Tom Thomas - The Higher You Rise, the Humbler and Approachable You Should Be (CEO - Praxis)

One of the biggest challenges for any organization is the quality of its team. Work culture/ ethos that is nurtured and permeated across the team plays a huge role in it. Free flow of ideas and excellent solutions are only possible when that space is truly dialogical.

Tell us about your background, journey, and upbringing.

Though I have been a rolling stone, my roots are in a small village in Kerala and I continue to draw inspiration from that grounding and everything that it taught me – deepest being the ethos of subsistence agriculture.

When and how did you get clarity on what you wanted to do?

My student activism days in College are what helped get that clarity. It gave us an opportunity to understand the prevailing social injustice of our society – both theoretically and by living with marginalized communities and it helped the resolve to be involved in social activism in one form or the other, irrespective of what career I chose for a living.


What does your typical workday look like?

Keeping an eye on the well-being of the team and the organization during these difficult times has been the dominant part. So given the constraints, a lot of screen time takes up a bulk these days.

                              

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Several global companies have come out and thrown their support behind not needing a formal education. What is your opinion about this?

Completely agree. We seldom look at a person’s academic achievements. Though most come with post-graduation, we have never asked anyone for their mark sheets or degree certificates. Qualifications have also never been criteria for promotions. 

In fact, we often find that some people with specialized degrees are often averse to learning! Anyone open to learning and willing to dirty their feet is always welcome.

How do you handle someone who has lied on their resume?

Have never used the resume for anything other than as a tool for shortlisting and as an initial introduction. We usually ask them to give us a rounded picture of who they are and why they want to be part of our team and what they feel they can bring to the team.

However, lying about anything to get into the organization or once you are in it will not be taken lightly. Should such an incident happen, they will be given an opportunity to present their perspective to the appropriate team and a decision will be based guided by the values, principles, and ethos of the organization

                                 


What are some of your typical challenges and how have they evolved over time?

One of the biggest challenges for any organization is the quality of its team. Work culture/ ethos that is nurtured and permeated across the team plays a huge role in it. Free flow of ideas and excellent solutions are only possible when that space is truly dialogical. 

The hierarchy should be relegated to its administrative/ managerial role and should not impede dialogue. Subsidiarity of decision-making and consistent, predictable, transparent, and approachable leadership are cornerstones of such a culture.

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs or those eyeing the top job?

The higher you rise, the humbler and approachable you should be. Devolve as much of your power and knowledge as possible because that’s the best recipe for your own growth.


Which is your favorite book and why?

There are many, and one of the early ones is O.V Vijayan’s ‘Khasakkinte Ithihasam’ (the legend of Khasak). Why is a difficult question as the reasons are multiple and very layered.

Bio - 

Tom has close to three decades of experience in international social development research with expertise across various thematic areas. He has held international top management positions such as Country Director and Asia Regional Coordinator with reputed international organizations, in addition to national positions. 

He has led several large national and international research teams with country, regional and international responsibilities. He is a proficient facilitator of participatory action research and participatory learning activities (PLA) in areas including poverty, health, food security, education, democratic decentralization, livelihoods, and local governance with a special focus on social equity as well as more recently on the theme of business and human rights. 

He has also led the Praxis team on several assignments that have provided critical inputs into development policy and thinking on social development, in India and in several countries across South Asia. Tom has authored and edited books as well as written several articles in internationally reputed journals.