Looking Back, Moving Forward: A Journey of 5 Years
Along with Hevo Data’s 5th anniversary that took place a few months ago, there were simultaneous celebrations of a similar kind — the 5-year work anniversaries of some of the first team members of Hevo Data. Many of the team members have been with Hevo Data since the very beginning when the company was a small team with a large dream.
I recently got the chance to sit down with Vivek Sinha, Director of Product Management, to understand his story of how the past 5 years have gone.
Initial Acceleration
Interestingly, Vivek did not join Hevo as a Product Manager. He was initially a software engineer involved in designing and building the very first modules of the product. He remembers the environment of the initial days when job functions were not clearly defined, and there was momentum to do anything it took to build a great product.
“It was an electric and aggressive environment,” he says. “Everyone was constantly willing to try new things, take on challenges outside of their comfort zone, and cooperate to complete jobs. And to be very candid, that spirit of Hevo Data hasn’t gone anywhere. Even now, five years later, every individual I deal with is fervently committed to making a difference in any way they can.”
Changing Gears Smoothly
Some time down the line, the team needed to bring some Product Managers on board. As he was involved in the interview process, Vivek needed to understand the role and responsibilities of a Product Manager. The idea of being so closely involved with the customers, guiding the direction of the product, and getting involved with the business side greatly appealed to him, and he wished to throw his hat in the ring.
“I’d say I’m a self-taught product manager,” Vivek elaborates. “I explored all sorts of resources- from books to blogs, to courses and online communities to gain the knowledge that I needed to become a great product person.”
At this time, the team was exceedingly supportive of his learning journey. “I remember Sourabh, our CTO, took the effort to reach out to some high-level connections like VPs in his network and set up meetings for me to gain the knowledge straight from the horse’s mouth. Nobody expressed any concern over a novice being given such a large responsibility at such a delicate stage of the organization; my dedication and their trust worked together to form the perfect environment for growth.”
Maintaining Speed
How is it that the team has been able to retain the same spirit of growth, innovation, and collaboration, even though the team has grown tenfold since then? Vivek explains this as a combination of nature and nurture.
“We’ve always been glad to hire slowly, taking the time to make sure that every person who joins us is truly the right fit for Hevo Data. We are always looking for people with a similar drive to DO and would be glad to find a team of like-minded people. This is something that I have always looked out for while interviewing people for the team, and it has paid off. Working with every single person on the team is just easy. Of course, we have different perspectives and ideas, but we are always honest with each other and never hide our perspectives or our work.”
Along with this, the environment at Hevo Data serves to encourage and develop such qualities. Vivek professes that he can see the direct impact of purposeful policies, flat hierarchies, and a very open communication culture on the levels of motivation and enjoyment that the team has.
Taking the Steering Wheel
“The Product team is a sort of centerpiece around all the teams at Hevo,” he explains. “We are closely in touch with both the technical as well as the business side of things. I interact with a great many people from different teams and different contexts on a daily basis, and one of the important things I’ve learned is how to translate my ideas into the language of each person’s understanding.”
These interactions with different teams, as well as his own, have given Vivek an ideal position to be able to mentor others and impart some of the knowledge that the past 5 years have given him. “Different people may have different ways in which they grow. Some may expand their technical knowledge, while others may build their confidence or their communication skills. My aim is to help each person get there. I strive to be upfront, humble, and open enough to be the willing lighthouse for the route that each individual wishes to take.”
Vivek says that he can map the upward trajectory of his life, both personal and professional, with the trajectory that Hevo Data has taken over the last 5 years. This very story is what he wishes to help others write as well.
