The pandemic has made the virtual operation a need of the hour! Across the globe, companies are prioritizing the aversion of risk by making remote work a norm of the day. Right from hiring -learning and productivity scores need to be managed by leaders virtually. HR teams, in particular, have to adapt their approaches during this Work From Home age to ensure their employees and organizations are set up for success. Human Resources role is becoming increasingly critical in current times, in this virtual world. While managers need to manage clients’ expectations -on time delivery and hiring right resources…HR is always the background force multiplier to make these efforts yield the desired results.

6 ways HR can create an Agile ecosystem for the business results to be realized. 

In the pandemic situation, HR teams had to pivot the way they operate almost overnight. As we are settling into the new norms it is important to look into every aspect of human resources to strengthen it and also transform for current needs.

1. BEING UPFRONT DURING HIRING -The process of identifying and hiring talent changed significantly during the pandemic. Companies went from hosting in-person and on-site interviews to having all of these conversations virtually. Teams have also had to get creative about how to welcome and onboard new hires without being physically together in the office. Organizations have also recognized that those offering remote job opportunities are seeing a competitive edge over those that don’t. Being upfront to prospective employees is the best way to build the foundation of transparency and trust in expectations. HR needs to make it clear – from the initial job posting through the hiring process – what the company’s policies will be in the post-pandemic world. Will remote work be permanent? Or will your employees eventually return to the office? Will the current benefit offerings change after COVID-19? These are factors that will heavily influence a job searcher’s decision to apply or join your company, so it’s important, to be honest about where your organization stands.
2. REMOTE WORKING WITH NEW TALENT POOL -Some advantages come with being a remote company. Now that there aren’t any location constraints, you have a much bigger talent pool to select from. So unless your company is planning to return to the office soon, use this as an opportunity to fill your pipeline with talented candidates.
3. BUSINESS DECISIONS AS A HR CONSULTANT -HR today is actively solving business manpower issues and also tapping the right resources and tools in the internal and the external environment. Engaging with the end clients to evaluate the challenges and designing solutions suited for the virtual world on a day-to-day basis. To tango with the hourly changes in business and working on short notice has become the new normal. Being sane while handling the business contingencies is the role of an HR expert.
4. PERKS IN THE NEW NORMAL -Many benefits, such as travel allowance, catered lunches, and office events, are no longer relevant to this new world of work. This extra budget can be reinvested into new offers that are more relevant for employees while they’re remote. Giving customized perks would also delight your employees. You may learn that your working parents could do with additional child care benefits – such as providing reimbursements for in-home babysitters or virtual tutors. As you adjust your benefits, use pulse surveys to gauge the impact of these new initiatives and ensure they’re having the intended effect. 
5. RETAIN YOUR BEST TALENT – A lot of employees are facing burnout issues due to employee optimization plans…doing more with less. Your retention strategy may have shifted during this time as well… This isn’t surprising. Employees have different priorities in a remote work setting than in an office setting. Thus to do a time study to ensure appropriate work allocation is also to be watched. A lot of top talent is also leaving the workforce due to work pressure, thus retaining the best is a priority. Flexible work possibilities and also one on one conversations can help in this regard. Company culture can also look different when people are physically apart, so HR teams have to figure out how to bring the organization’s values, mission, and vision to life across a distributed workforce. If a company doesn’t acknowledge these changes and adapt accordingly, they may risk losing their top talent to others that are handling the transition more effectively.
6. MENTORING -COACHING -COUNSELLING SUPPORT – Right now, your employees are stressed and confused. Thus supporting them to navigate current times successfully can be facilitated by internal and external support. Leaders doing virtual town halls and addresses to build trust can also be a great support. Transparency and communication with the leader assure a safe environment even in midst of uncertainties and ambiguities. HR teams can adjust their communication strategies by increasing the frequency, diversifying the channels they use, and giving employees more access to leadership. 

How is your HR supporting the employee welfare during this new normal? What is your long-term vision for your organization? Are your employees aligned to your goals and vision? What changes can help your organization? Do share with us your perspectives.

Often our complacency to count our blessings makes them disappear. Are You Still Holding Back? We all have pretty stellar superpowers, but question if the world is acknowledging them. Allowing our gifts to shine is in our control, and when we can do so every negative can be turned into a positive twist. Many of us have a fear of being killed for shining too much light. Even though times are changing, this can still be a deep fear that holds us back. We may want to share with all our hearts, but still not be able to.

Experiencing life is our single most purpose in this mortal body, yet we get caught in complexities unable to see the simple facts. During the pandemic we have realized that life is so fragile, that there is no certainty of tomorrow, so postponing the divine experiences we are here for doesn’t help. Living the simple moments of joy can be great therapy for well-being. No matter what we do the energy plays a significant role, thus purifying and cleansing the energy every day is the best way to drive wellbeing in productivity -performance and peace.

6 Ways to Transmute Negative Energy Into Positivity…

1. Therapy of Dance & Music -The San of Africa holds dancing ceremonies where they dance all night, for healing. It can be very powerful to just let go and dance. I like to set an intention to let go of any blocked energy. Then, you can turn on drumming music and just let your body move. There is no right way to move. Just let your body guide you. You can also sing. I set an intention. Then, you feel an ahaha moment. You can let the voice or instrument guide you as well. Let whatever wants to come out, just flow. 
2.  Fire Ceremony –Open sacred space to create a sacred fire. You can use a pit with sticks or camphor on a plate. If you want a long burning fire, place several large logs around the medium sticks. Light the fire and let it build for a bit. Connect with the fire, until you can feel it becoming calm or gentle. Imagine burning all your negative thoughts, emotions, or energy into it and purifying it into wellbeing. Feel gratitude for all that is beautiful and good in nature and our planet. Blow that gratitude into the stick with 3 gentle breaths. You can also write out a rant of all the bad stuff in your mind. Wrap it around the stick and place it in the fire. Watch it burn up. Blow in your intentions of what you would like to call in. Example: “I am calling in clarity, strength, and valor.” or “Freedom to express all of my superpowers.” 
3. Shift Energy with Water Ceremony –Get a bowl full of water and some stones in your sacred space. Then, take one stone at a time. Hold the stone as you get in touch with the emotion connected with the energy block. Take your time, until you feel it in your body. Repeat this as many times with as many stones as you need. You will feel the energy shift. You can also water the Tulsi plant every day to feel the connection with nature and how the same energy flows through you.
4. Breath-work –You could do yogic pranayama or simple long breaths to feel balance in your body. Take a few minutes to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, while seated in a chair. Then, gently move the spine by putting hands on your knees and undulating in a slow forward bend, rolling up to an erect seated position. Exhale on the way down and inhale on the way up. Let the head be the last thing down and the last thing up again. You can do this at a pace that feels best. It is just moving energy out by awakening the spine and breath. 
5. Throw a Tantrum –I heard a story years ago about an indigenous tribe who would form a circle around someone who was tormented by anger, resentment, or negative emotions. The person in the center had a certain amount of time to talk, yell, scream or throw a tantrum. Then, when the time was done, everyone in the tribe would turn their backs. This was the closure or letting go of the process. It symbolized turning away and facing a new direction, or turning a new page. Then, they would honor the person for their positive attributes, cultivating forgiveness. It can be very beneficial to rant for a certain period, even by yourself. It can be especially empowering to not need anyone to hear it. The focus is to just get it out. Then, turn your back on the space. Visualize it leaving. At this time, you can begin looking at ways to move forward and praising all the good you’ve done. It is powerful to set specific intentions that move in a positive direction. Example: “I will take a 10-minute walk every time I get triggered. Do this until you feel the shift in your body. You can repeat this any time you become aware of stuck energy or resistance.
6. Spend time with Plants or animals –Connecting with nature and animals is one of the most therapeutic ways of feeling one with all that exists within you. Experiencing being enough is best realized with these beings while you nurture and communicate with them. This is a sure way to let go of all your pride, ego, and negatives that creates barriers to your optimal living.

What are the ways that you cleanse your energy? How do you feel about your energy -emotions -experiences of life right now? What are your gifts? How do you want to play by your strengths every single day? Do share with us if you want to add to this list above which can support many leverages their energy.

As Marshal says that ‘FEEDBACK’ is a step forward, he calls it FEEDFORWARD-one of the fundamental methods of growing people at work to their best potential. For any company feedback at the right time is a way to save people from the embarrassment of non-performance. It informs employees, fuels productivity, and helps managers establish credibility. But there are several obstacles to a healthy feedback culture and even the best leaders sometimes avoid it in name of people orientation. Without the feedback, both the organization and the employee suffer. A potential growth opportunity for the organization and the employee may be lost.

Recently watched a perfect example of the same in a series called Jeet ki Zid- A series on Zee5 which shows a real-life story of a special forces officer, who was able to make a come back to life because of the hard feedback and a push towards his potential. This army story on motivation and feedback by the team -family, and friends is an inspiring journey of a professional to combat challenges of life. It is only the people watching you, who sometimes make the best assessment about your shortcomings, and support you on making the right judgment calls to make amendments and course corrections.

It’s vital to provide honest, at times difficult feedback that provides key insights to employees about their performance, establishes a consistent, values-driven culture, and rewards people for their efforts. Engaging in a feedback conversation is an art that needs to be nurtured over some time by the managers and leaders. Understanding the subject before you engage is important homework that needs to be done. Equipping leaders with appropriate skills to engage in feedback conversation is essential.

A healthy feedback culture is one in which every team member feels comfortable giving constructive positive or negative feedback to any other team member without fear of retaliation. It sounds simple, but even an otherwise strong organization can struggle when it comes to feedback. Unhealthy habits develop such as ambiguity or zero feedback can later snowball into other complexities in customer feedback or employee morale.

For healthy feedback to become a core value in an organization, there needs to be trust. The giver and receiver need to have a healthy understanding and trust to participate in the process of feedback. The receiver of that feedback needs to trust that the giver has their best interests at heart and genuinely wants to help.

Unfortunately, trust like this is increasingly rare in the startup community. Even the generosity gap is one of the reasons for trust failures. This is the tendency to be more generous in evaluating ourselves than we are in evaluating others.

6 Steps For Healthy Feedback Culture

1. Close this generosity gap – which starts with understanding why such a gap developed in the first place – the answer, in most cases, is defensiveness. Leaders need to become examples for their teams in this and start by recognizing the subtle ways that they promote the generosity gap by being defensive with each other and with others. Hard feedback plays an important role here – both in accepting it from others and providing it to employees. Good hard feedback is information that flows between two people that the receiver accepts and learns from.
2. Being attuned to the goals and needs of employees -Regular one on ones and relationship building before you get into the feedback conversations. Like a sports coach, the exact identification and remedy for the challenge to be discussed. The regular feedback conversations to address performance-productivity and potential growth can develop every individual into their best versions.
3. Speaking directly to individuals -Sharing feedback in a private and not in public forum to get the best results.
4. Not using Exaggerated language –The verbiage needs to be appropriate to get the best outcomes. Sometimes offensive and exaggerated words and comparisons can have adverse effects.
5. Defining the problem and the solution -Objectively structuring the solution and the problem for better understanding and clarity.
6. Behavior Change or action needs – Change in current actions and behaviors for better outcomes in performance can be more impactful.

Focus on a healthy feedback culture promotes trust and relationship building. It is designed to maintain a healthy, open relationship, and it validates the feedback process in future interactions – instead of creating pain that both parties will seek to avoid in the future. In a strong feedback culture where these relationships are prioritized and the process by which feedback is given is thoughtful and intentional, a defensive response is less likely.

What is the frequency of your conversations with your directs? Are you comfortable giving hard feedback? Have you established a relationship of trust to facilitate a better feedback mechanism? Have you used coaching methods to grow and groom your team? Do share with us, your perspectives on hard feedback and how it has helped your team?

Leadership today has become critical to a company’s well being. At various levels how your leaders are operating decides your customer satisfaction and growth. Ask any group of leaders about the most important leadership skills, and much of the discussion will focus on capabilities like strategic planning and budgeting. In my work as a coach to leaders in the the industry, I see the importance of these areas, however some of the humane skills seem more essential to realise the best outcomes in business.

You can rate yourself in the following 10 attributes to assess your Leadership Quotient-LQ –

1. Encouragement: Being able to encourage others in their responsibilities is one of the quintessential aspects of a leader. While interacting with others this attribute is a sure way to build bridges and also get the best out of every individual stakeholder. As a team manager, peer and also as a customer experience manager this can help you create growth from any possibilities.
2. Vulnerability: Great leadership requires that you be confident in your vulnerability. That means being able to express your emotions and connect with others on a human level. When leaders are comfortable with showing what they’re feeling, they exhibit true strength—and they encourage others to be open as well.
3. Empathy: To be a great leader, you need the ability to place yourself in someone else’s shoes by suspending judgment and concentrating on their perspective. Empathy lets you think through decisions from multiple perspectives, but its main power is in establishing trust and building relationships.
4. Patience: People often associate strong leadership with fast, decisive action. And certainly there’s a place for that, but patience—with oneself, with others, and with situations that are outside your control—will keep you calm and protect you from decisions made in haste.
5. Clarity: Clarity in goals, outcomes, methods and systems can support people navigate better. From time to time determining the need of the hour and plugging the gaps is one of leaders most important roles.
6. Listening: Many people aren’t even aware of the difference between hearing and listening. But knowing how to listen with focus and without interrupting, and how to think before you reply, is the secret weapon of the best communicators. It takes attention and practice, but it’s a skill anyone can learn.
7. Trust: The best leaders work consistently on trust: earning it, keeping it, and according it to others. Trust is by necessity a two-way street. It means getting to know people, understanding them and showing them the same respect that you would like to receive. Being known as someone who values trust will strengthen your leadership in countless ways.
8. Honesty: Speaking the truth is often difficult, but it’s the foundation of any form of personal integrity. People may not like what you’re telling them, but they’ll appreciate your truthfulness. Honesty is how leaders maintain a positive reputation even in challenging times.
9. Supportiveness: Support can take many forms: Sometimes it’s an encouraging word. At other times it means seeing that someone is moving off track and helping them make the adjustments they need. You can also express support by applauding a strong effort that didn’t work out, making sure people have everything they need to do great work, or providing assistance to help people reach their goals. Supportiveness goes beyond praise to show you genuinely value those you lead.
10. Intuitive: Listening to your inner self while operating in the mechanical world can help you stay connected with your people and process. The humanity of your leadership, and how it makes people feel, will largely determine their loyalty and contribution. Leaders human touch surely supports great connection, fosters trust and respect, and at the end of the day get things done.

What is your score as a leader? What are areas that you would like to work. on? Do you think the attributes can help you accomplish your next goal as a leader? Are your profitability goals linked with these attributes?

We all have these skills active or dormant in us, however are we consciously practicing them is going to determine, if we really desire to be a successful leader.

Learning since time immemorial has been one of the best advantages for individuals and organizations. In current times of rapid change learning is a transformational tool that could be your best differentiator. Whether as an individual you are trying to reach the peak in your domain or as an organization you are providing the best to your clients…learning is one of the best advantages that you can exploit for growth. The fast-paced and ever-changing business world needs training and development programs to keep up with new challenges. It can boost your competitive advantage.

Analysis of top Fortune 100 best companies, shows that they are committed to employee development as a top strategic priority. Employees are considered to be the most valuable asset of a company and investing in their training further enhances their capabilities and productivity. Strong learning culture also allows employees to be current rather than getting complacent. Gen Z and Y have huge potential in the workspace and the best way of leverage is to invest in bite size learning as against conventional tick mark activities.

You have the obvious benefits of sales and product knowledge training which in turn leads to increased revenue and market share, service training leads to better customer service experience and brand loyalty, innovation training generates new ways of thinking, potentially leading to new products and services. But let’s look into more ways that training and development can positively impact your business and give you a competitive advantage in the corporate world.

1. Helps you achieve a competitive advantage

One of the main challenges of a company is to stay ahead of its competitor’s. Developing a competitive advantage can be a tedious task and involves implementing loads of different strategies across all departments to make your business stand out from the crowd. Training and development can play a big role in making a real difference to your competitive advantage. By making sure that employees are constantly progressing, the company automatically gains more value and continues to move forward with a strong position in the market. Creativity is a byproduct of exposure to various methodologies.

2. Ensures employee satisfaction & retention

Investing time and money in employees makes them feel more valued, leading to a positive relationship between company and employee. It is essential to keep employees engaged at work. Higher retention rates and less attrition is crucial for the success of your business. All this can happen with a good training and development plan to keep the employees motivated. Besides, the cost of retaining existing employees is much less than replacing them. Traditionally, learning focused solely on improving productivity. Today, learning also contributes to employability. Over the past several decades, employment has shifted from staying with the same company for a lifetime to a model where workers are being retained only as long as they can add value to a business. So if you’re showing your employees that you want them to grow with the business – they will be more likely and willing to stay for the long haul.

3. More internal promotion opportunities

Growing employees organically can be a huge long term advantage. This also reduces unnecessary hiring costs and gives employees opportunity growth in skills-knowledge and attributes. Another advantage of internal promotions is that unlike new employees, your existing employees have better insights about the business as well as having the required skills for the new role. They are people who you have already built trust with and they already know how the company operates. So it’s a win-win for your business recruitment funds and development plans.

4. Increases productivity

It is no surprise that training and development naturally leads to more productivity in the workplace. By making sure that necessary training is given to employees to improve their skills, the company is, in turn, ensuring a higher productivity rate. Well-trained employees show both quality and quantity in performance – leading to less wastage of time, resources and money. Engaging your employees is another key way to increase productivity in your business.

5. Attracts the best employees

Every company wants the best employees for a greater chance of success and innovation. And what’s the best way to attract top talent? Training and development.

To attract new talent to the business you want to make sure that candidates are fully aware of any training and development plans you have set up – since it is a key feature people usually look for during their job search. Your employer brand can showcase this. What’s employer brand you ask? Training incentives create a positive image for the company and this has an impact on potential candidates for a future job vacancy. So if you want the best people in your business, you need to show them that you care about their progression before they’ve even started their job. 

6. Tech Leverage in Learning

Investing in the latest technologies is essential for business growth. Technology is constantly evolving and companies need to ensure that employees are using the latest technology at its full potential. If applied correctly, it can increase revenue and significantly reduce costs. Online learning has taken a new high during pandemic and is the need of the hour for every organization. Thus it is critical to have blended approach even while setting up the LMS. In recent times people are more comfortable learning by doing and in self paced modules; thus design of learning solutions plays a major role in learning outcomes.

7. Proactive Learning Culture

It is essential to make sure that your employees are up-to-date with any industry changes or developments. Ongoing training can help you do this. This kind of training helps your entire workforce stay aware of what’s happening in the industry around them, therefore keeping you one step ahead of your competitors at all times. So instead of having a workforce full of employees who are stressed and constantly playing catch up with your competitors, you can have a proactive approach to learning architecture. This also gives you an edge in the domain you are operating.

Your TAKE…

How often do you prioritize learning strategies ? What is the culture of your organization in terms of new programs? Are your leaders sharing their learnings with the team? Is your performance management system encouraging learning and collaboration rather than cut throat competition…carrot & stick? Are you evaluating your competency mapping a live document updated from time to time based on client feedback, competition and industry futuristics…Look forward to hear from you.

Every person desires to be a hero yet they fall short of the devotion -deliberation, contribution, and self-less performance irrespective of their appraisal outcomes. Most often we are motivated more by our accomplishments, than the good that we could do as a humanitarian.
Recently met some professionals who work to enhance their standing, conscience and not to make appraisal targets matter at the cost of their client’s welfare. In a report-card-driven life, we barely realize true honor is how we impact our fellow beings through our services -skills -soul connect.
We live in a world where everyone is trying to be superior and one notch up!! Our efforts, mostly focused on proving how smart we are than others around us, rarely do we realize that we all are equally blessed, and how we play our blessings and feel about the same determines how we feel about life. Comparison to feel superior is a transient phase and doesn’t last long, life is deeper than celebrating your report card.
Nonetheless, a hero is that protagonist who goes beyond personal gain to create a larger impact in the lives of others!!! Hands-on professionals who can bring change and smile to every situation are true heroes. During pandemic times the covid warriors in every walk of life have played the role of true heroes. As we continue with many more viruses and dangers around us, these heroes silently protect us and keep building an environment of trust and faith.

Most of these heroes silently deliver and are like the much needed fresh air that effortlessly purifies our surroundings… What kind of education-exposure-experience creates them is still a mystery!!

Have you met heroes who can transform your life…? How do you think that has changed your life? What do you think is more important report card or how someone passionately delivers their responsibility with true honesty? Look forward to hearing more about this in the weeks to come…

‘Work less and be productive’ is an all-time dream that everyone has yet handful achieve. Most people are caught in the web of stress and overthinking when it comes to productivity -performance and purposeful life. It’s ironic that even with tech advancement, AI, ML, etc we are still struggling to have a better lifestyle. Caught between work and growth most people find it a luxury to sit back and relax…

6 Ways to stay calm and get things done, without being stressed -rushed or having an over-competitive approach towards life. But if you find yourself feeling stressed or detached from the present moment—if you sense life is running too fast, if you are impatient to get more—the following may be helpful.

1. Slow down your lifestyle -It’s a tough one to achieve especially when you have a value, that multitasking and speeding is the only way to thrive. You can start by eating slowly identifying every flavor and enjoying every bite. This will not only teach you mindfulness, this also is connecting with a self-healing process.
2. Practice MA, a Japanese concept -The Japanese have a word (ma) for an interval that gives shape to the whole. An everyday example of Ma can be seen in the respectful Japanese bow. People make a deliberate pause at the end of a bow before they come back up – the reason being, to ensure there is enough ‘Ma’ to convey the feeling. Another example would be the silent pause in the conversation. Likewise, you can have intervals in your day for optimal brain function and also live every moment.
3. Say NO -Often we think of saying Yes to opportunities, interactions, adventures, etc even when we want to say ‘No’ to it. However ‘saying no’ can allow you to be who you really are or even live by your values – beliefs and grow at your own pace without the pressure and force of countless opinions.
4. Enjoy Your own company at least for 30minutes every day -As Swami Vivekananda says ‘”Talk to yourself once a day, otherwise you may miss meeting an intelligent person in this world.” We are so busy talking and thinking of others that we barely think of having an internal dialogue and enjoying our own company.
5. DayDream for a while after Waking up Most often we reach out to our mobile or laptop and start checking emails as soon as out of bed…Or look at our to-do list for the say. Instead, starting the day taking five or ten minutes to just lay with your thoughts allows you to ease into your day without such a sense of urgency, and in a confident mindset.
6. Prioritize being Happy & follow your instincts of action -Very often we take pride in the struggle -hard work and efforts…however, if you are working too hard you are in the wrong role or job or business. Nature has blessed all of us with some talents, finding that and living by it can be the most rewarding way of being productive.

What is your best way to be productive? How often do you feel that you don’t feel like doing something and then you push yourself…? Do share your thoughts and methods with us. A book that is a must read for this is Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life