This is the 2nd most critical decision that needs to be made. A great Site Leader can get the center take off quickly, absorb all turbulence and make the center cruise on auto-pilot and in alignment with the strategic objectives. A mediocre one will slow things down, distract senior leadership and worse might not be able to attract talent. The Site Leader is THE face of the parent organization in India and he/she should have the same spirit, passion and commitment of a founder (or CEO in case of large companies). Some of the key traits of the Site Leader include:
- Ability to attract talent (both engineering and enabling functions)
- Broad understanding of regulatory needs and the ability to patiently and tactfully deal with government agencies, bureaucrats and industry bodies
- Resourcefulness and the ability to tap on to the eco-system on demand (vendors for functions like payroll etc., hiring consultants, vendors of all sorts whose services would be needed, university relations, etc.,)
- Entrepreneurial mindset (ownership, keen sense of cost and benefit, bootstrapping, passion and drive to make the center and the parent successful)
- Cultural fit and bought into the mission of the organization
Of course, setting up is a one-time activity and once the center is up and running, the Site Leader will have to play an active role in making the center productive and help the parent organization to move forward. While some of the traits mentioned above, will continuously be needed, a few more traits would be needed to make the center successful in the long run.
- Engineering leadership
- Representing the company flawlessly, both internally and externally
- Managing change with grace
- Retaining the talent
- Vision for the site in alignment with parent’s strategic objectives
- Entrepreneurial mindset (continuous learning, making everything cheaper, faster and better, never letting the organization to entropy)
- Ability to manage quick growth
Good to know:
- One question that I get asked is whether the Site Leader should be a domain expert too? Good leaders are hard to come by and one with experience of the exact domain is even harder to find. My recommendation is to look for ability to learn quickly and strong transferable skills (leadership, ability to carry everyone along, strong engineering and program management skills, networking, ability to be the bridge between the parent company and the IDC, governance and regulatory experience).
- I also recommend that giving higher weightage for Integrity. This is hard to detect in a couple of interviews, but it is essential. Afterall, this person almost has to act as co-founder for the IDC to succeed, especially for start-ups.
- Both a Leader and a Follower. You wouldn’t need an “Yes-Person” and also someone that is not aligned. An Yes-Person would not add much value as the IDC grows, and someone that is not aligned might even subtly sabotage
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