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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The approach to corporate training was traditional and outdated by indulging the last age methods rather than innovating or introducing something significant.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.

In today’s progressing world the intention to lead and be ahead is increasing because of the ambitious spirit of people. In this cutthroat competition for success all individuals desire to succeed and in that leadership is of utmost significance to exert authority over others, be it an official post or just to influence others it is highly significant to attain excellence in one’s career by taking the right decision promptly. The leadership training program in Mumbai is available to assist the success-hungry professionals. This blog will tell you the importance of being a part of such programs.

The Growing Demand for Leadership Training Programs in Mumbai

organizations are in search of leaders who are eligible to undertake the projects and deliver results with the team management so, with the increase of the demand for these leadership skills, various programs in the market have been introduced to master these skills and surpass all others. We provide a leadership training program in Mumbai that provides a different approach to the employees of your company, with personalized mentorship.

Leadership Training Program in Mumbai’s Programs For Diverse Needs

The increasing demand for the leadership training program in Mumbai is the result of its diverse nature required by all organizations to simplify their work to the extent possible. They meet the industry standards and Work on the company needs that enable them to achieve their highest potential.

1. Customized Training Modules – Leadership training programs in Mumbai have customized training modules tailored to company needs and requirements after taking proper assessments a module is designed to interact with them. These modules include strategic planning, team management, and communication skills to solve all the professional leadership challenges.
2. Personalized Learning Paths – Personalized Learning paths incorporate a personalized aspect to the learning journey of an individual by addressing their idea of weakness and strengths then following evaluation, a corrective solution is also provided. The leadership training program in Mumbai gives support at a personal level that makes a leadership program valuable and you gain a lot that helps you to combat situations.

Practical Experience and Real-World Applications from Leadership Training Program in Mumbai

The leadership training program in Mumbai may seem unrefined but provides a practical approach to real-time data which is the foundation of the program to tackle any situation and let the participants implement their learnings in the real world.

1. Case Studies and Simulations – The exercise in the leadership training program in Mumbai helps participants engage with real-world case studies to know the situation deeper and sharpen their skills enabling them to manage complex situations effectively.
2. Role-Playing Exercises – By taking different roles in leadership training programs in Mumbai, participants learn to develop the ability to understand others’ perspectives to access their impact to know the deeper understanding and see the perspective from various viewpoints.

Measuring the Impact

To ensure the result of leadership training programs in Mumbai, many organizations incorporate some mechanisms to measure their impact. This evaluation helps in assessing the training’s success and its impacts on companies’ growth.

2. Feedback and Assessments – Participants typically provide feedback on the training programs, which helps in enhancing future offerings. Additionally, assessments and analysis are used to measure progress and the practical application of skills and acquisition of knowledge.
3. Tracking Career Progress – Some programs track participants’ career progress to measure the long-term impact of the training. This data can provide insights into how well the training translates into career advancement and leadership effectiveness.

Conclusion

Leadership training programs in Mumbai -offer a powerful tool for career transformation. By providing customized training, practical experience, networking opportunities, and skills development, these programs can significantly impact companies’ growth. Investing in such training not only enhances your leadership capabilities but also opens doors to new career opportunities and advancements. As the demand for effective leadership continues to grow, participating in leadership training programs in Mumbai can be a key step towards achieving your career goals and excelling in your professional journey.

Notably, getting team transformation and the people to work as a perfectly aligned team can indeed be very difficult. However, it is essential for the successful running of any organization. Such problems can be resolved and a cohesive, high-performance team created by implementing a structured team alignment program.

Indicators of Aligned vs. Misaligned Teams

An effective team alignment program could make a huge difference in organizational performance for achieving team transformation. This section highlights some key indicators of how one will distinguish between an aligned and misaligned team.

Aligned Teams

1. Common Vision and Goals
   1. The team members are quite aware of the vision and goals of the organisation and are committed.
   2. Well-articulated objectives and widely accepted which gives way to synchronised work
2. Better Communication
   1. Open, transparent, and frequent communication exists in the team.
   2. Feeling comfortable sharing ideas and feedback
3. High Levels of Trust
   1. Feeling the team members have trust in each other and in the leadership.
   2. Functioning in Visitation and reliability, thereby increasing the bond between themselves
4. Collaborative Culture
   1. Team members display a very strong level of teamwork and mutual support.
   2. Team members are able to work well together, drawing on each other’s strengths.
5. Well-Defined Roles and Responsibilities
   1. Everybody is clear about what his or her role and responsibilities are.
   2. Role clarity brings down confusion and overlaps, hence improving efficiency.
6. Uniform Performance and Results
   1. The team regularly delivers results and attains performance objectives and goals set out for them.
   2. There is a strong orientation toward collective results with continuous improvement.
7. Psychological Safety
   1. The environment is secure and free from reprisal, with the team member having the freedom to express his or her opinions and share concerns.
   2. Creativity and innovation are fostered in an enabling environment.
8. Constructive Conflict Management
   1. The conflicts are resolved quickly and constructively.
   2. Multi-dimensional thinking and discord bring good decision-making.
9. Engagement and Motivation
   1. The team members are very well-engaged and motivated.
   2. There is a sense of purpose and job satisfaction.
10. Adaptability and Resilience
    1. The group is flexible and able to change quickly.
    2. Challenges are positively met and approached.

Misaligned Teams

1. Lack of Common Vision
   1. Different or vague ideas among team members on the vision and mission of the organization.
   2. Mismatched objectives result in fragmented efforts.
2. Poor Communication
   1. Communication is infrequent, unclear, or ineffective.
   2. There is a reluctance to share information or feedback.
3. Low Levels of Trust
   1. Lack of trust in fellow team members and the leader.
   2. High degree of skepticism; there is a reluctance to rely on others.
4. Isolated Work Culture
   1. Team members work in isolation and not as a team.
   2. There is little to no cross-functional cooperation.
5. Roles and Responsibilities Unclear
   1. The roles and responsibilities are undefined or ill-defined.
   2. In such a situation, there is confusion leading to overlap, inefficiency, and missing deadlines.
6. Inconsistent Performance and Results
   1. This team does not meet its performance targets and goals consistently.
   2. There is no focus on collective results and improvement in terms of this aspect.
7. Lack of Psychological Safety
   1. Team members do not feel safe to express ideas or their concerns.
   2. There is the fear of retribution that kills innovation and creativity.
8. Destructive Conflict Management
   1. Conflicts are ignored or poorly managed.
   2. Unresolved conflicts lead to tension and disturbed team dynamics.
9. Low Engagement and Motivation
   1. The team members are disengaged and demotivated.
   2. There is an observable lack of purpose and job satisfaction.
10. Inflexibility and Rigidity
    1. The team resists change and is slow to adapt to situations.
    2. Challenges are resisted and responded to negatively.

On the lookout for a great team alignment training program: This would help in molding a cohesive, high-performance team. An effective design in a team transformation and alignment program is one of the most influential factors in achieving greater collaboration, trust, and increased productivity. Ten such proven ways to enhance team alignment in your organization are discussed in this blog.

Proven Way 1 – Alignment of Values for Team Transformation

Allow your fellow members to share and communicate the core values of an organisation. This is the step to help transform your team; all basic ingredients behind any successful program are for the alignment of a team.

Proven Way 2 – Focus on Collective Results

Drawn from Patrick Lencioni’s model of “5 Dysfunctions of a Team,” focusing on collective results against individual achievements, this mindset also entails an atmosphere of accountability. It is team transformation in action, propelling towards linking the individual goals and outcomes with the outcomes of the team alignment program.

Proven Way 3 – Inclusion in Action- Focus on Inclusion of Diverse Thoughts, Fairness, and Creating a Culture of Belongingness

Bring in diverse thoughts and foster a culture of equity and belongingness. This promise of inclusion shall be inherent within a successful team alignment program for driving changes in the overall team.

Proven Way 4: Role Clarity and Setting Clear Goals within the Team Alignment Program

Define clear roles and set specific goals for the members of the teams. Be clear about the shared vision and strategic vision of the organisation—this lays the bedrock for any effective team alignment program aimed at team transformation.

Proven Way 5 – Effective Communication in Team Transformation (Dialogue, Two-Way, with Clarity on Intent)

Foster open dialogue and two-way communication with a clear understanding of the intent. This would help in building an effective component of team transformation, which enhances the effectiveness of your team alignment program.

Proven Way 6: Psychological Safety in the Team Alignment Program—Creating a Safe Space for Conversations and Speaking Up

Create a safe space for conversations and encourage the team members to speak up. Psychological safety is what is most important for a team alignment program and is at the heart of the whole process of team transformation.

Proven Way 7 – Trust in Team Transformation (Vulnerability, Sharing, Competence, Loyalty, Delivery – What Do You Trust Each Other For)

Build trust in the team through vulnerability, sharing, competence, loyalty, and reliable delivery. The very core of any team alignment program is trust, which has to happen if the team wants to transform.

Proven Way 8: Healthy Conflict.

Using Patrick Lencioni’s model of the “5 Dysfunctions of a Team” encourages healthy conflict to surface different perspectives for better decision-making. This supports the work of team transformation and strengthens the program on team alignment.

Proven Way 9 – Building Synergy and Collaboration within the Team Alignment Program

Begin building synergy and encourage collaboration amongst team members. These are the essential elements for the success of the team alignment program and drivers of team transformation.

Proven Way 10: Leveraging Strengths in Team Transformation

Identify and leverage the unique strengths of each member. Just this one strategy of utilising individual strengths effectively is powerful within a team alignment program and makes immense contributions toward team transformation.

See how TransforMe’s “team alignment program” can transform your organisation. Our battle-tested strategies and techniques have assisted many organisations in their pathway to success, simply by bringing about better alignment of the team. Discover how you can leverage these tailored solutions to take your team’s performance to the next level.

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 program 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 organisations historically over-indexed in favour 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 organisation – 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.