Naveen Jain’s People-Centered Leadership
Judging from his long list of entrepreneurial successes and accomplishments, as well as his work in firms prior to Intelius, Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist Naveen Jain’s passion for his work is undeniable.
A self-confessed workaholic who devotes 18 hours a day to work, Intelius co-founder and CEO Naveen Jain, has only six people who report directly to him but is responsible for the entire operations of a firm that currently houses 191 employees. In addition, his vision and managerial skills influence the outcomes of the company, making his job more challenging.
Though faced with the difficult task of pushing the company forward amidst fierce competition, at the end of the day, Naveen Jain recognizes that is important to trust in the asset of the firm – its people.
Being at the top of a relatively young company, he recognizes that the people are the greatest asset of any organization. According to him, businesses succeed from flawless execution, not just from great vision. Thus, smart, focused, and experienced teamwork is essential to running a successful enterprise.
Backed by his experience working with Microsoft for seven years and creating InfoSpace thereafter, he recognizes that creativity is spurred only by providing an environment where employees are encouraged to speak their mind, share their ideas through open channels of communication. At Intellius, communication methods are informal – executives like him can be consulted by simple drop-bys at the office and chats at hallways.
Naveen Jain also promotes a leadership that inspires employees by individual acknowledgments of their accomplishments. Positive appraisals from simple gestures of thoughtful and personal recognition bring a forward-looking atmosphere to the company.
It is with little doubt that through Jain’s vision and leadership, Intelius has propelled itself to become one of the most distinguished companies in its field, earning the American Business Awards citation for Best New Company in 2006 and recognized as one of Washington’s top three Best Workplaces by the Puget Sound Business Journal in 2007.
