Vision & Values

I have often been posed this question by a variety of folks. Colleagues, Seniors, Team Members, Peers & even people I coach/ mentor offline time to time.

I thought a lot on it & decided to pen down my thoughts on the blog so that it helps everyone who wishes to understand this simply.  Vision in very simple terms would mean to “imagine the future in present even before it has happened for us”. Vision can be created by everyone from an individual to a leader to even an organization & a country as well.

Singapore for example is a perfect example of a Country with a Great Vision. The geographical size of Singapore FYI is lesser than the size of Today’s Expanded Mumbai city. They are a perfect example of a Country with a real solid vision for its citizens, its business associates & even the travellers & visitors.

Mind you, vision is also the reason that many very large organizations survived more than 100 years of business ups & downs & unlike so many other business behemoths who fell in one recession or the other, they actually beautifully grew even during the worst economic slowdowns & global recessions. 

Now before I expand on the above, let me first ask you a set of questions :-

What is your personal vision in life? Have you decided it yet? Many people I ask this question tell me “How would I know what I will be doing 5/ 10/ 15 years from now”?

I always state this line to them & I quote it here “Don’t worry; one day life will answer this question for you. People who don’t have a vision are merely passing their time. They have no clue where they want to go or reach. Such people will never rise above the ordinary.

Having a vision is like taking a life insurance for your career & personal life. It not only tells you in advance to decide what you want in life, career & finances. It also enables you to learn & grow according to the things you want in life. It also pushes you to work hard, take risks & be ready for everything”.

In short VISION means to see your dreams & final goals even before you have achieved them.

Every one of us can have a vision, irrespective of how small or big and junior or senior we are. Our Mind has the power to create & execute things while imagining them. It is so very powerful that you can’t even imagine what all you can do & see with it. We use only a small fraction of the actual capacity of our mind.

Globally the researches done on the capacity of brain have proven that the most successful people in the world are extremely competent at the ability to create a vision & then execute that vision themselves & with people whom they can inspire to share that vision. The best in business infact used their mind much more than the average people & that is why highly successful people are able to be spotted easily.

On the other hand, when we are young, our mind can be fickle several times. We do not really know what we really “really” want & we keep changing what we want. That is also the reason most of the time; we do not get what we wanted. It is because you never imagined what you wanted with that much power, passion & conviction.

Remember, you can only enjoy the taste of water when you are really “really” thirsty for it. Having a vision is like creating that thirst for things you want to do & achieve that in life every single time. If you do that, you will achieve your vision. Period!!!!

I must also insist that a Vision must always be positive. For example, even Osama Bin Laden had a very powerful vision but the problem was that it was a very wrong & a very negative vision. That is where values help.

Values are the scale you apply to decide whether what you want is “Right” or “Wrong”. Being young, the passion & energy as well as the desire to reach somewhere in life is very high but it doesn’t mean that you can even be corrupt to reach there.

Your values will determine whether you will land up on the top of a magazine cover or inside a jail. However, in today’s times values can also get tested. People can always throw mud at those they can’t touch. That is where your values & character comes to your rescue.

Even during difficult times, your vision & values will help you to stand the test of time & help you to stand your grounds.

People who have a great vision & a positive set of values are natural fighters. They don’t give up & they keep moving on & on. Nothing can stop them. They are on a self fuelled engine & when they get hit by roadblocks, they know how to rise above them.

Remember Vision can change, become bigger & grander & even expand but values must remain the same, no matter what happens to you. In short Vision can grow & expand & even change but values will always remain the same throughout your lifetime.

Lastly I wish to conclude by stating that in today’s times the only differentiation between great & mediocre is whether you have a vision & do you act with a set of values.

I wish you all life with a vision lead by demonstrating values. That is what you would need, that is what your companies too would need & that is what our dear country needs from all of us today.

Change Above Everything else &........................

I am going to share a dream for a new 2014 with you all today.

2014 must become the year of Passion, Performance & Loving Change. Especially Change of approach, style & thinking. CHANGE is here to stay & it will bother us more if we do not start loving it. Everyone loves to talk about CHANGE, till it does not impact them.

 

The moment change impacts us as individuals, we start reacting, complaining & finding faults. Learn to love change. It is the only thing that has survived & it is the only thing which remains the truth of life.

Within the times we are living in, I am expecting 2014 to bring a kind of change that is going to stare at our faces. The best of us will thrive, grow & get above the rest. Those of us who do not understand the need & are busy complaining can keep complaining because change will filter those who love it from the rest.

In the new world order, the best of us will thrive, grow & get above the rest. Those of us who do not understand the need & are busy complaining can keep complaining because change will filter those who love it from the rest.

When I was growing up, my first mentor in life (one of the Country’s Renowed HR Practitioner) taught me a lot of good things & he told me once that people who do not know when to change, can never grow because they are busy finding reasons - why they should not change?

He went on to state, not to take three things for granted – Our Job, Our Boss & Our Seat (Position & Role). I literally see this challenge in pockets of Corporate World of INDIA. We have grown to a phenomenally large size in the country today & we were not only a preferred business destination, we were also the preferred investment destination for the globe.

 

However, in 2014, we will not be able to sustain the past years of success & also find or promote talent from within if we do not change at the speed at which the world out there is changing as well.

 

I must reinforce here that when you look around the world & see the world’s best leaders, managers & professionals, you will find three skills common – Passion, Performance & Loving Change. These are the three things that have got all the best leaders ahead of the rest of the crowd in their lives.

Passion – It is the spirit & drive to keep becoming better & better. Fact is if you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.

 

Performance – It no longer is enough if you do you job well. Perhaps in 1950 you were called a TOP PERFORMER for doing your job well. Today that is mandatory & considered average performance. Performance simply stated means exceptional actions at exceptional speed with exceptional results.

Change – I remember in a workshop, a fellow participant said that I have worked for this company for 6 years & I am the best there & I am not happy with how the company treats me now. The Trainer replied – You are a frog in the well, jump outside & you will find there are thousand others much better than you & perhaps your company knows it too. Get real in life. Fact is “This is a new year. A new beginning. Things will change”. If any of us wants to be treated the best, we need to adapt & become the best & rise to the level where our company takes note that we are worthy of more. If we can’t change, perhaps there will not be many options too.

Change now. It is in our face, staring at us & telling us that 2013 will be soon dead & gone. Salute 2014 as the new year of passion, performance & change.

Here is to Loving Change!!!!

Cheers!!!!

Ashutosh..............................

 

 

What does Character mean today?

One of the things we don’t often talk about in LEADERSHIP Circles is “CHARACTER”.

We talk about ATTITUDE, BEHAVIOUR, ABILITY, TEAMWORK but we often forget where it all starts. Let me illustrate what a CHARACTER is all about.

When the eagles soar in the sky higher than any species, they show CHARACTER. Being BOUNDARYLESS is their CHARACTER. Let me state that CHARACTER can be a tool for reaching your PURPOSE of life. It can be your MESSIAH or your CURSE.

When we are born, we have nothing. While we live we act, we move & when we die we take nothing back. However people remember us not for anything else but our CHARACTER.

Character building starts from INFANCY & goes on until DEATH. CHARACTER does not need success to be built up. Infact the more tougher the circumstances, the more STRONGER can be the CHARACTER.

Under Adverse circumstances, some people break records & others break down. JFK said – “Mark of a Character is how well it behaves in Adverse Circumstances.”  Adversity reveals a person’s TRUE CHARACTER.

We don’t unfold or discover ourselves, we infact create & build ourselves into the kind of person we want to be. There is a RUSSIAN Saying a Hammer shatters glass but forges steel. Are we made of STEEL or GLASS? It is the same hammer. The hammer in this case can be our whole life.

CHARACTER – INDIVIDUAL FABRIC

CHARACTER takes shape in an individual’s life over years put together and it takes your parent’s guidance, your friends, your teachers to shape it up.

Character is the sum total of a person’s values, beliefs & personality. It is reflected in our behaviour & our actions. We demonstrate CHARACTER in everything we do or we don’t ever do. It is in every choice we make – RIGHT V/s WRONG.

Character is not absent when we decide the WRONG? It is infact a part of making that choice. Characters don’t have a religion or a caste or a creed unlike the way we decide in our SOCIETY nowadays.

We have so many labels, so many categories defined or un-defined, conscious or un-conscious. We have put these labels & associated them with a NEGATIVE/ POSITIVE CHARACTER based on highly subjective parameters of SOCIETY, which every individual gets affected with as well.

CHARACTER – RISING

There are CHARACTERS, which rise above everything. Infact, TRUE CHARACTERS rise above the SHACKLES of what forms our SOCIETY.

 

Still, I believe now, when we are in convenience & comfort, we can decide anything & everything, however, the real test of a man’s character is, where he stands in times of crisis & discomfort. Bapu did exactly what his CHARACTER was, whenever he was in CRISIS. He stood in Dis-Comfort when he could have chosen COMFORT & CONVENIENCE. The message is loud & clear; that an HONEST CHARACTER can determine the course of history even while it is in CREATION.

CHARACTER – INTEGRITY Vs SUCCESS or Both?

Today, people have started to resort to any means to getting work done. Somehow the philosophical bent has shifted from Being RIGHT to Being SUCCESSFUL. Being successful at what COST? That to me is a billion dollar question.

Honestly I believe to be a WINNER takes CHARACTER. George Washington said – “I hope I shall possess firmness & virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most valuable of all titles, - The character of an HONEST MAN”

If you go down the history of the most successful & the biggest individual failures you will see the pattern visibly coming up. We have Hitler, Mussolini, and Napoleon & Many of our own Royalty Rulers at one spectrum; Gandhi, Chanakya, Sardar Patel, Shivaji etc. on the other spectrum of facets of INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERS.

Both spectrums had strong CHARACTERS but both used it for different reasons & motives. Some of them deployed CHARACTER for an entire race i.e. their Nation & some of them for destroying an entire race i.e. the other Nation.

However do you know what really differentiated the Characters of these two spectrums of people?

Their INDIVIDUAL INTEGRITY; which we also knows as Personal ETHICS/ VALUES, was what they eventually used to make their INDIVIDUAL CHOICES.

Overall CHARACTER is a combination of INTERGRITY, EMPATHY, COURAGE, CONVICTION, LOYALTY and RESPECT.

The most important of all in Character is INTEGRITY. INTEGRITY infact in all of us relies on our own THOUGHTS & ACTIONS.  It is CHARACTER, which combines THOUGHTS with ACTION. A real test of Character therefore, is doing what's right when nobody's looking.

CHARACTER – CRITICISM

However there is another interesting facet which is a TEST of CHARACTER – We all know, that it is human for many people to love achievements & but hate/ envy ACHIEVERS.  Whenever one person rises to the top, there are plenty others who couldn’t reach there & they try to pull this person down by CRITICISM, CYNISISM & TACTICS.  Remember, the more you accomplish, the more you risk being criticized.

No one likes to be criticized but we learn & grow from honest criticism. Just as it takes CHARACTER not to be disheartened by CRITICS, it also takes CHARACTER to listen to CRITICS. It is very important to be able to distinguish honest criticism from jealously inspired criticism.

POSITIIVE CHARACTER instills confidence in SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE to ask for CRITICISM from those whose opinions they TRUST. They ask – How am I doing?

Remember, we can always fake ourselves in front of others by showing a different facet of our CHARACTER; you still can’t fake the person you see in the mirror.

CHARACTER – BEING SUCCESSFUL

You will seldom see a very SUCCESSFUL PERSON with no CHARACTER. Even the fact that you believe he/ she succeeded without CHARACTER, is wrong. Remember CHARACTER can be invisible to the naked eye and can be deeper than you can see into a person. 

However, more difficult than success itself is how we handle success. Many people know how to succeed but when they do so, they don’t know how to handle it & eventually they fail.

That is why comes one last facet in this piece i.e. ABILITY.  Your ABILITY will get you SUCCESS; but it is your CHARACTER which will keep you SUCCESSFUL.

Here's wishing you a life filled with Great Character. Amen!!!!

M&A (Role of HR) - 8. Successful Deals

With so many impending challenges & nuances, can there be successful M&A deals. Well, the answer is YES & NO.

We need to acknowledge the fact that most of the human resource strategies in mergers and acquisitions are reactive and descriptive, and only recently have tools been devised to proactively investigate and alleviate potential obstacles.

Moreover, most of the research examines cultural and human resource matters for a relatively short period, but they need to be studied on a long term basis.

However there is a way out & that is treating a M&A Activity like a project with no emotional baggage. Thus, the first thing you need to do is to develop the ‘HR’ Project Plan

A project plan would be this critical document that directs and supports the whole process of integration and should be continuously updated to include the latest developments. The project plan should define the tasks to be performed in order of their priority.

The owner for each task has to be identified and the responsibilities assigned. It is also important to note that the owner enjoys the authority to carry out the task successfully. Each task has to be given a due date of completion and the owner should keep track of the developments and record them.

There should be common forum for exchange of information among the different task owners. In all probability, these tasks would be interrelated and the success of the project depends on effective coordination among all the task owners.

The project plan should also take into consideration some unavoidable hurdles that may arise and provide for contingencies.

Stage 1:-
Ø Conducting thorough due diligence of all areas - I suggest it should always be done by an outsider.
Ø Cultural assessment - Again to be done by an outsider.
Ø Planning for combination which minimizes problems at a later stage - Specifically this is the stage of an open dialogue & hearing the un-heard so far & anything that you miss for discussions may create issues later on.
Ø Creating practices for learning and knowledge transfer - Again critical from the point of view of the importance to the organization.

Stage 2:-
Ø Communicating the benefits of merger/ acquisition
Ø Designing / implementing teams
Ø Creating the new structure strategies and leadership
Ø Retaining key employees
Ø Communicating to and involving the stake-holders
Ø Deciding on HR policies and practices
Ø Deciding on who stays and who goes
Ø Establishing a new culture, structure, and HR policies & practices

Stage 3: -
Ø Solidifying the leadership and staffing
Ø Assessing the new strategies and structure
Ø Assessing the new culture
Ø Assessing the new HR policies & practices
Ø Assessing the concerns of stakeholders
Ø Revising as needed
Ø Learning from the process
Ø The new entity must learn

Well even if you do all of the above, there is no guarantee for a 100% successful M&A. Reason is - people. They will make it or break it. HR can only try & ensure they educate, inform & train & execute the M&A project with a strong bent of openness & honesty.

M&A (Role of HR) - 7. Challenges of Indian Business Environment

There are some rather strong cultural aspects that Indians need to be adept with. Though I do believe, Indians are conceptually a sharper race & technically our acumen can outlast anyone.

I have reasons to say this. We are culturally adept with managing lack of resources (Financial, People, Methods, Machines) etc. better than others. However, we are bogged down by many traditions (good as well as bad ones), many value systems (rights & wrongs), likes & dis-likes (Strong & Not So Strong) and above all our Conditioning (Ability to Learn or Un-Learn) towards the un-known.

The cultural aspects that INDIANS need to be adept with specifically in domain of M&A would be divided into various areas both ways whether we MERGE or ACQUIRE or get MERGED or get ACQUIRED:-

A) BUILDING ON STRENGTHS & NOT APPEARANCES (A look good, feel good deal might not really be a “SOUND” deal)
B) FLEXIBILITY (Be ready to understand somethings the way you have never wanted or have always avoided to)
C) OPENNESS TO CHANGE (Any M&A Deal calls for this & you can’t avoid it)
D) OVERCOMING FEAR OF UN-KNOWN (Backward or Forward Integration for LONG TERM Sustenance & Growth)
E) Look for LONG TERM & do not focus on SHORT TERM gains (First decide whether the deal is a solution to overcome our existing challenges or an opportunity to create WEALTH in all aspects – PEOPLE, FINANCIAL, STRATEGIC & BUSINESS)
F) We are culturally not very good WIN-WIN Managers. We like to compete in everything but in such deals we can’t be the WINNERS if someone is losing. The actual issues will show up sooner or later. We need to look beyond the routine style of thinking & look for a Mutually Beneficial deal.

M&A (Role of HR) - 6. Cross Border M&A situations

Cases of cross-border deals or M&As of different geographical areas are really tricky affairs as organizational culture and the national culture become two important factors in determining the feasibility of integration.

For example, the organizational culture of company A might be very open and transparent with free flow of communication in all directions. People enjoy their freedom of working in an informal and friendly atmosphere. On the other hand, company B might be known for its stringent policies, systems and strict regulations with marked hierarchies. People in this company are used to work in a bound and regulated environment.

A blind eye to these differences would render any M&A deal between these two companies, disastrous.

Similarly, when it comes to cross-border mergers and acquisitions, care should be taken to see that the national cultures of the two companies are not drastically different. A past M&A study identified a set of cultural attributes that define and differentiate cultures.

They can be studied under Uncertainty Avoidance, Power Distance, Individualism Vs Collectivism, Future Orientation and Gender Differentiation.

For example, a country like Sweden, which is ranked high on uncertainty avoidance, would prefer a structured and orderly work environment.

On the other hand, a country like Russia, which is ranked low on the same attribute would thrive under uncertainty.

If a company from Sweden, characterized by orderliness merges with a company from Russia characterized by uncertainty, it can lead to chaos and confusion. Therefore, a complete feasibility study on the human resources front is important while going for a merger or acquisition.

However, inspite of all best precautions there can be major disparities in culture that need to be bridged. We need to understand that culture is the pattern of norms, values, beliefs and attitudes that influence individuals’ and groups’ behavior within the organization. In short, culture is “the way we do things.”

Culture, therefore, is not an independent variable and it equates with business and supports the strategies. It aligns with the organization’s goals and influences the work groups in such a way as to align their personal and professional values and beliefs to enhance themselves and the organization, too.

Cross-cultural differences or issues are one of the most important challenges which globalization has brought to the world of business. Understanding how cultural factors can make or break a deal across borders is the most significant question, which arises before making any deal.

Knowing the ‘do’s and don’ts’ and a proper understanding of cultural values of other countries and organizations are the keys to the success of these deals. Creating a cohesive culture from two distinct entities is a challenge.

Apart from that, how competent these organizations are to deal with cultural differences is the key challenge in this global, competitive world. Today’s business environment M&As have to look into cultural issues seriously, as they do the financial ones.

In view of the importance of the above aspect, we need to focus on the impact of culture and the existing cultural issues faced by the organizations entering the deals.

M&A (Role of HR) - 5. Reaching Out to People

Every company needs to reach out to its people & the role of HR when it comes to sensitizing and familiarizing people is of paramount importance here wr.t. clear 3 steps to work this out –

A.) REACH OUT TO PEOPLE - COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE. A clear, transparent, logical, precise & simple but illustrative “PERSONAL” communication is the only key in such cases. HR shouldn’t make the mistake of shooting mails on the subject. The magic of one to one or one to many dialogue can never be reduced by technology.

Creating Listening Posts, Conduct Employee Forums where everything & anything under the sun can be asked by the people (especially the ones getting impacted or likely to be impacted or presumed to be impacted). Town Halls, Social Gatherings to share with people the future plans.

B.) STATE THE FACTS (In Person) – Face it. You need to acknowledge things might just change now. Rather than letting people over-assume & fantasize, mostly resulting in a loss of productivity & efficiency, we must be open. Don’t hide what is in store w.r.t. these factors that are concerning any employee in general at any level.

If you don’t share it the steam from RUMOURS & GOSSIP might make the environment in trasit too filled with un-necessary smog. It is critical to clearly state what is going to happen sooner or later. Hiding these things wouldn’t help. Infact we must prepare people to embrace & acknowledge the new dimensions. Whose job level will grow (promote), whose job will increase (enlarge), whose job might not be needed (separations) must be shared in person with those concerned with the same.

C.) Share the Future Goals & Vision of the Merged/ Acquired Setup as quickly as possible so that the rumor mills don’t work overtime. Changes or Restructuring in LEADERSHIP, REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS should be prepared parallely before the formal setup changes are ready to be announced. The employees worth retaining must be taken in confidence & made abreast on all developments & how positive it will prove to be for them in future.