Welcome Home Chandra !

“How can we bring you back Chandra? What can we do to bring you back ?” I asked Chandra over a cup of coffee six weeks ago.  “Respectfully”, he answered….”Bring me back respectfully Sumita”. “Why do you want to come back?” I asked. “I can give you many reasons but mostly because the years I spent at LinkedIn were the best years in my entire professional career, and I continue to believe in the company’s vision, mission, culture, product and platform” said Chandra. There was not a single hint of doubt or hesitation in his voice. My heart was doing silent cartwheels….can we really make this happen? It whispered to me….

This week, Chandra joined us and ‘came back home’ after he exited in October 2014. He had exited gracefully and has come back exactly how we treat employees and ex-employees in LinkedIn – Beautifully ! Co-incidentally, I was among the last couple of people he had met before exiting and looking into my HR crystal ball I had left him with the words “Our doors will be open for someone like you”.

My ‘come back home’ discussion with Chandra six weeks ago and what I heard him speak then about LinkedIn , was a moment when everything I always believed all this time I have been here flashed in front of me like a Bollywood masala blockbuster movie .  Drama, Emotion, Action, Passion, Fun, Humor and a Happy ending :) We got it all and more in LinkedIn.  

And here we are, Chandra signed our offer the next morning after the announcement of Microsoft: LinkedIn acquisition – here was an ex-employee validating that he is coming back for all the right reasons!   

Reuniting Chandra with his former friends and colleagues in LinkedIn here has been a gratifying experience for me. It was a reminder of my personal objective as an HR leader, I feel like I am serving a greater purpose for him, for the team, for the business, for LinkedIn.

What started with a discussion within a tiny group of us of why a boomerang and how… to my first exciting thought “circling back is a win for everyone" …to this picture with Chandra who looks genuinely happy to be back :)  …I feel thankful and humbled.  

Thank you LinkedIn for the Number 1 operating priority we believe in – Talent ! Thank you for coming home Chandra and for giving me a compelling reason to write my first post on LinkedIn. Thank you Pat Wadors for embedding in all of us at LinkedIn that employees deserve to be treated beautifully. Rohit Kalsy for starting, rather re-starting Chandra’s journey and second innings in LinkedIn India. Irfan Abdulla for your commitment to Talent and your unwavering support in me as your business partner, Abhishek De for quick and seamless execution.  

Lastly, Thank You to all the many like Chandra who remind me that ‘The grass is always greener where you water it”