Five Ways To Fit the Role of People Manager

Managing people for the first time, post-appraisals, ties most people in knots. Mahima Puri suggests how you can pass the test.

 
1. Learn to Delegate Most first-time managers make a few fundamental mistakes, such as of not being able to delegate the work effectively. “Being successful as a leader does not mean doing everything yourself, but how effectively you get the work done from others,” says Mohinish Sinha, leadership and talent head, Hay Group.  

2 Set Clear Roles Each member of the team should be clear about his or her role and responsibility in the team. “A first time manager could make sure the he meets the team regularly. This will help clear the confusion,” says Gagan Adlakha, partner at HR consulting firm Vyaktitva.  

3 Know your Team A good manager should always get to know his team members better. “Each team member would have different aspirations. A good people manager should work towards creating opportunities for his team, in sync with their desires,” says Sinha.  

4 Listen Well Receiving and giving feedback are both important. “Instead of showing off his knowledge and preaching, a good manager tries to blend in well with the team,” says A Sudhakar, ED — HR, Dabur India.  

5 Work on Yourself A first-time manager needs to work on his or her weaknesses, to begin with. “One has to consciously adapt to being a manager and develop their own leadership style,” says Sudhakar. “They need to address issues over a period of time,” adds Sinha.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 274-03-2012)

Five Ways To Reinvent a Stagnant Career

YOUR ONCE-THRIVING CAREER has hit a roadblock . Well, you’re not alone. But with the right moves, it can be overcome. Sreeradha D Basu suggests how.

1 Look Within Any reinvention requires reflection. “The fact that your career is stagnant means you’re not doing all that you can do or could have done,” says Ronesh Puri, MD of Executive Access. 

2 Create New Flows It’s important to create new inflows and outflows, says Milind Sarwate, group CFO & CHRO, Marico. Inflows are capabilities that could be leveraged by the organisation. Outflows are roles that should no longer be played. 

3 Learn to Unlearn “Many times, the changing environment makes our old strengths irrelevant. However, we keep playing to them. This drains energy, while not creating value for the individual or the organisation,” says Sarwate. 

4  Analyse Competition It’s important to know what others are doing right. And judge where you may be going wrong. “There was a time when my career was completely stagnant. I studied the performers, played to my strengths, did things differently. It took time but I was back in the game,” says banking executive S Lahiri. 

5 Get a Mentor Identify someone experienced and reliable outside the organisation who you can trust. “It should be someone who can help you focus, discipline you and show you the way,” says Puri of Executive Access.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 23-03-2012)

Five Ways To Stand Out During Probation

The first few months in a new job – the probation period — are the most critical. One needs to make an impression on the boss as well as on teammates and colleagues. Writankar Mukherjee shows you how you can pull it off. 

Honour Deadlines Deliver projects and assignments on time, even if you have to work extra. Also, try not to take leave, unless it’s a necessity. Try to maintain your enthusiasm throughout.

Create an Impression Strictly follow the office dress code. "Also, choose your words carefully since it will, along with your attire, say a lot about you and your background," says image consultant Reshmi Jain. 

Avoid Politics Be cordial with everyone, and avoid going out with colleagues who are into office politics. Keep an ear on the grapevine, but as a rule, do not contribute to it.

Understand the Culture "Continue in-depth research on the company after you join. Also, do not pick out shortcomings or make recommendations. Instead, talk to the boss on areas of engagement,” says GlobalHunt director Sunil Goel. 

Learn to Listen Make a conscious effort to listen, more than to talk. “One can address the new associate by name once or twice to establish a more personal and positive professional relationship," adds Ma Foi Randstad MD & CEO, E Balaji.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 20-03-2012)

Five Ways To Deal with an Authoritarian Supervisor

YOU LOVE THE JOB you’re doing, but dread going to work every day. After all, there isn’t much value attached to your views or methods of working: your boss makes it very clear that it’s his or her way or the highway. There’s no point in trying to talk to such bosses either: as far as they’re concerned, communication is a one-way street. And they always know best. You have frequent thoughts of quitting, but the work is good, and so’s the pay. You needn’t give up hope — you can manage the authoritarian boss and even learn a few things along the way, says Anand Altekar. 

 

1 Establish your Credibility Earn respect. Stay focused at all times. Do not beat around the bush while making a point. “This will result in your boss trusting you more. Stand up to the boss, politely but firmly. If you are convinced that your boss will not listen to you, find someone he or she is willing to listen to,” says Anupam Sirbhaiya, regional director India, Center for Creative Leadership. 

2 Build a Relationship Everyone values relationships and this does not change in a professional environment. Focus on building a long-term relationship with your boss. “There are simple things that you shouldn’ forget. In a situation where the solution has multiple alternatives, always consider your bosses’ alternative. Make sure you do not reject authority. Do not oppose the boss in a public setting, do it in person if you have to,” adds Anupam. 

3 Adapt to your Boss’s Style Remember, your boss deals with different people differently. “Every boss has a different style. Authoritarian with some and communicative with others. Know where you fit. Work so that you enable this style to change. Give regular feedback even if it is met with a negative reaction from your boss. You will realise that it is sur prisingly easy to get into the inner circle of an authoritarian boss,” says Ravi Saxena, founder and CEO, MISB Bocconi. 

4 Learn from your Leader “When I was starting my career, my boss made me do things in a specific manner. Looking back, I think I wasn’t mature enough to appreciate what he was trying to do,” says Alap Mehra, deputy manager actuarial, Bajaj Allianz. Your boss has reached a certain level because he or she has done some good things. Keep your eyes open and learn from them. “Authoritarian bosses can sometimes be insecure. When you follow their methods and achieve success, let them know. Your boss is a person at the end and will appreciate it, which in turn will improve the communication. But make sure you don’t follow blindly,” adds Saxena. 

5 Stand your Ground Even after trying everything, your boss is probably still being unacceptably authoritarian. But don’t quit just yet. “Bosses come and bosses go. Keep your eyes on your career and not your boss. If the boss is going wrong, then the management will notice it quicker than they notice your mistakes and appropriate action will be taken,” says Ravi.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 07-02-2012)

Five Ways To Deal With Malicious Gossip

Often, harmless gossip at work turns not-so-harmless, when people start saying unpleasant things about a colleague or the boss. Ignore them at your peril, says Vikas Kumar 

 

1 Build Trust “Create a culture of loyalty to the person who is absent, as Stephen Covey suggests,” says Virendra Singh, executive director, HR at RJ Corp. In other words, discourage people from speaking unfavourably about others in their absence. 

2 Ignore Gossip “We tend to over-dramatise things; it’s human tendency,” says Singh. If it’s minor, ignore it. But if it appears malicious, act swiftly. “Have a discussion, confront the person but ensure no scene is created,” says Aparna Sharma, president, Noam Management Consulting. 

3 Act Decisively “As a supervisor, I will try and understand where this is coming from, and say, ‘Let’s come to the point — what happened and what can we do about it?’ ,” says Sharma. There’s a fine line between being an agony aunt and a patient listener. “Don’t offer a shoulder to cry on,” she says. 

4 Professionalise “Keep your organisation’s performance assessment and career progression systems transparent,” says Sharma. That way the incentive to criticise people on unverified and flimsy grounds goes down. 

5 De-Control Though it could happen anywhere, Sharma insists promoter-led businesses tend to be a breeding ground for such behaviour. “The CEO should stop being a power centre, and bring in processes in place as far as performance, career and work decisions are concerned. People are then less inclined to bad mouth each other,” she says.

Five Ways To Crack the Whip When You Need To

THE NEW-AGE boss is expected to be the benevolent guide who will always back his team, hand-hold each member and push them to succeed by carefully eroding their faults. But there are times when he has to crack the whip. It may result in wrath and the boss’s popularity may dip for a while, but to hold the team in steadfast discipline is a propelling factor. There are ways a boss can rein in errant team members without causing unnecessary damage, says Devina Sengupta 

1 Be the Change Many managers call their team for a meeting and turn up late, washing away the relevance of the issue that was to be discussed, says R Elango, HR head of MphasiS. The team tends to mimic the ways of the manager, and this shows in their attitude in meetings and the work coming out of it. 

2 Leave out Ambiguity “When setting targets and key result areas, the boss will have to be very clear on what he expects from each one of them so there is no place for ambiguity, which results in indiscipline,” says Ronesh Puri, managing director of Delhi-based executive search firm, Executive Access. 

3 Reward and Punish A team head should know follow the reward and punish principle, says Elango. So if employees exceed the performance criteria but are indisciplined in their approach towards work and others during team tasks, then they should not be rewarded. Similarly, to ensure a balanced approach, an employee who may be disciplined but is not a performer should not be rewarded. 

4 Say it Loud and Clear An employee may not know he or she is not following the rules, and will continue if not checked. The first step, says Puri, is to talk to them and explain clearly that such behaviour will not be tolerated. The manager should find a reason behind such behaviour and if it continues, send a warning letter stating the consequences could impact their appraisal. If the employee still takes it lightly, the boss should go ahead with giving him or her a poor rating during review and mention why. 

5 Set Team Tasks The manager should get employees to work in as many team tasks as possible. This brings in a sense of responsibility, and they will know their performance will impact others’ grading as well. An indisciplined employee may not follow instructions to the team initially but will realise how his or her waywardness is leading to low scores, for which colleagues will hold them accountable. This often is a factor that pushes people to change their ways and work better.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 21-02-20012)

Five Ways To Conduct Informal Employee Checks

BACKGROUND AND reference checks have become the golden rule of hiring in large companies due to instances of fraud or inflated CVs, but come with heavy costs. Writankar Mukherjee shares how one can save through informal background checks 

 

1 Scan Social Networks Social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Orkut can be a happy hunting ground to find out about a candidate’s details. “Facebook and LinkedIn are two forums which give real feedback about a candidate, since the references they give will always hold them in good stead,” says HR firm Aspire Human Capital CEO Amit Bhatia. 

2 Use your Connections 

Try and leverage your own businessnetwork and contacts to find out more about a candidate. “The network will always give rational feedback on a candidate. One can also tap business contacts in the same company where the prospective candidate is currently employed to get as much details,” says Ma Foi Randstad MD & CEO E Balaji. 

3 Just Run a Search 

Sometimes, an internet search about a candidate can throw up information that can help you form an opinion about a candidate. This is more so for middle and senior managers. 

4 Check with Affiliates 

These days, several professionals are affiliated with professional organisations. “A call, email or visit to such affiliate organisations will provide details and help to verify qualifications and work experience,” says Reshmi Ghosh, an HR consultant. 

5 Devote Time 

HR experts suggest spending as much time on undertaking a background check as on interviewing a candidate. Balaji suggests that for senior management hiring, it is always better to undertake a thorough check through a professional agency. “Otherwise, the risks are greater,” he says.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 06-03-2012)