In a world where leadership is constantly evolving, organizations need more than just competent managers. They need leaders who inspire, empower, and drive real transformation within their teams. This is where TransforMe Learning’s Manager Development Program stands apart. We don’t just teach; we catalyze lasting change.

Let’s take a journey through what makes our program truly unique, and why so many clients choose us to transform their leadership teams.

1. Personalized for Impact: A Tailored Approach to Real-World Challenges

Imagine a manager who faces a unique set of challenges — navigating a complex organization, adapting to rapid industry changes, and managing diverse teams. Now, picture a training program that addresses each of these intricacies, not just with theory, but with real-world solutions that make sense within the organization’s culture and values. This is the essence of our personalized approach.

At TransforMe, we understand that every organization has its own dynamics, challenges, and aspirations. That’s why we tailor our Manager Development Program to fit each client’s specific context. We look beyond generic solutions, diving deep into the unique organizational culture, industry trends, and even individual beliefs of the leaders we work with. This ensures that the learning is relevant, applicable, and impactful, enabling managers to lead with confidence, knowing their development is aligned with their real-world circumstances.

2. Making Leadership Simpler: Learning That Fits Seamlessly into Daily Life

The life of a manager is demanding. Between meeting targets, managing teams, and tackling complex projects, the last thing they need is a training program that adds to their already overwhelming workload. We’ve designed our Manager Development Program with this challenge in mind. The goal isn’t to make learning another task to complete but to make it easy, practical, and deeply integrated into their daily work.

Our program isn’t about adding more pressure — it’s about making leadership development accessible and seamless. We focus on simplifying concepts and offering practical tools that managers can immediately apply. Whether it’s refining communication skills, improving decision-making, or building team cohesion, our program is designed to make learning natural and impactful, without disrupting the day-to-day flow of work. This means managers can grow without feeling overwhelmed, helping them become better leaders in a way that feels effortless.

3. Proof in the Results: Creating Sustainable Impact with Tangible Outcomes

There’s no shortage of leadership training programs out there, but what really sets ours apart is the proven, measurable impact we deliver. Throughout the course of our program, we track progress, measure results, and most importantly, ensure that the learning doesn’t just stay in the classroom. It translates into real, sustainable change.

Don’t just take our word for it — our clients’ testimonials speak volumes. Time and time again, they share how our breakthrough leadership training has made a tangible difference in their teams. Whether it’s improved communication, better problem-solving, or enhanced collaboration, the results are clear. The success stories we gather are not just feel-good moments but real metrics of transformation. Managers walk away not only with new skills but with a renewed sense of purpose and effectiveness in their roles.

Conclusion: Shaping the Leaders of Tomorrow, Today

At TransforMe Learning, our Manager Development Program is more than just a training course — it’s a transformative experience designed to accelerate the performance and growth of managers at all levels. Our program is the most popular choice for clients looking for an impactful solution that drives real change across their organizations. Whether your managers are early-stage leaders, mid-level professionals, or senior executives, our program is tailored to address their unique developmental needs and challenges.

With a focus on practical application, personal growth, and sustainable impact, we ensure that each manager walks away equipped with the skills they need to thrive in their roles. If you’re looking for a solution to elevate your leadership team and create lasting impact, look no further.

Explore our Manager Development Program today and see how we can help your organization achieve greater success.

The skill of good management is more critical now than it has ever been in this rapid pace-setting business world. The management development program is rather more than a course to the aspiring professional, but it is a journey that helps in leading teams and making strategic decisions to accomplish success. In the contemporary environment, when demand has increased notably, the leadership development program becomes quite instrumental in the career paths of potential managers. In this blog, we explore the role of a management development program and how such a course can be a catalyzer for your career growth.

The Growing Demand for Management Development Programs

In this competitive world, organizations want to make sure that qualified managers are available. Basically, a management development program caters to this growing demand by providing them with professional tools to manage projects and lead a team. More and more, organizations are starting to invest in leadership development programs so their leaders are better positioned to address new challenges presented within the context of today’s business environment. What suits the approach of this program is that it’s able to offer focused training relevant to the needs of an organization for the growth of the individual and the organization.

Customized Management Development Programs Towards the Needs of the Organization

One of the major reasons that a management development program sees such great success is because of the breadth of its applicability to many industries and organizational needs alike. Essentially, the design of the leadership development program is done in such a way that it identifies with the mission and demands of the company to which it is targeted so that the participants emerge as competent and confident leaders.

Customized Training Modules

Standard modules integrated into a management development program would include strategic planning, team management, and effective communication, amongst other areas that are uniquely challenging to the organization. Since they develop a professional with the skills to tackle different challenges head-on, they automatically become of great value to the companies they work for through the leadership development program.

Personal Learning Paths

The management development program has to be personalized in such a way that each participant’s learning experience should be tailor-made according to his or her respective strengths and deficiencies. In a leadership development program, individual learning paths will give concentrated attention and guidance to one’s skill set where improvement is to be made and fill any skill gaps. This kind of personalization makes the difference for a management development program and is an important tool in career development.

Practical Experience and Immediate Real-Life Application

A management development program bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. The emphasis on real-life scenarios ensures participants apply immediately what they learn into their professional environments.

Case Studies and Simulations

A leadership development program contains case studies and simulations that are similar to the problems in business management. These practices allow the participants to apply their newly learned skills in a simulated environment and whet their problem-solving skills appropriately. By providing such realistic case scenarios, management development program participants can afford to deal with similar situations arising during their professional lives.

Role-Playing Exercises

Role-plays form an integral part of a leadership development program. It is through such role-plays that participants are able to go through various management roles that would enable them to develop different aspects of a leader. Individuals participating in the management development program will be able to improve their decision-making skills and empathy, which is essential for any manager through role-playing activities.

Measuring the Impact of a Management Development Program

Success for many management development programs is measured in terms of value added to participants and the organization. The evaluation system is important in determining if growth and development have been significantly enhanced.

Feedback and Assessments

Feedback and assessment during the process also become an integral part of any management development program. Furthermore, the reaction of participants during feedback plays an important role in refining future programs so they remain relevant and effective. Assessment conducted during a leadership development program serves to bring out how far participants have achieved the progress required. This indicates areas where they excelled and those that may need further attention.

Career Progress Monitoring

Some management development programs follow even after the training period by monitoring long-term career growth in participants. Such continuous follow-up would enable organizations to know whether the leadership development program has been effective in building their leadership capabilities and career growth. It will help the companies in assuring that the program goes on with its beneficial impact beyond the length of the program.

Conclusion

This program could be one of those epiphanic experiences that will dramatically fast-forward your career growth. With the special training and hands-on experience provided, it equips professionals with the necessary competencies in managing teams, making strategic decisions, and driving organizational success. The payback from an investment in a management development program comes not only in leadership capability but also in new career opportunities that emerge. This program opens the door to a successful and fulfilling career in today’s demanding and skilled world of management.

Ready to accelerate your leadership journey? Join a management development program that equips you to lead with confidence and impact.

Revolutionizing Employee Development: How Corporate Training Companies Are Leading the Charge

Employee development is one of the key building blocks to drive growth and success in an organization. Corporate training proves to be a major enabler in unleashing the powers of individuals towards creating pathways for business outcomes. When employees succeed, the company does too. In this blog, we will find out how corporate training companies are embracing advanced technologies and strategies to drive organizational success.

The Evolution of Corporate Training

Until recently, corporate training was performed using some of the most traditional and obsolete methods, which didn’t fit the bill anymore as the nature of the workforce changed so rapidly. But then came corporate training firms, changing this scenario by introducing new technologies and methodologies to enhance productivity at workplaces. The newer breed of workforce absorbs this kind of learning and finds it quite appealing, thus making learning a more dynamic and effective process.

Leverage Technology for Better Learning

Training companies have a reputation for doing things differently, mainly by integrating technology in ways that make learning not only fun but productive. Ditching those retro methods means embracing digital tools that keep training fresh, relevant, and current with the demands of the workplace.

E-Learning Platforms

E-learning platforms revolutionized the training world by providing flexible and accessible learning opportunities. The employees may participate in training sessions whenever they find it convenient, and hence can balance professional development with other priorities. Corporate training companies ensure learning is accessible, effective, and adaptable to various needs.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

VR and AR are going to revolutionize training by simulating scenarios that are real. The company offering corporate training makes use of VR in developing case simulations in handling high-tech equipment in immersive learning. AR does just the same by overlaying useful digital information on the real world in real-time. The technologies provide a safe environment that is non-threatening and allows learners to pick up confidence in their competence. 

Personalized Learning Experiences

One of the significant paradigm shifts in corporate training has to do with moving toward personalized learning experiences. The traditional ways of training lacked this particular aspect of customization. However, modern corporate training does exceptionally well, considering state-of-the-art technologies down to artificial intelligence in customizing programs per the needs and specifications of an employee or the organization.

Data Analytics

Analytics of data would, therefore, help corporate training companies to identify gaps in skills and learning preferences. Further, performance data analysis enables them to create training programs which exactly meet unique organizational needs, hence effective and pointed learning experiences.

Artificial Intelligence

AI will play an important role in personalizing training content. AI-enabled platforms continuously readjust themselves based on the progress recorded by an employee and provide them with a more engaging learning space. In such a case, not only do the trainees tend to get more but also effective engagement, hence ensuring the training need within the entity is actually met.

Creating a Continuous Improvement Culture

Corporate training companies don’t just stop at single training but rather create the concept of continuous learning. This kind of approach realizes that employee development is a long-term process without which success cannot be achieved.

Microlearning

Microlearning involves breaking down content into small, digestible chunks so that employees do not experience information overload. Corporate training companies apply this methodology in their practice by providing short and concise lessons that can be fit into busy schedules, thus making the development of skills more accessible and convenient.

Feedback and Support Continuously

Coupled with timely feedback, ongoing support helps in ensuring that people actually learn something worthwhile. Corporate training firms ensure mechanisms are put in place through which frequent feedback is provided to employees, which helps them in honing their skills and applying them to situations at work.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Training

Most corporate training firms understand the importance of measuring training effectiveness. Today, most make use of advanced analytics and feedback mechanisms for measuring the effectiveness of any particular training. KPIs

KPIs can help corporate training companies track manifold aspects of effectiveness in training, such as increase in the performance of employees, rate of skill acquisitions, and return on investment. These metrics provide insight into the value of results produced from the training programs.

Feedback Mechanisms

Employee feedback about training is important in order to know whether such training works. Surveys, assessments, and focus groups may provide insight into what the experience was like and how it challenged or promoted workforce development. Corporate training firms use such feedback in constantly updating and revising their programs.

 

Conclusion

They are companies that lead the charge in changing professional development. Applying advanced technologies, creating personalized learning experiences, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement-the way employees learn and apply new skills changes. With business continuing to evolve, corporate training will be not only about shaping the future of employee development but also contributing significantly to organizational success and growth.

Employee development is an essential component for the growth of any company. Corporate training plays a significant role by introducing new innovative ideas that bring out the best possible potential of an individual, and help in making a growth pathway for the business. An employee’s success is the company’s success so this exclusive training provides an idealistic workplace to businesses. This blog emphasizes how corporate training companies integrate advanced technologies and strategies to thrive companies.

The Evolution of Corporate Training Companies

The approach to corporate training was traditional and outdated by indulging the last age methods rather than innovating or introducing something significant. These corporate training companies arrived that took the whole limelight and became the best choice to improve the company’s success rate with the new edge technology and methodology and bring productivity in the workplace. These methods and ways get along with the new-gen employees and enhance the productivity of the overall company or organization.

Embracing Technology for Enhanced Learning of Corporate Training Companies

Corporate training is publicized for its unique approach and use. Leaving out the old methods and adopting the new technology, these training methods resonate with today’s employees, resulting in the success of the company and embracing these technologies for the longer run. To deliver the learnings digital tools are used like online Platforms, VR, and CR to enhance the experience and increase excitement to learn.

1. E-Learning Platforms – E-learning mediums have extensively changed the learning dynamics of training offering flexibility with ease and accessibility from anywhere. Employees can participate in training whenever they feel like regulating their lives with other obligations. These corporate trainings make sure to provide accessible learning.
2. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) – VR and AR are advancing training by replicating real-world scenarios. Corporate training companies use VR to imitate high-tech equipment handling and AR to impose helpful digital information in real-time. These technologies provide an engaging experience in a balanced environment, learning, and confidence.

Personalized Learning Experiences of Corporate Training Companies

The change towards personalized learning is another observable change driven by corporate training companies. Traditional training methods fail in customization, but modern corporate training is excelling using high technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to meet the expectations of training programs for the companies.

1. Data Analytics – Data analytics helps corporate training companies to spot specific skills and learning preferences. By calculating performance data, these companies are specially made to point out those issues along with their solutions for training programs that meet the company’s unique needs, giving assurance of effective learning experiences.
2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) – AI plays a crucial role in personalizing training. AI-driven mediums adapt the content in real time based on employee progress and execution. Corporate training uses AI to create engaging learning environments that cater to company needs enhancing engagement and effectiveness.

Fostering a Culture of Continuous Learning in corporate training companies

Corporate training companies also focus on fostering a culture of uninterrupted learning rather than just delivering one-time training sessions. This approach acknowledges that employee development is an enduring process.

1. Microlearning – Microlearning provides content in small, controllable segments, permitting employees to study without feeling daunted. Corporate training uses this strategy to supply fast, concentrated lessons that fit into a heavy workload, making skill-building more convenient.
2. Continuous Feedback and Support- Recent responses and assistance are impactful for valuable learning. Corporate training companies implement systems that give routine feedback and learning, assisting employees diligently, and refining and executing their skills in real-world situations.

 Measuring Training Effectiveness of Corporate Training Companies

Taking a look at the outcome of training programs is a priority for corporate training. Advanced analytics and feedback mechanisms are now used to measure the success of training initiatives.

1. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) – KPIs help corporate training companies monitor various attributes of training efficacy, such as enhancements in employee achievement, skill acquisition rates, and return on equity(ROE). These measurements offer invaluable vision into the outcome of training programs.
2. Feedback Mechanisms – Employee response is critical for evaluating training potency. polling, analysis, and focus groups provide perspective into the teaching expertise and its influence on workforce development. Corporate training programs use this reaction to improve and strengthen their programs.

 Conclusion

Corporate training companies are at the cutting edge of pioneering professionals. These companies are revolutionizing how employees attain and use new skills through advanced technologies, customized learning experiences, and a concentration on continuous development. As the business world continues to grow, the role of corporate training in forming the future of employee development will become increasingly important, driving organizational success and growth.

Empower your people. Elevate your performance. Let’s build a corporate training strategy that turns potential into performance.

A coaching insights blog from Sandra Colhando’s ‘Redesign Yourself’

In a world that changes daily, where shifts are inevitable and part of life’s seasons, adapting can be a hard pill to swallow. However, when sudden changes hit hard, they can also bring an unexpected gift of grace. This is part of the process of redesigning yourself, where a part of you remains constant, and a new version of you emerges.

“I was at a place where I didn’t have to get feedback from anyone; I just had people working with me. It was a sudden shift in Australia. When you are nobody and you have to start all over again in your middle age.”

Indeed, people are like bottomless vessels of traits, continually filled by the environments they inhabit. They are boundless vessels of versions, perpetually shaped by past and present experiences. Each person is an endless reservoir of characteristics, unconsciously developed through interactions with others.

“And then you need to question yourself, and I want to make a point here: it is not about reengineering yourself because some part of you will always remain you.”

Growth and personal development are often seen as processes of transformation, where individuals strive to improve themselves and achieve their goals. However, an equally important aspect of this journey is maintaining parts of yourself that remain constant. These core elements of your identity provide a foundation that supports and sustains your growth.

“I am not asking you to remove that aspect but definitely redesign yourself. After coming here, I had to go out and ask people for feedback. I had to step into the uncomfortable zone where people were giving me feedback as if I had zero experience, and I had to receive it with grace.”

The uncomfortable zone, though often unsettling, brings true comfort in the long run. That is the irony of life. In this chapter of Sandra’s journey, the uncomfortable zone meant appearing as a beginner in a field where she had already flourished, a field she had already mastered. It takes humility and openness to be nourished by something you have tasted many times before. These two virtues—humility and openness—though often seen as lowly, are in fact the pinnacle of life’s greatest growth.

“If you don’t have that open mindset to adapt and change, it gets very difficult to find those mentors. Nobody’s gonna come to you. You have to go and seek support.”

Life is a game of adapting, as the world revolves, so does life. To thrive and survive is to adapt and change for the better. Reaching out for support can be a prideful pain for us humans, as it is often in our nature. Yet, it is in seeking that we find; it is in searching that we discover.

“And very often people will say yes.”

In many organisations, employees have sometimes been neglected when it comes to the support they need. Moreover, there is often a fear or reluctance among employees to reach out for support in the first place, which can hinder the full adaptive benefits within workplaces. This lack of support not only affects individual growth but also impacts the overall productivity and success of the organisation.

Embrace the change with a leadership development programs that supports you through the uncomfortable zone. At TransforMe, our corporate training programs, including breakthrough leadership training and executive development programs, are designed to guide you through these transitions.

Don’t say no to your employees. And if you encounter a ‘no,’ let TransforMe say yes to your growth.

If organizations historically over-indexed in favor of experience, today there is definitely a great focus on growing younger talent. With start-ups and corporates giving growth opportunities to younger talent, there is a growing base of 1 particular cohort in every organization – the cohort of The First Time Managers. 

While young employees are being promoted to First Time Managers, it’s often noticed that they lack the skills necessary to lead their teams effectively. In a recent survey, nearly 20% of workers encountered sleep-related challenges when supervised by a first-time manager (this percentage surged to 50% for women respondents with 40% of them sharing a heightened inclination to consider leaving their jobs!)

As employees ascend from individual contributor roles to managerial positions, they face a unique set of challenges that demand a shift in mindset and skill set. The ability to effectively communicate, make informed decisions, and foster collaborative team dynamics becomes paramount.

In the final edition of The Leaders’ Cafe for 2023, we were joined by a special guest speaker, Yuvaraj Srivastava, CHRO, Make My Trip to talk about, “Why Nurturing First-Time Managers is Key for Business Success.”

Here are some key ideas that were discussed in this conversation:

1. It’s critical to have managerial support for new people who come into the organisation as well as those who rise in their journey to become first-time managers. There has to be an effort from the organisation side and from people side to hand-hold in their journey
2. First-time managers or the managerial group are like the neck or spine of organisation which connects the top and bottom to make it an efficient machinery to operate. Often there is greater focus on the base frontline which is larger in number or the top level which is the leadership cadre with the assumption that there’s prior knowledge and information available with the individual. but it is this segment of managers that holds the organisation together.
3. It’s not important to groom talent within your system. You can also hire talent which is groomed in a similar environment elsewhere in the talent market. Now, you need to hire well. Hire people who can fit into your system. Focus on building cultural context, talent with functional skills is available.
4. What kind of leaders do the new-age employees look for as their role models – there can be 3 kinds of power that leaders drive – 1. The position they hold 2. Personality or Charisma that they exude 3. The knowledge that they own. New Age employees look up most to leaders who have the knowledge – who can mentor, solve and guide their teams
5. In the world of triple complexity (age-old problem of untrained managers, new-age millennial workforce and hybrid work) – important to drive learnings around trust and accountability, While leaders should trust, their teams must also demonstrate accountability
6. Five I-Model to focus on while training first-time managers:
   1. INFORM – share the functional brief and the cultural context
   2. INITIATE – thinking, conversations and shedding hesitations
   3. INVOLVE – involve them in the decision-making, view their perspectives very closely and be inclusive
   4. INDULGE – take care of them, take them out for a coffee,  engage in banter, build a personal human connection
   5. IGNITE – passion for the organisation, zeal to succeed in the organisation and their own careers

Here are excerpts from the full conversation

Gatik Chaujer: Thank you for making time for this, Yuvaraj. You and I were talking a couple of weeks back, it’s interesting that you picked up this topic because it’s not a new problem. For organisations, it’s been a “known”, I wouldn’t even say “problem”. It’s been a known reality known challenge for a decade or two decades. But yet, it continues to be a persistent problem or persistent reality. A survey conducted earlier this year found that nearly 1 in 5 employees lost sleep over a first-time manager. More than 1/3rd cited anxiety, lack of motivation, sleeplessness and other effects of unprepared rookie managers as a reason for wanting to quit. So, despite all of this happening, and the fact that this problem has been known, why do you think this continues to be a persistent challenge for many organisations? What are your views on this problem or this reality?

Yuvaraj Srivatava: So I think even if I don’t completely concur with the study, I think that I would not rule out the basic assumption they take, first-time manager or other managerial capability is something which has been spoken for many, many years. And somewhere we do hear that you know, people leave their managers, not the company. And that’s how that’s how it all works. So first thing is, it’s critical to have managerial support for people who come into the organisation. Because, you know, organisation hires, they’re a certain team, which gets people into the system. And then what happens I always call it as a “Kanyadaan”, sort of a thing done by HR of a newcomer coming into the organisation and getting handed over to the departments to groom take care, and also work with that individual right. And, you know, what happens, if the person does well, credit goes to the department or the function for grooming that person? Well, if the person is not done, well, perhaps it said that was not the right hire sort of a thing. But who should work with that individual when the person joins the organisation, I’m taking it as a generic term for first-time managers as well as managers.

What has happened is I think many times organisation bandwidth is limited. And certain sections of people are taken for if not granted, rather, they are assumed to be knowing what they are supposed to be doing in the organisational culture. Most of the time, that famous principle, Gatik, says that, you know, people rise to their level of incompetence, you promote people, because they have done well in their current role, and you assume the person will also do better better job in the next role. While you keep in mind that principle you forget, if that’s the reality, there has to be an effort from the organisation side and from people side to ensure that fellow’s hand is held while the journey has been completed. And I also look at it why it is important is that, you know, if you look at take a simile of an hourglass – it has two bulbs on both sides. It has a thin neck in between, and the neck is one which basically allows sand to pass from one side to the other side, I always feel that first time managers or managers for that matter are the neck of the organisation or a spine of organisation or the midriff of the organisation, which basically connects the top and bottom to make it an efficient machinery to operate. And why we take these folks for granted, most of the time is that we assume that, you know, there’s a prior knowledge and information which is available with an individual. We also feel that you know, I think we can take care of these folks late later. Let’s first focus on the base frontline, which is larger number, the top level, which is a leadership, leadership, cadre – if you train these top and below, I think rest everything will fall into place. But my feeling is that this mid level, the midriff, or a spine or a neck, whatever you want to call it, is the one which holds the organisation together. If that sense starts getting into the minds of people, people will start creating leaders at that level, because they have a resonance both sides. And in the milieu of so many things happening we forget to take care of them. And interestingly, you’ll see that they also it’s one thing which I have observed. Most of the guys who are deployed at that type of rolling field away from the headquarters get still slightly neglected. You know, if you are in a large corporate office, when you get promoted as a first time manager, you still have lots of people to interact and work with. But imagine the guys were in the region, the sales workflows, Business Development workflows, and I think that if they get promoted, out of sight out of mind many times happens in most organisations.

So as I said, bringing this together, if you feel they are important element they are the ones who pass current on both sides and organisation top and down. They need to be worked with a principle that they have done well in their current role. The next role they need to be handheld, I think will make a lot of difference to the organisation, if that mindset basically sets in. And I to end my thought here on this, that there are 30, almost 25 to 30% people sit in that level, almost 35 to 30% people who are the first time managers or the mid level managers, early managers. And if that part of the engine is not working properly or is tentative, then perhaps it has its own effect on the entire organisational culture learning, performance, productivity.

Gatik Chaujer: That’s interesting. And thanks for thanks for opening up this dialogue, Yuvaraj and I have already taken away a few things. So one, “Kanyadaan”- I’m never going to forget that J. And I love the analogy that you portrayed about the hourglass and the connection between the top and the bottom. That’s critical. And it’s what’s interesting is that’s perhaps the most sensitive part of the hourglass as well and I connect with that about prioritisation because limited bandwidth of organisation, focusing on succession planning and this kind of go into that assume thing that they will figure it out, they will learn it. And this is a mistake many of us have made. I’m curious to get your views on this, this space of because if you go back 20 years, and I’m sure you’ve seen that if you go back 20 years, 25 years, and most corporates other than a few that were really forward-looking organisations for anybody twenty-five years back, even succession planning would often be an afterthought, right. And you know, even things like developing a leadership pipeline was something that people would start doing once it was almost too late when you’re in a crisis. So I think the problem has been more about in my view, at least has been more about being reactive rather than proactive. And now 20 years down the line, it seems to me that many organisations have become proactive. At the top level, many organisations at least the organisations we work with, I think they have shifted from being reactive to proactive in the last 1015 years. But with managers, they continue to be reactive. So do you feel that it’s just a natural progression of time? Are we waiting for it to happen? Or I think the more important question that our viewers would love to hear your perspective on is, because some of our viewers are bound to be learning managers, HR managers. I’m sure, they’re curious about this question how can we become proactive in the way we are developing first-time managers in our organisations? Are there any tips? Are there any suggestions? What are your thoughts there?

Yuvaraj Srivatava: It’s interesting question. I think that let me first react to your first thought what you said that – 2025 years back people were far more planned, right? I think it should be the other way around that. And I believe in that, why I say this, go back 25-30 years Gatik, you will see that organisations were very conscious about their own work culture. And they wanted to really train and groom people within their own culture. And they wanted to have people coming from the ranks to also fill up senior positions. And also availability of talent on those specific skills used to be at times a challenge, you’ll see most of the bigger organisations will always have a plan that whether they should have succession planning or not, I think in today’s world, it’s not important that you need to groom talent within your own system. You can also hire talent which is already groomed in a sort of a similar environment elsewhere in the in the in the market, in the talent market. If you look at ecommerce companies, there are many startups in more or less work with a similar sort of thought process that agility is important, speed to the customer is important, done is better than perfect. I think many organisations follow those principles and also the number of organisations which have come up and working with a similar sort of principles and policies are far in number as compared to earlier one right so now, it’s important for you to do hire well. Hire people who can really fit into your system skills you will Till get in the market. Earlier it used to be a combination of skills as well as cultural fit, currently I think if you can look at the culture fit, hire a person, skills, I think a person has developed elsewhere doesn’t matter. So, now the world is a global platform, organisations are flat, everywhere organisation seamlessly enters into other organisations domain. So, planning on a succession succession today has become slightly become easier than the past. So, I think that is interesting and I think in light of that we should develop people and when it comes to first time manager, then I don’t think that you need to focus on functional skills. So, you need to focus on developing these managers to teach them that what works in the organisation, please go back and teach your team members that what how to succeed in the organisation, what are the success mantras in the organisation? What are the do’s and don’ts of the organisation rather than really telling a person that you know, how do you need to operate and do your work – people are coming with those those skills. So that is that is point number one. And other thing what you said is that what are the tips?

In fact, I was thinking and I don’t think that I can take the credit of what I’m going to talk about it’s something which I thought today in the morning. So I looked at the role of a first time manager and why I’m telling you this is any organisation which is training first time managers should ensure that these five basic commandments or elements are imbibed into that individual and what does he do if you look at five A’s as an alphabet – inform, initiate, involve indulge and ignite. When I run a session, I say that hey as a first time manager, these are five things what you need to do – 1. Inform means in case somebody is coming new into your system, please help the person know the organisation, inform him who’s what, inform who to really work with in what manner, what are the vulnerable areas in the organisation, what are the cultural ethos, also when you become a first time manager, first go and tell your people about yourself how you like to operate. So role of information is important. 2. INITIATE – initiate people to succeed, initiate people to think, initiate people into conversation, initiate people to really come out of their hesitations, I think how do you really initiate them and get them off the running block to take on into the track involved is basically 3. INVOLVE – involve them in the decision-making, involve in the conversations, view their perspectives very closely and ensure that you are inclusive in your behaviour. 4. INDULGE – indulge means take care, take them out for a coffee, take them out for a drink, indulge in the sense do some friendly banter, pull leg at times, show your side of humour, talk about their family, talk about what works, what doesn’t work, show your own personal vulnerabilities/human side. And last one is which is what I said 5. IGNITE – ignite that passion for the organisation ignite, that zeal to work, ignite that, we envision about one’s own career. So if you as a first time manager, as an organisation, you teach people let go and do these five, don’t do anything else you are a manager, you are responsible for set of 3,4,5,6 people, inform them, initiate them, involve them and ignite them for taking higher heights. Also as I said earlier it’s not important always to look for ROI, every time when you try to look at training as a function. I keep talking about ROI, ROI. What is the ROI? I don’t think in life everything is governed by ROI. In life, everything is not about being objective. At times, it’s also important to feel good, and make people feel good. It’s equally important than really putting everything in numbers. Organisations might not be spending much of time on first time managers training because they may question the ROI. But I don’t think the day you start looking at ROI very intently, you become very sceptical, whether you achieve it or not, if you just focus on developing good human beings, and good Samaritans and organisation, who are your champions and ambassadors, I think you would have done a great job in terms of developing etc.

Gatik Chaujer: No, I love that. I love that. I think, especially going back to a couple of things that you said that I picked up. One, I loved what you said that when you’re talking about proactive versus reactive building, and I think the first one that I picked from you is that don’t worry too much about building functional stuff or not even, you didn’t even talk about the past or the soft skills, you said, really what first time managers need to learn. And what we need to be supporting them with is how do they succeed in this organisation? And how can they help others succeed in the organisation? And how can we get that? And to me, that’s very contextual development. And that’s the point that you’re bringing in. But you know, first time managers need to be developed contextually, how do you succeed in this organisation skills are cut across now pick up the skills and all it’s really about how you can context. I also love the Five I model – its broad, and it’s really about developing them –inform, initiate, involve, indulge and ignite, I’d like to add a sixth one to that, which is, you know is part of our brief at TransforMe that everything begins with I. And, you know, I will call it maybe INTROSPECT, because I feel one of the things that we’ve seen, helping a lot of managers and first time managers, managers, leaders, is really the ability to develop their level of self-awareness. Because I think one of the unique challenges that first-time managers face and I don’t think much is done about it is you know, how you stand up from your peers. And when you become a first time manager, the complexity, it’s quite interesting, because you’re now suddenly managing in that world, managing people who are your friends, and who your colleagues and for that, that level of maturity, some level of emotional maturity, awareness becomes super critical.

And one of the other things that we hear a lot of our clients talk to us about, and I’d love to get your views on it, because I know some people are solving for it quite beautifully. And some people are, you know, we’ve seen both sides and realities are different. But I was having a chat with this. One of the business leaders, again, in an ecommerce company, interestingly, the nature of ecommerce company is really fast paced, fast moving changes by an hour, by the day – lot of bias for action, lateral movement, and so on and so forth. And we were building our first time management journey for them. And they said, you know, given the complexity has tripled. I said, What do you mean, they said, it’s triple complexity. I said, What do you mean by triple? You have to understand, he said, number one, he said, I’ll tell you the triple number one is that first time managers is the age old problem. Right? So it’s, it’s since time immemorial, so to say, right, but you also acknowledge number two, the workforce has changed. So while the problem is old, now the workforce is new. So, millennials coming in. And the realities are also different. We’ve got hybrid working and stuff like that happening. Number one, number two new realities with millennials and hybrid working. And number three, the pace of work is like never before. So he said, This is what I’m calling the triple complexity, age-old problem, new realities, we support increasing. So and also creates its own dynamics, right, because we’ve heard a lot of people talk about today, first time managers lack role models. Because in a hybrid environment, it’s very difficult for them to find role models and role models also have become far and few between for variety of reasons. So all of those complexities. I’m curious to understand how, you know, what is your view or how MakeMyTrip has tried to solve for it or what how you’re trying to solve for it? What are your views on the structural complexity? What can people do to kind of navigate through this?

Yuvaraj Srivatava: Again, I think, interesting, let me attempt to maybe a bit disjointed, but I’m sure at the end of it, something should really come out of what we discuss, on this question.

I earlier said I think that you need to get people into the system who are culturally aligned, because functional skills can really get developed anywhere, right? One thing which has changed in the current context of those triple complexity is that gone are the days when the millennials and new people would always look at the role models. They look for somebody who they can learn from. And why, because they feel – Knowledge is power. In today’s world charisma of a leader is a thing of past or maybe in certain functions, it will work. But currently, it’s more important for a leader to have functional competence, and if the person is functionally competent, he generates followership, because millennials, new age, new age employees, or let’s not say New Age employees, or the current set of people would mostly look at guidance on the functional areas. And there are three rules how you really derive you know, power, one is a position power, I make you see you an MD, you will have power. Another one is personality power, when you have a charisma and third one is a knowledge power. At some point of time, position and charisma used to work charisma can still work in some of the function. But in today’s knowledge world, the power, which basically works is knowledge. People look for leaders who can solve for them, who can guide them, who can mentor them, who can tell them what needs to be done, rather than saying go and find out your answer. Because you must have heard nowadays, a lot of people say my team is smarter than me, it’s a way of saying that I’m working with the folks who are who are very capable, right, they can challenge me, they can ask me questions, and it shows that they are not going to get affected by your great speech, they are going to get affected in case you can tell them three ways of solving a problem. I think other another important element is that when you are working on complexities, you have to first ensure that you drive learnings around trust and accountability, I’ll connect this with your thought of you know, hybrid, working fast is if you continue to operate with the mindset that I need to monitor everything. If I need to really review everything, I need to be very sure of anything that goes off out of my functional department, unless I’ve seen it, then what you’re doing, you are not having trust on people. And you are not in position to lead people to do what they need to do and also at times, fail and then learn you are still operating with that mindset of earlier control driven leadership or managerial skills rather than really empowering and delegating. Empowering and delegating are skills, which are relevant in this context of typical complexity, you have to trust people to let them do what they are. Third element is which is connected with trust itself. Trust cannot really build unless you build accountability in the rank and file. When you are working in a hybrid, you can tell me, Yuvaraj, I’m your manager, partner, you go and do these things. I can’t come and tell the team after three days, I couldn’t really do it. I’m accountable for that. So I need to be far more prompt in sharing the daily progress. And that’s accountability, how you really keep people informed that what’s happening. So while Gatik is trusting me that I’m working at home and I’m away in a remote location, Yuvaraj is also behaving in a very accountable manner of keeping him informed. So this connection of trust and accountability is again an element of really being driven as a cultural fabric in the organisation or the individuals ways of working. While leaders should have trust the, manager should have trust people under them should also start having demonstrating more accountability. This triple complexity gets fixed by ensuring that you’re working with the leaders who have strong functional skills, because in complex work, you have to solve issues, you drive trust and accountability wherever it is needed. And then let the let the speed of work continue. That will not really affect much but I think if you continue to operate from the earlier mindset will not be in position to operate as a manager in the current environment. That’s how I look at it.