The Hindu Business Line : Youth before age, experience

The workforce in knowledge-based companies tends to be young and it is best if role models within the company represent it. Young folk need young role models; age and possibly wisdom, should not dictate the public face when the need is to connect with a young audience.

CONNECT with your young audience!

The CTO of one of the companies that I worked in previously is someone, who, from a very young age, has done things differently.

Fifteen years ago, when the PC was making its entry into India, he wrote programmes for a firm so that he could use their PCs for free over the weekend.

His dream was to start a products company out of India; a project that had the full support of two of his classmates.On graduating, all three were recruited by a well-known company. But they were clear about their aim from the outset: they would work there for a maximum of four years, learning as much as they could even as they contributed to the company.

At the end of four years, they quit their jobs to start their company. Though they knew nothing about running a company, their passion for the project drove them forward.

Soon they gathered together a team of motivated individuals, including some senior professionals who had run companies before. Within three years, the new company had developed world-class IP and product ideas and within five years of its launch, had emerged a leader in its area of expertise. Soon, the company was acquired by an MNC, giving the three founders the opportunity to work on a global platform.

The CTO was clearly the leader among the three friends. His ability to enthuse others with his passion for work meant that he often represented the company in campus recruitment drives, which included pre-placement presentations and interactions with prospective, young candidates. The interview team usually comprised of the CTO and two or three other young staffers. Their connect with young candidates at campuses invariably generated good interest for it at placement drives. To him, the validation for his work came from the customers, standards bodies and technology peers at other companies; the money that came with it was not his driving force.

The workforce in most knowledge-based companies tends to be young and it is best if role models within the company are asked to represent the company. Young folk need young role models; age and possibly wisdom, should not dictate the public face when the need is to connect with a young audience.

(The writer is corporate advisor to 3i Infotech Ltd and Manipal Education and Medical Group)

More Stories on : Human Resources | Management | Entrepreneurship

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Add some zing to your communication

Some tips for the budget season

Youth before age, experience

`Make creative goodness part of professionalism'

Global practices that indicate respect

`Create lasting value'

A leaf from the leaders