All of 157 pages, you would assume that it’s a 3-hour read at best. It could have been, yes. However, once you start reading, you’d not simply pass through the pages. Despite the fact that the book is written in form of a simple story, every page offers learning to 16 years and 32 years old alike! He takes us in the life of a teenager and helps us view business from their eyes. Much contrary to the prevalent opinion that teenagers are only hooked on to MTV, X-Box, dating and masti, the book captures the promise this GenY-minus-10years would bring in the world of business.

I have tutored a lot of students – during my education years and thereafter at some MBA schools while working now. However, I always missed the business-orientation in them. They were simply – students! Somehow, the rat race of Indian education overlooks this factor completely till you don’t enter college. Many lack this orientation even when they enter the ubiquitous & pathetically mushroomed ‘management schools’. Amongst the plethora of text-books, career-counseling books, self-help books, et al, what we lacked was one such work, which takes teens through a real-world of business, in the manner they want to learn. A manner, that brings glint to their eyes, whenever they think of the business-world…

As a 32 year old, I found this book equally useful for me. It made me ponder, introspect; am I equipped with skills and attitude required to manage this generation? Or, to be managed by this generation, one day not very far? I found a lot of questions to answer, many a things to learn.

I am purposely not turning this blog into a proper book-review; I would like the readers to experience first-hand the concept this book offers, without any pre-conceived notions. The reader needs to pick her own takeaway…I would recommend this book to you – if you are 16 years old, if you are entering/passing out of a B-school, if you are 30 and climbing the corporate ladder, if you are parent to a teen and if you are 50 and a CEO – it has a learning for all of us. Certainly, a must read for every high-school teacher, management-school professor and Talent Managers of every learning organization…

I am sure that at the end of the book, you’d also like to thank Subroto, for his appreciation and efforts in the direction of creating a smarter corporate India. I believe all of us share the responsibility.

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You can read this review, and many more, on Subroto Bagchi’s website, at:

http://www.mindtree.com/subrotobagchi/category/book/mba-at-16/#reviewscategory

Photo-credit: penguinbooksindia.com

While there isn’t any dearth of literature and models available on performance and potential elements while considering anyone for promotion, it is the expectations of an employee that needs to be addressed, breaking the falsehood about one’s imminent readiness to grow into a higher role. Talent & People managers need to simplify the process, without stressing on complicated talent-grids and performance-models, thereby setting the anticipations of every new employee joining the organization.

As far as performance factor is concerned, in my view, there are 3 distinctive stages for any store level employee in retail trade that measure performance & success, before trending on the path of a role-elevation:

Learn The Job: This period starts from the date of joining (DOJ), and can last up to 3 to 6 months. This is where an employee learns the basics tenets and fundamental practices of her job, gains the know-how imperative to perform the role and settles oneself strongly onto the path of delivering desired results.

Ironically, this is where many retail organizations fail in establishing the outlook of an incoming employee about the unlearning, learning and building the basics in a timed and organized manner. The store associates gets trained in a jiffy, moved to store-roles with half-baked processes’ knowledge and are made to believe that the jobs in retail are ‘very simple’ and they will learn everything ‘on-the-job’. While I appreciate this is a trade that shows daily results and pressure on performance is way too high from the day one, running a store successfully is a matter of disciplined and structured approach towards one’s role. Learning the job impeccably is the bedrock principle of doing a flawless job in execution. Thus, once trained and hand-held properly, an employee with moderate to high learning agility would need to spend at least 6 months learning the intricacies of such jobs in the retail sector.

Execute The Job: This period starts after the learning phase, and can last up to 15 to 24 months at the first location/store/role assigned. This is the period where an employee starts implementing the learning and executing the job. An important factor here would be to keep her role/store unchanged for 15-24 months, to ensure consistency of execution. For a star performer, this period could be 15-18 month and 24 months for an average performer, before she is considered for a role-change or a change of store in same/other role, at the same work-level. This safeguards that she learns hands-on, makes mistakes & improves and at the same time, also reaps benefits of sustained & deeper understanding of the nuances of the job.

Ironically, here too, the retail companies in India struggle; I regularly meet and interview store-employees who have worked at 3-6 different stores within a span of an year and start looking at another job, considering themselves to be a pro! Well, while industry’s high attrition may be a reason behind companies deciding to move ‘old’ and ‘trained’ (read: 3-9 months vintage) employees to open positions at other roles/stores, they fail to put much thought to the abilities of execution such employees possess and whether such faculties have stood the test of time in the current role. In my view, a well-meaning Talent & People manager would surely warrant every employee spends 15-24 months in a role/store, before considering any transfers or role-changes.

Replicate Own Performance: This period starts after the phase of successful execution in first role/store, and can last up to 12 to 24 months at the subsequent store/role assigned; with every subsequent role/store being held for a period not less than 12 months. This is the period that would test the potency of capabilities, skills and maturity, which an employee is expected to have attained in earlier two phases.

A very crucial phase this is; every moderate to high performer has to demonstrate she can successfully replicate earlier performance in a sustained manner afresh on a clean slate, where everything could be different and thus, would pose challenging demands upon application of the acquired learning and experience. It would assess an employee in new culture, new geography, new customers, amidst new colleagues, et al. Performing a new role and delivering to expectations it demands with same or even higher level of performance would be indeed a true appraisal.

Out of the comfort-zone, this period would also check whether the employee cracks down amidst new challenges and pressures, or withstands the test of performing on a rather unfamiliar terrain. Here, the real trial of one’s learning and experience would take place; which would boost the confidence and maturity, if handled well. If one lives up to the expectations of the performance in their own and organization’s eyes, it would enhance the readiness-quotient for a higher role. Simultaneously, this period would also throw ample light on potential one possess, thereby removing the danger of the application of the ‘Peter’s Principle’, should one gets promoted.

Above three phases, when completed successfully, spell into ‘good performance’ for any store-level employee. While I am sure these phases can be easily applicable to any professional in any trade, they are highly relevant in this dynamic, people-driven industry. In my experience in the retail trade, many store-level employees who have done better than others, have demonstrated sustained performance levels and grown to higher roles, were the ones who went through the similar regime. While I am not saying that all 3 phases are cast in stone and organizations need to be rigid about them before considering elevations for one and all, till there is a mad rush of everyone assuming to get promoted every other year if not every year, I would strongly recommend all supervisors, Talent & HR managers to create and foster career-frameworks and communicate the same to every newly hired as well as existing talent, leading them towards a sustained and rewarding career, mutually benefitting every organization and the trade as a whole.

Indian retail sector is in its infancy – yet to witness the real boom. Thus, organizations have a responsibility of creating retail leaders in a structured and sustainable manner, thereby building the talent pipeline of professionals who, in next 5-15 years, would shape the future of this new, promising industry.

________________________________________

Photo-credit 1: southlakepres.org

Photo-credit 2: Infed.com

Photo-credit 3: wakeupkitd.blogspot.in

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the organization he is associated with.

Gurgaon-Jaipur highway has always been a great drive. Even with massive construction going on the NH-8, we navigated easily. After Manesar, city traffic paved way to an easier highway passage and we drove with considerable effortlessness. First three hours were really energizing and with a couple of water-breaks in between, we drove non-stop and took our first rest at the 153^rd milestone. Thanks to the Café Coffee Day, at the A-1 Plaza just before Chandwazi, we relaxed for 30-minutes, treating ourselves to some cold coffee and chocolate brownies!

Voila! The road after A-1 Plaza was a sheer delight, and we easily cruised at about 70-90KM an hour. Turning right from the Jaipur bypass, we took the Jaipur-Ajmer highway. Some road that is, my friends – absolutely fantastic! I have driven on hundreds on roads all over India, however, this turned out to one of the best of all. Other than a 10KM under-construction stretch near Jaipur, this highway is a true biker’s fantasy. Setting sun and cool breeze on our faces and very disciplined traffic – we charged up again, and started another leg of 170KMs towards Pushkar.

I would offer one caution to the bikers riding on this road. While the road is generally great and traffic is orderly, one should drive with great alertness during the first 25KM stretch after entering the Jaipur-Ajmer bypass – continual patches of this road are not properly tar-coaled and thus, pose a grave danger of bike slipping badly. We experienced this hurdle even while returning from Ajmer. All credit to my Royal Enfield’s great balance and superb ground-control, we passed this stretch and next 100KMs were real fun. In fact, Nitin enjoyed this part the most. After all, he has driven all his life in heavily congested roads of Lucknow and Delhi and this was his first such experience.

We took our next break at the Gujarati Dhaba, about 70KMs from Ajmer, at around 7:30pm. Grime & dirt all over us, tea came as a refreshing breather. We were amazed to note that neither of us was exhausted as yet, despite riding for about six hours and covering nearly 260KMs. My single-seater Enfield drew a lot of attention here from a group of Gujarati bus-travelers, who gave the bike and me envious looks! After all, nearly all the Indian men have secretly harboured a wish to own one!

Last 20KMs towards Ajmer are under construction – the Kishangarh-Hanumangarh highway. One should drive carefully here; traffic can go as slow as 20KM per hour. Also, vigilantly watch out for a small diversion from under an under-construction flyover, which bears a signboard towards Ajmer/Pushkar that will take you to a village road leading towards Ajmer. Another 8KMs on this road, you should take a right turn from under the railway bridge. Here you’d note a huge signboard stating ‘Pushkar 22KM’. This one too is through villages, albeit very well built state-highway. It was around 8:30pm and last 20KMs to Pushkar were as enjoyable as the first 350KMs!

We reached Pushkar at around 9:20pm. Another surprise! Gulab Niwas Palace – our night-halt destination, was an old Rajputana Haveli! Standing tall over a hillock, it was a marvel. We met Shakti, the proud owner, who greeted us as we entered. I must give credit to my friend Yudhisthir Singh for organizing this lovely place for us. Highly recommend for the splendid view it offers of the town of Pushkar!

Guys! After reaching there is when we realized how badly we needed a scrub & bath – grunge, soil and tiredness – writ all over our faces! Treating ourselves to a hot-water bath and sumptuous vegetarian meal, we slept like tired horses!

Next morning, the royal beast started with a loud thump; no sign of fatigue it showed! That’s the power of this machine.

Some notes on Pushkar: it is a town in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is one of the five sacred Dhams (pilgrimage site) for devout Hindus, and has in recent years become a popular destination for foreign tourists. One of the oldest cities of India, it lies on the shore of Pushkar Lake. The date of its actual origin is not known, but legend associates Lord Brahma with its creation. It is mentioned that Brahma performed penance here for 60,000 years to have a glimpse of Lord Vishnu. You should visit this temple and the lake, if you may. Pushkar is also famous for its annual camel fair, which takes place in November and continues for five days and these five days are a period of relaxation and merry-making for the villagers. This fair time is the busiest time for them, as this is one of the largest cattle fairs in the country. Animals, including over 50,000 camels, are brought from miles around to be traded and sold. One of the greatest attractions!

We didn’t spend much time at Pushkar, as our destination was the Dargah at Ajmer, a place I have been meaning to visit for over a decade now. Ride to Ajmer is about 17KMs and a hilly one, albeit very well maintained road makes it a pleasant drive for a biker.

Some notes on Ajmer: fifth largest city of Rajasthan, Ajmer is surrounded by the Aravalli mountain range. It is famous for the Dargah Sharif or Ajmer Sharif, which is a shrine of the revered Sufi saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, also known as Garib Nawaj. The Dargah, which is visited by Muslim pilgrims as well as Hindus and that of several other religions and faiths, is a symbol of inter-communal harmony and attracts devotees from all over the world. History has it that Emperor Akbar and his queen used to come here by foot on pilgrimage from Agra every year in observance of a vow he had made when praying for a son. The large pillars called ‘Kose (mile) Minar’, erected at intervals of 3 kms (2-miles) the whole way between Agra and Ajmer, marking the daily halting places of the royal pilgrim, are still extant. Road-travellers will see them all through the sides of Delhi-Agra and Jaipur-Ajmer highways.

Again, courtesy Yudhisthir’s contacts, we met Bharat Yadav, owner of the Surya Tours & Travels, Ajmer. He helped us park our bikes safely with the luggage and sail though the Dilli Gate, leading to the main entrance of the Dargah, the Nizam Gate, following which is the Shahjahani Gate, which was erected by Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan. It is followed by the Buland Darwaza. The disarray of the crowd increased as we inched inside the Dargah. Once inside, we were introduced to Khadim Mustafa Bhai, who gave us a guided tour of a very heavily crowded Dargah. Bharat shared that Khadims are the ancestors of Sufi saint. A man of heavy clout, Mustafa Bhai ensured we glided through the hordes of devotees, thronging the Dargah.

As we walked in, we observed the marvelous Mughal architecture; built by Emperor Akbar and his descendants. I must share; there is something serene about this place, much more than being sacred. There is a strong sense of peace, a rare calm amidst the entire crowd, all the chaos. One has to visit this monument and feel it; I would find it very difficult to find words befitting the feeling.

We started our journey back to Gurgaon at around 12pm and drove very comfortably, soaking the cheerful sun. Water-breaks every 50-60KM kept us amply hydrated and we drove to our first break near the Toll-Plaza offices near Jaipur, about 170KM from Ajmer. Interestingly, it took us only three hours to cover this distance; such was the highway! Our second break came soon, at another 60KM, at a Café Coffee Day on NH-8, where we treated ourselves to another round of cold coffee with loads of ice cream! May Khwajaji bless CCD! For opening some many outlets on the highways; they bring much needed energy to the bikers’ bodies and the rest to the bikes.

I would recommend the bikers to drive carefully after this place, especially around the edges of the road, as the on-going massive construction has led to sand getting deposited at the roadsides, making them really slippery. Nitin in fact slipped near Bahror, causing damage to his bike’s handlebar. This accident caused an unwanted break in our journey and marred rest of the drive, limiting the speed to sub-50KM/hour.

We reached Gurgaon at about 9pm, covering exactly 738KMs in two days. Surprisingly, we weren’t really as exhausted as we had imagined! Best was, my Royal Enfield gave no sign of any trouble and the thump has even got better since this ride. This was my first major ride on this new machine and it didn’t let me down. I would recommend this trip to all Royal Enfield enthusiasts. You must take this tour!

Till the next trip, good bye and happy riding…

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You can read this travelogue, and many more, also on Ghummakar.com – Inspiring Travel Experiences at - 

http://www.ghumakkar.com/2012/05/13/motorcycle-diaries-road-to-pushkar

]]> http://rrgwrites.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/motorcycle-diaries-road-to-pushkar/feed/ 0 rrgwrites Motorcycle Diaries Gulab Niwas Pushkar Ajmer Ajmer Sharif Ajmer Sharif Royal Enfield http://rrgwrites.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/the-wall-retires/ http://rrgwrites.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/the-wall-retires/#comments Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:26:50 +0000 RRGwrites http://rrgwrites.wordpress.com/?p=237 ]]> Rahul Dravid retires from international cricket…a glorious, incomparable career comes to an end.

As I was hearing this news since yesterday; thoughts of another sports legend kept coming back to me – Pete Sampras. He and Rahul are very similar, in more than one ways. Their grit, the way they mastered the games they played, the way they are adulated, the glorious run they had and in the way they both will go down the memory lane as two of the most revered of all those who played their game. However, I am reminded of Pete because like Rahul, he was a true gentleman of the game he played.

A keen follower of tennis that I am, I recall reading this piece on Sampras very long ago; it left a strong impression on my mind and helped shape my formative years. Today, I am reminded of it as a befitting similarity it has with that of Rahul’s persona…

“Pete Sampras doesn’t want to destroy the Establishment. He doesn’t scream obscenities, grab his privates, tricolour his hair or date groupies. What he does is smack a tennis ball harder and more accurately than perhaps anyone in the world. “I was always taught to concentrate on the ball, nothing else,” he says, “I know I’m not showy or flamboyant. But this works for me. I am not changing.”

 At the 1992 US Open, Sampras was practicing one day when Martina Navratilova walked up. “Hello, Mr. Summer,” Navratilova said, alluding to Sampras’ winning streak of two tournaments and ultimately 16 matches that summer.

“Uh…no, Ms. Navratilova,” the young, shy man said, “My name is Sampras.”

That is how Dravid played his game, all these years. As an enduringly successful professional, success came to him as an outcome of perseverance, self-discipline and hard work and it did not lead to any unruly or ungentlemanly behaviour. Even when the jury was all out for him to retire several years ago itself, he never retorted via words. Failure did not push him to show his frustrations, either on or off the field. Only gritty knocks followed the rough, trying phases. He demonstrated how one has to deal with challenges more internal than external; take failures in stride and never give in.

In ‘Success Built To Last’, the best-selling and very well-researched book on defining the traits of the successful people, Porras, Emery and Thompson state, ‘Enduringly successful people have found that the answer to their life’s purpose is buried not in the passionate love or pain alone, but in the struggle over both together, working in strange harmony.’ To our Jammy too, greatness came at the intersection of pain and passion.

Today, while announcing his retirement, Rahul, as always, was his calmest best and spoke measured words. What struck me the most was when he said in the press conference, “…it is the time for me to make the way for the younger players…”

Tomorrow, the newspapers will be full of the farewell scripts, accolades and opinions, et al for Rahul. No matter what, no one will be short of praise. However, it will matter whether we indeed remember him through our own conducts, specially the younger generation. Whether we would imbibe what he taught us, from his actions on & off the field. Many of us shall reminisce Rahul as a true professional, a gritty sportsman; as a man of strong character. If character is what you do when no one is watching, then perhaps sportsmanship is conduct with everybody watching! Frankly, the cricket industry would probably survive without sportsmanship. It is so large and so well financed. However, in the much critically acclaimed IPL era of the young and brash, it would be refreshing if more players realized that there is a room to win with flair and style and even get rich and still keep the values that first brought us to the game, just the way Dravid did all these years…

I sincerely do hope Virat Kohli is listening…

Thank you, Jammy. For all that you did for the Indian cricket, for the game of cricket. The sport’s fan, all over the world, shall always remember you ever as one who left the game better that he found it.

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Photo-credit 1: coloringinthedark.wordpress.com

Photo-credit 2: art.com

I bought this machine after a long year’s deliberation. With few cars and bikes already at home, it was a dilemma – should I go for it, or not? Will I be able to ride it to my fullest enthusiasm of old times or the hectic work-life will take over after a month? When the desire prevailed over the dilemma, next big question was – should I go for the height of selfism – the single-seater option – the one I always wanted to cruise upon? For a much married man, that’s some feat to be achieved!

Finally, wify supported and the royal beast came home last month, sporting a single-seat. And what a pleasure of 2012 it has been till now!

I’ve been a Royal Enfield enthusiast for last 15 years now, driven the ’80s model as well the new engines of the millennium all these years. However, fitted with a UCE engine, this one is a pure powerhouse, and I am enjoying the envious looks all around!

Looking forward to cruising, all by myself…

I built this team from the scratch – from a two-member unit to now a 24-strong one…took me more than 3 years to do so. True professionals that they are, each one of them is a leader in his or her own realm. Highly engaged and committed, they are proud recipients of several awards and accolades in last few years and have grown from one strength to another.

Many a times I am asked, what keeps them together. What is the trick, the magic wand…

Let’s see what make this team ‘work’ together:

• We hire for attitude only; train later for skill. Personal integrity, high energy and passion are must-haves to join us.
• We trust each other – one hundred percent. 99% is considered as good as 0% here!
• Heard about the term ‘boundary-lessness’? Meet us…you’d often note the one based at Amritsar calling the one based at Lucknow to learn something new! Doesn’t matter if he could have called five of us in Punjab itself. What matters is who would’ve known the best answer…
• We disagree vehemently – it is allowed in this team and conflict isn’t viewed as negative behavior.
• If convinced, you can tell your manager that she is wrong – high chances she may accept it!
• Well, we know it is OK to make mistakes. When we fail, we simply raise our hand and someone is around to help. You must see us working on our best-failed ideas some day!
• We are honest, simple fellas and treat each other as equals.
• There is no Boss! The leader is considered as a common connecting point.
• Aged 24 and 36 and all others in between – gel alike. Yet, no two of us are are same. In fact, even if you ask us, we would find it really impossible to identify any two who are similar people!
• Every member who is more than 6-months old in the team has surely trained a new member and owned his or her deliverables for first 60 days.
• We stand by each other, in good, bad and worse. Heard about the old ‘friend in need…’ piece?
• Do we have fun? Well, see us dancing together sometimes, or singing as a chorus! Favourite quote of ours - “Aap kaisa bhi gao, hum achcha hi sunenge”
• We love learning and improving and do so as a religion.
• We lovvve eating out – at the dhabas and the Taj alike! And only the Boss(!) pays
• and many more…

Aptly put in by one of us, “This team also celebrates everything, be it professional accolades, personal triumphs or even just plain well being…with an energy level to be proud of!” Another one said, “We keep each other on our toes!” An older team-mate remarked “we are truly proud of our team’s bonding.” And the youngest one of us opined that we enjoy a candid and open culture!

Above all, we love our work and our roles in making everyone successful – believe in it every day and strive to be the best, in all we do…

Amused after reading this? Well, didn’t I say at the start that leading a team is some interesting work?

]]> http://rrgwrites.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/myteam/feed/ 6 rrgwrites TeamRRG http://rrgwrites.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/what-makes-a-team-work/ http://rrgwrites.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/what-makes-a-team-work/#comments Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:00:57 +0000 RRGwrites http://rrgwrites.wordpress.com/?p=190 ]]> All through our lives, right from the formative education years to the working years, nearly all of us get to become part of several teams – local cricket or football team, school choir, family events, Lion’s Club, societies at college, functional and cross-functional teams at work, et al.

I too have been a part of many such teams all my life, sometimes as a team-member and some-times as a leader of the team. However, over a period of last decade or so, I have followed the dynamics of teamwork very closely and with albeit higher curiosity. I tried to follow patterns in behavior, codify the dynamism of team-skills and attempted to make sense of the conflicting views and outcomes thereafter. Time spent at management and law school and several years of working thereafter helped me gain some very interesting insights ad perspectives on what makes a team ‘work’ together.

While there is no dearth of literature available on this subject, one would agree that achieving near-perfect teamwork is a far cry from reality, especially in the corporate arena. The jury is still out on what actually makes a team click together, work together and subsequently achieve a common goal, each and every time. Interestingly, I also noted that many times, even great results or goal-achievement cannot conclusively state that the team did ‘work’ together as a cohesive unit, as a whole!

In my view, under-mentioned are some very crucial elements that make a team ‘work’:

Making of a Team – Willingness and Passion:

• Clarity of purpose of the team – what is the goal and what is it worth; why and how do I fit in; what’s there for me in it…all the three questions are to be answered in order to get individuals together as a team.
• Individual’s own willingness to be part of a particular team – you don’t need ones who don’t want to be there.
• Passion quotient of individuals – lack of it in even one of the teammates could be a real killer. If only a few deliver upon the team’s need of passion, the team may deliver results, but will surely not hold for long as a unit.

Competence:

• Only Competent Individuals On Board. It is quintessential for the team’s leader to define the necessary skills needed and ensure only the competent individuals are hired/selected. Compromising here will have a simmering, yet long-term ill affect on not only the results and performance, but also on the team’s bonding. Good talent always wants to work with only other good talent.
• No room for displaying poor ownership or lack of competencies – slackness, poor learning agility, lack of participation, are big NO. They not only adversely impact results, but also lower the overall team-engagement and pull it down. Conceding here would only invite discontent from other members.
• Existence of complementary competencies amongst the teammates. A heterogeneous team is better than a homogeneous one, once each team-member knows and believes in the reasons of their own as well as others’ roles, responsibilities and strengths.

Culture, Respect and Connect:

• Culture – that conflict is not equal to negative behavior. Often, we mistake genuine conflict as unwarranted and discard it. However, in my view, healthy conflict is the root of all progress. Having said that, due caution should be exercised against turning the conflicting views into negative display of emotions.
• Culture – that it is good to disagree with each other, as far as you do not disregard. Debate and fight the idea, not the person.
• Culture – willingness to praise good work and thank for contributions. “We are all great pals, where’s the need to thank each other!” - this is one big piece that most teams miss.  Teams that learn to praise commendable work and thank each other connect far better than a team of ‘otherwise great friends’.
• Respect – towards every individual. Each one has a role to play and despite the professional differences that may occur, respect for each other’s personal self mustn’t go down.
• Respect – for each other’s talent and contribution. “Know it all” attitudes won’t make a team ‘work’ together.
• Absence of personal insecurities – this one is a true make or break element. It is very hard for a team to ‘work’ together in presence of insecure behavior, demonstrated or otherwise. Insecurity amongst the teammates inspires spite and poor connect, and while the team may still achieve short-term results, the team won’t ‘work’ together for long.
• Having fun together. How boring and disconnected a team would be, if there were no fun? Remember ‘Fun’? From amongst the pursuit of goals, seriousness of efforts, data, analytics, homework, et al, fun often takes a beating. Ensure the element of fun stays in all you do, the team would ‘work’ together. Celebrate birthdays, achievements, outings, even farewells; create avenues of having fun together.
• Connect holistically. This works very well, especially in the context of Indian culture. We love to connect on the personal note, share personal challenges and happiness alike. I am of the view that while the team-leader has a larger role to play here, every team member can chip in with genuine interest in each other’s lives. Think of it, how strong the bond would be when each member of the team knows in his or her hearts that everyone is standing by, in the hour of need.

Leadership:

• Leader’s absolute interest and willingness to lead the bunch is crucial. Who wants to be led by someone who isn’t willing to lead? Leader of the team must be strong enough to see the bigger picture and wise enough to identify with his or her teammates, play the role of a coach & guide and build a culture for all to succeed.
• Team’s unflinching trust in the leader’s authenticity, abilities and competencies – brilliant individuals won’t agree to be led by a poor or incompetent leader for long.
• Team trust on leader’s fairness towards all – a real test of character for any leader. The leader has to ensure establishing a fair and impartial performance yard-stick for each individual member, and doubly ensure that it is visible too to all team-mates.
• Be there when needed! Leader is required to demonstrate courage by standing up for the mistakes of his/her team. Once established, this works brilliantly in keeping the faith of a team on their leader and goes a long distance in building a well-knit team.
• Talk, Communicate, Share – surely a leader’s most crucial job in making a team ‘work’. Seamless communication of information, praise, feedback, ideas, goals, even failures builds a strong internal network within the team. And mind you, by communication I don’t mean one-way communication from the leader – I am referring to open connect and communication across levels. Failure to achieve this leads to conjectures, surmises, doubts, et al, leading to poor performance and lower team engagement.

Courage and Managing Failure:                           

• Belief – that it is OK to fail at times. Every team that concertedly documents their ‘best-failed’ ideas quickly and builds a method around each failed attempt stands the test of time longer.
• Absence of blame-game: “We know why we failed and we will work around it next time” instead of “I did it right, only if you had not failed…”
• Demonstrating Courage – in taking feedback without being defensive.  Well, it is easier said than done. However, when a well-meant feedback is taken in right spirit and worked upon, it not only boosts up the capabilities of the recipient of the feedback, it also does wonders to the overall capability of a team to continuously improve as a unit.
• Displaying Courage – in giving feedback, in an unbiased, timely and constructive manner. No point in trying to beat around the bush or appease each other when the contribution and/or level of performance is lower that expected. Individual who are courageous enough to speak up their mind, without intending any personal assault, build foundation of a sustainable team effort.

Over a period of last few years of my working in teams, I believe above are the key determinants of what makes a team ‘work’.  When well-meaning and competent individuals get together as a unit, have & display faith in each other’s abilities, learn to praise and motivate each other; when the team stands by the leader and vice-versa and don’t waste time in blame-game and/or thinking about credit, the team ‘works’ wonderfully together. As a team-member and a leader both, I understand teamwork is a journey and not an end. Thus, I have trained myself to carefully watch for all of above factors and keep implementing them as a ‘work-in-progress’; leading to continuous improvement in ensuring better individual & team effort, connect, bond and attainment of results. I would say, ‘it works!’

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Photo-credit: xtremeleaguetrivia.com

When I joined in July and got introduced to the course-mates, I was awestruck! They were all amazing talent. Ranging from 22 years of age to above 45 years, carrying work-experience of 3 years to 25 years, educated across the globe, some hand-picked by their organizations to participate in the course; some CEOs and entrepreneurs and some bright albeit very young managers. Retailers experienced in apparels, luxury, FMCG, telecom, grocery, electronics, pharma, the works!

Whew! That appeared as diverse as it could get. And the fact that I was the only HR professional in the class, it promised to be one heck of a ride…

One heck of a ride, it truly turned out to be…

Six months down the lane, and I got to know them from really close corners. The talent-manager in me was amazed to witness the abundance of talent in front of me, as it unfolded day-after-day. I met and befriended great professionals, each having a unique talent. Some were superb presenters; they’d leave any audience spell-bound. Some brought in the gift of intelligence, they’d crack the code demanded by genius academia in minutes, if not seconds. Some demonstrated the promise to sell the comb to a bald man, and some appeared sharp enough to hold all that money in the most profitable financial statements. Then there were some who truly belong to the GenY, out to conquer the world; in fact, one of them indeed got chosen as the Economic Times Young Leader of the Year 2011. Grey hair (including the ones dyed in black) brought in the necessary poise and calm – method to the madness. In short, we had all the talent any organization would crave for!

The usual happened too…the classes, assignments, projects, presentations, even grades! All that and more! And it did not deter this brilliant set of people to gel seamlessly and learn from each other, every day. I have seen and been part of many similar groups, training sessions, and even cross-functional teams that come together and work. This group was way different! They were the eager ones; eager to participate, to learn from each other, eager to acknowledge each other, eager to praise each other; willing to go that extra mile. With them, seldom did I witness any ego, meanness and jealousy, which have all become bane of today’s corporate group dynamics.

This group brought back my memories of school days, the good old school days! Days, when we were happy for a friend coming first in class, for a friend getting scholarship, for a friend winning a debate and even for a friend wearing great looking new shoes! Days when we loved to help each other complete the homework, felt sad when someone scored low marks or when some felt left out in the melee. Somehow, I missed all this honesty all these years of my post-school education.

In the recent blockbuster movie ‘3 Idiots’, Madhavan’s voice-over says, “When a friend fails, it feels sad. But when a friend comes first, it feels gloomier!”

I am glad to say, this group of students proved otherwise!

As we graduated yesterday, we did it all. We studied diligently and presented our work with passion. We received our certificates amidst fun, family and fanfare. We cheered for the awardees, the best of the bests and hugged them as a band of brothers! Amidst the farewell, we posed for photos, exchanged contacts; promised to stay in touch and to continue to meet for biryani and coke! We felt happy meeting parents and kids alike of our course-mates!

It all ended yesterday.

Today, I am back. And I am back a better person. Not because I studied at this great institution and was taught by the world-class academia. Because I come back a man enriched by meeting 31 great women and men.

I come back humbled too. Not because I met intellectuals, geniuses, experienced and educated; because I met people who meant no harm, no malice and no envy to each other; who sought harmony amidst competition, friendship amongst peers and who sourced & offered strength to each other, in all they did.

I am not sure whether we will all meet again, may be some of us would. But I would always remain connected to each one of them in my heart.

For me, it is difficult to say good-bye. I did say it yesterday with a heavy heart. And said it with great pride too. For, I will always look back at these days, these mates, with same love and affection they offered to me so effortlessly.

All the best, my friends. Wish you all Godspeed and good luck.

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Photo-credit: isb.edu 

Does the fact one has become a senior manager and manages a team make him or her a leader? Does one become a leader just like that? Or there is more to it…?

To my mind, leadership is more about knowing and managing self and not only managing others. It starts with asking some hard-hitting questions to self, before embarking on the journey of leading women and men…

Twelve such questions all leaders and leadership aspirants must ask themselves and find answers for, are:

1. Why do I want to be a leader?
2. Am I an authentic person and appear one too?
3. Do I prefer hiring people stronger than myself under me?
4. Am I a teacher, a coach; genuinely like working towards making everyone successful?
5. Do I possess and demonstrate strong learning agility or do I behave as if a ‘know-it-all’? What will my team say about me in this regard?
6. Do I genuinely take and manage well-meaning criticism without my ego overtaking? What will my team say about me in this regard?
7. Do I allow myself to fail at times, and document each failure, thereby creating a method around it for others to learn?
8. Do I allow my team their fair share of mistakes?
9. Do I like being popular, and thus avoid giving feedback?
10. Do I genuinely give credit to my team for all good they do? What will my team say about me in this regard?
11. Does my team know that even if all goes wrong, I will stand ahead of them in facing the music?
12. Have I ever told my people, “As your leader, I am with you and not above you”?

If you do not have clear answers to each one of these yet, just ask another question to yourself…

Why should anyone be led by me…?

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Photo-Credit: photographyblogger.net

The Human Resource managers in this industry have a crucial role to play in managing this talent pool. Making these employees successful is a challenging task, given the quantum of diversity of this workforce.

Now, what does it mean when I say ‘making everyone successful’?

To my mind, being a successful retail front-end/customer-service employee denotes very simple things. They are:

1. Earning one’s livelihood by working with the organization: We are referring to the set of people who run their households earning the minimum wages – ranging between Rs.4000 pm to Rs.8000 pm. The livelihood of the wage-earners’ family depends upon this salary. The added sales-incentives, often a part of the remuneration, are also a substantial amount for these employees. Hence, by employing them and remunerating fairly without any bias towards education, experience, age and gender, HR Managers enable them to successfully earn their livelihood.
2. Having sufficient role-clarity about one’s job: Howsoever simple this job appears prima facie; it is replete with processes and procedures across roles. Ignorance of the realities and expectations of this role can lead to dismal performance later. Thus, clarity about the job-description and demands thereof is a key determinant of success for any employee.
3. Learning one’s job: No one can be successful without mastering one’s work-area. Inducting and training the employees in their job-domain, processes and bringing about the customer service orientation is a key imperative. Sourcing and hiring this workforce is easy – they are available all over. However, training them successfully & enabling them learn their job is the role of the L&D Managers and the supervisors. Lack of knowledge of one’s job can easily demotivate an associate and lead to her failure.
4. Performing one’s job with commitment and as per expectations of the organization: This is a key determinant of success at work. Success is outcome of the ownership displayed at work and adherence to the processes and policies. Moreover, working on the retail sales-floor requires tremendous patience and perseverance. HR Managers have a significant role of building a culture of opportunity, fairness and recognition for all employees, wherein they feel belonged to the organization and its vision.
5. Striving to be continuously better at one’s work and be a team player: Retail is a team game and success of an individual and that of the whole team is mutually interdependent. HR Managers not only need to promote teamwork, they also need to identify and build leadership talent, which acts as mentor and coach for an individual and the teams. A team where each individual has a clearly outlined role to perform and is recognized & rewarded for the same is the key for creating zealous employees. Moreover, coaching for improvement is a quintessential factor in making employees successful in their role. It is important for HR managers to build a culture of risk-taking and allowing mistakes & failures, which in turn enables an employee to strive towards betterment and not fear the penal action when she fails while attempting to do so. 
6. Improving one’s skills, knowledge and competencies, so as to become eligible to grow further: While the above-mentioned five factors relate to one’s success in the current role, one need to keep improving upon the skills and competencies, which will help her become better at her work and add value to her job and organization. HR Managers and supervisors monitor performance and potential of an employee and look for areas of improvement and skill-development. Once the developmental areas are identified, Training team has an important role to offer in building the competencies of an individual – both functional and soft skills. Simple skills I can refer to here is learning English – verbal and spoken, and the computer-skills.
7. Enhance one’s potential by learning newer skills: Learning newer skills help one grow further. To be able to grow further, one needs to learn skills pertaining to the next/higher work level. This would also mean learning cross-functional skills and managerial capabilities. HR Managers, in their avatar of Talent and L&D managers have a very important role to play in identifying and realizing the potential of the employees and grooming them for higher roles. This is specially a key factor for retail front-end employees, where individual contributors need to be trained upon cross-functional skills and people-management capabilities, in order to build upon their potential for a people-manager/leader’s role.
8. Grow further: This is a most distinguishable determinant of one’s success. When an employee grows further up and does not succumb to the famous Peter’s Principle, she is surely being successful. HR Managers need to very granularly observe & assess managerial talent and potential and promote ONLY those who are ready to grow. Poor assessment of the readiness-quotient of an employee may lead to subsequent failure – not only of the employee in question, but also of the team and organization she is part of. Creating well-defined career frameworks, assessment tools and communicating the same to the employees help establish a culture of performance and merit and provides opportunities of growth and success.

Each of the above eight factors is mutually inclusive determinant of success and all of them together when achieved as a whole, make an employee successful. HR partners have a pivotal role to perform in each of these domains. However, that is not an easy task, as given the workforce diversity, no one employee would ever behave & perform as the other! Out of the lot, the toughest ones to manage would be those, who at the start show a lot of promise & capability while being inducted into the job, but if not managed well, they may run the risk of skidding off the route somewhere, leading to poor performance and results.

Making everyone successful…are you ready for this challenge?

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Photo-credit: Coachville.com