It set me thinking. Rather than follow the norm of initiating big changes on New Year’s Day, she had discovered the power of small sustainable change. She represented the potential leaders of tomorrow. Increasingly, young men and woman like her are rejecting “the norm” to embracing behaviour patterns that completely invert conventional wisdom. I decided to explore other such attributes being adopted by them. Character traits that would be considered atypical among leaders today. I found what I believe could be 5 critical attributes of tomorrow’s leaders:

Influencers: First and foremost, these are not “leaders” in the traditional definition of the term. They do not seek authority and do not believe in command and control management. What they do have is a distinct span of influence. They inspire respect. And this spreads out in all directions – amongst peers, juniors, seniors. And interestingly, this is a two way phenomenon. For, they are completely open to being influenced by members of the same circle.

Support players: The captains of the sports teams in our era have usually been the star players. This is accepted as the norm. Be it team leader, political leader, or business leader, we pick them all on the same principle: The star performer. But these young leaders of tomorrow are not aspiring to be among the star players. They are busy building star teams, invisibly supporting and building on the strengths of their team.

 ‘Ristakers’: These young men and women have the courage to make mistakes. I like to call these “ristakes”. These lie at the very root of destructive innovation, the fuel of change. The ristakers believe in the power of change and are willing to take chances to break status quo. We all know that we need radically new solutions for the unprecedented problems we are faced with today. The answer lies in trying new things, without the fear or making a mistake. And that is embodied in the fearlessness of this generation.

Emotional fools: Far from the robotic or cold stereotypes of the workforce, these are emotional, even passionate, individuals for whom being ‘humane’ is very high on the priority list. Their high emotional quotient also feeds into their sense of individual (and thereby collective) social responsibility. They want to make things better – for themselves, their friends, community and the world at large. To them, the office represents far more than a “work”place. It is an extension of life itself. And this is evident in their approach to work and expectation of the workplace.

‘Irrationalists’: Look around. Gone are the days of being ‘practical’. The young emerging leaders do not subscribe to popular notions of “realism.” Their optimism appears irrational in a sea of pessimism. When everyone around them is giving up hope, they continue to believe against all odds. Their sentiment is infectious and has the power of turning the tide.

Looking at them, you cannot help but feel that the future is positive and in safe hands. In fact, at Davos this year, I was truly missing these optimists among the attendees weighed down by the burden of the global economic turmoil. They are the ones who will spot the first rainbow in the sky and it is in our interest to engage them proactively so that they can paint the bleak shades of today with the bright colours of their tomorrow. Don’t you think so?

Let me explain what I mean there – Imagine that you and I were on a ledge of a building that is on fire. I guess we have three options. Call for a fire brigade and hope it comes on time, take a risk and jump to safety or do nothing and simply shout for help in hope that someone will come and save us. As I looked around the attendees at Davos, many were indeed shouting for help, but I was in search for people who were “doing” something to save themselves and the building. Fortunately, I did find them in a good number and was able to see the outlines of a vivid rainbow on the Davos sky.

Talking to Nobel Laureates , CEOs and world leaders, I came back with a firm view that we are in a challenging phase but definitely not at the ‘beginning of the end’ ! The global economy, is still growing, it’s expected to grow 2.2% this year if not more. And most CEOs in Davos believed that the US too may deliver a positive surprise, backed by a 2.8% growth in the last quarter. So how does one explain the noise?

A prominent economist I met at Davos defined it as “solid at the core with turbulence at the edges” . Although there’s a lot of turbulence at the periphery, which is generating a lot of noise, core countries and companies are doing well. For example, while Greece and Italy are experiencing economic turmoil, Germany at the core is growing.

Similarly, good companies are growing, though some companies on the edges who have got their strategy wrong are struggling to remain relevant. Global institutions are largely intact and we are solving more and more problems through conversation and dialogue, not war. The world economy seems to be driven by three factors – fundamentals, policy and confidence . While fundamentals continue to be strong at the core and the right policy frameworks are being debated and decided, the real challenge is around confidence. The consensus at Davos was that if confidence can be restored , an economic resurgence will undoubtedly follow.

This call for optimism was also writ large in the Forum’s agenda this year, which sought to find solutions for fixing economic disparity that is threatening social unrest . The solution, most people felt, was not to kill capitalism , which has brought us to our steadily improving world, but to adapt it to changing times. Another hope that ran adjacent was the increasing clout of the emerging markets . Interestingly , this acknowledgment of a shift in economic power toward emerging economies was accompanied by a ‘softening’ of the problem definition. Sessions mulling on ‘value context’ , ‘wise leadership’ and ‘ethical dilemmas’ were full to their seams. And for the first time ever I noticed that the Davos vocabulary, which used to have a strongly economic cast, today includes terms like ‘moral compass’!

I would like to believe that this “spiritualization of Davos” brought in a well-meaning determination in most dialogues. In the cross-industry CEO meeting on job creation , for example, it was clear to me that most companies both planned to hire more people and build new pools of workforce. There was a sense of urgent commitment in the room, a collective ownership of the problem and a collective resolve to solve it.

What more can one expect ? Rome was not built in a day and neither can we hope to solve all the global problems in one shot or at one place. There are many issues indeed that need to be resolved today, but their number or scale is not any less than what it was a decade ago or will be in the one ahead. Human evolution is always accompanied by new challenges; the important point is not to be overwhelmed by them. At Davos I saw tremendous resolve on the faces of some of the brightest brains in the world to solve the problems in front of us. I believe that is enough reason for us to be pragmatic if not optimistic and more importantly to keep the faith. If we could only lift our eyes and look up…there is a rainbow on the horizon and it’s only getting brighter by the day.

Originally published in Times of India. You can read the article here

Being stuck on the ground, waiting in an airport for a delayed flight to take off, often provides me with a surprisingly eye-opening and high-level perspective on the world. As an antidote to the boredom, I’ll scan the waiting area and imagine how the worldview of someone in the room differs from mine.

Sitting in the New Delhi international terminal as I made my way to the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, I noticed a young man who was dressed in the counter-cultural style of his generation. I wondered what he might say if I told him where I was going — that is, to join a discussion among political, business, and cultural leaders about the problems facing our uncertain world.

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It was a great trip and we came back completely rejuvenated. But, on our return, we heard  stories from acquaintances who had got stuck on the very same route that weekend. Looking back, I am amazed at the management mantras we could draw from our experience. I’d like to share these deceptively simple rules of the road with you.

The right vehicle for the terrain: Picking the right vehicle for the journey seems such an obvious decision: An SUV for better maneuverability on hilly terrain, a van for lots of space with kids. But when we put together a team on a new project, do we pay the same obvious attention to creating the right blend of expertise and experience or do we bow to other constraints, such as available time and bandwidth? The importance of this exercise cannot be underplayed – as it excruciatingly evident in adverse situations.

Check traffic and weather: That’s hygiene before setting out on the road, right? But at work, it might be worthwhile to check: Having put together a team, do we jump right into the nitty gritty of the business challenge, or do we step back for a moment to study the external environment impacting the client?

Chalk the right route: Sometimes, it is better to select driving directions to make the shortest time rather than the shortest distance. The optimal route would be based on a combination of the first two points and the specifics of the project. Consequently, the right path to get from Point A to Point B – from the business challenge to the solution – may not necessarily be direct or the shortest distance, but the most effective path to success.

Fuel up: Besides filling the tank before a road trip, you probably also check the oil and coolant levels, as well as the air pressure in the four wheels and the spare tire. In addition, you might carry along some supplies like water, snacks, and perhaps a first aid kit. Similarly, at work, having decided the route and before taking a deep dive, the next step would be to gather the necessary resources to maximize efficiency.

Set your pace: It’s time to set out on your journey. Yet as you do, you pace yourself based on the distance to be covered, time in hand as well as the speed limit. In other words, you find a balance between short term profitability and sustainability. You navigate the traffic, negotiate bends, and take advantage of clear patches to maximize the opportunities along the way.

Timely servicing: Having experienced the joy of a road trip, you return to send your car off to the auto shop for a quick servicing. You heed the mechanics advice on the need to replace or repair any wear and tear along the way. Do we also pay the same attention to a periodic skills review so as to upgrade our own competencies as and when required?

It all seems so obvious and systematic on a road trip, doesn’t it? But at work as in life, some of these steps merge into each other and others are skipped due to various compulsions along the way. And these are the very gaps that cause unforeseen problems.

How can we learn from these simple lessons from the road to make ourselves more effective at work? Would you like to add a few of your own experiences here so we can put together a collective compilation of management mantras from the road?

Business Today Q&A with Vineet Nayar on ‘Employees First, Customers Second’.

Click here to download pdf (part 1)
Click here to download pdf (part 2)

I invite you to view a short video clip of ‘World Peace and Other Fourth Grade Achievements,’ my favourite game in the world. In it, John Hunter, a Virginia based school teacher who created this political simulation game, puts all the problems of the world on a 4’X5’ plywood board – and lets his 4^thgraders solve them. As he describes it, there is layer upon layer of complex, global crises requiring hyper collaborative problem solving in the midst of chaos, uncertainty, and conflicting pressures. Everything is designed to go wrong on every level and in every sphere – all at once, for everyone. And yet when these children are thrown into this super-heated crucible with its recipe for immediate and complete failure, instead of giving up, they add new ingredients, performing a sort of alchemy, turning leaden problems into gold.

The game is not very realistic, nor is it meant to be…and yet, it has taught Hunter over and over again: When you take away pre-conceived notions and rigid mindsets, and add a child’s belief and confidence, problem solving suddenly seems so much simpler.

Across the world, on the other side of the planet, Kiran Bir Sethi is conducting another little experiment. She is teaching her children at Riverside School in Ahmedabad to take charge. With a contagious message of ‘I Can’, she makes them aware of world issues, enables them and them empowers them to make a difference. Take a look at the powerful result.

Two videos. Two ends of the world. One thought.

Over the years, we have drawn leadership lessons from teachers, parents, freedom fighters, political leaders, army generals, philosophers, reformists, mountaineers, athletes, even dolphins and geese…why not children?

Back in 2008, before the hurricane hit the global economy, I asked people around me: What do you do if you are outdoors and it begins to rain? Run for cover? Find a shelter to prevent yourself from getting wet? Or, do you take child-like delight at the sudden turn of events, stand your ground, maybe even leap with joy and continue playing with a quick adaptation of the game-plan? Unlike children, we adults draw comfort from predictability. As we close this erratic chapter, let’s rediscover the power of child’s play.

I wish you and your families a very happy New Year and a joyful journey in rediscovering the child within. Imagine 2012 through the eyes of this child. What do you see lying ahead?

We all know that we owe it to ourselves to maintain our physical energy levels: So we eat healthy, sleep well, exercise, take short breaks at work, snatch back your lunch break and make the most of your vacations – do whatever it takes to recharge.

But in my experience, our emotional, mental and spiritual energy levels receive a huge boost when we really love what we are doing. So here is what I would suggest: Every day, chisel your work day a bit to sharpen the focus on what’s most important to you. Find time for it; make time for it, rather than giving all your time to the loudest ‘in your face’ claimant. Ask yourself, which part of your work are you really passionate about? Then chase that passion.

Break the ‘things to do’ routine with a ‘things to change’ routine. Step back before you step forward every morning. Before you decide what you will do, ask yourself what you will not do today? For instance, you could decide, “I will not check my BlackBerry messages before brushing my teeth!” (Ok, let’s make that before sipping my morning cup of tea or coffee! )

Oddly, although it is not directly related to your work, allow yourself to get emotional at work. It really helps. Invest in your people and relationships at work. Listen, appreciate, respond. Rather than building a black and white work environment, let the workplace resemble the multifarious hues of life.
Celebrate the fact that you are human, not a machine – and you will find, not only is work invigorating, the weakened spirit would be transformed to a spirited weekend!

While there is no questioning the value of experience in many respects, there is a school of thought that looks at experience as an ever expanding rear view mirror that constantly draws attention to the path travelled, rather than the unknown and limitless possibilities on the way forward.

Former Intel innovation strategist Cynthia Barton Rabe, writes in her book The Innovation Killer that when it comes to innovation, ‘ExpertThink’ and ‘GroupThink’ are the twin innovation killers. Experience and best practices that have been the pillars of success so far, slow down the pace of innovation and disruptive change.

So how to you circumvent this paradox? Bill Taylor, author and cofounder of Fast Company magazine, propounds the virtues of ‘vuja dé’ to counter it. In his blog, Don’t Let What You Know Limit What You Imagine, Taylor says, we have all experienced déjà vu — looking at an unfamiliar situation and feeling like you’ve seen it before. Vuja dé is the flip side of that — looking at a familiar situation (a field you’ve worked in for decades, products you’ve worked on for years) as if you’ve never seen it before, and, with that fresh line of sight, developing a distinctive point of view on the future.

Rabe’s answer to the paradox is to populate organizations with ‘zero-gravity thinkers’: innovators who are not weighed down by the expertise of a team, its politics, or ‘the way things have always been done.’

The idea is to induce some fresh thought. I believe this fresh thinking is available within an organisation, right in the core value zones, waiting to be discovered. These are the young minds at the frontlines, interacting with your customers. They have the knowledge and the expertise, but they carry their burden lightly, quick to imagine new possibilities, new solutions, believing in their power to find a better way forward.

In fact, within HCL, we have been witnessing this in our very midst. As we transferred the responsibility for change to our people under our Employee First policy, we have been surrounded with a veritable brainstorm of innovative ideas. Let me give you just a few examples.

MadJam: Make A Difference (MAD) is an initiative to promote innovative ideas in the workplace under which people across the organization offer suggestions and solutions for change. This year, more than 900 HCLites in 377 ‘idea teams’ submitted business and technology based transformational solutions. Ninety-four of these were shortlisted, based on a poll by their colleagues, to present their ideas to a jury. The ideas selected and implemented are expected to create more than $25 million in value for our business.

MEME : MEME is an internal social networking platform created and used by employees to connect, share, learn and grow serves as an avenue to share thoughts and ideas with fellow HCLites. Can you imagine the innovative potential of over 30,000 MEMErs discussing a wide variety of subjects across nearly 700 groups? Through MEME, they address a series of needs of a multi-generational workforce, including aspects of gender, culture, ability, work life continuity, leisure, values, beliefs besides professional problems.

Green Warriors: Green Warriors is our employee volunteer network which collaborates with administration and infrastructure teams for advocacy and implementation of green activities. Around 1200 warriors conducted eco audits of their workplaces this year to assess the state of resources consumed in company owned facilities with recommendations for actions that can be adopted by employees to contribute to Green operations. Several of these will be implemented during 2012.

Perhaps nobody knew more about innovation that Steve Jobs. According to him, innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. “It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led and how much you get it,” said Jobs.
As we transfer the responsibility of change to thousands of HCLites, we have no doubt they will find the most innovative way forward to smarter systems and a smarter business for a smarter and sustainable world.