Do we really need to go back to a physical office or is Work from Home the best way going forward???

This was a question that would have been a no brainer before the pandemic hit us. Permanent Work from home was really not an option for most.

The question now is…is permanent #workfromhome the best option?

Like a lot of us, I spent 3 months #workingfromhome and I must say I did enjoy the downtime I got because of no commute.

1. I was able to spend quality time with family & friends (over a video call)

 2. Complete some value add tasks that would not previously have been possible in the office-home-office grind

 3. Enjoy the increased “me” time

However, if this were a permanent state of affairs& I could only communicate with my team over a video call, here’s my take on it:

1. I can’t build “Social Capital” over a video call. The conversation is mostly transactional (There is a reason Face to Face communication is considered the richest medium of communication)

 2. I can’t have informal coaching conversations over a video call. (Formal sessions through a blocked calendar have their utility but conversations over a cup of coffee are priceless)

 3. I can’t reach out and “be there” if someone really needs the help. (In a physical setting its much easier to help someone tide over a particularly difficult phase)

 4. Lastly and possibly most importantly, I can’t replicate the joy of being a part of a team.

 An interesting take on Work from Home:

Read on….

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/big-mood/the-things-you-cant-do-on-video-call/

I came across this incredible story of Deepika: Domestic Help by Day, Stand-Up Comic by Night

The story is an ode to #resilience and #womenpower. However, for me there was another take-away; about the people that helped Deepika on her journey.

In her tedious routine of earning money for her family of five, cooking for five homes and travelling by local train, Deepika finds humour—the kind that she shares when she takes the stage at stand-up comedy shows.

Deepika was supported by:

1. Sangeeta Das, at whose home Deepika works, who arranged a talent show for the “bai log.”& encouraged her to take her jokes to the stage. No one usually does that, right?

2. Rachel Lopez, who works with the Hindustan Times, spotted Deepika at her first show and knew she had a good future in comedy. She connected her to Aditi Mittal.

3. Aditi Mittal, an established comic in India, recognisedDeepika’s talent. She took her to shows where she performed and mentored Deepika. Gradually, they shot an episode of ‘Bad Girl’ together.”

Deepika is an immense talented,incredible Woman with huge reserves of resilience but she was helped in her journey by 3 Women that went out of their way to help her discover and reach her potential.

What would the world look like, if we could help 1 Deepika?

Read on….

https://www.thebetterindia.com/153761/deepika-mhatre-mumbai-domestic-help-stand-up-comedian/

During “Move Up”, a program series to empower women managers at a Global Consulting Company, a participant stood up and said the following:

“Even with the best intentions, I am unable to control my emotions when I perceive that someone is being unfair to me. I wish I could do something about my reactions. I’m just stuck with this issue.”

To me, this came across as a plea for help& not someone looking at finding excuses for their behavior. The lady was extremely talented & had done very well in her career so far. She felt this was a major stumbling block in her life.

We discussed the concept of Neuroplasticity and the research that now shows; we are not stuck with the brain we are born with. Science believed our brains were hardwired at birth. Now we can we can “will”our mind to change.

This was no longer about will power& #selfawareness, but was something that had been demonstrated through actual documented research.

The key to making this change is to pay attention to what you wanted to change. When you pay attention to “what” you want to change & you focus your mind on it, this can actually result in physical changes to the brain structure & make what you want, actually come to life.

In other words, when you envision your end goal, you — and your brain — can work towards recreating it real life.

Read on for some exercises to “Change the Shape of your Brain”…

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/03/deepak-chopra-sanjay-gupta-simple-trick-to-training-your-brain-for-success-according-to-neuroscience.html

Science is now proving that this is possible to do.

Philosophers have talked about the power of thought for centuries. Now we see evidence in research labs about “our inner ability to transform ourselves”.

Our habits, patterns, addictions (i.e. checking your smartphone when your hands are idle, nervous gestures etc) get ingrained into our brains, which strengthen the neuropath ways for this type of behavior.

The things you repeatedly do are the things that get strengthened in your personality. It becomes a part of your mental make up because you establish stronger neural connections through practice.

So ask yourself:

What behaviors do I want to reinforce?

What do I want to do in this lifetime?

As we develop new skills and continue to work at a desired behavior, changes occur both functionally and structurally within our brains. This is now proven through research.

All it takes to rewire your brain for success is a strong commitment and a lot of practice.

But it’s worth it, don’t you think?

Read on….

https://blog.myneurogym.com/neuroplasticity-train-your-brain-for-success

This is a story that celebrates Women’s inherent strengths

The lockdown has been difficult for everyone. Women have been particularly impacted by the economic slowdown. Some have been at the receiving end of domestic violence that has been on the rise lately.

I recently came across this story that demonstrates what Women are capable of achieving, if they are given the opportunity.

The heroines of this story are not well educated, nor from affluent backgrounds. They live in the district of Gonda in Uttar Pradesh.

When the lockdown was enforced, many women lost the odd jobs they were doing as labourers. A Self Help Group of 40 women used the time to grow and nurture saplings and now have more than 5 lakh saplings potentially worth Rs. 30 lakhs.

The National Rural Livelihood Mission provided the training but the women utilized the opportunity to create true value.

Villagers that initially laughed at their efforts are now supportive of them.

It is my firm personal belief that Women are already empowered. Most of the time they just need an environment that will allow them to showcase their talents and reach their potential

The guiding principle for our Diversity and Inclusion programs is that Women don’t need to be taught skills to Grow, they just need to be given the space & support to discover their talents.

Who better to provide that support, than Women themselves?

This is a shining example of Women living up to their potential, empowered with support from each other!!!!!

Read on…

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/gonda-women-shg-raises-nursery-of-5-lakh-saplings-worth-rs-30-lakh/articleshow/76440903.cms

During a recent Webinar that I co-facilitated, a participant asked me a question most of us have grappled with at some point in our careers:

How do I deal with a stakeholder that is nasty & argumentative?

My mind immediately went to: “Is your heart at Peace or at War”?

This is the foundational principle of the “Anatomy of Peace”, a book which is the story of Yusuf al-Falah, an Arab, and AviRozen, a Jew, each lost his father in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The story revolves around how both these men moved past their bloody histories, their hate, pain and animosity &and how they came together to help warring parents and children resolve their differences and find peace in their relationships.

When we approach a conflict, most often we do it with a heart that is full of anger & a mind that says “I am right”. This comes in the way of us being able to see the other person’s perspective, leading to a far deeper conflict.

The solution is really simple, when you walk into a conflict situation, you need to ask yourself, “do I really want to find a solution or do I want to be proven right”?

If your heart is at peace and you truly want to resolve the conflict, you will be able to remove your ego, personal hurt & the accompanying negative feelings. You will be able to “see” the other’s viewpoint. This attitude is enough to resolve most conflicts.

On the other hand, if you really just want to be proven right and then you approach the conflict, your heart is really at War. With this attitude, in all likelihood you will say and do things that will lead to an escalation of the conflict and not a move towards a resolution.

When you approach a conflict situation, ask yourself the following questions:

1. What is it that I really want from this situation? What is my best case scenario?

2. What could the other person be thinking, feeling, seeing, hearing?

3. What can I do that could move the situations towards a resolution?

You may not be able to resolve every conflict satisfactorily & you might still have unpleasant stakeholder situations but the one thing that will change is that you will take the correct steps to resolve the conflict. This will bring peace to your mind.

The next time you walk into a conflict, just ask yourself “Is my heart at peace or is at at war”?

Try it…the results may surprise you !!!!!!!!!!!!

Work from Home was concept that was completely alien to Indian Companies. The lockdown changed all that!!!

For a work culture that’s taken pride in long hours, constant monitoring of productivity, and strict attendance, suddenly not being face to face proved a challenge. The initial days were tough.

CEO’s of several Indian companies initially expressed reservations on the entire WFH concept. Subsequently they realized that given the right policies, WFH actually worked in the organizations favour.

So what changed?

1. Shorter and more focused meetinghas led to an increase in Productivity

2. Measuring output instead of policing has produced higher levels of engagement

3. Flexibility in allowing people to work out their schedules has worked in favour of organizations

4. Commute time was spent on learning: personal & professional

The learning for me in all this is flexibility and openness to experiment and change should be a cornerstone of our work culture. We should not need a Pandemic to force us to experiment and uncover possibilities!!!!!!

Read on for positive experiences of WFH for Leaders at India Inc.

https://www.mid-day.com/articles/how-indian-corporate-firms-have-managed-a-successful-wfh-culture-amid-lockdown/22816290

The COVID 19 pandemic should be viewed as an opportunity to grow and not to slow down.

It sounds counter intuitive but I personally feel it rings true. The more I think about it, the deeper grows my conviction.

The Human Resource function has often been regarded as a support function. Thanks to the pandemic, it has now become a critical function.

1. To ensure business continuity

2. To prevent isolation

3. To provide a clear line of sight through ongoing communication

4. To balance economics and empathy

It is the HR department that has taken the lead… and its obviously an opportunity to take centre stage.

Some steps that the HR leaders at companies like HUL, Flipkart, Deloitte and Dunzo have taken include:

Continuous coordination with state governments and local authorities

Virtual bonding initiatives (like meetups, discussions, webinars and games) to boost morale

Engage more actively and intently with employees, without any agenda

Set up systems to Monitor employee productivity online through a structured work plan

Evolve a clear communication strategy,

Deploy digital tools like a 24×7 employee assistance helpline, i

Inspire employees to take voluntary pay cuts

These steps have been at the forefront of their respective company’s proactive response to the pandemic & the HR departments have been the face of the response

Read on…..

https://www.forbesindia.com/article/coronavirus/human-resources-during-a-pandemic/59339/1

Is there a mental cost of#WorkfromHome? Is permanent work from home desirable?

These are some questions that I have been mulling for the last couple of days, because:

I miss sitting around the lunch table with colleagues

I miss the “I’m glad the weekend is here” banter

I miss the 2 minute informal connect with clients before & after a meeting

I miss just the “#humanconnection” that comes with a physical workplace

In a recent interview with the New York Times,Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella said that permanently working from home can be “damaging for social interaction and mental health for workers”.

This statement resonated with me.

Humans are social beings. If you take them out of their natural habitat, it will be damaging in the long run.

While the current pandemic has made it necessary for us to Work from Home, communicate via video conferences, its not the same as the connect of a physical meeting.

Attending online classes for students is not the same as being at school or college. One of the nicest parts of growing up is being around friends at school.

Virtual classrooms are necessary in today’s times and can be a valuable tool to reach audiences at multiple locations. However, the richness of communication that emerges in a physical classroom cannot be ignored, especially while addressing competencies related to Personal transformation.

I personally feel, Work from Home is great in some situations but moving to this paradigm as a permanent state of affairs will come with a cost!!!!!!

Read on:

https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/permanent-work-from-home-can-be-damaging-for-mental-health-of-employees-says-satya-nadella-1679313-2020-05-18

I choose to look at the silver lining in the dark clouds.

“The times that are most troubled are also the ones where we learn the most.” If we reflect on this maxim, I think it holds true for most of us!!!!!!

The current crisis is exactly the same. It should be a time to #reflect on what #life post COVID will be. What the skills we need to develop in order to thrive? What are the lessons for leaders from this crisis? What do organizations need to do in order to grow?

All of the above questions are causing a fundamental shift in the way even business schools evaluate success. Some important themes that are emerging are:

1. Its not just balance sheet management that is an important criterion for Leadership evaluation; stockholder welfare to stakeholder welfare is equally critical

2. How organizations treat their stakeholders during these difficult times gets reflected through the characteristics displayed by its leader

3. Leaders have some tough decisions to take during these difficult times, how they communicate these decisions to their stakeholders is going to be extremely crucial

4. Above all resilience, how do we shape up and take proactive steps to deal with this situation

This article has some interesting thoughts on how the current crisis is getting even business schools to change their curricula, sensitize potential managers to the changing world view and the new competencies needed to Grow in chaos

Read on:

https://www.livemint.com/education/news/iims-to-tap-covid-learnings-in-a-bid-to-mould-resilient-leaders-11587316237496.html

Lady-er-ship amid COVID-19

Why are Women managers and leaders told to be more like Men?

Taiwan, Iceland, New Zealand, Germany, Finland, Norway and Denmark have 2 things in common at the moment: a woman that is Head of State and an outstanding response to the COVID crisis.

This article details their responses to the crisis and the outstanding leadership these Women displayed during the crisis. The response from leaders has been empathetic yet tough when required, to beat the crisis.

For me, its not about feminism or decrying the responses of male Heads of State; its just about playing to your strengths.

Women have often been instructed to behave more like their male counterparts to be effective leaders. However, I feel that by being authentic and playing to their strength, these women leaders have come out ahead and been trailblazers.

For all of Women leaders and Managers, it’s a Powerful lesson to take inspiration from and to implement in our lives!!!!!!

Read on:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/avivahwittenbergcox/2020/04/13/what-do-countries-with-the-best-coronavirus-reponses-have-in-common-women-leaders/

Work from Home has gained status of the New Normal. Do we have the necessary skills to Work from Home?

Ask yourself the following questions to get an answer:

Communication: Can you accurately convey ideas & interpret thought/ideas using Technology?

Self Motivation: Can you take initiative without being prompted or rewarded?

Trust Worthiness: Can you fulfill expectations without supervision?

Discipline: Are you in control of your own time, tasks, and energy?

Can you independently analyze, evaluate, and strategize an issue?

Adaptability: Can you adapt to and accurately prioritize tasks based on the changes around?

Accountability: Can you measure your own productivity?

Empathy: Are you aware & considerate of other peoples’ feelings?

To my mind the skills required to flourish in a Virtual environment aren’t very different from those required to do well in a Brick & Mortar environment. What makes it a little more challenging is that we need to do it largely by ourselves.

As the workforce becomes Virtual, it isn’t the Technology that will make or break the situation, it’s YOU!!!

This article expands on the 8 Critical Skills required to succeed while Working from Home. Very interesting read !!!!!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurelfarrer/2020/03/19/academic-research-proves-8-skills-critical-to-work-from-home-success/

One of the Key Themes of the Webinar “Attitude for Altitude” that we recently conducted was: How do you” Change Proof your Career”?

The Solution is really to enhance your “Go To” Skills.

What are your “Go To” skills?

If you are sitting in a job interview and you are asked to quantify what you bring to the table; your answer will largely be around your “Go To” skills.

Why is it Critical to Build “Go To” Skills Today?

Change is the only Constant. The Post pandemic economy will affect the employment landscape tremendously. The Pace of Change is only set to quicken in the immediate future.

It is very likely that we will see a definitive shift towards a Work from Home culture. This will result in many categories of jobs becoming redundant & many being lost.

A preventive and long term solution would be Up- Skilling and Re- Skilling yourself & mentoring team members do the same. In order to remain relevant, employers and employees need to identify skills that will be essential to function in the new normal.

At Individuals & at an Organization level, I personally would look at this as a Growth Opportunity as opposed to a negative Change. It will require everyone to make that stretch but I do feel it will be well worth the effort, given the current situation.

If we look at the Macro picture, the current scenario isn’t necessarily bleak. If we play our cards right, the Pandemic could turn out to be a huge opportunity for the Indian economy. US, Japan and South Korea among other countries are relocating businesses out of China, which was so far the factory of the world. India, Thailand, Vietnam and other Asian countries are preferred hubs. This would be the perfect time for India to leverage its demographic dividend and approach the lockdown and post lockdown period with hope and optimism.

At a Country level, this would again require a huge stretch. Our “Go To” skills would need to to be enhanced: put processes in place to make the eco system more “Business Friendly”, Deliver Quality & Productivity and have the necessary skilled manpower in place to deliver.

This calls for an integrated approach, where Stakeholders in the economy should collectively devise a strategy to promote life long learning.

We are clearly at a juncture; how we respond NOW will determine our direction, as individuals, at an organization level and as a country.

When I came across this article, I couldn’t help but notice its perfect timing. Amid the COVID-19 lockdown, Work From Home and Social Distancing are posing as challenges of unprecedented magnitude.

https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/feelings/are-you-emotionally-intelligent-enough-to-deal-with-work-stress-6351965/

This is an extremely stressful situation and the need for emotional intelligence as a coping mechanism has been highlighted.

The first step is Self – Awareness which eventually leads to Self – Management. Introspection and Organizing one’s thoughts help us understand and analyze our trigger points.

Additionally, ability to look at a situation you are involved in from a third person’s perspective is a sign of an emotionally intelligent person.

This doesn’t imply that people with higher EQ are immune to Stress, it only means that they are better equipped to handle it.

It is important to note that Emotional Intelligence doesn’t develop overnight, to help you tap this potential and practice it in a consistent manner.

At SHRD, Emotional Intelligence forms the foundation on which our programs on Personal Transformation rest.

Neuroscience talks about two networks our brain switches between under different circumstances.

TPN (Task Positive Network) is activated when we are consciously engaged in an activity for example when working under pressure and trying to meet the deadline. Goal setting and accomplishing a task at hand are features of TPN.

DMN (Default Mode Network), like the name suggests is our “go to” mode when the mind isn’t actively involved. This is where the mind wanders as opposed to being focused in TPN. DMN is often linked to introspection, relationships, creativity and visualization.

Emotionally intelligent individuals know how to create a healthy balance between the two networks & function at an optimum level. It is a misconception that EQ is a weakness, in fact the ability to know when to focus on target completion & when to focus on relationships is a uniquely human trait often seen in Highly Successful Leaders.

This is what is truly required during such testing times from Leaders…Strike the Right Balance!!!!!!