Clarity, Not Tools, Defines Great Product Leadership

Your journey into product management is inspiring. What shaped your early mindset and drew you to this field?
I began as an under-19 founder in a tier-3 town, where I started SCS Business Solutions. Our goal was simple: automate billing systems for small businesses in a pre-GST era marked by tax complexity. I did not know then that what I was doing was called ‘product management’. I only knew that we were solving real problems for real users. We would visit mandis, talk to traders, understand their daily frictions, and build solutions accordingly. When GST arrived, compliance requirements changed overnight, and we were not prepared. That disruption became a turning point. Eventually, I exited the business through an acquisition by a leading e-commerce platform, and that is when my formal product journey began. In hindsight, product management was never about the title. It was always about solving problems that genuinely improved people’s lives.
Was there a moment in your career that did not go as planned but changed how you lead today?
There were many. One significant phase was my repeated attempts at CAT between 2017 and 2019. Despite scoring in the 100th percentile in quant, I initially could not secure admission to the top colleges. Instead of giving up, I started teaching quant
at leading institutes. Teaching forced me to simplify complexity and understand how people actually learn. In 2019, I scored in the 99.87th percentile and was accepted into top B-schools, including IIM Kozhikode. But I realised something important: I was relearning concepts I had already internalised through work. Around the same time, I was working at Mahindra, writing books, mentoring, and building products. I have also pivoted careers multiple times: from aspiring doctor to entrepreneur, to UPSC aspirant (AIR 151), to product leader. The one constant across all failures and successes has been mental models. Failure teaches you how to think. And those models help you navigate ambiguity long after the success fades.
You have taught product management at ISB. What has the classroom taught you about how people learn product thinking?
Teaching sharpens your own thinking first. At ISB, I worked with professionals from across industries — competent people, yet
often unclear about why they wanted to transition into product roles. My role was never to give answers but to help them reflect. Conviction without clarity is fragile. Once people understand why they want to build products, their learning accelerates. Product management is not about frameworks alone; it is about self-awareness and intent.
What does a typical day look like for you as associate director of product at HROne?
No two days are the same. My teams include senior product managers, PMs, and UX designers. My mornings are spent removing ambiguity, helping teams recognise and navigate uncertainty. We begin with short stand-ups, followed by deeper discussions on customer feedback, market signals, and UX challenges. Since HR software automates human decisions, experience design is critical. About 60 per cent of my time goes into stakeholder conversations and alignment, while the remaining 40 per cent is spent understanding emerging trends, especiallyAI-driven interfaces. With OneAI, we are rethinking the UI itself. Employees can now apply for leave, access their payslips, or request information by simply speaking with an agent. That shift fundamentally reduces  friction.
Can you share a challenging moment where adoption, not technology, was the real problem?
At Mahindra’s cleantech division, we built digital products for solar and wind plants. Site engineers were deeply attached to legacy systems and resisted change, even when our tools clearly simplified their work. Adoption was the real challenge. We visited sites, spoke directly with engineers, and involved them in the redesign of workflows. Once they saw tangible benefits, they became our strongest advocates. Technology adoption is less about logic and more about trust. Those who adapt early grow faster. Those who resist eventually struggle.
How do you see HROne shaping the future of HR work?
I do not see this as transforming HR alone. I see it as transforming human effort. Just as we moved from physical travel to phone calls to video calls, we are now moving from forms and dashboards to agents. Employees no longer need to navigate interfaces. They ask questions. Systems respond. Whether it is attrition analysis, policy interpretation, or performance insights, what once took hours or days can now be done in seconds. This does not replace HR; it frees HR to focus on culture, judgment, and people.
How should upcoming HR leaders and product managers think about AI?
AI is already changing how we create content and learn. Next, it will reshape analytics, performance systems, policy design, and
product documentation. However, AI should never replace thinking. I always advise product managers: never let AI write the first version. Write V1 yourself. Then let AI refine it. That is how learning compounds. If we outsource thinking entirely, we risk becoming less intelligent while AI becomes more so. AI should be a collaborator, not a crutch.
What HR tasks will become invisible in the next two to three years?
Policy explanations, form-filling, basic queries, and operational clarifications will be removed from HR’s plate. With RAG-enabled systems and policy agents, employees will self-serve instantly. This allows HR to focus on what truly matters: leadership
development, engagement, and culture.
Your book, The Infinite Game of Product Development, reflects an evolutionary view of products. What inspired it?
No product is ever perfect. What you ship today will feel inadequate tomorrow, and that is natural. Products evolve the way humans do. The first version is always the worst version you will ever build, and that is okay. The fundamental mistake is waiting for perfection. Launch early, learn fast, and iterate relentlessly.
What core message should readers take away from the book?
Two things: First, always seek clarity through better questions and genuine curiosity. Second, stop chasing perfection. Build, release, learn, and evolve. That mindset applies equally to products and careers.
Finally, what daily or weekly habit compounds the most for young leaders?
Motivation is cheap dopamine. Discipline is sustainable. Reset how you earn dopamine, through routine, learning, and curiosity. If you stay curious across domains, clarity naturally follows. And clarity, over time, compounds into conviction.