How Cohesion Co-Founder Thru Shivakumar Builds a Purpose First Company by Asking Hard Questions

Apr 5

This has been a year of reflection for Thru Shivakumar, CEO and Co-founder of Cohesion. In looking back at her career thus far, Thru sees two prevailing themes—a record of serving companies undergoing transition and change, as well as a commitment to leaving those companies better positioned than when she arrived.

Thru has continued on this trajectory during her three and a half years at Cohesion, an advanced smart building platform to connect disparate building systems, data, and insights that comprehensively work together to provide optimization tools that address immediate and future smart building needs. Tenants returning to physical offices expect healthy, productive, and touchless buildings, and Cohesion is leveraging technology to meet that demand.

Cohesion’s Purpose First model has delivered incredible results. Founded in 2018, the company now operates in nine cities across the globe, has two patents issued and two more pending, employs over 100 people, and has grown to over 20 customers in just four years.

But Thru is also forward-looking. A milestone birthday sparked a renewed focus on her own personal and professional goals. She explains, “Turning forty, I’ve really been thinking about purpose. I want to make sure I live to my purpose. I want to make sure I’m making the right, conscious decisions. What do I want in my life? What do I not want in my life? What is important to me? What are my goals? Who’s going to move forward with me to achieve these goals, and what’s going to help me get there?”

We recently talked with Thru about the process of purpose discovery, consciously developing her own leadership style, and why she believes transparency is the key to building a Purpose First culture.

After spending most of your career in more traditional corporate roles, was it a tough decision to step into the world of entrepreneurship?

I always knew I was an entrepreneur at heart. Being a builder was something I always knew I wanted to be, but I always hesitated to take the step. I feared the lack of stability. But I actually feel more stable than I’ve ever felt in a “stable career” because I’m doing what I want to do and know that I’m doing it with purpose. At Cohesion, we are doing something to change the world for the better.

How does Cohesion’s mission align with your own sense of purpose?

I believe in the built environment, and in creating resiliency and sustainability in the built environment. I fundamentally believe in climate change. My belief is that we have to push the boundaries in terms of asking, “If you say we can’t do it—well, why not?” Instead of accepting the excuses, you keep asking the question, “Why? Why is that the problem? Why can’t we change it?” If the systems need change, then let’s change the system, shape the product.

This work fascinates me because there’s so much opportunity in the most archaic industry there is. There’s a lot of change that needs to happen in real estate for the betterment of the world. What’s going to happen if we don’t do that?

What I bring to the table is an ability to synthesize different angles so that “we can’t” becomes "we can” in order to solve these problems.

How do you put that ability to work in your role at Cohesion?

As we grow, I’ve started to think more about my position and how I can bring what I do well into the top leadership role. For most of my career, I just thought about myself as a member of the team, so I never really reflected on what I uniquely do well.

But now I’m conscious of my own abilities and how they can benefit my team and shareholders. I process things rapidly, and I can quickly make a decision. I can see the path forward, and I can lead our team on that path. That need for decisiveness in my role is paramount, and for a long time, I undervalued the extent to which people depend on decisive leaders.

I can think deeply. I can think broadly. And that’s how I help my team achieve our company mission to empower real estate owners to increase portfolio value through connected building systems, enhanced tenant experiences, and actionable insights.

How do you leverage your own purpose in your role at Cohesion?

A purpose-driven, successful entrepreneur can mobilize a team. And to do that, you must ask hard questions until you find the problem that you need to solve for. You can’t sugarcoat reality; otherwise you won’t move forward.

But I view my role as that of a coach. I want to be part of the team. I want to be accessible. I will stay at the office late into the evening to brainstorm, to collaborate—whatever it is that my team needs. At the end of the day, my purpose is to solve problems.

It sounds like you’ve developed a purposeful approach to your leadership style. How does that shape the way you interact with your team?

I always tell my team that we’re all in this together. You can always make more money somewhere else. If you want to change the world, be here, and come on this journey with us. And I will be here along the way to help you get from A to B.

I take a “thoughtful” approach to my employees. That means offering constructive criticism while also fostering “teaching moments.” As a leader, you’re responsible for helping your employees grow, and growth isn’t always an easy journey.

How do you communicate Cohesion’s purpose to your team?

It’s my job to create pressure and fuel the fire, but I think it’s important to always give context. I run my company in a fully transparent manner. Some people may disagree with this leadership philosophy, but I think it’s important for everyone to always understand the “why” behind every decision.

I don’t ask my team to do anything that’s a “nice to have.” Everything must be tied to a goal; everything we do internally has a purpose—whether that’s exceeding customer expectations, prospecting a new client, or building out our product.

This is purpose-driven work. That’s how I like to drive the organization. Everyone needs to understand their purpose. It doesn’t have to be an existential thing. It’s understanding the purpose of this task, this project, this email, and seeing the bigger picture.

I keep myself accountable by being clear that my role is to keep us aligned with what success means for our organization, not necessarily what success means for me.

I guess the natural question, then, is what does success look like for you?

The days when I feel best about myself, when I get home and think “That was a good day,” were either when I cut a deal—because I’m a deal person at the end of the day—or when I’ve helped somebody gain insight into themselves or put a smile on their face because I was able to help them. When I see a member of my team and think, “They’re going to be so successful, and I’m on this ride with them,” it makes my day, even more so than celebrating my own wins.

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