Talent Wins Games, but Teamwork Wins Championships

What was the problem you were grappling with?

When I joined Egis India in 2017, one of the biggest challenges we faced was to enforce fiscal discipline in the company. Being an engineering company, it didn't come naturally to many people. It needed to be reinforced that revenues are never complete without money in the bank.

Who did you approach and why?

I approached the Domain Directors and laid the position threadbare. I explained to them very clearly that they must own the business E2E (end-to-end). Unless people take ownership, it doesn't work. The first step towards ownership is empowerment. I strongly believe in collaborative style, by empowering people.

What was the best advice you ever received?

Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships - our sales director in Ericsson, who was a great motivator, told us about 15 years ago. I still live by it and it works every time.

How effective was it in resolving your problem?

Once the objective was set, distinct tasks were given to each team member. It was heartening to see the sense of belonging and the urge to help each other out. There was a healthy competition among teams. Work was pure fun and the results really astounded us. We were able to generate more than our most aggressive estimates.