37000 feet and cruising: So I am sick + some learnings and thoughts

Ensure that the entire process is under your control. This is very important. There will be temptations to do that deal with a large company who will get their entire sales force to sell your product. It will be lucrative to get integrated with this large pan-indian bank so that your cash management becomes a trivial problem. Trust me, this will not work. The fact that you want to do any deal with an external party means that you feel that the problem is a difficult one for you to tackle. Wisdom has taught us that the only reason the external party agrees to do the deal is they don't realize how difficult the problem is. In the initial days, it's important for every company to have full ownership and a fool-proof plan they can implement to solve the difficult problems they come across.


Never hire through recruiters. We have found that the best way to hire is through referrals and through job portals. Recruiters are just lousy. If your HR person is using a recruiter or wants to use one, it just means they don't want to put in the effort to do the job themselves. Of course the best hires are people who have worked with other team members in the past.

37000 feet and cruising: So I am sick + some learnings and thoughts

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McKnight Principles

As our business grows, it becomes increasingly necessary to delegate responsibility and to encourage men and women to exercise their initiative. This requires considerable tolerance. Those men and women, to whom we delegate authority and responsibility, if they are good people, are going to want to do their jobs in their own way.

Mistakes will be made. But if a person is essentially right, the mistakes he or she makes are not as serious in the long run as the mistakes management will make if it undertakes to tell those in authority exactly how they must do their jobs.

Management that is destructively critical when mistakes are made kills initiative. And it's essential that we have many people with initiative if we are to continue to grow. - William L. McKnight, 3M

McKnight Principles

A Century of Innovation

A Century of Innovation is a celebration of the values and innovative thinking that makes 3M unique. Perseverance, ingenuity and creativity have made 3M's first 100 years a century of success.

For years, people around the world have looked to 3M for products and ideas that solve problems and make their lives easier and better. Our achievements are the foundation of a proud past and the bright future of many innovations to come.

We have a history of investing in the communities in which we operate by providing jobs for local residents and supporting education, the environment, and social and economic development. 3M also is recognized as a leader in environmental protection and a pioneer in pollution prevention.

Much of 3M's rich culture comes from the principles that William L. McKnight, former President and Chairman of the Board, set forth. McKnight believed "management that is destructively critical when mistakes are made kills initiative. It's essential that we have many people with initiative if we are to continue to grow." It is this growth that continues to make 3M a leader in the 21st century.

The 3M Story

Read about the first 100 years of 3M, a global, diversified technology company committed to providing practical and ingenious solutions to help customers succeed.

A Century of Innovation The 3M Story (pdf, 6.82 MB)