When I was returning back from my 1st US trip after having started Tekriti, I met a Director of Technology of a big software company on the flight. I introduced myself after asking for his introduction and after his first look of “oh really?”, the first question he asked me was “So, are you having trouble retaining people?”. My answer was “No, we are having trouble hiring people.” and that was a very true statement then. We were in a very small office, were very new to the business, had very few people and were not somebody who could have given market-beating salaries. In nutshell, the work-place was something not exactly inspiring until you talk to somebody who actually worked there. The positive way of looking at the same is that we never had to start in a garage (not that I think it’s bad) - we always believed that we will do the best possible that we can afford for people at Tekriti, even though it meant going into our pockets to begin with. We didn’t exactly have a state-of-the-art office and had our share of some embarassing moments when some guests came to our office. But one thing that we have always believed at Tekriti has been keeping the work-culture healthy. Knowingly and unknowingly (to be fair), our focus at Tekriti has always been to create a company with the best culture than be religious about a certain technology or domain. I believe we are very different from a lot of companies in that way.
That discussion was almost a year back and we have come a long way after that. Our hiring problems have definitely reduced since we have moved into a newer place and, if not state-of-the-art, it is something better than a lot of companies with small to medium sizes. We have spent some time in business, made some name for ourselves, learnt how to present ourselves better, are 30+ team and we all look very cheerful and young 
Having said that, it doesn’t mean that we don’t have our share of problems. As somebody wise once said “Who said entrepreneurship was easy?” - cant be more correct. Every day - I have so many things to worry about that I have stopped keeping the count. Is project A slipping behind the schedule, did we win the contract for project B, is the health of Product C good, did we send communication to all our clients we needed to, do I need to put in more money in the cost-center for the Product D and will it disturb the overall balance of the company finances - these are only a few things that are always in mind. Actually, let me add a few more significant ones to this list - is the project team well-staffed, do we need to add buffer to a particular team (and there are more than a few) followed by “Oh, I didn’t eat my breakfast again today. I will have to lie to Mom again when she calls”, “Man, I promised that I will call a friend who will only get more angry since I didn’t”, “I am dead today again - she will kill me saying I have no-time for her”.
So - what do you do? You know you cant solve all the problems in a day. You also know that your backlog will only increase with time and there isn’t a scope of reducing that over the weekend since you already assumed weekend to be a working day. So - you just prioritize - the long known wisdom that everybody knows and practices. The easiest and best way to come up with such a priority is to look for the long-term goal of the company. That brings me to the question that I raised in the title of this post:
What is really a company about?
Is it about the products that you have built over time? Is it about the clients that you have and are servicing? Is it about the goodwill of the company in the market that you cater to? Or is it about the infrastructure that you have accrued over months? My belief is that most companies are about neither of the above items - they are mostly about the people in the company and the culture that has been established. One could be focused on the products, clients, contacts - in the short-term but the one that is the most important is thinking about people. The short-term stuff is also very important at times but as long as one has the long-term goals in mind and is not compromised because of short-term stuff - the actions are justifiable.
So, yes, every company’s 1st priority has to be to think about “How to grow people?”, “How to improve their skills?”, “How to make sure that everybody in the company is bought into the vision of the company?”, “How to emphasize the importance of team-work?”, “How to make sure that the old ones pass the same values to the new ones?”, “How to make the company self-sustain itself even if the promoters are not in the company any more for some reasons?”. I truly believe that building a company is mostly about building the people - it’s not that much about building a technology or a product or anything else. Once you have the right set of people who are motivated, loyal, inspired, have the right self-belief and in you - you know that you are going to be a winner. You have the most flexibility to do anything that you want to. It gives you the abilty to quickly change the business plan if need be (something very common in today’s world), it lets you adapt to the changes quickly and utilize that to your advantage. And, above all, it gives you confidence that you are not alone in the journey - there are many others who share your vision and have the same zeal to do something, to change the world and that only makes the journey so much more interesting and eventful.
Let me pause a bit and talk about just the negative part of all this. So, what if you have spent all your time and energy in building the company? So, what if you truly think about everybody else in the company before you think about yourself? So, what if you think that this company is the best that anybody can get and is the best career option for everybody else too? Everybody else might not think so. It’s simple - just because you are passionate about something doesn’t mean that everybody else will be. People will leave you. Yes, the same people, who you thought belong to that ‘dream team’ that you are building. And, mind it, they might be totally justified. Everybody has their own way of thinking and have their own priorities - and everybody can make mistakes that they repent about later - including you. After all - not everybody who joined Microsoft, Yahoo, Sun or Google initially were in the company when these companies went public and made fortunes for those who remained there.
So, what do you do? You can either get upset about the fact or you can just let go those people and know that you don’t need everybody in the company who joined you initially. You just need a smaller group and those will, more than often, be the set of people who will create history with you - if you continue to be genuine and passionate about what you are doing.
Let me try to analyze a bit as to why does somebody join a startup and why do they leave? In my opinion, there are only 2 kind of people who join a startup and they are at 2 extremes:
- Very confident people: These are the people who are very confident about their skills and capabilities. They know that they can walk into any company they want to, if desired. So, their ‘risk-taking’ capability is higher. These are the kind of people who are very ambitious and are the ones who should belong to your ‘dream-team’. They have the fire in their belly which can create another Microsoft, Yahoo or Google. They are the ones who, more than often, will show enough enthusiasm to join “this company” and not joining a job. Treasure these people. If even a single one from this group leaves, there are chances that you are doing something wrong. Find that, and fix that.
- People who joined you because you were the first good option that came their way: Like it or not like it - a startup has to be ready to train people a little more than the bigger companies do. The bigger company has a lot more options while a startup has to identify the diamond in a coal-mine and polish them. Some of these diamonds are really Kohinoors, they just needed a better support and more confidence. But, at the same time, you have to realize that if you feel that they would have joined a big name had they gotten that offer at the time they joined you - they will eventually do so. They never joined you because they wanted to join you. They joined because you were the 1st good option that came their way. The day they can get into another organization, they will. And it’s okay too - everybody needs to think about what is good for them.
So, yeah, it hurts to see people leave but don’t be too upset - a lot of things are out of everybody’s control and it’s okay to leave those things to destiny. There are some who were never destined to walk with you till the destination but gave some company to you in the journey and then went their way. Instead of getting upset, you should feel happy for them. Happy because, in the process, you helped somebody get to their destination. Genuinely feel happy about them because the ones who have stayed are the one who matters and they are the ones who will be the world-beaters. And, then, a company’s aim is not only to make money but also to make sure that it benefits maximum people - in different ways. Try to do good for everybody - people who have left can also come back and hopefully they will bring back a lot more wisdom than what they had when they left - and you will have an option then. Remember - a token of appreciation from an ex-Employee goes a long way. I still think that Microsoft is one of the best big companies to work for.
-
1
Trackback on Aug 21st, 2006 at 11:41 pm
Man, Ashish, You never cease to surprise me
Leave a Comment
-
Pictures
More Photos
August 22, 2006 at 2:03 am
This sense of giving of yourself to a greater sense of organized spirit and accepting the ebb and flow of life’s responsibilities and consequences is admirable and worthy. The difficult decisions of life is what makes leadership what it is and this is not the beautifully articulated leadership of a textbook but the leadership that grows within us which Jim Collins would say moves us from Good to Great.
This blog in many ways reads as a cathartic fork in the road, to identify the nature of transformation required and also to grow as human beings and as business people. It is not leadership if we don’t face up to the difficult decisions and the net result of our decisions is no different to a gardener pruning and blossoming his tree.
Tekriti is a worthy dedication, for what do we build in life if we do not gather around greater purpose. We gain things with experience, we grow through facing our difficulties, we find our rock when we most need it and eventually we become a foundation stone on which history itself can be built. In this regard a start up is always a foundation stone, by it’s very nature it is the most difficult form of professional undertaking; but as the business develops, the final shape and look should hopefully resemble the initial business plan or at least what the vision was when the organization became a life giving property.
Personally your recent blogs have helped me also to evaluate where my personal priorities should be channeled. Just as you grow Tekriti, we also face the challenges of business, this in many ways is the nature of the promise we accepted at incorporation.
People often confuse the meaning of waste, waste isn’t simply the negative but the accumulation of non-value. The focus of any business should be to provide value based on values that create lifetime value. I think you are going to create a tremendous amount of value.
Sometimes we have to prune the very things we do ourselves in order to improve our entrepreneurial fitness, sometimes we have to see where we can leverage strengths, but whatever the decision, whatever the proactive action that is required to ensure future success, be always proud of what has been accomplished, celebrate it so that it keeps the minds eye on that which is important.
I end with a story that I think speaks to greater glory and life, it is the story of Bill Cosby talking about the loss of his only son, who was murdered on a highway. Cosby in the pit of his grief said something so amazing, he said “I am glad to have known him” and that affirmation said that his son was not his property but a divine gift, the kind of gift that comes in and out of all our own individual lives.
As Buddha once said, a gift returned does not belong to us, but as Catholics also say, we should always count our blessings. This is the gift of life and love, of our efforts today, to build a better tomorrow. All the best Ashish and to all whose efforts have made Tekriti the company it is. All of us are often ships that pass in the night but the good news is all of us can steer ourselves towards a meaningful destination.
M.
August 22, 2006 at 10:02 am
Excellent post!!! Being associated myself with a software unit that is basically booting up, i can very well identify with this…
August 22, 2006 at 4:09 pm
Really excellent man….An appreciation from a person who left the company is a better gift than anyother thing(This line is from ur post). I feel like readin it again and again…once again excellent man..
August 23, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Once again a great post by you.
I like the passion that you have for TeKriti and when you talk about it.
By chance I came to see this interesting article on business week (Link below)
Its about Asia’s Best under 25 entrepreneurs.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/aug2006/sb20060818_886243.htm
August 23, 2006 at 5:35 pm
I may sound a bit blunt, but sincerely being an Indian, I feel Tekriti Software should try to be a product company rather than services company. Saying is easier than doing, but its obvious that Tekriti founders and team have that capability to invent great products.
More about it here
August 23, 2006 at 8:09 pm
Very well written but please do remember the breakfast .
August 24, 2006 at 9:48 am
Isnt many things an organisation be doing to recruit and retain people so obvious. Especially retaining part. Some how I feel that managers kindda outsource the work to the employees and only during performance appraisal they point out you didnt do this or that and blah blah. I say , cummon feedback is regular and continuous process afterall their loyalties lies with the organization. People are the biggest asset for any institution and this canot be more true in case of knowledge economy. But its really awfull that people responsible for doing this on behalf of the organization sucks long time.
August 24, 2006 at 10:04 am
Excellent post! I think this is the best post by you. Really, one learns from you and this enthua nd looking at things from a different perspective makes you really appreciable. I think you once this line before as well- ” just because you are passionate about something doesn’t mean that everybody else will be”- an excellent line!
And yes, I remember making breakfast for you- have breakfast daily! Find time for yourself as well,these things must not be ignored. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!
August 24, 2006 at 1:27 pm
Nazim - thanks dude! I guess, as an entrepreneur, you also keep getting surprised. I just translate that in words
Manjit Syven - you write wonderful comments. The comments are, often, better than the original post.
Kris / Naveen - thanks for the appreciation.
Paavani - I think I should have started a couple of years earlier. There was a chance that my name could have also been there
But, it’s not always the feedback that is reponsible for retention - there are other factors also.
Ahmed - I heard you. Please wait for a few more months. I won’t disappoint you and many others who gave us the same feedback - something is in works
Joy - sure! I think I am becoming more regular. The next step will be to get a toaster in the office itself
Amit - I agree to some extent. But I dont agree with you when you say that managers only give feedback during the review period. In all the companies that I worked in, I have always gotten continuous feedback. Of course, if you think that you aren’t getting feedback, you should also be pro-actively seeking for it. Of course, it goes without saying, that Tekriti does it better than all other places I have been in.
Siddhartha - thanks! Yes - very true - that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. I need to be a little more disciplined there.
August 24, 2006 at 2:23 pm
Yes there are many other factors also. Gautam came up with following post listing few of the reasons why organization are not able to retain people >
These days I am reading “Built to Last” and authors does emphasises that more than technology or product or strategy it is People sharing the core values and vision of the company that makes a company stand the test of the time. I feel IBM is one of those company, when started they were synonymous with computer (desktop/server) and now they are fully,well almost in to or moving towared software product and services.
August 24, 2006 at 2:31 pm
YES, So that now you could have some time.
BTW where is that another blog of yours? No link directing to OPERA blog?
August 24, 2006 at 2:38 pm
the link : http://gauteg.blogspot.com/2006/05/comment-by-reader.html
August 24, 2006 at 4:51 pm
This is an excellent article. Ashish Kumar a standing ovation for you.
August 25, 2006 at 11:13 pm
Amit - I have heard that it’s a good book. I also wish to read it at some point.
Paavani - I havent’t gotten a chance to update the other blog ever since then.
Sheetal - thanks!
I checked out the URL that you specified in your comments - it didn’t have its address anywhere. Or did I miss that? I was wondering where the company is based out of.
August 30, 2006 at 9:52 pm
Ashish,
I am interested to know the trick you are using for “You are not able to get any time for me” or how you solve this problem?
I just stared my journey as an entrepreneur and now having ‘DreamTeam’ of 13 people. I got married in last 6 months so I am very much affected with “not getting time for me” problem.
Thanks for a nice article to the community. And I can sense about that as 1 good employee just left last month. But after reading this now I can feel better. I am happy to give something to him which can help them to make their new destination.
September 2, 2006 at 5:54 pm
Ashvin - no trick has worked so far. Given that you are married, you probably have lot more experience. So, if you find out a trick, please let me know too
Glad that my post made you feel better.
September 4, 2006 at 2:30 am
Ashish,
Just got one good idea from one of my friend that is “Bhabhi ko hi team mein kyon nahi le lete!” i.e. Why you are not taking her in the team! So she can have better idea about what exactly happens behind the scene!
September 8, 2006 at 1:09 pm
I don’t know whether I should I write here or not but I posting my comment here. I am writing here just after reading these Mountain high and ideal talks.
My experience with Tekriti Software is not good or can say pathetic.
My Experience-
28-Aug-2006(A Call from Tekriti Software)
28-Aug-2006 was the first day when I saw Tekriti Software the reason is I had call from Tekriti Software for Written test and Interview. I cleared written and interviewed by Mr. Ashish (I think it was u). After interview Mr. Ashish assured me to disclose result in a week.
A week has passed
That week has passed I didn’t get any mail from Tekriti Software. May be the reason I couldn’t clear the interview. But I think I deserve result what ever it was.
I wanted to know the Result
I want to know result what ever It was .So I drafted a mail to Ashima on 4-Sept-2006 and requested for my result ASAP. Today is 8th September and still I didn’t get any reply from Tekriti Software or Ashima.
I was seriously disappointed after this whole scenario. I think a promise should fulfilled may be one can say promises are made to be broken. I think in Software Industry a promise is every thing. … I can write more but ..I am ending it here in the hope … that I think here is no need to write what it is …
September 15, 2006 at 8:33 am
Amit - Do you know that Collins/Porras has just launched a sequel to Built to Last?
See http://800ceoread.com/blog/archives/006440.html
July 11, 2007 at 12:29 am
Excellent Post
Your article has strengthened my interest in joining a starter company.
Keep writing…..
September 15, 2007 at 9:41 am
One of the leading software Company in indore Systematix technocrates Pvt Ltd.
http://www.systematixtechnocrates.com