While HR leaders in corporate environments might feel working in a hypergrowth company would be exciting, they need to realize it requires a different type of mindset.

• You need to roll up your sleeves… all the way up. As mentioned earlier, it is important for hypergrowth CHROs to get the basics covered, and probably get a lot of it done themselves. As Poddar put it, “Being a jack of all trades is not always a disadvantage and could, in fact, be a strength. In our environment, everyone would roll up their sleeves. We place great value on deep expertise, but it is important to be able to cut across multiple roles. Most people think they can do it but developing cross functional agility can be challenging.” Chandrashekhar, too, agreed. He sees leading HR in start-ups as a “tough contact sport. It is so tough that it makes you tougher for life”.

   

• It is not about looking good. Most CHROs we interviewed confirmed that, in hypergrowth companies, only results matter. Shek explained that “it is not about making your boss happy, not about hierarchy”. Poddar added that “people here don’t care about titles – it is about the experience and the exposure. They are hungry for experience and being able to make an impact. This is what we hire for and retain against. There is no one to impress, the outcomes are quite evident in the success metrics”. Similarly, Godwin felt that hypergrowth companies are “less political environments, more open, more people focused”.

   

• It is not about being a business partner, it is about being a business leader (who happens to know HR). All hypergrowth CHROs concurred that they need to think and act like a business leader to make a true difference. Chandrashekhar explained that in a hypergrowth company “you need to understand everything about the business, the product stack, the go-to-market strategy, etc. As a HR leader, you need to learn it, and sometimes even lead it. You need to rethink your persona as a businessperson, as an owner”. Ong confirmed that “HR leaders who have a CEO mindset do best. The CHRO needs to embrace what the CEO wants to do and take this agenda as their own”. Similarly, Jain feels that “If you don’t understand the business and the financials deeply, you simply cannot do your job. As CHRO in a hypergrowth company, you are a business leader tasked with growing the company. Your HR expertise is just one of the many skills you bring to the business”.

   

• To add value, get out of people’s way. The best way for HR to bring added value to the business is by keeping things simple and personal. As Wong summarized it, “you need to approach policies and processes by looking at how people would react and respond”. Shek, who spent the bulk of her career in fast-growing companies, went even further by remarking “I may be biased, but I feel policies and processes do not work in hypergrowth environments”. Poddar also highlighted that “if things are too complex in your head, nobody will get it. Your HR ideas should be simple, authentic, and easily understood”.