Gaurav and I started SocialCirkel motivated by the challenges we encountered personally when our jobs and personal circumstances led us to different cities. Our starting conviction was that finding friends as adults is extremely frustrating, more so, if you are introverted (as we both are). And research shows that social connections (few, high quality ones) are one of the most important factors for people's health and happiness.
We often cringe at the thought of receiving feedback, even when it’s constructive. Providing such feedback can also be equally, if not more, uncomfortable. But it’s integral to one’s growth, and it would be grossly irresponsible for anyone to withhold meaningful constructive feedback, because giving that feedback makes you feel uncomfortable, or you don’t wish to risk damaging your relationship with that person
Many organisations (in the digital space) pride themselves on having bias-for-action in their culture. And, on the face of it, it does seem like an obvious one. Who wants to suffer the dysfunction that arises from (inaction due to) lack of decision making? But it’s equally important to recognise the tension this cultural trait poses against the act of deliberation in the lived experience within an organisation. Many organisations that embrace bias-for-action but don’t recognise or acknowledge this tension end up with many false starts and unproductive or even counterproductive outcomes.
Identifying my personal values has been liberating and focusing. It allows me to assess if my actions, my choices, my decisions are in alignment with my values and when I find situations where they are misaligned, it forces me to consider whether I am being deliberate and thoughtful in deviating from those values or if these values are in conflict with what maybe the right thing to have done in certain circumstances. That self-reflection contributes to personal growth.
Working with driven colleagues can be a dreamy (albeit tiring) experience, assuming you have an organisational culture that incentivises the right behaviours. So, this post is a commentary on what I have observed and experienced, in enabling that quality to manifest itself in productive ways.
One of the things I realise I have been spending quite a bit of time, as I have grown in my career, is in interviewing candidates for Product Management role. Over time, I have evolved a framework to help me structure the interview process so I feel more confident with the hire/no-hire decisions/recommendations I make.
Culture is a manifestation of the underlying value system. For example: A culture of diversity results from a value system that encourages and looks for diverse perspectives (and candidates). Just as, a culture of customer obsession results from how you listen and respond to customer feedback.