Index?” 22 April 2026

Goodness, defined

Intent, action and impact, aligned toward the well-being of others.

Not a vague sentiment and more than kindness. Goodness is made of concrete qualities — integrity, compassion, responsibility, stewardship and respect — and, like anything concrete, it can be seen, practised and measured.

“Goodness is the invisible infrastructure upon which everything else is built.”
Ravi Sharma, Founder, Institute of Goodness · Spreading goodness
Read “Redefining high performance” 7 May 2026

The emergency contact paradox

The name on that form is a barometer of human trust.

Ask people to name three others who would drop everything and come running, and many hesitate. Modern success, he argues, has shrunk our circle of care: we have become money-rich, time-poor and unavailable to one another.

“An emergency contact is not merely a phone number; it is a barometer of human trust.”
Ravi Sharma, Founder, Institute of Goodness · Spreading goodness
Read “Balance sheet's bankruptcy” 21 May 2026

The character dividend

Character is an economic asset.

Economists speak of demographic and digital dividends. There is a third: the return a society earns when people keep commitments, obey laws and refuse corruption. Integrity lowers friction, responsibility lowers supervision and trust lowers the cost of every transaction.

“A nation cannot police its way into integrity.”
Ravi Sharma, Founder, Institute of Goodness · Spreading goodness
Read “The road to Viksit Bharat 2047” 25 May 2026

Respect is allocational

We give time and attention to what we truly respect.

Courtesy is behaviour; respect is allocation. A parent, a company or a nation reveals what it respects by where its hours go. This is also why pleasure is not happiness: one depends on what happens to us, the other on how we live.

“Whatever we genuinely value receives our attention.”
Ravi Sharma, Founder, Institute of Goodness · Spreading goodness
Read “Richer, not Happier” 6 July 2026

The Pentad of Life

Life unfolds in five dimensions at once.

Physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual. Money, power and status are servants of life, not life itself. Peace and happiness are not dimensions but outcomes — and every decision can face one purpose test: which of the five does this elevate?

“When life once again becomes the destination, success regains its soul.”
Ravi Sharma, Founder, Institute of Goodness · Spreading goodness
Read “The Pentad of Life” 22 July 2026

The Seven Pillars of Learning

The purpose of education is the ability to learn.

Learn to learn, to think, to adapt, to collaborate, to flourish — and then two that policy usually leaves out: learn goodness, and learn to relearn. Change what is taught without changing who teaches, he warns, and very little changes.

“The purpose of education is not to enhance the memory of students; it is to enhance their ability to learn.”
Ravi Sharma, Founder, Institute of Goodness · Spreading goodness
Read “Beyond examinations” 4 August 2026

Character infrastructure

A developed nation is defined by quality, not only by size.

Beside physical, digital and technological infrastructure he proposes a fourth investment: character. His five dimensions of Viksit Bharat end with character, values and goodness — hard to measure, he concedes, but difficult does not mean immeasurable.

“Infrastructure determines what a nation can do. Character influences what it chooses to do with that capability.”
Ravi Sharma, Founder, Institute of Goodness · Spreading goodness
Read “Viksit Bharat: Beyond economics” 16 September 2026