This is part of our ongoing “In the Spotlight” series, in which we interview our quarterly selfless excellence champion.
ThoughtSpot's dedication to selfless excellence not only drives a sense of teamwork and partnership throughout the company, but also prevents barriers from arising between departments, teams, or individuals. It is the very essence of the culture at ThoughtSpot. Selfless excellence simply means that we put our teammates, customers, and society at large ahead of our own personal wins, and we put up with absolutely zero office politics. This is the guiding principle and fundamental belief that keeps us together as a team to work towards our mission of building a fact-driven world.
Each quarter, we recognize an employee who embodies the values of selfless excellence: hardwork and integrity; solving meaningful problems; and caring about colleagues and customers. A panel of peer judges from across the company evaluates the nomination and selects the winner.
This quarter our winner was, Ashok Anand, Principal Engineer at ThoughtSpot. In his own words, here’s what the win means to him.
Congratulations! How does it feel to be named the selfless excellence champion?
Thank you! It has been a pleasure and humbling experience to be named the selfless excellence champion among so many of our selfless and talented people. I owe so much of my journey and recognition at ThoughSpot to the amazing team of people who have helped me excel at my work.
How long have you been with ThoughtSpot? Tell us a bit about your journey here and what drew you to the company in the first place.
I have been with Thoughtspot for almost three and a half years as an engineer on the data platform team. I heard about Thoughtspot from one of my close friends. I was amazed at the kind, scale, and complexity of engineering problems that the team got to work on. But that was just one part of the story.
When I joined Thoughtspot, I came to learn that it is not just about the complex engineering problems, it is more about the awesome culture we have here. I was very happy to see so many great people who are extremely talented and humble at the same time. This was not limited to just within my team, but across teams globally. It is great to see how people care for each other and work collaboratively for the success of the team at ThoughtSpot.
What does selfless excellence mean to you?
To me, selfless excellence means to achieve excellence but in a way where we look beyond ourselves. It involves thinking about the customer, the company, and the team ahead of our own wins or egos.
How has selfless excellence played a key role in helping you succeed at ThoughtSpot?
Selfless excellence has been a guiding principle for me. We all want to be excellent at our work, but doing it in a selfless manner, with a team-first mentality, helps us stay on the right path and drive positive progress for the organization.
How can we nurture a consistent culture of selfless excellence with our colleagues, partners, customers, and community?
The culture is already really strong here and we should continue to cherish, support, and encourage it. Calling out and sharing examples of selfless excellence on Slack or through the quarterly award nomination are great ways to do this internally,., but we can also apply it to our partners and customers. Once we put this to practice in our everyday life, we will indeed be helping build a great community.
Do you have any advice for fellow Spotters on how to become a selfless excellence champion?
Strive for excellence in everything you do, and with a mindset of looking beyond yourself. Excellence comes with hard work and dedication. So, continue doing that, and continue cherishing our culture.
Work with our amazing team! Check out opportunities at ThoughtSpot here.
