If I just say ‘past five months’, I know exactly what each one of you would think. The lockdown! I do not even need to elaborate on the challenges that came along. Everyone in the world has a story to tell about their experiences.
It started with a lot of excitement about getting to spend more time with loved ones. Work from home was a distant dream for many, and the pandemic turned it into a reality overnight. IT and HR teams were in the war room of offices, struggling to handle the problem of enabling everyone to work from home. Many large firms placed orders for thousands of laptops to the extent that there was an acute shortage; some even asked employees to take their desktops home. But as the three-week lockdown extended, the real challenges started rearing their ugly head. Many of us, who are not lucky enough to have a dedicated work space at home, managed work in the middle of chaos— juggling domestic chores and office work for extended hours. Children attending virtual sessions added to the problem.
The situation has been worse for those in managerial roles. As research has shown, managers at all levels are under tremendous pressure and are not being optimally effective. Managerial or leadership ‘effectiveness’ has been a top priority for CEOs over the past decade. They have struggled to manage teams effectively even in better times; and now, they have to manage the curveball of doing so virtually. Imagine the variables they have to manage— employee motivation, safety, performance, revenue generation, navigating supply chain issues that have come to a standstill, and much more. Also, multiple teams are looking up to them for direction. Sadly, the picture that emerges in most organisations is that of an army in the battlefield with a stressed and clueless general.
Esta historia es de la edición October 2020 de Indian Management.
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Esta historia es de la edición October 2020 de Indian Management.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Listen To Your Customers
A good customer experience management strategy will not just help retain existing customers but also attract new ones.
The hand that feeds
Providing free meals to employees is an effective way to increase engagement and boost productivity.
Survival secrets
Thrive at the workplace with these simple adaptations.
Plan backwards
Pioneer in the venture capital and private equity fields and co-founder of four transformational private equity firms, Bryan C Cressey opines that we have been taught backwards in many important ways, people can work an entire career without seeing these roadblocks to their achievements, and if you recognise and bust these five myths, you will become far more successful.
For a sweet deal
Negotiation is a discovery process for both sides; better interactions will lead all parties to what they want.
Humanise. Optimise. Digitise
Engaging employees in critical to the survival of an organisation, since the future of business is (still) people.
Beyond the call of duty
A servant leadership model can serve the purpose best when dealing with a distributed workforce.
Workplace courage
Leaders need to build courage in order to enhance their self-reliance and contribution to the team.
Focused on reality
Are you a sales manager or a true sales leader? The difference, David Mattson, CEO, Sandler® and author, Scaling Sales Success: 16 Key Principles For Sales Leaders, maintains, comes down to whether you can see beyond five classic myths that we often tell ourselves about selling.
