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Identifying
High-Potential Talent & Mentors - Role of HR, Equality in Boardroom
New
global Indian companies will need new kinds of globally-thinking
HR directors, and this may be a good time for corporate India to
re-assess and re-train their own HR leaders. Staying on the “learning-curve”
is the true-test of a best performing and best practice company
and this must translate into having an HR director who continues
to remain open to new ideas, learning, and growing with the new
definitions of HR. Some of the best HR directors in Indian companies
– who are to be found in Infosys Technologies, Wipro, Satyam Computers,
Dr. Reddy’s Labs, Mahindra & Mahindra, TVS Motors, Reliance
Retail, GE India, Agilent Technologies, Ford India, Pfizer India,
Citigroup India, and so on – are benchmarking with global HR directors
for perspectives and responsibilities.
In fact, the corporate HR function
is being quickly redefined as a broader ‘strategic workforce
management’. HR directors must be encouraged to work more closely
to align with other department head in the company for an inclusive
dialogue – including the CFO, risk-officers, ethics counselors,
information-technology engineers, corporate communications – instead
of being the sole designers of company hiring, training/ coaching/
and personal policies, as this will be in the best business interest
of the organization. By assuming the pivotal role in an integrated
approach to developing the leadership skills of high-potential women
executives and the organizational initiatives that support their
advancement , HR can make a sustained impact in an area that’s long
been on the corporate agenda but has had limited traction. The
key is to focus not on traditional HR programs or policies, but
on the subtle business practices and perceptions — of men and
women executives — that inhibit high-potential talent to provide
wins for all. It’s a chance for HR to be a visible catalyst on the
issue and play an increasingly important role in an organization’s
success.
Here
are some specific activities in that regard:
*
Identify mentors and sponsors for high-potential women.
Research indicates it’s more important for a woman to have a sponsor
throughout her career than for a man. Yet according to a recent
survey 89 percent of highly qualified women don’t have a sponsor
and 68 percent lack mentors. That means they don’t have the personal
support of sponsors who can share the company’s “secrets of success”
and who can advocate for them as opportunities arise. One of the
most impactful things we’ve seen is when high-potential, mid-level
women partner with male mentors who are willing to support them
and show them the ropes — the unwritten rules of success in the
upper echelon of leadership. There’s little that’s more effective
at changing corporate culture than highly visible male leaders helping
advance women, acting as a “voice at the table” and creating opportunities
for them
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*
Help women and their organizations see themselves through
a gender lens. Reassess leadership-development
curriculum to arm women with the language, strategies and
confidence to lead change from within, particularly with regard
to networking, negotiating, projecting their personal brand
and leading change in their part of the organization
* Challenge
business leaders to think outside the box and point out subtle
biases during succession-planning conversations.
When leaders can’t identify specific reasons a promotion should
go to a man instead of a woman, it’s an opportunity for HR
to step in and ask probing questions about what the role requires
and what attributes are key. During talent discussions and
succession planning, HR can be exceptionally influential in
challenging people around assumptions and in encouraging them
to take some risks in advancing women. And that can mean redefining
the ways a role can be executed, not just putting a woman
in a position and letting her sink or swim.
* Assess
the effectiveness of your company’s women’s network.
Expanding a women’s network is great for building relationships
among women in your company, but if senior women drop out
because it is no longer relevant for them, you’ve lost valuable
experience-sharing and mentoring opportunities for the up-and-comers.
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HR can facilitate
network activities so there is relevant value for all levels in
the organization, while keeping the identity of the larger group.
Companies that are choosing to step back and reframe some of the
business practices that disproportionately exclude or impede women
are finding that these same barriers are getting in the way of everyone
in the organization. HR is
in a unique position to be the catalyst for change. Like the
conductor of a symphony, HR leaders can ensure everything’s working
in concert: identifying the individual skill-building needs of a
company’s promotable executives while assessing whether an organization’s
business practices enhance or inhibit the advancement of high-potential
women. In other words, HR executives can integrate individual and
organizational change. By doing so, HR can help solve a long-standing
business problem, strengthen company leadership and help give their
company a distinct competitive advantage.
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Get
Yourself Out There So how to get more women on
corporate boards? There are multiple solutions, from mentoring
female talent to providing networking and other support to
help them rise. If you want more women on boards, we must
first have more women in senior management positions since
most directors come from this group. While male CEOs often
continue to serve on boards after retirement, senior women
executives, with a couple of notable exceptions, tend to "retire
from the corporate scene altogether". On its part, Board
Agender expects to launch next year a database for companies
searching for suitable women board directors.
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Women have to help
themselves as well if they want to advance in the world of business
just as much as men do, think you’re ready for the C-Suite whether
you aspire to the CEO, CIO, or COO position. The following tips
will help you market yourself in executive circles, develop an influential
network, and reach your leadership goal sooner.
•
Know the right people and take advantage of your connections. This
does not mean that you should use people to get what you want. It
does mean that you should find people in the company, or outside
of it, that have the experience and influence to help you get where
you want to be. A mentor is an extremely valuable asset. So when
you are talking to your office buddy, keep in mind there are people
at work who you can talk to that will actually further your career.
You are there to do a good job, not to make friends. So decide who
you need to know to further your career and then get to know them.
Introduce yourself and express your interest in their field.
• Express yourself
and let the people in charge know that you are interested in moving
up. This is a great way to ask what is necessary for you to
attain the new position. Don't be demanding, but ask directly what
you need to do to get to the next level. This will help you be prepared
when the promotion is offered in house.
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• Another
aspect of getting a promotion is working outside of your comfort
zone. You will need to do jobs that you may not be prepared
for or feel you have enough experience for. You will need
to work long hours and sacrifice some personal time. All of
these things will be worth the effort if the promotion is
really where you want to be. You will clarify your goals when
it means giving up some comfort for quality.
• Be willing
to take responsibility. You would be surprised at the
number of adult professionals who still refuse to take responsibility
for their actions. This means taking credit when it is due
to you and taking responsibility when something you do results
in an error. No need to shame yourself or get dramatic, but
do admit to your mistakes. The important thing is that you
see that the situation is repaired so when you admit to the
mistake, your positive actions will counteract any negative
impression.
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• Be an overachiever.
You cannot stop working when you have done enough to get by.
When you want a promotion, you need to perform above and beyond
expectations. Be a quick learner and work well on your own.
• Finally, see
the big picture. You need a broad understanding of your organization
in order to be considered for other roles. You will need to know
more than just your particular department's importance in the overall
profit margin and corporate culture. So spend some time getting
to know the history of the company and ask people in other departments
to lunch where you can learn about their world in the company.
Conclusion
During the
last decade or so the leadership styles in corporate India have
undergone a sea change in terms of an increased level of forthrightness
and a sustained emphasis on inclusive growth—and authentic leadership
today is more result-oriented than process-driven. Since leadership
is no longer as hierarchical as it used to be, it becomes increasingly
important to appreciate individual strengths and put the concept
of board and workplace diversity in practice. In light of the emergence
of a need for self-actualization, democratic leadership revolves
more greatly around people rather than merely evolving strategic
decisions. Thus, organizations will see better results if the intrinsically
diverse leadership qualities of their women executives are brought
to the forefront, by offering them social support to strike a judicious
balance between their families and careers.
While multinationals have created
a conducive atmosphere that has facilitated women taking on leadership
roles, corporate India is gradually following suit to provide a
more ‘inclusive’ participation for realizing the potential of the
special attributes women leaders are gifted with -- such as compassion,
sensitivity, creative and conflict resolution capabilities, drive
to manage time more efficiently, interpersonal skills and inclination
to focus on capacity building while managing personal aspects which
affect professional lives – a key measure to facilitate organizational
longevity. This holds greater significance given the fact that organizations
today are competing in a global market place. The passport to effective
leadership across both genders sits in the creation of a blend of
the best management and organizational leadership styles and qualities
brought forward by both men and women executives – a sanctum, where
each style supports and supplements the other to develop a holistic
yardstick for leadership.
In today’s global economy, Corporate
India needs talent in order to be competitive. Generally, women
as managers are underutilized in corporate India. To advance women
in high profile roles, support by top management is essential. Promoting
diverse management practices and opening doors to women in top management—through
proactive human resource policies and programs—is one way for Indian
organizations to expand their talent pool and, ultimately, their
leadership pipeline. As highlighted by the Indian women professionals,
specific success factors—a good education, mentoring, family support,
strong communication skills and life-long learning—are essential
for Indian women managers today. While traditional Indian cultural
viewpoints are slow to change (and not all women want a career in
management), positive change for women in the business world in
India is moving forward.
Contributing
Writer: Natashaa Kaul from Ahmedabad. I am a student
of " Doctoral Programme in Management" at Nirma University,
Ahmedabad
natashaakaul@gmail.com
Note:
The opinions expressed in
this article are that of the writer. www.contentwriter.in is not
responsible for the independent views of the writer.
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