Five Ways To Deal With Ambiguity At Work

WITH TIME, EXECUTIVES learn to deal uncertainty – whether in the markets or the workplace, but dealing with its close cousin, ambiguity, is a different ball game. Ambiguity makes employees work in circumstances where there is no clear goal, outcome or path. For some, it is the best time to innovate since there is nothing to lose, while for others, there are a host of tools to deal with the unknown. There are, of course, those for whom vagueness is a part of work life. Devina Sengupta suggests ways to deal with the phenomenon.

Think of All Scenarios When clients are unsure of what they want, it’s a tough call for entrepreneurs — there isn’t much left for them to work with. Happy Hands, a voluntary organisation, is familiar with such a situation. Companies often say they want workshops but do not know on what or are unaware of how much they want to spend, which leaves Happy Hands with no blueprint. "We think of many directions the project can go into and then work on a Plan A, B or C," says director Medhavi Gandhi. 

Invest in the Best Instead of waiting for the client to come up with solutions, Bangalorebased IT firm Wipro went through material on ways to deal with ambiguity. It customised some tools and trained the top brass on how to leverage the situation when there is no clarity. The teams were made to increase their risk appetite and selfconfidence and use the customised tools, keeping in mind that one of them will lead to the result.
Look for Similarities Alook at precedents and drawing parallels can assist senior employees to work with ambiguity, says E Balaji, CEO of Mafoi-Randstad. For him, the top brass often don’t have their KRAs clear unlike those in the lower order, who know exactly what is expected of them. Learning from similar experiences can help. If the experience is new, then discussions with other heads who could pitch in will help the executive to get over foggy conditions.
Take a Leap of Faith Innovation thrives best when there is ambiguity. The downturn saw many companies increasing their R&D spends and encouraging innovation in all spheres. Since it became difficult to predict what might happen in a few months, companies used different methods to try and reach out to more consumers with innovation.
Get the Team Together Team huddles, where everyone, irrespective of experience, can be asked to study the scenario and come up with permutations and combinations can not only yield solutions, but also enhance team spirit. It makes those at junior level believe that they too are a part of the larger picture.

Five Ways To Manage a Job High on Travel

A TRAVEL-INTENSIVE job has its own excitement, but it can be hectic and demanding. Writankar Mukherjee spoke to a cross-section of experts to seek suggestions on how to manage a job that requires frequent travelling. 

Prioritise Work It is important for a professional to prioritise work, since all work may not require travel and all travel may not be as productive. Unnecessary travel without much productivity can impact performance. Says GlobalHunt India director Sunil Goel: "If there is work that can be done without travel, it is better to avoid such travel. It will help to optimise the travelling need and also improve work-life balance." 

Plan in Advance Professionals at times change jobs when their travel requirement becomes much more than anticipated and starts to affect their personal life. Headhunters say in such cases, it is best to create time schedule and cut down on unnecessary work. "Executives can club journey to various cities in one visit which can cut down flying time. They need to plan their travel schedule a few days in advance," says James Agrawal, director and business head (India) at BTI Consultants, a part of Kelly Services.

Build Routine Building a routine around travelling can help to bring some method in the madness. For instance, if one needs to travel to a certain place frequently, one can build a routine around it. For instance, reaching at night may help in planning the next day. Says Ma Foi Randstad MD & CEO E. Balaji: "Build a pattern around your travel. Avoid early morning flights and rather reach the place the night before. Some routine during travel helps."  

Travel Preparation Some pre-travel preparation also helps to manage work pressure. This includes setting an ‘out-of-office’ reply in your email and giving out the contact details of another pointsperson in the team. Also, try to give charge to someone else in your absence, who would then by default handle a lot of your work pressure.

Manage Stress Travel can be quite stressful. It is vital to catch up on sleep while travelling since a lot of people tend to be sleep-deprived when travelling. It also helps to continue an exercise regime during travelling. Equally important is to take food on time. And, of course, make travel schedules in a way that there are few days or ideally a week’s gap between each travel. "The best is to start travel early in the week and return by the weekend so that there is time for the family. Spending time with family can help to de-stress," says Angel Broking senior VP (HR) Dhruv Desai.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 06-09-2011)

Five Ways To Leverage Humility as Team Leader

Ishita Mishra, an engineer in a Pune-based information technology company, has recently resigned from her job of five years, as have three of her team mates. Life at work had become tough for them. An indifferent and arrogant boss led to a high performing team becoming mediocre. Lack of humility can hurt employees and organisation alike. There are ways to foster humility. Shreya Biswas finds out how.

Be Yourself At All Times When you are not humble, you are putting up an act and creating an artificial cover for yourself. Communication breaks down, and you tend to micromanage. "The ability to connect freely with peers and team mates gets impacted, which is one of the crucial aspects of handling a team. The lack of effective communication will lead to anything but good performance," says K Sudarshan, managing partner, EMA Partners International, India.

Keep a Humane Approach Being humble does not mean allowing yourself to be taken for a ride. It is about being humane in dealing with others, understanding their perspective but being firm on issues, supporting the right things and taking the right decisions. “You should never come across as an easy target for getting things done. It's a state where you are mature, open-minded, recognise your limitations and recognise others' strength to complement yours," says NS Rajan, partner and global practice leader, people and organization, Ernst & Young.

Lead by Example If you want your peers and team mates to be humble, show them how to be so. Appreciate others' talent and skills, and give them credit. Acknowledge your shortcomings, and never shy away from learning what you don't know. Help people whenever they need you. Your subordinates will appreciate this, and stand behind you whenever you need them to. This will strengthen team spirit and improve performance too. 

Let the Ideas Flow Don't believe what they say about how an arrogant person is feared and respected; the opposite is true. Humility always raises your stature. When you accept your shortcomings, you embrace knowledge. You take the best from others. A halfempty pot allows for a free flow of thoughts and wisdom. And that is the hallmark of great leaders and personalities.

Get Real, Times Change The arrogance comes from power, and the importance due to influence. But situations always change. There might be employees or co-workers who you put down because of your sense of superiority today. Tables might just turn, and the people who you thought were lesser in influence, power or position could dictate terms to you. "It's an important lesson for all individuals, whether at work or in personal life. Always behave keeping in mind that times change," says Sudarshan.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 30-08-2011)