I was discussing options with a potential company that is planning to open a new office in India. My reflections from my experience. The type of office space depends on the scope of the project. If one is starting from scratch and building the team from zero, then it's better to move into a co-sharing/managed... Continue Reading →
Is being humble costing you
Many of us tend to maintain a discreet approach when it comes to acknowledging our achievements in the workplace, often attributing this behavior to humility. However, this widely accepted practice may not always be conducive in the corporate realm. While it makes sense to keep accomplishments low-key when there is a robust internal recognition and... Continue Reading →
How to handle layoffs
This one is actually for the companies that are undertaking layoff’s due to financial reasons, resulting from loss in business or inaccurate forecasting or changing priorities. 1.      Don’t behave like a victim, as you are not the victim here; the employee is. Hence, it is vital to conduct your affairs with dignity and grace.2.      While drawing the... Continue Reading →
The Importance of TRUST
Why is it important for your team to trust you? Does that come easy, or does it take considerable effort to build?Many decades ago, when I was a manager running a 350 FTE program, I was awakened by the company shift director asking me to come to work immediately. A complete shift of over 300... Continue Reading →
New Managers on Managing Teams
New managers embarking on a mission within an already established team must ensure gradual integration, avoiding unnecessary disruptions. While some may believe their past skills grant them the authority to disrupt the team, aiming to leave an indelible mark and command respect, this approach is seldom fruitful.The initial week to a month should centre around... Continue Reading →
Resolving an Egoist’s Mutiny
I joined a company to lead the India business and was immediately confronted with unexpected hostility. My predecessor left with two senior leaders, leaving those behind upset as they had all applied for the role and none had been selected. Undeterred, I embarked on a journey focused on improving culture, processes, efficiency, team commitment, sales,... Continue Reading →
Improve your credibility. First, understand the Today to Plan for Tomorrow
Joining a leadership role in a company can be nerve-wracking, especially when there is an expectation from you to continue the good work that has been happening or transform the business and make this better from the crap that people are going through. No matter the situation, the approach is pretty consistent - understand the... Continue Reading →
My Connections Helped Me Chart My Path
I often wonder about the connections in our life. Back in 1995, during the final year of IHM Pusa, I was attending multiple interviews as a part of our campus interviews. One company was especially attractive as it was coming to India for the first time, and their 2-year training would be done in Kathmandu.... Continue Reading →
Transforming Your Business: The Power of Culture, Finances, Technology, and AI
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, transformation is not just a buzzword; it's a necessity. To remain competitive and thrive in an ever-changing environment, businesses must be willing to adapt and evolve. Transforming your business is a multifaceted journey that involves changes in culture, financial strategies, technology adoption, and the integration of cutting-edge artificial intelligence.... Continue Reading →
LAID OFF – DON’T WORRY
https://youtu.be/RaLdhqtsxPs?si=fcShsbHryXb9Jne2 If you lose your job, it's not the end. It's an opportunity for a fresh start and new beginnings. It is the world's way of telling you there are better things in store for you - so keep the faith.
HR and Culture – the never ending melodrama
There was a time when HR was the king of the organisation, hiring and firing people, the disciplinarian generating fear and awe, deciding on what stays and goes, making arbitrary rules that instil a sense of calm yet a strange sense of fear. This lead to puns and memes which till today contribute anything negative... Continue Reading →
Covid 19 and the impact on corporates
The Covid 19 impact is yet to be felt, but the writing is on the wall. Industries are shut, companies working at 50% of capacity, demand has dropped and the ensuing sales at the minimal level. The future is uncertain especially due to the lack of projections around the business as usual which continues to... Continue Reading →
Doing More Than Your Brief
Many moons ago, I arrived at my 6:00 pm shift at KLM, expected to handle the freight related flight operations of a Boeing 747 - combi aircraft, which typically carried 40k tons of cargo and over 140 shipments – and that meant 140 airway bills(or AWB in short). It was around that time that the... Continue Reading →
Improving Employee Referrals
Employee Referral programs are one of the best ways to source quality candidates. I strongly believe that our employees are the best spokespersons and brand ambassadors, and the marketing that they can do for the organisation cannot be compared to any other source of recruitment or campaign. If they like the company culture and believe... Continue Reading →
Quick ways of gauging company culture
If you are looking to change organisations, it is extremely important that you assess the culture of the company that you plan to move into. While the new job may get you a great salary, if your existence and ethics are going to be questioned every single day, that you carry your frustrations back home,... Continue Reading →
Tiny practices that make a difference – Self Nomination
One of the primary crib points in the teams that I have worked with was linked to rewards and recognition. While rewards that have a link to performance (and is measured) were easy to award as the number did the speaking, in many cases, employee behaviours that led to wins were open to subjective review,... Continue Reading →
Setting Up A New Offshoring Office
A High Level List of things to be done when setting up a new Offshore Business A friend recently asked for my expertise around setting up a new operations centre in India - and I had penned my thoughts to help him through this journey. While the list is not comprehensive it does detail a... Continue Reading →
Effective Onboarding Practices
There are many who have debated the true meaning of the term early attrition. Is it, not joining on day 1 (no show), is it the ones who left before training was completed, is it those who left after they were handed over to Ops but within 6 or 12 months - definitions are many,... Continue Reading →
Brand Visibility and it’s Link to Employee Pride
There are some companies that are unknown in this world, and while that may not be a problem for some due to the nature of work, if you are in the IT or ITES space it is criminal not having a strong brand presence. The connection that employees build with brands is well known, and... Continue Reading →
Going Digital At Your WorkPlace
I find it quite disheartening to see companies not investing in technology to help run their business. Relying on manual reconciliation using tools like excel and various forms needs to be replaced with faster tech driven MIS platforms which are accurate, user friendly, reliable, cost effective and pack a mean punch. Some of the areas... Continue Reading →
Curating World Class Cultures 