As I was contemplating the theme for my next blog using Numbers, I realized I didn't have to look beyond my current organization.
One aspect that has stood out over the past twelve months has been the spirit of partnership, collaboration, and exceptional teamwork as we navigated a global integration journey. Watching people from different organizations, cultures, and experiences come together with a shared purpose has been both inspiring and rewarding.
Over the last three decades of my career, I have been fortunate to build high-performing teams from the ground up — at Infosys, then at Singapore Post, and more recently during my journey with Mr. Cooper and Rocket.
One lesson has remained constant throughout these experiences.
Building a high-performing team is never about assembling people with identical backgrounds or expertise. It is about bringing together individuals with the right attitude, passion, complementary skills, diverse perspectives, varying levels of experience, and different aspirations—all united by a common purpose that aligns with the organization's values and culture.
People join this journey at different stages. Some are there from day one, while others come on board as new business needs emerge. But when every individual understands the destination and the role they play in reaching it, remarkable things can happen—not only for the organization but also for the clients we serve.
One aspect that has become increasingly important in today's global organizations is developing an appreciation for one another's cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. High-performing global teams are not built merely by collaborating across time zones; they are built by fostering empathy, mutual respect, and a genuine willingness to understand how colleagues think, communicate, and solve problems. When team members embrace these differences as strengths rather than barriers, they forge partnerships founded on trust and shared purpose. The result is far greater than individual or regional success—it is an enterprise that benefits from collective intelligence, stronger innovation, and a truly unified culture across the globe.
As always, here's my humble attempt to explain this leadership principle using something I thoroughly enjoy—interesting number sequences and mathematical patterns!
Example 1
We begin with the number 1, which is a perfect square (1²).
A new team member joins: For this example let's call the new team member as 6.
Together they form 16, which is also a perfect square (4²).
Next team member to be on-boarded is 9, itself a perfect square.
The new team becomes 196, again a perfect square (14²).
Now we welcome 2 to the team —the smallest even prime number.
The result is 1296, still a perfect square (36²).
As the team needs evolve, another 9 joins the journey.
The outcome? 12996, once again a perfect square (114²).
Example 2
Let's begin once again with 1 (1²).
Add 6 like earlier, giving us 16 (4²).
Next comes 9, but this time the arrangement is different.
We get 169, which equals 13².
Next, 3 joins the team.
The result is 1369, equal to 37².
Finally, we welcome 8—a perfect cube that brings a completely different characteristic to the team.
The outcome is 13689, which is 117².
In both examples, every number represents a new team member entering the organization at different points in time.
1. Each number is unique.
2. Some numbers are odd, some are even, while few are prime numbers, perfect squares and perfect cubes.
3. Each brings different strengths, perspectives, experiences, and expectations.
Yet despite this diversity, one thing remains unchanged—the final outcome continues to be a perfect square.
That, to me, is what exceptional organizations strive to achieve.
As teams grow and evolve, new people, fresh ideas, and diverse capabilities should strengthen the organization without diluting its core values, culture, and work ethic.
Diversity brings strength, Shared values bring unity, Purpose brings direction. And when all three come together, high-performing teams are not just built—they thrive.
Before I conclude, here's one more fun number fact about Rocket and India!
If we map the alphabets A = 1, B = 2, ..., Z = 26, the letters in ROCKET add up to 72, while INDIA adds up to 37.
Some interesting observations:
a) 72 is the product of a perfect square and a perfect cube:
- 72 = 9 × 8 = 3² × 2³
While 37 can be expressed as the sum of two perfect squares:
- 37 = 36 + 1 = 6² + 1²
b) 72 has 12 positive divisors, while 37 is the 12th prime number!
c) 72 can also be expressed as the sum of two perfect cubes:
- 72 = 64 + 8 = 4³ + 2³
While 37 can be expressed as the difference of two perfect cubes:
- 37 = 64 − 27 = 4³ − 3³
Just another reminder that numbers have an incredible way of revealing beautiful patterns and hidden connections as various cultures come together
Thank you once again to all my team members and colleagues across the globe for the outstanding collaboration, trust, and partnership throughout this integration journey. Your willingness to understand one another's cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives has helped build not just stronger teams, but stronger relationships across the enterprise.
As we step into the next phase of our journey at Rocket, I look forward to continuing to learn from one another, strengthening these partnerships, and together building an even stronger organization—one team, one purpose, and one shared vision.
Numbers never cease to amaze me... and neither do great teams.
Here's to the exciting road ahead!
#Rocket #RocketIndia
