At Bizom, we have a concept wherein employees get opportunities to become ‘Catalysts’. Here, the employee is a part of the CEO’s Office for one quarter and will work closely with Lalit, our CEO.
The Catalysts do pretty much everything Lalit is supposed to do tactically or strategically but does not have time, skills, or motivation to do. Ideally, employees that have settled in at Bizom are allowed to apply for the Catalyst position with a Statement Of Purpose that explains why they want to become a Catalyst.
Coming to my experience in the position, since I was a part of our Human Resources team (which is a small team at Bizom), it must have been an application that caught Lalit by surprise. The idea was to view the organization not only from an HR angle but also from a business angle.
When I got started, the most common question people asked me was – “How is your Catalyst tenure going?”, and “How is it to be a Catalyst?”
Well, here is my answer to all those questions.
About 6 months ago, when Surya was the Catalyst, he reached out and asked me to apply for the role. My instant reply was ‘NO’ because we did not have enough bandwidth in the HR team, especially with the financial year-end activities being just around the corner. But somehow, my name made it on the list and Lalit asked Shalaka, our Head of HR, if the April-May-June (AMJ) quarter worked for us. Due to the financial year-end commitments in the HR team, I could not opt for the AMJ quarter and Shalaka had to talk to Lalit and push this ahead to the July-August-September(JAS) Quarter.
As per the initial plan, the previous Catalyst, Oliviya’s tenure was supposed to end by June 2021. However, it got extended till mid-July.
Later the same month, Lalit scheduled a call with Shalaka and me to check whether HR has the bandwidth. As Shalaka and I were already planning the move from HR to Catalyst, we decided without a second thought that my Catalyst tenure will begin as planned.
In hindsight, I feel that this was the best decision I made! And thus on 12th July 2021 began my “Catalyst Tenure at CEO’s Office”.
How was it to be a Catalyst?
My journey as a catalyst can be summarized in 3 phases – Learn -> Unlearn -> Relearn – post-which learning became fun again; Finally!!!
I believe that learning is the only constant thing that can keep oneself both updated and motivated. These three and half months have given me a lot of new learnings and Yes, I did manage to unlearn a lot of outdated things and smartly relearnt the same. We at Bizom believe in Self-learning which is an important part of our culture too. There can be no other Mentor/Guide/Coach than yourself.
What did I do as a Catalyst?
I will not be going in-depth about the tasks handled. But I would like to cherish a few wonderful learnings.
* Working on Fleo – The OKR Tool:
I am thankful to our Startup Connect program for bringing so many early-stage start-ups with wonderful products to Bizom, Fleo being one of them. Even though Fleo is in an early stage, it has helped us structure our OKRs.The Brainstorming sessions with the Fleo team have been very insightful. I am sure that Fleo will help us track and monitor our Goals.
* Helping brand our Algorithmic Jugaad Culture:
I was thrilled to collect and read our Algorithmic Jugaad stories. Big thanks to Mohit for giving life to all our Algorithmic Jugaad stories. Hoping to see many more stories going forward.
* Organizing Sales Boot Camps:
It was nice to work with Krishna and Oliviya. Shout out to our sales team for being cooperative and for helping us run this event flawlessly. And hats off to all organizers and volunteers.
P.S. Thanks to Shree for approving the extra budget 😉
* Attending Lalit’s Meetings:
I was part of a couple of Lalit’s meetings. It was a great learning experience, but I feel sad to have missed many of his other meetings.
Gratitude
How can I end without thanking people who were with me throughout my Catalyst tenure?
Firstly, Thanks to Lalit for allowing me to work as his Catalyst. I would be happy to reapply again.
Many Thanks to Oliviya for the quick KT and for being available always whenever I needed it.
Thanks to all Department Heads, Team Leads for always making time for me.
Mohit, without your help I could not have accomplished many of my tasks. As usual, I would say that I’d give you 1001 AOB points for this.
Thanks to all our ex-catalysts – Simran, Apoorv, and Surya for clarifying my doubts.
And finally, thanks to my HR Team, Shalaka and Ojaswini this would not have been possible without your support and love. You both have burnt your midnight oil for these last three and half months. I would like to give my whole appreciation to these two Superwomen. ♥
All the best to Vibha and Abdullah (the next Catalysts). You guys are gonna rock it!!
