Page 7 of 11

Evolving Self – Transitioning Back

August 24, 2014 / Tojo Eapen / 8 Comments

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward….” – Lao Tzu

As I was saying good byes to friends and ex-colleagues in Finland earlier this year, many encouraged me to write about my experiences of transitioning back to India, after more than a decade of living in the U.S. and Finland. In addition to personal experiences, some were also curious to hear more about India through the eyes of someone they could relate to.

For other readers, in a personal development context, may I suggest the self awareness question for your thinking – “What defines you?”

Considering that Finland and India are worlds apart in many respects, this transition involved big readjustments.

The early stages of moving back involved feelings of fuzziness. It was a feeling of being in different places at the same time. There was a mix of sadness and happiness, thinking about what would be missed and gained. It involved letting go of personal comfort zones, habits and relationships built over the years.

There were early readjustments. After having gotten used to the silent environment in Helsinki, even adjusting to the general noise levels was a change. I live in a smaller city in the south of India (Trivandrum, Kerala) which is more laid back and easier to navigate compared to many other larger cities. Life brought a difficult turning point, when my mother passed away after a month of my arrival. Pain and challenges tend to lead to a yearning for spiritual advancement. My efforts during previous years to understand spirituality deeper helped to focus on life from a larger wisdom and perspective.

I’ve wondered – Does wisdom find you or do you find wisdom? What leads you or vice versa to you, certain things, people or circumstances that seem to be outside the predictable flow of things in life?

On the professional side, I had decided to move in an independent path of consulting and coaching. This involved figuring out new ways of working. Working from home on my own was an interesting adjustment process. Trying to build connections in a place that I had not spend much time during the past decade was another. In many ways, it felt like starting from scratch. There was a sense of frustration and impatience creeping in and a need to manage that. I traveled to Delhi and Chennai to meet with contacts and attend a national HR conference. Those experiences were helpful to get a wider view on some cultural and professional aspects. Some ex colleagues and friends were gracious in meeting and responding. There were disappointments in my mind with few others – I realized it was due to my own expectations mostly of others without thinking about or knowing their perspective. Life seems to become a lot easier and less complicated when we let go of judgment and expectation of wanting others and things to be our way. Learning to deal with that was important personal progress.

It also gave me an impetus to write more and channel positive energy. A high school friend who is currently working on a book and involved with the publishing world, helped create new blog page. In around three months, there have been close to1000 unique views from 45 countries. I am grateful for the many encouraging responses and feedback.

On the personal exercise front, after enjoying squash (learning to lose painfully 🙂 a lot before starting to win) for the last four years personally, I am yet to pick up a new game and get back to the active exercise mode. Squash courts are hard to find. Some of that relates to me trying to find my new enjoyable zone.

Regarding general experiences in India:

The process flows and government interfaces are improving slowly and surely for citizens. Another positive aspect I experienced personally is meeting more grounded individuals in positions of power in the public and private spaces, who are aware of the intelligent use of power and want to make a positive change and impact. Experiences in India can vary considerably depending on where one is located.

Readjustments also involved getting used to how things work. Many things (public or private sector) did not seem to work smoothly and to the expected or communicated timeframes. It also seemed to take multiple follow-ups until something got unnecessarily complicated. Time still seems to be a flexible concept and delays are normal. Communication styles are still mostly top down and hierarchical and the frontline staff in most places are not empowered to make changes for customers. Small business owners say that they still can’t trust work to get done if they’re not micromanaging their staff. Many things get completed faster depending on where, who and how the request comes. Social status and networks plays a major role.

India continues to develop. Infrastructure is much better but there is a long way to go before getting to world class. The progress may be in bits and pieces. It is encouraging to see the new central government emphasize major infrastructure development and change in attitudes and habits. Connectivity, accessibility and ease of travel are much better. The impact of information technology is widespread, with many process being connected to the internet. Unlimited internet at home is not unlimited at the same speed – the access speeds reduce dramatically after a certain data transfer amount depending on the type of connection packages you take. The cars on the roads have changed and the numbers have increased dramatically with most global car brands being present but the quality of many roads and traffic management need attention. Maintaining the current roads without potholes seem to be a challenge. One of my rough first hand experiences was a six hour journey in the last row of a state transport bus, which felt like sitting on a jumping ball. There seems to be lesser queue disruption than in the past. Public transport system is overcrowded during peak hours but provides much more options and comfort than earlier. Mass transport systems are still few in number. Basic utilities like energy and drinking water seem to be under stress and require a lot more planning for the future.

Some services are as good or better than anywhere in the world. I can order a cab sitting at home, for any time of the day or night. There are also apps now in many parts of India that even track our ordered taxi through gps, after we order. The Delhi metro seemed as good as any other metro system in the world but the rush hour traffic may become or already is over capacity. Global startup names like Uber seem to be building up in India quickly. I can also book bus, train or plane tickets seamlessly using apps or through the internet anytime – this was not easy even few years back. I could travel on the train by just showing my photo id and online ticket booking. Most major brand names are visible on the local store shelves and everywhere . The latest mobile devices and electronic equipments are quite visible.

Even though many things have improved tremendously, it is obvious that India is still difficult for foreigners or tourists to navigate practically on their own.

Back to my own experiences – Memories, recollections and emotions still remind me about my previous world, people and experiences. There are still days in which I distinctly picture internally my favorite walking path around the waterfront in Helsinki. What I miss most is my diverse conversations with my small group of friends and connections. Physical distance results in mental distances and grabbing a coffee together is no longer an easy option. As time passes, the distance grows. Close friends will remain close and the reconnection will be seamless but the nature of closeness shifts when the frequency of interactions drop. On the other side, old friends in India are still friends, but they have evolved as well and we are all in different phases. That needs rebuilding. Very few stay the same.

All this serves as means to deeper learning, wisdom, new paths, connections and a more evolved future. I am learning and unlearning without letting go of the valuable knowledge and wisdom acquired. With every new direction, life has led to unexpected new paths, people and experiences.

Feeling lost seems to be a familiar feeling before discovering myself in an evolving self. It has led me to a place of hope, belief and confidence to progress through new experiences stronger.

To my global friends, I hope and wish our paths cross again… There is some sadness in thinking that it may not happen sometimes but glad that destiny helped cross our paths. It may not have been total coincidence. I am a result of my experiences.

A special ‘Thank You’ to my good friends for your inspiration and encouragement, to share my experiences.

“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Learning to Learn Differently – Thoughts For Students (& Teachers as well)

August 18, 2014 / Tojo Eapen / 0 Comments

There’s a huge emphasis on education and learning in many parts of the world. People recognize the importance, tangible benefits and positive impact it could bring to one’s life, society and the future. While the importance and acknowledgement is visible, many aspects and approaches related to learning seem to require a rethink.

In India, the value of application of education to life seems to be less important than the rank or scores in an examination. Without doubt, exam scores do matter but everyone needs to think seriously about the value of learning to life beyond schools or university.

Earlier this June, I had shared few suggestions for primarily educators regarding employability of their students. This post is more focused on the individual learning perspective, mainly for students but may help teachers as well. Having been through multiple learning experiences in different levels, subjects and countries (including losing a year due to low marks in school), I thought it would be useful to share from multiple experiences.

1. Build self awareness on one’s own learning preferences and styles
Most people have different learning styles, preferences and paces. It is important to identify one’s own learning style. At least understanding your learning preference (visual, auditory, reading-writing, kinesthetic) can improve the experience and effectiveness. It is also important to build self discipline into any learning process. Similar to building physical muscles by exercising constantly, it is important to build mental muscles and focus through a disciplined process. Without discipline and direction, it is easy to get lost in various distractions.

2. Learn something that you’re passionate about and is aligned to your strengths
A starting point of any learning process is to answer for oneself, “Why I am learning this, why is this important for me?”. If your answer is aligned to your own interests, values and priorities, the probability of a successful learning experience is high. The only time when I personally truly enjoyed learning and did really well was when I learned something I badly wanted to, and felt very interested about. I went much beyond the requirements of the program to learn and absorb as much as possible. It is very unfortunate and a huge waste of your and others’ time, if you spend most of your life learning or doing something you don’t like or want to do. Many students choose a profession because it seems glamorous from outside or due to external pressure. I’ve heard from professors and teachers that it is very difficult for any worthwhile learning to happen if someone is unmotivated or uninterested. If you don’t have your own specific answer, it is fine to experiment and listen to other’s (someone you respect) inputs. Unfortunately, many parents in India force their children to streams that they absolutely don’t want to be in.

3. Reap the benefits of social learning
Learning becomes deeper and much richer when one is exposed to multiple perspectives. Having a peer discussion group to discuss your learning topics can be valuable exposure. Start with a common purpose for the whole team – what are we trying to achieve? Being able to synthesize from various inputs is a highly appreciated skill in today’s world. It helps to have positive peer pressure to keep moving forward, and work with one’s negative emotions as they creep in. This is also a valuable way to learn to work with contradictory opinions. Awareness of the potential of one’s ego to disrupt and to work on it early is extremely important. Extra curricular activities like sports or arts that involves teamwork serve as great learning experiences. Working effectively in teams, including those you disagree with or don’t like is a major requirement for any organization.

4. Use multiple sources and media
It is a huge opportunity missed in today’s world to not enrich one’s learning using multiple, available knowledge sources. Please do not wait for the university or professors to give you content. There so much of it available today, with a mobile device and internet connectivity. In addition to using your faculty, laboratories, peer groups, and libraries that may be accessible locally, there’s so much content, online courses and global resources accessible through the internet today. The opportunity to stay updated on the latest developments in any area and learn from the best sitting in any part of the world is tremendous. Keeping industry interaction active also always gives you the employment perspective. Try to find people in your own first or second degree network who can share their valuable first-hand experiences from workplaces – culture, ways of working, what it takes to be effective etc.

5. Make the environment attractive
Last but not least, it is important to feel good about learning. Neuroscience studies show that the brain functions much better when it is in a ‘reward’ state, not a ‘threat’ state. Even if learning may involve difficult work, an enjoyable collegial, fun, open physical and social environment, refreshing variety of methods used, great people around are factors that contribute to an enjoyable learning experience. Each one of you can contribute to that in the way you turn up.

For teachers, they key question to ask is how you can play a key role in facilitating the learning process, thinking, acting and guiding students to find answers for themselves through multiple knowledge sources. In India, we have long held the notion that a teacher should have the answer for almost everything. As the popular Chinese proverb tells us, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” A good practical start would be to spend time in your class just discussing about creating an effective and impactful learning experience together.

Success comes when the students and teachers work together – with a common purpose or vision.

Deep learning involves learning beyond the prescribed boundaries by a school or university. One feels personal growth, a sense of achievement and confidence to take on the world.

What has worked very well for you? Your input or shared experience could influence a life in a major way.

Best wishes…

I dedicate this post to my father on his death anniversary today, for allowing me to choose my own learning direction.

Feeling Stuck In The “Middle”? Life In Middle Management…

August 11, 2014 / Tojo Eapen / 2 Comments

Middle managers are a very interesting group for study in any organization. From various conversations and experiences, I’ve observed multiple challenges and frustrations faced by this group. They seem to hold a lot of power, influence and operational responsibility in the organization but there are frustrations from different directions.

Many experts in recent years have called for a radical rethink of how organizations are structured, doing away with traditional corporate hierarchies and suggest that middle management is not helping and holding organizations back. Some have even advocated doing away with middle management. During many reorganizations or restructuring programs in organizations, ‘delayering’ the organization is one of the top principles adopted.

There have been discussions on “Is It Time To Abolish Middle Management?”, “Are Middle Managers Becoming Obsolete?”, and “The End of Middle Managers”. In India, there have been concerns about creation of a mid-level that don’t possess the required competencies because of lack of experience, improper skill-building and almost negligible grooming by seniors. A 2014 report by the Australian Institute of Management indicated that middle managers are underperforming and organizations have promoted technical specialists to middle management ranks without investing sufficiently in developing the leadership and management skills. An Accenture post earlier this year stated that If IT has displaced middle managers in the information flow, digital obliterates the hierarchy they call home. According to them, there is a silent crisis in most organizations – too many administrators and not enough real managers. In short, middle managers are in the limelight and their activities and value to organizations are under the microscope.

A 2010 Boston Consulting Group & World Federation of People Management Associations paper reported that middle managers are critical to improving overall employee engagement and corporate performance. They act as a bridge between top managers and team members. Though they see the vision at the top of the organization and the pain at the bottom, they frequently do not have the support of senior management or effective levers to do their jobs and provide assistance to their employees.

Who are middle managers?
A logical way of defining middle managers is to identify the group between senior and front-line managers in the organisational hierarchy. Middleness can have several dimensions: middle of a command hierarchy; middle in terms of time-scale and scope of decision between strategic and routine supervision; middle in terms of organizational impact.

How could we address some of these issues, at the individual and organizational level?

At the organizational level:

The BCG/WFPM study advocated:

Delayering the organization and creating larger exciting roles for middle managers, in order to remove the barriers that frustrate them and encourage initiative.
Empowering managers to act by giving them levers and authority to succeed, but making sure they understand what is required of them.
Accelerating leadership skill development.

Managing time and priorities are normally the most difficult aspects for this group. As a result of round the clock operational and team responsibilities, they find very little time for their own development which holds valuable impact for their stakeholders.

Becoming a middle manager often involves a significant shift in mindset from personal achievement to gauging success based on the accomplishments of a team (Refer recent post on “Transitions“). Experts have suggested that the biggest leadership training impact may come from blending experiential on-the-job learning, coaching and feedback with formal classroom training. This group could benefit a lot from coaching and mentoring – due to the thinking space that is normally hard to come by due to constant operational pressures, multiple topics that they may feel insecure or uncertain to discuss with their leaders and high stress in juggling multiple responsibilities professionally and personally. The need for active dialogue, support and empowerment from senior leadership is high. Senior leaders can also help build clarity in expectations. HR teams can also play a key role in facilitating development and communication channels.

Mastering the art and science of managing talent needs to include a combination of multiple structured learning/development modes and cycles. One may say this is not rocket science. I heard a rocket scientist remark recently that rocket science was easier compared to managing people. It is extremely important to not underestimate this aspect.

At the individual level:

If you’re a middle manager, you have to take the responsibility for your own development and success.

In between all these discussions of streamlining, restructuring and even doing away with middle managers, it is quite obvious that middle managers hold the potential to add a lot of value to organizations. Even Google found with the help of analytics that middle managers do matter.

What could be some development targets, irrespective of the organization or technical nature of one’s role?

It is advisable to start working on developing one’s own leadership skills, mindset and behaviors in the early stages, utilizing multiple avenues. The earlier one can build self awareness and emotional intelligence capabilities, the better. The journey to leadership maturity has to start early (Check out References- video of Dr. Dave Ulrich defining the Leadership Code). Getting selected to a leadership position would be excellent but an unprepared and immature leader can create a lot of damage to his or her reputation, an organization, careers and lives of many capable individuals.

The BCG/WFPM paper states that middle managers must be effective communicators, implementors and trust builders. They will focus on outcomes, not overmanaging. Middle managers need to be able to understand the corporate vision and strategy. They must know how to develop and motivate their staff. Related skills that seem to stand out are communication skills, ability to build trust, credibility, empowerment, execution/implementation, high performing teams and organizations.

Lynn Isabella, an associate professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business writes that the role of translator is a new leadership paradigm for middle managers. Being a translator means being an interpreter. A huge advantage of being a middle manager is access to those in the organizational trenches. They need to speak the language of top management as well as that of others lower down in the company. They need to understand strategic thinking and the language of finance, accounting, marketing, operations and human resources.

Periodic conversations with individuals from various backgrounds and different stakeholders will help a lot. How many middle managers do we normally see so busy and caught up with their work, that they have no time for any conversation outside their own delivery? Building a diverse network could also result in a healthy support group.

According to Accenture, a middle manager of the future will know how the company wins at a conceptual and customer level. Making money is one thing, knowing how and why you make money gives you the ability to make even more. There will be recognition regarding the difference between critical and commodity capabilities.

Prioritizing and right judgment/decision making become very important skills to develop. Middle managers play an important role in developing future talent, leadership and in determining the quality of the work environment through their behaviors and practices. How would you want to feel during most of your time awake in life – at work with your colleagues or stakeholders?

It may also be a time in the career when comfort zones may look very attractive and there is a reluctance to take on risks or different assignments. In today’s changing world, if you are not taking on challenges of different nature and complexity levels, the risk of becoming a ‘sitting duck’ for future reorganization/restructuring efforts is high. Worse still, would be to look back and think where or how my uneventful last ten years of life went?

The writing on the wall seems to be clear. There will be fewer middle managers in the future and they will have more challenging requirements, competencies and responsibilities. Some organizations may experiment successfully with none, which may depend on factors like size, scope, type of work, industry etc.

Hopefully, reading this will trigger ideas on focus areas for your development as a middle manager.

I wish you meaningful growth and success.

References:

The contingent role of management and leadership development for middle managers, Patrick McGurk, London School of Economics – http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/277/1/McGurk_The%20contingent%20role%20of%20.pdf
Is It Time To Abolish Middle Management? – http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201403/is-it-time-abolish-middle-management
Are Middle Managers Becoming Obsolete? – http://business.financialpost.com/2014/03/09/are-middle-managers-becoming-obsolete/?__federated=1
The End of Middle Managers – http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkwilliams/2012/07/10/the-end-of-middle-managers-and-why-theyll-never-be-missed/
How the middle management became India Inc’s biggest headache…. – http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-04-12/news/38464091_1_ms-unnikrishnan-skill-gap-india-inc
Middle Managers – Evaluating Australia’s Biggest Management Resource – http://www.aim.com.au/sites/default/files/AIM_MiddleManagementSurveyReport.pdf
Creating A New Deal For Middle Managers – BCG/WFPMA – http://www.bcgindia.com/documents/file52425.pdf
Redefining middle management in a digital world – http://www.accenture.com/us-en/blogs/digital-business/archive/2014/02/11/redefining-middle-management-digital-world.aspx
5 Ways To Save Your Middle Managers From Burnout – http://www.fastcompany.com/3028674/leadership-now/5-ways-to-save-your-middle-managers-from-burnout
The Happiness Machine – How Google Became Such A Great Place To Work – http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/01/google_people_operations_the_secrets_of_the_world_s_most_scientific_human.single.html
Video – Dave Ulrich – Defining the Leadership Code – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC6p9yXdOjE
For Middle Managers, The Power Is In Translation – http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/for-middle-managers-the-power-is-in-translation/2014/01/10/53bde1b6-610b-11e3-bf45-61f69f54fc5f_story.html

Hate HR? Time To Split HR? Basic things to think about…

August 6, 2014 / Tojo Eapen / 0 Comments

There is something about HR that always seems to attract active attention, in any discussion. In recent years, we’ve seen articles with titles, ‘Why We Hate HR’, ‘Why We No Longer Need HR Departments’, and recently ‘It’s Time To Split HR’.

Many individuals I speak with don’t seem to think highly of HR in their organizations. At the same time, HR professionals feel the pain on many aspects as well, including feeling that they are criticized unfairly many times. In most places, they work hard like counterparts in other functions.

The good aspect of all this is, it shows us most people still care and have strong expectations from the HR function.

Looking at many articles, even nowadays, it looks like there is confusion regarding what the HR function exists for. Having had the opportunity to interact and learn from many thought leaders in the consulting, academic and business worlds, the answer is simple and clear in my mind – HR ensures successful and sustainable businesses, with the right organizational capabilities. Strategies, practices, processes, behaviors, tools and technologies need to follow that link.

Sorry to disappoint anyone who still thinks that all of HR’s key job should be to keep all employees happy and answer all queries and requests as quickly as possible. Some HR teams’ roles might be just that but it is important to be aware of the difference. Overall for any HR professional, it is neither intelligent nor helpful at any level to repel employees through unprofessional behaviors.

There are some basic questions in my mind.

Do employees have a higher expectation from HR as it is the one function that interfaces and represents the organization (beyond their leaders) from start to end of employment?
Is there a higher expectation for ‘H’ from the Human Resources function but at the same time business leadership demands more and more cost based decisions? How do HR professionals feel about ‘H’ from their stakeholders?
Is there a feeling that HR work at all levels is comparatively easier? Is there deficiency of right competencies and professionals for more complex levels of HR work, that have led the HR function to be perceived as ineffective or just administrative or process centric?
Do HR professionals feel like they are caught in the ‘middle’? Does that lead to a general lowering of employee trust in HR professionals?

As HR professionals and leaders, it is extremely important to build clarity on the vision, outcomes and the structure/governance to deliver them, while managing expectations with key stakeholders on priorities and communicating constantly.

Leaders also have to be realistic on expectations from HR. Many times, there is a big disconnect internally among what the leaders expect, what employees think HR needs to do and what HR thinks they have to do. In addition to this, investments in HR development do not reflect the high expectations from leaders to support successful strategy execution. HR sometimes appears among the last ones in the line for development.

Many times, HR professionals are frustrated that they are not listened to by their own HR leaders. Also, here’s a humble request to please stop using the HR function as ‘holding place’ for incompetent employees that you can’t send elsewhere or don’t want to ‘let go’. HR also should not be seen as ‘glorified assistants’ (a term heard from conversations). There is space within HR for administrative roles but that difference has to be understood.

Spending time, understanding, influencing views and having an open dialogue with all key stakeholders is probably the first step towards addressing some of these topics with a wider audience.

The untapped potential can be realized only through support from all stakeholders, with a collaborative attitude and approach. It goes both ways…

“Remember teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.” – Patrick Lencioni

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

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

July 29, 2014 / Tojo Eapen / 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 / Tojo Eapen / 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.

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 / Tojo Eapen / 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 / Tojo Eapen / 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 / Tojo Eapen / 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?

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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
Provide and promote more healthy food and drink options in the company cafeterias.
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 / Tojo Eapen / 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.

Technical or Hard Skills (Competent knowledge on a specific engineering, software programming area, related thinking approach to solutions, financial skills etc.)
Soft Skills (Visible and measurable aspects like communication, interpersonal skills, learning agility etc.)
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’.

Lead-Wise

Page 7 of 11

Evolving Self – Transitioning Back

Learning to Learn Differently – Thoughts For Students (& Teachers as well)

Feeling Stuck In The “Middle”? Life In Middle Management…

Hate HR? Time To Split HR? Basic things to think about…

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

Paradoxes for HR

Leadership Transitions In Organizations…Missed Opportunities, Lots of Pain

Who Would You Hire For A Leadership Role?

Warning Signs For Corporate India

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

About Tojo Eapen

Contact

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Recent Comments

Meta