It is a workplace where every person in the team contributes to cultural inclusion, where every idea from everyone in a room is valued. It may be an argumentative and consensus-driven culture but I would not have it any other way, said Kiran Mani, Managing Director, Google’s Global Client, and Marketing Partnerships, the Asia Pacific and Japan.
Speaking on Day 1 of the Best Practices of the 100 Best Conference by Avtar and Working Mother’, on November 18, Kiran discussed ‘Inclusion and Inner Consciousness’ with Dr. Saundarya Rajesh, Founder-President, Avtar group.
Answering the question on how Google has been approaching diversity, equity, and inclusion with a granular focus for more than two decades now, Kiran added, “I feel proud of representing an organization which is known for strongly standing up for something. The principles behind hiring are clear. Even the hiring board is diverse. In all stages, promotion and internal conversations, this diversity is evident.”
Kiran also shared his experiences illustrating how conversations around inclusion can go both ways. “One of my colleagues in the US pointed out to me that my wife was a homemaker linking it to me being an Indian. Sometimes, people believe that people act in a particular way, fitting the archetype. These archetypes are associated with Mediterranean men too though I have worked with some amazing individuals who do not fit that stereotype,” he added.
Talking about three required characteristics to build great teams, he said it is about having curiosity, coming up with solutions for problems, and outcomes. “Putting things on a scorecard gets the best out,” he added.
Pondering over what fearless inclusion looks like, he said it is about physical, psychological, and intellectual safety. “We Indians should think over it—should we still be celebrating basic humanity like men behaving appropriately with a woman late in the night?” he asked. He was referring to a recent post on social media that lauded transport employees in Karnataka for escorting a woman to safety late in the night.
He also called upon everyone to look at intellectual safety in the households, where every individual can have a conversation, irrespective of their income.
The discussion ended with Dr. Saundarya noting that she hoped more companies take a leap of faith. “Fearless action should be committed to, and fearless commitment should become the core for more companies,” she said.
