The Art Of Leading Equals In The Digital Age

“If Your Actions Inspire Others To Dream More, Learn More, Do More And Become More, You Are A Leader.” - John Quincy Adams

Doing a Post Graduate Diploma Course in Management is a far different experience in digital age than it used to be in earlier times. With digitization gradually becoming the buzz-word, the very nature of personal and professional relationships have changed. In the wake of this change, VJIM teaches young leaders how to harmonize a vast array of differences in the workplace be it racial, cultural, generational so as create something new and potent.

In the digital age, where knowledge is at everyone’s disposal, true leadership lies in your ability to unite people in a team without having to sacrifice their individuality. In other words, the present day leader is no more a person who is holding his team’s finger to lead them in a way. He is a facilitator providing his team what they need to do their job and then getting out of their way to do it. Only then will this new talent be able to unlock new technology, new perspectives, and new, more human communities.

The Workforce Is Not What It Used To Be

The new generation of workforce has grown up with digital media which gives them an added advantage over their older counterparts. They are more intuitive, quick and confident while taking up a task. Their risk taking capability is high and they are willing to work in an aggressive environment where there is less planning and more action.

So what do organisations do in order to make sure that the new generation works in harmony with the older generation because in reality they need the adroitness of digital natives without having to sideline the skills and experience of an older generation.

The Art Of Leading Equals In Digital Age

This is where a new art needs to come into play. The art of leading equals. A much flatter structure where ideas are not always coming from the higher ranks. Companies and leaders alike need to embrace creativity, diversity, and collaboration. A balance between the aggressiveness of the new generation and the patient and calmness of the older ones need to be created and for that a simple realisation needs to be there - you can not do everything and that is why you have been given a team at the first place.

Leaders must work hard to strengthen the bonds with their teams and create enticements that appeal to talent despite their unique backgrounds and identities. As opposed to steering, leaders of digital age need to create opportunity for ensuring a process of collective growth while recognizing their own shortcomings in the process.

Leaders Are Not To Lead But To Follow

Not in the negative sense at all. By follow, we mean you need to follow the instincts of your team and make them the part of the decision making process. Studies  have shown that whenever people consider themselves a part of decision making process, they feel more responsible which in turn increases their efficiency at work at the same time inculcating a risk taking capability for the betterment and growth  of the company. Being a digital leader, means it is ok to not have a plan all the time. You can earnestly approach your team and say, “You know what? I don’t know what to do next. But I believe we can figure it out, together.” This is not humiliating but humbling at your part. It shows that you trust your team and consider them as teammates. Only when you confide in them, they will return the favor by confiding in you and that is how the process leading equals in digital age will work.

3 Useful Tips For Having A Great Meeting

What according to you is a good meeting? It is an activity that is:

1. Efficient so that work gets done.

2. Fun and Positive so that people enjoy themselves while working at the same time look forward to the next meeting as well.

3. Participative so that everyone becomes the part of the meeting instead of just zoning out.

4. Open so that people are free to say what they really think.

5. Creative so that new ideas can be generated and discussed freely and openly by everyone.

Having graduated from one of the top colleges and being fresh in a new workplace, you will have to be a part of a lot of meetings. So, learning an art of great meeting is fruitful for your overall growth as a leader. So how to begin?

3 Useful Tips For Having A Great Meeting

“Meetings are at the heart of an effective organization, and each meeting is an opportunity to clarify issues, set new directions, sharpen focus, create alignment, and move objectives forward.” - Paul Axtell

How Important Emotional Intelligence Is To Become A Great Leader

One of the most astounding features of emotional intelligence is the ability of a person to comprehend the effects of their feelings. Being aware of your emotions helps you in making sound and objective decisions especially when your self-esteem is at stake. Leaders have complicated life at workplace. It is highly likely for them to face such situations where a decision made out of emotions seem much better than the one that they must have taken through rational thinking. That is where, emotional intelligence comes into play.

How Important Emotional Intelligence Is To Become A Great Leader

Four Processes To Thrive In A Multi-Generational Workplace

Gone are the days when there used to be two generations of people in the workplace - The long-serving old-timers and the ambitious newcomers. In today’s dynamic age and time, there can be as many a s 5 generations of  people working in a company. Being a new hire freshly out of one of the best PGDM College in Hyderabad, amidst such mixed ideologies can be a bit overwhelming.

Here is a list of 4 strategies that can help you ensure Multi-Generational Harmony once you enter into industry after completing your PGDM in Hyderabad:

 

1. Establish Respect

No matter how old or how experienced we are, everyone craves respect. The newcomers should respect the older generations' experience and seniority, whereas the long-servers need to respect and adjust to the potential and talent of the younger generations. Only when all the parties respect each other can they survive and thrive in the company.

The key to respecting a generation other than yours is to accept the fact that they are different from yours. Try to explore and understand what are the motivators for each generation, what experiences they have that can help you in the long run and try to learn good things from each generations’ working style.

2. Be Accommodating

“In Rome, do as Romans do.” Although, you may be exactly working in Rome but you got the point right? Try to understand each generation and when working with different people, be as accommodating as possible to their respective working style in order to avoid division and conflict. Each generation has its own needs and wants. They value different ways of working as opposed to your preferred way of work. Respecting each way and trying to be accommodative while making sure your own style of work is not getting compromised will help you become a good team player.

3. Steer Clear Of Stereotyping

It is very easy to stereotype when you believe in one ideology and others do not. You need to understand that everyone is unique in their own specific way and you need to accept people on the basis of their merits rather than as “Typical” members of a particular generation having a conflicting ideology. Steering clear of stereotyping will open a window of opportunity for you where you can explore new ideas and suggestions from other generations thus inculcating the positives in your own value system.

 

4. Learn From Others

Learning is a constant activity. Being the youngest generation in the workforce gives you an edge as you are a clean slate with the best an ability to adapt to anything that comes your way. The various generations of individuals have a huge wealth of experience and knowledge that you can tap into. Having an open mind towards this knowledge would not only help you avoid the mistakes they must have done in their career but will also help you create a working style that would ensure that you have adapted to best of all the generations.

Five Communication Mistakes You Should Never Make

Assertiveness is all about being clear about your needs, at the same time keeping in mind the needs and wants  of others. Sometimes, in order to please others, we do not mention our needs properly, but this could not lead you anywhere. When you are assertive, you stand a better chance of getting what you need, or at least reaching out to a middle ground where both parties are equally satisfied.

Five Communication Mistakes You Should Never Make

How To Lead A Team By Example?

A total disaster for company’s morale is the first kind of bosses and you sure want to stay clear of such people once you are through all the PG Courses in India. The philosophy of "Do as I say, not as I do" is a recipe for the doom of the company. With the first kind of boss, you can easily see the loss of goodwill and enthusiasm around you. Becoming a leader is not easy. Once you will be VJIM, all the theories you will study about Management and what the great leaders talked about you, it will make you realise that manager is not the one who orders. He is the one who gets things done from you at the same time making you feel that you wanted to do it.

How To Lead A Team By Example?

Personal Preparation For Learning The Art Of Great Decision Making A Guide By The Top MBA Colleges In Hyderabad

“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” - Peter F. Drucker

All of us must have had this situation at least once in our life when we had that pit in our stomach telling us continuously, “I am not very convinced with this decision you made.” Many a times in life and work, we have to make difficult decisions some of which we are not quite ready to make.

Getting into one of the Top MBA Colleges in Hyderabad was a good decision making but what next. Once out of the Best MBA College in Hyderabad, you will face a lot of situations at your workplace where you will require the art of good decision making.

We at VJIM, stresses on this important factor while training our students  to become a good manager in future. But there are a lot of thing you can do at personal level as well. Here is a list of few factors:

1.        Preparation

This is the foremost requirement for making the right decision. Try to collect all the relevant data and process it effectively in order to get the most out of it. This would not only help minimize confusion but also eliminate self-doubt while taking the decision.

 

2.      Intuition and Logic

We take hundreds of decisions in a day. Right from what to wear to what to eat and how to respond to the client email, each decision needs a certain amount of mental effort. For bigger, much important choices in life or at work, we need more time while other decisions are just automatic and intuitive.

According to the renowned Psychologist Daniel Kahneman, there are two ways of thinking - System One and System Two.

System One : This caters to the day to day decision making. For example, when you are driving on the familiar road everyday.

System Two : This caters to a much slower and conscious decision making. One that includes complicated and important business issues.

Having an understanding of these two systems can lay a sound foundation for a successful decision making.

3.      Right Mind Space

For making a right decision, the most important thing you need is the right space of mind. Human mind wanders too much and it is hard to make the right decision when you are juggling with a dozen ideas at one time. It is extremely important to focus on making an effective decision by clearing your mind off all the unnecessary thoughts. Concentrate on one thing at a time  and work your way through the problem calmly and mindfully.

4.      Careful Of Bias

Another hindrance to an effective decision making is the presence of biases. Sometimes these are present without our knowledge also. Presence of biases can be a disaster and affect our decision making to a large extent. It is important to challenge the status quo and come out of your comfort zone while making a decision. Only then the former prejudices you have won’t come in the way of your current decision.

5.      Trust Factor

Not only you have to trust yourself but also your team. Self doubt can be responsible for a major error in decision making. With a correct decision, not only will your organisation grow but also the people involved.

6.      Time Management

You won’t have your whole life for making the right decision. Every decision, no matter how big or small, needs to be taken under some sort of time pressure and therefore time management can be one thing that will help you master the art of decision making.