Need for Trust Building in a professional environment

 Need for Trust Building in a professional environment  

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

 

Having discussed the definition of building trust in a professional environment last week, let us understand the need for building trust to get things done.

Trust is an essential evergreen quality in any relationship in the workplace, and it can be between a boss and junior colleagues or among colleagues.

Need for building Trust

1) When we have trust in something or someone, it indirectly enhances influencing power to get things done.

For example, when we want to purchase something online, we prefer AMAZON over any other new, unknown e-commerce portal. We have more trust in the amazon brand, which influences the transaction ( things getting done).

In the same way, if we trust someone ( they earned their trust from us), they have more power over us to get things done.

The point is to influence anyone in the professional environment; the primary ingredient is building trust in character, competency, or both.

2) And today's change in the working environment calls for influencing rather than commanding, which indirectly demands trust building. 

The workplace relationship is changing from commanding to inspiring to get things done.

The change could be due to social changes, affordabilities, and opportunities compared to the past. Earlier, people look up to someone for knowledge, information, age, and experience they possess. Now with the abundance of information available thanks to digital evolution and humungous opportunities across the world for survival and growth, people are no more looking up to someone for the reason stated above.

Instead, people are now looking up to someone for their wisdom, insights, mentoring, or solution-providing capabilities for specific challenges. When someone demonstrates consistently, trust is built, and they become inspired and an influencer. They can get things done relatively easier than others.
 
For any one-time transaction or short-term benefits, commanding or pushing may help to get things done. Building trust is required if you are looking for a long-term association, positively influencing others to get things done, and peaceful transaction between you and others.

You shall deserve yourself as a person to look up to only when you develop yourself and you are proven as "TRUSTED "by your colleagues or networks.

In the above context, trust-building becomes essential.

Let us discuss the approaches for developing trust-building next week.
 
Have a great week ahead.

Building Trust

  Building Trust 

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

 

As we discuss the art of getting things done in the workplace, managers/ leaders must organize themselves effectively. We have discussed some elements of "organizing self," like Time management, Managing expectations, and Being focused.

The next important element in self-organizing is BUILDING TRUST.
 
What is meant by Trust?
 
Trust is a conviction or strong belief we have in others on some qualities which are built slowly, through repeated interactions or behaviors.
 
To understand this definition easily, let us relate our association with some brands or companies.

We have a strong belief about some brands or companies that their product or service is either reliable or value for money or the best user experience, and so on. This strong belief comes from the repeated experience we have gained from using their product or service.

For example, we firmly believe that the TATA brand means it is reliable; APPLE brand means Innovation; AMAZON means convenience in online purchasing; INFOSYS means Governance, and so on. That is Trust.

From a business perspective, we term it as branding; however, business is all about connecting with people's emotions, which is TRUST.

Similarly, in the professional setup, we develop strong beliefs or convictions with some people for some qualities. That emotional connection is TRUST.
 
For example, we trust some people for their punctuality since they demonstrate it regularly over some time.
We never consider a person being punctual if they demonstrate punctuality only on a few occasions or once in a while.
We trust some people as problem solvers as they demonstrate their thought leadership in some subjects regularly over some time.
We never consider a person as a solution provider if they demonstrate once in a while or few situations.
We trust some people as dependable since they demonstrate their commitment on time without follow-up.
 
From the above examples, Building Trust Consists of 2 elements

• Repeatability
• Long-time duration

 Trust needs to be earned by an individual; it is not given by position or title.
 
You may relate yourself to what qualities your peers / junior colleagues trust you most.
 
Let us discuss the relevance of building Trust with execution capabilities and the ways of building Trust in a professional environment in the next week.

Have a great week ahead.

Book on "Execution"

  Book on "Execution"   

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)
 

                           

Related to our topic on " Execution Excellence- Ability to get things done " in a professional environment, introducing the book " Execution" written by world-renowned Management thinker, and CEO coach " Ram charan " along with other two authors.

The Author Ram charan defines execution as a discipline than conventional thinking as either art or skill. And the authors explain how strategy, people and operations can be integrated to get things done in a competitive organization with their practical / client's examples.

Read the book recently.In my opinion, this book is not for beginners,however,it is a good read  for those people who get into senior management and practicing business heads to get a wide perspective on the execution capabilities at both self-level and for inculcating the capabilities in the organization.

Recommend to senior professionals.

https://amzn.to/3FjJ80Y

Have a great week ahead.

Staying focused in a day to day life

  Staying focused in a day to day life 

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

As part of managing self to get things done, one of the self-development areas is being focused. Last few weeks, we have discussed how the leaders demonstrate the focus in the organization and make the team also focus at the macro level/organization level / medium term.

Now let us discuss how effectively people stay focused in day-to-day activities/micro level / individual level.

It is very challenging to remain focused on our daily activities and results as distractions may be created by ourselves through our practices and others. Some effective people overcome by consciously practicing some behaviors which i observe and learn from them.

1. They have clarity about what they want or what agenda to fulfill in a day.
2. They maintain a "To do list" on a piece of paper and ensure to check at the end of the day.
3. They convert their agenda into key performance indicators (KPIs) that they measure and track periodically. We speak ideas most and forget them, but converting the idea into metrics will improve the focus.
4. They will always start with END. This habit will help them focus on the result rather than being distracted by the activities.
5. They are more prudent about "what not to do or what not to talk" about than what to do. Focus is all about what not to do and what to do.

In one of the firms, the business head casually shared his plan to go about technology degradation through investment. The team was then working on solving quality issues in the existing technology. When they heard about the business head's plan for upgradation, they stopped working on problem-solving. They pointed out the new technology could be the panacea for all the problems ...complete focus distraction!! by sharing untimely information.

6. They manage and conduct the meetings very well, as distractions mostly happen in meeting forums. They organize themselves very well by certain behaviors like putting the mobile in silent mode, going by the agenda, taking notes, and involving all stakeholders.
7. Even if someone distracts from the agenda, they will bring it back to the agenda quickly as they know it is one of the core jobs of chairing the meetings. Sometimes when the discussion gets into conflict, they brilliantly handle it or, worst case, make it offline to remain focused.

 
You might have observed the above behaviors and something more.
 
The point is that staying focused is a choice irrespective of the environment, and this is one of the mindsets that help us to stay focused. When we, as leaders/managers, remain focused, the team will also stay focused and enable us to get things done.

Have a great week ahead.

Being focused-How do effective people display?

 Being focused-How do effective people display?  

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

As part of "managing self" to get things done, one of the self-development areas is being focused. Last week, we discussed how the leaders demonstrate the focus in the organization and make the team also focus.

In continuation of it one more example in the Indian automobile industry is Bajaj auto's transformation from being a domestic scooter manufacturing organization to one of the world's largest exporters of motorcycle organizations in a decade.

Before 2000, Bajaj auto was widely known as a scooter manufacturing company with a decent presence in motorcycles. They focused more on the Indian market, with a sizable market share in the two-wheeler industry. That is the legacy created by Rahul Bajaj as a founder. In 2005, the next generation Rajiv Bajaj took the managing director role and decided to focus only on motorcycles to take the company globally and dropped the scooter business completely. At that time, there was skepticism about his decision to leave the scooter legacy even at the family and industry levels.
Despite all the concerns and noises, he single-mindedly focussed only on motorcycles, developed new products in all the ranges, tied up with many international companies as partners, and exported to many countries apart from the domestic market.

To cut short the story, today, Bajaj is exporting to more than 70 countries, and the export sales are around 53 % of its overall sales. No other Indian company achieved this sales performance. The other achievements are company is globalized and cash rich.
 
Now having achieved significant results in motorcycles, he is again entering into the  EV scooter segment with the old brand of Chetak.

That is the focus till achieving the result.

Scholars and Business consultants may define the above achievement as strategy or specialization, but i  see it as a demonstration of the focus of the business head to get things done without distraction. Most of us are good at planning and need to be more disciplined in execution. That calls for focus as a behavior.

In this way, only the leader demonstrates to others what is priority or focus, and the team or organization is also focused.

Let us discuss how effective people demonstrate the focus on a day-to-day basis next week
.
Have a great week ahead.

Being Focused

 Being Focused 

(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

 

As we discuss the art of getting things done in the workplace, managers/ leaders must organize themselves effectively. In line with this, we have discussed the importance of managing time and expectations. The next aspect of managing self is FOCUS.

What is meant by FOCUS?

Focus means directing our thoughts, energy, and time into something. It is beyond the ordinary meaning of concentration in a single activity.

From an execution capability development of point of view, focus means knowing the priority and pursuing it till the end without distraction.

The priority can be achieving the task or business goal, strengthening relationships with stakeholders, building a foundation or stability, etc.

Most of us need clarity on WHAT to focus on and HOW to remain focused in any endeavor.

Focus is one of the leadership skills which can be acquired through awareness and practice.

Why is FOCUS required for anyone?

• When we don't focus on the result, we quickly get distracted with activities and end up managing activities or being busy rather than getting things done.

• When we do not intend to complete the task or achieve some goal, how can we expect our colleagues, peers, and junior colleagues to stick to our plan? People follow a leader who is focused on the end objective.

A few years ago, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates were asked, "what is the single factor that contributes to your success?" Both immediately responded with one word: FOCUS

FOCUS differentiates between dreamers and achievers in any profession.

Staying focused is essential, but it is not easy for everyone to remain focused as numerous distractions and opportunities will derail.Effective executives always begin with the end in mind and remain focused till they reach the end.Hence they are quite effective in getting things done.

Let us discuss how effective people trained themselves to remain focused and the behaviors they display to others to stay focused next week.

Have a great week ahead.

Expectation Management- Accountability Vs.Responsibility

 Expectation Management-

Accountability Vs.Responsibility
(Execution Excellence -"Ability to get things done" Series)

 

We have discussed the importance of being aware of key stakeholders' expectations related to expectation management. One way of being aware of the role expectation is getting clarity between accountability vs. responsibility.

In practice, we interchangeably use the term accountability and responsibility. There is a difference in the terminology, and how we use them to understand the expectation of our role in a professional setup will help us to deliver effectively.

Accountability refers to RESULT or end expectation, and responsibility refers to ACTIVITIES. In any professional dealing, others expect us to be accountable rather than responsible, even though it is not explicitly expressed.

How will this understanding help us?

When you relate your job with reference to more accountability than responsibility, it will enhance your understanding of expectations. You tend to improve your execution capabilities when you are clearer on expectations.

For example, assume you are the finance head of the organization. The key accountability expected from the position is to ensure positive cash flow, and all the activities are subsets of this accountability. When you know your ultimate accountability or result expectation, you will tend to do an effective job rather than when you relate your role only to activities like account keeping, generating statements, analysis etc. When you relate more to activities, likely suboptimal performance only will happen.

Similarly, if you are the procurement head, the key expectation is to ensure undisturbed material supply and cost optimization in material procurement. The other activities or responsibilities are a subset of accountability.

You may relate to your current role and articulate the highest expectation of the role.

When we are not aligned in expectations between key stakeholders and us, say, our boss or customer, disappointment occurs.

Some effective leaders, as i observed, will always relate their work and their team's work with an accountability perspective. When they have clarity, they will always communicate or connect with the team from a result delivery point of view and minimize the micromanagement on the activities level.

The clarity on accountability vs. responsibility is vague in many organizations, and it is the prime job of the managers/leaders to make clarity and practice when dealing with others.

This clarity on expectation setting helps to execute things well.

Have a great week ahead!