Struggling with L&D
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Category: Corporate Leadership
Change is the only constant in our lives. Nothing lasts forever; everything changes. We are in a world that is evolving daily and advancing at the fastest pace imaginable. It is becoming a smaller place to live in day-by-day. In this world where developments are happening so speedily, it is important for people to adapt to changes promptly and be proactive rather than reactive.
Continue reading “Why The World Needs More Revolutionary Leaders?”
Mother Nature
The history of the world has seen some great leaders throughout time. Do you know what was common amongst all of them? They were great communicators. The primary task of a leader is to inspire their followers. It is not about talking – it is about making others talk. It is not about hearing – it is about listening. It is not about using power – it is about empowering them. It is not about finding problems – it is about finding solutions.
Continue reading “Why Communication Is An Important Leadership Trait?”
Program
The Union | MBTI based Leadership Workshop
Objective
To take a group of very senior doctors and health care professionals through a two day Leadership engagement. The key objectives defined for the intervention were to understand self and others better, discuss the challenges of working as a single team, arrive at consensus of future ways of working together as a single team.
Solution
Considering the seniority of the group, there was a need felt by the internal stakeholders to use some widely accepted psychometric tool to anchor the workshop. After understanding the participant profile and some of the internal challenges, we zeroed in on the MBTI instrument.
One of the most widely used personality instruments in the world, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is used in the workplace, so that participants gain self awareness of their working behavior, drawing out their potential and improving relationships.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) began with an online assessment which was administered around 2 weeks before the actual workshop. In the actual workshop, participants were first introduced to the differences behind the apparent similarities – and guided through a step-by-step process, through which they arrived upon their own individual Type. Once individual Type is determined satisfactorily, the workshop then moved on to determine the big picture composition of the group and highlighted how different people react to the circumstances around them.
The workshop was a revealing and surprising experience for participants. “Do you really think like that?” we heard participants ask each other.
Through an engaging two days that was interspersed with intense discussions, lot of laughter and engaging activities, the team came together to chart out new understanding between its members and a new way of working together.
Impact
Here is what Pooja Agarwal, the Head of Human Resources for The Union had to say about the whole intervention:
“As an important and defining step towards focused Leadership development at International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (the Union), South-East Asia office, FocusU helped us design and conduct the initiation workshop with the Senior Management Team. We needed a competent, experienced, confident and flexible partner to pair with us on this journey and FocusU team performed with excellence. It was not easy to keep a group of highly experienced Doctors and seasoned professionals engaged through the two days. FocusU team did a great job navigating the group with confidence. The FocusU team also added the element of colour and fun through the pictures and videos they captured. We all enjoyed and therefore learned through the process with lots of laughter, fun and new insights. FocusU is now working with us to conduct our Annual Staff team building meet with 100 staff members at Goa. Working with the same team, I am sure, will be a pure delight for all of us!”
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Pompeia was the wife of the great Julius Caesar. In 62 BC she hosted the festival of the Bona Dea (“good goddess”), which no man was permitted to attend. However a young patrician named Publius Clodius Pulcher managed to gain admittance disguised as a woman, apparently for the purpose of seducing Pompeia. He was caught and prosecuted for sacrilege. Caesar gave no evidence against Clodius at his trial, and he was acquitted. Nevertheless, Caesar divorced Pompeia, saying that “my wife ought not even to be under suspicion.” This gave rise to a proverb, sometimes expressed: “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion.”
Last Tuesday, I was sitting among handful viewers at a movie theater eager to watch Poorna. This movie wasn’t featuring the Bollywood heartthrob SRK (Shahrukh Khan), or the most famous bhai (Salman Khan) or any other big name that could be a reason for Chocó-block theaters. But one thing was for sure, Poorna surely filled viewers’ hearts with dreams and minds with possibilities. It is a saga of an underprivileged tribal girl aged 13 years 10 months, who became the youngest in the world to climb Mt. Everest.
“Main toh itni poor hoon ke mere toh naam mein hi poor hai” (We are so poor that even my name says ‘Poor’) jokingly the actress playing the role of Poorna says. In reality, how can a teenage girl from a poor family and a society where dalits (Scheduled Caste) still face discrimination and where teen is a perfect age for marriage, even think about climbing Everest? Coming with this background, she surely would have needed a strong leader who can inspire her and change not her, but her entire family’s mindset. In real life, an IPS Dr. R. S. Praveen Kumar was the guiding light for Poorna and thousands of other youngsters who dare to challenge anything that belittles them.
Continue reading “Movie Learning : 3 Leadership Lessons From Poorna”
Border Security Force (BSF) jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav’s video went viral on social media and created a huge uproar in the government circles. The jawan, in his video, accused the senior officials in the BSF of siphoning funds that are meant to provide food for the jawans. The series of videos shared online by the jawan caused several other defence force personnel to post different videos sharing their own plight on social media. Videos of ill treatment, corruption, and other related issues surfaced across various levels. The videos were shared online by many people and gathered momentum as they were posted on news channels as well. Even the Home Minister of India, Mr. Rajnath Singh, had to intervene and a probe was initiated. To say that an organization can be free from any problem would not be wise, but the way this situation has come up in BSF, I see a few lessons for future leaders.
Continue reading “Leadership, Border Security Force & People Engagement”
Startups are blossoming across the country and so are their leaders. They are breaking trends and redefining how business is done in the industry. From making tea to making gold out of garbage, they are trending across social media with their crazy ideas. But that’s not it; they are earning huge amounts of money and getting funding from corporates too.
The story of Srikanth Bolla is an inspirational story going viral across social networks, inspiring readers to go beyond possibilities and attempt the impossible. He will be the leader of 2016 for me because he is doing so much for the specially-abled community. He has not only enabled them to take up corporate jobs, but also inspired countless such people to make a living successfully.