The Human Factor

I met a human behind a business today and I feel it’s worth sharing this experience.

With the hype around the Great Resignation it most certainly is time for organizations to revamp certain policies.

While the HR around the world is busy building mechanisms to tackle the issue, it is a delight to see start-ups going in top gear in an attempt to acquire talent and in devising what may be called – mutually respectable and acceptable growth policies.

Sharing here some pointers this start up am mentoring came up with.

It’s also interesting to know the “why” behind his vision. But more to that later! Below are his thoughts:

1.     As an organization I want to create an experience, a happy one at that, right from the first interaction.

2.     Each one's needs are different. That’s why there should be no fixed leave policy.

3.     Each one works differently. That’s why there should be no fixed timings.

4. The company should have a long life.

So what is he looking at building? Actually, exactly the same thing which organizations are now striving to achieve!

1.     An employer brand value teaser even before the hiring happens.

2.     Revamped Employer Value Proposition (EVP) -  A flexi pay and leave policy

3.     Trust, honesty and empathy as the core values of the organization.

 Coming to the “why”

 In case of start-ups the “why” behind the policies they frame are often based on personal experiences and expectations – expectations that were perhaps not met while s/he was working for someone else.

Of course, while some of them may not let “expectations not met” influence the policy decisions of their start-ups, some may want to take this as an opportunity to be the change bringers.

This person is one such gentleman. Certain bitter personal experiences of the corporate world, especially when his private life hit a rough patch shattered the “we are all a family” image companies build and drove him to build an entity which will remain true to its values and its people and works on a collective leadership model.

That’s why at the age of 55+ and having worked with big corporations at big positions all his life he is determined to -

1. Launch his enterprise

2. Create a company that has humans at its core. The technology based services are what they will do and leave it at that.

 Point number 2 intrigued me. Globally, there are more and more companies that want to keep their people first. The fact that this is happening in an era of AI is heartwarming.

His desire to build a unicorn which will have #peoplefirst #organizationculture #teamculture #personaldevelopment #integrity at the core and #leaderatlast deserves a big applause and also all the support I can lend him as his consultant and well-wisher. 

By this point in the meeting I was curious to know if he had a roadmap in mind.

Well! Again his solution –

Forming, storming, norming and performing!

He surely has done his homework and am looking forward to my meetings with him. This meeting ended with me thinking about the likes of Ashok Soota and Warren Buffet – leaders who never let age matter!

This going to be one  #mentorship of its kind!