Pics from Leadership Training - Stakeholder Management

Here are some captures from a recent workshop on stakeholder management for two batches of leaders held over two days.

We covered topics related to identifying and managing stakeholders, particularly on building trust, influencing and negotiating with them.  Role plays and exercises for reflection formed a critical part of this workshop.

Batch 1 pics

Identified and explored the skills of a successful negotiator

Batch 2 pics

I can read your mind

 https://www.kornferry.com/insights/briefings-magazine/issue-58/i-can-read-your-mind?utm_source=marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=briefings&utm_campaign=03-06-gbl-briefings-issue-58&mkt_tok=NDk0LVZVQy00ODIAAAGKU_JG0PNhx2ZaINDKrkzIUhG5dgw6TGmkUw9q4bSJDXUg2w9nK5ACNFQy0lcaw0ZlalVy49zeS1uZTrKApcCCdIffHbHFS9B_-5Wt64K51Q1J

Fantastic article on the use of #AI to understand what employees may be going through (whether #remote or in office)

From the article "As more uses have come into play, experts say, the field has fueled a research and investment boom. Part of that comes from the normalization of remote and #hybrid work, which has raised a host of concerns among business leaders about productivity and intellectual property."

Read the full article here.

Trust, accountability and mindset: The 3 musketeers of hybrid working

From the article - "The risk is a loss of social capital in the long haul – will people enjoy working here if there isn’t a sense of collective bond?"

Read the rest of this interesting article here

Article - Creating Accountability in a remote world.

A very relevant article on #accountability in the #remote world.

From the article:

To effectively establish team accountability, leaders and organizations should focus less on surveillance and compliance tactics, and more on building trust and engagement with team members.

Read the rest here 

Article - Become a critical consumer of information

Super article on how to assess, evaluate and make sense of the information that is bombarded onto us every day.

I think the tips in here would be extremely useful when choosing an educational institute for further studies or researching an organization as a prospective employer.

Read it here

#criticalthinking #strengthsdecoder #dataanalysis #data #hiring

Get Ready to Really Lead - Using Your Strengths

Why this webinar?

Despite the lockdown, organizations are still hiring people.  But managing people isn’t getting easier with different generations in the workforce.  The best way is to lead with your strengths while leading your team.

Why not prepare to grab that promotion or next new role, by signing up for this journey of 2.30 hour interactive Zoom webinars on 05th December 2020 from 5.00 pm to 7.30 pm.  Subsequent sessions would be held on the following Saturdays or as per participant’s needs.

Who should attend?

Working Professionals with minimum 7 years experience who aspire for leadership positions.

In 10 sessions of 2 Hrs 30 Mins each :

• Knowing Myself Through PRISM Brainmapping Inventory
• Identifying Leadership Competencies
• Leveraging EQ To Lead Others
• Hiring a well-rounded team
• Collaborating For Success
• Goal Setting For Excellence
• Decision Making for High Effectiveness
• Delegating Effectively
• Leveraging Conflict For Success
• Reviewing Performance for Accelerated Growth
• Giving And Receiving Feedback
• Thriving on Difficult Conversations

Your Investment

Regular Price - Rs.14,999/-

Early Bird - 12,999/- (21 Nov to 30 Nov)

Diwali Offer - 9,999/- Till 20 Nov 2020

Register Here:

https://www.townscript.com/e/lead-with-your-strengths

Balanced Leadership for Crises

Cometh the Hour, Cometh the person!!


With the current COVID19 crisis, leadership in different spheres has been pushed under the lens of scrutiny.  Political and medical leaders are the first to be watched - what are they doing / planning to do? Does their plan make sense? Or worse still - do they know what they are doing?

Now, there was really nothing in the past few decades to prepare any leader or individual for such a situation.  So we cannot really point fingers at leaders who don't seem to be doing a great job.  This post is not about finger-pointing at all.

This post is about how the leaders are acting or reacting.  To put it simply, every leader has had to REACT. There wasn't any choice.  However, once the initial stage of reaction passed, what was the next step?  This next step (according to me) clearly showcases the two types of leaders:

• A Transactional Leader.

A Transactional leader is one who takes care of business as it is required in the moment.  This is pretty much the formula in the Situational Leadership Model, where the leader's style is dictated largely by the willingness and readiness of his team members.

Make no mistake - this leader is critical to get the business plans and day to day operations executed.

• A Visionary Leader.

A Visionary Leader is one who provides direction to the organization for the long journey ahead. S/he is able to look beyond the pressures of the current storm and plot out a course. Perhaps revise the old direction completely and create a new one. Alternatively, s/he would coach the immediate reports to think and plan alternative means of getting to the future they have already identified and worked towards till the start of the COVID19 crisis this year.  Perhaps s/he and her/his team will decide to personally call their best customers, understand their situation, ask what support they might need - AND NOT SELL in the first call.  I am sure this will strengthen customer relationships and energize the team by giving them something clear to focus on to build or rebuild the business.


While the leader would have to perform both roles, a balance is required.  Too much focus on transaction may lead to too many unhealthy cuts of manpower and budgets and growth plans.  Too much focus on the new future (which no one really knows anything about, no matter what the experts say) will lead to some crucial decisions being missed out.

I guess the important question is - How does one develop this Visionary ability?  Here are my thoughts:-

• Be completely human in your approach. So - acknowledge your emotional side, speak about the feelings that people are going through, and share yours too.
• Be totally clear about your personal values and those values that the organization stands for, and talk about how your plans and actions are in line with those values.
• Develop analytical skills, make use of data modeling and AI to partway support your visionary journey.
• Re-evaluate your internal processes to see what can be done to increase customer satisfaction to both survive and thrive. This would have the added benefit of making your customers your brand ambassadors.
• Focus on realigning staff (instead of retrenching) as processes are changed so that the impact of the effectiveness increases.
• This means ensuring that the most effective employees are retained, along with those who are not that effective, according to your resources and balance sheet.  Ricardo Semmler's book "The Seven Day Weekend" gives interesting insights about this critical aspect.
• Please don't look only at Performance Management ratings when taking people decisions. Try and adopt a Potential Assessment approach so that you don't end up sending away an average performer today, who could, some months ahead, end up being a critical contributor. HR folks - your opportunity to let your strategic side shine, not to mention your ability to make HR data valuable beyond the compensation budget.
• If you have to let people go, please ensure that their dignity is intact - and this applies to all levels. You will definitely enhance the Trust Factor within and outside the organization, and enhance a supportive Employer brand image in the departing employees' minds.
• Review the organization's culture and processes and see what can be done to improve the ease of doing business or reduce the associated bumps and scars.

I haven't numbered these to allow the leader to rank them in some order of importance, according to his business.  In fact, it would be a great exercise to do with your top team, and some of you may have done it already.  You want help to do this? Write to me on ryanbbarretto@hotmail.com or call +919820155778 for a discussion.

You have more ideas?  Please do share.  

Setting your Goalsetting Conversation

While stretch Goals can be useful in forcing people to break old rules, and do things better, they’re worse than useless if they’re totally unrealistic, or if the people who haven’t met them aren’t given the chance to debate them beforehand and take ownership with them 

-          From the book  Execution by Ram Charan and Larry Bossidy

I’m currently reading this book 'Execution' and came across this line.  I was reminded of a time during my corporate stint when the management decided to set targets for the next year at a number that was 3X of the previous year without any discussion or debate with the teams concerned.  The various heads didn't receive any inkling on how the target was arrived at, or the basis for it. While they continued to drive their teams towards this aspirationally stretched target, one could see that actual energy was missing – because they didn’t own the targets. A key reason for this was that the targets were considered unrealistic, and not in sync with market conditions.

Why am I writing about this now?  The world is in a state of chaos thanks to COVID 19, and with social distancing norms, lockdowns and travel bans world wide, many businesses don't know if they will survive this.  Without this crisis, there’s a tendency among some managements to grudge the permission of leave among their employees, irrespective of the reason for the leave.  With the current lockdown in India and other parts of the world, business is pretty much at a standstill. In India, the government has asked organizations not to lay off employees, and pay their dues.  Employers will naturally be considering how to make up their lost business when things return to normal.  They will feel that they have to push their employees extra hard since there’s a lot of catching up to do.  And the first thing they will do is increase the targets above the norm in an effort to make up for lost time. It could be a stretched goal or an aspirational goal.  Such targets are usually handed down, with a minimum of discussion. The discussion on “how to reach the goal” is not open or encouraged, since "there's no time because there's so much to do". This is one example of how it looked in a Dilbert cartoon strip (Thanks to Scott Adams for his kind permission).

In a world economy which is already slowing down since the past 6 months, such a strategy that doesn’t take this into account when setting these new goals, is going to get limited results or find the strategy backfiring.  A limited result would be akin to wanting to win a hundred meter race that is being held at a height of 15000 ft above sea level.  It is extremely tiring and draining and things will only get worse from there, if persisted.  

A strategy that backfires would mean that -

1. The unrealistic aspirational target can demoralize the employee morale since they may get a feeling that the organization doesn’t care for them or their work-life balance
2. The demoralization is further accentuated when the “how” of a stretched / aspirational goal is not articulated sufficiently.
3. The stretch /aspirational goals may encourage employees to "do what it takes to get it done", and may indirectly encourage unethical behaviours (small and large). This will negatively impact the quality of the output, and the culture of the organization.
4. Employees at all levels (who are also quite smart) will quickly recognize that the target is quite unrealistic (they do know what stretch targets really are), and would do their work at a little above lip service to save their jobs.  In other words, they will be quite disengaged, which doesn't serve the organization well.
5. Excess stress will hit those who are working wholeheartedly on the target, leading to burnout and perhaps more unplanned leave, if not resignations due to high work pressure or layoffs for not meeting the targets.
6. The organization’s systems and processes will be heavily strained, causing errors, a dip in quality out and service, possible breakdowns and further delay in meeting the targets.

What’s to be done?  I’m not advocating low targets – every business owner / organization knows their own industry well enough to do this task.  I also encourage stretch targets because they can help you to grow, and it can be very enjoyable and satisfying if the tasks  are aligned to the strengths of the employees.  

Here are some guidelines which could be useful:

1. Be realistic when setting the goal.  Start with “Why” – as Simon Sinek advised.
2. In today’s times especially, one person will NOT have all the answers.  So do engage a neutral, external Facilitator to enable your HODs and their immediate reports to have meaningful discussions on ‘HOW’ the targets will be realized, and pool their knowledge and resources to make it happen. You may even decide to invite your vendors for a part of this meeting, especially when discussing support for the execution of the goals. Use this opportunity to include review dates, specific milestones and so on.
3. Encourage and support interdependent behavior – which is about knowing their strengths and balancing their weaknesses with the strengths of other employees, as this will enhance their performance. This becomes easier if your team has undergone their individual Clifton #Strengthsfinder assessment and have this clarity.
4. Ensure that there is clarity on what support (lead generation, training, manpower and other resources) will be provided by the organization and what will not be provided.
5. Ensure that performance reviews are human, practical and based in compassion (not to condone negative behaviour) across the organization.
6. Ensure that performance reviews are solution-oriented and focused on business outcomes, instead of blame games.
7. Don't go overboard with designing an elaborate rewards mechanism, and do ensure that people are rewarded for consistent results born of collaboration and innovation. One person can't know it all OR do it all.

As you can see, this is going to take time, which you may feel that is not worth the investment.  I would submit that it would be more costly (financially and otherwise) not to take this approach. I would also like to point out that this approach will positively impact the employee engagement within your organization, because they will feel feel trusted, and involved in the future of the organization, rather than turning up to office for a paycheck..

Want to know more?  I'd be happy to have a call on +919820155778 to discuss more with you. Or you can leave me a note at ryanbbarretto@hotmail.com

I'm totally thrilled about this - IAF India Conference 2019

Happy to announce that my proposal for the IAF India Conference 2019 has been selected.  This is the first time I'm running a process at this prestigious conference. 

My process is on managing conflict in organizations and is titled "Inside the Whirlpool of Conflict - Creating a Conflict Competent Organisation".

Write to me on ryanbbarretto@hotmail.com or call on +919820155778 if you would like me to run a customized workshop on Conflict Management and Collaboration for your organization.

Collaborating Using your Strengths in Conflict Situations

Leaders have become painfully aware that one man can't do it all.  In today's scenario of VUCA,  IoT, AI and AR, a single employee / manager or leader can't make the organization succeed and thrive.  There's no superman, just employees.  A well-molded team can help things move faster.  Teams that collaborate effectively across the organization, end up winning more for that organization, than those who don't.

And yet, in every organization that tries to encourage collaboration, conflict inevitably occurs, and most people have an instant dislike to conflict.  Conflicts arise primarily because people come from different backgrounds with different learning experiences which are not yet shared.  Also, few people can easily accept that there can be accurate perspectives which are different from the one they hold.  Some people shy from conflict, hoping it will go away. This extends the duration of the problem - similar to continuing to walk when there's a stone in your shoe.  

I am one of those who don't prefer conflict.  Over time I have realized it is necessary else we, as a species, will not progress.  This quote helped me realize that conflict is actually a manifestation of some awareness of a mismatch / dissonance / something that doesn't sit right in one's mind.  It may be real or imagined, but if not surfaced and explored, will cause bitterness, resentment, frustration and so on.

Conflict can be addressed through a workshop training or coaching.

Managing conflict as a Facilitator or Trainer
Many times as a trainer, particularly, during workshops on Teamworking, Building Trust or Collaboration, I have sensed that some participants in the room are not comfortable with each other, and it shows in the manner they interact.  Others are aware of the tensions between them, and modify their behaviour so as to not make things worse.  What actually happens is that no one is able to participate genuinely during the program, and interactions are painfully polite.

As a facilitator or trainer, it's now my task to get them to interact authentically during the program, without forcing them to resolve the conflict.  So I do this with carefully crafted questions or statements, which I ask them to discuss.  Being clear about the outcome of the workshop is extremely important, else such participants will provide lip service at best or derail your schedule at worst.  Occasionally, I get a heads-up about such participants during the diagnosis stage, and so I am able to plan a process or activity that will help them to work together despite differences.  

Understanding conflict from a Strengths Strategy Coach perspective
From a Clifton #strengthsfinder perspective, conflicts can be looked at from the Four Domains of strengths, viz. Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building, Executing and Influencing domains.  Very few people, when looking at their Top 10 Strengths, have an equal distribution of strengths across each domain.  So the chances are high that the strengths can be concentrated across one or two domains more than others. These strengths will cause people to see things differently, even if two people have the same strengths in their top 10 (see below).

If the needs of the strengths from the dominant domains are not permitted to express themselves, dissatisfaction and conflicts can arise.  Also, if the situation demands the use of strengths which are the bottom 10 of the 34 Strengths Report, then this too will cause uneasiness, dissatisfaction and conflict.

For eg. a person who is high (meaning - his/ her strengths are in the Top 10) on moving to action, getting things done (Activator, Achiever, Discipline - Executing Domain), is going to feel some irritation if invited to a meeting where people are brainstorming (using Analytical, Ideation, Learner, Futuristic - Strategic Thinking Domain), if they are in his bottom 10 strengths.  Unless facilitated well, brainstorming meetings, as we know, can take up a whole lot of time. This may probably escalate into frustration or anger for that person, if he was not informed about the purpose of the meeting.

As a Strengths coach, I ensure my coachees take time to understand their strengths, how they manifest in behaviours, by correlating what they enjoy doing and not doing through different exercises.  I ask them to reflect on what this conflict might be trying to bring into their consciousness. I allow them some time to identify whats going on, identifying which of the needs of their strengths are not being fulfilled.  Then ask them to create a plan of how to call on other strengths to help not only to manage the current situation, but also be a helpful contributor.  This of course, is how people collaborate when they come from different parts of the organization.

The point is, don't shy away from conflict.  Here are the gifts of a conflict - 

• It helps realization of dissonance, thus reducing stress and emotional waste.
• If reflected upon, it provides a starting point to working towards a dialogue, which can lead to a solution.
• It can create an opportunity to grow a strength, experiment new things. 
• It's a chance to have fruitful discussions with those who disagree with you - and now you get to learn another person's perspective.
• Surfacing a conflict sooner means that you save the most valuable resource of an organization - TIME.

Contact me on +91-9820155778 or ryanbbarretto@hotmail.com or leave me a message here, if you want to run a Collaboration or a Conflict Management intervention for your organization. 

Action from my recent workshop on Collaboration for High Performance

Action from my recent 2 day #workshop "#Collaboration for High #Performance" for an International Bank. This was a mix of Training on topics like knowing self through Johari Window, aids & barriers to collaboration, #personalaccountability and #Facilitation Processes like World Cafe and appreciative dialogue.

Boss Vs Leader

Boss Vs Leader

Among all the literature that distinguishes between a #boss and a #leader, this is the most clearly articulated that I've come across.

Your thoughts?

https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/stop-trying-to-make-the-boss-look-good/