Every organization talks about people being its most important asset. If they walk their talk, the HR ( Human Resources) function would also be the most important function. Why? because everybody assumes, HR -as the name suggests – is all about people. The reality is that HR is nowhere secure about it’s presence in the scheme of things. Clarifying stakeholder expectations is a good way to plot HR on the map. Here is a Q&A format exploration of the same. Have taken HR in the public sector as an example – with three primary stakeholders – employees, officers and unions. HR in A Public Sector Undertaking What is the Fundamental expectation of all stakeholders? Answer: Make it easy for us to perform our core task & validate the very reason why we exist. Why do the stakeholders expect this from HR? Answer: Human beings are the life-giving element of any enterprise. All capital,equipment & resources are deadwood unless human beings engineer sparks of performance by working together. HR as a function begins its work on this premise. This helps HR…
Thoughts on the TATA Group challenge
As a teenager, 23 years ago, I remember being struck by something unsual in the newspapers one day. All of them were carrying one single news story on their front page. It was the obituary of JRD Tata. And on the rest of the page, there were vignettes or anecdotes from JRD’s life. Usually, political icons got such coverage. Why such a coverage for an industrialist then, I asked myself. As I read and devoured everything in multiple papers and magazines, I got my answer. JRD was so much more than an industrialist & a business leader. JRD showed how much a business can contribute to a nation and society if it is driven by values & enlightened leadership. In your teens, you are moved more by ideas of justice and equality than by those of making money. To know that a business can reconcile such values & make money was a revelation to me. Reading about JRD made such a huge impact then. As I read about what is happening at the TATA group now, I am not dismayed…
Leadership this month : Taking time-out
The volatile Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte was asked about his response in an anticipated meeting; should Barack Obama, the US president, talk about rampant human rights violations and extra-judicial killings under his regime. In his native tongue, he said he would call Obama, ‘son of a bitch’. Obama’s response? All he said was that given the less likelihood of a productive and constructive conversation, he would call off the meeting. Which he did. No grand riposte. No grand-standing as the President of the United States of America. The Srilankan cricket team won their Test cricket series against the mighty australians 3-0, a whitewash. In the process, Australia lost their Test no.1 ranking. The Australian cricket captain, Steve Smith was sent back to Australia during the one-day series on the grounds of rest and preparation for the upcoming South African series at home. Of course, the decision was criticised as a sign of weak leadership. How can the captain of a beleaguered team go home like that? Well, he did. Under new captain, David Warner, the Australians won the one-day series…
Living in the now : An everyday opportunity
Right next to the gate leading out of the renowned Yoga institute in Santacruz is this inscription, “Mindfulness is Yoga” It also urges us to close the gate as we walk out. A specific example indeed for being mindful. But, “what is being mindful?” I carried this thought along with me as I walked over the railway bridge and stood along a road on the Western side. I was now waiting to hail an autorickshaw. The words ‘living in the now’ had now hopped onto the mindful train of thought. So, now I started thinking, “What is living in the now?” I was getting late. A few autos were on their way. An ordinary moment became extraordinary in a flash, moments later. Why so? See if it makes sense to you. Yes, it may even seem nonsense. I experienced something for a few moments. Then, the mind took over and I found myself asking, ” Can you be in the moment without reaching out for the auto- in the mind?” That is, can I be completely content in the present moment without my mind…
Leader-ship : Lost at Sea
We live in a turbulent age. The democratic system of the world’s most powerful country, the United States, is being trumped up by a dangerous demagogue. A continental community ushered in to unite a continent ravaged by two world wars is being torn asunder. We have the highest ever number of refugees sequestered in camps because the countries they wish to enter have shut their doors on them. We have a terrorist group that wields state power in terms of – the territory it holds,the scale of violence it can unleash, and the identity it provides to its adherents. And we have a fragile environment that is breaking down to the point of no return, thanks to human depredations and excesses. First, the United States. To imagine Donald Trump having access to the nuclear button is a most fearful exercise. And this concerns the whole world, not just his country. The world’s most powerful democracy, the place where the world’s best intellects choose to live and work; this very place has seen the rise of a dangerous and manipulative demagogue. The world’s…
Conceptual juggling : What is the difference between ethics & integrity?
Integrity is being true to your word. Ethics is making sure of the moral worth of that word. Ethics tells us what is right/wrong & good/bad, but one has to stay on course ( be consistent) in living life one way or the other before we can reasonably evaluate the moral worth. This staying on course is achieved by living a life of integrity. In cricketing terms, a batsman needs to stay at the wicket for being able to affect the outcome. This staying at the wicket is integrity. The outcome, the moral worth is ethics. Integrity provides a sense of continuity/ permanence long enough for us to talk about ethics. Integrity does not determine the content of ethics. It keeps alive the process of adhering to ethics. An individual full of integrity can be a die-hard communist one day but may become an equally fervent capitalist the next day. Narayan Murthy was a socialist-sympathizer until he was arrested & detained without legalities in a communist country. His integrity stayed the same ( sameness of thought-word-action) but the content of…
Living with your work-identity
In a play being staged in Italy, the actor was hooded and being hanged. Something went terribly wrong and he was being strangulated for real. There was a medical practitioner in the audience who noticed his bodily struggle and rushed in. The actor died in the hospital later on. Without the medical practitioner, he would have died on the stage itself. This got me thinking about our work identity – to what extent is it a part of our social life. For doctors, there is almost no social life independent of their work identity. Everywhere they go, they stay doctors. Once upon a time, they were invited to mark themselves as doctors on rail ticket requisition slips. This is very handy in times of a medical emergency on board the train; or a flight for that matter. Doctors might be on a honeymoon, but their Hippocratic oath will take precedence over their wedding vows if somebody needs immediate medical attention. Such is the nature of their work. On the opposite end of the spectrum is an intelligence agent, more commonly understood…
Learning from every experience. A shift is all it needs.
It was an uneasy conversation. You have this very capable subordinate. She had asked for a change of job responsibilities and duly got it. But she is new to this work in which you are an old hand. So, you offered to help and mentor her. The immediate context was that you overheard her struggling to connect with a valued client. You just happened to pass by her desk when she was talking. When you called her in to offer help, she knew where this was coming from. And her demeanour showed she did not like this one bit. She politely declined any offer of help and said she will ask for help when she needs it. You quietly reflect on the conversation.Here was a capable individual who could do with a little help. But she takes quiet pride in her work and is very sensitive about any offer of help. She interprets such an offer as a lack of confidence in her. You accept you got it wrong from the word go. Given the context, she was going to react this…
Innovation & Philosophy – Closer than we think
Want a breakthrough as an innovator? Ask a philosopher! I am forever delighted in knowing how wisdom cuts across boundaries. It is wisdom that spurs real breakthroughs. Consider this: We are more ready to try the untried when what we do is inconsequential. Hence the fact that many inventions had their birth as toys. – Eric Hoffer Eric Hoffer is a philosopher. By all means, people will seek inspiration from the legend of Steve Jobs. And that is good. What about the inner ideals of Steve Jobs; the intangible, unconscious forces within that made him who he became? How can we open ourselves up to experience the same forces? By being open to philosophy. Philosophy explores meaning. Hoffer contributes wisdom ; the meaning that is timeless & universal. Rather than the specific how-to’s of innovation & creativity, it is the uncertain path of philosophy that offers the mysterious something, that can change everything. Hoffer might not have invented anything material, but he contributes something far more powerful: the philosophy that is the creative womb of infinite innovative embryos. What is…
A Drucker quote & the fun a Devil’s advocate has with it!
Only three things happen naturally in organizations: friction, confusion, and under-performance. Everything else requires leadership – Peter Drucker. Here is what the Devil will say! Employee engagement is the oil for easing the friction without removing the cause. Organizational charts are the boxes where confusion is stuffed in. Business analysis is the drainage system for under-performance. Leadership is the art of juggling boxes with oily hands & draining away the tell-tale signs!