Strap: In a candid conversation on ‘Building Caring Corporates’ podcast by YourDOST, former McKinsey consultant and entrepreneur Mayank Shivam, founder at IBO shares how prioritising authentic employee well-being creates lasting value for all stakeholders and why personal decisions have far-reaching consequences beyond oneself.
Body: Entrepreneurs who are customer-centric and are eager to simplify the lives of individuals from all walks of life, are rare. Mayank Shivam began his entrepreneurial journey with Gramvani, a social venture, among India’s most innovative companies in 2011 after his stints at McKinsey, Jabong and Amazon. As he heads IBO Wholesale today, a home improvement venture that’s thoughtfully crafted, he stands out as a leader who is building legacy with care.
Throughout the Building Caring Corporates podcast by YourDOST with Richa Singh, Mayank gave us a glimpse into his childhood and the experiences that shaped him. Excerpts from the podcast:
The inverted pyramid of organizational success
“If I take care of my employees in the best way possible, my shareholders will be taken care of,” Mayank states with conviction. “I’ll create the most shareholder value if I do the best for my customers and employees, rather than the other way around.”
This perspective inverts the traditional corporate pyramid, challenging the notion that shareholder value should be the primary focus. Drawing from his experiences across institutions and his own entrepreneurial ventures, Mayank makes a compelling case that employee well-being serves as the foundation for sustainable organisational success.
But what does true employee well-being look like? For Mayank, it transcends the superficial trappings of a ‘happy workplace’ with constant laughter. “A workplace where we are taking care of employee well-being is one where we are giving people the space to be who they are,” he explains. “We are allowing them the space to bring whatever they are going through in life emotionally and mentally to the workplace.”
The ‘Insecure Overachiever’ Trap
Mayank’s journey through prestigious institutions, from La Martinière Lucknow to IIT Kanpur to McKinsey, has given him unique insight into high-achievement environments and their psychological impact.
In these settings, he observed what he calls the ‘insecure overachiever’ phenomenon: “The higher the talent density, the higher expectations you have from yourself and others have from you. The more you do, the more you expect from yourself, and that can create a stress of itself.”
This creates a particularly dangerous dynamic in elite academic institutions and corporates, where individuals feel constant pressure to prove their worth. The psychological burden of maintaining this image becomes a significant source of stress and potential burnout.
More troubling is the persistent societal belief that success and wealth should correlate with better mental well-being. Mayank challenges this misconception: “All studies done on happiness and money show that there is one threshold till which money helps because of basic sustenance needs, and beyond it, there is zero correlation.”
The Invisible Nature of Mental Struggles
The deceptive nature of mental health challenges became painfully clear to Mayank during his time with the Student Counseling Service at IIT Kanpur. There, he witnessed firsthand how even those seemingly thriving could be suffering silently.
The suicide of a fellow student, who had been laughing with friends just minutes before taking his life profoundly affected Mayank’s understanding of mental health. “It’s very hard to know what’s going on inside our minds and our hearts,” he reflects. “You can’t assume just by looking at people around us that people don’t need help.”
This tragedy revealed another crucial dimension: the ripple effects of our decisions on others. Visiting the student’s family and village community, Mayank observed the devastating impact of what might seem a deeply personal choice.
“A lot of times you can feel lonely and you can feel it’s all about you, and choices you make are your choices to make,” he says, “but they’re not.”
This realisation has stayed with him throughout his life and career decisions, including his choice to leave McKinsey earlier than most to pursue social impact work at Grameen.
Breaking Cycles of Pressure
Now as a parent, Mayank applies these insights by prioritising his children’s sense of security above all else, especially important for children of high-achieving parents.
“One thing that we see, especially when parents have achieved a lot, went to this IIT and IIM. There’s a lot of pressure on the child because right from the time they are growing up, there is a comparison that can sometimes just weigh you down,” he observes.
Rather than preparing his children for specific career paths, he focuses on strengthening their inner security and reducing their dependence on external validation. “As a parent, maybe one of the best things that we could do is giving that security – we have your back no matter what.”
Creating Authentic Workplaces
Mayank’s vision for future organisations emphasises authenticity, an alignment between personal and organisational values eliminates the need for employees to wear different masks at work and home.
“Finding organisations which align with your personal values is very important,” he advises. “If I’m trying to be somebody I’m not, especially for eight hours a day physically, and probably twelve, thirteen hours mentally, that’s usually the biggest driver of stress.”
True employee well-being means creating environments where people can bring their whole selves, struggles and strengths alike without judgment. In such spaces, people feel secure enough to be authentic, and this authenticity becomes the foundation for sustainable success.
The Interconnected Web of Well-being
Mayank’s journey reveals a profound truth: our well-being is deeply interconnected with those around us. From the ripple effects of personal decisions on our communities to the impact of leadership choices on organisational health, we exist in a web of mutual influence.
By recognising this interconnection and prioritising authentic well-being for ourselves and those we lead, we create environments where both people and organisations can truly flourish, not just in moments of visible happiness, but in the deeper satisfaction of being fully seen and valued for who we are.
