Gender Neutral

Pratima Rao Gluckman, author of Nevertheless, She Persisted, talks about the challenges women face in their career in the technology field and busts the myth that ability is linked to gender.

Embrace The Highs And Lows

Gary Vaynerchuk, a bestselling author, quotes, “The skill sets it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, a successful marketer, or a relevant celebrity is a different skill set than you needed ten years ago, even though that was the skill set that mattered for decades.” In this age of rapid digitization, network marketers are required to keep up with technology, more so, social media. Building the right relationships or networking is critical as the connections created largely determine the opportunities available. Jennifer Turnage and Megan Sumrell, authors of Honey, You Got This! Technology Made Easy for Network Marketers make known the trending concept of network marketing and how working smarter and not harder is made possible with technology.

Bright Leaders, Right Opportunities

In an earlier interview with The Smart Manager, Rita McGrath, author of The End of Competitive Advantage, said, “In organizations, we always think the sins of commission are the ones that might be punished. In smart companies in the future, we are also going to think about sins of omission—not taking the appropriate chances or pursuing the appropriate opportunities for the future.” Consciously looking for opportunities and leveraging the best among them defines the path to survival in the long term.

Creative Core

A company’s most important asset isn’t raw materials, transportation systems, or political influence. It’s creative capital—simply put, an arsenal of creative thinkers whose ideas can be turned into valuable products and services. Creative employees pioneer new technologies, birth new industries, and power economic growth… If you want your company to succeed, these are the people you entrust it to. That much is certain. What’s less certain is how to manage for maximum creativity.* Creative management is a complex process, but mastering it is imperative for those who want to deliver true value.

How Can an Organisation Make Quick And Effective Decisions On Regular Basis

"The days of the ‘Great Man’ theory of Leadership—where one sole leader rules over the masses from their ivory tower, are long gone…But while co-leadership can be energizing and rewarding, if the relationship isn’t strong, the arrangement can easily become draining and frustrating.”* For co-leadership to be fruitful, it has to be a strong emotional partnership that rests on the foundation of commitment.

Blow With The Wind

A company’s response to change determines its chances of survival—as Jonathan MacDonald writes in his recent book, “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.”

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.

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.

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.

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’.

the mark of a leader

leaders and the value they bring to organizations have always been a topic of much discussion. but what often gets forgotten in this dialog is the equally vital aspect of followership. good leadership entails good followership, and in a sense, a good leader has to be a good follower. morgen witzel dwells on the relationship between leaders and their followers—why true leaders do not consider themselves to be a cut above the rest. they interact with their followers, help them achieve their personal goals even while drawing them to a common sense of purpose.

intrinsic motivation: the missing piece in changing employee behavior

“intrinsic motivation is about helping employees become more productive, engaged, and happier in their work.” shlomo ben-hur and nik kinley talk about fostering a culture of intrinsic motivation and how it can better organizational performance.

healthy employee, healthy business

organizations with strong wellness programs had lower rates of obesity than “loweffectiveness” companies, and had lower unplanned absence rates (3.3 vs. 4.0 days/year).*today your wellness is not just your own personal issue; it is also a concern of your company. parag pande, accenture india, showcases how designing effective and exhaustive wellness plans can help businesses achieve both short-term and longterm success.

A Mandarin Narrative

“Understanding the China effect on global innovation will be essential for companies that wish to compete in China, take advantage of China’s innovation capacity, and adopt Chinese approaches to innovation to improve their own performance. The overall effect is that more innovation will originate in China—from both Chinese and global companies—and more companies would adopt the Chinese style of innovation.”*What has helped many Chinese firms make remarkable strides—not just in the realm of innovation—is their swiftness in reformulating themselves, eschewing hierarchical structures, and adopting a customer-centric approach

A Positive Delay

According to Professor Adam Grant, Wharton School of Business, “We shouldn’t be afraid to start early, but equally we shouldn’t be afraid to be slow to finish… procrastination might just improve the end result.”* When used sensibly by leaders, procrastination is a powerful management strategy.

What Is Your Script?

While Freud and most other psychotherapists took the rather simplistic approach of asking the patient about themselves, Berne took an alternate approach to therapy. Berne felt that a therapist could learn what the problem was by simply observing what was communicated (words, body language, facial expressions) in a transaction. So instead of directly asking the patient questions, Berne would frequently observe the patient in a group setting, noting all of the transactions that occurred between the patient and other individuals.Although rooted in psycho therapy, Transactional Analysis has a profound role to play wherever interactions constitute the core. In an organizational setting, it can help build strong cultures.

Be A Change Leader

In an interview with The Smart Manager, John Knights, author of Leading Beyond The Ego said that adopting a style beyond the traditional is more suitable in a world of continuous transformation.* The hierarchical, managerial, male-dominated, and authoritarian leadership style of the 20th century has to undergo a drastic change as organizations are becoming more democratic, inclusive, employee-centric, and open to feedback from all ‘rungs of the ladder’.

A Measured Step

Employee turnover is expensive. Replacing an employee who quits costs, on average, 21% of their annual pay. While it’s tempting to dismiss turnover as a fact of life in today’s fast-moving job market, new research shows otherwise.* Compensation could be a strategic tool for talent retention, especially when the going is tough.

Bridging The Gap

Pam Didner, author of Effective Sales Enablement, shares her perspective on how sales needs to treat marketing as a hidden sales force, while marketing can leverage sales as another marketing channel.

Become Leadership Fit

Leadership is a concept shrouded in misconceptions. Timothy J Tobin, author of Peak Leadership Fitness: Elevating Your Leadership Game and Vice President, Franchisee Onboarding and Learning at Choice Hotels International, unveils a clearer picture.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Filling The Opportunity Gap

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

Gift Of Time

In The 100-year Life, Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott refer to a French fable in which a nymph, Ondine, curses her husband Palemon: as long as he is awake, he will breathe; as soon as he sleeps, he will die. From that time on he spends every moment in frantic activity, fearing death. Will an extended three-stage life be like this—entailing constant work, boredom, and missed opportunities—or full of possibilities?

Content, Context, And Conversations

As per B2B Content Marketing 2017 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America, 70% of B2B marketers say they will produce more content in 2017 than they did in 2016 and 39% of B2B marketers say they will increase spending on content marketing over the next twelve months. Content is key for any marketing initiative to succeed. However, in the present world of information overload, content without context merely is a ‘low-test fuel, prone to knocks and stalls’. In this exclusive with The Smart Manager, Rutsky talks about how B2B companies can break through and lead when they control the context of the market conversations.

The Art Of Giving Back

Ever since its inception in 2000, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has been shaping lives, one meal at a time. Theirs is the world’s largest NGO-run midday meal program, serving wholesome lunch to over 1.6 million children in 13,577 schools across 11 states in India. The Foundation—while fighting the dual challenges of hunger and education—has emerged as a brilliant model in operational excellence, technological innovation, and quality management. This interview offers a glimpse into their functioning and their plans for the future.

The New Normal

For over a decade, companies have been urged to ‘digitalize’ or risk getting left behind. The specific technology innovations introduced by the digital revolution such as mobile, apps, ‘the cloud’, big data, and 3D printing are shaking up businesses and organizations. The digital journey has passed a frontier into a land that no longer distinguishes between digital and business, as these are now unavoidably linked. However, in this passage a fracture is being revealed: top corporate leaders across the globe are insufficiently directing the digitalization of their companies. For this category of leaders, more than for the rest of the organization, digital is at best confusing and at worst unclear.To support business leaders—executives and boards alike— in their effort to digitalize, INSEAD, in collaboration with the consultancy ‘this fluid world’, have issued a report, Directing Digitalisation: 11 Guidelines for Boards and Executives. The concepts covered in this report are grouped under three key headings—environmental, organizational, and strategic, which are discussed below in the context of India.

Change Tracks

The Ministry of Science and Technology announced it will be investing $749,500 over the next few years…Under a new program, Promoting and Accelerating Young and Aspiring Innovators and Startups (PRAYAS), the Ministry will be providing grants of up to $149,900 to each startup to encourage innovators.* However, free flow of funds alone does not ensure success. Indian startups and SMEs have to bring about radical improvement in costs, quality, service, and other critical avenues to stay ahead of the curve.