1st year in a Startup for HR(Human Resources)

I have been a learner all through and strongly believe attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. It can be difficult but not impossible to learn the ropes once you make the choice

At a startup, that natural desire to be self-sustainable is amplified and multiplied, resulting in a do-or-die attitude that can mean the difference between success and failure.

I was deeply influenced with three gentlemen who introduced me to their vision that was so dear to them, it rekindled the spark in me and pushed me to follow my heart over mind so much so that I also shifted my base from Mumbai to Bangalore.

My early days was to do some soul searching to ascertain if it’s an environment I can stomach or If I needed to unlearn and realign ?

Different industries have different dynamics, and in the engineering solutions space, technology, innovation, and customer experience are frequently important. However, in our case, the belief that a happy people make happy customers was at the top of the list, an ideology that I only learned about, experienced, and am now living with a full picture view.

A relatively small team of sales then, without distraction or legacy issues actively worked in getting new deals. Hiring was not straight forward, right strategy, capability, zeal all intact, but not visible in the market yet was making it onerous, the so-called Great resignation that led to volatile market in 2021, was a double whammy for the Talent team.

Our CEO, The Driver did a great job of regenerating energy within sales folks in weekly pipeline calls.

"To have long-term success as a coach or in any position of leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way." --Pat Riley

The pipeline calls would be more about numbers, new clients, and strategy, with no direct accountability or targets, but participating would offer a People partner a clear feel of company direction. It energized me and brought me together; the pleasure of releasing a product into the public was comparable to climbing Everest, and it pushed everyone onward.

Teamwork makes dream work ; We were a group of people inspired by a dream and a desire to work hard, and that energy helped us attract more recommendations and like-minded people. Aside from technical ability, one had to be willing to chip in and do everything it required to help the organization prosper."

The HR, TAT, and Operations teams worked their magic, and the managers were enthusiastic as they led them along. It was critical to prioritize dynamics above mechanics; there were no black-and-white solutions, but choices had to be made with low-risk, high-impact options.

People were ecstatic because they observed consistent energy and enthusiasm across the board, and I was pleased with how we as a group were standing solid in our beliefs.

Startups have to go beyond the traditional approach, and you need strong team to back you in the ambiguous journey. HR's role is not just to ensure policies in place, but also ensuring that the organization's members felt valued throughout the process and promoting togetherness

I was fortunate to have a team of 2 dedicated individuals who graciously accepted the vision and leadership, they stretched beyond their weight, put their skill into effect and influenced several key decisions. The key was to keep quick on your feet and adaptable to changing conditions. Because of the understanding and partnership, though a tiny crew for a big part of the year in 2021, we accomplished many things in less time.

My 18 years of corporate & consulting experience with COE’s, specialists’ model, had not given me end to end view of various services such as Insurance, Benefits, compliance.

Knowing the basics, studying industry practices, networking with the HR community (HRFI), and having a calculative attitude were all part of the projects. The continual nagging thought was to be different, fast, and quiet.

Time was the driving factor and needed constant juggling between the important and urgent pieces, making pivots from one activity to the next, without getting feathers too ruffled in the process.

Easy to get pressurized with time and people from diverse groups, “It worked this way in X company, and so” or “It’s a small problem, will not impact attitude” approach etc. The emphasis was on defying the odds and pursuing a forward-thinking agenda. Also staying centered on the long term “Why” gave more conviction to our solutions, some needed rapid remedy and had to be fixed. We achieved a number of little victories by addressing basic issues, as well as some significant effect measures, such as an insurance policy for employees and their families.

I've had my share of frustrations, especially when dealing with those who live in a grey haze where triumph and defeat are meaningless. This was only until I learnt they were at no fault but staying loyal to their tasks. We were interdependent and we could only succeed if our relationships were based on trust and faith. Because they were all nice people, our honest appeal for help driving as a group made more sense than having long conference calls and pushing the agenda.

These are vital connections that I have formed and continue to love today. My amiable analytical demeanor was making a difference in this situation.

It became possible to navigate through difficult issues with various stakeholders in an unstructured setting. The ability to communicate the proper message to a bigger group was aided by the trust of peers and colleagues around.

We wanted our colleagues to thrive, feel valued, become integral part of the team and that necessitated personalized connect. Our monthly Townhalls shared tales with everyone as they happened, providing positive direction and emphasizing how each player was making a difference.

As a result, even though the Unit has expanded from 150 employees in early 21 to over 1000 now, openness and transparency is valued, individuals ask questions without fear of repercussions, and they are curious to learn more so they may refer more people to experience. Glad we have stayed consistent.

The first year is a critical year in the making, and we sincerely appreciated everyone's efforts and passion. The quarterly RNR platforms best highlighted it, and the 90-minute gala celebration with the champions and their families provided us everyone reason to pause and enjoy.

We were proud of the distinct culture we were building with these small rituals, habits, behaviors but at the same time did not want it to get diluted as we grew. At business level also without a vision and mission there was a risk of spreading too thin.

We proactively tied up with experts in the space to help us define Core purpose, Values of our Business in a structured manner.

Driving the process from start to finish with development professionals and an internal core group was a wonderful experience. We gathered wealth of knowledge in series of discussions, getting to knowing ourselves better and deliberating the core purpose we want to live that is built around an audacious goal

I'm proud of the fact that, unlike other startups, we were able to lock down and decide these in the first year. These aren't just behavior-shaping culture anchors; their effects are more profound, and they elicit a higher level of passion, dedication, and performance.

We had A-players, seasoned professionals, experts, and specialists, all of whom had extensive experience and the necessary motivation.

You can consider a flight where the captain delivers details as the plane prepares to take off. You'd agree that the captain isn't the only one flying the plane; the copilot, flight attendants, ground crew, and air traffic controllers are all as important to a safe and happy flight.

Because each team member had a distinct and crucial function to play, frequent and clear communication among teammates was required for the flight to run effectively. Discussing with peers turned to be productive conversations and offered new lens to look at things. We were all on the same emotional roller coaster at different moments, and we were unwittingly mentoring one another and sailing strong.

In a startup you are like an intrapreneur, irrespective of the role, typical to have a roller coaster of emotions: bursts of enthusiasm, frustration, joy at milestones, and tension at times. ?Your path can shift dramatically and unexpectedly, and you feel compelled to boost your game or perish.

Positive affirmations from individuals who believe in you, on the other hand, can go a long way. I was regularly led by feeds from my CEO and Global Delivery head throughout the year.

“We need to be agile”, “Be simple”, “Be fearless”,“Be nice”

"Do what you think is right,” “We trust you “, “Be yourself”

Knowing that you are making a positive influence at work is a tremendous motivator, as it reinforces your self-worth, instils confidence in yourself, and has a positive impact on the world around you.

As one of my friends put it "Being in major corporates for long time you get trained as a "military cadet" no question you gain exposure to the complexities of managing within masses, groups of people, you are bound to follow hierarchy, it's a discipline you stick to. However, to succeed in a startup, you must be flexible and agile in your approach, as well as willing to unlearn and adapt.

It may not be as comfortable as you were in the corporate machine, but you just get a bigger sense of satisfaction from what you are doing each day

This was about me, purely from the lens I see, and how a team with minimal resources, tremendous encouragement from driving partners, colleagues, and a high-quality team focused on a clear vision made all the difference.

To support the growth engine, my team has grown from three to ten today, each of whom complements the other with unique abilities and is already making a difference; you should hear us reaping the advantages, in my next milestone story.

This is just a milestone, seemed like painting my own canvas, a beautiful view from where I stand today. I have relived every bit while putting it together here, hope you enjoy it too. ?

"Take a leap of faith. You will either land somewhere new or learn to fly." -?Kandyse Mcclure