Friday Night with the Leadership.
I spent last week chatting with a former leadership member from Intuit, and holy cow, I couldn’t stop myself from sharing the conversation — the dude just kept dropping wisdom bombs one after another.
Just a hi! and we strike the conversation with this quote from Will Durant.
Health lies in action, and so it graces youth — to be busy is the secret of grace, & half the secret of content. Let us ask the gods not for possessions but for things to do, happiness is in making things rather than in consuming things. — Will Durant.
Sharing the hi-light of our conversation:
– Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast.
– Influence and Authority are not the same thing.
– Internal Marketing for your team.
Cultures eat Strategy for Breakfast.
Let me pull this thread a little more and share my version of it —
The leadership team at Intuit is a set of focused individuals who keep their head down and let their work do the talking. After spending quite some time with a few of my peers and leaders I understood how exceptional cultures are formed specially for startups when the organisation starts to grow quickly, culture takes a hit but if somehow they manage to pull this off successfully, it’s a win for all.
I often recall this take from Ethan Bond, ex product strategy at Palantir, say’s — one of the lessons I’m most grateful for from my time at Palantir was that “value is created at the lowest levels of the organisation.” The Japanese manufacturing ethos has this figured out. They know you can’t steer the organisation from spreadsheets at the C-suite. The org’s fundamental work — where they are converting labor into capital “de novo — is on the factory floor (or equivalent) Go there, see what’s happening, and you won’t have to rack your brain about, “oh where will I utilise [technology du jour].
The other example i often experienced was most of the c-suite presentation was made by the interns or associates, Which creates a huge disconnect at the higher level, as PPT’s are not just about the collating the data rather it’s more about the insight and business outcomes — i.e why it’s said that value is created at the lowest levels and if we foster the culture where the team can get smart enough to know how to translate the data into insight & make it in sync with business it’s a massive win for everyone.
Creating a culture where people or teams fear failure is the worst thing one can do to themselves and their team. At Rocketium, we live and breathe the virtue of equipping the team to be exceptional at its craft. Every time they need help, leaders don’t shy away from backing up the team, sharing knowledge, and unblocking any issues they may face. read it twice.
Influence & authorities are not the same things.
People who are in it for the love of the mission — They need to be deeply inspired and obsessed with a problem or idea in order to dedicate time and mind-space to working on it. Any amount of rationalising something they “should” work on will fail in the end. Even if they try, they’re energy will be sucked away when they encounter something else that sparks that fire in them. You might call these people missionaries or visionaries or something else. They’re driven by a view of the world they want to turn into reality.
After having a 1:1 conversation with Avinash Dwivedi Associate Director of Solution at Rocketium, I was inspired by his unique approach. Seeking his perspective became a natural choice for me and the team. The solutions team plays a crucial role, not only in customer demos but also in understanding the intricacies of problems and fostering relationships with customers.
Throughout the solution delivery process, “the solution team likes to understand the “why?” behind all things: Why do we need this feature for the product? Why not the other one? Why ship this first version instead of choosing another one that’s a lot simpler to build? How will things be measured — why don’t we choose a more thorough way to measure things? Is the ask really a make or break for the customer?” If we manage to optimise for these kinds of problems, and if we think hard enough about how we can help, it’ll benefit everyone involved in the process and lead to success.
The most advanced technology deployed against the wrong problem is an elaborate form of procrastination, and it does let bad leaders tell their customers/investors that they’re “on top of it.
I often quote this example about one of my most favourite YC Company i.e PostHog — it’s a Product Driven culture & they do everything to justify it, but if we see a example of a sales driven culture the story is very different — i’ve been studying and talking to a lot of people about the subject matter and everyone has a similar story to tell.
The longer we operate in a sales-driven culture, the more complicated the product roadmap becomes. It’s crucial to set the right priorities and ensure that the team sticks to the product roadmap that aligns not only with leadership metrics but also with the long-term vision for the organisation. This focus is paramount, rather than simply attempting to accommodate random feature requests in the backlog.
Internal Marketing is equally important.
Internal marketing isn’t just about sending out memos or updating procedures, it’s about making sure every member of the team feels valued and connected to the company’s goals. Just like we market our products to customers, we need to market our company culture to our employees. When our team feels engaged and aligned with our mission, it sets the stage for success.
At the heart of any successful business is a team of motivated and aligned individuals, each contributing to a shared vision. Internal marketing works similarly to external marketing.
Ensuring open communication through newsletters, meetings, and forums fosters trust and empowers our team. We value feedback as a crucial tool for ongoing improvement. By sharing our mission and values, we deepen our team’s commitment to their work. Recognizing success, whether formally or through a simple shout-out, creates a positive and collaborative environment, enhancing motivation and productivity.
In the end, internal marketing, it’s not solely about policies or communication procedures. It’s about people and values. When our team embraces and embodies our company’s mission and values, they become more deeply invested in their work. By prioritising our team’s development and nurturing a culture of engagement and appreciation, we lay the foundation for future success.
