Captain’s Thoughts

Why (some) Indian Startups fail – case in point being Byjus and Paytm and some others on the verge… Capt. Rahul Sharma A HR professional / CHRO with over 30 years of experience with a strong background in Employee Engagement,PMS,OD,CM/ held senior-level HR, Trg and Security positions at several large organisations/ Army Veteran. 22 articles April 19, 2024 Open Immersive Reader From an HR perspective, the downturns of Byju's and Paytm and others highlight crucial shortcomings in their organizational strategies and compliance with their own mission and vision, exacerbated by rapid expansion and disregard for regulatory and internal governance. Byju's faced significant issues related to a toxic work culture and high employee turnover. The company pursued aggressive expansion, both geographically and through acquisitions, without sufficient consideration of the integration and cultural alignment of these new components with the existing structure. This aggressive approach led to u...

Book Summary & Reflection: “Snakes in Suits – When Psychopaths Go to Work” by Paul Babiak and Robert D. Hare While reading Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work , penned by organizational psychologist Dr. Paul Babiak and eminent criminal psychologist Dr. Robert Hare, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own corporate journey. Thankfully, I’ve had the privilege of working with some remarkable leaders—empathetic, empowering, and inspiring. But then… like flickering ghosts in a rearview mirror, a few familiar faces reappeared—faces that could have walked straight out of the pages of this book. Faces of corporate “snakes,” charming on the surface, but venomous underneath. This seminal book takes a deep dive into a chilling but under-discussed reality: the presence and influence of corporate psychopaths . These are not the knife-wielding Hollywood villains, but the ones who weaponize charm, manipulate organizational systems, and wreak havoc on culture and morale, often while wearing...

Startups in India are a growing trend, with the country ranking third in the world for the number of startups. However, while India has a thriving startup ecosystem, it also faces its fair share of challenges. In this context, communication and transparency are even more critical for startups in India to succeed. Communication and transparency are essential elements of a healthy and positive corporate culture. When these two factors are missing, the outcomes can be detrimental to the organization's success. I have seen these two key components of corporate culture missing sometimes, especially in various startups in their growth phase. It starts from the recruitment and selection stage only when these two things are most important and crucial to instill a sense of confidence and ownership in the journey of a start-up company. These two elements are the foundation stone of any company and a tall, strong, and large building can not be made to stand for long if the foundation is weak ...