Executive coaching brings benefits to company also

Published on Wednesday, Jun 10, 2009

The whole corporate game is changing rapidly and the only way that executives and leaders can keep up with the fast pace is through a healthy dose of executive coaching!

Yes, coaching has penetrated the highest echelons of our organisations and forms a proactive component for executive development. More and more organisations are engaging external executive coaches, both to sharpen the skills of their existing leaders as well as during succession planning to develop the potential of future leaders. In fact, according to ‘The Economist’, executive coaching is growing by about 40 per cent a year!

Executive coaching forms a crucial part of executive development in different walks of their life like:

• Continuous improvement by facilitating both personal and professional development and learning for reaching peak performance. Executives can now scale new heights that they never thought possible.

• Refines existing skills and talents for dealing with new tasks, challenges or even a promotion/overseas assignment. Executives become capable of achieving meaningful results in their new role, sometimes even on the fly.

• Is especially useful for learning the tricks for leading a new generation of employees.

• Invigorates successful executives who were otherwise heading for burnout and helps achieve turnaround levels of performance.

• Improves productivity, work relationships, job satisfaction and overall quality of life.

At the top: E-level coaching definitely enhances on-the-job performance, but organisations need to first identify and establish specific goals or development areas where the executive would like to improve. These can be wide-ranging and cover various aspects like communication skills, team building, time management, decision-making, conflict resolution, people skills, global interactions and work-life balance.

Executives can also draw on executive coaching to learn and master the art of developing a vision, setting effective goals, influencing others, gaining acceptance for ideas, handling sensitive issues, enhancing one’s ‘presence’, becoming change proficient or overcoming other obstacles to success.

Of course, the prime focus of any executive coaching is leadership development.

But, the leadership skills come with a solid dose of emotional intelligence comprising of values, ethics, integrity, authenticity, self-awareness and interpersonal social skills. In fact, as a top coach puts it, “Skills, training, education and experience will get you in the game, but the higher up you go, your emotional intelligence makes the difference!”

Such an emotional management of oneself and others along with the values-based leadership will enable executives to build an ethical company with a bright future of loyal employees coupled with increased retention and profitability.

Needless to say, executive coaching presents a rich and unique development opportunity that is more than worth the time and money. In fact, the return on investment is quite enormous, a study of 100 coached professionals found a 570 per cent return on investment.

Coaching improved

• Productivity by 53 per cent

• Quality by 48 per cent

• Work relationships by 77 per cent

• Overall job satisfaction by 61 per cent.

The average return is more than Rs 5 for each rupee spent! Executive coaching consists primarily of one-on-one sessions with an objective third party for six to 12 months, though at times team sessions may also be organised. You have to be candid and speak openly about what you need to be more successful at work and in life. Then you can work together to first identify your work style and environment, discuss problems, brainstorm ideas and then find solutions that work. The coach will subtly work around your weak areas and obstacles, challenging you to plot novel initiatives and find new ways of doing things.

This unbiased perspective, supportive environment, clear feedback and guidance will lead you to a new level of effectiveness thus accelerating your success. You can now discover your hidden potential, expand your options and make the most of the opportunities, thus becoming a role model for the organisation.

As Money magazine puts it, “An executive coach may be the guardian angel you need to rev up your career!”

PAYAL CHANANIA

Impressive resumes also need a reference check

Published on Wednesday, Jun 10, 2009

You have interviewed several applicants for an open position and finally narrowed down the pool to a single deserving candidate.

Everything is sitting just about perfectly and you are about to make an offer. Wait, what about checking his references?

Alas, most hiring managers are either in such a hurry to fill a position or so completely taken in by an impressive resume/interview performance/gut feel, that they totally neglect this vital procedure in the hiring process.

With more and more recession-plagued job seekers resorting to misrepresenting or exaggerating their background, credentials and experience, how can you be sure that a candidate is really what he says he is?

The only way out is to request the applicant for references -personal contacts like former employers, seniors, co-workers or associates and crosscheck with them.

Even if he is being honest, talking to people who know him will yield further insight into what the candidate is really like in a professional setting.

Such reference checks may take time, but practicing due diligence will save considerable money and legal hassles later as you are now qualified to reach an objective and educated decision before actually making a job offer.

• Checking: Notify the candidate beforehand so that he is well aware that you will be contacting his references. Obtain a signed release form that discharges both your company and the people you will be contacting from any legal liability over any truthful information obtained.

This waiver basically grants permission to ask the references some detailed questions.

Ensure that you either send a copy of the release before contacting the reference or explain that you are ready to send one.

This will lead the reference to be more open in his comments without being held liable.

Else, references are notorious for being pretty close-mouthed and divulge nothing except the employment dates, salary history and job title.

Yet, the waiver does not guarantee participation as the reference may still refuse to comment.

Written references are neither very reliable nor effective; it is better to call up the reference and speak to him in person. Identify yourself and state the purpose of your call before moving on to verifying basic candidate information like starting and ending dates of employment, pay rate and position held.

Then move on to specific questions based on what you have learnt about the candidate during the interview.

In fact, it is advisable to have a set of questions ready so that you don’t end up stumbling or shooting off-the-cuff.

Asking the right questions will help you to glean maximum amount of information. Some example questions:

• What was your reporting relationship with the candidate?

• What is your assessment of his work attitude/character/ commitment?

• Describe a few of his major strengths and weaknesses.

• Was his work attendance – being on time and dependability acceptable?

• Were his work skills, performance and ethics satisfactory?

• What were his key responsibilities in the job and did he make any important achievements?

• How did he contribute to projects (mentioned in the interview)?

• Did he receive any job promotions?

• Can he successfully work as a member of a team?

• How was his relationship with supervisors/colleagues/ subordinates?

• Describe conflict/stress issues with the candidate, if any.

• Why did he leave the job?

• Would you be willing to rehire him or do you have any reservations?

• If I describe the open position, could you recommend the candidate as a good fit?

• Do you know of anyone else in your company I should speak to about the candidate’s performance?

• Is there anything I haven’t asked that you would like to share with me?

You can even ask additional spontaneous questions based on what is said in response to your primary questions.

You have to be all ears and pay attention to any lukewarm comments, half-hearted praise, over-enthusiasm or sudden change of subject.

Also, look for verbal cues in the tone of voice like pauses, hesitation or unwillingness to answer. A general rule of thumb is to ask basic questions and dig deeper with probing questions if the responses raise a red flag.

Take all references with a grain of salt as some employers may offer positive comments in spite of bad performance, just to avoid legal action.

Others may vindictively provide false information or slant their comments towards a negative interpretation.

Therefore, it is advisable to speak to all the references to get a more valid view of the whole picture.

Generally speaking, if something seems definitely amiss, it is advisable to either delve further with a thorough background check using independently selected sources or completely refrain from hiring the candidate.

PAYAL CHANANIA

Effective corporate communications can enhance brand value

Published on Wednesday, Jun 03, 2009

Communication generating from an organisation and going out to its various audiences – whether within or beyond – is termed as corporate communications.

Internally, any communication to the employees, partners or stakeholders is internal communication. This can be either in the form of annual reports, speeches or even videos to share/stockholders or intranet web portals, domestic blogs, announcements, messages from management, employee newsletters and other company publications for communicating corporate policy changes, personnel changes and corporate events to the workforce.

On the other hand, any communication going outside to consumers, clients, suppliers, jobseekers, industry bodies and institutes, government agencies, media and general public is external communication. This can take various forms like public relations initiatives, corporate advertising in print, television or web, new product/service launches, trade shows, job fairs, vendor/ distributor meetings, press conferences, company website or blog and corporate publications for the external world.

Both internal and external communications form a significant corporate function, serving as a crucial liaison for the organisation with its extended audiences. On the internal front, effective communication is essential for building a smooth and affirmative relationship with partners and enhancing investor relations. When it comes to employees, it helps in varied ways from facilitating effective and timely dissemination of information, managing employee issues, team building, adoption of strategic initiatives and professional development to communicating company values/vision, promoting corporate culture, motivation, building employer pride and effective change management. In fact, efficient employee communication is the difference between unlocking and blocking the full potential of the organisation.

Externally, effective communication is crucial for managing the perception of the company and building a respectful image and reputation. It serves to develop and maintain a coherent corporate identity, brings company values to life, shows value to customers and promotes the unique strengths, corporate governance, philosophy, social responsibility programmes and corporate citizenship while building an attractive employer brand. Not only does projecting an admirable positive image to the external public build a sense of company trust, integrity, approachability and credibility, but it also can help immensely in times of crisis by moulding a favourable public opinion and aiding crisis management.

Image management: Therefore, corporate communications is no longer limited to just press releases and employee memos assigned to a handful of amateur staff. It requires a professional approach and careful management with active and deliberate measures to build, manage, enhance and protect the company brand, both internally and externally.

This necessitates strategic initiatives by an entire department of ‘corporate communication professionals’ or outsourcing to communication consulting firms. In fact, as Arunima Sharma, head-executive research, INX Executive Search says, “Many MNCs that are entering India are looking at developing a corporate communications team first, along with the marketing and sales force.” The dedicated staff will use sophisticated approaches in the communication initiatives to create a strong corporate, financial and market branding through an effective advertising and promotions programme, media relations, investor relations activities and employee events.

They are capable of communicating strategically, depending on the situation, message and audience and come out with different solutions for different scenarios. This will ensure clear and accurate information, reducing the scope for otherwise rampant miscommunication and misinterpretation. Not only does the communication now grab attention, it also becomes possible to determine whether it has been properly received and understood.

By designing and implementing sensitive programmes using cutting-edge tools, mechanisms and procedures, the company can carve a unique position in the minds of people, differentiating it from other peers and competitors. It can affect employee perception of the organisation and its objectives facilitating embracing of the vision and goals, thus influencing employee productivity, performance and profitability. Above all, the long-term goodwill and solid reputation will help the organisation to thrive and grow like never before!

As Manish Kalghatgi, General Manager, Corporate Communication, Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd. asserts, “As competition grows and as reputation becomes more important, any company serious about its image will always have a need for corporate communication!”

Payal Chanania