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Author: Tojo Eapen (page 7 of 10)

HR in India, Notes from the 2014 Nasscom India Annual HR Conference

July 29, 2014 / / 0 Comments

I attended the Nasscom India HR Conference in Chennai last week.  From conversations in recent years, I’ve noticed a lot of interest and curiosity about the India HR world externally as well.

Here’re some of my key notes and perspectives from the conference:

  • One of the most encouraging discussions to hear was from senior business leaders, recognizing that HR leaders can be actively considered as CEO succession candidates. There was recognition at the CEO level that HR leaders can have a tremendous impact on the business, due to immense amount of knowledge about the talent, organization, culture and the ability to engage with them successfully.  What would it take for an HR leader to be considered?  There was a feeling that business, financial and strategic skills can improve.
  • It would be important to have HR experts on the boards of companies (this came from senior business leaders).  Currently, there seems to be little expert knowledge or in-depth discussions on company boards.
  • Importance of having a strong personal value system and caring attitude towards employees (‘H’ in Human Resources) was highlighted.  This approach from leaders and HR was seen to have a high impact on employee engagement.
  • It is impactful for business leader development to rotate to HR roles but seems to not sufficiently happen the other way.  Most panelists felt that it would be very important for an HR leader to have done at least one job outside HR.  HR professionals sometimes do not feel confident or motivated to take up external assignments.  Talent development support and nurturing within the function would enable more of this.
  • The need for HR to be competent business partners – moving beyond processes and policing was highlighted multiple times.  Seems like there is a lot of work for the HR teams to progress towards becoming credible business partners.
  • HR is still seen as reluctant adopters of new technologies in organizations – in some cases, even disinterested.
  • Performance Management was the most active session attended.  Most questions and interest were focused on the details of administering a ‘no bell curve’ system.  This could be among the most active areas for HR and organizations in coming years.  Companies like Adobe who have moved away from the bell curve system received most of the questions and interest.
  • It is important for middle managers or first time leaders to build self awareness, be seen as team and organization builders, and build a strategic perspective, if they want to progress to senior leadership roles.
  • Some of the basic areas and processes require attention.  A recent case in the education industry involving insufficient reporting, employment background checks and records showed up in a Bangalore school, where a teacher with a very worrying negative work history was not identified.  Another area seems to be the pervasiveness of fake certificates and resumes.
  • Interest in topics such as gamification (especially in the start-up community) and hackathons seem to be growing.
  • There is still a long way to go for HR in using data and analytics as a strong base for decisions.  Predictive modeling is used by very few companies.
  • Attracting employees and leaders globally due to growth and acquisition in new geographies seems to be a topic of growing importance.
  • Skill building and employability in schools and organizations were seen as important areas to ensure continuous availability of quality talent.  Working together in teams and leadership development were seen as active areas for improvement and development at all stages (recent post on employability ).
  • Under the new Companies Act, certain class of profitable entities are required to spend at least two per cent of their three-year annual average net profit towards CSR activities.  This seems to hold promise for development activities.
  • The Nasscom report specifying salary difference between men and women being almost a third, was shared.  Looks like companies in India have to dig deeper into this topic and work out related actions.
  • Among notable missing topics from my perspective was neuroscience/brain studies and impact on leadership and organizations.  It would also have been useful to hear about how investors look at HR/leadership practices, global perspectives and references to topics like mindfulness or status/impact of the occupational health area.

It is obvious that managing through fast paced changes happening outside and inside organizations requires a continuous learning and improvement mindset.  The strong link to global business and competitive environment leaves little room for complacence.  This holds many opportunities for HR and also requires intensive, focused effort to upgrade competencies and mindset.

In my observation, HR in the IT/ITeS sector seems to have progressed faster due to heavy reliability on human capital development, fast growth, global acquisitions, diverse client base and connectedness.  That said, most professionals and experts seem to acknowledge that a lot of work is still needed.

Best wishes to you and your teams.

If I have missed something or you have a different perspective, please comment.

Please do note that IT/ITeS HR represents only one part of India HR.

 

Paradoxes for HR

July 21, 2014 / / 3 Comments

A paradox could be defined as a statement which seems to say two opposite things but that may be true.

Figuring out and reasoning through a paradox is an important and valuable exercise, for any individual or team.  I personally find them as extremely useful avenues to stretch, question and clarify my own thinking, logic and approach.

The idea of writing a blog post on this topic came as I was reading, “HR From The Outside In” (authored by RBL Group experts, including Dr. Dave Ulrich).  The following paradoxes from the book seem to be relevant for any HR team to figure out, in your respective organizational context.  From personal experiences, the lack of clarity and active dialogue can lead to confusing scenarios, frustration and stress within organizations.  Getting caught in ‘no man’s’ land becomes a reality.

Some of these may be highly relevant for leadership discussions and decision scenarios.

 

6 paradoxes facing HR

 

  • Outside & Inside
    How do you simultaneously understand the dynamics and operate in the marketplace and the workplace?
  • Business & People
    How do you balance the tradeoff between people and business? Many discussions in recent times have suggested that HR is losing the ‘Human’ in ‘Human Resources’.  On the other side, I’ve heard leaders say that HR is too ‘soft’.
  • Organization & Individual
    How do you manage the tensions between talent and teamwork, individual ability and organizational capability? In today’s environment, there are lots of discussions regarding ‘outliers’ and the value they bring to an organization.  An overemphasis may lead to a feeling of unfairness, frustration and disruption of shared values.
  • Process & Event
    How do you look beyond isolated activities and events to processes that generate sustainable solutions?
  • Future & Past
    How do you balance the past and the future – rely on the past for present choices or ignore the past?
  • Strategic & Administrative
    How do you balance flawless execution of administrative actions with strategic adaptation to future business scenarios? One common discussion and frustration I’ve encountered within HR organizations is regarding where the ‘strategic’ line is drawn, how and who are involved, and to what extent.

An interesting observation here seems to be that there are relationships to be considered among these paradoxes, e.g., balancing the tradeoffs between business and people may need to take into consideration the future and past. According to the authors, HR must learn to master these paradoxes – which means that HR professionals and departments are effective only when they can deliver simultaneous outcomes.  Relevant HR competencies help HR professionals to increase their effectiveness.

If you can build clarity through an active dialogue with yourself, your teams regarding your thinking, core principles and approach, you have a solid, starting base.  This should ideally be an active, continuing and evolving dialogue, in any organization consdering constantly changing external environments and demands.

Where do you and your HR departments stand on these paradoxes?

Suggested reading:

  • Book – “HR From The Outside In – Six Competencies for the Future of Human Resources”; Dave Ulrich, Jon Younger, Wayne Brockbank, Mike Ulrich; McGraw Hill.

Leadership Transitions In Organizations…Missed Opportunities, Lots of Pain

July 14, 2014 / / 3 Comments

While interacting with people at various levels of organizations, I’m often surprised by the lack of support for fundamental leadership transitions in organizations.  Unfortunately, the pain is often not just felt by the individual who is going through the transition but also her/his team members, colleagues and the business overall.  There have been many studies and perspectives on this topic but this still seems to be missing sufficient attention and systematic approach in many organizations.

Leadership transitions can happen at multiple levels, including personal and organizational.  My focus here is on the organizational transition aspect.    McKinsey research shows that 40 percent of new executive transitions are declared failures after 18 months.  According to them, 68 percent of transition failures happen because of the information new executives use, the sequence they follow, and the manner in which they engage – or fail to engage – those around them.  According to CEB, direct reports of successfully transitioning leaders are 15% more effective at their own jobs than the average, and 21% less prone to attrition.  More than 70% of executives are not effective at supporting new-to-role peers and managers.

From personal experiences and observations, these are complex environments with changes for everyone involved and may lead to multiple issues quickly.  The social and emotional context have to addressed very early.  Clarity needs to be built through active dialogue.  If not, trust and performance could erode quickly.

One could also look at these organizational leadership transitions from multiple perspectives.  We’ll look at two interesting ones from different angles.

Stephen Drotter and Ram Charan developed a six passage model called Leadership Pipeline.  According to them, these six turns or passages are major events in the life of a leader.  They are:
1. Managing Self to Managing Others
2. Managing Others to Managing Managers
3. Managing Managers to Managing A Function
4. Functional Manager to Business Manager (responsible for bottom line)
5. Business Manager to Group Manager (multiple businesses)
6. Group Manager to Enterprise Manager 

Prof. Michael Watkins shares seven transitions that good leaders must make while moving from a functional leader to a general manager:
1. Specialist to Generalist
2. Analyst to Integrator
3. Tactician to Strategist
4. Bricklayer to Architect
5. Problem-solver to Agenda-setter.
6. Warrior to Diplomat.
7. Supporting cast to Lead role.
According to him, leaders fail in such transitions  because they don’t go back into a learning mode.

Irrespective of whether you see all these transitions relevant to your organizational context, it is important to recognize and build your necessary organizational support and development system.  In my view, there seems to be at least two transitions that you absolutely cannot afford to miss or ignore, in any organizational size or context:
1. Transition from Individual contributor to Managing others, and
2. Transition from an Individual manager to Managing multiple managers

Leaders and HR teams have to be very aware of these topics and act proactively to provide adequate support in terms of processes, practices and development programs.  Ideally, an organizational system (even a simple one) that supports leadership transitions across the board should be in place.  Successful or unsuccessful leadership transitions will have huge impact on your employees and your organization’s success.  At an individual level, you could also reflect on the ‘passage’ you are in currently, the actions most needed to ensure successful progress and also start building for the future.  Best wishes…

References/Suggested Additional Reading:
1. BUILDING LEADERS AT EVERY LEVEL: A LEADERSHIP PIPELINE, Stephen J. Drotter, Ram Charan, May/June 2001
2. SEVEN TRANSITIONS GOOD LEADERS MUST MAKE, Professor Michael D. Watkins, June 2012
3. Changing Jobs?, Tojo Eapen, February 2010
4. What Got You Here Won’t Get You There (Book), Marshall Goldsmith.  The 20 Bad Habits.

 

“In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be, by remaining what we are.” – Max DePree, Leadership Is An Art

Who Would You Hire For A Leadership Role?

July 7, 2014 / / 0 Comments

During my travel to Delhi and  Gurgaon last week, I was grateful to meet few friends and colleagues from the past, and learn about their personal experiences, which included positive and challenging ones.  One theme that stood out during past weeks is the ‘richness and wisdom of life experiences’.  My personal experiences may also have led to the topic.

That raised a question and thinking in my mind:

“Who would you hire for a leadership role? ” 

Would you look for someone with a wide range and depth of personal life experiences, especially tough ones (in addition to the ‘non-negotiable competencies’ for the role)?  If failure, disappointment or grief have not been a part of those, then the character and resolve have not been tested or developed sufficiently.  It would also be worthwhile to search for how one has progressed through those experiences, managed, learned and evolved from it.

Life experiences come in various forms involving a range of emotions, challenges and evolution.  Challenging life experiences are the ones that truly test and build one’s character.  They also hold the potential to break down a person’s resolve and few may find it extremely hard to recover.  Many find new ways of coping and managing, with partial or continued recovery.

Couple of key elements of life experiences are depth and variety.   When one goes through the deep emotions, feelings and can emerge from there, there seems to be a stronger emergence with transformation.  In such cases, there seems to be a process of reflection through pain, adjustment, resolve, action and feeling of personal growth.  Some people choose to do very different work that involves high personal meaning and less tangible rewards, while walking away from lucrative jobs.

Noticeable traits of individuals who have gone through tough life experiences and have evolved are a strong Resolve and Calmness in the face of hardship and adversity, Humility (which comes with the realization that not everything is in one’s control, difficult things can happen to anyone), Respect (including empathy for other human beings), Openness (to exploring), strong Internal Value System and high Spiritual Intelligence/Quotient (strong belief system to help navigate through good and difficult times).  Have you noticed others?

These factors would apply for any roles but leadership roles are crucial for any organization, especially non-profits and in government.  Leaders can influence and impact the flow of emotions within a team or organization in a substantial manner.  Awareness, wisdom and maturity are important and they are mainly developed through varied life experiences (not necessarily with age).  Some people learn and others choose not to learn and evolve.  The pace of evolution can be different.

I leave you with the following reflection from Northwestern University’s Centre for Leadership web page:

“As a leader, one of the most important things you can do is to thoughtfully reflect upon your most challenging experiences (Leadership Crucibles) to understand what they can teach you.  In the book, “Finding Your True North” the authors write that crucibles are times when you come face-to-face with yourself and recognize that…during the most difficult times of your life … you have the opportunity to confront who you are at the deepest level and realize what your life – and your leadership – are about. By digging deeper into your life story, you will have the opportunity to focus on the crucial aspects that can help you unlock your development as a leader.”

Wish you the very best.

“I’m proud of the scars in my soul.  They remind me that I have an intense life.” – Paulo Coelho

Warning Signs For Corporate India

June 30, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Do all disasters provide early warning signs?  Well this seems to be one and hopefully, you will take note and do something about this before it is too late – for yourself and your organization.

When I look around to those working in the corporate world in India, the level of ‘busyness’ and stress seem very visible.  I see people working very long hours, through lots of pressure which seeps into personal lives, stretching themselves with very little exercise time, quality reflection time with themselves or their family or friends.  You might say this is a sign of a developing economy, ambition and need for growth.

Are we in the east following the west, in a crazy pursuit of development, sacrificing core personal value systems and  basic health along the way? Has employee wellbeing taken a back seat? Ironically, the western world considers the topic important nowadays.

This post might hold a biased perspective towards the IT or ITES sectors (Information Technology/Information Technology Enabled Service) as the majority of my first level connections in India work there.  A 2012 article in the New India Express highlighted some disturbing health trends and activities in India Inc.  Another article suggested that 30 to 40% of corporate India suffer from stress related disorders.  Multiple studies, including this one relates to health issues and concerns in call centers.  According to a 2014 article, the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) latest study on “Multitasking Seriously Affecting corporate Women’s Health”, reveals that 78% of working women surveyed in the age bracket of 32-58 years were found to be afflicted with lifestyle, chronic and acute ailments such as obesity, depression, chronic backache, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart, kidney disease etc.  I found an interesting blog post with statistics and trends discussing increasing divorce rates in the IT industry.

The warning signs are appearing in front of us as well in various forms.  It’s shocking to hear about early heart attacks, major health issues and even death of twenty/thirty year old young professionals.   These were unheard of, especially among our first level network and extremely rare in the past.  The rise of sedentary lifestyle, stress, extreme working hours, increased commuting time, hyper connectivity through smart devices and food habits seem to play key roles.  Many parents feel that they are not able to find quality time with their kids and also with their partners, especially when both work.

It would be worthwhile for organizations to take valuable initiative to support their employees’ wellbeing.

In financial terms, many companies in the western world discovered this over time – rising healthcare costs start taking a heavy toll once a critical mass is reached with mounting health issues (even if you don’t consider the hidden costs like lost productivity, focus etc.).  As the healthcare and insurance costs increase, it will require a heavy investment on prevention initiatives.  Does anyone foresee healthcare costs in India going down in the near future?

If human capital falls among your top three organizational assets, then how important would the health of your major asset be for your success?

An ex-colleague/occupational health expert in Nokia used to tell me that the key factor to note about employee wellbeing area is that it goes beyond occupational health services, health centers, exercising, physical/mental activities and food habits.  It is very important to look at the total picture that includes and prioritizes healthy work practices, leadership/management/team practices and day to day work environment.

There are also local environmental and cultural factors to recognize, while introducing organizational initiatives.  I heard recently from a friend in a respected organization that introduced therapy support services for its employee population, recognizing support in a high stress environment.  Most people stayed away from the service due to the social stigma attached to the word, ‘therapy’.

International experts have noted that there is an urgent need in India to introduce a comprehensive Occupational Health and Safety Act in line with many industrialized countries.  The laws are  only an important starting point.  These efforts have to extend beyond the blue collar world, covering the entire workforce and could also be spearheaded by leading industry organizations like Nasscom.  

For a leader, an organization or you as an individual, it is worthwhile to put health and wellbeing on your agenda for various reasons.  As we all know, the better we feel physically and emotionally, the higher the probability of impactful output in terms of energy, idea and results.

What are few basic things that organizations and leaders could do?

  1. Encourage health related activities periodically through the year, including health checkups, options to followup with healthcare experts, physical activities, hobby clubs, free or subsidized fitness classes at the workplace, also reducing the extra effort for employees and probably their families.  Using external experts would be the recommended option for reasons of absolute privacy for employees.  Confidentiality on health and personal issues should be non negotiable, with higher levels for HR professionals who are privy to such information (overheard couple of comments regarding not trusting HR with personal information).
  2. Look for ways in which the physical infrastructure can support employee wellbeing.  Incorporate workplace practices that support related behaviors.  e.g. ergonomic chairs, mouses, keyboards, screens, tables, quiet/thinking rooms, standing or moving at least couple of hours each day etc.  A simple example for a cost-benefit case would be to calculate the increasing number of sick leaves due to back pain nowadays.
  3. Build awareness on health topics and healthy practices through various channels and forms of media.  Invite experts to educate and open that information to even employee families.
  4. Review company leadership and management practices.  Look for unsustainable management practices that lead to high stress and low productivity.  Ask employees through anonymous surveys.  Conduct followup workshops or group discussions with teams and groups of employees that lead to relevant changes or even provide an avenue to bring out hidden stress and concerns.  Build a respectful, collaborative work environment.  These may also address fundamental work and management factors.
  5. Address social, cultural aspects.  Focus on the impact and output of work, not the time spent in the office.  Introduce flexible working hours if the team collaboration environment allows for that and the option to work a day or two from home, provided the right infrastructure is available.
  6. Provide and promote more healthy food and drink options in the company cafeterias.
  7. Tie up with services providers to provide discount coupons to employees on focused learning, fitness and fun activities that may meet the needs of wide spectrum of employees and could extend outside the workspace.

Generally, initiatives in this space seem to need a lot more support and sponsorship as the effectiveness is questioned by many non believers.  In reality, many individuals feel that employees are treated as commodities or quickly replaceable objects (reflection of bad leadership & management).  When the healthcare numbers start hitting a critical mass, companies will be forced to act for purely financial reasons.  There are great opportunities for organizations and leaders who want to stand out from the rest of the crowd, proactively work on this topic and show that they truly care about their major asset, in a sustainable manner.

At a personal level for yourself and your family, I pray that you will not wait for your company to take initiative or introduce necessary changes in your lives that are in your control.  You would know them in your mind but may not have acted due to being busy or for other reasons.  If not, please find time with a credible connection to reflect and clarify your priorities.  Do influence your employer and relevant groups wherever possible, to help build a supportive environment.  We cannot ignore that fact that most of our time awake will be at work and even small changes there could have a big impact on life.

More research and focused actions are needed on this topic in India.  Let us please lose sight of this important topic.  Would you agree?

Additional Reading:* An article related to the U.S. environment that appeared later in ‘Talent Management’ (posted July 9, 2014). “Report by human resources research and consulting firm Towers Watson – more than two-thirds of the nearly 200 U.S. employers it surveyed said they plan to increase their support of health and wellness programs during the next two years, while an additional 17 percent plan to significantly increase support…According to the report’s analysis of “high-effectiveness” organizations, there is a strong link between highly effective health and productivity strategies and strong human capital and financial results.”

 

 

 

 

Improving Employability – Suggestions for Administrators, Educators and Students of Professional Colleges

June 23, 2014 / / 6 Comments

One of the common discussions I’ve run into with friends and ex-colleagues in India, especially in Kerala is regarding ’employability’.  A useful definition on wikipedia refers to ’employability’ as a person’s capability for gaining and maintaining employment (Hillage and Pollard, 1998).

Multiple contacts of mine on the corporate side from small and large companies confirm that they’re finding it more and more difficult to find and hire quality candidates among fresh graduates.  On the other hand, the number of professional colleges and students passing out have gone up by a big margin in recent years.  The gap seems to be widening in a different direction.

Having been involved in multiple related discussions and activities like university hiring in small and large organizations and with the development of a global graduate program for a multinational organization, there is little doubt that there needs to be an active dialogue on this among educators and addressed early in the educational system.

How could we look at improving employability?

In simple terms, organizations generally tend to look for three fundamental categories, especially among fresh professional graduates.

  1. Technical or Hard Skills (Competent knowledge on a specific engineering, software programming area, related thinking approach to solutions, financial skills etc.)
  2. Soft Skills (Visible and measurable aspects like communication, interpersonal skills, learning agility etc.)
  3. Attitude (Approach to tasks, mindset, ability to take responsibility and accountability, resilience in difficult situations etc.).  There may be some overlap with the second category or be combined with the second.

Skilled recruiters and hiring managers try to combine all the available data points like grades, responses to questions in interviews, visible behaviors, resume, group discussions, extra curricular activities, psychometric test responses if & where relevant, while finalizing a hire.  Students with high degree of self awareness and emotional intelligence generally seem to stand out from the crowd.

Most of my corporate connections seem to agree that the second and third categories are equally  important, compared to the first category of technical skills or knowledge.  Many jobs/roles that hire professional students today may not relate to their primary area of study but look for the ability to adapt their learning process and approach to other areas.

Designers of professional educational programs may need to rethink their effort, energy and overall investment across these categories.  It would be useful for them to seek support from internal and external experts, including alumni, recruiting organizations to ensure impact for their students and programs.  When professional education programs are designed with the intent to develop well rounded personalities, they result in  higher probability of success in career and life, even in difficult environments.  Working with some of the behavioral skills could go a long way to helping students navigate through their career beyond the initial  years.

It would be worthwhile for individual students to ask themselves how much of their time and energy is invested on developing themselves beyond learning their normal curriculum in professional institutions.  Students can take responsibility for their own development, in a digitally connected world and instant availability to brilliant sources of knowledge and wisdom.

I close with the following humble suggestion for students – Your investment in your continuous personal development will always pay off in the long run.  Even for those who may not land your first campus job, please remember that your first job is only the start of a long working journey.  There is a long way to go and there will be lots of ups and downs.  As much as possible, select work that you will enjoy doing and seem to hold at least some opportunities – not what everyone around defines or tells you is good.  Be open to experimenting early in your career.  There will always be opportunities with patience, resilience through difficult times and hard work.  The earlier you can start, the better.  I also encourage you to seek and find mentors to help you on your journey that you should take responsibility for.

PS: Taking this opportunity to remember and thank one of our engineering professors, Dr. K. Usha who spent lots of extra personal time and effort to prepare her students on topics beyond engineering,  scheduling extra sessions during lunch breaks and available hours, on her own initiative.  We need more role models and educators who can think and act beyond ‘normal’.

Personal Resilience in Tough Times – Finding One’s Way Back

June 16, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Dedicated to my mother, Aleyamma Eapen.
I started thinking about writing on this topic as my mother passed away last week.

According to ‘Merriam-Webster’, ‘resilience‘ can be defined as the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens.

Everyone inevitably goes through difficult personal scenarios at some point in life. These may include passing away of or losing dear ones, losing  jobs or security, personal relationships, illness or disease and unforeseen disappointments. They may also  result in instances where one questions and tries to find the meaning of one’s existence and life.  A whole host of issues and challenges seem to emerge in these situations. Sometimes, people around can act in ways that could be surprising, confusing and disappointing. One may encounter loneliness, lack of social support and various other social and personal challenges.

How can we build personal resilience?

Most times, we go along happily with our lives until one of these scenarios hits us badly and takes us by surprise. Even though we may not be able to prevent some things from happening, it helps to be aware and also respectful of others going through similar stages in life. A bit of empathy and support can go a long way and also helps with the recovery process for the person involved.

Every individual has her or his own way of coping with challenges, pain and finding the way back. Solutions may be unique and relevant to one’s own preferences. That said, it does help to learn and understand tried and tested methods of finding a way back to normalcy.  In tough times, it is not easy to think with a clear head.

I wanted to share few actions that I found helpful. If you have experienced some of these, please do share for the benefit of others around. There may be more people around than you think, working through life challenges.

  1. When everything around seems to whirl out of control, it helps to find one’s space of calm and peaceful reflection through prayers, meditation, breathing exercises and focus on one’s core belief systems. Having a spiritual belief system helped me find meaning and peace in difficulty. It’s still important to acknowledge that there will be an up and down process.
  2. For those going through the loss of a dear one, allowing for grieving time and finding the path towards acceptance is an important process with varying timelines. Understanding the stages of loss and grief, and allowing oneself adequate time to progress through these stages is important. Being compassionate and forgiving to oneself during the recovery process is also valuable.
  3. Focusing on the positives helps shift the mind to a healthier direction. A lot of thoughts go through one’s head during difficult times and it is easy to get stuck in a negative pool. If one can be conscious of this and find few things to be grateful and thankful for (redefine the “bad” in terms of potential “goods”), in spite of the difficulties, they help make a difference. The mindset can be important. Research from Carol Dweck of Stanford emphasizes the importance of having a growth mindset, rather than a fixed mindset.
  4. Having a helpful social support group, in the form of close friends, relatives, colleagues, professionals or individuals with a high emotional and spiritual quotient can make a huge difference. It helps for the closest support group to be available and present, sometimes just to be present with a listening ear or a hug (even virtually).
  5. Getting some momentum towards core areas of interest and meaningful impact is helpful.  It helps to move forward with a purpose, even in baby steps, whatever engages one’s mind with positive action. For me currently, focusing on completing this blog post, working with a friend on transitioning to a new blog page, helped to take my mind off difficult thoughts and focus on something meaningful for me.

These notes of course do not replace the need for professional support when needed and it is important to recognize when one feels the need, and act accordingly.

If we can reflect, learn and find our meaning from difficult life scenarios, we can grow stronger mentally, wiser, more compassionate towards ourselves and others in difficult environments.

Personal resilience is extremely important during difficult times.

How can you help build personal resilience and help individuals around you?

Life is precious. It helps to count our blessings and make a meaningful difference.  Wish you the best.

I also take this opportunity to thank the beautiful, generous souls near and far who have and are supporting me through difficult times. Thank you very much….

Suggested additional reading:
Life After Loss: Conquering Grief and Finding Hope by Raymond Moody and Dianne Arcangel (Book)

Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire. – Schindler’s List

Fundamental Question to Ask Yourself in Any Interaction

May 30, 2014 / / 0 Comments

We have all sensed, acted or reacted based on this and would think it makes sense, even if it may be unconscious during our interactions.  Most expert communicators and socially intelligent people have inherently known and used this approach.  Thanks to neuroscience research, the findings provide a solid reason to understand this.The fundamental question to ask yourself in any interaction:

AM I CREATING A “TOWARD” (APPROACH) STATE OR “AWAY” (AVOID) STATE IN MY INTERACTIONS?

This applies to any interaction in our world of work and personal relationships.

According to neuroscience studies:

  • Our brains are more tuned to picking up threats in the environment and the threat response is easily triggered.
  • It is easier to cause aggravation than it is to help other think rationally and creatively.
  • In the threat state, our brain is disengaged due to related activity and ‘noise’, resulting in reduced cognitive performance. There is also a high possibility of an “emotional hijack”. We also know that emotions are contagious and can spread.
  • The organizing, overarching principle of the brain is to minimize danger (threat state) and maximize rewards (towards state).
  • If a stimulus is associated with positive emotions, it will most likely lead to an approach response; if it is associated with negative emotions, it will lead to an avoid response.  From our experiences, we know that we naturally try to avoid uncomfortable interactions, situations or difficult people.
  • An approach response is synonymous with the idea of engagement and closely linked to positive emotions.

So next time you think about starting a conversation in person, over the phone or virtually, ask yourself: Do I want to create a “towards” (approach) state or an “away” (avoid) state? How can I create a “towards” state?

In the world around you, what percentage of “towards” state interactions vs. “away” state interactions do you notice?

Reference, Recommended Reading:
SCARF…, David Rock: http://www.your-brain-at-work.com/files/NLJ_SCARFUS.pdf

How Much of You Is Your Job Title or Position? Importance of Humility & Wisdom

May 23, 2014 / / 4 Comments

To my dear friends, colleagues and readers,

Here are some questions for you:

If you were to lose your important position, title or social status today,

  1. What would happen to you?
  2. How would you feel, behave?
  3. How would your existing relationships shift? How would they respond?

Many people in today’s world seem to lose touch with their authentic selves once they get used to the trappings of an important corporate job, title and perceived power. Humility goes down. Arrogance creeps in. Ego grows rapidly. Respect factor goes down. A feeling of invincibility kicks in.

One starts believing or over relying on one’s belief, status of positions and unconsciously start feeling that these will last forever.

Why does one need to reflect and be aware of the line between confidence and over confidence/arrogance?

Like most things in life, nothing lasts forever.  Life involves ups and downs, successes and challenges, pleasures and pains. Sometimes, unexpected shifts in one’s life can cause lots of pain, be humbling and bring one to reality that we are  all in fact mortal. They may come forth in the form of unexpected job challenges, health issues with self or loved ones, losing someone close, personal issues etc.

If most of your relationships are formed and defined around your perceived social status and not your authentic selves, it may be helpful to be prepared for surprises and pains when life starts to present difficult moments.

It is helpful to be in touch with one’s own authentic self and values.  When the rough times appear, this prepares one more to maneuver through, similar to an anchor that holds a ship stable in rough waters. In today’s socially networked world, corporate or social hierarchy does not necessarily indicate level of influence or impact. Therefore, it’s helpful to be aware of arrogant behavior and where that may or may not lead one to.

Letting go of the trappings even for a bit can be a refreshing experience and reality check for oneself and the world of relationships.

I think most of us go through similar scenarios as we progress in our careers and lives.  What is important is to build awareness, consciousness, learning and wisdom. This will help to navigate rough waters whenever they come next.

According to Professor Ursula Staudinger, a life span psychologist and professor at Columbia University, true personal wisdom involves five elements. They are self-insight; the ability to demonstrate personal growth; self-awareness in terms of your historical era and your family history; understanding that priorities and values, including your own, are not absolute; and an awareness of life’s ambiguities.

Wishing you humility, wisdom and true success in your journey.

Additional Suggested Reading: Top 5 Regrets of the Dying

Trust Guidance for Leaders

May 17, 2014 / / 0 Comments

One of the common discussions that I’ve come across in leadership discussions in organizations is “How do we build trust?”. I’ve thought about this question from two perspectives – building trust at an individual level and at an organizational level. If one wonders what the difference is, trust needs to start with individual actions in direct interactions and they have to be manifested to a wider audience or stakeholders through organizational processes, practices and systems. Multiple studies have found that trust is a crucial factor for team performance, including in sports. This applies to any type of organization.This post focuses on the individual aspect. Trust can be built more consciously at an individual level with fundamental actions – which I term as “Trust Guidance”. For someone wondering about how to build trust, these are useful starting points. These come from direct observations, and work with leaders and organizations.

1. Be visible.
Don’t get too busy with meetings and spend most time within closed doors.  All stakeholders especially your team members have a high need to see their leaders.  As human beings, visibility is reassuring and builds certainty and confidence (neuroscience research findings support this).

2. Be respectful. 
Being respectful in your direct and virtual interactions, irrespective of organizational levels are huge motivators for individuals. The lower you go, the more charged up and motivated individuals are when they feel leaders found time for them, even to have a short conversation or acknowledgement. People also go through good and bad phases at work or personal lives.  Respecting their space, especially during bad phases go a long way to building commitment and trust.

3. Be aware of self and impact of one’s behaviors and actions on others.
Take time to understand yourself, what drives you, your values, principles, strengths, development areas.  Self awareness is the starting point of any development effort. Next stage is to understand others around you and your impact of actions on people around.  Trust is a two way street and someone needs to extend a hand forward first to get the process of interactions into motion.

4. Be authentic, consistent in behaviors and actions.  
Be yourself. Don’t try to be someone else. Most people are smart enough to see through ‘fake’ personalities. This does not indicate the license to do whatever to be oneself, rather being aligned to  values and principles which are built as part of self awareness.  Practice what you preach.  Admit mistakes with accountability when they happen and share recognition when success is achieved.  It is also helpful to explain your thinking approach as people think differently about a certain topic and may struggle to see the rationale in another person’s approach.

5. Be open to discussions, while being conscious of biases.
Having the openness to discuss aspects that you may not agree with and have a strong view about, may help you see many possibilities and ideas that are otherwise missed.  Sometimes, it helps to be open about the fact that you have a strong view for a certain reason.  It also encourages others to share ideas and thoughts with you without fear. Presence of fear is one of the biggest barriers to trust.  Nobody wants to be the ’emperor with the naked clothes’ but there is a probability of unknowingly becoming one with and it becomes very difficult to call someone out when the perceived power distance is higher.  Being vulnerable, even to some extent is a big factor for others to see the humanness and accessibility.

6. Be fair in approach and communicate, especially tough choices.
People can live with tough choices if they feel it was based on a fair process and they’re not being misled into believing so. Many times, lack of visibility to the process or the way it was communicated or absence of it, result in difficult scenarios and contradictions for everyone involved.

7. Reflect constantly and make necessary changes.
Take out some thinking time with yourself or with your social network, coaches or mentors who can help with your thinking process and getting to more clarity on changes and actions. Everyone has a different scenario to think about and there are no perfect answers that address all scenarios. Observing, reflecting and adjusting your approaches accordingly would help you figure out the best approach for your environment.

Are there any other fundamental starting points in your view?

Best wishes on your leadership journey…

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