A busy day in the busy world. In People/Team Management – don’t burn bridges you cross.

 

The world today is busier than ever, it is the same with each passing day. These busy schedules mean a lot of changes to both our professional and personal lives. Sometimes it involves a change in the workplace; for a better job or great perks. It may also require relocation to a new place. Most of the time these changes are our own choices. On few occasions we may not have a say, and may be compelled to face such changes.

These situations are common and can be challenging or rewarding. Challenging because we could get complacent in the present role and be hesitant to take up a new change. Rewarding as we never know what is in store for us in the new role.

We tend to grow complacent because we have worked so hard to make many successful connections, achieved many milestones in the present job. The fear of the unknown in the new opportunity is always there. So much so that we tend to forget that the present job that we are in was also an unknown territory at one time in the past.

The success at this present job was possible only because of the skills and the personality we possess.

In a few cases, the experience of leaving the present organization and the very process of how it is conducted can remain a sore memory to us for a really long time. We may feel betrayed and the process itself in question may seem very unfair; involving a grudge by one person or a small group of people indulging in a plot. The transition can be very painful, considering the innumerous, selfless contributions made by us. Here are certain tips that will help our thought process during these testing times.

•         Don’t burn the bridges – Do not sever the connections made by you over a period of time, painstakingly made with your skills and charisma.

•         Don’t hate the entire organization for the fault of one person – At times we may have the urge of harboring negative thoughts, praying for the failure of the entire organization itself just for the fault of one person.

•         Let go of the bad experience – Do not take it personally and let the experience not remain as a constant reminder of the pain.

•         A new learning – Mold the experience as a new learning for identifying similar situations well in advance in the future.

The person/s who is responsible for such a sinister act is not new to such deeds. They would have done it in the past or will repeat such actions in the future, with someone else. It will remain as a testament to the character they are associated with.

Wisdom lies in carrying on with focusing on the great connections that are made during the period there; instead of carrying the hurt as a burden for the rest of the life.

The world is a small place you never know when you will reap the benefits of your connections; hence don’t burn the bridges that have been crossed.

Relationships flourishing with love, trust and respect…in People/Team Management – Converting connections into relationships.

 

The connections that we make in our day-to-day activities are a very frequent part of our life, most of them are just casual acquaintances. A few of them grow over time and turn out to be a stronger emotion than being just a connection between two people. Relationship between two individuals, is a complex, time tested, strong bond made out of a series of such connections.

 

These relationships can be formed at almost any place where people interact constantly with each other for a long period of time, for example at the work place, in the neighborhood etc.

 

The factors that make a connection transform into a relationship are diverse, it could include common interests, a general liking, appreciation, affection or any other aspects that complement each other.

 

The process of forming a relationship may be complex and time consuming, however the fundamentals of a good working relationship is plain and simple. It constitutes three aspects working in conjunction namely Love, Trust and Respect.

 

All relationships function on these basic elements working in unison, let us understand these crucial elements in detail.

 

·       Love: An intense feeling of a deep affection; it is fundamental for any relationship.

 

·       Trust: A firm belief in the reliability or capability of the concerned person; a very crucial aspect of the relationship.

 

·       Respect: A feeling of deep admiration for someone for their abilities, strengths, achievements which form the crux of any good relationship.

 

It is crucial to understand that the above aspects Love, Respect and Trust (LRT) need to function in combination. Any aspect missing can be detrimental to the relationship itself.

 

People suffer a lot in sore relationships due to a lack of understanding or absence of the LRT’s. It will have a devastating effect of the absence of even one aspect of the LRT’s.

 

·       Absence of Love in a relationship: It defeats the very purpose of a relationship; it is no longer a relationship. It’s just two people being together due to some other ulterior motives.

 

·       Absence of Trust in a relationship: it causes a sense of betrayal and results in a compromised relationship thereafter; that may collapse any time due to the resultant insecurities on either side. 

 

·       Absence of Respect in a relationship: when two people tend to be together without respect for each other’s efforts, time and feelings; eventually they will end up in an abusive relationship. It’s just a matter of time.

 

A successful relationship will have all the LRT’s functioning at all times. It is crucial in establishing and living meaningful relationships. 

 

Love Trust and Respect cannot be commanded or gained through force, even though it may seem that it can be achieved by force or other means; it’s a false notion and is bound to collapse at any given time.

 

A good relationship flourishes when we initiate the LRTs from our side FIRST.

If our intention and efforts are genuine LRT’s will come back to us in Multifold. 

In spite of numerous efforts sometimes, relationships can be challenging, requiring more care, attention and sacrifices. There is peace in letting go off certain things, while there is happiness in clinging on to certain things; our decisions of what to let go off and what to cling on to, makes the entire difference in how our life is shaped.

Organization as a multipronged environment…in People/Team Management - managing the tines.

 

Organization put in simple terms is a collection of people pursuing defined objectives. It has set functions for all who are a part of it. Ideally this group of people perform different tasks assigned to them and work as a single unit to achieve the final goal of the company. It is a goal-oriented process.

 

Organizational structure is critical to any business, big or small. Businesses flourish or perish depending on the efficiency or fragility of this system respectively. It is that vital. Hence it is very important to understand its key drivers, ensuring it remains a well-oiled machine.

 

The key drivers for any organizational structure are the people who are at the helm of affairs at Mid Management Level. They form the essential link in understanding the mission of the business from the Top Management’s point of view and implementing the same; communicating it to their respective teams; the Actual Workforce. Any weak link here would be detrimental to the system and thereby to the business itself.

 

An Efficient manager identifies any red flags on time, takes effective steps in addressing the issue. Coaching, Mentoring, Motivating and in some worst cases Punitive action are the methods to correct the errant behavior. There is no thumb rule in applying these methods, it may vary from person to person.

 

Workforce with such attitude display certain type of behavior. Here are a few types of generally observed behaviors that need to be considered as red flags and tips in diffusing them:

 

 

·       Mr. Pessimistic: As the name suggests tries finding fault in each and every thing, always complaining and results in a demotivating the team.

 

Tip: A one to one discussion with a few instances of explaining the negative behavior and the impact of it.

 

·       Mr. Know All Guy; Acts overconfident even in time sensitive and critical situations and takes wrong decisions resulting in loss of revenue or reputation.

 

Tip: A one to one discussion on a serious note; citing examples of the wrong decisions taken and explaining its impact.

 

 

·       I have different plans for the future guy: Has a very casual approach to towards work, deadlines. This kind of staff tends to be habitual offenders as they have a different plan for their immediate life and this job just happens to be a stop gap arrangement.

 

Tip: A one to one discussion on a serious note, delivering a strong message that this kind of behavior is totally unacceptable. If the issue is not that serious, then methods like Mentoring and Motivating may be adopted.

 

 

·       Everything functioning here depends on me guy: Insubordination is a visible behavior with such people because they think that they are irreplaceable and hence are doing a favor working there. They have no respect for rules.

 

Tip: This is a tricky one if they really possess some specific set of skills as they presume. Managers should waste no time in building a solid backup. (If the task is huge breaking it into smaller tasks could be helpful too). It is important to try and test such a backup for time sensitive operations. A one-to-one discussion, assigning a different role to the person in question will help eliminate the misconception.

 

The behaviors mentioned above are just a few among many other examples. However, it is important to know that any discussions regarding feedback, coaching and mentoring should be conducted strictly on a one-to-one basis and never discussed in a group. This will ensure that the person concerned does not feel offended or takes it personally. Similarly, any achievements, success and laurels should always be announced in the group. It will make the person feel special, appreciated and motivated.

 

Budding managers become seasoned ones and seasoned ones experts. Once they are able to identify such behaviors in advance, address it effectively and overcome the obstacles on time efficiently; they are that close in establishing a strong organizational structure in place and thereby successful businesses.