Corporate work experience? Yes, 3 decades. Post-Generic Gyan, no real life example...Between X and V galore
Great insights and suggestions Gopal A Iyer!
Not sure about this Head of HR, who in one hand says something is missing and then opens up the pandora box of obvious and documented challenges organizations are facing at the leadership level, impacting teams under them.
Agree with you...
Legacy family run businesses have serious challenges of building a balance between the old guards and the new outsiders who are brought to bring strategic thinking and a rescuer of the business, which otherwise had been showing serious fault lines between business strategy and business outcomes.
I will give you an example and you may have many others.
Indian Biopharma firm (a vertically integrated market leader with a very capable active founder at the top of the org). They are ~3 bn USD and sell their products in 200 odd countries...This is a listed company and an investor's favorite with promised safe returns.
Few years back, they created an off-shoot , focused on Biologics, a pvt. entity with some investments from Middle East Sovereign funds.
High profile top team, including global CEO, CHRO, Head of Quality and several others...this was all happening with an intent to run this new entity as an aggressive and promising start up with that intent to do the unthinkable at Godspeed, making a dent in the universe, etc. This was all happening with half of the team in this new entity at top still from the old entity (Old guards)....Covid time was an incubation time for this new entity with business and revenue doing good. This new entity was all geared up to go public, etc...Marketing campaigns were at it's Blaring decibel.
But, But, But, within next one year, all the top new strategic folks were fired en-masse...
Old guards were brought back!
The founder and the Chairman said to media, when they asked what went wrong and why was this promising CEO fired? Her answer was, sometimes, two women, can't work together..
:)
Enjoy your Tuesday!
Agree with you...
Legacy family run businesses have serious challenges of building a balance between the old guards and the new outsiders who are brought to bring strategic thinking and a rescuer of the business, which otherwise had been showing serious fault lines between business strategy and business outcomes.
I will give you an example and you may have many others.
Indian Biopharma firm (a vertically integrated market leader with a very capable active founder at the top of the org). They are ~3 bn USD and sell their products in 200 odd countries...This is a listed company and an investor's favorite with promised safe returns.
Few years back, they created an off-shoot , focused on Biologics, a pvt. entity with some investments from Middle East Sovereign funds.
High profile top team, including global CEO, CHRO, Head of Quality and several others...this was all happening with an intent to run this new entity as an aggressive and promising start up with that intent to do the unthinkable at Godspeed, making a dent in the universe, etc. This was all happening with half of the team in this new entity at top still from the old entity (Old guards)....Covid time was an incubation time for this new entity with business and revenue doing good. This new entity was all geared up to go public, etc...Marketing campaigns were at it's Blaring decibel.
But, But, But, within next one year, all the top new strategic folks were fired en-masse...
Old guards were brought back!
The founder and the Chairman said to media, when they asked what went wrong and why was this promising CEO fired? Her answer was, sometimes, two women, can't work together..
:)
Enjoy your Tuesday!
Gopal A IyerGopal A Iyer (He/Him) • 1st (He/Him) • 1stTransforming Organizations with Strategic Talent Management & Leadership Development | Podcast Host - Career Shifts 🎙Transforming Organizations with Strategic Talent Management & Leadership Development | Podcast Host - Career Shifts 🎙5h •
"We are doing fairly well as an organization, but there is something missing, Gopal," a very senior HR leader of a rapidly growing company confided recently.
"Our leaders excel at delivering results but struggle with strategic thinking and lack empathy. The team feels alienated, motivation is low, and there's no sense of empowerment," she said.
Today, leadership across organizations is a combination of home-grown leaders and strategically hired talent. While home-grown leaders exhibit loyalty and dedication, they often lack strategic and empathetic leadership skills.
On the other hand, newly hired leaders struggle with understanding the cultural ethos, wanting to change everything too soon to prove their worth.
As a result, most organizations have become extremely numbers-focused and centered on short-term goals rather than adopting a long-term, sustained approach. This has led to a disengaged and unmotivated workforce. If left unaddressed, this can result in stagnation or even a downward spiral.
So, what can we do to break this cycle and build high-performing teams?
👉🏻 Focused Leadership Development Interventions: Many leaders in recent conversations insist on going beyond traditional training. Real-world simulations, case studies, strategic thinking, and emotional intelligence modules are needed.
👉🏻 Cultivate a Growth Mindset: Encourage leaders to view challenges as opportunities for growth. This is easier said than done, and it will also require organizations to see failures as normal. This shift can lead to more innovative problem-solving.
👉🏻 Focus on Feedback: A 360-degree feedback mechanism is the need of the hour. The earlier we implement this in an organization, the better the chances of it growing sooner. Focus on growth and improvement rather than criticism.
👉🏻 Lead by Example: Senior executives probably need to model strategic, empathetic leadership. When top leaders exemplify these qualities, it sets a positive standard. As the saying goes, 'actions speak louder than words,' and this is particularly true in leadership.
👉🏻 Empower Your Teams: Involve team members in decision-making. Encourage ownership of projects and provide support and guidance. It's easier to expect but very hard for leaders to implement.
A key challenge for leaders today is to treat employees as equal partners. This requires ongoing reflection and concerted action, but the rewards in terms of team performance and engagement are significant.
Building empowered, high-performing teams and organizations is a journey. It requires deliberate effort and a commitment to continuous improvement across HR, business, and support functions. More than that, it requires an acknowledgement that there is a problem.
If your organization faces similar challenges, I'd love to discuss ways to transform your leadership approach and create a thriving, motivated workforce.
hashtag#leadership hashtag#HighPerformingTeams hashtag#inspiredleadership
"Our leaders excel at delivering results but struggle with strategic thinking and lack empathy. The team feels alienated, motivation is low, and there's no sense of empowerment," she said.
Today, leadership across organizations is a combination of home-grown leaders and strategically hired talent. While home-grown leaders exhibit loyalty and dedication, they often lack strategic and empathetic leadership skills.
On the other hand, newly hired leaders struggle with understanding the cultural ethos, wanting to change everything too soon to prove their worth.
As a result, most organizations have become extremely numbers-focused and centered on short-term goals rather than adopting a long-term, sustained approach. This has led to a disengaged and unmotivated workforce. If left unaddressed, this can result in stagnation or even a downward spiral.
So, what can we do to break this cycle and build high-performing teams?
👉🏻 Focused Leadership Development Interventions: Many leaders in recent conversations insist on going beyond traditional training. Real-world simulations, case studies, strategic thinking, and emotional intelligence modules are needed.
👉🏻 Cultivate a Growth Mindset: Encourage leaders to view challenges as opportunities for growth. This is easier said than done, and it will also require organizations to see failures as normal. This shift can lead to more innovative problem-solving.
👉🏻 Focus on Feedback: A 360-degree feedback mechanism is the need of the hour. The earlier we implement this in an organization, the better the chances of it growing sooner. Focus on growth and improvement rather than criticism.
👉🏻 Lead by Example: Senior executives probably need to model strategic, empathetic leadership. When top leaders exemplify these qualities, it sets a positive standard. As the saying goes, 'actions speak louder than words,' and this is particularly true in leadership.
👉🏻 Empower Your Teams: Involve team members in decision-making. Encourage ownership of projects and provide support and guidance. It's easier to expect but very hard for leaders to implement.
A key challenge for leaders today is to treat employees as equal partners. This requires ongoing reflection and concerted action, but the rewards in terms of team performance and engagement are significant.
Building empowered, high-performing teams and organizations is a journey. It requires deliberate effort and a commitment to continuous improvement across HR, business, and support functions. More than that, it requires an acknowledgement that there is a problem.
If your organization faces similar challenges, I'd love to discuss ways to transform your leadership approach and create a thriving, motivated workforce.
hashtag#leadership hashtag#HighPerformingTeams hashtag#inspiredleadership
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