Caring for People as Part of a Sound Business Strategy

There are many strategies to lead an organization. Often, these strategies appear academic and devoid of context for the reader. Therefore, I wanted to share four lessons I learned through my personal experiences in applying 'care for people' as an effective business strategy.

Believe in Yourself

I always wanted to become a doctor. Back then, we didn't have many private medical schools in India. The government-run colleges were the only option. I secured 421st rank in the competitive exam. My friend, Deviah (name changed), managed to secure a rank north of 3,000. However, he got through the admission process based on a quota policy of the government. I remember being so happy for him but only to find him breaking down in front of me and claiming he didn't deserve it and that I was a more deserving candidate.

This stumped me. 'Deserving' as a concept never occurred to me. My mother had raised me with exceptional love and care. Even at that age, I remember telling him I would find my way and there was nothing wrong with the selection process. I told him that he was 100% deserving. This came from the extraordinary love and affection my mother showered me with. In fact, she would always remind me, 'You are A-jit...the undefeatable.' I believed and manifested this.

Lesson 1: When we lead with compassion and reinforce self-belief, people exceed their expectations and that builds a virtuous cycle.

Treat Everyone Fairly

Deviah was an exception. He went on to do well and helped many others, too. However, in India, we have a caste system in which people are labeled into four groups. The primary problem with this system is that individuals who are part of the lower caste, as it is labeled, cannot even aspire to become kings or priests; vertical mobility is restricted.

At school, I had a few classmates who were stuck because of this system. I never paid heed to this labeling and would often spend more time with them instead, in the infamous last benches. I owe this worldview to my family's upbringing. They seldom spoke of 'us vs others.' The value of human life and dignity was universal in my household. However, not everyone is privileged to have such an upbringing. Discrimination is taught. And some people don't use their judgment to question their prejudices.

Here are a few things I look for when hiring a leader: Do they have a just and fair worldview? Do they have any conscious or unconscious biases against fellow human beings? No matter the religion, background, ethnicity, etc., do they treat everyone fairly?

Lesson 2: You cannot care for people if there is the darkness of discrimination inside you. To me, this is the first step towards true leadership.

Listen with Empathy

Much later in life, when my company had become a global enterprise, I remember meeting an employee at our Bengaluru office. When he found me in the lobby, he was visibly upset and let me have it. He protested that his salary was delayed by a few days. I remember my first conscious decision at that moment was to understand what made him feel that acutely about his situation. Turned out that he had some financial commitments and he was under tremendous pressure. I learned that it was an inadvertent system-driven delay. From his perspective, he felt aggrieved, and the delay felt personal to him.

At that moment, I could have delegated that conversation. But I vividly recall feeling his pain, looking beyond his angry words. Those few minutes assuaged his concerns, and I could see a smile of relief as I reassured him and walked back. I have crystallized that lesson into a litmus test every time I experienced an acute emotion either in me or in the person I am interacting with. 'Do we go through experiences based on our beliefs or do our experiences shape what we believe in?'

Lesson 3: We all know that the same boiling water hardens an egg, softens a carrot, and brings out the aroma of coffee. The same tough situation could bring out the best or worst in people depending on how they choose to respond and what they are made of. This philosophy applies to running a company as well. Businesses can do great if their people are inherently good. If we hire good people and trust them first, success can take care of itself. Building trust involves empathy to listen, the ability to reason, and being able to communicate.

Invest in People

A senior leader in a major engineering firm and a former client of ours, Pete, had a great career. I had just hired him at Quest Global when the pandemic hit. Customers canceled 80% of orders booked. We were gutted. It was a global slowdown in the engineering space.

Most companies laid off in masses. He voiced his concerns about his cost to the company and his inability to deliver on his Objectives and Key Results (OKR). We held on to him and his role for two years until the economy recovered. Eventually, Pete came through. He kept his relationships warm during the tough times. When the economy started picking up again, Pete hit home run after home run for us. This reaffirms my faith in playing the long game.

Lesson 4: When things go wrong, and things do go wrong often in business, give people time. As leaders, it is our job to help them get back up. That builds confidence. Being truly successful boils down to patience and betting on people.

Final Thoughts

It can indeed be lonely at the top. That is why I am sharing lessons from my life experiences here. I hope it inspires you someday to lead with kindness and a just worldview, trust people first, and patiently bet on your people to achieve success. These four points are what I mean when I tell you caring for people as a business strategy is a successful one.