Vijay Raju - One Should Strike a Balance between Putting Your Organization and People First (Head - Talent Center of Excellence, Campus Hiring and Chief of Staff - CHRO)

Empathy and learning agility - one should strike a balance between putting your organization and people first and invest in learning what's best for both. Either one of them will not make you an effective HR professional but both will do.

Tell us about your background, upbringing and journey.

Well most of my childhood was spent outdoors and being part of a diverse community from families serving in the army to fruit selling vendors, street players and to small businessmen. I have had the privilege to learn from life lessons and with hardships which I am grateful for, as it has made me stronger and to the person who I am currently. My journey started when I was 11 years supporting my fathers business and working through my school after hours and college. It gave me an edge during my projects or inter college competitions.


When & how did you narrow down on what you wanted to do? - It is certainly a tough one, I took the risk of testing waters in various charters before I found my sweet spot. After experiencing the success and drive I had in certain roles and the learnings or pits I had in certain roles; is when collectively I knew my career path was to look for roles that complement my skills set and always kept functional integration fluid. The experimenting will slow your growth for a year or two, but that certainly gave me the clarity on what I don't want to do which I feel is a great input when you look at a career as a marathon.


What is the most important quality one must have in order to be a successful HR person? 

Empathy and learning agility - one should strike a balance between putting your organization and people first and invest in learning what's best for both. Either one of them will not make you an effective HR professional but both will do.

Qapita helps founders, CFOs and CHROs to organize their equity ownership record at one place making it the single source of truth. You can use Qapita to run scenarios, issue ESOPs and communicate their value to employees, run buyback or liquidity programs and engage with your employees effectively. Do click here for a demo. 

What according to you is the role of ESOPs in building a large and an impactful venture? 

ESOP is a wealth creating opportunity and a financial lever for your employees to build long term wealth and grow with the organization.


How do you communicate the value of your ESOPs with your employees today? 

Our employees understand the significant wealth it potentially brings to them and also the fact they own a piece of the pie, in the form of ESOP. It is also integrated in our employees' performance and talent management frameworks.

How important is building a culture in an organization and what is your view on hybrid working? 

Culture is what holds the organization fabric closer including your people, process, systems, leadership, structure, rituals. A strong Culture reduces chaos and makes the employee feel part of a community, enhances productivity and motivates an employee. 

It defines who you are as an organization, so it is one of the top drivers. Hybrid working has always been part of industry but on a need based and less familiar, with the pandemic shifting the way we think about our office environment and technological advancement we have had over the years, it is about time to consciously integrate this model but also make it effective for both individuals and organizations. They are role dependent and we should be cautious of that too.


Which is your favourite book and why? 

What to Ask the Person in the Mirror by Robert Steve Kaplan" - it changes your perspective on the way you look at things and asks those critical questions consistently, with purpose and thoughtfulness that builds great careers and results. The book distilled many pragmatic insights on leadership development and the content is based on real life examples from successful leaders. Hence my favorite as I thrive on learning from real life examples and secondly it applies to all types of organization.