Marc Benioff started Salesforce out of his one-bedroom apartment back in 1999. Today, Benioff stands at a net worth of nearly $10 billion. So how did his idea revolutionize the IT industry? How was he able to become one of the most sought-after engineering leaders in the world? Let’s take a look at five rules that helped Benioff scale Salesforce into a multi-billion dollar company that several engineering leaders admire.
Benioff states that you cannot expect your employees to work efficiently without having trust within the organization. He adds that engineering leaders need to build trust with their company’s stakeholders and customers. If you cannot deliver on your promise as a leader, you will end up losing out on business, says Benioff. Keeping this in mind, he created a new department in his company called the ‘Office of Ethical and Humane Use.’ This department collects grievances from employees, stakeholders, and customers and shares them with Benioff directly.
Adapt to change and focus on innovation
Benioff emphasizes that all engineering leaders should create a work environment that enables employees to adapt to change. Engineering managers can also ensure this by hiring people with a willingness to face uncertainties. Like Facebook, Salesforce believes that a company can remain relevant by innovating ahead of time. The organization always has something up its sleeves, ready to be showcased at the right time. Benioff adds that a good leader will always push their team to innovate according to the market needs. A company should also foresee changes that might come in the future and be ready to adapt to them accordingly.
Having a brilliant idea is not enough to grow the business. An engineering manager must also possess the ability, persistence, and patience to execute the concept successfully. Benioff also suggests that engineering leaders should not get too attached to their ideas. Sometimes, the most exciting concepts are not fruitful when implemented. In these cases, engineering leaders should devise a new plan and move over to it to succeed.
Learn to delegate your tasks
What is the difference between an engineering leader and an engineer? A leader knows how to delegate tasks effectively. Benioff says that if you want your company to succeed, you must identify your skills and delegate tasks that are not in the area of your expertise. He emphasizes having the people you trust the most as a part of your innermost circle. For example, in Salesforce, Benioff delegated the marketing responsibilities and ensured that every employee played an essential role in the company’s marketing efforts.
Give back to the world.
Benioff believes that giving back to the community is as important as business growth. To prove his point, Salesforce donates a share of its products, equity, and employees’ time to the community’s betterment. This practice also helps boost employee morale. So let your employees utilize some of their working time to make the world a better place, suggests Benioff.
So, these were the five fundamental rules that Marc Benioff swore by while building the multi-billion-dollar Salesforce. To sum up, great engineering leaders always gain their employees’ and stakeholders’ trust, delegate tasks effectively, and are intelligent innovators. But, most importantly, they can first, adapt to change and are willing to give back to the community.
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Ritvik is a copywriter and content writer who has worked with fast-scaling startups such as GoMechanic and Pitstop. He runs his own automotive blog as well.
