CATEGORY:CEO Chronicles

The Power Of Purpose

During the 1940s, Viktor E. Frankl, Austrian psychiatrist and author, was held prisoner in Nazi concentration camps. With all the agony and brutality, what kept Frankl from giving up his relentless fight for his life was purpose.

Dr. Frankl sought and found meaning in his struggle, and that gave him the power to survive unimaginable indignity and pain.

In his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”, Dr. Frankl sums up his philosophy on how people were able to survive the camps, without losing the will to live.

“Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.”

Why Is Purpose Necessary?

First, purpose gives us hope. And hope gives us well-being. Hope gives us an increased ability to cope with change and disruption, enhancing our resilience and increasing our happiness.

Second, purpose enhances our self-esteem. Our self-confidence increases. We feel a sense of competence and achievement, and an enhanced ability to deal with difficulties and challenges.

Third, purpose is closely linked to ‘flow’ — the state of intense absorption in which we forget our surroundings and ourselves. A strong sense of purpose leads to more frequent experiences of flow. Flow is a powerful source of well-being. The more flow we experience, the happier we feel. (Please see Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happiness | TED Talk)

Fourth, purpose makes us less vulnerable to ‘psychological discord.’ This is the fundamental sense of unease we often experience, manifesting itself in boredom, anxiety, and depression. By focusing our attention and giving us a channel for our mental and emotional energies, purpose aligns thought, feeling and action, leading to a sense of ‘wholeness’.

Finally, having a purpose makes us less self-centered. We feel a part of something bigger, something outside ourselves, and this makes us less focused on our own worries and anxieties. So, our sense of well-being increases.

But, most of all, purpose gives us power.

Power over ourselves, our minds, our thoughts, our actions.

The power to aim for and to achieve more.

The power to contribute and create value.

Flashback # 1

She stood in her corner office. It was huge. Her desk was larger than most beds.

She walked to the wrap-around windows and gazed out at the cityscape. What an amazing view! She could see the faint outline of the hills far into the distance.

She had arrived. CEO of a billion-dollar group! Her lips curved into an involuntary smile.

Thank God for Subra, her mentor and boss from 15 years ago.

“Discover your purpose,” he had said.

“When you are clear about what drives you, about who you are, about what you really want, you will operate at full capacity, and you will achieve your potential,” he had reiterated.

“Once you know your purpose, you can align your performance with it, and you will become unstoppable,” he had advised.

So, she had done so. She had delved deep into herself and discovered her purpose.

“Build an engaged and happy workplace and inspire the motivated team to create success.”

She had lived this purpose for 15 years.

In doing so, she had found hope, optimism, happiness, well-being and untold joy.

Success followed her wherever she went.

Boards and bosses and teams wanted her.

Now, she stood on the pinnacle of success.

She looked at the wall at the poster with Napoleon Hill’s words,

“There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”

The Power Of Performance

Two grains were lying side by side on the fertile soil.

The first grain said: “I want to grow up! I want to put down roots deep into the ground and sprout. And I dream to blossom and proclaim the coming of spring. I want to feel the warm rays of sun and the dew drops on my petals!”

This grain grew up and became a beautiful flower.

The second grain said: “I’m afraid. If I put down my roots into the ground, I don’t know what they will face there. If I will grow tender stems, they can be damaged by wind. And if I have flowers, they may be eaten by animals. So, I better wait for a safer time.”

As the second grain waited, a chicken that passed by pecked at and ate it.

Successful people who have attained amazing goals are not stronger, more intelligent or more fearless than you. The only difference is their self-belief and their sustained efforts in the direction of their dreams.

Why Is Performance Critical?

Nobody succeeds without hard work. Nothing spectacular comes without it. Getting organised is hard work. Setting goals, making plans to achieve them, and staying on track is hard work.

There’s only one way to the top: Performance.

Lasting success can only be achieved if you put in the work.

Stephen King once said “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”

Henry Ford similarly said, “The harder you work, the luckier you get!”

Don’t wish it were easier. Work harder.

Hard work is challenging, painful and uncomfortable. But it is the only way to the top. In fact, the key to success is to learn to enjoy challenging work and to enjoy working hard at it.

Your idols and heroes worked hard and made careful choices before they reaped the rewards of success. They performed to their full capacity.

Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times while he was working on the light bulb and yet he never dreamed of giving up – this is the hard work and the determination that marks a true success.

Picasso worked ceaselessly through his long lifetime. The total number of artworks he produced has been estimated at 50,000, comprising 1,885 paintings; 1,228 sculptures; 2,880 ceramics, roughly 12,000 drawings, many thousands of prints, and numerous tapestries and rugs.

The greater your capacity for hard work, the more rewards fall within your grasp. If you have chosen a significant purpose for your life, it is going to require hard work to get there.

If getting to the top was easy, it wouldn’t be rare.

The importance of performance is a timeless truth. Rather than fight it, run with it and greatness and extraordinary success will be yours.

Flashback # 2

She walked to the 12-seater conference table on the far side of her new office. She ran her fingers against the polished mahogany.

How many tables, she thought. How many meetings and conferences and discussions.

The first few years after she discovered her purpose were a whirlwind of learning and doing and travelling and working, often starting  as the sun rose and ending much after it set.

How much joy from each successful deal, each new customer acquired, each plan completed on time.

What an amazing, fun 15 years it has been, she thought.

She looked at the other poster behind her desk, recalling when she first read Oprah Winfrey’s words, reveling in their wisdom,

“The big secret in success is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you are willing to work.”

Purpose + Performance = Power

When clear purpose combines with focused performance, you become unstoppable.

Purpose shows you who you are and what you want. Performance plays to your strengths and achieves your goals.

Together, they give you the power to live an unlimited life.

Together, they give you the power to lead an ‘intentional life’ rather than a ‘default life’.

A life that you control. A life that you wish for.

And when you lead an intentional life, you inspire and motivate. You become a natural leader, one who is heeded, heard and followed.

Your power extends beyond yourself to the world around you. You influence and mould others. You envision and drive change.

Flashback # 3

She picked up her bag and walked to the door of her office.

I shouldn’t be late today, she thought.

She was expected at the Global Diversity Forum. She was the Guest of Honor tonight.

Time to make a difference, she thought.

Time to put my power to work.

She strode confidently to her car, as her chauffeur opened the door for her.

She smiled at him and thanked him.

Time to change the world…

The Final Goodbye

Thank you for reading my articles.

Thank you for your likes, your shares, your responses, your discussions.

It has been an amazing ride.

But the time has come to say goodbye.

As Douglas Adams wrote in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”,

“The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42.”

Thus, with this 42^nd article, you have the answer.

Discover your purpose.

Perform with everything you have.

Generate the power you need to live the life you want.

This is the answer to all your questions. On happiness. About success. On satisfaction. About wealth.

Purpose + Performance = Power.

****

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 30 December 2020.

“Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try!”

Failure hurts. It demoralizes. It humbles.

Even so, failure is a critical and important part of life.

In fact, failure is necessary.

I have failed more times than I can count.

Yes. I have failed small. I have failed big. And I have failed spectacularly.

I have not enjoyed failing. If anything, I have hated it when it was happening. I cursed life, railed at God, asked the eternal question, “WHY ME?”

But, as I have progressed, I have realized that failure, through its life-altering lessons, gradually moulded me into a stronger, more capable, better person.

Failure is life’s best teacher. It teaches us humility, and change, and innovation, and resilience.

Without failure, I know I would have less compassion, empathy and kindness. Without failure, I know that I would have achieved much less than what I have today.

I Don’t Believe You!

“That’s a load of bull! I don’t think failure is necessary! Can you name any successful people who have failed?”

I can name hundreds. Here are some people who you know, like and respect –

Oprah Winfrey – abused child, teenage unwed mother, fired for being ‘unfit for television’.

Jack Ma – failed primary school twice, failed middle school three times, failed university entry exam thrice, rejected by the police force, rejected by KFC, rejected by Harvard ten times.

Walt Disney – fired from his job at a newspaper, first go at business ending in bankruptcy.

Thomas Edison – told by his teachers that “he was too stupid to learn anything”, fired from first two jobs, failed in developing the light bulb more than 2,000 times.

J K Rowling – jobless, divorced, penniless, with a dependent child, suffered through bouts of depression, living on welfare checks, Harry Potter script rejected 12 times.

Enough? Or shall I go on?

“Enough. I see what you mean. But why is failure ‘necessary’?”

Why Failure Is Necessary!

The simple answer is,

If you go through life without failing at anything, then you are not really living a life at all!

Taking risks and falling down makes us into who we are.

Take the example of a baby. When a baby is first learning to walk, she will fall down many times. If you feel bad that she is failing and over-protect her and prevent her from trying, she will never walk.

Take the example of a tennis player. He will play game after game. He will lose often, sometimes terribly. If you feel bad that he is failing and tell him not to play so much, he will never build up to be a champion.

And finally, take the example of yourself trying to cook a new dish. It is likely that you will fail the first time. And the second. Even perhaps the third. If you give up and stop, you will never make a dish that makes people go, “WOW!”

Failure is the development of mental and spiritual muscle. It strengthens us, it makes us more resilient. Failure gives us the drive and the reason to succeed.

Here are five reasons why failure is necessary for all of us –

Failure Gives Us Valuable Experience

The most important thing we gain from failure is experience.

What happens when we fail? When we go through something and can walk away with firsthand experience, it helps us to develop a deeper understanding for life.

The experience of failing alters our mindset. It makes us reflect on the real nature of things and their importance in our lives, transforming and improving our future selves.

[My wife, Radhika, wanted to be able to make tasty egg-free cakes for her many clients who could not eat regular cakes for dietary or religious reasons.

She experimented for many months. In the beginning, the cakes would not rise, or taste terrible. Each failure hurt her, but also taught her something new. She built the next cake on the learnings from the previous one. Finally, she mastered the art.

Today, her egg-free cakes are said to be, ”the best cakes we have ever tasted!”]

Failure Endows Us With Knowledge

Failure brings us important firsthand knowledge.

This knowledge forms the stepping stones for our future. By harnessing what we learn from failure, we can and will overcome that very same failure.

[When I was in school, I was terrible at my second language, Hindi. I would fail again and again – mainly because I did not put in enough effort.

As I came closer to my School Leaving Examination, I realized that if I failed, I would not be able to enter college. I began reviewing everything I had learnt from my failures. Soon, I recognised a pattern of mistakes. I went to a friend who was very good at Hindi, and asked him to show me how to correct this. He helped me understand the concepts that were necessary.

Using this knowledge, I was able to not only pass the exam, but get a first class!]

Failure Exposes Our Weaknesses

Everyone has weaknesses. Failure leads to introspection, which then leads to exposing our weaknesses. Once we know what our weaknesses are, we can turn them into strengths.

Thus, failure actually helps us evolve and become stronger, preparing ourselves for the challenges yet to come.

[When I was about 30, I attended quite a few job interviews and was rejected in all of them.

This really hurt, especially because I thought I was a good fit, and did not know why I was being rejected. I approached my mentor for help. She conducted 2 ‘mock interviews’ with me, and then shared her findings. I realized that I was making so many mistakes. I took these to heart and corrected them.

The very next interview I had, the company offered me the job immediately!]

Failure Pushes Us To Grow

When we fail, we grow and mature as human beings.

We seek deeper meaning and understanding about ourselves and about life. Failure makes us pause and reflect. Failure puts things into perspective.

Life is designed for us to grow and improve. Growth is a fundamental part of us. Failure prevents us from complacency and stagnation, and pushes us to seek new avenues, new approaches, new starts.

[My friend, Vijay, believed that he was an excellent technical manager. He stopped reading or learning, feeling that he ‘knew it all’.

One day, one of his ships had a serious engine problem. The Chief engineer contacted him and asked him for help. Vijay did everything he could, but was not able to solve the problem. The company lost thousands of dollars. Desperate, Vijay reached out to various colleagues and contemporaries. A young superintendent replied, giving him a possible approach. Vijay tried it our and it worked.

From that day onward, he stopped feeling complacent. He ensured that he subscribed to technical updates and attended technical forums, knowing that he did not, actually, ‘know it all’.]

Failure Builds Resilience

Failing helps us build resilience. The more we fail, the more resilient we become.

To succeed, we must know resilience. Without resilience, every stumble or fall will cause us to lose hope, to not try again, to give up. And by doing so, fail much harder and more painfully than ever.

Resilience helps us succeed by building the right expectations, thus setting the gameboard in our favour.

[There is no better example of resilience than US President Abraham Lincoln.

He failed in business at age 21; he was defeated in a legislative race at age 22. He failed again in business at age 24. Then, Lincoln overcame the death of his sweetheart at age 26 and had a nervous breakdown at age 27. He lost two congressional races at ages 34 and 36, and then the senatorial race at age 45.

He never gave up, never quit, learned from each failure, became stronger, and finally, became President of USA at the age of 52.]

Failure Is The Foundation Of Success

Failure forces you to tune in to what you truly want and to who you really are.

We need to embrace failure and see it as a stepping-stone on the way to success.

Sadly, society tends to celebrate successes rather than highlighting the epic journeys towards success that are filled with trials, setbacks, and failures.

Too often we buy into what society says. When we do that, we limit ourselves, and we impede our ability to make big things happen.

Failure is temporary. When something goes wrong, we need to learn to look for the greater message of the experience and expect it to, eventually, turn out for the good.

Failing means you are actually active, doing something, moving forward.

“It is impossible to live without failing, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” – J.K. Rowling

***

Can you recall a failure which taught you lessons that shaped you? Please could you share for others to learn from?

Do send your inputs to me, either as a comment or as a PM.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 08 December 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

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Workplace Myths

It is so easy to believe in myths.

We are conditioned to believe. From childhood, we hear our parents and elders caution us or advise us about various myths.

“Friday the thirteenth inevitably brings bad luck.”

“If your right palm itches, you are likely to receive money.”

“Walking under a ladder will lead to sorrow.”

Most myths are beliefs or practices that result from one of five causes :

1. Ignorance
2. Fear of the unknown
3. Trust in magic, luck or chance
4. A false conception of causation
5. An irrational attitude of mind toward the supernatural, nature, or God

Similarly, workplace myths, too, abound.

A lot of these myths start off as well-intentioned business and leadership observations. Sadly, they take on the garb of wisdom, and over time, are believed as if they were gospel.

Here are 5 workplace myths that research has proven wrong. You have surely heard of these. You have possibly believed these myths.

Let us bust these myths once and for all!

Myth # 1 : Longer Hours = More Productivity

Since I started working many years ago, I have always been told that putting in extra hours is the sure route to achievement and success.

“See that colleague – he works 14 hours every day, and his career is sky-rocketing.”

Research has conclusively proved that employees are actually more productive when they work shorter days.

In one case, using a time-tracking productivity app called DeskTime, the Draugiem Group conducted an experiment to understand the habits of the most productive employees.

They found that the employees with the highest productivity did not work longer hours than their counterpart. In fact, they did not even work full eight-hour days.

Instead, the most productive employees took a 17-minute break for every 52 minutes of work.

Built in breaks and shorter workdays actually enable employees to be their most productive.

In fact, the reverse is true. Working longer hours can, in fact, lead to greater operational costs and negative health effects, such as sleep deprivation, which can threaten productivity.

Myth # 2 : High Achievers = Great Managers

How often have we seen a superb sales representative being promoted to a sales manager’s role and then failing spectacularly.

“Rajan has surpassed his sales targets 3 years in a row. Let us promote him to Sales Manager!” And 6 months later, “I am afraid we will need to let Rajan go – he is just not up to the task!”

There is a clear difference between performing and managing.

Performance is necessary to be a manager, but not sufficient.

To be high achiever, one needs to bring out the best in oneself. To be a great manager, one needs to be able to understand, interact with and bring the best out of people.

Research has found that managers who don’t have the ability to improve the productivity of their people fail at twice the rate of average-quality managers.

So being a great manager takes more than just being great at your job. You need to understand your people and their capabilities and make them great performers, too.

Myth # 3 : Higher Salaries = Happier Employees

“I think George may be thinking of leaving us. We should increase his salary so that he stays.”

Salary is important.

But salary is not a motivator. It can cause dissatisfaction, but it can never satisfy. It is a ‘hygiene’ factor.

The best research in this area is Frederick Herzberg’s in motivation and hygiene factors, and their impact on morale and productivity.

Herzberg showed that the there are two kinds of factors in the workplace – motivators (satisfying factors) and dissatisfiers (hygiene factors). The proper management of hygiene factors can prevent employee dissatisfaction, but these factors can never serve as a source of motivation.

A good salary, for instance, will keep employees at a job but does not motivate them to work harder. But poor salaries may make employees look elsewhere and quit.

A manager who wants to increase employee satisfaction and happiness needs to focus on the motivators. A job with many satisfying factors will usually motivate workers, provide job satisfaction, and prompt effective performance.

Satisfying factors include recognition, responsibility, advancement, job satisfaction and growth.

Hygiene factors include salary, job security, workplace conditions and supervision.

Myth # 4 : Happy Workplace = Zero Conflict

Most of us believe that workplace disagreements are undesirable.

Such disagreements indicate tension and disconnect, distract team members from doing their jobs, and therefore damage productivity.

But research reveals just the opposite: in many cases, disagreements fuel better performance.

Most workplace disagreements fall into one of two categories:

1. relationship conflicts, which involve personality clashes, and
2. task conflicts, which focus on how work is performed.

Studies indicate that while relationship conflicts are indeed detrimental, task conflicts produce better decisions and stronger financial outcomes.

Healthy debate encourages group members to think more deeply, scrutinize alternatives, and avoid premature consensus.

While many of us view conflict as unpleasant, the experience of open deliberation can actually energize employees by providing them with better strategies for doing their job.

Workplaces that avoid disagreements in an effort to maintain group harmony are doing themselves a disservice. Far better to create an environment in which thoughtful debate is encouraged.

Myth # 5 : Open Plan = More Engagement

“Let us move to an open plan office – that will help our employees engage more and collaborate better!”

Theoretically, open plan offices should encourage more interaction.

With no cubicles or walls to divide staff, open plan offices were originally planned to increase collaboration within teams and workplaces.

But a 2018 study from researchers at Harvard University suggests the design could be counterproductive.

Comparing the experiences of employees at two Fortune 500 companies before and after a move to open plan, the researchers found that face-to-face time between employees decreased by around 70% while the use of email increased in the range of 22-50%.

Why?

One, the drive for increased interaction and collaboration comes at the expense of the ability to focus and concentrate. Continuous distractions make it hard for employees to focus. This results in increasing stress and errors, undermining performance and productivity. This forces employees to work harder and longer; causing them to eschew interaction with others so they can complete their tasks.

Two, engagement and interaction are not products of workspace configuration. They are outcomes of culture, workplace environment, team-structure and role definitions.

Tradition Is Obsolete

Five common workplace myths busted!

By now, you should have realized that these myths have been believed for so many years only because we fell prey to tradition.

“This is how it was always done, so this is how we must continue to do it.”

Break out of that mindset. It is a prison that shackles you and prevents you from innovating and growing.

Look at every myth that you have accepted. Question it. Evaluate it. And then, discard it or embrace it based on the value it brings to your workplace.

What is the myth you want to bust today?

****

Do send your inputs to me, either as a comment or as a PM.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 24 November 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

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Performance appraisal can do more harm then good…

“You Can Do Better. Much Better.”

“Mom! I scored 95% in Math!” I cried, excited.

“Good, well done,” my mother said, “but why did you not get 100%? You can do better, much better!”

My head and spirits fell.

This happened every time! However well I did, I was told that I could do better. How much ever I achieved, I was told I could achieve more. It was never enough!

It was frustrating. And it was demotivating. Most of all, it was hurting.

Many years later, my mother and I had a chat about this.

She was genuinely surprised.

“I only wanted what is best for you, my son,” she said. “I wanted you to know that you could achieve what you set out to do, and that there were no limits.”

“It was never my intention to hurt you or demotivate you,” she continued, an apology in her eyes.

I understood. I knew where she was coming from.

Just the previous week, my son came to me and said, “Daddy, I have completed the Lego model – see, here it is!

And I said, “Oh, it looks great, my son! But, what about this section – it seems a little misaligned. You can do better, much better!”

Appraisal Is A Double-Edged Sword

What exactly is appraisal or feedback?

This term is used to describe the evaluation or criticism about a person’s or entity’s actions or behaviours. The objective of this evaluation is that they can use that information to adjust and improve current and future actions and behaviours.

Feedback occurs when an environment reacts to an action or behavior.

‘Customer feedback’ is the buyers’ reaction to a company’s products, services, or policies.

‘Performance appraisal’ is the manager’s or peer’s reaction to an employee’s performance and behaviour.

In both cases, the exchange of information involves both performance exhibited and performance expected.

The Pros

There is no question that, in theory, feedback is a good thing.

Individuals, teams, business units, companies, governments – all can benefit from appraisal.

Myriad studies have proven that feedback helps to improve and enhance; contributes to better informed decisions; lays the foundation for continuous dialogue.

Effective feedback, in theory, has benefits for the giver, the receiver, and the wider organization.

And The Cons

In practice, the appraisal process can be and usually is demotivating and hurting.

In most organizations, feedback creates an atmosphere of fear. More than 85% of employees say that receiving feedback is a negative experience.

Also, feedback is victim to natural biases and errors.

It can lead to a stressful workplace, unhappy relationships, and fear and toxicity within teams.

Sadly, what is supposedly Panacea in theory, turns out to be Poison in practice…

Feedback, Feedback Everywhere!

In reality, whether we like it or not, feedback is around us everywhere.

We judge and are being judged all the time.

At home, at work, with friends, by colleagues, online and offline.

“Oh, look at Roger, what kind of shirt is he wearing? He must be colour-blind!”

“I wish Sheila would complete her tasks on time; she is always late!”

“Can’t Peter check his e-mails before sending? So many mistakes, every time!”

A lot of feedback is covert. Much of feedback is indirect. Often, issues are largely hinted at rather than expressed.

And therein lies the problem.

We need to be able to crystallize these judgements. To convert them into a form that can be heard, understood and responded to, openly and transparently.

So, the corporate world adopted the concept of Performance Appraisal. So that feedback is given and received, documented and reviewed, with the hope that employees will use this to enhance their behaviour and performance.

My Appraisal Is Your Criticism

Sadly, performance appraisals traditionally carried out annually are useless. They suffer from too many problems–

• Most managers are untrained in evaluation
• Appraisals are rarely based on hard, objective data – they are mostly subjective
• They are infrequent, with huge gaps in between appraisals, leading to errors of recency and central tendency
• Appraisals try to tick off too many boxes – improvement, development, promotion, bonus, retention – at one time
• Appraisals are seen to fuel greed and unhealthy competition

Research shows that these problems lead to an unusual outcome –

Appraisals actually worsen employee performance in 40% of cases!

Over the past few years, organizations have become increasingly aware that the annual performance appraisal is a fundamentally broken process that is irrelevant to and ineffective for the modern workforce.

Exiting The Spiral

“So how do we make feedback deliver positive outcomes?” I asked my mentor.

“There are three rules I have always followed,” she replied.

“One, make the feedback process continuous.”

“Two, make the process about motivation, not measurement.”

“Three, use the process to align, coach and develop, rather than evaluate. Prepare them for the future, rather than going over their past.”

“The very first time I implemented this, I carried out a survey with my team. These were the outcomes :”

• the reviews were more objective and fairer
• they were of the right quality and timeliness
• the reviews actually helped improve their performance.

“Most importantly, my employee retention numbers shot up by almost 12%, thus increasing organizational stability and recruitment costs.”

“So, what were the steps you took to implement this new approach?” I asked, fascinated.

Poison To Panacea

“First, I made goal setting a quarterly process,” said my mentor. “Most people cannot envision something 9-10 months away. By focusing them on the quarter ahead, we made things more real and immediate.”

“Secondly, I coached my managers to focus performance-related conversations on future growth and development, rather than looking backwards at quotas and deadlines. By doing this, we reduced tension and anxiety, and people became much more open to the feedback.”

“Third, I established a Weekly Review template for each employee, that they would full-up and share with their manager, so as to ensure that tracking is continuous, rather than sporadic. So, every month, and then, every quarter, the manager and the employee could review the behaviour and performance across the whole period, and plan how to do better.”

“Finally, I used technology to make this happen. Paper-based systems are cumbersome and difficult. The moment I digitized the system, it started working like clockwork. HR did not have to chase after people. The system’s reminders and flags were enough to keep the discipline.”

“How long did this take?” I asked.

“Oh, it did not happen overnight!” she replied. “As always, there was resistance in the beginning, and excuses and delays. But, within 3 months the foundation was laid; within 6 months, we were fully switched over.”

“That must have taken a lot of hard work!” I exclaimed.

“Yes, Shesh, but not only did this change the atmosphere and level of trust in the company,” said my mentor, “it led to much better performance!”

“We started winning more deals, our margins improved, our customer satisfaction numbers rose.”

“Even McKinsey’s research has shown clearly that organizations that have a continuous performance appraisal system in place are three times as likely to outperform the competition.”

“Wow!” I exclaimed, “that is news to me!”

“Well,” she smiled wryly, “all of us managers say people are our most important asset, but we rarely behave like we mean it. The fact is that if you build the right ecosystem that motivates and engages your people, they will create miracles you never dreamt of!”

“Amen to that!” I said.

Focus On The Appraiser, Not The Appraisal

The best managers in the world are effective coaches.

They constantly create moments where genuine dialogue can occur, where employees feel their valued and cared for.

The best performance appraisal approaches in the world are those:

• That encourage continuous conversations that engage and encourage employees.
• That offer tools and metrics that help motivate and develop.
• That help prepare for the future, rather than conduct post mortems of the past.

The ideal performance management system is a manager who cares for his team.

****

Do send your inputs to me, either as a comment or as a PM.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 03 November 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

#BillionDollarLearnings #radicaladvice #ceochronicles #purpose #mentoring #careers #career #careeradvice #careerguidance #bestadvice #personaldevelopment

“I Am Shy. An Introvert.”

“I am shy,” said Jazen.

“Basically, I am an introvert. I don’t feel comfortable meeting new people. In fact, in my school and college days, I had very few friends. Mostly, I was invisible!”

“Now, you are telling me that just talent and hard work are not enough.” Jazen continued.

“And that, if I don’t network, I will be left behind, passed over and not achieve my aspirations.”

“What should I do?”

My heart went out to Jazen. I know exactly how he felt. I had met so many young professionals like him – sincere, hard-working, passionate – but aloof and shy and ‘invisible’.

How frustrating it was for them to see less-capable colleagues move ahead because they were more outgoing and confident and assertive!

“May I tell you a story, Jazen?” I asked.

“Yes, go ahead,” Jazen said, as he sat forward in his chair.

The Girl Nobody Knew

This story is about a young lady. Let us call her Rupa.

Throughout school and college, Rupa was the “shy girl.” The girl who nobody knew. Even her teachers, sometimes, would struggle to remember her name.

Rupa wondered why it was so hard for her to make friends and enjoy social events. But, as the years passed, she became so used to being known as “shy”, that she gradually accepted it as part of her identity.

In her final year of college, a counsellor administered a psychometric test to Rupa. As they went through the results of the test, she had a ‘Eureka’ moment. She was an Introvert!

Over the next few days,

Rupa read everything she could about personality types. She realized that she was not alone – that nearly half the population shared some or all characteristics of introversion.

Rupa learnt that there are many benefits from being an introvert – the ability to listen, the ability to think ahead and plan, the capability to reflect and review, the inclination to view the world rationally and calmly.

She also learnt that the corporate world is not kind to an introvert. Because it is hard to be open, difficult to make small talk, painful to establish rapport with new people, she realized that she was at a disadvantage when it came to attending networking events and building new relationships, which are crucial elements of employment and employability.

While this was discouraging, Rupa squared her shoulders. Now she knew. She knew who she was, and what strengths this gave her, and what weaknesses she had to overcome.

In her usual thoughtful way, she listed out steps that she could take to overcome this ‘disadvantage’ and turn it into an asset.

Step One – Shy People Can Plan

First, Rupa cast her mind back to recalling all the interactions that she had witnessed – between her classmates, her brother’s friends, even her parents.

She listed out the normal topics of conversation –

• The weather
• Family
• Mutual friends
• Common topics such as movies, books, current affairs, clothes, celebrities, etc.

She then listed out two things more –

• A list of questions she could ask, to maintain a conversation
• A narrative that she could use, without diffidence, if she was asked any questions or was asked to share something about herself

On completing this exercise, she decided to test it with two of her classmates who were outgoing and had many ‘friends’. She felt nervous and worried but gathered the courage.

The next day,

She reached out to the first classmate and then the second and put her plan in action. She started the conversation and then asked a few questions. Soon, all she had to do was listen! In both cases, the classmates talked and talked and talked. And Rupa listened and nodded and assented.

Within a week, both the classmates were seeking Rupa out. They loved that she was such a good listener, and that they could talk to her about anything.

“You are such a good conversationalist,” said one classmate, not realizing that Rupa barely said more than 10 words during the whole time!

This exercise gave Rupa confidence. Even better, over time, the two classmates then introduced Rupa to their friends, thus expanding her network without her seeking it!

Delighted, Rupa moved to the next step.

Step Two – Shy People Can Empathize

Rupa had already realized that she was not the only introvert. Many of her classmates were, too!

She also realized that she felt more comfortable talking to other quiet or mild people.

So, Rupa drew on her reserves of empathy.

Instead of being scared of starting a conversation, she focused on how she could help other introverts by interacting with them. After all, who could empathize better with an introvert than another introvert?

Again, she chose two classmates.

Over the next week,

Rupa reached out to them in her gentle and unassuming way. She did not push. She let it be known that she, too, was shy, but was available to talk.

It was slow going, but step by step both her introvert classmates opened up to Rupa. Over the course of the next 3 weeks, she learnt about their amazing talents, their achievements, their lives. She felt so good!

“We’ve been together for so many years, and never known one another!” she thought.

At the end of the third week, one of the classmates thanked Rupa. “I am so glad that you reached out to me,” she said, “I have never had real friends before…”

Rupa was on a high! She moved to the third step.

STEP 3 – Shy People Can ‘Socialize’

Rupa had avoided social networks.

Yes, she had a Facebook account and a LinkedIn account, but they were mostly dormant.

She realized that she had not understood the power of these online networks. Now, she recognized that such networks were good for an introvert – that people like her could nurture and build relationships without having to take the stress of face to face interactions all the time.

The next few days,

Rupa revived her online networks and re-connected with her few connections.

Gradually, she started adding one or two thoughtfully, evaluating each to ensure that she picked people who she could add value to, and she could gain learning from. She tentatively started writing a few of her thoughts as posts and articles on LinkedIn and was delighted to see many readers liking and commenting on them. This encouraged her to extend her writings to Facebook, and to open a Twitter account.

In a few months, Rupa had a decent sized online network, and had even developed some of her connections into friends, with whom she would chat one-on-one. Two of her connections had even reached out to her asking if Rupa would like to consider a position in their companies.

Rupa, the introvert, had learnt how to network!

Introverts Do Not Need To Be Invisible

“So, what do you think?” I asked Jazen, sipping on some water.

His eyes shone.

“Thank you for sharing this amazing story,” he exclaimed. “Did you know Rupa personally?”

“Yes, I did,” I said, “She was a member of my team, but much later.”

“Where is she today?” he asked.

“Oh, Rupa is now the General Manager – Operations with a large insurance company,” I answered.

“Do you know of other introverts who have done well?” Jazen continued.

“Dozens. Hundreds, probably,” I said, smiling, “ and most of them very successful!”

“Wow!” he said, and sat back. His eyes continued to shine.

A Chance Meeting

Jazen and I kept in touch regularly. 8 months later, we had the opportunity to meet at an industry conference. We shook hands happily, and then agreed to catch-up for coffee during the first break.

“So, I hear things are going well?” I asked.

“Very well!” said Jazen. He seemed much more confident than when we had last met. “As I have informed you, I am now managing a small team, and we are building some amazing apps.”

“And how’s the networking going?” I asked, smiling.

“Rupa’s story was a turning point in my life, Shesh,” Jazen said, with seriousness. “In the last few months, I have followed the learnings from her story and life has changed so much, for the better!”

“I am so glad,” I said, smiling with delight.

“And not just for me,” he continued. “I am now passing on these learnings to other introverts, and each of them is reverting to me saying how things are improving and how they are doing so much better.”

“Can you please thank Rupa for me?” he asked. “I owe her so much!”

“I will,” I promised, “and perhaps someday, you could both meet?”

“Oh, that would be wonderful! I look forward to meeting her!” said the introvert.

****

[Note : This is part 3 of a three-part series on Networking]

Does this article inspire you to take steps towards enhancing your networking skills?  Take the first step today.  Make a commitment.  Tell me a ‘yes’. 

In three months, let us revisit this article and check on your progress. 

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 20 October 2020.

Post Script :

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I Was Never Taught How To Network.

No one taught me how to network. In fact, when I was young, I was told that networking was ‘sucking up’.

I was told that it was not for smart and capable people, but only for weak fools who needed to survive on the whims of others.

Just like much of the advice I was given when I was young, IT WAS WRONG!

But I was foolish. So I followed the advice I was given.

I was also arrogant. I believed that I did not need others.

“My work will speak for itself”, I thought.

“My outstanding performance will make me stand apart and visible”, I believed.

“Networks are for suck-ups”, I consoled myself. “I can do this on my own!”

But, even foolish and arrogant people change over time.

As I saw others progressing faster, as I noticed colleagues being chosen, as I slid back in the hierarchy of life, I realized that just talent and hard work are not enough.

I needed to do more.I needed to do something different.

So, I reached out to my mentor.

You Are Effective, But He Is Successful

“Okay, Shesh,” she said, after she had listened patiently to me. “Let me ask some questions.”

“You said that you are efficient, hardworking and always deliver. I have known you for a while and I agree. But, your management promoted Ronald. Let us try and figure out why.”

“Okay,” I said reluctantly. I was not keen on talking about Ronald. We had joined the company at the same time, and he was now two levels ahead of me.

“Is Ronald efficient, too?”

“I guess so,” I muttered.

“Does he work as hard as you?”

“No!” I burst out. “He never stays late, he goes out to lunch with our colleagues, he rarely comes in on weekends!”

“Does he deliver his results?”

“Yes,” I said, morosely.

“So, how does he do this? He is efficient, he delivers results, but he seems to work much less.”

“I don’t know,” I muttered, looking down.

“Do you think you can find out?” my mentor asked, kindly. “May be spent the next 2-3 weeks observing Ronald and seeing what he does differently?’

She saw me squirming. “I think it will be very helpful, Shesh,” she said, still kindly, but with much more authority.

I agreed.

Give, And You Shall Get

I did not enjoy the next 3 weeks.

Not only did I shadow Ronald, I also saw that he was having a wonderful time.

Ronald knew how to network. He would rarely sit at his desk. He moved around the office leaning against other’s desks, talking and laughing. At times, he would pull up a chair and sit for longer, listening and nodding.

And when he was at his desk, a stream of colleagues would come by and chat and laugh and even flirt!

One day he went to lunch with the HR team. The next, he brought in a couple of burgers which he shared with the CFO in his office. On Friday, he bought 12 donuts, kept in on his table and shouted, “First come, first served!” and stepped away from the stampede.

One Monday, he asked me out for lunch. The cheek!

“Sorry,” I said, “I am busy, I have to complete the monthly RFQ.”

“Come on, Shesh,” Ronald said, “there’s always time for work. There’s this new Indian restaurant I am dying to try out. Be a pal!”

But I was firm, and refused. Why did I feel so terrible?

In the third week, I asked some of the members of my team what they thought of Ronald.

“Oh, he’s so wonderful,” said Anna, “he lights up the room!”

“Ronald? Such a lovely guy!” said Yu Jian. “Always willing to help, even when he is really busy!”

“You know, he got my son the Pokemon set when he returned from Bangkok!” gushed Minnie.

Honestly, I was getting quite tired of Ronald. At least the three weeks were coming to an end.

Ask, And Will You Receive?

I was back at my mentor’s place. I had just recited (with the help of my notes) everything I had learned about Ronald.

She sat back and smiled. It was not a nice smile. It was the smile of an executioner before he swung the axe.

“Thank you, Shesh,” she said. “It mustn’t have been easy.”

I grunted.

“I have a question. Let us say that you and Ronald are each given a big project. A project that neither of you can complete just by using your own team. Clear so far?”

I nodded.

“Both of you are given the same timeline, and it is tight.”

“Which of you, do you think will get the support from your colleagues to help finish this project, in full, on time?”

My mouth opened to speak, and then shut. I looked at her. She was looking back at me, a tiny smile on her face. She waited.

It took me more than a minute to squeeze out the words. “Ronald will.” I said.

“What about you?”

“Well, some of them will help…” I started. “A few of them may help…”

I shut my mouth and pondered. “May be one or two of them may help me,” I said, quietly.

“What do you think makes your colleagues want to help Ronald, but not you?” she asked, gently.

He Knows How To Network.

“They like him. They consider him a friend,” I answered. “He does things for them. Listens to them. Buys stuff. Donuts and pizzas. He talks to everyone all the time.”

“Would you say he invests in them?” she asked.

“Hmmm, yes, he does.” I replied.

“Would you say he gives a lot to them,” she asked again.

“Yes, he does.” I said.

“Does he do this with an agenda, you think?” she continued, “some kind of sinister purpose?”

I smiled. “No,” I said, “Ronald is actually a nice guy. He cares about the people around him.”

“Thank you, Shesh,” my mentor said. “Even when you hate it, you are honest. That is such a refreshing quality!”

Your Network Is Your Net Worth

My mentor sat forward.

“I know your views on networks, Shesh,” she said, seriously. “I know that you think they are facile and unjust and for weaklings.”

“You are wrong. I have wanted to say this before, but the time was not right. You would have ignored me. Now, you are seeing the difference between two similar capabilities, but with one multiplied by the factor of networking, and the outcomes thereof.”

“You are at the cusp of understanding how important it is to be seen, known, liked and trusted. A network is like a stage. Without one, you are part of the dark, unknown and unseen. With one, you are in the spotlight, and you are visible to the world who will yearn to see you succeed.”

I looked at her and nodded. She was right. I had spent so many years of my career not recognizing this elemental truth.

“From next week, I will teach you the art and science of networking. There are five main approaches that you will need to understand and master. Are you ready to do so?”

I nodded again. “Yes, I am,” I said.

She got up to see me to the door.

“I will leave you with this African proverb, Shesh,” she said, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.”

Time To Build An Springboard.

As I drove home, I recapped what I had learnt over the past three weeks.

1. Being effective is necessary, but not sufficient.
2. Without a network, I have no leverage.
3. A network is a force multiplier. A strong network would allow me to contribute and achieve so much more.
4. I have come as far as I can, alone. To go further, I need the support and goodwill of people.

I had wasted so much time. Enough. I was ready to expand my horizons.

****

[Note : This article is part 1 of a three part series on Networking. Today we discussed WHY. The next two articles will discuss the HOW and WHEN of Networking.]

Do send your inputs to me, either as a comment or as a PM.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 22 September 2020.

Post Script :

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To challenge time and win, we need to master Three Principles.

Time is My Enemy!

“I am sorry, my dear, Daddy cannot come and watch you submit your homework online,  Daddy is very busy with video calls…

“My apologies for the delay in submitting the report, sir; I had too much on my plate and just could not find the time…”

“Sorry, darling, we will need to cancel our vacation this year. I am snowed under, I don’t even have the time to breathe…”

How often have we said or heard similar words! At so many junctures in life, we have felt that time is our enemy, preventing us from achieving our diverse goals. How often have we felt that time is like fine sand – and the more we try to hold on to it, the more it slips away…

So, How Do We Win Against Time?

Time is our only truly finite resource: we may gain any amount of wealth, or success, or employees, or friends – but each of us gets 24 hours in a day, and a single lifetime’s worth of time. Because time seems limited, it is natural to feel that time is an enemy out to get us.

But this isn’t true. Time fails us because we fail in our approach to time.

We need to change our approach and learn the Three Principles that will allow us to challenge time and win.

The ‘But’ Conundrum

A few years ago, my mentor changed my whole attitude about time with one simple exercise.

He wrote, “I want to go to the beach but I have to work,” on the blackboard, illustrating a classic time squeeze conundrum.

“Is this true?” he asked me. “Let’s explore.”

Below “I want to go to the beach” he wrote: “I don’t want to go to the beach.”

And below “I have to work” he wrote: “I don’t have to work.”

“Now let’s remove the lies,” he said. “Is it true that I don’t want to go the beach? No.” And he crossed out I don’t want to go to the beach.

“Is it true that I don’t have to work? No.” And he crossed out I don’t have to work.

“There’s one more lie,” he said. “The third lie is ‘but.'”

He crossed out that single word, and with it my whole misunderstanding of time and choices.

“But” is about struggling with something that you don’t want.

However, if you like your job and you like the beach then you’re not struggling, you’re choosing.

“I want to go to the beach and I have to work.”

Getting rid of the “but” is the best way to start making time your friend.

Principle # 1 : Change The Narrative

Humans live by the calendar and the clock. We learn early that we must be on time or bad things will happen. Be late to pay your bills and you are penalised. Be late to finish your work and you lose that promotion.

A common phrase we use (and hear being used) is, “Life is too short to…”, implying that time is an opponent to be outraced.

But this narrative is wrong! It is because of the abundance of time and life that we want to seek change and transformation. Life is too long not to make the best of it!

When you have a problem that needs fixing, imagine what your life would be like if you delayed taking action to fix it.

See yourself a year from now with this problem still hanging around. What impact has it had on you? How has it hurt your relationships? What is it doing to you at work? What cost have you paid to your health?

Now take it out to five years. What have you lost? How much have you suffered? What have the people close to you been forced to pay?

When we consider the impact that leaving something unresolved for a long period of time can cause us, we realize the value of taking action in this moment. Time isn’t out to hurt us here. It is giving us an opportunity. And time is there for us, with us, waiting for you to take charge and choose.

The ‘Axe’ Conundrum

Once upon a time, a strong woodcutter got a job with a timber merchant. The pay was really good. The woodcutter was determined to do his best.

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he supposed to work.

The first day, the woodcutter brought down 18 trees.

“Congratulations,” the boss said. “Keep up the great work!”

Very motivated, the woodcutter tried even harder the next day, but he could only cut 15 trees.

The third day he tried even harder, and worked for even longer hours but he could only bring down 10 trees.

The woodcutter was despondent. “However hard or long I work, I am not able to achieve my goal!”

He went to the boss and apologised, saying that he could not understand what was going on.

“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.

“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe,” replied the woodcutter, “I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”

Principle # 2 : Focus Your Energy

The secret to lasting success is not managing time or working harder – it is about managing yourself, specifically your focus and energy.

We all have the same 24 hours every day. The main reason why some people achieve more in any given day than most people do in a month, is not because they manage time better – it is because they focus their energies better.

Every human is a storehouse of different forms of energy – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. Each of these energies have their own rhythms and peaks and troughs. Each of these energies is renewable, and keeps getting sharpened, like an axe.

Instead of scheduling around time, we need to plan around our energy and willpower levels. By matching the times of the day we have the most energy with our most important tasks, we can significantly improve what we achieve.

As a rule, schedule your most important creative tasks at some point in the early hours of waking up when you have the most energy.

On the other hand, schedule your low creative tasks – emails, social media, phone calls – in the latter part of the day when your energy and willpower is lowest.

Here’s a quick example of scheduling around your energy levels –

• Creative energy (best between 4:00 -11:00 AM)
• Social energy (best between 6:00 -11:00 PM)
• Communication energy (phone calls, email, texts) (best between 2:00 – 5:00 PM)
• Learning energy (any time except afternoon)

Managing ourselves and scheduling around energy, rather than time, allows us to sustain and enhance our productivity and achievement.

One of Tony Robbins’ most memorable lines is, “Where focus goes, energy flows.”

The ‘Bucket’ Conundrum

The Professor stood at the head of the class. On his desk were a bag of sand, a bag of pebbles, some big rocks and bucket. He asked for a volunteer to put all three grades of stone into the bucket. A student stepped up to carry out the task, starting with the sand, then the pebbles, then the rocks. Sadly, the rocks do not all fit in the bucket.

The Professor then emptied out the bucket, separating the sand, pebbles and rocks on the desk once again.

“This is an analogy to time management,” he said. “If you’d have put the rocks in first, then the pebbles, then the sand, all three would have fit. By completing your most critical tasks first, you leave room to complete the less important tasks, and then your least critical ones. In tackling your least tasks first, you spend so much time on them that you leave yourself unable to complete the higher priority tasks satisfactorily. Let me show you..”

The Professor re-filled the bucket, big rocks first, then pebbles, then sand, shaking the bucket between each so that everything fits.

“There is always time,” said the Professor, “It is how we use it that makes the difference between success and failure.

Principle # 3 : Plan and Prioritize

Very often, we treat time as an unlimited resource. We hedge. And we procrastinate. We will ‘do it soon’, or ‘tomorrow’, or ‘as soon as I can’.

Time, like health, wellness and money, needs to be planned. For example, if you take a few minutes on Sunday to create a plan for your whole week, you will walk into work on Monday morning with a plan that will help you focus on priorities.

Schedule low-priority tasks for Mondays and other low-energy times. Complete creative and demanding tasks on Tuesday and Wednesday. Schedule meetings for Thursday, when your team’s energy starts to decline. Use your Fridays for planning and networking. Use the first 30 minutes of your day to create a daily to-do list that suits your weekly plan.

Prioritize the big tasks – place the rocks in the bucket first. Once you complete these, you will feel a sense of well-being that will allow you to race through the others.

Planning gives you visibility. Prioritizing gives you control.

As Dale Carnegie said long ago, “An hour of planning can save you 10 hours of doing.”

Time To Win

It is time to take control.

It is time to challenge time and win, with these Three Principles:

1. Change the narrative. Move from ‘struggle’ to ‘choice’
2. Focus your energy. Sharpen the axe, don’t swing it harder
3. Plan and prioritize. Take charge of the future.

If you master these Three Principles, you win the battle with time…

****

Do send your inputs to me, either as a comment or as a PM.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 25 August 2020.

Post Script :

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To survive a crisis and win, we need to master the “Five Weapons To Deal With The Post-Pandemic World”.

Rajat and Lynn knew about the Five Weapons.

Rajat ignored them.

Lynn honed them.

Storm On The Horizon

News item in September 2019 : Oil prices dip below US$ 40 per barrel

News item in December 2019 : IEA predicts flattening of global energy demand

Viral blogpost in December 2019 : China doctor arrested for posting video on ‘runaway virus’

News item in January 2020 : Wuhan locked down; virus rampages across region

News item in February 2020 : Thousands infected in Italy; virus sweeping into Europe

Having Sight, But No Vision

Rajat Chandra was a lucky man.

He had had a comfortable career so far. In his mid-thirties, Rajat was the Operations Manager in a reputed Maritime Services group headquartered in Singapore. He had just completed 5 years in the company, and was well thought off, by his management and his team-mates.

Rajat was good at his job, and knew enough to deliver steady outcomes. He was happy – he felt secure and stable.

A few months before, in November, the Managing Director nominated middle managers in Rajat’s company to attend a two day training seminar on career management. Run by two former CEOs, who were now professional coaches, the seminar addressed various career issues and concerns. One of the sessions was on the Five Weapons professionals needed to survive a crisis and thrive in the corporate world.

The session described and discussed the Five Weapons –

1. Situational Awareness
2. Flexibility & Mobility
3. Networking
4. Strategy & Planning
5. Continuous Learning

Rajat had enjoyed the seminar. He found the ‘Five Weapons’ session stimulating and fun, and the examples, both from historical and from current times, interesting.

But he also felt that he did not really need these weapons. The combination of security and stability had given birth to new feeling – complacency.

Famous Last Words

“Why would I need weapons?” Rajat thought. He was part of a good company, where the leadership took care of and invested in the employees. And, he was doing well, and had been promoted a year ago, and was hoping for another promotion within the next couple of years. He got along with his boss, and his numbers were looking good.

“These Five Weapons are more for executives and managers who are either in companies not doing well, or who are not doing so well themselves,” Rajat thought. In fact, he had shared this opinion with one of his colleagues  (and a good friend) Lynn Cheng.

“I don’t agree,” Lynn had replied, after hearing Rajat out. “I think all of us need to master these weapons. We have no control over the external environment, but we can prepare ourselves for the worst case scenario so that we can survive a crisis.”

Rajat had laughed. “Lynn, what worst case scenario? You know I read about global economics and finance all the time – the world is doing well, in fact never better! Why would I spend time mastering things I am never going to use?”

Lynn was insistent. “No, Rajat, those two CEOs were not fools. They did not sacrifice one-fourth of the seminar to focus on things that we would not need. Did you know that this is a newly incorporated session? They evidently see something we don’t.”

“No way,” Rajat scoffed, “We are doing great, and nothing is going to change that!”

Prepare For The Unexpected

Lynn Cheng had also had a nice life so far.

She was 31 years old and was Deputy HR Manager. She had been with the company for a little longer than Rajat. Lynn had started as an HR Officer, and had been promoted thrice in six years. She was that rare HR professional – trusted and liked by her colleagues.

Lynn was different from Rajat in one critical aspect. She knew that security and stability could be unpredictable and transient.

Lynn was completely energized by the career management seminar. Every session spoke to her, resonating with her own thoughts and opinions.

When she was younger, her father once quoted the then CEO of Intel, Andy Grove, to her :

“Success breeds Complacency. Complacency breeds Failure. Only the paranoid survive.”

The day after the seminar, Lynn started her journey to mastering the Five Weapons.

The Warrior’s Path

She first tackled Situational Awareness.

Lynn broke it into three parts – her company, her market and the general environment.

She read as much as could find about her company’s history, growth and performance. What she couldn’t find, she asked of her boss and colleagues. She spent some time with the CFO and understood the financial issues and stresses that the company was facing.

Lynn subscribed to various domain newsletters on the maritime sector. As she pored through these, she realized that the maritime industry was in bad shape. Hundreds of companies had closed down in the past few years, and even the remaining ones were financially teetering.

Then, she started browsing the internet on global issues – the increasing nationalism, the trade war between US and China, the struggles of emerging economies, the failures in world trade and cooperation.

Within two weeks, Lynn fully agreed with Andy Grove – “In such an environment, one definitely needs to be paranoid,’ she said to herself, “I will need to master the Five Weapons if I want to survive a crisis.”

Within four weeks, she realized that neither her nor Rajat’s jobs could be taken for granted. One misstep here or one change there, and the company would need to cut costs drastically.

In parallel, Lynn started planning her Strategy (and upgrading her Learning).

In her reading, she also learnt about the forces that were disrupting HR. During this, Lynn had come across a McKinsey article on how 40% of HR jobs in the future would be done by computers and bots. She agreed with the article – “Much of what we do is repetitive and patterned,” she thought, “So easy to digitalize.”

She realized that some parts of HR – talent management, performance management, employee engagement – would be difficult to offshore or digitalize. “If I want to continue in HR and survive a crisis, I will need to become an expert in these areas,” she said to herself.

Lynn looked for and joined two HR professional forums so that we could keep track of the state of the art and find avenues to learn and develop herself.

She visited a career counselor. “What areas, other than HR, can my current capabilities and competencies help me excel in?” she asked.

Lynn had always been good at Networking.

Now, she bumped it into high gear. Within 6 weeks, she had got to know and interact with more than 50 managers and leaders in the HR world through the forums.

A close friend advised her to develop her social media profile. With some help, she started writing a weekly blog on HR issues and inviting her friends, colleagues and acquaintances to contribute and engage.

Lynn also started a new initiative – she started calling on and meeting with HR and non-HR managers in the various organizations in her building. There were more than a 100 companies, and she planned to build at least one relationship in each company in the next 6-7 months.

Finally, Lynn evaluated her personal situation, to see how Flexible she really was. 

She totaled up her assets, calculated her monthly outgo, spoke to her parents about their needs, consulted a wealth manager friend. Lynn quickly learnt that she had not given her own financial security enough priority in the past. Being flexible, she realized, was to a large extent, an outcome of being financially independent.

Lynn calculated that she had enough to sustain herself for about 9-12 months. But that was not sufficient. To be able to survive a crisis, she needed to be able to sustain at least 24-26 months.

She sat with her (newly appointed) wealth manager and put in place a new approach. Together, they laid out specific goals to achieve and decided on a savings and investment plan to reach this soon. She also enlisted for an online course in personal investing.

By March 2020, Lynn was well on her way to achieving most of her milestones, if not her goals. She felt much more confident that she could survive a crisis now, but did not allow herself to become complacent.

Tragedy Strikes

On 15 April 2020, both Rajat Chandra and Lynn Cheng received notices of termination with immediate effect.

“The Company is unable to sustain its current operations, and regretfully needs to seek judicial protection,” said the letters.

Rajat was shocked and flabbergasted.

Lynn was saddened. But not surprised.

You Shall Reap What You Sow

Today, four months later, Rajat is at home, applying for jobs. His savings are gradually running out. He now suffers from hypertension and is on medication.

Meanwhile, Lynn is Talent Management Specialist in one of the top e-commerce companies in the world. She earns 30% more than what she did previously.

Lynn is not resting, however. She continues to hone her Five Weapons.

1. Situational Awareness
2. Flexibility & Mobility
3. Networking
4. Strategy & Planning
5. Continuous Learning

Lynn knows that success is never final. That she has to be armed and ready for the next shock, the next upheaval.

Lynn is not just a survivor. She is a winner.

As you can be, if you master the Five Weapons…

****

If you are more Rajat than Lynn, start learning how to wield the Five Weapons NOW. If you are more Lynn than Rajat, help me share these principles with your colleagues and friends, so that they may prepare themselves before it is too late. 

Do send your inputs to me, either as a comment or as a PM.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 11 August 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

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Five weapons to deal with the post-pandemic world? Really? Why do I need them?

Read on…

I am so sorry, but…

“…we have to let you go…”

“…we need to reduce salaries by 50%…”

“…we are out-sourcing your entire department to Philippines…”

“…the company is unable to meet its obligations, and going into liquidation…”

I truly hope and pray that you have not heard any of the above sentences.

But there is no guarantee that you will not hear these directed at you in the next five years..

Why?

Because disruption, change and transition are becoming the permanent feature of our lives, both in the workplace and out of it.

And because the markets are morphing faster than most companies can cope with.

Because ‘black swan’ events are becoming as common as white swans.

Because politicians and nations are tearing at the tapestry that has been painstakingly developed over the past 70 years, leading to nationalist bombast and global disconnects.

And because you are unprepared and do not have all the tools and weapons you need to survive and thrive in an uncaring, juggernaut world.

The world has changed beyond recognition in the last 6 months. An organism without intellect, form, strategy, or desire has rendered us fearful, cowering and suspicious of one another. It has stopped us from entering our workplaces, from travelling, from entertainment, from sports. It has rendered us humans, the most powerful of all species on earth, impotent.

Oh No! What Should I Do?

Prepare.

You need to prepare to survive and thrive in a situation where the odds are against you.

Prepare to fight forces that are much more powerful, and win.

And to prepare for the future, look to the past.

Hannibal and the Romans

The year was 218 BCE.

Carthage and Rome were at war.

Hannibal, Carthage’s general, realised that he was taking on the most powerful army in the world.

His first major battle in Italy at Trebia was an incomplete success as the Roman center broke free and escaped.

So, he changed his tactics. Deep in the forested hills of Italy, Hannibal planned to trap the entire Roman army. Taking advantage of the aggressive pursuit of the Roman general Flaminius, Hannibal led the Romans onto a narrow path between Lake Trasimene and the rolling hills.

Hannibal had set a small force at the far side of the lake with large amounts of baggage, fire and plenty of smoke. This was to make it seem that they were the rearguard of his army marching or preparing to march just over the next hill. Flaminius took the bait and sent his men in a pursuit column to quickly march along the narrow road between the hills and the coast.

Little did Flaminius know that the hills he was squeezing past contained the vast majority of Hannibal’s hidden army. Once Flaminius’ force had all been funneled into the gap, the Carthaginians charged down the hills, smashing into the disorganized Roman marching column. Nearly the entire 30,000 man Roman army was killed or captured. Hannibal won decisively.

The battle of Lake Trasimene remains, after 2,200 years, the biggest successful ambush in history.

What weapons did Hannibal use to succeed against a vastly superior force?

The Five Weapons

Hannibal was only 27 years old when he took over as general of the Carthaginian army.

He did not have the experience that Rome’s generals had; nor he did not have their massive armies; and he surely did not have their unending wealth.

What he had was five weapons. What he had was (AND SO CAN YOU!) :

Weapon # 1 : Situational Awareness 

Situational awareness is the study and perception of environmental elements and events, understanding them and their impact, and recognising their impact on the future.

It is critical to planning and preparing yourself for the changing, shifting world. It is necessary to ensure that we are not caught unawares, and find ourselves on the wrong side of any table.

Hannibal learnt everything he could about the countries and armies around him. He sent out spies, he built networks, he made allies – all to ensure that he was always situationally aware.

This allowed him to understand Rome’s military tactics and plan his own to counter them.

Weapon # 2 : Flexibility & Mobility 

Hannibal realized early the need to be agile, the need for speed, the ability to turn on a dime.

He recognized that inertia was a fatal flaw; that the tortoise wins only in fables and not in real life.

He trained himself and his armies in moving quickly. Legend has it that the entire force of 8,000 soldiers could set up or break camp in less than 6 hours. He developed the concept of redundancy – he not just had a Plan B, he had a Plan C, a Plan D and a Plan E – and he ensured that he could switch from one to the other at lightning speed.

Weapon # 3 : Networking 

Long before Facebook and LinkedIn, Hannibal knew the criticality of networking.

First, with his own army. Hannibal lived among his soldiers and worked alongside them. He knew his men well, and built amazing relationships.

Second, with adjoining kingdoms and countries. Hannibal realized that if he was going to war, he would need allies. He could not leave his back vulnerable while rushing forward. He built alliances, partnership and friendships across Europe.

Weapon # 4 : Strategy

Hannibal had a clear vision and strategy; but he did not cast this in stone. He knew, long before modern military strategists, that “no battle plan survives the first contact with the enemy”.

He had a broad overarching vision (he knew what he wanted to achieve), and multiple approaches and strategies that he could shift between, choosing the most optimal path for that moment in time.

By doing this, Hannibal always kept ahead of the situation unfolding around him.

Weapon # 5 : Learning

Hannibal is one of the earliest historical generals who is known to have been ‘a student for life’.

He realised that his knowledge needed to be continuously updated and refreshed. If it was not, his strategy would be out of date, his plans would become stale, his relationships would wither.

He would read and listen and ask questions and send out scouts and pore over maps and understand cultures and behaviours.

When he won, he spent time understanding why. When he lost, he did the same. Every day was a day to add to his knowledge, to his understanding, to his appreciation of the world.

The Art Of War

Hannibal, like you, lived in tumultuous and disruptive times. He, too, was young and ambitious. He, too, wanted to survive and win and succeed.

Let us be clear – you, like Hannibal, are at war. A different kind of war, but a war nevertheless. You are at war with political incompetence, corporate greed, geopolitical tension, black swans, climate change, morphing workplaces. Each of these can hurt you, render you and your family vulnerable and homeless, can cause you hurt and pain and suffering.

You, like Hannibal, need to arm yourself with these five weapons that will allow you to battle with and overcome the challenges that you face today and will face increasingly tomorrow.

What are these five weapons?

1. Situational Awareness
2. Flexibility & Mobility
3. Networking
4. Strategy & Planning
5. Continuous Learning

Armed with these five weapons, Hannibal took on the most powerful army in the world and won.

So can you.

****

If you fear the ‘I am so sorry… situation’ for those you care, help me share thse principles with them, so that they may prepare themselves before it is too late…

Please send your inputs to me, either as a comment or as a PM.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 28 July 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

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Z is for Generation

“Generation Z! Pah! I am at my wit’s end!” said Anders.

We looked at him, slightly shocked. Anders was always calm, thoughtful and reflective, and not prone to such outbursts.

Faizal was the first to break the silence.

“Um,,,Hmmm…Why do you say this, Anders?” he asked, hesitantly.

Anders’ face flickered on the screen. I am not sure if it was a new facial expression or whether my wifi was acting up.

“Just when I got the hang of dealing with Millennials after so many years of trying to understand them, I am back to Square One, and now have to understand and deal with Generation Z!”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Anders’ voice sounded almost shrill – so unlike his normal calm baritone.

Anders looked daggers at the screen. “It’s not funny, Shesh,” he exclaimed, “Just this morning, in an interview, a 22-year old had the gall to tell me that she will not consider joining our company if we do not have a zero-carbon policy! I was shocked. Is she doing me a favour by joining our company? I am the one who is offering her a job and livelihood!”

By now, all of us were either grinning or smothering our laughter. Anders peered at each of us. “Yes, laugh, you lot, laugh!” he cried, “Wait till this comes and bites you!”

Z is for Future

When we had calmed down a little, Chow Yen bent forward. “If you guys don’t mind, may I bring in a close friend, who has been dealing with exactly this issue of Generation Z and how they are changing and impacting the workplace?”

“Sure,” said Faizal, “I think all of us need help in navigating these new twists and turns that are coming at us at breakneck speed! Who is this person?”

“Her name is Janet Lee,” said Chow Yen, “she is much younger than us old fogies, but amazingly talented and knowledgeable.”

“Bring her on,” I said, “Do you think she will be available on such short notice?”

A few seconds later, a new icon flickered onto my screen.

“Gentlemen,’ said Chow Yen, “may I introduce Janet Lee, a renowned expert in Organizational Behaviour? Janet, I have spoken to you about the Gang of Four – here they are, or at least their digital avatars!”

Janet smiled at all of us. “Hi, guys, such a pleasure meeting you. Chow Yen speaks about you all the time!”

Faizal spoke for all of us. “Lovely meeting you, Janet. Has Chow Yen told you why we are reaching out? We are a bunch of dinosaurs trying to keep up with evolution, and wanted your guidance on how we should deal with this Generation Z!”

Z is the beginning, not the end

Janet smiled and then her face turned serious. “I am glad that you are taking this seriously. Too many companies are not. Each new generation needs a different approach, a revised mindset to manage them. Once you know who they are and what they want, you can get them to perform miracles for you!”

“A quick recap,” Janet began, “the generations start with Baby Boomers, who were born between 1949 and 1964; I would assume you gentlemen are the last of this generation or the first of the following one, Generation X, who were born between 1965 and 1979.”

“Then comes Generation Y, or the Millennials, born between 1980 and 1995. And finally, the generation on your minds, Z, born after 1996.”

“While each ‘generation’ has its unique characteristics, Generation Z is truly different from the other 3. Why?”

“One, Gen Z grew up in the post 9/11 world. This has informed their mindsets and thinking and made them far more politically engaged.”

“Two, Gen Z have grown up in a hyper-connected world. This has exposed them to much more stimuli than any of the preceding generations, and made them far more aware of the world around them.”

“Three, Gen Z have seen their parents (Gen Xers or Millennials) face financial difficulties and lead tougher lives than their grandparents. This has made them more practical, thoughtful and organized.”

Z is for change, not revolution

“So what do Gen Zers want?”

“First, they want clarity. They want to know what you stand for and why.”

“Almost every Gen Zer I have met or interviewed has asked me more questions than I have asked them. They know who they are – they want to know who you are, before they hitch their wagon to yours. Last week, a Gen Z candidate, Brian, asked me – ‘Janet, what is this company’s net carbon footprint?’ I am ashamed to say I had no clue then. I took the trouble to go and find out. Now, I know the answer. I also know that the footprint is extremely high and needs to be reduced!”

“Second, they want to know the role they will play. More than a job, they want a vocation – something that they can commit to and contribute to.”

“Take the example of Dharini, a 24 year old in one of my client companies. While she is nominally a sales executive, she has taken on the responsibility of driving diversity and inclusion. She spends 4-5 hours of her personal time every day researching and learning and developing policy and practice. In the last 6 months, she has made two presentations to the Board of Directors, who are in awe of her commitment and drive.”

“Third, they are truly connected. They probably know more about world and economic affairs than you do. You cannot bullshit them.”

“One of my clients tried and failed miserably! Su Yin works with a FMCG Group. Her company outsources much of its manufacturing in third world countries. Recently, a senior director in the company held a townhall where he claimed that all their outsourced vendors were held to the company’s standards of safety and hygiene. Within 12 hours, this director received 140 photos of various vendor operations highlighting unsafe workplaces, unhealthy practices and fake certificates. Su Yin and the other Gen Zers had connected with workers in the vendor companies and obtained this evidence and presented it, in a snap!”

“Fourth, they are financially astute. While they would like fulfilling jobs and engaged workplaces, their priority is stability.”

“This is what Munira said when I was discussing her candidacy for an early-in-career role with a client – ‘Janet, the career progression that you have laid out and the salary grades don’t work for me; I want to own my own apartment within the next 5 years, and even if I fast-track, I will not be able to save enough to do so. So unless you are willing to look at a different trajectory, I will have to offer my regrets.’ I was quite taken aback. Then, I thought about it, and came to the realization that her approach was thoughtful and logical. I wished that I had said the same thing when I started my career!”

“Fifth, Generation Z is entrepreneurial. They are independent. They want ownership rather than employment.”

“58% of Gen Zers want to own their own company. They want control. They look for and see opportunities that many of us do not. Chow Yen will tell you – three freshers who joined his company earlier this year put together 2 projects and delivered them, saving the company more than US$ 100,000 in cost leakages. Chow Yen and I are now working with them on their next projects, and are targeting a million dollar outcome!”

“Finally, Generation Z wants a voice. They are not going to be submissive and compliant. They want to make a difference.”

“Gen Zers’ knowledge, connectedness and entrepreneurial instinct make them far more assertive and outspoken than we were, gentlemen. They know who they are, they know what they want, and they know how to go for it. I remember when I started my first job – I was timid as a mouse, worried about saying anything in public, effacing myself so that I would never be called out. A month ago, Beng Hui, a 22-year old from NUS sat across the table from three 50-year old CXOs, and calmly discussed the need for tampon dispensers and breast pump facilities in the office. I was facilitating the meeting and, in the beginning, felt truly embarrassed. After all, such topics were taboo, no? Then, I realized that all my working life, these are facilities I had wished and hoped for. By the end of the meeting, I was practically cheering Beng Hui on!”

To Z or not to Z, there is no question!

“Now, you asked, how do you deal with Generation Z?” continued Janet, watching us sit there spellbound, each of us scribbling (or typing) notes as fast as we could.

“While I believe the answers are in the points I made just now, let me quickly recap.”

“As leaders of organizations, you need to know and understand Generation Z so that you can leverage on what they have to offer, and utilize their amazing potential…”

As she continued listing them, I wrote down the following points :

How do I deal with Generation Z?

1. Give them a purpose, a reason to stand with you.
2. Agree on expectations and give them autonomy to deliver these.
3. Give them freedom to roam, connect and imagine.
4. Show them a clear career path to financial security.
5. Listen to them; they can change your life for the better.

As I completed the list, I realized how incorrectly I was dealing with them so far. Edmund Burke’s incisive words pricked my mind,

“The arrogance of age must submit to be taught by youth…”

****

How have you dealt with Generation Z? Do you have any special insights that will help others? Do share your views and experiences.

Are you a Gen Zer? Have we understood you right? Is there anything else you want to add to the list of “what does Gen Z want?”

Please send your inputs to me, either as a comment or as a PM.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 14 July 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

#ceochronicles #careeradvice #careers #bestadvice #hiringandpromotion #personaldevelopment #success #leadership