« Coffee with the CEO / Michael Bala - Snapfish India
Michael Bala (LI) is the Country Manager (India) for HP's Snapfish Division. He has 15 years of experience in Internet, advertising, marketing, and sales across leading organizations in the country. The workosaur team caught up with Bala and sought his words of wisdom for our readers.
In conversation with Michael Bala on September 16, 2008
- Workosaur: Tell us about your career journey. How did you get to being where you are?
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Michael Bala:
I started off as a production planning co-ordinator with an organisation called Vetri Software (now known as Lason). Then, I moved to GoldWire Softweb and grew in the organization and soon assumed the COO position. From GoldWire, I joined BharatMatrimony.com and worked in several capacities (from a Functional Head to a Business Head) before moving to Snapfish/HP.
In this period of 15 years, I've enjoyed all the assignments I have taken up. I treat each aspect of my work as a creative challenge. And the stimulation that each challenge provides has kept me going. I have always seen the organization from a holistic perspective. Right from the beginning of my career, I've considered all functions and divisions in the organization as part of my responsibility. I guess this ownership gave my bosses a great amount of confidence in me.
Also, I would give a lot of credit for my career growth to my ex-boss at GoldWire - Aubrey Sequeira. He was the kind of person who would spot talent, give them lots of responsibilities and empower them to make decisions, that too, with complete faith. The magnitude of learning that came from it was significant. Also, it was then that I realized the importance of identifying good talent (from the organization's perspective) and giving them the freedom to perform.
- Workosaur: Could you share with us some of the most memorable moments of your illustrious career?
- Michael Bala: If I were to pick my most memorable moment, I would say it was the day I was elevated to the position of a Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Goldwire Softweb, a part of Group Goldwire (which used to be the largest independent advertising agency in India).
- Workosaur: What advice would you give to someone who aspires a top management/CxO profile?
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Michael Bala:
There are lots of pieces that make up the answer. But to put it concisely:
Approach to Work - Be true to your work. Know your work better than anyone else. Clarify your doubts, no matter how dumb it may make you look.
Approach to Problem-solving - Think out of the box and tackle problems creatively. In a seemingly stalemate situation, look at things from the outside. You may find a solution.
Approach to Teamwork - Respect your team. Together you are always more knowledgeable. And, if your team wins, you win.
