Siddharth Maheshwari, an IIT Roorkee and Indian School of Business alumnus, has gone viral after sharing an honest account of his early experiences as a manager, where he admitted that several leadership missteps cost him members of his team. His post has sparked widespread discussion online about the challenges of transitioning from academic excellence to people management.
Maheshwari, who is 34, reflected that neither his engineering background nor his management education had adequately prepared him for the realities of handling teams. He said his first managerial assignment became a steep learning curve, marked by mistakes that eventually led to three employees leaving his team during the early phase of his career.
Learning leadership through early setbacks
The former ISB graduate clarified that the departures were not linked to intentional neglect or harsh behaviour, but rather to his lack of understanding of workplace communication and recognition. He explained that he often misunderstood how simple actions or inactions were being perceived by team members.
He shared that assigning additional responsibilities to a top-performing employee was meant as a gesture of trust, but was interpreted differently by the employee due to lack of verbal appreciation. He acknowledged that not openly recognising contributions played a role in her decision to leave.
Missteps in handling team dynamics
Maheshwari also recounted an instance where he struggled with disagreement within the team. He admitted that he became defensive when a colleague challenged him during a meeting and gradually excluded that person from important discussions. He later realised that the disagreement was constructive and has since made efforts to actively encourage differing viewpoints.
In another case, he described how his repeated delays in responding to an employee’s request for a role change created uncertainty. He said that his habit of responding with “let’s see” led to frustration, eventually pushing the employee to resign. He added that he now ensures timely and clear decisions, even when they are unfavourable.
Maheshwari said these experiences shaped his understanding of leadership more than formal education. He noted that while institutions like IIT and ISB provide strong technical and strategic foundations, they often do not prepare individuals for the emotional and interpersonal aspects of managing people.
Disclaimer: This story is based on a post shared by a social media user. The details, opinions, and statements quoted herein belong solely to the original poster and do not reflect the views of Financialexpress.com. We have not independently verified the claims