Message From MD December – 2021

Dear friends,

We had a remarkable series of events in November, of which the training for the ‘First Fifty’ members of the organisation was an unforgettable one. I witnessed and participated in the whole session and was surprised to observe all participants’ natural talents and hidden leadership skills. It is very true to admit that there were many revelations about our team, and it prompts me to do such sessions frequently in the future to the First Fifty and the next set.

Learning and development programs for the team are essential to the success of any organisation. Not only do these programs offer opportunities for them to improve their skills, but also to enhance their productivity and improve the culture. Therefore, it is a continuous effort to strengthen work performance through coaching, training sessions, and leadership mentoring.

If we look at the beginning of this century, organizations were looking at financial expertise and operational experience as prime skills for executives. But on today’s corporate world, every business establishment want senior leaders with strong social skills and emotional intelligence. Definitely we are also increasingly seeking socially adept leaders—not charismatic smooth-talkers, but executives who listen empathetically, welcome input, and rally the workforce around a common goal. So an aspiring CEO among the first fifty should set aside their slide presentations and work on his/her listening skills instead. Listening is great, but I would suggest Active Listening.

Ours is a relatively large corporate culture and information-intensive organization. Hence we see social skills as more important than, more traditional, operational and administrative abilities, such as monitoring the allocation of financial resources and collection.

We want our leaders to be someone who actively listens to others. They should be courageous enough to empathize genuinely with others’ experiences. They should also persuade people to work toward a common goal and communicate clearly. Members, who demonstrate this kind of interpersonal prowess are more likely to be in high demand, while considered for the top executive posts.

Suppose if someone asks me, “How many people work at your company?” May be 50%. I may be too optimistic. I am not sure about the correct answer; If we define “work” as giving it all you have and engaged and has ownership of tasks, obviously the answer would be less than the desired.

If the top level leaders start practising active listening, they will soon understand that the money, effort and time spend on employee engagement runs the gamut from the trivial to the blindingly obvious.

We should stop spending money on employee engagement, but we should help our members learn how to make money, both for the business and for themselves. This will definitely make more members engaged. For example, the typical real estate business hires people and assigns them to a job. It tells them what to do, and it pays them a wage or salary for doing it. Sounds pretty boring.

Our purpose is to deliver projects and services that customers value and to make money in the process. Given that most of us enjoy making money, that’s a pretty exciting endeavour. What if our team members figure out how to deliver more and better projects and services, make more money, and then share in the proceeds.

Warm regards

Sunil Kumar V
Founder & Managing Director