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Hi folks! Welcome to yet another insightful episode of the Leader Show with Lou Carter. Today, Mr. Carter interviews Bhavin Shah, CEO of Moveworks. The conversation in the podcast mainly revolves around the organizational culture of Moveworks and how it has become a most loved workplace.
Now, without any further ado, let’s get straight to the meat of the matter.
Bhavin explains that Moveworks’ mission is to use conversational AI to improve the way businesses work by providing support to employees so they can focus on their work and have a sense of belonging. He mentions that when it comes to hiring, they look for the best talent but also focus on certain attributes in individuals, such as the ability to work in an ambiguous environment, focus on perfection and details, act on impartial information, and have a strong building and execution quotient.
The goal is to bring on people who can work in this innovative space and help Moveworks continue to improve and grow.
Next, Lou and Bhavin discuss the importance of automation and its trend in enterprises worldwide. They talk about the use of conversational AI and reference architecture to build a conversational system. The training of these systems involves annotation and the use of label training data.
They also talk about OpenAI, which has hired thousands of human annotators to provide label training data to ensure precision and recall in the system. In addition to that, they emphasize the importance of looking at precision and recall metrics and improving the results over time through regular evaluations and real-time feedback.
According to Bhavin, building an AI system is not just about adding more data, but it is also about paying attention to the details, like the type of model used, ensembling techniques, and ensuring that the system is not regressing.
Moving on, Bhavin strongly believes that building a successful organization requires time, experience, and iteration. And then talks a bit about the customer-driven culture at Moveworks, where decisions are made by individuals closest to the customers and data rather than relying on hierarchy.
He also mentions the standups at Moveworks, which are focused on asking what has been done, what has been tried, and whether the same insights are still holding true. The CEO then emphasizes iteration, encouraging people to try new things as long as they are not irreversible decisions and to develop a strong gut and intuition about what works.
The company’s focus is on execution quotient and making sure that the smartest people are looking at the data to make the best decisions for the customers. A customer-driven culture is one where the customer’s needs and experiences are the primary focus of the organization. At Moveworks, they believe that decisions should be made by the individuals who are closest to the data and the customers rather than by hierarchy acting as a gatekeeper.
Bhavin mentions that the goal is to get the smartest people involved in looking at the data and having conversations about the customer’s needs in order to arrive at the best outcomes. This approach is reflected in their standups, where the focus is on what got done, what was tried, and what was learned through iteration.
Also, the company encourages its employees to try new things and make decisions, as long as they’re not irreversible, in order to build a strong intuition and understanding of what works for their customers.
In this way, Moveworks strives to create a culture where the customer is at the center of everything they do, and all decisions and actions are guided by a deep understanding of the customer’s needs and experiences.
Bhavin suggests that to ensure a customer-driven culture, leaders need to create an environment where employees feel comfortable proposing new ideas and taking risks. This can ensure they are able to serve customers better.
Leadership can create this culture by giving employees access to data and information that will allow them to make informed decisions about how to better serve customers. This includes data on sales, engineering, and earnings, as well as customer feedback and market trends. By giving employees access to this information, they are better equipped to understand the needs and wants of customers and can act on their insights in a more effective way.
In addition to information access, it’s also important to create a culture of collaboration and teamwork. This means that everyone’s ideas, regardless of their title or role, should be given equal consideration and weight. Leaders should foster a culture where people are encouraged to work together, share ideas, and collaborate to find solutions that benefit both the company and its customers.
Finally, it’s important to have a violent reaction toward bureaucracy, inefficiencies, and slowdowns. In Bhavin’s opinion, leaders need to be proactive in creating an environment where employees are free to act quickly and make decisions that will benefit the customer without being bogged down by bureaucratic processes and red tape.
By doing this, companies can create a customer-driven culture that prioritizes customer needs and leads to better outcomes for everyone involved.
Another thing that Bhavin emphasizes is the importance of creating a culture where smart people can thrive and be motivated to do their best work. He believes that smart people don’t like to be managed, but instead, they want a clear vision and direction, challenges to work on, and an environment where they can freely engage with their colleagues and have the opportunity to have a real impact.
According to Bhavin, creating a flat, transparent, and fast-moving organization that hires smart people is the key to success. He learned this lesson early in his career when he transitioned from being an individual contributor to a manager and realized that his success was dependent on the output of his team, not just his ideas and brilliance.
This is why he believes in building organizations that are designed to empower and motivate smart people rather than limiting their potential through hierarchy and bureaucracy.
Next, Bhavin talks a little about the interview process at Moveworks. It mainly focuses on finding people who are ambitious and want to grow and develop in their careers but are not only focused on their own individual success.
The company looks for people who are invested in the company’s overall success and have a team-oriented mindset. Moveworks also places a strong emphasis on development and has a clear system for leveling employees based on impact and ability.
Performance reviews are also a big part of the company culture, happening twice a year to provide feedback and help individuals improve.
Lastly, Bhavin and Lou talk about the importance of self-improvement and ineffective leadership. Bhavin believes that personalities drive companies and that it’s important for leaders to have a growth mindset and a desire to always improve. This extends to not only professional aspects of life, but personal ones as well, such as relationships with friends and family, taking care of one’s health, and more.
He also mentions the role of self-awareness, which can be brought about through performance reviews and a culture of giving feedback. By continuously striving for self-improvement, leaders can drive their organizations to greater success and reach.
Bhavin and Lou discuss more on this episode of the Leadership Show. Do share your thoughts on this insightful episode with us.
