Stories of our distributed team: Our journey to India

“I will meet you at the airport at 2pm,” messaged Gaurav, the Principal of our distributed team in the city of Jodhpur, the third largest city in the state of Rajasthan, India. Weary from jet lag as a result of 17 hours of travel and layovers, we disembarked the twin propeller plane from Delhi, unsure of what was ahead of us.

Rowan, Amber (Rowan’s partner) and I were somewhat anxious to say the least. Gaurav had offered to put us up in his house for the week, which was the home of his grandmother, grandfather, father, mother and wife. Three generations under one roof.

We had been working closely with Gaurav and his team for close to two years. All of our conversations, training and negotiations thus far had been facilitated via tools such as Skype, Slack and email. We were overdue for the ‘in person’ visit.

In the planning stages of our trip to visit the team, Gaurav insisted that he host us in his family home. We were surprised — and of course grateful for the offer — but we didn’t want to put any burden on the family. This was a business trip after all. He insisted to the point where it became rude for us to reject his offer, and we began to realise how important it was for this family to host us. It was clear this visit was going to be more than ‘just business’.

We were welcomed by his grandmother and grandfather. Big, warm smiles and outreached hands welcomed us into their lounge room. We sat on the lounge, draped in a handwoven cashmere quilt, sipped rich, milky cups of chai masala and feasted on local sweets while we listened to the stories of the Balia family.

We learned that Gaurav’s family includes a generation of professionals. His father’s side a line of Chartered Accountants, his uncle’s side a line of lawyers. “My brother, however, is an engineer,” Gaurav chuckles. “He’s the only one that’s broken the chain of bean-counters and debaters.” He went on to explain that his family used to travel across the country for business, from Mumbai to Dehli, but Jodhpur would always be home. “Family is the pillar that keeps us here,” he explains.

In an age where everyone is raising capital, trying to disrupt and scale, sometimes the fundamentals of what it takes to build a successful life and legacy is left by the wayside. Ie. respect for your family, patience, and good old fashioned hard work.

The following days were spent with the team in the office, just a 3-minute walk from the family in home in the center of town. Rowan and I were excited. Going over our agenda with Gaurav, we spent the first half of the day going over what we wanted to achieve during our visit. But first, we spoke about long the term. We exchanged the vision and values of our each of our organisations. We were elated to be on the same wave length. This is a partnership, we coexist.

We spent the remaining few days with the team. Technical training, one-on-one chats and coaching. It was a pleasure to work with such diligent, professional and driven young professionals.

Visiting the team and spending meaningful, face to face time has been the best thing we’ve done to date in our business. Working in a distributed environment has its benefits, but there’s only so much you can do using a computer. You need that face to face, human connection.

What also continues to amaze me are the lessons you can learn from your business partners — these include your suppliers, employees and clients. Diversity is the buzz word of 2017, and I’m beginning to understand why it can be a competitive advantage in business. If designed strategically, an organisation can embed this melting pot of alternative perspectives, influences and values into their product — creating something truly remarkable.

Early on in our business we were sometimes hesitant to talk about our distributed Indian team to prospects. The concept of ‘offshoring’ typically has negative connotations.

Nowadays, it’s the first thing we mention. We’re proud to work with such a diverse, talented team of professionals who form a core component of our business.

We’ve pledged at least an annual trip to India to spend with the team. We’re grateful it also happens to be located in a stunning part of the world.