CATEGORY:Motivation & Retention

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 :

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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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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.
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Consulting A Specialist

I raised my hand (digitally, by hitting the little hand symbol).

“Yes, Shesh, please go ahead.” Barbara had just completed a closed-door webinar on Human Capital in a VUCA World. She was a legend among mentors and coaches and had helped many CEOs find themselves and turn their companies around.

I unmuted myself. “Thank you, Barbara, for the great talk. I have recently been asked a question by a young lady for which I am hoping to find an answer – How can we prevent toxic teams and how can we remove toxicity from teams?”

Barbara smiled. “She sounds like a smart young lady. That is a very apt question, indeed, especially in today’s world. Do all of you have time for a story?”

The 15 CXOs participating in the webinar chorused their yeses.

“Great,” Barbara continued, “I don’t need to say this, but all of us have encountered toxicity. Many of us have accepted it, even turned a blind eye. Some of us have tried to fix it, sometimes succeeding, often failing. I would not be surprised if, at some point during our careers, some of us have even contributed to a toxic culture.”

Watching my fellow participants on the screen, I could see their visible discomfort. Eyes that were previously fixed to their screens moved sideways and upwards. Buttocks shifted on ergonomic chairs.

“I know,” Barbara smiled, “These are uncomfortable words. But, hear it from me – toxic teams DO NOT happen without the leader’s consent or acceptance.” She looked at her screen, somewhere in New York City, her eyes probing ours. All of us studiously avoided her eyes.

Barbara sat back. “The year was 2012…” she started.

Testing For Toxins

I was asked to be the Executive Coach to the new CEO of The Fortune Group. I was a little concerned. Normally, a CXO is offered coaching only after he or she has been in the role for a while. This was the first time I have been asked to coach a brand new CEO.

I had a meeting with the Chairman of the Group and he helped clear this concern.

“Well, Barbara,” he said, “you know that The Fortune Group has been facing some serious issues. One of the main contributors is the former CEO, and that is why we had to let him go. He has caused a lot of disruptions internally. The organization’s culture is toxic. Senior managers are constantly sniping at each other. There seems to be little or no accountability. Financial commitments are rarely kept. We get inventive excuses and explanations, rather than results!”

“I feel guilty to an extent that we are handing over a damaged company to Jacintha. I am worried that we are setting her up for failure. It is to ensure that she has the resources she needs, the support she needs, that I thought of you.”

I was surprised. This was both honest and thoughtful. Rare qualities in boardrooms, I assure you.

“Thank you, John, for sharing this,” I responded, “as I said, it would be my pleasure, and yes, I will meet Jacintha tomorrow.”

Diagnosing The Cause

Jacintha Lee, soft spoken, kindly and charming, started her job the following week. She was a whirlwind. In the first 3 weeks, she had individual meetings with every senior manager; she visited Fortune’s 22 offices and plants; she had townhalls with various groups of employees. I noticed that she did not meet customers, nor the banks, nor did she speak to the press who were clamoring for interviews. In one of our calls, I brought this up.

“Well, Barbara, all my research indicates that our problems are internal, not external. I am going to understand these and fix them first, before I tackle anything else,” said Jacintha.

Fair enough, I thought.

On the first day of her second month in Fortune, Jacintha acted.

She called a meeting of the senior management team. (I was present as an observer). She spoke to 46 managers.

“In the last 30 days, I have spent time with all of you, and thank you for your honest inputs to everything I asked. I am grateful for your acceptance and support,” she started.

“This is hard for me to say,” Jacintha continued, “but we are in a mess. Our numbers are far beow where we can and should be, our customer satisfaction levels are way below expectations, our employees are unhappy and our quality standards are suspect.”

“I believe I know why, and I believe I know how we can correct this.”

“The WHY has four parts :

One, we, the management team, are not aligned on who we are and what we want. We have no cohesion, and sadly, there seems to be a serious lack of trust between us.

Two, the organization lacks clarity. We don’t have a clear understanding of the fundamentals, we do not have a common vocabulary. Our values are not clear, our vision is opaque, we question ourselves at all levels.

Three, our Group’s communication and coordination is quite abysmal. Our subordinates, our vendors, our customers have no idea what we stand for, mainly because they see us, the management team, as inconsistent and undecided and often, at odds with one another.

And finally, four, our Human Capital systems are bereft of caring or consideration. I have seen government systems which are less bureaucratic, and more compassionate.”

Starting a Cultured Diet

“I am sure,” Jacintha continued, “that some of you may disagree with some of what I have said. Under normal circumstances, I would be happy to consult and discuss this with each of you. But not now.”

“Any organization is as strong as it’s culture,” she said. “Our culture is so dysfunctional that it is non-existent. We are going to fix this first.”

“As of today, I am rolling out a set of basic values that we will all adhere to from this moment in time. Together, we, as the senior management, will align and cohere. We will spend the next month imbibing and assimilating these values. If any of us needs help, please speak to Barbara (as she gestured to me), and she will be happy to listen, to guide and coach.”

Jacintha stepped forward, her face becoming even more serious. “Adherence to these values is not a choice. It is an obligation. Any of you who don’t or can’t live these values are free to find futures elsewhere.

While I had some inkling as to what was coming, I was left agape. The person who stood there in front of 46 senior veterans of the corporate world was not the nice, gentle, friendly woman I had got to know. This was an indomitable force, clad in designer clothes.

I looked around the room. It looked like everyone felt like I did. Wide eyes and partially open mouths abounded.

Jacintha took the meeting to its conclusion, after presenting the new ‘core values’ and explaining them in simple and clear terms. She asked if there were any questions, answered the few simple requests for clarifications and adjourned the meeting.

Cleansing The System

The next month was quite hectic, both for Jacintha and me. Together and separately, we met with almost all the senior managers. All through the discussions and explanations and even arguments, the message was clear – align or depart.

In the meantime, Jacintha had also hired two capable young people for her communications team. She spent a substantial amount of time preparing for the next stage – establishing organizational clarity across the Group.

On the last day of August, just before Labor Day, Jacintha launched her communication blitz. The communications team organized a group-wide townhall, across 12 countries and 22 offices.

Jacintha spoke about the ‘new’ culture and laid out The Fortune Group’s purpose, vision, values and strategy. She spoke about what Fortune stood for, its long term and medium term goals, its strengths and weaknesses, its competence and its competition.

When she finished, after a prolonged silence, I witnessed something I had only seen in political rallies before. The entire organization erupted in a standing ovation! It seemed that Jacintha had given the thousands of employees what they were hoping for – a clear vision, a focused approach, and a set of measurable goals to achieve.

Exercising – Walking The Talk

I know you have other meetings and commitments, and I am not going to bore you with a blow-by-blow commentary. A few milestones –

In the next 3 months, Jacintha replaced 6 members of her senior management team – those who could not or did not conform to the new culture. Concomitantly, quite a few other managers who had gotten used to or taken advantage of the previous regime were encouraged to find other avenues. She and other senior managers spent a substantial time on the road, spreading and reinforcing the word.

In the second month, the organization woke up one Monday to the shocking news that Jacintha has suspended two of her senior most lieutenants for ‘non-compliance’ with the new culture. Both the gentlemen spent a week at home (and some time with me), and resumed their duties,smarter and wiser.

Jacintha spent a lot of time with the Human Capital team.

She reorganized the team, tore up all the redundant chapters of the policy manuals, and created a truly employee-centric, transparent, caring system. In November, The Fortune Group launched the new system in another group-wide townhall. I witnessed my second corporate standing ovation.

In November, five months after we began, I attended my second Management Review meeting. The difference was startling! The senior managers were engaged, aligned and clearly working together. The quality of information being presented was top notch. And most importantly, ALL the trends were pointing steadfastly in the right direction.

In December, at Jacintha’s request, I chose 30 employees at random, and had one-to-one meetings with them, to understand whether Jacintha’s initiatives had spread across the organization and taken root. As I compiled my report, I felt amazed and uplifted that so much could have changed in so little time…

Hale & Healthy Again!

So, Shesh, to answer your question, “How can we prevent toxic teams and how can we remove toxicity from teams?”

We need –

1. A trustworthy, competent leader
2. A strong culture
3. A cohesive, aligned management team
4. Consistent communication
5. Systems that are built to care, not to be complied with

Of these, the first two are the most critical. Leadership and Culture are interdependent and feed off one another. The lack of one leads to the failure of the other.

Everything else follows, though not by default, but by design.

Thank you, everyone, for your attention, and for a wonderful session! Have a great week ahead!

****

What do you think of Barbara’s narrative? Do you agree with her solution? Do share your views and experiences…

Please send them to me, either as a comment or as a PM. Let us cure this persistent disease…

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 16 June 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 culture

Return Of The Gang Of Four

“In response to the question on why some teams are so toxic, may I tell you a story?” asked Faizal, as he settled back into the sofa with a dew-dotted glass in his hand.

Faizal’s words were in response to my describing my meeting with Karla and her descriptions of the toxic behaviours of her team. I had just posed the three questions Karla had asked me at the end of our meeting :

• One, why are some teams so toxic?
• Two, how can toxicity be removed from such teams?
• Three, what should Karla do in this situation?

“Of course, Faizal!” said Chow Yen, “I am a sucker for stories! Go for it!” He, too, held a glass with golden yellow liquid that sparkled in the mood lighting in the lounge.

“Me too!” said Anders, “I have often given this question thought, and would really like to hear your reasons for a team becoming or being toxic.” Anders held a plate of tuna sandwiches that he was demolishing rapidly.

(If you are new to the CEO Chronciles, a quick catch up : The Gang Of Four was the informal group of four friends – Anders, Chow Yen, Faizal and I – which met once every 5-6 weeks to catch up, and more importantly, to discuss issues and problems each of us was facing and to find approaches and solutions together. Today, we were in the bar lounge in St. Regis).

“Great,”said Faizal. “It was 2008 and I had just taken over as CEO of ABC Limited…”

A Team In Torment

ABC Limited was an established privately held Group headquartered in Singapore. It was established in 1985, and had steadily grown into a transnational company.

ABC Singapore, in addition to the corporate office, had two business units (BUs), one focusing on engineering products and the other delivering diverse maintenance and repair services.

After I settled down, (said Faizal) I noticed that the two teams were very different. They were each on a separate floor, below the corporate office. The product BU floor had a subdued air to it. The services BU, on the other hand, seemed full of laughter and light.

Financially, both BUs were performing similarly, with similar toplines and acceptable margins. However, on closer analysis, the product BU numbers seemed to have a gradual downward trend, and the services BU was clearly moving upwards.

Operationally, I noticed that the product BU had a high attrition rate. The BU had separated from 18 people in the last year, out of a total of 42.

My antennae tingled and I decided to learn more. I started with talking to my Group CFO, Sheetal.

The discussion was not comfortable. Sheetal hemmed and hawed and spoke in generic phrases, which was very unlike her normally frank approach.

I then spoke to our Group COO, Geoff. He, too, seemed to dance around the questions I asked, not committing to anything.

Harmony Before Honesty

I had had enough. I invited Sheetal and Geoff out for a drink that evening, and once we were settled, I looked at them seriously.

“Guys,” I said, “quit fooling around. I want you to tell me what is going on with the product BU. No hedging and feinting, please!”

Sheetal and Geoff looked at each other. They had been working together for the past 4 years, and knew each other well. Some kind of signal passed between the two, and Geoff leaned forward.

“Well, Faizal,” he started, “Morton was hired by your predecessor about two and a half years ago. I believe that both of them, ahh, hmm, share a nationality? And have been friends for some time. Do you get me?”

“Am beginning to,” I said, the light slowly dawning, “please go on.”

“Um, well,” Geoff was clearly uncomfortable, “so Morton was brought in as the General Manager of the product BU without much involvement by any of us. He was like, what you say, a special case?”

“Okay,” I said, “I get where you are going. And then?”

Sheetal took over. “Morton is, uh, different,” she said, “he comes from a different industry, and thinks and behaves differently…”

I sat up as straight as I could in the soft lounge settee.

“Sheetal, Geoff, much as I respect your reticence and sensitivity,” I said, firmly, “if we have a problem with one of our teams, I need to know it, and the sooner the better. If you keep throwing euphemisms at me, how am I expected to analyse the issues involved?

Finally, the floodgates opened. I listened and listened and took notes.

And I understood the problem.

Career Before Character

The next morning, I called the Chief HR Officer to my room.

“Anna,” I asked, “May I see the exit interviews for these ex-employees?” I gave her the list of the 18 people who had left Geoff’s team in the previous 12 months.

Anna glanced at the list. “Why do you need…?” she began, and then she recognised the names. “Oh…” She looked at me for a few moments, poised to say something. Then she rose to leave. “You will have it in an hour, Faizal,” she said.

I spent the afternoon reading 18 documents that confirmed the understanding that had dawned on me the previous evening.

The words, “self-involved”, ‘apathetic”, “selfish”, “untrustworthy”, “incapable” and “incompetent” were repeated too many times to have been missed.

My opinion of my predecessor dropped more than a bit.

The exit interview minutes described a leader who had no right to that title; a boss in name only, with little interest in anything other than self-interest; a manager who abdicated his duties; a teammate who had long forsaken his team; a professional who blamed his incompetence on his subordinates.

At about 5:00 PM, I asked Anna to see me again. She did, but her feet dragged as she walked into my room.

Cronyism Before Competence

“You know about this,” I said. It was not a question, really.

“Yes,” Anna answered. She couldn’t meet my eyes.

“You are the head of HR,” I said, trying to maintain a neutral tone. “It is your responsibility to…”

I stopped. Anna was working hard to control herself.

“I tried!” she said. “Every time, I shared the feedback with the CEO. Each time, I recommended that we needed to act on this! But…” she realised that she was raising her voice, and paused.

When Anna had recovered a little, she continued. “Every time, Faizal, every time I was told that the matter has been ‘noted’ and that appropriate counselling will be given. That I don’t need to worry. That I should leave it with the CEO.”

“And?” I asked gently.

“And nothing,” Anna said, frustrated. “Good people kept leaving, and we took no action. Other teams complained, and we took no action. It was almost as if Morton was being protected…”

“It’s not your fault, Anna,” I said, as comfortingly as I could. “You did your best.”

Anna looked at me, her expression a mix of sadness and disappointment.

“No, I did not do my best,” she said, “That is why I am feeling so terrible.”

Silos Before Synergy

Before I left that day, I called Sarang, the General Manager of the Services BU, and asked him to drop in for a chat.

I sped through the pleasantries.

“Sarang,” I said, “let me get to the point of this meeting. You have been in this company for more than 7 years. You are a smart, capable manager and leader. There is no question but that you know about the problems in the Product BU?”

“Yes, Faizal,” Sarang answered, without hesitation, “I know.”

“What did you do about it, if anything?”

“Me? Nothing,” said Sarang. “I don’t have anything to do with that BU.”

“I hear you, Sarang,” I said, “the question is why. You are part of this company’s senior management. If you have been seeing a dysfunctional team for nearly 4 years, you should have intervened.”

“Honestly, Faizal,” said Sarang, “I am focused on my BU. That is what I am paid for. My team is doing well, and I have achieved all my targets. I don’t see why I should interfere or intervene in another BU’s issues.”

“Oh,” I said, “fair enough. Have you heard of a poet named John Donne?”

Sarang’s brow creased. “No, sorry, never hear of him.”

“Thanks, Sarang,” I said, “Just check John Donne out on the internet, will you? He has written a wonderful poem on islands and continents…”

Causes & Symptoms of Toxic Teams :

Faizal leaned back, and took a deep gulp of his drink, and sat back, smiling at us.

Chow Yen sat forward. “Okay, Faizal, great story, but don’t keep us in suspense any longer! So, what are the main causes for some teams to be so toxic?”

Faizal grinned. “Oh, I thought you would have got that from the article’s sub-titles,” he remarked. “Let me sum it up for you. Teams are or become toxic if,

1. One, an organization prefers to hide rather than confront. That is, instead of putting honesty before harmony, which is always the difficult path, they choose the other way around.
2. Two, a leader prioritizes his career, rather than his character. Rather than do what is right, he does what is expedient, and in the process damages his team and the company as a whole.
3. Three, decisions are taken based on personal likes and quid pro quos, rather than what is best for the organization. Too often, we see cronyism trump competence, only to see the team or company suffer thereafter.
4. And four, silos form within the company, because of a lack of cohesion, losing all claim to synergy. This allows different cultures to flourish in different parts of the organization, which others ignore or are indifferent to, leading to a gradual fracturing of the entity.

“I am not saying these are the only causes or symptoms. But these are the big ones, I believe.”

*****

Anders lifted his glass. “Excellent Faizal, a well woven story! Thank you!

I raised my glass, too. “Great narrative, Faizal, you had us on the edges of our seats. One question before we disperse – what did you do next?”

Faizal cocked his eyebrow. “Isn’t that Karla’s next question, Shesh – ‘How can toxicity be removed from a team’? Shouldn’t that be addressed in the next article?

****

Faizal has shared four causes of toxic teams. There are many more causes – can you share any that you have come across? Either in your own company or a situation that you have encountered?

Please send them to me, either as a comment or as a PM. Let us work to find a solution to this unfortunately common problem.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 02 June 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

Resilience

This week, I was to write about the fourth weapon in the PERRfect Employee’s arsenal – Resilience.

However, we are in a dire situation where the whole world needs resilience. Countries, communities, companies, individuals across the globe are in the thrall of a pandemic. Borders are being shut down, jobs are being lost, subsistence is at risk, fever is raging and the bodies are piling. How do we cope?

So, rather than write about the components of resilience or the professional’s path to resilience, I am sharing two touching stories about people who have gone through their darkest times and found their way out into light.

These stories are extracts from www.optionb.org, a platform that helps people build resilience and find meaning in the face of adversity.

My Husband Murdered His Father!

That moment that everything changes. For me, that was July 17, 1989. Sitting in a police interrogation room, my world crashed down as I listened to two detectives tell me that my husband had coordinated and carried out the murder of his father.

At the time, I was newly married and seven months pregnant. When I learnt that the man I had loved and planned a family with could do such a horrible thing, it buried my head, my heart, and my hope for the future in darkness.

As much as I wanted to move forward and back into the light, reminders of that day were inescapable for the next several years. Newspaper headlines and evening news stories about my husband’s case were a regular occurrence. My hometown community whispered. Friends walked away. His trial and sentencing to twenty-two years to life brought even more press coverage and chatter.

But in that time of darkness, my beautiful child was born. My desire to move forward turned into a need to move forward. The need begat a will to move forward. And I began to see that I had options for my life, and my daughter’s life, other than those that were crushed. I would find another option, and it would be good.

Finding Option B

This was not easy. It required me to step out of complacency and into action. As I navigated my divorce, I had to use my voice in a new and assertive way, something that I was not used to. Being burdened by all of the financial obligations of my ex-husband’s debts tested my negotiation skills. I faced and dealt with the emotional fallout of fear, betrayal and anxiety. For the first time, I was truly choosing to happen to life, rather than letting life happen to me. I was choosing resiliency.

There were moments when I had to simply rely on a will-do attitude, rather than a can-do attitude. At times, I wanted to sink back under what felt like the weight of the world. But as I took accountability and responsibility for shaping my future, and that of my daughter, I decided that my life would be a life of victory, not of being a victim of someone else’s actions and the judgment and darkness they brought.

In the years since, I have found a healthy and loving relationship. I have raised three daughters to be strong, independent women. At the age of thirty-five, I returned to college and earned my degree on the same day that my oldest daughter earned hers. I have traveled the world.

Along the journey, life has tested my resilience time and again. Emotions, questions, anger, confusion, and hurt didn’t just disappear when I chose something different for our lives. But as issues arise, I feel, address, and work through them. I learn from them.

You see, I did not just move forward to exist. I bounced forward and am living.

Suddenly, The World Went Dark

A week after New Year’s Day, Gabby Giffords was shot. The year of 2011, which had started so inspired, had turned into a tragedy..

Gabby loved New Year’s. To her, starting afresh has significant meaning. Before she was shot, Gabby was one of those dedicated New Year’s resolution-makers – she always had a list of 10 things she wanted to achieve, whether reading more books or finally taking lessons in the French horn, the instrument she played in college. She always prompted her husband to make his own resolution, because he never would without her encouragement. But that year, and every year since, she’s had one resolution: to keep fighting through her recovery.

Gabby was shot by a zealot, who also killed and injured eighteen other people in his shooting spree. In one instant, her life and those of her family changed.

Gabby was shot point blank in the head. She was not expected to live. But she did. She survived and after two harrowing weeks in the hospital, began the long road to recovery.

Gabby suffered from severe aphasia, a result of her traumatic brain injury, which made speaking difficult. She was paralyzed in her right arm and right leg, so she had difficulty moving around. Gabby lost 50% of her vision in both eyes. These struggles remain to this day.

An Uphill Journey

On 1^st August, 2011, eight months after she was shot, Gabby made her first public appearance on the House floor to vote in favor of raising the debt limit ceiling. She was met with a standing ovation and accolades from her fellow members of Congress.

On 22^nd January, 2012, Gabby announced that she would resign from her congressional seat in order to concentrate on her recovery, but promised to return to public service in the future.

Over the past years, Gabby has gone through intensive rehabilitation treatments. Her surgeon noted that Gabby’s recovery was long, arduous and tiring, and expressed amazement at her progress.

Even through all the pain and trauma, Gabby opened her heart and home to everyone who wanted to talk to her. She refuses to give up, and stills sees the world in a positive light. Gabby runs a political action committee “Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence.” She is still a vital politician and activist, active on Twitter and working passionately to give voice to millions of regular Americans who desire gun control and safety.

It’s coming on nine years now. And in that time, Gabby and her husband Mark have learned a lot.

“You may find that after times of tragedy or struggle, your cherished traditions change,” says Mark. “Some may disappear. Others may just need to wait, for now. But if you leave yourself open to them, new ones will appear – and you’ll find causes for celebration and types of resolve that you may not have otherwise imagined…”

The Power of Resilience

As we see from the above stories, resilience is the hard fought ability to bounce back from tough situations. Resilience is about NOT becoming a victim of helplessness and angst.

So often, we go through such horrible situations that it seems impossible to come out strong on the other end. But resilience allows us to just this. Once we learn to take control of our lives, prepare for the unexpected, reinforce our mental, spiritual and physical selves, we will find ourselves living happier, more purpose-filled lives. We will also learn to handle adversity with calm and deliberation.

Increasing our resilience is about willpower, about deliberate action, about being adaptable, about self esteem.

We will discuss these aspects of resilience in the next article.

Till then, let us all be healthy, safe and positive. Let us try and help those around us whose ability to cope is less than ours. To find ways to be proactive and empathetic with our families, friends, neighbours and community members. Let us be products of our actions, not of our circumstances.

This pandemic, too, will pass. We will be strong again.

****

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 31 March 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.

Credits :

1. Article # 1 : Angie Mozilo, June 2017, optionb.org
2. Article # 2 : Gabby Giffords & Mark Kelly, November 2017, otionb.org

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The Perfect Employee : Reliability

In #ceochronicles article # 20, we asked, ‘What qualities make up a perfect employee?’ 

We agreed that the four main qualities of a PERRfect employee are –

• Proactivity
• Emotional Intelligence
• RELIABILITY, and
• Resilience

Now that we have identified these qualities, you asked me –

• What are the components of Reliability?
• How can I be (and be seen as) a Reliable Employee?”

As always, great questions. Let me share…

A Reliable Story

It was 2007. One of my friends, Rajesh, the CEO of a electronics products company in Singapore was in the final stages of an acquisition of a small competitor.

All of a sudden, one Sunday morning, he received a call from Delhi informing him that his father had had a heart attack and was in the hospital. His mother needed him there immediately.

He and his wife, Shobha, booked their tickets and starting packing to leave.

Rajesh was in a quandary. There was no question that he was needed by his father’s side. But, he was also needed in Singapore to close out the acquisition. He could not do this remotely. He needed to identify someone completely reliable. As he was preparing to leave, he scanned his organisation in his mind. Ten minutes later, while waiting for the taxi, he called his COO.

“Good morning, Serena,’ he said, “sorry to disturb you so early. My Dad’s in hospital and I have to leave for Delhi now.”

“Hi, Rajesh,” said Serena, “I am so sorry to hear this. What happened?”

Rajesh explained the situation to Serena. Then, he came to the reason for his call.

“Serena, I want to make Anwar the point man for the purchase. He will substitute for me. Can you please inform him, and ask him to call me? I will be getting into a taxi shortly.”

“Anwar?” asked Serena. “Don’t you want me to handle this?” She seemed a little taken aback.

“Serena, you have enough and more on your plate,” said Rajesh, “Also, Anwar has been part of the transaction from day one. Just ask him to call me.”

Fast forward to nine days later.

Rajesh walked into the office. His father had recovered and was back home, in good health. There was a loud cheer and applause as he entered.

“Thank you, guys!” he said, “great work, everyone! Well done!”

After shaking many hands and receiving a bunch of high fives, he reached his cabin. As he settled in his chair, he looked back at the previous week. I owe Anwar a huge debt, he thought. Without him, this deal would have collapsed. Anwar is such a reliable person. He is worthy of a much bigger role…

He swiveled his chair and looked out of the window, as his mind went back…

Understand expectations

When Anwar called, Rajesh and Shobha were in the taxi on the way to the airport.

“Good morning, boss,” said Anwar, “Serena told me about your father. So sorry, and all the best. What would you like me to do?”

“Thanks, Anwar,” said Rajesh, “I need  you to take charge of the merger. Can you do this?”

There was a pause. “If you can guide me from Delhi, without impacting your time with your father, I think I can,” said Anwar, “but I need to understand specifically what are the issues I need to focus on, and what are the specific outcomes we want.”

The conversation continued till Rajesh reached the airport, and then both signed off.

Six hours later, Rajesh and Shobha landed in Delhi. Once in the Uber, Rajesh opened his email. There was one from Anwar with the subject line, “List of expectations”. Rajesh opened the e-mail and read it carefully. Over the next 30 minutes, he entered his comments and sent them to Anwar.

By the next morning, Anwar and Rajesh had agreed on the specific expectations of Anwar to complete the transaction.

STEP 1 : Always set sharp, clear and specific expectations. Leave no question marks. Set your target so precisely that your arrow will strike it exactly. The more precise the expectation, the more reliable the outcome.

Plan & Prioritize

By Monday morning, Anwar had a list of 30 items that he was expected to oversee and complete.

He spent the first half of the day at the whiteboard. He wrote out all the items and arranged them in order of what needed to be completed first, what items followed which, the estimated amount of time each item needed and the resources required for each.

Then, he then went to speak to Serena.

“Serena, I need your help,” he said, “could you give your advice?”

“Of course, Anwar,” said Serena. For the next 2 hours, they spent time discussing the plan on the whiteboard. Serena made suggestions and changes, and by 3:00 PM, both had agreed on the plan and the priorities.

Serena then called for a meeting and invited 4 colleagues. Over the course of another 2 hours, the ‘task force’ went through the plan, the actions and who would do what, by when.

At the end of the meeting, Serena asked each member of the team whether they had any concerns or issues, and resolved the few that came up.

The task force was ready. They agreed that they would meet every morning at 8:30 AM to carry out a review and plan the activities for the day.

STEP 2 : Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. As Abraham Lincoln said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” The better the preparation, the more reliable the result.

Communicate. Then, Communicate Again.

Before leaving for the day, Anwar sent the detailed plan to Rajesh. He then asked for a call.

Anwar then called the lawyers and bankers involved in the deal and informed them of the situation. They agreed that they would meet the next day at 10:00 AM at Anwar’s office and discuss the plan.

Rajesh called Anwar after dinner. Anwar took Rajesh through the plan, the people in the task force, the timelines and the areas of concern.

Rajesh asked a few questions, but could not find anything amiss. Anwar and Rajesh agreed to have two catch-up calls every day, one at lunch time and one just after dinner.

Rajesh informed Anwar that he had already spoken to the CEO of the target company and informed him of his unavailability, and of Anwar’s nomination as lead.

The next morning, Anwar and the task force met at 8:30 AM. They agreed on the specific tasks to be completed that day. They agreed to catch up just before lunch for a quick review and once at 6:00 PM, before the close of the day.

Then, Anwar and Serena met with the the lawyers and the bankers and took them through the plan. Anwar asked them to allocate their team members for each of the items that needed their inputs, which they did. They agreed that they would have a catch-up call every afternoon at 5:00 PM.

Anwar requisitioned one of the meeting rooms for the next week, and put up the plan and timelines on the whiteboard, so that it was accessible and visible to everyone involved.

STEP 3 : Proactively communicate. Avoid surprises. Remember Bill Gates’ words, “Like a human being, a company has to have a robust internal communication mechanism, a ‘nervous system’ to coordinate its actions.” The more transparent the communication, the more reliable the teamwork.

Initiate & Close

Anwar uploaded the plan and timelines onto his mobile phone, as a task list. Every 2 hours or so, he would check this, and evaluate progress.

Each time an item was reported as completed, Anwar sent a message to the task force, and asked for acceptance from everyone that the item was closed. This served both as confirmation as well as information to the team to move to the next step.

On Thursday, the team were to receive a notarised document from the target company. They did not. Anwar did not waste time calling or following up. He informed Serena and drove to the company’s office. There, he asked to see the CEO and CFO, and explained the issue and the importance. The CFO and he drafted and finalized the document and together, went to a nearby notary and notarized the document. Anwar thanked the CFO and returned to his office with the required document.

By Friday, 26 of the 30 items were completed. Anwar filed documented evidence of each closure in a folder in his desk drawer. The morning meeting was full of anticipation – the finish line was near!

By late Friday evening, all the items were closed. All that remained was the formal signing. Anwar reported to Serena and together, they called Rajesh and updated him of progress.

Rajesh, in his turn, gave them an update of his situation. His father was better, but he needed to stay in Delhi till Monday evening. They agreed that Serena would be the authorized signatory for the signing. After the call, Rajesh and Serena got onto a call with the CEO of the target company and informed him that Serena would preside over the signing ceremony.

On Monday, Serena signed the deal. Anwar stood behind her, a sense of relief and achievement writ large on his face.

STEP 4 : Initiative and closure are the bookends of reliability and success. The best way to finish strong is to start strong. The more the initiative, the more reliable the closure.

How To Be Reliable

Being reliable is not rocket science. Let’s recap. It is about 4 STEPS –

1. Understanding expectations
2. Planning and prioritizing
3. Communicating, and finally,
4. Taking initiative and closing what we start

Reliability is an amazing quality. Reliable people get and keep friends more easily, forge deeper relationships, receive the best opportunities, are granted more autonomy at work, have more self-confidence and live with integrity.

I hope you will be able to use the 4 STEPS to make yourself indispensable to the people around you – to be the ‘go to’ person, the person others value, respect and promote.

(BTW, today, Anwar is the CEO of a maritime services group in Singapore.)

****

Lets start now!!  Score yourself from 1-10 for each of the 4 STEPS.  Every step that gets a perfect 10, celebrate it in your comments, so that others are encouraged to move towards a perfect score. No perfect score? Write to me and schedule a free 30 min reliability check!

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 17 March 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

A lesson from a cockroach

In #ceochronicles article 22, we began our discussion on Emotional Intelligence (and Emotional Quotient or EQ). We met Peter and Paul and saw how differently they reacted to the same situation. We discussed the definition of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and how this quality can change our lives for the better.

While I was reading about EI and EQ, I came across this brilliant extract from a speech by Mr. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, which I thought you would love!

To Scream or Not To Scream?

At a restaurant, a cockroach suddenly flew from somewhere and sat on a lady.

She started screaming out of fear.

With a panic stricken face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach.

Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group also got panicky.

The lady finally managed to push the cockroach away but …it landed on another lady in the group.

Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama.

A waiter, hearing the commotion, rushed forward.

In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter.

The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behavior of the cockroach on his shirt.

When he was confident enough, he grabbed it with his fingers, walked to the door and threw it out of the restaurant.

Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach responsible for their histrionic behavior?

If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed?

He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos.

It is not the cockroach, but the inability of the ladies to handle the presence of the cockroach that disturbed the ladies.

I realized that, it is not the shouting of my father or my boss or my wife that disturbs me, but it’s my inability to handle the disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me.

It’s not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that disturbs me.

More than the problem, it’s my reaction to the problem that creates chaos in my life.

The Cockroach Theory

I understood that I should not react in life.

That I should always respond.

The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded.

Reactions are always instinctive, whereas responses are always well thought of, just and right to save a situation from going out of hand, to avoid cracks in relationship, to avoid taking decisions in anger, anxiety, stress or hurry.

How does Emotional Intelligence help?

Just as Peter’s EQ helped him keep calm and thoughtful, so did the waiter’s. Both of them rose above the situations they were in and took actions that benefited not just themselves but everyone around them.

Emotionally intelligent employees are dependable and reliable.

They look at the whole picture and act with thought and planning.

Such employees understand not just their own needs, but the needs and requirements of others around them.

They recognise that ‘no man is an island’ and put their team or community ahead of themselves.

By doing all this, they build an amazing reputation. People respect them. Organisations recognise them as leaders. People look to them in times of crisis.

Having a high EQ sets you apart and puts you ahead.

How do I become Emotionally Intelligent?

The 8 steps to becoming Emotionally Intelligent are :

1. Understanding your emotions and tapping into them

We rarely try and understand our emotions. Most often, we ignore them or suppress them. But when we ignore our feelings, we are overlooking an important and integral part of ourselves. Our emotions have a huge effect on our mindsets and behaviours.

We need to start understanding our feelings and connecting them to our experiences.

For example, when we are at work and we hear that a colleague has bad-mouthed us. What emotions arise when this happens? Or, when we are praised for completing a project on time. What exactly do we feel? Naming our emotions – sadness, embarrassment, joy, contentment, etc., will help us understand how we react to different situations and stimuli, and help us understand ourselves better.

2. Seeing the links between your emotions and your behaviour

The next step is to understand the impact of emotion on our behaviour. How do we react when we feel a particular emotion?

Do we withdraw when we are embarrassed? Or do we become belligerent?

Do we raise our voices when we are angry, or do we walk away to be alone?

Do we cry when we feel hurt or do we try and take it out on someone else?

The more we understand what emotion causes which behavioral impulse, the better we will be able to actually control and change our behaviour to our advantage.

3. Accepting yourself

Often, we don’t like our emotions. As often, we don’t like ourselves when we are emotional.

All our emotions are valid, even the negative ones. Every emotion we have is a new piece of useful information connected to something that’s happening around us. Without this information, we will not know how to adequately respond to different situations – we will only react.

I have personally found it very difficult rationally evaluating and accepting my emotions. For many years, I have practiced letting negative emotions surface and connecting them to what is happening around and to me. By doing so, I have learnt my ‘hot buttons’ and ‘triggers’. Today, I am better equipped to know what emotion triggers which reaction in me, and to consciously try and plan my response.

4. Planning your behaviour

We cannot control the emotions we feel, but we can decide how we respond to them. If I have an issue with lashing out in anger or shutting down when I am hurt, and I know this, I can start planning how I should behave differently. The next time I am angry, I recognise this and I say to myself – from past experience I have learnt that lashing out only makes things worse; let me take a walk for a few minutes and calm down and then come back and respond with a cooler mind.

By understanding our emotions and our past behaviour patterns, instead of letting our emotions overwhelm us, we can decide how we will behave.

So when something negative happens in our life, let us take a moment to feel our emotions. Once the initial wave has passed, let us make a conscious decision to communicate our feelings in a calm manner, rather than lashing out or walking out.

5. Knowing what you want and why you want it

Much of the time, our reactions are an outcome of ignorance. Often, when we are faced with situations or events, we don’t know what we want the outcome to be. This is because we don’t know what we want and why.

When I was younger, I would get enraged when people did not listen to my ideas. This would lead to my becoming increasingly aggressive, which would then push people even further away.

After years of introspection, I realised that one of my innermost needs was to be seen as innovative. I realised that when people did not heed my ideas, I felt rejected. Gradually, I realised that this was not their fault, but mine. Over time, I modified the intensity of this craving. As this happened, I realised that when I began placing my ideas on the table without desperation or aggression, they had a much better chance of being accepted.

The more we understand our needs and desires, the better we are able to manage the way we communicate and respond.

6. Learning to open your mind

Being open to ideas and inputs is a critical aspect of EQ. When our minds are open through understanding and internal reflection, we find it easier to deal with conflicts in a calm and self-assured manner.

Often, even today, I find myself believing that there is only one ‘right’ way to do certain things. The moment I believe this, I have narrowed my mind. I find myself rejecting any new inputs or ideas, and getting angry and frustrated when others don’t accept ‘my way’.

Every time this has happened, it has led to unhappy outcomes. By keeping our minds open, we find ourselves more socially aware and open to new possibilities. We are more receptive and understand others better, leading to better and more agreeable outcomes.

7. Understanding others and recognising how they feel

An important aspect of EQ is to be able to recognize how other people are feeling. To do this, we need to ‘listen actively’, really paying attention to what people are saying, to their body language, to their microexpressions. The more we understand their feelings, their reactions and their mindsets, the better our interactions and communication with them.

To improve our empathy, we need to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. We need to think about how we would feel if we were in their situation. We need to imagine how it must be to go through the experiences they are encountering and what might alleviate some of their hardship in terms of support and care.

Empathy allows us to be truly interested in what people are saying, so that we can respond in a sensitive and helpful way, thus adding value to them in their time of need.

8. Measuring the impact of your behaviour on others

And finally, we need to understand our effect on the people around us. Do we make people happy? Or do we make them nervous? Are we inclusive? Or do we exclude?

We need to identify these patterns. Do I tend to pick fights with my loved ones? Do people tend to close up a bit when I am around? If so, I need to change my attitude, approach and behaviour so that I can have a better emotional effect on people.

I try and ask my family and trusted friends what they think about my impact on them and their feelings. I ask them to tell me the areas I need to improve in. (This list is long and is a work in progress!) By doing so, I am able to gradually improve the impact of my behaviour on their lives.

The Eight-Fold Path…

Being Emotionally Intelligent is more than about doing well in your career.

Having a high EQ makes you more positive, more accessible, more likeable and more reliable.

I hope you are able to use these eight steps to find your path to a life full of contentment and satisfaction and inner peace.

****

If you believe your EQ stands apart, pat yourself on the back, click like and comment, “YES!”.  If you do not believe so, let’s start our journey together today.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 03 March 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 EQ EQ EQ

The Perfect Employee and Emotional Intelligence

In #ceochronicles article 22, we asked, ‘What qualities make up a perfect employee?’

We listed out the four main qualities of a PERRfect employee are –

• Proactivity
• Emotional Intelligence
• Reliability, and
• Resilience

Once we identified these qualities, you asked, sometimes nicely and sometimes impatiently,

• What the heck is Emotional Intelligence?
• How does it help?
• How do I get it?

Many years ago, I asked these very same questions! The answers changed my life in more ways than I ever imagined…

To answer first the question,

What is Emotional Intelligence?

We don’t need to look too far away or too far back.

“Singapore Government raises DORSCON Level to Orange!” said the headline.

Peter panicked.

“This is terrible!” he screamed at his wife. “We will run out of food and essentials! There is no place to run! We need to barricade ourselves! We need to protect ourselves! How can God do this to us? It must be all those nasty immigrants!”

By the end of the day, Peter and his wife,

Purchased as many noodles packets (200) and as much rice (50 kgs) as they could and stocked up on 40 cartons of bottled water.

Bought as many toilet paper rolls as possible.

Obtained (from a grey market source) 2,000 face masks.

Obtained (from the same grey market source) 60 bottles of hand sanitiser.

Had fights with all the shops and markets they went to, when they were told that there is a limit on the number of items they could purchase.

Carried all their purchases from the car to their apartment in suitcases so that no one would know what or how much they had.

In the coming days, Peter spent his time avidly following social media stories and news and becoming more worried and scared. He also forwarded and shared many scary stories and anecdotes with everyone he knew.

Two days later, he heard that one of the apartments in his condo had a suspected case. He told his wife, and they agreed that they would not go anywhere near that apartment (or that block!).

When one of his neighbours mentioned on WhatsApp that he had run out of masks, Peter sent out a message saying that he, too, had run out of masks and sanitiser.

When his neighbours put together a watch group to sanitise the elevators and common areas, Peter smiled grimly and waited for them to fall sick.

“Singapore Government raises DORSCON Level to Orange!” said the headline.

Paul pondered.

“This is terrible!” he said to his wife. “This is going to affect all of us individually and as a country. I hope we will be able to work together to deal with this problem calmly.”

“What should we do,” his wife asked. “Do we need to hurry and buy masks and food?”

“Let’s first understand the situation properly,” said Paul.

Over the next few days, Paul and his wife,

Spoke to all their relatives and friends, and assured them that all would be fine.

Read as much as they could about the Corona Virus and its spread and impacts.

Shared relevant information with their networks to calm some of their friends down.

Evaluated what they had at home and calculated that they had enough for a week, or even two weeks if they were economical.

Visited the family of a suspected case in their condo, and offered their help.

Helped put together a watch group to disinfect the elevators and common areas.

Shared their extra stock of masks and hand sanistiser with a neighbour who had run out.

Continued to stay in touch with their friends and relatives, asking if anyone needed help.

Did you spot the differences?

Paul, even though in the exact same situation as Peter, acted differently.

He was self-aware. He did not panic or give in to fear.

Paul controlled his emotions. He did not react without thought.

Paul knew what he wanted and why. He planned the way forward.

He cared. And looked beyond himself.

He recognized others’ needs and helped. He stepped up and added value.

This is the essence of Emotional Intelligence. Our ability to know ourselves, control ourselves, understand our and others’ motivations, empathise and care.

Who would you prefer as a neighbour or a colleague or as a boss?

I know that I would much rather have Paul, any day, any where, any time.

How does Emotional Intelligence help?

As we saw, in the stark difference between Peter and Paul, Emotional Intelligence helps you be calm, serene and thoughtful, even in the most dire of situations.

Emotionally intelligent employees are dependable and reliable.

They look at the whole picture and act with thought and planning.

Such employees understand not just their own needs, but the needs and requirements of others around them.

They recognize that ‘no man is an island’ and put their team or community ahead of themselves.

By doing all this, they build an amazing reputation. Their colleagues respect them. Their peers recognize them as leaders. The entire team (or organization) looks to them in times of crisis.

Being Emotionally Intelligent sets you apart and puts you ahead.

How do I become Emotionally Intelligent?

There are 8 steps to becoming Emotionally Intelligent.

These include –

1. Understanding your emotions and tapping into them
2. Seeing the links between your emotions and your behaviour
3. Accepting yourself
4. Planning your behaviour
5. Knowing what you want and why you want it
6. Learning to open your mind
7. Understanding others and recognizing how they feel
8. Measuring the impact of your behaviour on others

Since this article is already quite long, may we dig deeper into these 8 steps in the next article?

In the meantime, if you are eager to know more, do check this link out – a 2 minute video and a superb summary of the 5 components of Emotional Intelligence.

The Eight-Step Path To Inner Peace…

Being Emotionally Intelligent is more than about doing well in your career.

It makes you calmer, helps you de-stress, and leads to a deep feeling of happiness, with yourself and with others.

Being Emotionally Intelligent makes you more positive, more accessible, more likable and more reliable – all of which lead to your fulfilling your belonging and esteem needs, thus leading to a life full of contentment and satisfaction and inner peace.

****

If you believe you are Emotionally Intelligent, pat yourself on the back, click like and comment, “YES!”.  If you do not believe so, let’s start our journey together today.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 18 February 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

The Proactive Employee

In the previous #ceochronicles article, we asked, ‘What qualities make up a perfect employee?’

We listed out the four main qualities of a PERRfect employee are –

• Proactivity
• Emotionally Intelligence
• Reliability, and
• Resilience

After reading the article, you asked me –

• How do you define a Proactive Employee?
• How can I be (and be seen as) a Proactive Employee?”

Both good questions. Let’s start with understanding…

What does ‘being proactive’ mean?

Proactive employees look ahead. They anticipate needs, problems and possible outcomes.

Proactive employees plan ahead.

Proactive employees take responsibility and ownership. They focus on solutions.

To understand the concept better, let’s meet Gerry and Evan, two young professionals.

Gerry and Evan were nominated by their company to attend a three day conference in Kuala Lumpur in the following month. Both of them were thrilled and excited.

Evan told his family the news, and then sent out a WhatsApp message to his friends and groups. He then filled in the travel and hotel requisition forms and handed them over to Admin. Evan had never been to KL before, so he spent some time looking at a few websites to see what KL had to offer. He was sure he was going to have fun and eagerly anticipated the trip.

Gerry did more.

Gerry, too, told his family, and sent out a WhatsApp message. He, too, arranged to book his air tickets and hotel room, and then arranged the car for the airport to the hotel. He then checked if there were any travel restrictions, and any visa requirements (there were none). Gerry then went through the agenda and program for the event. He looked for, but couldn’t find the list of delegates, so he wrote to the conference organizers who sent him the list. He went through the list to see if he knew any of the delegates. While doing so, he found that he had met two of them before and was connected through LinkedIn to 6 more. He wrote to each of them expressing his happiness that he was going to meet them in person, and arranging to have a cup of coffee with each.

Going above and beyond…

Gerry then ran through the various events, and chose the specific presentations and break-out sessions that he thought would be of most value. He then wrote messages to three of the speakers, requesting them for some of their time to meet, during the conference breaks. Then, he called the organizers again, and asked them to clarify the dress codes. Following the call, he made a note to pack a suit for the gala dinner and a pair of sneakers and shorts for the ‘fun-filled team building activity’.

Gerry then ensured that he would have at least 200 business cards, as the conference would host about 100 delegates. He purchased a digital recorder so that he could record the sessions that he was most interested in.

A week before the conference, Gerry purchased a ‘data pack’ for his phone under a promo so that we did not have to depend on the venue wifi. He purchased about 200 ringgit in case he needed to tip or purchase sundry items for cash. He spoke to HR and confirmed that the company insurance covered Malaysia and noted down the contact details for the KL branch office.

Finally, Gerry asked his family what he could bring them from KL, and noted down their requests.

It’s not an accident that people like Gerry always seem to be on top of things. They have a spare USB drive to loan, a digital copy of the manual that no one else can find, or a pain killer when someone’s in distress.

These are the people we naturally turn to when we are in need. These are also the people who are most often selected as managers, team leaders and project directors.

How can we be proactive employees, you asked?

To be consistently proactive, you need to embrace…

The Six Habits

What is the proactive employee’s secret? How are they able to be prepared for almost any situation? Here are six habits that you can practice to become and be a proactive employee.

Think Ahead & Stay Ahead

Try and think ahead – at least 4-6 weeks into the future. Many of us think about today and perhaps tomorrow. By thinking ahead, you will have enough time to plan and prepare for various events and situations. By reaching out to his connections well ahead of the conference, Gerry was able to meet one-to-one with almost a dozen people, enhancing his network, learning about new opportunities, building the foundation for robust relationships.

Do today what most people set aside for tomorrow. Take care of your regular tasks, even if they are not enjoyable, now. This will allow you to reduce, if not prevent, molehills from becoming mountains.

Finally, learn to prioritize. All of us have myriad tasks on hand. This can seem overwhelming at times. Focus on what is most important, complete it, and move on to the next. You will get a sense of satisfaction from each accomplishment, which will spur you on to the next.

Set Goals & Own Them

Set goals for yourself. Proactive employees hold planning sessions with themselves, and set realistic goals for the future. They allot deadline dates and they schedule time to work on them. By doing this, you can make your own future.

Own your goals. You are the only one who can drive and accomplish your objectives. Yes, people will support and help, but you are in the driver’s seat. Take charge and take responsibility.

Finally, focus on what you can actually achieve. You will know the fantastic Serenity Prayer – “Please grant me the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Too often, we stress ourselves about what we cannot control or influence, thus impacting our ability to achieve what we actually can.

Participate & Engage

Get involved. Proactive people are never idle observers, they are active participants. They engage and influence. Once engaged, they contribute. They don’t stand by or react.

Listen carefully. Be situationally aware – know what is going on around you. Recognize that you are a piece of the whole and that you can influence the environment positively.

The more you engage, the more you can learn, the more you can exert your influence and more you can contribute positively.

Use Checklists

Make a checklist. Proactive employees use checklists for all events or activities, such as meetings, travel, conferences, sales calls, workshops and interviews. Checklists save time and money and prevent errors.

Read what Dr. Atul Gawande writes in his international bestseller, “The Checklist Manifesto” – simple checklists are essential for anyone working to get things right. Checklists convert goals and plans into simple action plans, which are visible, doable and trackable.

Review Results

Review the outcomes of your planning and doing. Proactive employees don’t just carry out planned tasks and events, they make sure the results are worth the time and effort expended. They ensure that they are indeed completing the 20% of the tasks that yield 80% of the results.

Reflect on whether you are making the best possible use of your time. If you aren’t reaching your goals, review the steps you are taking. Can you eliminate some steps? Shorten some? Should you do something differently?

Learn from your setbacks. If we go through a failure, we must learn from the experience. What things could we have done differently? What different things could we have done? By converting every shortfall into a lesson, we will only become even better at being proactive.

Focus on Solutions

Develop the right attitude. Proactive employees use many tools and techniques, but a big part of being proactive is their state of mind.

Start with a positive outlook. Many of us find it easy to see life as a series of problems and hurdles. Proactive employees tend to see life as a series of achievements and successes – they need only find the route to these.

Look for the best possible outcome of every situation or problem. Then, work towards this outcome. Think of yourself as a problem-solver, not a problem-identifier.

A Way Of Life…

Being proactive is a way of life.

The more times you think ahead, the more goals you set and achieve, the more comfortable you will become with planning. As you see your days running smoother, with fewer crises and problems, the more you will be encouraged to become proactive in everything you do.

Proactive means “acting beforehand”. Taking action in the present will influence things in the future – even the future itself.

Develop and nurture these six habits –

1. Think Ahead & Stay Ahead
2. Set Goals & Own Them
3. Participate & Engage
4. Make Checklists
5. Review Results
6. Focus on Solutions

And you will be an outstanding, productive and proactive employee…

Hallo! What about Gerry and Evan? What happened with them?

Oh, I almost forgot. Evan had a nice time at the conference; he came back with a bag full of goodies and handouts, and knowledge about 3 new topics that were presented.

Gerry came back with much more. He came back with more than 20 new professional connections, two offers to meet and discuss possible career opportunities; appointments from two prospective customers that Gerry’s company were hoping to acquire; and a very nice testimonial from the conference organizer to his boss, praising him for his attitude and engagement. Finally, he enjoyed his wife’s delight when he presented her with a lovely Selangor jewelry case…

****

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 04 February 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 proactive employee proactive employee