Continuing To Foster Creative And Innovative Thinking Within My Organization:
In my experience, creative and Innovative thinking means
taking risks! So, while a Start Up is driven by future trends and an ability to
pivot their business model based on the circumstances, a large organization
gets more conservative in taking risks. They stick to their business unit
success model and start calculating every decision based on historical
performance and future predictions, which dampens inspiration.
The culture of the company is dependent on senior managements
perceptions of positive and negative factors, and is sometimes caught up
between the realms of unconscious bias. Therefore, a leader must drive cultural
change which fosters an environment that encourages strategic thinking and
information sharing. These two factors create a critical core competency that
forms the basis of innovation.
Whenever I am consulting with Large Organizations, I make sure
that the senior managers reinforce programs that effectively help them build
the social & human capital. For example, developing programs that promote
work-life balance, paid time off for volunteer work, redistributing workloads
when necessary and considering bringing in temporary professionals during peak
demands to keep everyone fresh and focused. Aligning with this, I closely work
with the leadership team to lead by example, be the model for the entire team
by thinking creatively within their own work, and rolling it out (online /
offline) as an example to inspire teams.
The Biggest Obstacles And Barriers That I Had To Go Through In Order
To Find My Success:
A. That particular afternoon in May 2016 is etched in my mind,
when I received the call to host the Rio Olympics LIVE for Star Sports. It was
my birthday week & I was vacationing in Goa where the network was sketchy.
I am probably the only female Anchor in India who has hosted Olympics twice for
national television channels, so receiving this opportunity was a big win and a
validation of my personal brand & achievements.
After a lot of rigmarole and preparations, the project graced
me. Some of the biggest obstacles and barriers involved lack of sleep (since I
was working round the clock while taking care of my business commitments as
well) building content (not just for my own script but also for my guest
speaker) and memorizing all statistics and data as well! While I would be in
the studio for 8 hours, behind the scenes work was consuming easily 12 hours.
It was a big ask on my mind, body and soul. Indeed, one ought to be physically
tough and mentally robust to uptake such a challenging task and yes, It was an
extremely gratifying experience!
On Developing The Passion & Skill For Public Speaking And Being
Able To Sustain And Create A Relationship Between Me And The Audience By Keeping
Them Engaged:
A. My parents have been a huge influence in honing my
skills of Public Speaking, right from my childhood. My mother would push me
towards participating in elocutions, debates, declamations and extempore
speeches [I hated her back then for being so pushy, but can’t thank her enough
today ????] Hailing from a defense background, my Dad would encourage me
to indulge in small talk with Generals and other officers at various Armed
forces events and ceremonies. This consistent practice eradicated my stage
fright in a very young age and enhanced my confidence.
Acquiring this Skill, became a big differentiator for me at
College & even at the Miss India Pageant. Wherever I went, it gave me an
edge over others and helped me have ice breaker conversations with ease. It was
through Corporate Events [where I got recognized as an MC Master of Ceremonies]
that I was able to develop this skill even further. I learnt by experience how
to sustain and engage the audiences with Elan and panache. And I backed it all
up with studying the science of Kinesics & Proxemics. Of course today I
share these secrets in my Master classes but certainly I’ve learnt it the hard
way.
The Biggest Challenges That I See Leaders Facing Today And How Can
They Overcome These Obstacles:
A. Digital disruption has blurred the lines between the
online and offline worlds and leaders today are struggling with new age
challenges indeed. One of the biggest challenges that they face is lack of
relevant skills such as time - management, connected thinking, decision-making,
public speaking etc... They also find it difficult to create a digital legacy, which
alone is responsible for inspiring 95% of our young workforce.
In my opinion, there’s only one way to overcome these obstacles
and that is to keep your learning curve alive and focusing not just on
Employees development programs but also finding a befitting coach & mentor
to Guide Change. Many leaders get caught up with their titles or online fame,
thereby leaving their leadership & organizational culture in a flux. To
manage, mobilize and lead change, one needs to be open to inputs &
learning.
Creating A Coaching Model That Influences, Develops And Enhances
Others To Grow And Generate Positive Driven Results:
A. As a Leadership Coach in the Indian Corporate Landscape,
I've observed that mostly I am able to base my approach in the GROW model. The
model was originally developed in the 1980s by business coaches Graham Alexander,
Alan Fine, and Sir John Whitmore. In its traditional application, the GROW
Model assumes that the coach is not an expert in the client situation - This
means that the coach must act as a facilitator, helping the client select the
best options, and not offering advice or direction.
GROW stands for:
Goal.
Current Reality.
Options (or Obstacles).
Will (or Way Forward).
A good way of thinking about the GROW Model is to think about
how you plan a journey. First, you decide where you are going (the goal), and
establish where you currently are (your current reality). You then explore
various routes (the options) to your destination. In the final step,
establishing the will, you ensure that you are committed to making the journey,
and are prepared for the obstacles that you could meet on the way.
On Developing A Business Model Resilient Enough To Recover From The
Impact Of The Current Crisis And Be Future Ready For Potential Crises In Times To
Come:
A. Setting up a reliable crisis management process should
be a top priority for every organization. Ensuring that the organization is
aware and understands the crisis response procedures has become the need of the
hour. Developing a resilient business model is equally important as updating
the company's strategy for managing potential crises in the future. My top 5
insights are as follows.
1. Evaluating the impact
The work-from-home policy was a choice before this lockdown
happened, but now it's a compulsion. All traditional & modern businesses
will have to learn to do business virtually now. This implies a huge shift
towards the internet, where mainly social media and e-commerce are booming. It
will become more important than ever to put the correct customer touch points
in place. Studies have shown that there has been a decrease in conversion rates
by about 21%. The main reason is that consumers are more hesitant to convert
during uncertain times. Therefore, mapping out the impact on your bottom line
will have to be your top priority. Analyzing the data in entirety will help you
secure a position to cope with any business crisis.
2. Re-defining your marketing focus
There isa shift from push marketing (pushing your products
towards an audience you find relevant) towards pull marketing (drawing
consumers to your product when they show interest). Assess the practical
purpose of your marketing efforts and ask the right questions. If necessary,
pause your digital advertising and then learn new ways to influence your
customer. In most cases I expect the evaluation phase to last longer, which
means that consumers might postpone their purchase due to uncertainty. This
change in consumer behavior could be perceived as a threat, but when treated
correctly, it can be turned into an opportunity.
Try to keep communicating with your potential customers. You
can, for instance, send them more updates via e-mail, post more frequently on
social media or put a news update on your homepage. Send out an update to your
customers when a product is back in stock. Request customers to follow you on
Facebook or Instagram, where you can also give them the latest updates on
products or new services. Keep in touch with consumers who have shown
interesting your product or service. Communicate with people who have, engaged
with you on social media.
3. Automating Communication
Establish an information mechanism, which will allow for the
gathering of accurate and up to date information from trusted sources and
cascading it to all business functions concerned, thus minimizing the risk of
misinformation. Ensure a systematic, transparent and positive communication
with employees, clients, suppliers and all those that directly or indirectly
depend on or are affected by the company. This is an essential step towards
building the highest possible level of confidence and trust amongst all
stakeholders.
4. Setting Up the right team
Building a crisis management team of key-decision makers not
limited only to the company’s leadership but also including representatives
from at least the strategy, operations, HR, communications and corporate
affairs functions. This team should be empowered to make and implement decisions
quickly while engaging with the employees. Making them feel safe & secure
should be a top priority.
5. Creating a stronger digital presence
Be prepared for any business crisis by having a strong presence
not just in the offline world but also in the online space. Use this extra time
as efficiently as possible and adapt to your virtual space of work by carving
inspirational corporate films, joining forums, engaging with employees and
creating your own web series. Along with this re-write content with the right
tone-of-voice on your website, improve your website, enhance your website,
follow some interesting e-learnings or webinars about online marketing topics,
tools and trends, clean-up your tracking and analytics data and take the time
to automate that reporting which you’re currently updating manually on a weekly
basis.
The Mentor That Helped Me Overcome Difficulties And Pushed Me Into
Becoming A Successful Leader/Person:
A. I think in my life, the best mentors have been the naysayers and the people who have challenged me emotionally, physically and professionally. In every adverse situation, I have explored new skills and learnt new facets about myself. We all have ugly experiences and I feel that it is those people who deserve the tag of best mentors in life.
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