Prabir Jha

The other day I noticed this brilliant sketch in a Whatsapp group. As someone who gave up a reasonably lucrative and comfortable CXO life to experiment with #entrepreneurship, it was a déjà vu moment.

So many assumptions that you make don’t work out the way one had supposed. There are no friends and well wishers who are offering you help. Not many who even care now to say hello, unless they need your help. Many you discover were not even friends. There are no head starts. You start all over again. Building your next, brick by brick. Motivating yourself to hang in.Looking at ironies around you but helplessly chuckle.

You learn #humility & #patience all over again. There are moments you question your decision. It is lonely. It is so uncertain. And bit by bit you learn survival. Then you realise some people, hitherto unknown, seek your help. Your order book starts to build out. More work. Better rates. You start saying no to many. And the plane then seems to stop spluttering.

But you cannot forget the scares & worries. You discover people in their true self. You discover the deep strengths within you. And the huge life lessons one had not learnt thus far. In many ways, you realise you have grown taller in your own eyes.

#PrabirInsights #Careers #Transformation #LifeLessons

Honoured with the @XLRI Distinguished Alumnus Award 2016 last evening. Just gratitude to so many. Thank you all.

Once a young HR colleague, now CHRO, sat with me to help interview a senior candidate. In 10 minutes, one realised this would not fly as a hire. But I continued to chat and explore for another 30 minutes before we shook hands and the Candidate left. My young colleague remarked “ why did you spend another 30 minutes when we knew he would not make the cut?”. And I remember telling him that those 30 minutes were not on the candidate, but on the brand.

He should leave so happy with his interview experience , that even if not selected, would talk positively about the company. And it was my job to ensure that every experience reinforces the brand I was trying to help create.

Today, I am reminded of my story as many leaders struggle with making every such experience truly matter. Despite all the blah-blah most hiring managers struggle with the art of interviewing. And no wonder they make big hiring mistakes at one level and damage their own and their corporate’s brand. And that is a huge price to pay.

How do you experience or observe the phenomenon?
#PrabirInsights #Hiring #Talent #Interview #Leadership #Brand #Coaching PRABIR JHA PEOPLE ADVISORY

Am amazing reunion of the Mumbai based alumni Dr. Reddy's Laboratories last evening. Very few companies even think about doing this . Many years ago when I was still the Global CHRO there we had initiated a portal for alumni where they couod be #FriendsForever, get updates on the company and even read the in-house magazine #Elixir. And as Prasad G V shared yesterday, organisations are flowing rivers and the event clearly showed it. So well done.

Wonderful to meet some people who I knew who are now members of the management team, others in the top team I had never worked with and so many alumni that I was meeting after years. It also became a nostalgic mini -reunion of my own HR team of the time, many now in Mumbai.

Keep rocking Dr. Reddy's Laboratories !!! An honour to be your alum.

When you are invited to a company that is such a “sweet” thought, it has to be enjoyable. Had a very uplifting session with the HR team at Mondelēz International in their India office at Mumbai.

Strategic shifts are all about changes in mindsets & behaviours.Sounds easy but the most difficult. HR’s stewardship is of reimagination, courage and inspiration. Once you get to move the orbit, the rest is easy. Liked the energy in the room and equally the sharp questions from across sites.
Thanks Mahalakshmi R for inviting me for sharing my provocations & perspectives!!

Someone sent me a picture on Twitter of my village home in #Koilakh in the hinterlands of #Mithila, with the mango tree fully laden with the fresh crop! This is how the world has shrunk. It was a happy surprise to get this.

But the deeper insight I had was that the same mango tree would have just been a tree in the forecourt of my house, adding little value the whole year except this season. And this is the time it pays you back so comprehensively. All the fertiliser, the pesticide, the water through the months and years gets it to deliver a bounty every summer season.

Lessons for #Leadership and #TalentManagement ? Do you keep counting the costs only? Do you only want the fruit without the commitment and investment in your talent ? Do you protect and support enough to get the outcome you seek? If you don’t do your bit, how will the other side give you the fruit you seek? Build your people. Help them when they need you. And you will have them deliver your fruits. Or just chop off the tree and save the pennies. But don’t then expect any fruit.

#PrabirInsights #Coaching #Culture #GrowthMindset PRABIR JHA PEOPLE ADVISORY

Titles don’t promote you; your reputation does. Work on what matters. #PrabirInsights

#IndifferentHiringExperiences - Accept No Alibis

Hiring is serious business. I am disappointed when I hear of unending stories where the hiring manager does not ever bother to stay in touch with the candidate selected. No engagement can happen later if it starts on such a note of indifference.
I know of a recent case of someone being hired by a huge Global Services company where a very senior hire was left to be “managed” by different junior recruiters. No wonder the person finally opted out of an otherwise great opportunity.
Is it low EQ? Is it pure arrogance? Is it a blind spot ? Leaders need to understand that today this is a derailing brand behaviour, both for the leader, the HR Head and of course, the company. And the fact that one hears of so many such cases prompts me to wonder how such leaders survive in their respective companies? Or are these basics counter- intuitive to so called “ Great Companies To Work For”?

Personally, I think this indifference is unacceptable and unpardonable. One cannot be so busy or so big and mighty that you don’t have a couple of minutes to message or call a person who will report to you. To me dysfunctional behaviours cannot build or sustain functional and sustainable companies .

#PrabirInsights #LeadershipMyths

Delighted to receive the SAP-Mint #DigitalistAward2018 this evening. It was good as a HR thinker and practitioner to be recognised along with some distinguished technology leaders. Just reaffirms how much HR can help impact mindsets that drives digital transformation.... and technology enables it. In the process Cipla has moved notches up to transform itself to a high touch, high recognition, high connect, high communicate self-enabled #OneCipla culture globally. Feels good to see the world acknowledge the team’s belief in the dream and their ability to deliver that dream in quick time at Cipla

#YearsOfExperience?

I remember once a senior colleague complain that HR was not getting her people with 20 years of experience; rather offering her profiles with 15 years. Not as much to cover up for HR, I was intrigued with this comment & asked her to write down on a piece of paper what precisely would have changed in the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th year!! Needless to say, she avoided putting ink to paper.

I find it perplexing when people still measure competence & ability in years of experience.This may have been a differentiating element in a stable, status quoist world; surely not in a turbulent world today.More than just that one experience many years over, we need a range of challenges, experiences, successes & failure. This old mindset is still pervasive & disappointing.

Someone took a bet with me ahead of the “years of experience” tag. And I am grateful for life for that. It got me to take more risks, make mistakes earlier, recover from setbacks, manage more complexity, dream still bigger.... and the show goes on. Best of all, it encouraged me to take bets with younger talent too, arguably ahead of their years of experience. Almost have turned out right.

Let’s look at betting more on people who can do it than just on people who have done it!! #PrabirInsights

When someone sends you a link out like this, it does feel nice to hold on to the position. But better still, I found many of my former team members on that list. That makes it so much sweeter. Congratulations everyone! #PrabirInsights

A memorable day at the Patalganga site @Cipla_Global - listening, interacting, responding, smiling, planting..... all for #CaringForLife

What a lovely reunion with my College friend Ranjan Thakur today. Thaks, as we always have known him is presently the DRM, Danapur Railway Division of the #IndianRailways. He was gracious to be as warm as he was and to show me bits of all the change and renovation he has brought to his workplace. His office is a majestic heritage building of 1929, which he has restored so aesthetically. Madhubani paintings adorn the walls of a Sarkari Office! With my roots in Madhubani, I think this is such a creative contribution to giving local art form the support it deserves. Not one paper or “paan” stain anywhere speaks of how he has led the culture change effort.

Leaders can change things almost overnight, if they have the vision, imagination and courage. You can change work cultures, people motivation and the outlook of your stakeholders.And having seen the civil service and being a proponent of change, I was inspired to see what I did. Bravo Ranjan Thakur!! Let your work inspire many more.

#Recognition practices need a strategic overhaul in many organisations. My article on the subject in the #TimesOfIndia this morning. #PrabirInsights #Leadership #Culture

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