15 TOP ENTERPRISING WOMEN OF INDIA
AUG/SEPT 20
INSIDE COMPANY VALUATION GLOBAL TAX REFORMS CHANGED LEADERSHIP EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE VIRTUAL SELLING L&D TRANSFORMED WOMEN AS BOARD MEMBERS
NEGOTIATING WORLD NEGOTIATION
EDITORIAL Finally the day is here ! As we bring to you the very first edition of our e-magazine Power Talk. It brings me immense pleasure to share with you how exciting the entire journey has been from the very day we decided to work on it. Right from the very point of deciding the topics we wanted to cover to the choice of proposed authors we wanted to have on board to deciding the theme of the magazine, the choice of pictures to the preferred color and combinations and lots more, everything put together has been an experience one of its kind. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came along in this journey for their patience and immense contribution towards making Power Talk possible for my team and me. My sincere thanks to all the expert authors for extending their valuable time in penning down their thoughts on the select topics that are of utmost relevance in today's times. The Ribbon Edition brings to you a glimpse on how business takes a 360 degree turn with the world completely turning around. You will find an interesting read from my friend Fred Diamond, sales and marketing guru based in Virginia who writes about how the sunrise on virtual selling will have marketers to double up to their charm and art to ensure both customer retention and customer acquisition, to stay innovative and keep captivating customers and roll out revenues month on month, quarter on quarter. Vikesh Wallia, Director Institute of Directors Mumbai, India, brings in focus the need to have more and more women to join corporate boards for obvious reasons. India has indeed taken a huge leap from a mere 12 % in 2017 to 20% women on board in 2020. However his endeavor to have more women to step into senior leadership roles is seen in his article.
Not to be missed is the article written by the Queen of the corporate world "Harriet Green“, the former CEO of IBM Asia Pacific is the current board member of Singapore Development Board. Her advice on negotiation is nothing less than the commandments for all the marketeers to swear by. Satya and Pratik squeeze the essence of expected tax reforms and changes in company valuation going forward considering the instability in the market. They both shall draw your focus on the strategic changes required to accommodate the changing weather of the economy and save the management of expected losses. Changes in learning & development seems quite evident. A complete makeover to suit the changing face of the current employee-employer relationship is more than necessary in the changing world and my very dear friend Surya Prakash Mohapatra will give you all the solutions on a platter as the master of the trade spills the beans. While we explore the ways to bring back the business on track my dear friend, Shirley Hills, straight from Nigeria pours her heart out on paper to talk to you about Business Resilience and what it takes to stand tall in moments of crisis and spearhead the show with mind in place. Satya takes forward the baton to talk about the changing roles of leadership in the unprecedented times while dear Anirban shares how important can emotional intelligence be with his detailed case studies shared in his article. Apprenticeship seems to take focus in the coming times to open more and more employment options for the youth. The sensitive area is being beautifully explained by Sumit Kumar. You will find something for everyone in POWER TALK However we shall make up for missing fun element in our next edition coming this October 2020 Until then stay with us. Love us and follow us on all our social media handles and for Archanna Gaarg, I am just a call away. More power to all of you. Enjoy!!
www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
3
CONTENTS
EDITORIAL
03 Empowerment and Change Archanna Gaarg
FINANCE & TAXATION 10
12
NEW LOOK FOR THE TAX FUNCTIONS Surya. P. Vyas, Tax Director, KPMG Global Services Bengaluru, India COMPANY VALUATION Pratik Gupta, Corporate Controller, Manipal Health Enterprise Private Limited, Bengaluru, India
BUSINESS TALKS 15
THE ART OF NEGOTIATION - A BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE Harriet Green, BOARD MEMBER, Singapore Economic Development Board, Singapore SUNRISE FOR VIRTUAL SELLING
18
15
Fred Diamond, Co-Founder, Institute for excellence in Sales, Virginia, USA ACCELERATING WOMEN INTO CORPORATE BOARD ROOMS
20
Vikesh Wallia, Regional Director (W), Institute of Directors, Mumbai, India
12
28
32 20
15 TOP ENTERPRISING WOMEN OF INDIA
Power Talk l Negotiating World
LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT REVOLUTIONIZING LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT Surya Prakash Mohapatra, Global Head, Talent Transformation Learning Services, Wipro Digital Bengaluru, India APPRENTICESHIP 32 Sumit Kumar, Vice President, Team Lease Skills University Delhi, India 24
18
32
NEARING 360 DEGREE LEADERSHIP 32 EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE - AN INDISPENSABLE LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTE Anirban Das, Chief People Officer Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan, Delhi India 36 BUSINESS RESILIENCE Shirley Hills, Group CEO, Crustos Prestige Group LLC, Nigeria 38 THE CHANGING ORDER OF LEADERSHIP Satya Prakash Mohapatra, HR Manager, Tata Projects Mumbai, India
5
IRM group is a platform for aspiring talents to emerge as entrepreneurs & technocrats Each goal of the organization leads towards sustenance and growth of self and society at large
Johnson Mathew Chief Human Resources (CHRO) IRM Group of Companies
IRM group of companies, a fledgling group, supports in developing a self-sustained India, by providing services and products in agriculture, animal-health, poultry, aviation, travel, pharma, machinery and forex.
FOLLOW US ON POWER TALK WITH ARCHANNA JOIN OUR POWERFUL NETWORK
7
CORPORATE FINANCES TAXES
CASH FLOW AT THE FULCRUM OF PROFIT & LOSS NEW TAX REFORMS GOVERENED BY AUTOMATION & DIGITISATION
Subscribe for free today on powertalkwitharchanna.com
Power Talk is an e-magazine. It is published bi-monthly by Power Talk with Archanna. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into any retrieval system or introduced into any form or by any means electronic mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright owners. Power Talk is also a free publication therefore selling copies is strictly forbidden and can lead to legal action. Although ‘Power Talk with Archanna’ has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this publication neither it nor any contributor can accept any legal responsibilities whatsoever for consequences that may arise from errors or omissions or any opinions or advice given or information provided in this edition is correct at the time of going online. The link of Power Talk e-magazine is available on our website www.powertalkwitharchanna.com and is available to be shared to one and all without sabotaging the content. The content in each of the article published in the magazine are sole views of the author. Views so expressed by each author is completely independent of the companies they currently work for or their companies in the past. The content here by published is in no way a reflection of the vision, mission or goals of the company, the authors ever worked for or is currently working for.
9
New Look for the Tax Functions Surya Vyas Overarching thoughts on the new normal and the way forward Global tax landscape has come a long way from historically just addressing bare minimum regulatory requirements or checking the box to file compliance deliverables to be in the forefront of the stakeholder strategy as and when they are designing the future of their Finance & Accounts department and overall company’s strategy. With the rapidly changing regulatory and legislative requirements – be it Brexit related changes, AI & automation disruption, OECDs program to regulate tax strategies via BEPS, country by country reporting, changes in US tax and latest reforms and so on. Companies are now getting themselves better prepared for the tsunami of changes coming from automation and digitization. What has now changed more significantly is how the clients are going to (if not already) plan the talent mix and approach to the markets in a new normal way. Different industries are at various maturity level across globe and challenges they all face with respect to data privacy, standardization of data, trying to achieve compliance nirvana by having one source of truth and budget & implementation costs are not new. However, the approach and level of confidence each of these aspects are driven is a new agile way and it is significantly affected by availability of skilled talent, digitization and even more scrutiny through regulatory reforms. But the question is how a company should approach it? And how long it is going to take them to reach that stage where they have aligned the tax landscape in a way it is compatible to any changes? Tax needs to have a clear progression plan and vision, well supported by business case and other functions it closely interacts. As each organization devise their plan to be in the forefront of the changes, it is important to know if you are leading the way or comfortable in leading the way for your industry or content with being led. Be realistic to know at what maturity level the tax function is. For example: Have you already far ahead in the automation journey and fully confident about the input and output of the data. This is a good stage to be in and to build blocks to manage the change and be part of the change. Power Talk l Negotiating World
The new tax realty which all the CFOs are now coping with has brought challenges but it is a blessing in disguise to now transform the tax function if you have never thought of doing so or thinking of it or just started the journey. The time when new reality had hit the organizations globally had made the leaders strategize the goals differently Ways in which tax function may take advantage of changing tax platforms is focusing on‌
Data has always been a big pain point for the companies. Minimize or eradicate manual processes and this requires not only looking at the source from where the data is extracted but changing the source itself, if needed. Planning to see what new technology trends are compatible with the ERPs or input source companies have been historically using and if it still makes sense to collate the master data in old fashioned way
SURYA.P.VYAS Tax Director 2019-Present KPMG Global Services
This is a good stage to be in and to build blocks to manage the change and be part of the change Tax needs to have a clear progression plan and vision tsunami of changes coming from automation and digitization
Senior Manager 2016-2019 Deloitte Tax India Pvt Ltd Tax Manger 2015-2016 PWC LLP, Dallas Tax Manager 2006-2015 Deloitte Tax LLP, Chicago
Designing a tax operating model that fits for purpose requires companies to introspect their current pain points, risks and data management skills. Besides data standardization and implementation of technology, other factors that play a critical role in building a new or never imagined tax function of future are quality, integrity and alertness to governance. Companies don’t want to be left behind as not only the new technologies are disrupting the way tax functions but the tax authorities are now quickly adapting the new ways to review, question and enforce the compliance. The way success of tax architecture of future depends on some of the factors below and more importantly building a high rising tax operating model, which may not only survive but continue to grow or ready to adapt with changing needs: Transformation: Data, process and technology Upskilling of talent, capability enhancement and building efficacy Managing risk, protecting data and having the right governance in place Tax functions who were able to marshal the transformation journey with clear vision and strategy were able to benefit which includes better cash management, reduction of effective tax rates, got support from non-tax related team but their success is dependent on effective functioning of these departments, planning the forecast more precisely, looking for synergies through legal entity management and reporting, to name few. In summary and conclusion, global tax functions are changing and tax departments in future have their tasks cut out to lead the way or be part of the disruption. With the new normal, the path is unclear and it always has been. But the things are under control to not only contribute to the changing world requirements but be pioneer is through transformation, be it of technology tools, people capabilities, tax operating model or combination of all which depends on which stage the organization is on i.e., not started the transformation journey, in-progress or taken significant strides to be agile in the race.
www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
11
COMPANY
VALUATION
Valuations are an important part of business not only for companies themselves, but also for investors. Operating margins, free cash flow, price to earning or price to book ratios all come into play. The average revenue growth of the company depends on the life cycle of the company. However the future revenue estimates can vary a great deal especially in cases like the current pandemic. What are Valuers doing? Saving the company is as much an ART as it is a science! A business valuation is a general process of determining the economic value of a whole business or company unit. Companies– Firms-- Individuals will often turn to professional business valuers for an objective estimate of the value of the business. The traditional approaches to valuation need to be carefully reconsidered in the COVID-19 environment. Valuers are required to conduct a more rigorous due diligence on the quality of financial forecasts provided to them and what normative adjustments, if any, should be made to earnings, multiples or discount rates
.
Due to COVID-19, it is no surprise that the economic impacts of the pandemic will affect business valuations too. As business valuers prepare valuations, they will likely be giving extra consideration to: ▪ Their use of subsequent events; ▪ Their selection of valuation methods ▪ The subject company’s cash usage rate and balance. There are two main questions that will drive the answer: ▪ What is the valuationdate? ▪ What is the method of the valuation?
THE REAL VALUE OF A COMPANY IS TO FOCUS ON INTRINSIC VALUE, NOT SHARE PRICE TO SURPASS INVESTORS EXPECTATIONS VALUATION DATE CONSIDERATION Valuation date consideration impacts a lot on the valuations. As COVID- 19 pandemic is increasing day by day and impacting business geographically at different time frames, the valuers needs to be very precise on the dates of the valuations.
Method of the valuation Valuation standards require the analyst to consider various valuation methods. However, the economic circumstances by COVID-19 make some methods potentially more appropriate than others created. For example, under Discounted Cash Flows (“DCF”, an income method), the valuers project the subject company’s future financial performance over a discrete period of time and then take the same to perpetuity. Power Talk l Negotiating World
Under Capitalization of Cash Flows (“CCF”, another income method), the Valuers picks a single income stream, generally based on historical results, to project future income. Because of the economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, DCF may be a more useful method when trying to model the future performance of a business as it allows the Valuers to model future years individually as the business returns to more “normal” operations over time until it stabilizes. This method will still be challenging as a period of relatively increased uncertainty continues, and Valuers may consider using multiple scenarios to model the business’s performance over the next 18 to 24 months
Adoption of the correct Discount Rates is very important, In an enterprise valuation, the cost of equity is combined with the borrowing rates or the cost of debt, in accordance with the enterprise’s capital structure, to form the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The WACC will then be used to discount the projected cash flows to present values. This is not to say that the other valuation methods are not relevant; rather there are additional considerations that need to be made when applying the other methods For example, when applying the market approach based on pre-COVID-19 transactions, the Valuers will need to
PRATIK GUPTA Corporate Controller 2016-Present Manipal Health Enterprise Private Limited Finance Head 2014-2016 Hectare Beverages Financial Controller 2010-2014 Archer Daniels Midland Company Financial Services Manager 2006-2010 Hindustan Coco-Cola Beverages Private Ltd The consideration of the company’s longer-term prospects is also an important consideration when assessing the risks facing the company while determining a company’s discount rate. In case the cash flows are already adjusted with the effects of COVID-19, no further adjustments would be required in the discounted rate
COMPANY’S VALUE ARE IT’S FUTURE CASH FLOWS, NOT THE ACQUISITION PREMIUMS IT PAID IN THE PAST Valuers are doing their best to consider the unpredictability of the current environment and evaluate key factors that require more emphasis than a typical valuation. THERE
IS NO CATCH-ALL APPROACH FOR VALUATION AND THE ISSUES MUST BE RESOLVED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS – ACROSS BUSINESSES IN ALL INDUSTRIES consider what adjustments, if any, are required to produce useful financial metrics to apply to the subject company in the midst of COVID-19 Another aspect is that Cash flow has always been a focus when it comes to valuations and the business’s ability to continue operations on a going concern basis. During COVID-19 Cash has become the King . A Valuer should consider the subject company’s cash balance and cashflow in assessing the company’s ability to continue operations. This also includes assessing changes the company has made to preserve capital during this time period as well as going forward. Doing so will give the Valuers a good idea of how long the company may survive under the current situation
For most industries, their business operations have been negatively affected by this pandemic. However, there are few industries which have also been positively impacted namely online education, platforms like zoom, pharmaceutical companies. These are some of the common areas of valuation which can be affected because of the current global crisis. However, there is no set approach to account for market uncertainties as the impact might be different for different business in different region and in different timelines. Thus, the businesses which were valued as on 31st December 2019 would reflect a different picture as against valued on 31st March 2020. It will be important to discuss and assess any near- or long-term effects in financial performance with the management. www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
13
BUSINESS TALKS NEGOTIATION A CRAFT ON YOUR SLEEVES VIRTUAL SELLING GAME CHALLENGER TO GET THE REVENUES ROLLING WOMEN MARCHING THE CORPORATE BOARD ROOMS
Mastering the Art of Negotiations A Behavioral Science
HARRIET GREEN Fortune's Most Powerful Women International in 2019
Negotiation, simply put, is a set of interactions aimed at reaching an agreement and the topic is so important because it ranges from world peace to business through governments and into our daily lives with family and friends!
There are some amazingly skilled negotiators in history such as Elizabeth the First, who kept the pseudo suitors and European predators at bay for almost a century. Plus, Alexander the Great who annexed a major part of the world battling and making many of his enemies’ friends! We can learn from their wisdom and expertise to help us master our own art of negotiations.
You go out there today and lead! Stick to your guns about what you know to be right and wrong and don’t let anyone drag you around by the nose. Remember who you are!
So, what does it take to be a brilliant negotiator?
Put yourself in the other person’s shoes before you start
– Kim Clarke’s mum, Dean of Harvard Business School.
The first step is to understand in finite detail who you are negotiating with. Clear research on the individual, their background, style and approach.
What makes them tick? Where are they coming from? What will they think, feel and do in the situation? These questions are central to entering the discussion with confidence and a feeling of equality. If tapping into personal insights is more of a challenge – be prepared, do your research and have some tactics up your sleeve.
BOARD MEMBER-Present Singapore Economic Development Board MEMBER OF ADVISORY COUNCIL-Present Kings Business School FORMER CEO 2018-2020 IBM Asia Pacific
It’s critical to not over or under call putting yourself in someone else’s shoes when entering a negotiation.
KNOW YOUR USP IN ANY SITUATION
Former IBM’s General Manager 2015-2017 Watson Internet of Things, Commerce and Education
As Theodore Levitt, Harvard Business School Professor claimed, “Differentiation is one of the most
important strategic and tactical activities in which [one] must constantly engage.” Your unique selling point (USP) highlights the ‘wow’ benefits that you bring to the table in any situation. What do you have that’s differentiating and sets you apart from others?
FORMER CEO 2012-2014 Thomas Cook Group
BE PREPARED WITH KEY QUESTIONS In the excellent ‘What’s Your Negotiation Strategy’ Harvard Business Review article by Jonathan Hughes and Danny Ertel the authors share the key questions a negotiator needs to prepare for well before the initiation of any talks includes:
You must also have a simple yet effective game plan. What will you yield up first? What is the central goal? What does success look like for you?
ACTIVE LISTENING As part of the art of negotiation, we can hone our active listening and asking skills practice win- win and delightfully being hard to say no to!
'Active listening' is fully concentrating on what is being said rather than just passively 'hearing' the message of the speaker. It involves listening with all senses, asking constructive questions as part of a two-way dialogue to explore insights with feedback flowing in both directions. Active listening is also about looking for nonverbal clues and understanding emotions and feelings about a topic to empathize and helping others to see issues in a different light.
Power Talk l Negotiating World
▪ WHAT business outcomes do we seek through this negotiation? What does success look like (visualise and verbalise this!) ▪
WHO cares about those outcomes? Am I negotiating with the right people?
▪ WHO can do something to bring about those outcomes? Should they be on this call or is there a round 2? ▪ HOW can we engage, directly or indirectly, with parties that share some of our interest in achieving those outcomes and supercharge the call itself? To these questions, I would also add: ▪
HOW do you engage and delight those you negotiate with? It all goes better when people actually want to negotiate with you!
Harriet’s 10 COMMANDMENTS Here’s 10 pieces of advice for asking the right questions to support a negotiation. ▪ Go for it, 100% of the shots you don’t ask for, likely won’t happen! ▪ Be prepared, cover all bases of the potential ensuing discussion, and be thoughtful about what you ask for! ▪ You get in life what you have the courage to ask for. ▪ Do your research and have a plan. Know really what it is that you’re asking for. ▪ What’s the worst that can happen? A potential no - but at least the seed is planted! ▪ Role play in front of a mirror, look at how you intonate and think carefully about how you sound. ▪ The helper must believe in your need and be able to provide the help that you're asking for. ▪ Make people feel that they are helping because they want to, not because they must. ▪ Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. ▪ Don’t be apologetic, if you’re prepared, thoughtful and polite you have every right to ask!
STYLE AND APPROACH
ACTIVE NHS VOLUNTEER
Entering the discussion with confidence and a feeling of equality. If tapping into personal insights is more of a challenge – be prepared, do your research and have some tactics up your sleeve
For managers, the repertoire of voices, styles, engagement and approaches is key. All of us do better when we genuinely want to help others. Most of us don't start each day relishing assertive conflict so the range of styles to support and empathize must be practiced…but not overdone! We must also be mindful to not fall into the push over camp and the outer edges of victim Ville. Rarely does this work. We can learn to assert ourselves with kindness and edge without being too personal or in any way de-humanizing the situation. Telling someone cogently and constructively how they are making you feel in the moment takes courage but is in my experience often game changing. Pauses, laughter and posing questions in your own authentic way to reinforce your point and move the discussion forward is important to both parties and to the end outcome (whatever it may be).
Active listening is also about looking for non-verbal clues and understanding emotions and feelings about a topic to empathize and helping others to see issues in a different light
Great Negotiators Enjoy Their Craft The helper must believe in your need and be able to provide the help that you're asking for
Differentiation is one of the most important strategic and tactical activities in which [one] must constantly engage -Theodore Levitt, Harvard Business School Professor
If these inputs inspire you to action, take a decision or issue of the day that’s important to you, gather your facts and try and persuade someone you value and respect to delightfully reach a new position or agreement! Great negotiators enjoy their craft - have fun! www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
17
Have you ever wondered that FMCG companies who want to sell everything to women, how much they want their companies to be governed by WOMEN? Indian women are swiftly pacing towards a 20% grab on corporate boards. BUT WE WANT MORE!! There is no doubt that a lot more can be done to get more women on corporate boards. GENDER DIVERSITY ON BOARDS can shoot up Company ROI beyond comparison to boards devoid of WOMEN. You must have observed that FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) companies are competing with one another to establish their brand equity lead with women right, from new moms or grandmothers. There is hardly any advertisement of FMCG / Food companies without a mom. They are so right that mom knows it the best. Women have the gift of God to understand the cry of a child. Why the child is crying, is it seeking attention, pain or hunger, only the mom knows it best. They should also know that a woman can also understand the stakeholders equally well with her Gods’ gift.
VIKESH WALLIA Regional Director 2016-Present Institute of Directors India Board Member -1999-2018 Times of India Group Senior VP – Sales & Exports Bennett & Coleman Co. Ltd General Manager 1996-1999 P Z Cussons General Manager 1992-1995 Dabur India Limited Regional Manager 1985 -1992 Shaw Wallace & Co. Ltd
Knowing that behind every successful FMCG brand there is a woman customer, they got a Lalita ji who they want to sell 100% of their goodies but they are hesitant in inviting more women to boards than mandated by Government . Have you ever wondered that FMCG companies who want to sell everything to women, how much they want to be run by a woman? FMCG company in India or abroad are yet majorly not run by women unlike in banking. There are occasional non-promoter names like Vinita Bali here in India unlike a star like Indira Noori of Pepsi. While every second Bank in India is run by a woman ,why not the FMCG companies! The facts that come to light with my recent study of FMCG Boards are quite surprising! The women representation on FMCG boards is not even slightly higher than the overall presence of women on all boards or overall presence of women on boards globally.
India took lead amongst the developing nations by marking a quota for women on boards. The companies Act 2013 provides that every listed company in India having a share capital above Rs 10 Crores or a net worth in excess of Rs 25 Crores and also any public company having a paid-up share capital of Rs 100 Crores or more or a turnover of 300 to have at least one-woman director by 2018. Power Talk l Negotiating World
GENDER DIVERSITY ON BOARDS There is no doubt that a lot more can be done for to get more women on boards as today also despite Government mandate for more women directors we still have over 50 vacant women board seats for Independent Directors. This is the least we can do to get at least quota seats filled by eligible women directors. We need to move beyond tokenism, and not limit ourselves to the regulatory requirements. The Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI )further mandated that top 1000 companies must have an independent woman director by March 2020.While Companies Act 2013 gave woman a presence on the board, the SEBI Regulation gave power to women on Indian boards as Independent Director. Sadly the picture is no different for global FMCG companies as well. UNILEVER, NESTLE, COLGATE or P & G have yet to deliver a women majority board forget about giving a 100% all women board.
IT’S TIME Mrs. SURF LALITA JI MOVES FROM HANDCARTS TO FMCG BOARDS!
While we have reason to be satisfied with this data, FMCG companies have disappointed women the most. FMCG companies are lagging behind BANKING FINANCIAL SERVICES &INSURANCE , IT and Media companies as well. You will be surprised that a company like KAYA LIMITED that sells nearly 100 % only to women has just one woman director on its board.
Research shows that women on board enhance corporate governance multi-fold with better output towards CSR activities
Actually, it is the FMCG industry where an opportunity exists to have a 100 % Women Board! It is surprising that no major FMCG companies like DABUR, EMAMI, AMUL, HUL or NESTLE are women run. There is good work going on in parallel by organizations like Institute of Directors, who have started ‘Women Only Batches’ for their very popular ‘Masterclass for Directors’ where they do special mentoring also for aspiring women directors. Mentoring program for aspiring women directors by FICCI is also a very good initiative but yet to show any above industry level results Let's hope that Surf’s Lalita ji is not left standing alone with a hand cart in a vegetable market but gets invited to the FMCG Boards!
www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
19
SUNRISE FOR VIRTUAL SELLING Even though many sales professionals have been working remotely for years, the reality and length of the global pandemic has forced every sales professional into their homes and into a new role as a virtual sales professional. if embraced, it could be a life-changing shift that can lead to an amazing career in sales. The highest achieving sales professionals around the globe have discovered that there is unique beauty in being a sales professional right now. Although the number of transactions is lower than many planned for, many sales professionals have found ways to connect more powerfully with their customers, their teammates, and yes themselves.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED BY HOSTING FOUR WEEKLY SALES WEBCASTS When the global Pandemic started, my organization, immediately began producing 4 webcasts a week for sales professionals. We created a webcast for Women in Sales, one featuring world-class sales leaders, one just on Sales Mindset, and one on Creativity in Sales. They are branded as Sales Game Changers Webcasts.
FRED DIAMOND Co-Founder
2014-Present Institute for Excellence in Sales
Producer & Host
Sales Game Changer Podcast and Webcast
We have produced over 50 webcasts now in less than four months. Here are three critical lessons we have learned about virtual selling during the Pandemic.
Be CREATIVE because everything is DIFFERENT Now’s the time to bring your customer TRUE VALUE If you are a sales professional, be a sales PROFESSIONAL IF YOU’RE A SALES PROFESSIONAL, BE A SALES PROFESSIONAL Prior to the Pandemic, most sales professionals were focused on their sales process and the action steps necessary to move through it as quickly and effectively as possible. Unfortunately, when the Pandemic started, most sales processes were rendered moot. Many industries such as entertainment, leisure, hospitality, and retail were completely shut down. If you sold popcorn to movie theaters, your sales process was shut down cold – even if you were on track for an amazing year! If you were mainly focused on transactions, you had no chance of success. SO, AS A SALES PROFESSIONAL, you now had an opportunity to develop skills that
you might have neglected such as research, communications, or product demonstration excellence. It became a great time to build your portfolio as a professional by researching the history and future of your industry for instance. It was also a prime time to work on your ability to present or speak to groups. And it also gave you the opportunity to present your product or services more effectively for when you had the opportunity to do so again in front of live customers.
NOW’S THE TIME TO BRING YOUR CUSTOMER TRUE VALUE Sales has always been about value creation and we have been speaking for years about how the customer no longer needs salespeople who are not bringing them value. The customer can find whatever specs or features they need on the Internet or on social media. Salespeople as walking brochures are no longer needed. Power Talk l Negotiating World
Salespeople who think about the customer first will always be ahead of the game. Those who practice empathetic selling, which always puts the customer first, can find success today. And here’s how it works. We regularly train our salespeople to be better listeners and one way we do that is by training them to ask better questions. That’s a great approach, but not today. Great sales professionals should know already how their customers would answer their questions! Salespeople for the first time ever know exactly what their customers are going through – surviving the economic turmoil caused by the global pandemic! There’s little mystery. Previously, we would always strive to get inside information, a little coaching to help understand where the customer was headed. We would spend a lot of time trying to get meetings with the right people so we could understand what they were trying to accomplish
VIRTUAL PRODUCT DEMONSTRATION EXCELLENCE But right now, for the first time ever, we know what they are trying to accomplish! Great salespeople are coming to their customers with ideas, solutions, and suggestions without having to fish for them or ask a lot of questions. Now’s an amazing opportunity for you to put the time in to figure out how you can help. THINK hard. How can you help ? As I mentioned above, your process from earlier this year was busted. Almost every customer on the planet was no longer on track for what they were trying to do. Their buying processes completely flipped. But since you are still employed by your company TO SELL, you must create ways to show value. You must creatively think of ways to show your customer you care. You must be creative in how you speak to your customer, who is also challenged with home-schooling their kids, working from home, and dealing with the news and unrest. Successful sales professionals today are creating solutions out of the blue that might help their customer solve their new problems. They are also creatively building alliances and new teams to come together to solve their customer’s new challenges. It is also an opportunity to creatively work with your teammates. No sales manager on the planet has ever taken a “Managing During a Pandemic” class at business school. Creative sales professionals can come to management with ideas on how to bring more value to their customers to help them solve new problems
VIRTUAL SELLING PROVIDES A NEW SUNRISE FOR PROFESSIONALS TO GROW No one planned to become a world-class virtual sales professional back in March however that’s where we are. The most creative sales professionals are taking advantage of this opportunity and proactively reaching out to their customers with solutions to their problems and not product pitches. They are demonstrating empathy by showing they relate to what their customers are going through. They are not wasting time by asking unnecessary questions nor presenting solutions that have no bearing right now. As this new sunrise unfolds, be strong, be confident and be brave. As a sales professional, you have the skills and smarts to bring value to your customers right now to help them well into the future. Many great sales professionals will be borne during this Pandemic and many lesser skilled ones will leave the industry.
Which one will you be? Make this new sunrise the opportunity that will change your life and vault you as a world-class sales professional. www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
21
TRANSFORMATION LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT TO REPURPOSE THEIR APPROACH
FEELING UNAPPRECIATED OR UNHEARD WHEN THE INTENT WAS DIFFERENT .EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AT WORK VOCATIONAL SKILLS TO MAKE A COMEBACK IN THE NEW NORMAL
New videos every week Catch what appeals your fancy from our POWER TALK II POWER CLASS POWER WEBINARS II POWER STORIES
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJHRISuZuvmx-xi986LMDcQ
REVOLUTIONISING LEARNING&DEVELOPMENT The world is changing at a rapid pace. Black Swan events are occurring more frequently than ever before. The accelerated pace of change, creative destruction of industries, organizations and products propelled by market evolution have time and again proved that only the most agile, most adaptable and most flexible organizations, teams and individuals will survive in future. Organizations and individuals need to constantly transform themselves .Transformation is a painstaking process. The equation for transformation is:
Transformed organization = Transformed people To transform organizations, we need transformed people. In this context, one function which can play the pivotal role is the Learning and Development function in organizations. Before L&D takes on this mantle, it has to firmly position itself in a role which has both strategic and tactical significance This obviously means that L&D cannot transform the workforce unless it, first of all, transforms itself. So let’s expand the equation further as follows:
Transformed Organization = Transformed people = Transformed L&D This expanded equation, indeed is very powerful. This emphasizes the fact that in order to drive transformation in an Organization, we need to start the transformation of its L&D function first. How is the transformation of L&D function possible?
Well, transformation of L&D entails the following 3 steps:REIMAGINE STAKEHOLDERS The transformation journey for L&D begins with this first step. And Reimagining stakeholders is indeed a paradigm shift for L&D practitioners. These practitioners traditionally had two primary stakeholders, viz, the Organization and its employees L&D programs aimed at building organizational capability and employee development & career growth. However, for L&D teams today stakeholders are not restricted to these two groups only. Rather, L&D in present times has a broader spectrum of stakeholders. In addition to the Organization and employees, the stakeholders also include Customers Investors, Community, Suppliers, Academic Institutions, Contract employees, Family members of Employees and others.
.
Power Talk l Negotiating World
L&D teams now need to think about the needs of each of these stakeholder groups and design their interventions holistically .
REIMAGINE ROLE The next step in the transformation journey for L&D is to reimagine their role in the changed context. First of all, L&D leaders should stop looking at themselves as members of an enabling function as part of a cost center. They need to reimagine themselves as a business unit (preferably a startup unit) accountable to deliver tangible business value. As a startup business unit, they need to be lean and efficient and at the same time focus primarily on problem solving and value creation for their
stakeholders .L&D leaders should become agile, adaptable and always willing to try, experiment and be prepared to fail. This is the DNA of an ambitious start-up. In yet another major shift, L&D leaders should start reimagining themselves as performance consultants. Their job in future would be to understand the organizational and individual performance gaps and then design and deploy appropriate solutions to bridge the gaps. This will be a game changer for L&D. Thirdly, L&D practitioners need to reimagine themselves as designers of learner experience. In the past, they used to take pride as
intervention whenever required This has to be now accelerated because of the COVID19 pandemic. Run of the mill e-learning solutions would soon become things of the past. Organizations will now look at deploying Artificial Intelligence , Augmented Reality , Virtual Reality , ChatBots, Avatars and Holographic Presence etc. as tools to engage learners in highly immersive and effective learning activities
SURYA. P. MOHAPATRA
designers of content. In future, they need to look at themselves as designers of learner experience because learning is not going to be about business outcomes only. It is also going to be about Immersive learner experience and engagement.
REINVENT APPROACH The third step for L&D in its transformation journey, is to repurpose their approach as well delivery models. L&D cannot drive organizational transformation for tomorrow with yesterday’s delivery models. Let’s understand how L&D practitioners can repurpose each of these components:NEEDS ANALYSIS, CONTENT DESIGN AND CONTENT DELIVERY ARE THREE IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF THE L&D DELIVERY MODEL
NEEDS ANALYSIS L&D approach has to shift from TNI (Training Needs Identification) to BNI (Business Needs Identification). L&D leaders need to understand business strategy, determine business needs and priorities and map their interventions to these priorities They also need to evaluate whether these learning interventions are adequately addressing these priorities or not. KPIs and Metrics for L&D need to be aligned to business needs and priorities.
CONTENT DESIGN Traditional approach of content design is evolving .In the era of content democratization, for learners content is available in plenty. This is often called the ‘Problem of Plenty’. Learners are not sure what is relevant for them and where they should start Where content is available in plenty, L&D practitioners don’t have reinvent the wheel. All they need to do is curate and organize relevant content and direct learners in their organization to the curated content. Today knowledge is becoming obsolete very fast. And the cycle time to design, develop and deploy learning content is too long. How can learning designers keep pace with the evolution of knowledge? Well crowd-sourcing of content will address this issue to a great extent. Crowdsourcing will help L&D teams to secure and deploy learning solutions at a fast pace.
CONTENT DELIVERY
With work from home and distributed working becoming the new reality, virtual and technology enabled learning will become the new norm L&D practitioners need to figure out how they can simulate or emulate the physical classroom or shop floor environment for the learner going forward. Delivery which used to be low tech and mostly instructor-led needs to be high-tech blended with facilitator’s
Global Head 2016-Present Talent Transformation Learning Services
Wipro Digital Operations & platforms Global Leader 2011-2016 Resource Enablement – GOCO Hewlett Packard Associate Vice President – 2007-2011 Training Corporate Business Services Wipro BPS
We discussed the 3 key steps in L&D’s transformation journey. As L&D practitioners embark on this journey, they also need to upgrade their skills. Here are 8 critical skills L&D practitioners should develop for the future of work: Design Thinking skills
Cultural Change & Leadership
Learning Agility
Learning Analytics
Leveraging Technology
Strategic Positioning Consulting Skills
Influencing & Persuasion Skills
These are exciting times for L&D professionals. For L&D, the transition to the new world is not just going to be a strategic or tactical shift alone, it is also going to a shift in skill-set as well as mindset. The faster one makes these shifts, the faster one would thrive in the new world. ARE WE READY? www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
25
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AN INDISPENSABLE LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTE
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is at the core of being able to make these behavioral shifts which help us in attaining all the adjectives describing robust leadership. Research shows that ‘EI’ accounts for nearly 90% of what differentiates high performing leaders from others with similar technical skills and knowledge. This global crisis is revealing rather than creating leaders, and it’s doing this very quickly. In the current context, there is perhaps no leadership skill more in demand than Emotional Intelligence. This reminds me of a very famous adage - When the time for performance has come, the time for preparation has passed. That’s where we are currently. Gen Z people aged between 18 – 26 years are more susceptible to mental stress and illness as compared to other generations as per the report published by the National Institute of Mental Health. As per the study, Gen Z is the loneliest workforce currently with almost 73% population either feeling alone always or sometimes. This makes it all the more necessary that new managers and upcoming leaders are more empathetic to the needs of their team members as most of the companies are struggling to adapt to the evolving emotional needs of their employees. If Gen Z is the future and they are feeling lonely and emotionally stressed, then “Emotional Intelligence” is certainly an inescapable attribute which every leader need to excel in. According to Google’s famous Project Aristotle initiative, a high-performing team needs three things:
A
A strong cognizance of the importance of social connections or “social sensitivity,”
B
An environment where every person is given a fair chance to speak equally and without fear, and
C
Psychological safety so that everyone can feel safe working in the organization without getting worried about negative consequences. To ensure that the organization can provide all the above attributes, they need emotionally intelligent leaders. They will only be able to make the people working with them more engaged and cared, which has a direct impact productivity and profitability Power Talk l Negotiating World
Emotional Intelligence has primarily four domains
SELF AWARENESS
SELF CONTROL EMPATHY & COMPASSION RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
Each of the above can help a leader face any crisis with lower levels of stress, less emotional reactivity and fewer unintended consequences. Let me try to put the perspective using the below two situation: STUDY 1 Anubhav is the Project Manager, and he needs to send the final Project Report to the Client today. His team has submitted the draft report to him which he has seen and asked the team to make specific changes to few of the points while retaining the other clauses. His team member did the alterations and submitted the report to him. Meanwhile, some critical issue occurred in one of the other projects which Anubhav was managing which needed his immediate attention. Considering that the Project Report has to go today, and Anubhav was busy managing the other crisis, he did not read through the final report after his team members made the changes and sent it to the Client directly. The next morning, he receives an email from the Client expressing their discontentment over the omission of one of the vital point in the report
The Adage, “Knowledge is power,” holds true here. Being aware and in control of your feelings puts you in charge, not your emotions
You demonstrate Self Awareness and Self Control when you’re conscious of your feelings and your thoughts about them. When Anubhav learns about the omission in the report, he certainly gets worried about the not so good impression which it would have created on the Client. He is undoubtedly irked with his team members who were supposed to ensure accurate proofreading before sharing the report with Anubhav to ensure if they have made all the changes as notified by Anubhav to them earlier. But with considerate awareness of those feelings and control on himself, he chose to handle the situation constructively by quickly sending the rectified report with an apology note and ensuring there’s a better protocol for proof reading in the future .
Recruitment is a two-way traffic where both the company and the candidate invest their time and effort and hence the sense of mutual respect need to be there irrespective of the outcome STUDY 2 Nikita is the Recruitment Manager. One of the candidates has gone through several rounds of interview and is waiting for the feedback on his candidature. The Department Head indicated to Nikita that the candidate is not selected but did not cite any reason for the rejection. How does Nikita communicate to the candidate? Nikita could have picked up the phone and told the candidate that he has not been selected. But she did not felt it right to
.
communicate the same without giving a proper reason Nikita placed herself in the candidate’s shoes (Empathy) and thought about what she would have expected from the company if she would have been the candidate.
She would have expected to get proper feedback so that she can work upon her shortcomings for her future interviews. That is the least which a candidate expects from the company after going through multiple rounds of discussion with the company. Nikita spoke again with the department head and made her aware of the entire situation and why she needs to know and communicate the reason for rejection of the candidate rather than just describing the outcome. Finally, she got to know the reason and disclosed to the candidate and ensured that although the candidate has not been selected, he carried the good memories of his interview experience with the company. When crisis strikes, it is essential to manage many relationships among many people
ANIRBAN DAS Chief People Officer I 2014- Present LAKSHMIKUMARAN & SRIDHARAN Senior Manger – Human resources Ernst & Young Pvt. Ltd. 2010-2014
Manager – Human Resources DELLOITT 2007 -2010 Assistant Manager Human Resources PWC 2006-Oct 2007 Top 100 HR under 40 101 Top HR Minds in India North India’s HR Super Achievers Relationship management is the ability to inspire others by managing conflicts and fostering teamwork so that the person moves in the direction you desire. Each of these competencies requires self-awareness, selfcontrol, and compassion. Developing the skills will take time and effort, but you will be rewarded for your work. You may not be able to undo a crisis this moment, but emotional Intelligence will help make the process of getting through the next one much smoother. I want to close this article citing the famous words of poet Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
27
15 TOP ENTERPRISING WOMEN OF INDIA FLO, the women’s wing was established in 1983, as a division of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) which is the apex body of industry and commerce in India. As an All India Organization for women, FLO has 17 Chapters pan India - Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Northeast, Pune, Amritsar, Northeast & Uttarakhand with its Head Office in New Delhi under the strong leadership of Ms. Jahnabi Phookan as the 37th National President of FLO, the Women’s Wing of FICCI. She is the first FLO President from India’s northeast.
Lets meet the 16 powerful women working towards building entrepreneurship, empowering women and volunteering for social causes to uplift our society at large
Jahnabi Phookan 37th National President of FLO The first FLO President from India’s northeast She is passionate about women’s empowerment and tirelessly works towards building sustainable livelihoods for women’s economic upliftment. Jahnabi is an entrepreneur and co-founder of two National Tourism Award winning companies Jungle Travels India and Assam Bengal Navigation under JTI group Her companies are in travel & tourism, long-distance river cruising hospitality, tea and textiles all of which touch women's lives and livelihood. She was the founder Vice Chairperson of FLO Northeast Chapter in 2007 It is high time that we recognize and accept that the Future is Female and we need to foster the collective consciousness for facilitating more dominant women voices, more leadership roles and more representation of women in every sector
Jahnabi Phookan National President of FLO 2020-2021
Power Talk l Negotiating World
My best wishes to Archanna for her e-magazine Power Talk. The magazine is dedicated to women power, which is very commendable. I am sure the magazine will highlight women power and catalyze women's advancement and empowerment. Jahnabi Phookan National President, FLO
Aneeta Sanas is the chairperson 2020-2021 for FICCI FLO Pune Chapter With the advent of Gen X we are seeing more women taking leadership roles and equality at the work place based not on gender but capability. The important qualities for a good leader according to me are determination, attention to detail, clarity, decisiveness and humility and a women epitomizes all of this. The new service economy does not rely on physical attribute or strength but a strong mind for long term vision. A woman believes in companionship to competition and this is something ingrained in “every woman” Dharitri Patnaik is the chairperson 2020-21 for FICC FLO Bhubaneshwar Chapter. She is also Managing Director Jivada Ventures Pvt Ltd .The Chairperson & Joint Managing Director, Diversified Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd Women leaders shall break the glass ceiling as we put our best foot forward. Today the world is at cross-roads and we need to exhibit compassionate leadership in these trying times .From emphasizing on sustainable business practices and putting planet before profits, women business leaders will chart out a new global history in 21st century. As nurturers, conservationists and protectors, we shall lead by example.
Rinku Mecheri is the Chairperson 2020 – 2021 FICCI FLO Chennai I believe that empowered women are engineered to be a force of goodness. Women leaders dynamically use drive and knowledge, weave it with empathy and foster positive change. The future is about women who will live fulfilling lives, pursue their individual dreams and be passionate about giving back. We must embrace technology as a powerful medium to communicate, connect and change the lives of as many other women and girls across the world to help make the world more equal. From a place of relative privilege, we as women, must invest our time to uplift other women, strengthen our communities and protect our planet. “An inspired woman can inspire many more and make an enormous impact in the world.”
Preethika Balaji is the chair person 2020-21 for FICCI FLO Coimbatore Chapter Director at Appscomp Widgets Pvt Ltd and Director, MetaMatix Solutions Pvt Ltd. “Change is far from exception” - it is the new rule! It resonates with the fact that women make for half the world’s workforce and are consciously assuming pivotal leadership roles unlike every before. The shift in focus on inclusive work cultures and negating conscious and unconscious biases that have always held women is no longer applicable and accepted as the norm. Women leaders brings a lot to the table From strong work ethics to skills such as strong determination, balanced perspective, empathy, strong communication and eye for detail. Building on these, women can uplift our societies to a have an effective, impactful and sustainable future for all
Meeta Mehra is the chairperson 2020-21 for FICC FLO Amritsar Chapter Women do not go by the rule book. They lead from the heart and not the head. Women are synonymous to strength, wit and power Shakti, Devi and Durga are examples we stand by. Women have been shouldering the burden at both home and work. My congratulations to all the nurses, 90% of who are women for standing true to their profession in these testing times.
www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
29
Taruna Patel is the chairperson 2021-22 for FICCI FLO Ahmedabad Chapter Together as #oneflo, the empowered women’s wing of FICCI, we can unleash the untapped power in every woman and girl child. Taking forward our Prime Minister’s voice for Atmanirbhar Gram Vikas Yojana. We can make a difference by adopting a village, change the lives of girls and women by giving them tools of knowledge to empower them and help them carve a future of hope through education, literacy and vocational skilling. This will also give gender equality and the desired financial independence and sustainable livelihood to every girl child and woman of every village.
Wandana Parnami is the chairperson 2020-21 for FICCI FLO Jaipur Chapter Women are eternally optimistic, they excel in staying adaptable, multitask and ace the art of crisis management. Empathetic to the core women leaders go by their gut and intuitions which are crucial for proactive pandemic response. At the time when the world is rebooting itself its important to come forward and stay determined to fight the odds with collaboration and effective networking .
Dr. Arti Gupta is the chairperson 2020-21 for FICCI FLO Kanpur Chapter Dr Gupta believes that true empowerment comes from empowering those around us. In addition to her role with FICCI FLO, she serves on the board of Harvard Global Women Empowerment & IIT Kanpur’s INVENT cell.
Puja Garg is the chairperson 2020-21 for FICCI FLO Lucknow Chapter The need for gender equality is not only socially, culturally, and ethically necessary, it is also economically beneficial. Gender diversity has been proven to enhance workplace productivity and profitability. When prepared with effective strategies and skills, women have the opportunity to influence these sectors, and holistically change and advance them for the better. And, slowly but surely we aim to do just that.
Maloo Natarajan is the chairperson 2020-21 for FICCI FLO Mumbai Chapter Change has never been easy & although sounds cliche, it doesn’t make it any less true. Sometimes, it feels like the only comfort we can take when facing change is knowing that we’re not alone – it’s not easy for anyone! Persistent optimism in times of change is not easy. But, if it was easy, everyone would do it. And if everyone is doing something, it probably doesn’t require too much leadership or integrity….all you need to do is just surf the internet for 10 minutes! Go with the FLOw….
Power Talk l Negotiating World
Jyotika Kapoor is the Chairperson 2020-21 for FICCI FLO Bengaluru chapter Creativity thrives in adversities. Pandemic is one such event .Write your own story from being Ordinary to Extraordinary. Why be average when you can be Iconic? Times are unprecedented... think out of the box... infact throw the box! Reinvent and Recycle...you will Grow! You will stay positive and keep the process of learning always pulsating
Juhie Saboo is the chairperson 2020-21 for FICCI FLO Northeast chapter Women leaders are the torchbearers of governance and shoulder the responsibility towards creating an authentic, transparent and ethics-bound culture. We have women leaders shaping industry verticals today, bringing to the forefront the engagement of a larger women workforce, thus setting the ball rolling towards a more equitable gender parity ratio. Mary Angelou had said- Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning. It is this, that a woman leader’s voice can bring in the most- an INFLUENCE which is inked on hearts and minds- compelling the change into action, beyond the reams of paper.
Kiran Bhatt Todaria is the chairperson 2020-21 for FICCI FLO Uttrakhand Chapter Female leaders have proven to be the best coach and mentor. They are true talent agents and use feedback and direction to help people grow. This means being less transactional and more strategic in their relationships. This enables them to unlock other people’s potential and promote effective cooperation with in their teams. Women are a true inspiration and believe empowering other women and lead them to their path of success
Usharani Manne Chairperson 2020-21 FICCI FLO Hyderabad chapter As someone rightly stated, the Universe is made up of stories, not atoms. The more uplifting the stories are, the more positivity we can spread in the world. I would say, in these times, when the future of humanity looks a tad bleak, we need stories that trigger the happy hormones in us. Narratives of life change hold the power to nudge us back into affirmative mind space. Inspiring accounts remind us that new joys await on the other side of disillusion. They challenge us to explore our own potential by stepping out of our comfort zone. In my role as a leader, be it as Director at Polmon Group of Companies, or as Chairperson at FICCI Ladies Organization, Hyderabad, I have seen that the personal touch works wonders. Yes, a pioneering spirit inspires. Confidence builds up team morale. Motivation drives achievement. But nothing like letting your people know you from up close, and in turn, learning about them, their hopes and fears, their high points and low ones. The more we give as leaders, the more we receive in terms of a cohesive, motivated team that shares our vision and reaches the pinnacle of opportunity, potential and joy.
www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
31
APPRENTICESHIP IS IT GOING TO MAKE A COME BACK ? Earn while learning career opportunity programs churn out carefully trained, highly skilled workforce that can easily align themselves to the company culture when they hit the floors. Firms have been tying up with corporates to train people as per their requirements from their employees. This definitely saves a lot of hiring cost for corporate and saves them the trouble of nurturing an incompetent team. On the other hands-on experience help young workers master the trade before they take a plunge in the office space. Lets find out more… Raghuram Rajan, the former Governor of Reserve Bank of India mentioned in his blog that “India reforms in crisis” is apt under the current economic crisis as C-19 has accelerated adoption of many practices and initiatives reforms which were much needed to boost the economic growth. It would have been better had these adoptions or changes were made earlier and now we would have just opted for better options to sail through the turbulence.
SUMIT KUMAR Vice President 2014-Present Team Lease Skills University (NETAP) Regional Manager 2012-2014 Monster.com Pvt Ltd. India Branch Manager 2012-2014 Monster.com Pvt Ltd. India Sales Manager 2007-2010 Enterprise accounts Monster.com Sales Manger 2005-2007 Global accounts Monster.com
Power Talk l Negotiating World
Digitalization, medical facility, migrant labor, etc., are few of the concerns which came hounding at us during pandemic. The good part is Govt. reacted to these concerns and made effort to get the act in order n jiffy. India has 0.1% participation which is way too low as to what the country has potential of 15-20 million apprentices, this also reflects in the productivity output and ultimately the earning capacity of an individual. India has just about 5 lac apprentices, where as China has 20 million, Japan 10 million, UK 2 million. Germany has 4% of apprentice participation in labor force and US which has much smaller apprenticeship system has 0.5% participation. Skilled workforce is a mark of growth economy
.
China’s 84% of the work force is formally trained, UK has 75%; India is less than 5% of its work force which has undergone formal training. Over 90% of the workforce operates under informal employment which tends to restrict the earnings and purchasing power which drives consumption which is much needed for economic growth. Apprenticeships are the foundation for creating people supply chain. Organizations can create a pool of employable candidates by investing in apprenticeships, and being invested in program for 2 years and beyond help organizations to create a supply chain of productive resources which give real time access to talent. Work based integrated learning makes these resources sort after. Organizations can create talent which caters to current and future business needs.
CREATE A POOL OF EMPLOYABLE CANDIDATES AND CREATE A SUPPLY CHAIN OF PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES WHICH GIVE REAL TIME ACCESS TO TALENT Apprenticeships can channelize workforce towards formal employment. Trends show that employers tend to absorb 10 12% apprentices into employment every
month and to an extent of 37% annually. Even if half of the existing enterprises in the country (63 million) hires apprentices at a rate of an average of 20 apprentices per organization (5 lac apprentices deployed by 25000 employers) and with an average absorption of 37% into employment, will channelize 230 million people into formal employment.
Apprenticeship leads to productivity enhancement for an individual and increase in business output. Research suggests that investments made in apprenticeships could yield three returns. An induvial builds capability due to work based learning. The person acquires both cognitive and non cognitive skills which helps to be job ready. An organizations tends to gain on three fronts – real time talent availability, reduction in hiring cost, controlled attrition and increase in productivity due to structured training and minimum work disruption due to attrition. Apprenticeships also supports business growth by creating talent for expansions.
C-19 crisis and China’s act at the border has created an opportunity for Indian manufacturers and created an unfair advantage for India to capture a large share of global supply chain. To make most of the situation, India needs skilled workforce to recover and to make up for the required growth rate. The foundation has been laid out by government by introducing many reforms, emphasizing on apprenticeships and easing out current regulations for the industry. Even though the New Education Policy is focused on skill development, there is still a need to link apprenticeships with higher education to make skills and education inextricable to create an experiential learning system more outcome oriented. We need employers of all sizes and creed to come forward to make use of apprenticeships to enhance productivity. India needs to build on human capital to be the 5 trillion economy.
Apprenticeships accelerate socio-economic growth rate. As apprenticeships channelized workforce towards formal employment and enhances productivity, it leads to addition in the earning capacity of an individual. Post absorption into employment, an apprentice tend to earn 45% more wages which can go up to 100% including statutory and other employment related benefits. This spikes their earning and purchasing power which boost the consumption.
www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
33
NEARING 0 360 LEADERSHIP
THE LEADERS OF THE UNPRECENTED TIMES CHANGING ROLES OF C-SUITE EXCEUTIVES
Subscribe for free today on powertalkwitharchanna.com
BUSINESS RESILIENCE The Oak fought the wind and was broken; the Willow bent when it must and survived - Robert Jordan. Whether as Individuals or Organizations, RESILIENCE is pretty much about our ability to bend, adapt, innovate, and thrive beyond change or disruption - whether anticipated or unexpected. During tough times, it can be hard to stay positive and find balance, harmony, or opportunities. By fostering Resilience however, we are able to turn adversity into advantage and explore the abundance that comes with it, in order to rise and thrive. No one is immune to adversity. Not the strongest of Nations, the wealthiest of Men, or the smartest of Organizations. But as foremost Leadership Thinker Marshall Goldsmith, succinctly puts it, he says; "It is not what happens to you that really matters, it is what happens in you that counts!" We do not have control over the outward circumstances of life but we have control of our inward attitude - whether as individuals or institutions. RESILIENCE therefore is first an inside job. It is a mindset, and individuals and organizations need to view change and challenges as opportunities for growth rather than as catastrophes; this is because there is always abundance and advantage in every season of adversity. I have come to learn that any Business or Organization that lacks BUSINESS RESILIENCE and a 'Business Recovery and Continuity Strategy' structured into their culture, will be swallowed up quickly by adversity and overwhelmed by change and disruption. We probably now understand that today's business environment is characterized by rapid, unpredictable change. Some changes bring opportunities for businesses while others bring challenges, and sometimes threats. But despite the scenario, the businesses that will weather the storm will be those that are responsive and resilient, and strategically taking advantage of opportunities to thrive while mitigating their risks. What then is 'BUSINESS RESILIENCE', Why does it matter, and How can Businesses, Organizations, and their Teams/Employees foster Resilience to rise and thrive above and beyond adversity, change, and or evolution? Power Talk l Negotiating World
BUSINESS RESILIENCE is not new. It is an enterprise-wide terminology and position that Businesses and Organizations take on in the face of adversity and disruption, and ahead of change and evolution - a position that encompasses crisis management, recovery and continuity. Holistically, Business Resilience is that attribute that represents the ability of Organizations to rapidly and effectively respond to all kinds of risks and change and recover from the setbacks or losses experienced in such times.
WHY IT MATTERS CHANGE, whether unexpected or anticipated, is always a constant, regardless of whether it is caused by internal or external factors. The key to Business Resilience therefore, rests in maximizing the power of effective systems, processes, and the mental toughness of its players and stakeholders to adequately support the business under any anticipated or unexpected conditions. Business Resilience Strategy is a must-have element in the structure of any legacy-driven business. It demands us to be able to rapidly adapt and respond to risks, as well as strategize and explore opportunities WHY? - in order to preserve your vision and values, maintain continuous business operations, be a more trusted entity, enable growth and secure the future of the business. FOSTERING RESILIENCE TO RISE AND THRIVE IN BUSINESS It behooves on us Business Leaders to imbibe and instill this all-time, all-important attribute in our people and culture, as well as develop our own unique Business Continuity and Crisis Management Plan to preserve our Business Entities.
SHIRLEY HILLS Group CEO 2008-Present Crustos Prestige Group LLC Principal Consultant 2015-Present Crustos Consult Limited Founder 2016-Present Elite Women Network International President 2017-Present Transformers Hub International
I list below six (6) major characteristics of Resilience that we have learned and continue to instill in our team and Clients in order for us all to rise and thrive amidst and beyond challenges ▪ A staunch acknowledgment and unbiased acceptance of the reality. You may not be able to make sense of the situation just yet, but you need to acknowledge and accept its occurrence and existence. ▪ An unwavering belief of positivity and possibility - often underlined by strongly-held values, faith, and the unshakable perspective that every facet or season of life/business, whether good, bad, or ugly, will always produce something meaningful. An uncanny ability to be brave enough to improvise and or innovate fast, and against all odds. Indeed Resilience demands our brevity, creativity, and speed for it to be fully expressed and beneficial in producing desired results that keep the Vision for the business alive. ▪ The graciousness to respect and appreciate everyone else's journey, empathize and support others and your team genuinely; because in times of adversity our humanity must be our biggest shared resource for survival. ▪ The gratitude to acknowledge every progress made and celebrate wins and efforts no matter how small. Gratitude is a Resilience-booster, and acknowledging and celebrating your progress as well as your efforts and that of your team, boosts confidence and provides the motivation and momentum to keep going. ▪ The ability to connect, collaborate and embrace partnerships and technology. Because you cannot do life and business alone, Business Leaders must be open to cultivating critical connections and creating viable strategic alliances for advancement, while leveraging technology and digitalization to make the journey seamless
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
Below are 5 core strands that must suffice in the Business Resilience Strategy (BRS); A Business Continuity Plan which develops and rehearses the preferred response to all identified and likely operational changes or disruptions. A Disaster Recovery Plan structured to enable the Business or Organization recover from real disasters even when unexpected. A Vision-and-Value Protection Plan designed to ensure that the business vision and stakeholders’ values are protected. An Opportunity-Exploration Plan which enables the Organization to identify or create, and explore possible and sustainable commercial growth opportunities that may abound in times of substantial change and or disruption. A Social Responsibility Plan to ensure that against all odds, the Organization is empathetic and supportive towards its clients and community during times of adversity or change.
On the flipside of change, crisis or disruption, are opportunities always waiting to be harnessed. As I end this article, it is therefore important to note this; beyond education, experience, expertise, or economic empowerment, the Resilience Quotient of an individual is one of the most important determining factors of failure or death and survival or success. This holds true in the delivery room for an expectant mother, or in the hospital ward when faced with severe life-threatening bone-pain crisis as a SickleCell warrior like myself, it holds true in tough sporting competitions like the Olympics, and it as well holds true in the Boardroom. No one is exempt - to thrive is to first survive, to survive is to first rise, to rise is to first be resilient to not be resilient is to opt to 'rest in peace' and this premise holds true for both individuals and Organizations - Simply put, be RESILIENT or die! www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
37
THE CHANGING ORDER OF LEADERSHIP A Leader is the One, who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way – John C. Maxwell According to the author, Satya, “A Leader is an individual who induces characteristics among subordinates to get the things done within stipulated timeframe”.
L - If you are not loyal to self, then you can never be loyal to others. It means if your action and words are not in sync, then people’s “TRUST” is lost in mid-way. TRUST among teammates depends upon 3 Factors. ▪ Benevolence (Believe at heart) ▪ Competence (Believe yes, I and my team can) ▪ Integrity (Believe my team will follow through)
E (Empathy) – it means Ability to Understand & share the feelings of another. Being Leaders, we should be empathetic towards our team. “If I can’t understand self, how do I understand my team? If I can’t understand my team, how do I lead them to success?” You can act as Support Hand to your team, if you can learn the art of Empathy. Few beauties of Empathy are as follows: ▪ We accept to feel safe about our failures while doing task. ▪ It helps us to reach to the root cause analysis behind poor performance. ▪ Being Leader if we are empathetic, then it will help us to reach struggling employees improve and excel. ▪ It helps in building and developing strong bond among team.
A
(Adept and Adapt): - In VUCA World, if we are not following AGILE Approach, then we will be lagging behind in terms of Competition. Being Leader, all our decisions may not always give success. We can’t detect to our team always what to be done. To avoid Futile Result, Brainstorming is needed. We should respect other’s opinion. To pass on Transparent Decision, we need to discuss among our team members. Power Talk l Negotiating World
It not only builds confidence among teammates but also sometimes miracle happens in terms of result. We need to adopt “Learning Attitude like child” always to adept in any skill. The skillsets you now possess, will be obsolete after some years. As Technology is changing, so we have to change .We need to follow “T- Shaped” Career not “I-Shaped” being
Leader.
D (Direct the team not detect what to do) Giving Direction is always acceptable rather than detecting what to do. We need to accept “Each Individual is unique in terms of thought and action”. We can’t follow “One Size Fits All “Strategy. In team, the same thing applies. It’s better to focus on the end result rather than on the approach of doing work.
E (full of Energy): - Being Leaders, we need to become energetic not in terms of words but in terms of action. Simple ground rule we need to follow: ▪ Wear the attire considering your Office Culture in which you feel comfortable. ▪ Self-Audit your Lifestyle ▪ Sleep Well ▪ Getting worried sometimes is good but don’t get over worried If you are energetic, you can spread positivity among your team. It depends solely on us how to spread positivity.
R (Responsible for Success & Failure) It’s quite common among most of the leaders, while they taste success, credit goes to the Leader and somehow to team. But when Failure happens, don’t you think, you are equally responsible for the same.
It actually creates plays a distinguishable factor for being Respected, Trusted among team members. There are innumerable number of models available in market. We can’t pinpoint any single model to be the best model for Leadership Approach. It depends upon geography, business and organization’s strategy. There were numerous challenges before pandemic also. I have highlighted some of them right now as maximum are being carried forward to post-pandemic
.
According to Forbes Report, Billions of dollars were being spent on transformation efforts to better serve a more informed and knowledgeable individual both in the workplace and marketplace. Disruption was in full swing. Competition was tough among competitors to adopt such change. As the same challenge even will exist post-COVID So, let’s discuss about them underneath. I will treat Covid-19 situation as “Black –Swan Event “but not fully Let’s understand what it is basically? A Black Swan is a metaphor for an event that comes as a surprise, which has a massive impact on the market. The term “A Black Swan Event “coined by Mr. Nassim Taleb. It has 3 Characteristics. ▪ It’s unpredictable. ▪ It has a massive impact. ▪ Afterwards, everyone comes up with own explanation for it.
SATYA MOHAPATRA HR MANAGER 2018-Present Tata Projects Officer HR 2016-2018 Afcons Infrastructure Ltd PROJECT ENGINEER 2011-2013 LANCO
The fragility comes from being unaware of unexpected event. The Black Swan theory suggests what we don’t know is far more important than what we do know. Let’s don’t go deeper into it. In fact, our challenge is something else. It is what are the challenges are in front of leaders irrespective of Business, Geography? Everyone is talking about Post –Pandemic Scenario. Yes, it will not be same like before. Some new adding to existing challenges we need to face being Leader.
According to me, the following 7 are major challenges in front of Leader.
Change Diversity Culture
New Normal Well Being Productivity Employee Experience Leadership competency always depends upon demand of Organization’s Strategy, Type of Industry and Geographical Presence. Whatever I have mentioned above, all are having one common center aspect i.e.” Learning Agility “. It is the ability to learn the right lessons from experience and to apply that learning to novel situations. Not only in terms of thought but also in terms of action we need to act becoming Future Leader to face challenge ▪ Due to pandemic, almost all industries have forced to adapt WFH Principle. But it has open eyes for many leaders and so for organizations. It also shows the operational expense part from cost optimization point of view. Many organizations are now feeling that, it is not required to call all people to Office to run business smoothly Business can run with required staffs whose presence are needed in Office and rest can continue their work from Home.
It’s the Leader of that particular whom he/she has to identify whose service is needed and who’s not. It also leads to role classification among members in a team. ▪ Culture is always a hot topic for discussion among leaders all across globe. Post –Pandemic, it has even more importance in order to create workplace inclusive Culture. It plays a vital role to become more innovative, employee-focused and technology driven to get the things done for meeting with new challenges. ▪ How to build a diverse team and handle it to achieve a common goal – is also another major challenge in front of leaders. For it, Transparent Communication is necessary. ▪ Providing Best Employee Experience and building confidence are also one of the Challenge that Leaders are going to face. This challenge was there before pandemic. Now imagine how tough it will be for the leaders to provide better experience post-pandemic where virtual workplace also coexists. ▪ To maintain physical and emotional wellbeing is also an uphill task in front of leader’s post pandemic. It depends upon leaders how they are considering wellbeing in terms of flexibility. ▪ Considering all changing scenario, how productivity should not be affected will create challenge in front of leaders. Trust among teammates, Reskilling & Upskilling play a major role in increasing productivity. ▪ Faster we adapt and embrace Change, better for us to sustain in competition. Otherwise we will be kicked out very soon. The same thing also applies in case of team members and leaders. It is leader’s duty how he/she will address this challenge for self as well as for team. It’s better to do on-time analysis before being Paralysis when many challenges are ahead of us post-pandemic. To do on-time analysis, we need to capture the RIGHT set of Data which helps us to build a Strategy in turn converts into Action (Combine Long-Term Thinking with Short Term Action) to get desired Result. In All, Communication and Empathetic Leadership matter a lot. www.powertalkwitharchanna.com
39
AUG/SEPT 20
Subscribe for free today on powertalkwitharchanna.com EDITORIAL Founding Editor Archanna Gaarg powertalkwitharchanna@gmail.com
DESIGN
CONTACT
Power Talk With Archanna NEGOTIATION
Bengaluru, India info.powertalkwitharchanna@gmail.com
NEXT ISSUE
Freelancer Designer ROHITH (Digital)
October, 2020
E-PUBLISHING PLATFORM
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES
ISSUU powertalkwitharchanna.com
FOLLOW US ON /archannagaarg
/powertalkwitharchanna
/powertalkwitharchanna
/archannagaarg