HR Era,     Issue # 28,       Jan 19th, 2003

 


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CONTENTS

1. Moderator's Space

2. Learnings from National HRD Conference - by Poonam Chandok

Developing Leaders
HR’s Role in Building High Performance Organization

3. Tomato Soup for the Soul - by Ravindra Nath & Neeraj Narang

4. New Members :

Deepak Deshpande, GM-Human Resources
V. Shanmugam, Personnel Manager

5. Readers' Forum

Tarkesh's Happiness
Praise for Poonam

6. Buhari's Quotation Corner - by Syed Buhari

7. The Managerial Hare & Tortoise! - sent by C S Sundaram

8. More from our Members & HR Era Website

Most Important Part of the Body - sent by Ramakrishnarao
Convert Your MAJOR PROBLEMS into TINY - sent by Ramakrishnarao

9. HR Training Programs (India)

10. Aims of HR Era, How to Contribute Articles, Legal Stuff.


1. Moderator's Space

Many Thaaaanks for the overwhelming appreciation for HR Era's free ebook "Manage Your Time" .

Some members had difficulty in downloading it from the following addresses. If you are  unable to download, let me know, I will email it to you individually.

http://hrera.com/time1.exe
http://hrera.tripod.com/time1.exe .

Tarkesh was very happy with members' requests for his ebook on Inspirational Stories. Read his letter in Readers' Forum. He has sent one more free ebook for our members. Await our next issue. 

And yes, know our new members - Deepak & Shanmugam!

regards

Alka Bhatnagar

alka@hrera.com

 


2. Learnings from National HRD Conference - by Poonam Chandok

[Here is final & most interesting installment in Ms. Poonam's series on the National HRD Conference held at Mumbai during 3 -5, October, 2002. There were almost 1000 participants in the Conference and 22 Speakers.]

Developing Leaders

In the Concurrent Session on Leadership Development, speakers were Anil Sachdev, Gunit Chadha (MD & CEO of IDBI Bank) and Alan Parker (Hewitt Associates). Some learnings were:

"It does not help to debate whether leadership is learned or something you are born with. Fact is, there aren’t enough leaders to go around to manage the growth of our business. So we have to develop them"

Leadership is about

  • how to work with people

  • having a vision for our work - whatever level we may be at

  • having passion, commitment and belief in the work we are doing

  • adding value to the work we are doing

  • focus

  • inspiring others - telling them why a certain thing needs to be done and leaving the choice of following to them

  • speed and agility

  • resourcefulness

  • self awareness and values

Leadership can be developed by

  • Giving challenging assignments

  • 360 degree feedback

  • performance coaching

  • action learning

  • internal and external training

  • mentoring

  •  

  • exposure to senior managers

  • stretching and goal setting

Experiential learning is very very important for developing leadership skills.

Leaders are not only at the top but at all levels

There are six leadership styles: -                   

  • Coaching - develop long term

  • Pace setting - Do it my way

  • Democratic - participative management

  • Coercive - Do it my way, I tell you

  • Authoritative - vision led

  • Affiliative - people first, task second

In Indian context the two dominant styles used are coercive and pace setting. We need all the six styles, depending on the situation to be effective.

HR’s Role in Building High Performance Organization: Dough Ross

Dough Ross (Partner - Watson Wyatt) spoke on Building High Performance Organization.

He mentioned that you do not need an explosion of high performance tools (too many initiatives) to ensure high performing organization. In fact the right tools, which align with business objectives, need to be identified.

He mentioned that HR's job was to predict where the organization was going to be and prepare for that rather than being reactive to what was happening in the business.

Some other points he mentioned were:

Clear reward system and an equally clear accountability system

We need to measure the degree of change v/s the degree of pain it causes and then decide if the change is worth it or not

 For every action there will be an equal and opposite reaction. HR has to be prepared to take this in their stride and persist with the change

There needs to be a superimposition of the structure of organization that I want on the structure of organization that I have - this will clearly highlight the areas where I have to reduce manpower and where I need to recruit (e.g. desired structure is a triangle where as present structure may be a squarish one tapering at the top - those areas which do not superimpose will be areas where we need to downsize or recruit accordingly)

Some musts for HR

  • HR must know the business

  • HR must work hard at getting the correct leadership at the correct place

  • HR has to prioritize its initiatives and address them in their order of importance

  • HR must realize who their stakeholders are

                       1)        Employee

                       2)        Supplier

                       3)        Customer

                       4)        Shareholder

                     strictly in that order

Giving training to a potential leader does not increase his leadership skills but giving him situations and work to prove and realize his potential will help them grow as leaders

Contributed by Poonam Chandok,

Larsen & Toubro Limited - ECC Division, Mumbai. Contact: poonam@lntecc.com

  


3. Tomato Soup for the Soul - by Ravindra Nath & Neeraj Narang

Santa in America

Santa and his son were visiting America for the very first time.
Santa was at a Local Food store going up and down the aisles with his son.
Santa asked, "What is this??
Santa`s son, "Powdered orange juice"
Santa, "Powdered orange juice??" Son: "Yeah, Dad. You just add a little
water, and you have fresh orange juice."
A few minutes later, in a different aisle Santa asked again, "And what is
this?? Son, "Powdered milk"
Santa, "Powdered milk??"
Son: "Yeah, Dad. You just add a little water, and you have fresh milk!"
A few minutes later, in a different aisle...
Santa, "And give a look here!! Baby Powder !! What a country, What a country!"

Sent by Ravindra Nath

Contact: robeendar@hotmail.com

"Woman"....an enigma !!!!

  An angel of truth and a dream of fiction,
  a woman is a bundle of contradiction,
  she's afraid of a wasp, will scream at a mouse,
  but will tackle her boyfriend alone in the house.

  she'll take him for better, she'll take him for worse
  she'll break open his head and then be his nurse
  but when he's well and can get out of bed
  she'll pick up the tea-pot and aim for his head.
 
  beautiful and keenly sighted, yet blind,
  crafty and cruel, yet simple and kind
  she'll call him a king, then make him a clown,
  raise him on a pedestal, then knock him flat down.

 she'll inspire him to deeds that ennoble man,
  or make him her lackey to carry her fan.
  she'll run away from him and never come back
  but if he runs away, then she'll be on his tracks

  sour as vinegar, sweet as a rose,
  she'll kiss you one minute, then turn up her nose,
  she'll win you in range, enchant you in silk,
  she'll be stronger than brandy, milder than milk.
  at times she'll be vengeful, merry and sad,
  she'll hate you like poison, and love you like mad ....!!!!!

Sent by Neeraj Narang,

Human Resources Department, NEPZ, Tata Infotech Limited. Contact:   neeraj.narang@tatainfotech.com , Ph: 91-4567622-24;  91-4567626-34 Ext: 557
 

4. New Members

Deepak Deshpande, GM-Human Resources, Trigyn Technologies Limited, Mumbai.

Message:

Hi,

Glad to be a part of this group. My passions in life: Singing, Giving Motivational talks, Dancing, Celebrating and People.

Greatest achievements: My boss asked me, "What is the secret of your enthusiasm? You never seem to let insecurity haunt you, despite the tough times?"

One line description of himself as a person using metaphors/ analogies/ jingles/slogans etc? "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing -- that's why we recommend it daily."

Thanks for your time and attention!!

Regards,
Deepak Deshpande

Qualifications & Experience:

Deepak is obviously highly qualified: In addition to MBA, he has done M.Phil (Electronics)& M Sc (Electronics). He also has to his credit Dip. in Management, Dip. in Marketing Management, PG Dip in Distance Education, and Dip. in HRD.

Deepak has 16 years of well-rounded experience. His career aspirations: First is to make a visible contribution to personal & professional growth of others and the second would be to get my Doctorate degree (PhD).

He is member of several Professional bodies including IEEE, ISABS, BMA, AMIETE, HRInfotech.

Contact: Deepak.Deshpande@TRIGYN.com  , Tel: +91 22 2518 8686 Extn 523,
Fax: +91 22 2518 8680 . www.trigyn.com

V. Shanmugam, Personnel Manager, Sarovar Park Plaza Group of Hotels, Bangalore.

Shanmugam did his M Com. and then PG Diploma in PM&IR. He has 9 years experience, which includes working in Accounts Department in initial years.

In his career Shanmugam has faced many challenges including Strikes, Ghereos, threatening, Police Cases and attending civil and labour courts and industrial tribunals.

His strengths include Willingness to accept challenges, Dedication, Good interpersonal skills, Creativity, Innovation

He is computer friendly and knows 5 languages.

Contact: shan_prem2001@rediffmail.com , Ph: 54477(08176), 64094(08192)


5. Readers' Forum ( Appreciations & Brickbats )

Please email your replies to the person asking, with a copy to us at Alka@HREra.com for publication. Email new questions to us.

Tarkesh's Happiness:

Thank you very much to all who have responded [requesting my ebook on Inspirational Stories], and to "HR Era" which has given me opportunity to interact with you all.

Response from last couple of days has been wonderful. My mailbox was full of requests not only from all parts of India but from South Africa, UAE & Srilanka as well.

I am not able to count the responses & best wishes, I have received. I have been continuously busy in sending the BOOK since last 10 days or so.

The responses are still pouring in. I am looking forward for more interaction and constructive feedback.

Regards,
Tarkesh Gupta

tarkeshg@DABUR.com

Praise for Poonam

Thanx for this great article [Turnaround and Downsizing] ...
This is really a very good job.

Regards,
Yogish

Yogish LK (CRG-R&D), yogishlk@wiprofluidpower.co.in
 

6. Buhari's Quotation Corner - by Syed Buhari

“LIFE CAN ONLY BE UNDERSTOOD BACKWARDS BUT
IT MUST BE LIVED FORWARDS”

“FROM WHAT WE GET WE CAN MAKE A LIVING,
WHAT WE GIVE HOWEVER, MAKES A LIFE”

“IF YOU HAVE MUCH, GIVE OF YOUR WEALTH
  IF YOU HAVE LITTLE, GIVE OF YOUR HEART”
-Arabic Proverb

Contributed by Syed Buhari, sibuhari@yahoo.com

 

7. The Managerial Hare & Tortoise! - sent by C S Sundaram

We have all heard of the hare and tortoise story. The moral of that story is that slow and steady wins the race. But then recently, someone told me a more interesting version of this story.

It continues.

The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some soul-searching. He realised that he'd lost the race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there's no way the tortoise could have beaten him. So he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed. This time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles.

The moral of the story?

Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady. If you have two people in your organisation, one slow, methodical and reliable, and the other fast and still reliable at what he does, the fast and reliable chap will consistently climb the organisational ladder faster than the slow, methodical chap. It's good to be slow and steady; but it's better to be fast and reliable.

But the story doesn't end here.

The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realised that there's no way he can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted. He thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly different route. The hare agreed. They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of kilometres on the other side of the river. The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race.

The moral of the story?

First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency. In an organisation, if you are a good speaker, make sure you create opportunities to give presentations that enable the senior management to notice you. If your strength is analysis, make sure you do some sort of research, make a report and send it upstairs. Working to your strengths will not only get you noticed, but will also create opportunities for growth and advancement.

The story still hasn't ended.

The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realised that the last race could have been run much better. So they decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time. They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank. There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back. On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier.

The moral of the story?

It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you'll do poorly and someone else does well. Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership.

There are more lessons to be learnt from this story.

Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure. The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could. In life, when faced with failure, sometimes it is appropriate to work harder and put in more effort. Sometimes it is appropriate to change strategy and try something different. And sometimes it is appropriate to do both. The hare and the tortoise also learnt another vital lesson. When we stop competing against a rival and instead start competing against the situation, we perform far better.

To sum up, the story of the hare and tortoise teaches us many things. Chief among them are that
  • fast and consistent will always beat slow and steady;
  • work to your competencies;
  • pooling resources and working as a team will always beat individual performers;
  • never give up when faced with failure;
  • and finally, compete against the situation - not against a rival.

Sent by C S Sundaram

Sr Manager (Personnel), Larsen & Toubro Limited, Hyderabad, css@lntecc.com

Note from HR Era:

Neeraj Narang also sent the above story two days after Sundaram sent it for inclusion. Neeraj's version included the following example on "competing against the situation":

When Roberto Goizueta took over as CEO of Coca-Cola in the 1980s, he was faced with intense competition from Pepsi that was eating into Coke's growth.

His executives were Pepsi-focused and intent on increasing market share 0.1 per cent a time. Goizueta decided to stop competing against Pepsi and instead compete against the situation of 0.1 per cent growth.

He asked his executives what was the average fluid intake of an American per day? The answer was 14 ounces. What was Coke's share of that? Two ounces. Goizueta said Coke needed a larger share of that market. The competition wasn't Pepsi. It was the water, tea, coffee, milk and fruit juices that went into the remaining 12 ounces. The public should reach for a Coke whenever they felt like drinking something. To this end, Coke put up vending machines at every street corner. Sales took a quantum jump and Pepsi has never quite caught up since.

Neeraj Narang, Tata Infotech Limited, neeraj.narang@tatainfotech.com 

 

8. More from Our Members and HR Era Website

Most Important Part of the Body - sent by Ramakrishnarao

Convert Your MAJOR PROBLEMS into TINY - sent by Ramakrishnarao


 

9. HR Training Programs (India)

Free Service: Training Institutions & Trainers can email their Programs to Alka@HREra.com . We reach them to 1300 + HR professionals for free.

For detailed calendar of major Institutes visit http://hrera.com/trainings.htm

PSYCHOMETRY TOOL TRAINING PROGRAMME


www.alertmc.com
www.alertlearning.be 

Our next training programmes in Koan-Personality Inventory will be conducted by Mr.Lieven Cornelis on 13th and 14th February aimed at making Psychometry testing affordable. The report includes a personality profile in 19 scales of human behaviour with a "Narrative report" and "Competency Reports(5)".

Training Coordinator:Mr.Lieven Cornelis *

Training dates : February 13th and 14th (9 AM to 5 PM)

Location: Rane Institute of Employee Development (RIED), Chennai

Coarse Fee: Rs.3000/-(Rupees Three thousand only) per participant The fee includes training materials, food and a Psychometry test with complete report.

*Lieven CORNELIS has a university degree in industrial and experimental psychology. He has been working in Human Resources for many years now, mainly in assessment, organizational development and training. He is the founder and president of Alert Management Consultants.

Train the trainer - assessor

He is accreditation facilitator for Benchmarks® in the Benelux and served also as co-trainer for the Benchmarks® accreditation trainings in Greensboro (US). Supervising and running accreditation trainings for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, Firo-B, Benchmarks®
(a 360-degree multi-rater feedback instrument) and the California Psychological Inventory


KOAN-PI is an empirical instrument that describes the personality which is clear to everyone. The scales were created in consultation with Professionals active in the field of Human Resources.

Reliable: Various KOAN-Questionnaires were administered to a large group of study subjects. The items being used on the definitive version of the KOAN-PI were the items that were continually chosen with the highest item-total correlation in the empirical study.

Valid: The research results were tested against other well-known personality questionnaires, such as the California Pyschological InventoryTM.

Empirical: The KOAN-PI is based on external criteria, specifically how someone is seen by those in his/her environment. These data are compared with how a person sees himself/herself.


for further details, please contact :
Mr. Daniel Victor, v_day_in@yahoo.com

Alert Management Consultants Pvt. Limited
New No.5/3, Sundaram Anirs, Tilak Street Extension, T.Nagar, Chennai -600 017,
Phone:044-28341378, 28349185
www.alertmc.com
www.alertlearning.be

 

10. Aims of HR Era, How to Contribute Articles, Legal Stuff.

Aims of HR Era:
It aims to enhance CAREER GROWTH of its readers by bringing to them practices & ideas they can apply in their work, opportunities to network with other Professionals, training opportunities, jobs available, and techniques for self-management.

Contribute Articles & Other Contents:
Contributions from readers are wholeheartedly solicited. Contributions are the things that enable sharing of learnings. Lead Article should be about 800 words, others 400 words. Please send details about yourself also as we would like to post them along with the article. Kindly note, no honorarium is paid now! Please email contributions to Alka@HREra.com

Legal Stuff!
All information in HR Era is presented in good faith. However, before using, please consult relevant experts. We do not accept any financial responsibility for accuracy.

Visit our Website at http://hrera.com 

 

Copyright (C) 2002 by HREra.com