Corner office to action packed floor in 30 days
Popular management literature is crammed with advice on what-to-do in a new role & company, chalking out the 90-day plan, laying out early goals to meet, etc. Coming from a large organization, and being an avid HBR reader, I had full intentions to comply with such plans … till I showed up at InMobi. A mere 300% acceleration in onboarding was in order, so I promptly crunched mine to 30 days.
Processes to enable not hinder business — It was middle of the working week and I had all my papers ready for the HR on-boarding. As the week progressed through multiple ‘chai pe charcha’ (discussions over a cup of tea) with folks in the team, I found myself hitting the ground screeching, assimilating the nuances of the business rather than the tangles of an on-boarding process. By that Friday, the formal on-boarding had not yet begun but I had met many customers and partners, clearly proving that processes will not hinder business.
Do-it-all above know-it-all — No one knows all the answers. It is the only truth in a startup environment; it is what it takes to break new ground. Egos are for organizations of a bygone era. Agile & scrappy teams make progress when everyone pitches in. My transition from a triad-discipline/quad-discipline culture to a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-your-pants and do what it takes to solve a problem, was rapid.
Thinking big — InMobi started in India, but is a global Unicorn. This feat has been achieved by the no holds barred big thinking in every facet of the business; geographical reach, customer/partner size & variety, scale of systems and industry disrupting vision. The big thinking culture is visible in everyday discussions, business line & product plans and in stakeholder messaging alike. This culture pushes newcomers to elevate their belief about realms of possibilities that can be achieved.
Leading by achieving — A talented crew of leaders has assembled here in the past few years; each accomplished in their respective fields and companies before they decided to be part of the vision to disrupt the mobile advertising industry. Each leads by getting things done through tremendous heavy lifting, not merely by delegating and managing people.
My transition from a corner office in a big company to a busy desk on an action packed startup floor is complete in 30 days; onwards to business at the speed of InMobi!
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/corner-office-action-packed-floor-30-days-vineet-taneja/
