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The cover theme of the Nov-Dec issue is ‘Failure-secret sauce to success’. Experts— Gary Peacock, Gordian Business; Sameer Dua, Institute for Generative Leadership; Rob Jolles, author of Why People Don’t Believe You; Prasoon Gupta, Sattviko—share their views on various aspects of this subject.

Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya, NITIE, tells us why organizations do not act on impending risks while Doug Hall, author of Driving Eureka! Brings to perspective another aspect of intrepreneurship. Vivek Mehra, SAGE Publications, calls out for the need of compassionate organizations and draws pathways to go about it. Richard Rothman, Open Mind Opportunity Consultancy, offers a defined road to identify the best opportunities.

Dan Cable, London Business School, talks about how leaders should create a culture of experimentation and curiosity instead of activating fear systems among employees. Ambi Parameswaran, Brand-Building.com, narrates useful management lessons he learnt from his clients while Lorraine Ferguson, author, The Unapologetic Saleswoman throws light on gender equality at the workplace, a similar stance taken by Brian Bolton, IMD. Dr Abhishek Narain Singh, Institute of Management Technology Nagpur, defines the power of data and its role in growing businesses.

In our regular sections, we have Chris Lewis, author, The Leadership Lab who shows us a new perspective of leadership in an organization.

Decode It Right - Myths Busted

‘Leadership’ is a much-misunderstood construct. Dismiss long-held beliefs and approach it differently, opines Chris Lewis, co-author, with Pippa Malmgrem, of The Leadership Lab: Understanding leadership in the 21st century, and founder of LEWIS.

5 mins

Create Not Pools, But An Ocean

Innovation is a relentless pursuit for every successful organization, cutting across geographies and industries. And many are driving disruptions by promoting intrepreneur teams too. Doug Hall argues this is a flawed approach, benefitting only a select few. Innovation needs to operate in a broader realm—one that encompasses all and promises a level playing field.

6 mins

Building Compassion

In their book, Awakening Compassion at Work: The Quiet Power That Elevates People and Organizations, Monica C Worline and Jane E Dutton say that “compassion at work is neither a luxury nor an ideal. Organizations cannot afford the hidden costs to human capability that come from perpetuating suffering. In desperate need of new sources of adaptability, collaboration, innovation, quality, and engagement, workplaces must turn toward making compassion at work a reality.”* However, it should be kept in mind that there is no shortcut to building a compassionate culture and that the onus is on the leadership.

7 mins

Purposeful Mission, Profitable Opportunities

In his book, Master Opportunity and Make it Big, Richard M Rothman says, “The success of your career, your business, or any other important aspect of your life, is enormously influenced by the opportunities you choose to pursue. In fact, these decisions are among the most important you will ever make in your life. In choosing these, you choose your fate.” Enabling innovation and growth in an organization comes from choosing the right, lucrative opportunities that are compatible with its vision and mission.

5 mins

The Biology Of Change

A hundred small ripples make a big wave. Likewise, several motivated employees can create a cumulative effect, and drive change and growth. However, even when fully aware of the benefits of employee engagement, many fail to fathom its biological depths. It is high time organizations catered to the demands of their ‘seeking’ systems and kept them more ‘alive’.

4 mins

Soaked Knowledge

If approached as an exercise in listening and learning, powerful conversations with clients and customers can offer long-term lessons. A challenging client may seem like an obstacle but can also turn out to be someone who will motivate you to do quality work, by giving eye-opening ideas and concepts. A radical new way of engaging with clients and customers, the SPONGE process focuses on listening as a means to gain diverse, insightful perspectives.

9 mins

Equal Players

A 2018 Harvard Business Review article laments the lack of gender parity in the field of medicine in the US. It says, “for over 25 years, women have made up at least 40% of US medical students. This past year, more women than men were enrolled in US medical schools. Yet overall women make up only 34% of physicians in the US, and gender parity is still not reflected in medical leadership. Women account for only 18% of hospital CEOs and 16% of all deans and department chairs in the US—positions that typically direct the mission and control the resources at medical centers.”* This is a reality reflected in many professions across the globe. Even the most vocal advocates of gender parity inadvertently identify certain roles with certain genders. Sales is one such area, traditionally considered a male bastion.

6 mins

Power Of Data

When it comes to using data to drive business, organizations such as Google or Facebook are iconic… When they started in 2007, big data was not what it is today. All four Vs that define big data—volume, variety, velocity, and veracity—were at lower levels. But perhaps more importantly, there was not much previous experience of working with big data and using it to drive decision making in organizations. At that time, the question was still out as to whether having all that data is useful. Today, the feeling is that the value of data has been proven, and it’s more of a question of how to get it.1Diligent businesses are those that ensure data privacy and security while leveraging its multiple advantages.

5 mins

Filling The Opportunity Gap

Most experts agree that board diversity needs to change but do not necessarily agree how.

5 mins

Stories At Work: Unlock The Secret To Business Storytelling

What’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,’ said Neil Armstrong on 20 July 1969.

4 mins

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The Smart Manager Magazine Description:

The Smart Manager, India's first world-class management magazine, was founded in 2002 by eminent business historian Dr Gita Piramal with Harvard Business School Dean, Prof. Nitin Nohria with the mission of updating managers and business practitioners in India with the latest thought-provoking strategic ideas from experienced, world-class managers, academics and consultants from across the globe. Over the years, the magazine has carried articles authored by illustrious management gurus such as the late CK Prahalad and Sumantra Ghoshal, Jack Trout, Ram Charan, Gary Hamel, Gay Haskins, Jagdish Seth and Lynda Gratton. We believe that "managers are the best teachers of managers" and most of our articles are written in the first person by top-tier CEOs such as Kumaramangalam Birla, Sunil Mittal, Aditya Birla, KV Kamath, Santrupt Mitra, Rajeev Dubey and S Ramadorai. We also have relationships with a number of B-schools around the world, apart from most top-level schools in India.

The Smart Manager hosts the Tata Consultancy Services Smart Manager Case Contest, the most prestigious competition of its kind in the Indian print media. The contest, with a cash prize of INR50,000 per issue, sees wide participation from national and international business managers and students. 
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