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Posts Tagged ‘Book’

Public Relations

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , on August 3, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Good public relations could keep your business image bright and shining. With the advent of the Internet, it has become easier to be in the public eye. To ensure you remain so for the right reasons depends upon the quality of product/service on offer, the manner in which either customer complaints or labour issues are handled, and your corporate governance record.

In a large complex business, you may need to hire an expert to handle your public relations. Check the guy’s credentials and sign him on for a maximum period of two years at a time. Better still, get one of the smart secretaries to handle it in-house.

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Promotions

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , , on July 27, 2017| Leave a Comment »

An effective tool in the management’s arsenal to reward and motivate guys who excel in their jobs.

There are two key challenges faced in case of promotions:

  1. Pressure for time-bound promotions

Everyone expects to get promoted after having slogged it out at a given level in the organization for a few years. The reason you find most organizations top-heavy today is because the management twenty years back did not pay attention to managing the aspirations of its people and instead went along with the philosophy of time-based promotions!

  1. Managing is different

Doing a job yourself is one thing. Getting it done through others is a different ball game altogether. To be a good manager, one needs to be a leader, bestowed with skills in team building, communication, delegation, and supervision. Often, two-thirds of the promotions in corporates are based on incumbents putting in an impressive show in their present role. Once promoted, the incumbent is left twiddling his thumbs, trying to figure out how to manage the same activity through others.

The solution possibly lies in building up a culture which rewards good performance but does not overlook the projected managerial talent of the promotee. Job rotation, counselling, and job enrichment are some of the tools which a wise Human Resource guy may use to manage the majority which deems a promotion as its birth-right, based only on the fourth dimension of our universe – time!

A populist approach like resorting to time-based promotions can also be practised, provided there is an aggressive scheme in place to enforce employee separations as well, that too in a time-bound manner!

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’, the English version of which was released recently. The Portuguese version of the excerpt follows.)

PROMOÇÕES

Uma ferramenta eficaz no arsenal de gestão para premiar e motivar os indivíduos que se destacam nas suas funções.

As promoções levantam sobretudo duas dificuldades:

1. Pressão para ser promovido dentro de um determinado limite de tempo

Qualquer um espera vir a ser promovido depois de se ter arrastado num determinado nível da organização durante vários anos. A razão por que a maioria das organizações hoje em dia são tão pesadas é porque há  vinte anos as chefias não souberam gerir as aspirações dos seus subordinados e deixaram-se levar pela filosofia das promoções baseadas no tempo!

2. Ser chefe é diferente

Uma pessoa fazer um trabalho ela própria é uma coisa. Fazer com que esse trabalho seja feito por outros é uma coisa completamente diferente. Para ser um bom chefe, é preciso ser um líder, dotado de competênciasde
coordenação de equipas, comunicação, delegação e supervisão. Muitas vezes, dois terços das promoções das empresas baseiam-se no facto dos candidatos à
promoção ressaltarem de forma impressionante as suas funções atuais. Uma vez conseguida a promoção, o promovido fica a girar os polegares, a tentar descobrir como realizar as mesmas funções através dos outros.

A solução passa, possivelmente, por estabelecer uma cultura empresarial que recompense o bom desempenho, mas sem negligenciar o potencial talento de gestão dos promovidos. A rotação no trabalho, o aconselhamento e o enriquecimento das funções são algumas das ferramentas que um Diretor de Recursos Humanos sábio poderá usar para gerir a maioria dos colaboradores que estão convencidos que a promoção é um direito que lhes assiste desde
a nascença, com base apenas na quarta dimensão do nosso universo – o tempo!

Uma abordagem populista que recorra a promoções baseadas no tempo também pode ser praticada, desde que esteja igualmente implementado um sistema agressivo que permita distinguir os colaboradores, também de forma
limitada no tempo!

(This is how you can lay your hands on the Portuguese version of the book, launched in Portugal during March, 2016.)

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Packages

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , on July 21, 2017| 2 Comments »

packages

Packages are negotiable only at the entry stage; later on, they tend to lose their elasticity!

Bear in mind that packages are not necessarily related to the innate worth of an incumbent. These have more to do with the company’s corporate ego (read brand value), and also the comfort levels offered. Companies offering high-pressure assignments in high-entropy business environments tend to be more liberal with the packages they offer.

The rate of growth of packages outside the company would always be better than the jumps you get in-house. If you are willing to challenge yourself and move out of your present comfort zone, do not grumble for long; find another exciting opportunity and move on!

As postulated by the Motivation-Hygiene Theory of Herzberg, packages fall in the Hygiene category of rewards. To use a medical analogy, their presence does not necessarily make a person healthier; on the contrary, their absence can cause deterioration in health.

To put it simply, when it comes to individual motivation levels, packages have a rather short shelf life.

When it comes to chucking out the deadwood, organizations could come up with innovative severance packages!

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’, the English version of which was released recently.)

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Overstaying one’s welcome

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , on July 13, 2017| Leave a Comment »

All ideas which sound revolutionary from a new incumbent fade exponentially over a period of time. The incumbent himself gets bored and a sense of fatalism sets in. A smart incumbent would call it quits before he reaches this state of vegetation.

Seniors who decide to overstay their welcome run the risk of being derided and hounded out. They do a great disservice to the organization and also end up lowering the morale of their would-be-successors who have to wait interminably for getting a shot at occupying the throne in the corner office.

A tired and exhausted lion can no longer afford to cling to his seat of power.

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’, the English version of which was released recently. The Portuguese version of the excerpt follows.)

 

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Micromanaging

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , on July 6, 2017| Leave a Comment »

A sure way of becoming a liability for your team and also for your employers is to micromanage – getting into the nitty-gritty of each and every aspect of the task at hand.

Learn to delegate and allow your team members to make mistakes.

Demand results, but develop your people in the long run.

If you happen to report to a boss who believes in getting things done by breathing down your neck, try the following to keep your sanity in check:

  1. Make it a habit to meet him half-way through.
  2. Empathize with the poor soul. Try to reduce his blood pressure. That is what you get paid for.
  3. Be clear about your deliverables.
  4. Sincerity helps. Following due processes and protocol helps.
  5. Have a positive attitude. At an opportune time, let him know that you are not too comfortable being micromanaged.

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’, the English version of which was released recently. The Portuguese version of the excerpt follows.)

MICROGESTÃO

A maneira mais certa de se tornar um peso para a sua equipa e também para seus empregadores é a microgestão –meter-se em todas as tarefas até ao mais ínfimo pormenor.

Aprenda a delegar e a permitir que os seus colaboradores cometam erros.

Exija resultados, mas desenvolva as competências dos seus colaboradores no longo prazo.

(This is how you can lay your hands on the Portuguese version of the book, launched in Portugal during March, 2016.)

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Marketing

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , on June 30, 2017| 1 Comment »

An ever-changing discipline, though surely not the only one. When conceived and described by Philip Kotler, it consisted of the famous four Ps – Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. With due respects to the great man, one may safely add one more P – Password (used for viral marketing).

Till the 1970s, Indians had to wait for years to get to ride their own ‘Hamara Bajaj’. On the car front, there were just three manufacturers in the fray then. Now, the automobile market has global brands wooing the customer and competing cheek and jowl for a slice of the great Indian market pie.

With the advent of the Internet has come a virtual democracy in information. Changes in technology have brought in a new way the customers and brands interact. Marketing has undergone a sea change and will continue to do so in future as well, what with social re-engineering leading to a greater degree of inclusion in the economy and with hordes of new customers from a so-far underprivileged social milieu joining the market.

Brick and mortar retailers are increasingly competing with e-retailers for the customers’ attention. Tech-savvy customers now routinely research brands before making a decision. They are increasingly welcoming fresh content rather than repetitive ads.

The role of a Chief Marketing Officer continues to evolve in sync with the increasing complexities of brand-building and marketing. Ensuring that the customer’s voice is heard within the confines of the board room has already become one of his key roles.

The customer has now become a more empowered king!

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’, the English version of which was released recently. The Portuguese version of the excerpt follows.)

 

Uma disciplina em constante mudança, embora certamente não a única. Quando o conceito foi elaborado e descrito por Philip Kotler, consistia nos famosos 4 Ps – Produto, Preço, Ponto-de-venda e Promoção. Com o devido respeito ao grande homem, pode-se perfeitamente acrescentar mais um P – Password (‘Senha’, que se refere ao marketing viral).

Até à década de 1970, os indianos tinha esperar anos para poderem conduzir o seu próprio “Hamara Bajaj”. Em matéria de automóveis, havia apenas três fabricantes em liça Como Sobreviver na Selva Empresarial na altura. Agora, o mercado automóvel tem marcas globais que cortejam os clientes e competem acerrimamente por uma fatia do grande bolo que é mercado indiano.

Com o advento da Internet, chegou a democracia virtual da informação. As mudanças tecnológicas trouxeram uma nova forma de interação entre os clientes e as marcas. O marketing sofreu uma mudança radical e vai continuar a mudar no futuro, com a reengenharia social a conseguir um maior nível de inclusão na economia e com hordas de novos clientes, oriundos de meios sociais até à data desfavorecidos, a entrarem no mercado.

Os vendedores de tijolos e de argamassa estão cada vez mais a concorrer com lojas online na disputa por clientes. Hoje em dia, os clientes que dominam a tecnologia, costumam fazer uma pesquisa de marcas antes de tomarem uma decisão. Estão cada vez mais recetivos a conteúdos novos, em vez de anúncios repetitivos.

O papel de um Diretor de Marketing continua a evoluir de acordo com as crescentes complexidades de desenvolvimento de marcas e do marketing. A garantia de que a voz do cliente é ouvida na sala de reuniões da Direção já se tornou um dos seus papéis principais.

O cliente passou a ser um rei com mais poderes!

(This is how you can lay your hands on the Portuguese version of the book, launched in Portugal during March, 2016.)

 

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Management Lessons from India

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , , , on June 23, 2017| 1 Comment »

After the 2008 economic meltdown, the management world has discovered that CEOs need to follow not only the Business Compass but also a Moral Compass to steer the enterprises they happen to run. Improving one’s Spiritual Quotient is now a sheer business necessity, and shall be more so in the decades to come.

It is here that Indian scriptures and sages provide a ready template for managers of all sizes and shapes.

The book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’ covers some lessons from the following:

-Ramayana

-Mahabharata

-Bhagavad-Gita

-Thirukkural

-Chanakya Neeti

-Sri Aurobindo

Managers with a Western Mind and an Eastern Heart

The success of the likes of Satya Nadella (currently the CEO of Microsoft) and Sundar Pichai (currently the CEO of Google Inc) goes on to show the growing importance of managers who are not only exposed to the Western models of management but also steeped in Eastern wisdom in the realm of management.


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A meeting with the Minister-Counsellor of Portugal in Switzerland

Posted in The European Diaries, tagged , , , , , , , on June 21, 2017| 2 Comments »

Recently, while on a trip to Switzerland, yours truly had the opportunity of calling upon Mr. José Manuel Castro Santiago, Minister – Counsellor at the Embassy of Portugal in Bern.

Despite his busy schedule, he was kind enough to grant an audience to yours truly, who wished to present to him a copy of his book ‘Como Sobreviver Na Selva Empresarial’.

It happened to be a day when the soaring day temperature had left denizens of Berne gasping for breath and scurrying for cover. To match the heat outside, the Embassy of Portugal in Switzerland offered a degree of bonhomie and warmth, much like the genial and affable disposition of the people of Portugal.

An informal meeting took place in his tastefully done up office. He was genial, graceful and dignified. The frankness with which he spoke and the warmth he exuded was typical of the people of character, resource and rich culture he represents.

It transpired that he had also had a stint in India. He spoke warmly of his positive feel about the country. He touched upon its rich ancient culture and the diversity of its citizens. Yet another emerging economy he had been posted to in the past was that of Brazil.

He mentioned that he has himself authored and published a book which captures his experiences in a long and successful career. Yours truly expressed a wish that some kindly publisher might bring it out in English as well, so the wisdom contained therein may get shared more widely.

He was happy to know that yours truly had been associated with the Tata group for close to a decade, that too in the field of leather footwear and components. The courtesy extended to an ordinary soul from an emerging economy like India was impeccable.

Diplomats represent all that their land is and aspires to be. Much like Ms. Clara Nunes dos Santos, the Ambassador of Portugal to Norway (whom yours truly had the opportunity to meet recently), Mr. José Manuel Castro Santiago is also no exception. One has no doubt that both of them handle managerial challenges coming their way with characteristic aplomb.

One wishes them and their country a great innings in the days to come.

(Notes:

This is how you can lay your hands on the Portuguese version of the book, launched in Portugal during March, 2016, courtesy Liberty Seguros and Vida Economica.

The English version of the book, entitled ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’, was released recently.

Related Post: https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/a-meeting-with-the-ambassador-of-portugal-in-norway)

 

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Leaders

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , on June 15, 2017| 1 Comment »

Management can be learnt; leadership is inborn. The good news is that in most cases, leadership styles trickle down the organization and get copied. This spawns leaders in the same genre and also improves behavioural consistency across the entire set up.

Successful leaders have several outstanding traits. Their intuitive faculties are well developed. They do not say one thing and do another. They handle tough tasks themselves. They take responsibility for their failures, often shielding their team mates. They do not have henchmen to execute their dirty plans so their own hands look clean. They put everyone on the same pedestal. They never encourage yes-men. They always encourage no-men to speak up.

CEOs who rank high not only on their Intelligence Quotient and Emotional Quotient but also on their Spiritual Quotient go on to make super leaders. Their concern for business ethics is as high as their concern for business results.

Lao-Tzu, a Chinese philosopher, said ‘To lead the people, walk behind them’.

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’, the English version of which was released recently. The Portuguese version of the excerpt follows.)

LÍDERES

A gestão pode ser aprendida; a liderança é inata. A boa notícia é que, na maioria dos casos, os estilos de liderança encontram-
se espalhados pela organização e são replicados, o que produz líderes do mesmo tipo, melhorando ao mesmo tempo a consistência comportamental ao longo da cadeia hierárquica.

Os líderes de sucesso têm em comum vários traços que se destacam. As suas faculdades intuitivas estão bem desenvolvi as. Não dizem uma coisa e fazem outra. Enfrentam eles próprios as tarefas difíceis. Assumem a responsabilidade pelos seus fracassos, muitas vezes, protegendo os seus colaboradores.

Não recorrem a capangas para executar os seus planos sujos e parecer, assim, que têm as mãos limpas. Põem todos no mesmo pedestal. Nunca incentivam os “lambe-botas”. Incentivam sempre os “discordantes” a falarem.

Lao-Tzu, um filósofo chinês, disse: “Para liderar as pessoas, ande atrás delas”.

(This is how you can lay your hands on the Portuguese version of the book, launched in Portugal during March, 2016.)

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KISS frequently

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , on June 9, 2017| 3 Comments »

 

Managements are well known for their propensity to give priority to business targets, and to hell with all the systems, controls, and procedures! So, go in for systems which are simple and can be operated by idiots. The acid test to be applied to check most systems would be KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

Auditors will keep coming up with new Standard Operating Procedures. Before rolling those out, a manager would do well to first go in for a pilot run, debug the process, and only then formalize it. This would eliminate the chances of a smart aleck junior coming up with innovative shortcuts to brow beat the system!

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’, the English version of which was released recently. The Portuguese version of the excerpt follows.)

 

BEIJE COM FREQUÊNCIA

Os executivos são conhecidos pela sua propensão para dar prioridade aos objetivos do negócio, e que se lixem os sistemas, os controlos e os procedimentos! Por isso, opte por sistemas que sejam simples e possam ser seguidos por idiotas. O ‘teste do algodão’ a aplicar à maioria dos sistemas é o KISS (beijo, em inglês, de “Keep It Simple, Stupid” – Simplifica, Palerma).

Os auditores irão propor sempre novas normas de procedimentos operacionais. Antes de as implementar, o melhor que um executivo tem a fazer é começar por fazer um teste-piloto, depurar o processo e só então formalizálas, eliminando, assim, as possibilidades de um qualquer subordinado espertinho inventar formas sub-reptícias de dar a volta ao sistema!

(This is how you can lay your hands on the Portuguese version of the book, launched in Portugal during March, 2016.)

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