{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"First Principles","title":"Part 2: Aneesh Reddy of Capillary Tech on how being called a “bully” led him to be a better leader","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3633,"description":"Welcome back to Episode 39 of First Principles!\n\nA few weeks ago, you heard the first part of our conversation with Aneesh Reddy, the CEO and Co-Founder of Capillary Tech, a software company offering products and services in the customer experience space.\n\nAnd you might remember that in that episode, Aneesh took us through the journey of Capillary in instalments – because as he explained, Aneesh dreams in instalments. \n\nThe second instalment was the years 2013 to 2018 – which Aneesh called “Capillary’s confusing years.” \n\nThey were particularly difficult years for them. \n\nHaving raised a massive amount of venture funding at an expensive valuation, Capillary started burning cash as they expanded ambitiously beyond India. The leadership had to justify their valuation, Aneesh said. \n\nDuring this time, Aneesh’s co-founder Krishna Mehra, or KK, had moved to San Francisco in the US. Communication between the co-founders started breaking down even as the pressure on Capillary Tech started mounting.\n\nEventually, both of Aneesh’s co-founders left within months of each other. But before leaving, KK was upfront with Aneesh. \n\nHe told Aneesh that he had become a bully. He wasn’t workable anymore.\n\nAneesh went to the Capillary board and told them he wanted to quit. \n\nIn this second part, you’ll hear the two things that Aneesh ended up doing to bounce back. \n\nThe first was executive coaching. A difficult process, because Aneesh, in his own words, ‘was a hard nut to crack.’ \n\nEventually, the coaching process proved to be so transformative for Aneesh, that Capillary today offers coaching to not just its entire leadership team but also down to first-time managers. \n\nThe second, very interestingly, was Vipassana. And again, as Aneesh explained, it was very difficult at first. \n\nBut it changed him. \n\nHe calls it a process of self-discovery and self-purification that every entrepreneur should experience.\n\nIn this episode, Aneesh talks to me about how these two interventions...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/ZPjguY9ABfvbemOPTrjXRW3XKosLSKk1tzX-F51gCWw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82N2E1/MjUwZmE5M2ZlZTZh/NzFjZjcwNjVlMGQ3/ZjkxOS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}