"Loha garam hai" - how we used Sholay to help Icertis talk about its values in an engaging and memorable way
A post by Ramanand, co-founder at Choose To Thinq
I've seldom seen companies believe in, talk about, and put their weight behind cultural values the way Icertis does. And that led to an unusual assignment two years ago.
It turns out that Icertis co-founders Samir Bodas and Monish Darda are nuts about the blockbuster Hindi film "Sholay". In late 2019, when Harish met Monish on the sidelines of an innovation event that we were part of, they got talking about CTQ's Quintessence format (where we enable teams to align and bond using stories and questions connected to acclaimed books and movies).
Monish: "We have an upcoming all-hands in Jan 2020. Is it possible to do something around Sholay?"
To which Harish said the equivalent of "Partner, ab bol hi diya hai to dekh lenge".
I don't think anyone at Icertis's organising team really knew what to expect or what they were getting into, but to their credit, they let us run with this without running any interference. At work, Icertis puts its FORTE values centre-stage: a prospective employee hears about it at every stage, a new joinee gets a detailed briefing, and even experienced Icertians feel FORTE in the air in daily life. So what could we do differently with Sholay x FORTE?
We decided to find interesting connections to each element of FORTE (Fairness, Openness, Respect, Teamwork, Execution) in both the plot and making of Sholay. For instance, how the young but experienced Sachin commanded respect from the older but greener Amitabh; how famed stuntwoman Reshma Pathan rarely got her due in a male-dominated industry; or the famed scene where Jai asks for Basanti's hand in marriage for Veeru - a fun example of the unintended consequences of openness.
The evening was great fun: while they answered questions and swapped work stories, we discovered Icertians who could do a mean impression of Amitabh's baritone, people who were as geeky about Sholay as us, and ensured the American colleagues in the room discovered just why Sholay is such a cult classic. The session ended with Monish and Samir teaming up for a collaborative rapid-fire. (Bahut Yaarana Lagtaa Hai!)
Too often, companies are uptight about communicating culture, making it sound like a lugubrious add-on to worklife. But if culture is something you do, live, breathe everyday then consider a multiplicity of approaches. It's possible to use your dearly-held interests as a channel for your dearly-held values.
Just like the Icertis co-founders, Ramesh Sippy at the time of Sholay could be considered a 2nd/3rd-time entrepreneur: a mix of being a little seasoned and still a little crazy to stick to a compelling vision. Whether building durable companies or conjuring up cult classics, there's certainly more than one way to success.