Notes on Management 270122

 By Sujaya Banerjee

Indian employees need professional maturity to accept that not all roles warrant a move to the senior-most band. It is unrealistic to expect promotion before 2-3 years on the job, so understand the role and prepare for the next transition.

Bring in a few experts, hire others with less experience who can then be trained and mentored by them. Practice coaching and mentoring so that knowledge transfer becomes a way of life and business. Every leader has to provide clarity on what is expected from teams, enabling their performance before judging it.

Gen Y myths vs facts: 1. Are money-minded. Fact: Hold the employer accountable for the value offered. 2. Are all about life, less about work. Fact: View careers with lesser insecurity than others. 3. Are very social media savvy. Fact: Nearly at par with other generations. 4. You need to be cool to attract them. Fact: They seek the same things from employers as others.

Invest resources in providing clarity to people, work with a contingency plan as you ready for continuity. Two kinds of recognition: 1. Recognition the team requires on achieving milestones. 2. Recognize people who bring innovation. There is great emphasis on getting things done in a particular way which kills initiative and creativity. Encourage the voice of dissent.

Long tenures are not indicators of performance or excellence. Hold career dialogues with underperforming employees even if they have served long tenures and help them put their potential to full use. It is key not to lower the standard of performance in the organization.

Talent within an organization is not homogenous. Segregate in terms of quality when attrition and retention are weighed in. Look at talent in the 3X3 matrix with performance and potential on two axes. Organizations need to create centers of excellence or alternate structures to accommodate people who don’t necessarily have leadership capabilities but are subject matter experts.

Develop political savviness by reading the political landscape, be able to understand who the influencers are, identify networks within an organization, strengthen those networks for yourself, and create alliances to reach ideas to the right forum. There are two kinds of politics: of ideas and people. Develop the first and avoid the latter.