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I wanted to save this story about ‘How to Respond to Criticism’ for a special occasion, and no other occasion seems better than today when @vikalpsahni steps down as CTO of @goibibo. (A thread)
It was 2013/14. A rainy weekend in Bangalore, also 1st day of pycon (python conference). @goibibo was one of the sponsors and as a part of that deal, @vikalpsahni was giving a tech talk on @goibibo’s journey and tech stack.
In the middle of the insightful (also playful & fun) talk, a person from the audience asks the following question in a rather obnoxious tone to @vikalpsahni.
“The UX on your website is below par. Flight search is slow and while the results load you show hotels ads on your website. What’s the reason behind it among the following options?
A: The tech behind your search is amateur and hence the latency.
B: You want to cross-sell hotels
A: The tech behind your search is amateur and hence the latency.
B: You want to cross-sell hotels
C: I will accept any logical answer from you (the tone in this last option particularly was the rudest possible)”
There was absolutely pin-drop silence as everyone in the audience could feel that either the question could've been framed better or could've been asked offline
There was absolutely pin-drop silence as everyone in the audience could feel that either the question could've been framed better or could've been asked offline
Everyone expected @vikalpsahni to answer is defensively thinking he would have gotten offended.
But the way @vikalpsahni answered the question was 101 in ‘Leadership in Public’ for me.
But the way @vikalpsahni answered the question was 101 in ‘Leadership in Public’ for me.
He responded (perhaps with the biggest ear-to-ear smile on his face),
“A & B both. A- because we do know that our search at this moment hasn’t reached its full potential and we are constantly evolving it. B - because we are not just in the business of flights...
“A & B both. A- because we do know that our search at this moment hasn’t reached its full potential and we are constantly evolving it. B - because we are not just in the business of flights...
We want to take an opportunity of cross-selling our hotels product too. So, while our engines are looking for the best flights for you, we want to also show you that we can help you with hotels in the city you are travelling to.“
& he took a couple of more minutes to explain the limitations in the current system and how he planned to achieve it over the course of time.
Once this explanation was over, everyone sighed & the talk came back to its playful fun tone. We eventually evolved search and the overall user experience. But the way an obnoxious hater was converted into a fan with a simple, honest & ego-less response taught me many things.
There are many such stories of @vikalpsahni’s inclusive leadership that I got to witness during my stint at @goibibo and even after it.
I’ve never been more envious of a person’s career than I am of Vikalp’s. It doesn’t have the grandeur of glamour, but surely has grit, patience, tenacity, passion for building, creativity, generosity, empathy & above all having sheer fun doing everything.
