Soon after Roger Federer's historic collapse, the hysteria began. The beginning of the end. His last great chance to win Wimbledon. Yep, just more hyperbolic moments in the life of the "Slam King". 


This is nothing new, of course. With every win, the rhetoric revolves around Federer's rejuvenation. With every loss, panic overcomes his legion of fanatics. Has there ever been a player whose entire future is redefined over and over by a single match?


Federer has bestowed us with too many lasting images to remember. But perhaps it's now time for him to give back. Yes, the scrutinized Swiss owes Novak Djokovic a heartfelt thank-you letter.

Because the newly minted world No. 1 might very well play the primary role in deciding which player, Federer or Rafael Nadal, ends his career with more majors. Djokovic, as we've all witnessed in awe for months, is heads above the rest in this new paradigm of all-court command. His ability to turn defense into offense and then produce remarkable shot-making is slowing down Nadal's quest to catch Federer in the Slam department.

The next two or three years are imperative for Nadal. The rate at which he is catching Federer has been alarming. Nadal, who trails Federer by six majors (16-10), is four years younger than his rival -- a world of difference in the life of a tennis player. With Nadal's mastery of Federer through the years, it appeared only health concerns would slow down Nadal from unseating Federer as the all-time best. Now, Nadal has his own nemesis to contend with. And if this season is any kind of indication, Federer will remain perched atop the pantheon of greatness a lot longer than we thought months ago. Maybe even permanently.

Every Djokovic major is one fewer for Nadal, which, of course, means the somewhat comfortable gap at the moment will remain intact.

Nothing is a foregone conclusion, though. The success of even the best tennis players is more fleeting than that of athletes in many other sports. Federer and Nadal are a rare breed who are innately motivated to win over long periods of time but also adroit enough to adapt to new challenges, even if just subtle at times.

Djokovic, despite a smashing season, has a dubious track record. He regressed quite considerably after his first Grand Slam title three years ago in Melbourne. But he's matured, as we've all seen. And there's little indication to suggest he'll encounter the same travails again. But even if he does go on to win the U.S. Open, it's still just a single stretch of domination.

All that success will lead to even loftier expectations. And those expectations will produce pressure. Does Djokovic have the stamina to maintain this pace for the long haul? It's not hard to believe he won't right now, considering the number of titles he already owns this season and, more so, the manner in which he's won those titles. But it's a mental burden. It's also physically taxing.

However, two things are for certain: Djokovic's amazing year is lifting his legacy. It just might preserve Federer's as well.

Emotional Atyachar @ Work

Recently I've read through Rashmi Bansal's case for building "emotional gyms" in today's workplace for HR to deal with Emotional Atyachar and moving beyond it. I slowly realized the fact that office romance is fairly common as office is the place where we spend so much of time these days and corporate houses are tracking a new concept called "Office Spouse" because of increased dependency on each other as office colleagues, seeking emotional support.

Being a HR practitioner myself I've had plenty of these personal experiences earlier and gone through some rough patches in life which made me to understand that such relationships will end up in forcing us to a mental trauma and thus creating more problems for self and the family. Let us understand the whole concept of Emotional Atyachar at work.......        

Once upon a time, men came to office, did the work they had to, and went home at 6 o clock in the evening. There, a hot meal and unconditional acceptance (if not necessarily 'love') could always be counted on.

They worked for money and got emotional support at home. But hey, that was then.

Today, there is no guarantee of that hot meal or unconditional anything, coz women are working, or following the daily soaps.

Besides, you don't work just for money. You work for your life to be thrilling, meaningful, and full of tangible achievements. You must be recognised, praised, rewarded, respected, even loved for this act of showing up and doing your work.

When life at home is shitty, you take refuge in your office. Sometimes, that works. You live in a fantasy world where this is your family, and so you cross that lakshmanrekha - and share your secret world.

But let's say life at office is equally shitty. And you don't have a boss or colleagues for emotional support. You escape from home to be trapped in office. You escape from office, only to enter the torture chamber you call 'home'.

There are millions of people out there in this horrible situation. And they simply don't know how to get off this Misery Merry Go Round.

If you're lucky, you have a bipolar mind where no matter what pins and needles are stuck in your heart, your mind continues to function and you are able to 'deliver' at work.

If you can't, well then, at some point your job will be in danger. And then, things will only get worse.

Yes, it's all very depressing but the worst of it is, it's like second hand smoke. An 'innocent bystander' can also get depressed, when he or she becomes exposed to your toxic emotions, constantly.

Your problem thus becomes everyone's problem. The world itself becomes sooty, coughy and grey.

Some Interesting Articles: HR, Social Business

Eric Garland thinks HR systems and processes are at odds with the demands of innovation and creative destruction. And I think he's right. HR focusses on how do we hire/promote/develop people based on what has worked in the past. Which could be a huge reason why successful companies fall into the Innovator's dilemma. What do you think? I'm currently with a leading French company in Chennai and started negotiating on how to change the trends followed by them all these years in terms of employee engagement and their sustainability in an Organization. 

Oscar Berg writes how in today's increasingly virtual workplace corporate social networking helps employees build strong personal networks that cut through silos.

McKinsey’s new survey research finds that companies using the Web intensively gain greater market share and higher margins. A new class of company is emerging—one that uses collaborative Web 2.0 technologies intensively to connect the internal efforts of employees and to extend the organization’s reach to customers, partners, and suppliers.

Prasad Kurian asks whether HR should stop worry about being a "strategic partner to business" and instead try and become "Architects of Meaning"

Did you know that the word "dynamic" was the most overused word in Indian job hunters' resumes - according to analytics by Linkedin. See some of the fun facts andother hackneyed phrases here.

And if you've ever worked in a toxic workplace you'll nod at the Gervais principle or recognise the Office according to The Office 

Happy reading!!!

Amplifying Strengths and Talents - HR's Achilles' Heel

So someone asked me "Why do people in organizations spend so much energy focusing on what is not there? Why don't they polish and make what's already there, and grow that? When customers pay you, they pay you for your strengths, not for what you're doing to remove your weakness".

I agree. We spend too much time, effort and energy focussing on "I lack this. This is my weakness" kind of thoughts. When we get feedback from our managers. Or when we give feedback to our subordinates.

I remember when I had read Marcus Buckingham's book "First Break all the Rules" - he said the strengths based thinking is usually not transferred to organizations, because careers are not designed to maximise on strengths. In the book he gave an example of a law firm, and how when a lawyer grows in his/her career- the focus sharpens from a generic area to a specific area. Compare that to a typical corporate career where people usually see an expansion in their skills - and therefore the need to develop newer and newer skills - until they hit what is known as the Peter's principle.

The way to really leverage the concept of strengths in an organization is to look at not one's career path and therefore a pyramid, but a multitude of alternate career paths, taking off from each role. Giving rise to fractal career ladders.

Such careers will not just leverage each employee's inherent strengths but also contribute to the organizational knowledge and innovation, reducing the need of people to blend in - and encouraging their individuality.

The question is: are organizations really mature enough to embrace the creativity and the chaos that this calls for?

Responsibility of Employees Towards An Organization

The new and existing employees that are hired in an organization have a certain responsibility towards the organization, society, and the nation, at large. Therefore, it is important to induct the ‘right’ employees in the organization. The traits that these employees personify include teamwork, integrity, commitment, and work ethic.

Roles & Responsibilities Of Employees

1. Do Early Homework: Every employee is responsible for understanding the work allotted and determining if it is appropriate for him. He/she should make sure whether he/she has mastered the skills required to perform the task completely. If he/she is not sure about how to handle the work allotted to them they should talk with their superiors and get suggestions and directions in fulfilling the work allotted to him/her. This will help the employee in building good relations with not only their superiors also with their colleagues.

2. Plan with the Manager: Having a proper work schedule or time table for the work allotted to the employee helps the employee in Time Management and reaching the deadlines in time Also, when a new work is allotted

3. Use Available Resources and take responsibility: The employees should have sense of responsibility towards the resources of the Organization. As a part of the Organization every employee is equally responsible for the long life of the existing resources, for which smooth usage and suggestions for usage is required, which in case is not provided should be requested for.
4. Participation: Active listening and participation in teams will ensure that all employees become good team players and work with unity towards common goals of the Organization. Whenever a new work is being allotted all the Employees should be eager enough to take the initiative rather than trying to avoid newer tasks. This will facilitate in employees learning new skills and reaching the Organizational goals with much effectiveness.

5. Be Punctual And Regular: The Prime responsibilities of every employee must be Punctuality and Regularity. You can be better organized by being punctual and regular. Unwanted and unexpected work delays can be dealt effectively.

6. Cleanliness is Next To Godliness: One should maintain the cleanliness of their desk, and also premises of the Organization. If you and your premises are clean you will find it more encouraging to work and also it is convenient to work for other employees.

7. Washroom: Please use the washrooms bearing in mind that you are not the only person who is using it. See to it you don’t spill the water across the wash basin when you are using it same with the premises of wash room. Health and Hygiene of you and others should be your prime concern.

8. Cost Effectiveness: The employees should develop the habit of cost saving work style and put stress on waste control methods with maximum output.
9. Creative Thinking and Suggestions: The employee should always think upon the improvement of work efficiency and organizational development

Please be organized and contribute to the growth of the Organization. Everyone grows with the Organization. So, Organizational Growth is the Growth of individual and nation.

Who's a Boss?

“People do not leave companies, but they leave because of their bosses” goes a popular adage. How many of you nod your head for this statement in agreement?? If so, I expect you to rethink your stand on this after you read through some of the cues that I picked up from my personal and professional experiences:

Creating a vision for the department – Each and every organization has its own mission and vision. Understanding the culture of the company, aligning the goals of the department and strategizing the functional workflow are one of the key skills for the success of any department. As a head of the department, I think this is one of essential mantras to be adopted and followed.  Setting clear goals and objectives - In my observation, the head of the department or the leader should be a matured enough to weigh the pros & cons of a situation before, taking a final call in any of the critical issues. If need be, the views of the team can also be taken.

The objectives set for a period should be realistic and achievable, and should be defined understanding the challenges and the practical problems to be faced. Not only that the resources constraints be it man power or other resources should be thoroughly studied, before setting the goals of the department.

Role clarity for the team members – It is not sufficient, if the department goals are clearly set and defined. Each of the team members’ strengths and weaknesses have to be studied carefully and the roles and responsibilities should be clearly defined. This practice can minimize unnecessary work place conflicts and can contribute a lot to team’s synergy.
Communication Model – If you are a practicing manager or you have subordinates reporting to you, assess your pattern of communication with them. Do you allow your subordinates to ask questions? Do you allow them to paraphrase once the discussion is over? Do you have clarity on your thoughts before you communicate? Do you provide them with an ambience where they can express their opinions and suggestions freely?? Always remember communication is a two way process and an effective communicator is one who obtains feedback from the receiving end to ensure the desired action could be achieved. In addition to it, listening is a key skill. As a superior, it is your duty to listen to the problems or the issues of the team members. Do not close a problem or do not assume things, how ever trivial it could be.
Conflict Manager – Conflict is an unavoidable syndrome in workplace. It is the duty of the manager or the head of the department to redirect the conflict into a constructive one, creating a win-win situation instead of spoiling the team morale. Based on my experience from my boss, he creates ample opportunities for the involved parties to have open communication and he is very neutral not taking sides. This practice helps the affected ones to learn from their mistakes and build trust and relationship among the team members. When the situation goes to the extreme, he comes into the picture, helping in working out a compromise formula.
Career Development of subordinates – When any manager takes interest in the well being of the team members, he wins their trust and builds the bonding. One of the key success skills of my boss that I feel is that he has been a personal and professional guide, mentor, and counselor or call it by any name to my entire team. He always had concern for people and used to keep giving inputs from time to time for the professional and personal development. The care that the boss shows for your well being develops the loyalty factor towards the company.

Teams success / failure – It has been an inspiration for me to see my boss giving appreciation and credits instantly and giving recognition for the work and not taking it on him, before the other stakeholders. Even though he has been instrumental for the deliverables, he passes on the credit to the performer. Not only that, if it is failure, he sees it as a team’s failure and not as individuals. It underlies the essence of separating the people from the problem. Though it is said easily, you need a broad shoulder to practice it. This has been a truly motivational factor.

Giving and receiving feedback – We have this regular practice of giving feedback to our boss and as well receiving feedback from him. This periodical activity helps in better understanding of the team and understanding of the boss and this definitely contributes to the team’s productivity. But a key reminder is to have an open mind when you sit on a feedback session, be it boss or a subordinate without any expectations.

Encouraging new initiatives – My boss is a true professional who believes that the team growth or the team members growth, is contributing to his growth. So he is one, who always encourages new ideas, initiatives and supports in all endeavors. As a team member, this approach of my boss facilitates to think out of the box and always look out for the value addition done by us in each of the deliverables.
Management by Example – I would like to term the practices of my boss as ’Management by Example’. He is an example in each and every action of our department and it quickly enables the team to fall in line with him. This includes, even coming to office on time, maintaining punctuality for all the meetings, approachable to all the members, down to earth person despite the title he has, lending a helping hand when we need to meet up time pressures, very humane in nature, consistency in deliverables, etc etc, the list being too very long.

All said and done, I would urge all bosses to take good care of your team and that is the best motivating factor to enhance the team’s productivity. Create an enthusiastic and positive ambience, to tap the best talent of your team. The bosses can make or break the career of an individual, provided the individual also cooperates in the successful accomplishments of the department’s goals. 

Employee Retention - Getting it right

Changing times needs different strategies to engage and retain key employees.
Organizations adopt different approach towards managing talent and working
towards improving deliverables for business profitability. 

Mckinsey study shows that too many companies approach the retention of key
employees during disruptive periods of organizational change by throwing
financial incentives at senior executives, star performers, or other “rainmakers".
The money is rarely well spent. Many of the recipients would have stayed put anyway;
others have concerns that money alone can’t address. Moreover, by focusing
exclusively on high fliers, companies often overlook those “normal” performers
who are nonetheless critical for the success of any change effort.

Some of the key observations are:

Find the “hidden gems”

Once HR and line managers have generated a thoughtful and more inclusive 

list of key players (usually 30 to 45 percent of all employees), they can 

begin to prioritize groups and individuals for targeted retention measures— 

5 to 10 percent of the workforce.

The key is to view each employee through two lenses: first, the impact his or 

her departure would have on the business, given the focus of the change effort 

and his or her role in it; and second, the probability that the employee in question 

might leave.

Mind set matters

One-size-fits-all retention packages are usually unsuccessful in persuading 

a diverse group of key employees to stay. Instead, companies should tailor 

retention approaches to the mind-sets and motivations of specific employees 

(as well as to the express nature of the changes involved).

Retention is about more than money

Executives mustn’t view employee retention as a one-off exercise where it’s 

sufficient to get the incentives packages right. Rather, best practice 

approaches build on continuous attention and timely communication 

every step of the way to help employees make sense of the uncertainty inherent

in organizational change.

Ultimately, what many employees want most of all is clarity about their future with 

the company. Creating that clarity requires significant hands-on effort from managers, 

including the ongoing work of tracking progress so that companies can quickly 

intervene when problems arise.

Targeting retention measures at the right people using a tailored mix of financial and 

nonfinancial incentives is crucial for managing organizational transitions that achieve 

long term business success; it’s also likely to save money.