Value

After crossing 40, the major learning of life has been “what I don’t want.”
The simple answer to that is people or environments that make you unhappy and drain your energy. Many of my friends ask me if I am rich enough to have that choice.

My short answer to this has been: In the end, it comes down to your value system. I would prefer losing a team member, customer, or acquaintance than living constantly in stress and ending up paying a cardiologist for angioplasty or a hair transplant.

Our defined, allocated time on this planet is limited. It is on us to decide how to use it. Short-term profit leading to long-term suffering should not be an option.

Insider

As the company grows, middle management is established. It is a tough change for the overall organization. Everything starts becoming a process. Well-established rules are set. What used to be normal begins to feel like baggage. Early employees who have been on this journey with the company start feeling locked in. Some leave because of this mismatch.

As a founder, it’s a tough call: groom internally or hire experienced senior management.

The positives of internal grooming are that they understand the company’s culture, vision, and true north. The negatives are their inexperience and blind spots. If they don’t adapt to the company’s new direction, it can lead to a deadlock with the founders and even within the team itself. It is rare to find and groom such mature talent with a stable mindset. We at Taghash have taken this bet. It has been mixed for us so far. We don’t quit so easily.

The positives of external hires in senior roles are that they are mature and can execute a turnaround in no time. It becomes more of a rational exercise, but it can affect existing team members overnight by introducing a layer between them and the founders. The negatives are their blind spots and rigid sets of practices that have worked for them in the past. There is also the challenge of understanding their incentives. If not handled well, this approach can open up a divide between the team and management.

There is no right or wrong approach. Things work differently for different founders and their organizations.

Ramblings

  1. Our closet has it all: hardship, happiness, anger, misery, love, fear, and everything in between. It’s on you to wear what the most.
  2. He who listens gets confused; he who has their guiding principles intact swims in any tide.
  3. Your childhood and parents shape you.
  4. Finding true love is about finding a shadow for eternity.
  5. Tough decisions make you strong; it pains in the short run.
  6. Your Identity is in your thoughts.
  7. The world is built by misfits. Those who can go against societal norms and defined rules.
  8. Nobody cares about you more than you yourself.
  9. As you age, you become wiser with your failures.
  10. Treating elders with love, empathy, and respect adds to your karma points.
  11. Life is a healer and our biggest teacher.
  12. Never forget those who stood by you when you were crawling, desperate for support.
  13. Everybody lies, most to self.
  14. True wealth is abundant time to be consumed in idleness for fostering creativity.
  15. The biggest lie is “wealth creation by aging rapidly.
  16. Self-belief and god’s faith can do wonders in the worst of times. It ensures you don’t die of pain and self-guilt.
  17. Others will always be others. They should not matter.
  18. Most friends will disappear. Their priority will change. You will be left with self.
  19. Radical optimism has more positives than negatives.
  20. You are dying every second. The ULTIMATE truth.

SpiceJet

Six months back, while travelling from Bagdogra to Bangalore, I completely hated my SpiceJet travel. It was around the time of the 2nd wave, and a lot of migrant labourers were on the move. I found that they were treated poorly by the ground staff and air hostesses.

This time around, while travelling from Bangalore to Darbhanga, I found a pleasant change in the way the same folks were treated. From Bangalore airport to Darbhanga, the aircrew and ground staff were all more patient and professional.

I am not sure what happened. Could it be that the people on this sector are more professional?

I am again flying SpiceJet. I understand they are in loss and pain; I just pray they don’t end up being another Kingfisher or Air Deccan.

picture

Expecting your team members to understand the bigger picture of the organisation is a tough ask. As a company grows and its size increases, we divide the organisation into major compartments. As a result, the hired team members become so engrossed in the tasks they are assigned.

As a glue, it becomes more important for founders to ensure the team knows about the bigger picture.

River

Building a startup is like a flowing river stream.
When it starts from the glacier, it has a strong current with no defined course. Over time, when it reaches the plains, it becomes more predictable, steady, and controlled. With the passing of time, the same applies: it meets the sea and becomes a world.

The journey of building a startup is no less than a river. In the initial days, it is full of energy: seeking PMF, hiring like-minded people, and taking all the risks. The chances of failure are extreme. After a few years, it becomes more predictable, but the operations, passion, and perseverance of the founder are what result in the team delivering and taking the company to newer heights: aiming for an IPO.

Urgency

As a founder, if you are settled and not seeking urgency: whether in closing sales or shipping: your team will mirror you.
They will gradually become complacent, and deliverables will start taking months instead of weeks.

We humans are creatures of habit.
It takes very little time to adopt others’ behaviour when you are part of a team.

It becomes of utmost importance for a leader to ensure the team understands the importance of urgency.

Overconfidence

Sometimes our overconfidence leads us to lose more relationships, business, and connections than we gain. We live in a society, and we are tamed to live in a herd. No one likes getting hurt by others’ actions.

As an overconfident individual, you will turn to burn bridges and leave connections hanging. In the short run, you can gloat about your smartness, but when things are haywired, you will be the first to bear the brunt of all your actions.

#20

  1. Life is unfair; deal with it.
  2. You can be a king or queen for your parents or loved ones. When it comes to life, you are competing with everyone.
  3. Money will make you rich; happiness is not a guarantee.
  4. Being trustworthy is more likable than being a perfectionist.
  5. Your future depends on your present.
  6. No one is big or small. In the end, it’s about the arbitrage.
  7. Love cures everything. True love is available only to a few.
  8. We are all narcissists.
  9. What you want comes from your actions first; words are meaningless.
  10. True friendship goes beyond your assets, pedigree, or position.
  11. You are responsible for yourself and your actions.
  12. Hard work pays off; sometimes it takes decades.
  13. Everyone is selling.
  14. Beauty comes from your virtue.
  15. Every adversity is an opportunity.
  16. You are nothing—just a piece of meat and a lot of water. Remember this: it will keep you humble.
  17. Tough times are temporary.
  18. Your competition is with no one but yourself.
  19. Luck has a huge role: being in the right place at the right time.
  20. Never judge people by their looks, race, or color. You will be surprised.