Fahad Mistry on Becoming Growth Director at TurboHire
We are more than delighted and excited to welcome Fahad Mistry as Director of Growth at TurboHire. Fahad has had an interesting journey with TurboHire so far and we thought why not do a candid Q&A with him to understand his own growth in the organization and what his vision for the company’s growth is.
Hey Fahad! Tell us a bit about how you got to know about TurboHire?
When Deepak Agrawal, CEO TurboHire, reached out to me for the first time, I thought he might have a role for me. Honestly, I was not sure back then. My only interest was to know TurboHire because the product sounded fascinating to the idea I had about a tool needed in the Talent Acquisition industry.
I ended up buying the tool for my previous company.
It was like I was envisioning a platform, and somebody had already built it. That point was intriguing to me, and I always wanted to be a well-wisher for TurboHire.
Gradually when most of my goals about my passion, employer branding, growth, ownership, and flexibility started coming up, I decided to move full-time with TurboHire, and I am glad I made that decision.
What is your goal of associating with a brand like TurboHire?
My goal of associating with a brand stands out with TurboHire because I see the team focussing on growth and doing something that could make work easier for everyone in the TA industry. More importantly, I see the team focussing on the company’s growth in unison and advocating the core values. The value of TurboHire is not just its product, but its people, just like Asgard from Thor.
From being the 1st customer to being a full-time member, I have seen the product evolve. My focus will be to keep up the growth trajectory all around but mainly focussing on the US geography since I have spent most of my career as a Talent management professional in the US Geo.
Is there a difference between how Talent Management functions in the US and in India?
US Geo functions differently as compared to India. Every company has an HR or ATS system in place, and the differentiation is how effective they have been or can be. TurboHire stands out here.
The power of AI makes it easier for companies to adopt it. I love the brand, and I love the product, I am falling in love with people, and that’s how I see myself. I have never done job hunting but value hunting, and I am glad it aligns here.
Do you think the current shift in work culture is becoming an essential component of your growth thinking?
Growth is not just money. It is an essential factor, but more than that, Growth can be defined by your development in your role, spectrum of your learning, opportunity to lead and manage and be an essential contributor. If I am not directly impacting the company and its progress, I feel I am not growing, which has been a significant shift.
What kind of changes have you witnessed at an organizational level due to the covid crisis?
I feel you can’t just be a team member now. You have to be a contributor because your work is visible. COVID has to lead to leaner teams, effective teams, and the no performers have found it hard to survive. As a leader, you have to be mindful of these changes and have a scale that equally recognizes everyone’s effort.
Do you like to align yourself more with the Product side at TurboHire or the business side?
I would say the business side because I love solving real-time business problems. I intend to do that TurboHire, to focus on issues I faced in the recruitment industry and provide a solution through TurboHire being the product of choice.
What do you think is more critical while growing a team — passion or experience?
Experiences can change, Passion stays constant. I look for people with skill and passion for using it. Experience is always good, but if you change the scenario, your desire to excel and agility will drive you through.
What was the most appealing to you in the transition from becoming a consultant to now being the Director of Growth?
I love the product, and I want to be there in front of the client, providing a solution that wows them. I have always dreamed of working for a brand and growing it from scratch, and I feel I have that opportunity here, which led me to make a decision — again, following my passion over experience.
What was the more difficult part of the transition?
My notice period and the wait to start. Because I always follow my gut. If I feel it’s right, I go for it and try to make the decision correct rather than making the correct decision.
There are structural thinking and problem understanding skills. What else, in your opinion, makes a great Growth leader?
Growth takes everything into account for a company like TurboHire, sales, product, marketing, content, Customer success, teams, etc. everything that drives the company to achieve more. A growth leader always has to have a birds-eye view of what’s happening and should be able to contribute at every level.
People assume growth only accounts for sales. It can be your primary focus area, but you can’t have a blind eye to everything else that constitutes growth.
How do you balance long-term bets versus short-term projects?
Both, I believe, are directly proportionate. If your short-term project doesn’t align with Long-term goals and vice versa, your strategy is flawed. The best way to balance is to break down the long-term bets into a short-term project and go ahead.
Lastly, according to you, what are the foundations of a growth process at a company?
I believe in Super Organization’s concept, where the company’s goals align with that of the members. If the company can create that from the start, recognizing what the team member wants, needs and giving them a platform to achieve them will always lead to sustainable growth.
