From tech founder to global people ops: Why kindness beats being right | Vidya Nair

Описание: "Kindness over being right."

After building a tech startup, leading business operations and global people operations across three continents, and navigating pandemic induced burnout, Vidya Nair (  / vidyan  ) learned what truly matters in leadership:

Treating people with dignity beats being right every single time.

Her journey:
Born in Kenya, raised through South Africa's apartheid, studied engineering in India. Co-founded a tech company with her brother that served clients across the US, Europe, and Australia.

After closing the business, she made her next shift - from building technology to building operations and then global people operations, at leading global social impact organizations.

What leading global teams taught her:
Policies should serve people, not control them. The moment processes become about control rather than enabling people to do their best work, something has gone wrong.

"There is no grass" - a work mentor told her once. Stop comparing yourself to others. Focus on your own growth. The grass isn't greener anywhere; it's about nurturing where you are.

Words of encouragement matter as much as actions. She learned this late but now prioritizes telling people when they're doing well, not just when things need fixing.

Burnout came during COVID - recognized only when her COO pointed it out during a zoom call. Recovery required listening to her body, resting, and accepting help. The experience deepened her empathy for what others face.

On operations:
Balance structure with empathy. Transparency and iterative improvement over rigid systems. Draw from diverse perspectives but own the final decision - don't over-democratize to the point of paralysis.

Respect and dignity work across all cultures. Her multicultural background taught her to prepare by understanding individual contexts, ensuring people feel heard before aligning toward shared goals.

Looking ahead:
Climate action and sustainability. Inspired by her son and concern for the next generation, she wants to apply operational expertise to long-term systemic challenges.

This conversation between Vidya Nair and Raghav Krishna is worth listening to if you've ever struggled with choosing kindness over being right, building operations that serve people, or leading through burnout and uncertainty.

#Leadership #PeopleOperations #Kindness #Burnout