Five lessons in my first three months at a start-up
1. Ruthlessly prioritize
Fire in my belly landed up in a growth stage start-up.
There is SO much you can do, but it doesn’t mean you should do it all, everything doesn't need to be perfect or be attended to.
Its so easy to burn out soon. Creating focus for me and my team helps move the needle and celebrate small success consistently. Yes, somethings may come up, understand urgency and pick them up quickly. Prioritize and focus!
2. Chip in and communicate
Been an entrepreneur early on has helped me doing jobs outside my designation. I continue to do the same, after all the success of the company matters.
Being relentlessly focused on goals is a good thing, but understanding the gaps and chipping in goes a long way. Many a times, its the small details that matter the most.
Your JD doesn't define your Role !
3. It’s okay to say, 'I don't know'
From Ed Tech for K12 to Corporate learning and development, I have enjoyed multiple roles in my 15 years of career.
This world of Deep tech and AI is new to me and picking up the threads, each day is new learning.
I don't shy away from asking for help from my juniors or understanding how to find talent from my CTO.
I enjoy learning and here I am, as I don't see my gaps in knowledge as a weakness or even pretend to hide it.
Never shy away!
4. Take ownership and drive it with conviction
Taking ownership is about taking initiative. I take ownership as I believe that taking action is not someone else's responsibility.
Let me explain this with an initiative I have taken on.
For a start-up its important to have home grown leaders, align their aspirations with that of the org. This is a goal - Strong AI team. Owning and driving the AI internship Program and being accountable for its quality, timelines and outcomes gives tremendous opportunity to work with the team. There will be challenges and probable failures along the way.
The conviction drives you ahead!
5. Culture only happens through effort
This is my biggest learning, the one I carried from my previous org.
Its wonderful to write pages on culture, but everything falls flat when it cannot be put into practice.
Culture happens through effort. Vijay and Anand have set the right tone on how this org will grow, creating an environment of inclusion.
At Infilect I see team members step up to coordinate and make things work. Endless midnight oil burnt to give their 100% - A start-up Spirit!
It is heartening to see everyone take an active interest in fostering a positive and inclusive culture.
Culture is ever evolving!
For me to head the People Xperience at Infilect and build an org that truly believes in Product-Process-People is motivating!