1381 TMTC Newsletter Aug21 02 - tmtctata.com

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Many thoughts come to my mind as I pass on the baton at the Tata Management Training Centre. During my time here, I have often said to people that I thoroughly enjoy what I do and do not consider it to be ‘work’. In my mind, that is what defines the transformative nature of TMTC, the first corporate university in the country and the second oldest in the world. For JRD Tata to envision a leadership development centre in 1947 when there were no management institutes in the country was, I think, pathbreaking. I trust you and your loved ones are doing well. Dear Colleague, The intellectual architecture of TMTC is equally supplemented by the cultural architecture, which the team at embodies through building trust, providing stewardship and impeccable execution. It was therefore a privilege to be part of this team and to lead them. I am genuinely grateful to each one of my team for their support and trust in me in these six years. The transition from physical to digital this past year was almost like changing the course of the river overnight. Team TMTC rose to the occasion and did admirably over the lockdown to demonstrate that learning is key to many things in the pandemic. I believe it is essential for a person’s values to be so imbued that they’re able to stand for what is right for the institution. Two incidents come to my mind in this regard. In the first situation, a guest occupied a room on the premises beyond the completion of the programme they attended. Since the guest wasn’t on the premises but their luggage lay in the room, I had given an executive order to remove their suitcase and leave it with the administration. Gautam, a now retired butler, went against this order and persuaded his manager as well, saying that they would manage the situation to see that work and the stay of future participants didn’t suffer. In the second incident, Sham, who is another butler, was helping a faculty member arrange the furniture in a classroom late at night to prepare for his session the next day. In the process, the faculty member injured his toe. Sham swiftly took action by offering first aid till he could reach out to his seniors. I marvel at this sense of ownership, stewardship and extreme customer orientation. I MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR Contents Message from the Director New Books in the TMTC Library The Learning Post Quiz Highlights from April - July Leader Speak Upcoming Programs Insights & Perspectives April - July 2021 BY TMTC

Transcript of 1381 TMTC Newsletter Aug21 02 - tmtctata.com

Page 1: 1381 TMTC Newsletter Aug21 02 - tmtctata.com

Many thoughts come to my mind as I pass on the baton at the Tata

Management Training Centre. During my time here, I have often said

to people that I thoroughly enjoy what I do and do not consider it to be

‘work’. In my mind, that is what defines the transformative nature of

TMTC, the first corporate university in the country and the second

oldest in the world. For JRD Tata to envision a leadership development

centre in 1947 when there were no management institutes in the

country was, I think, pathbreaking.

I trust you and your loved ones are doing well.

Dear Colleague,

The intellectual architecture of TMTC is equally supplemented by the

cultural architecture, which the team at embodies through building

trust, providing stewardship and impeccable execution. It was

therefore a privilege to be part of this team and to lead them. I am

genuinely grateful to each one of my team for their support and trust

in me in these six years. The transition from physical to digital this past

year was almost like changing the course of the river overnight. Team

TMTC rose to the occasion and did admirably over the lockdown to

demonstrate that learning is key to many things in the pandemic.

I believe it is essential for a person’s values to be so imbued that they’re

able to stand for what is right for the institution. Two incidents come to

my mind in this regard. In the first situation, a guest occupied a room

on the premises beyond the completion of the programme they

attended. Since the guest wasn’t on the premises but their luggage lay

in the room, I had given an executive order to remove their suitcase

and leave it with the administration. Gautam, a now retired butler, went

against this order and persuaded his manager as well, saying that they

would manage the situation to see that work and the stay of future

participants didn’t suffer. In the second incident, Sham, who is another

butler, was helping a faculty member arrange the furniture in a

classroom late at night to prepare for his session the next day. In the

process, the faculty member injured his toe. Sham swiftly took action

by offering first aid till he could reach out to his seniors. I marvel at this

sense of ownership, stewardship and extreme customer orientation. I

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

ContentsMessage from the Director

New Books in the TMTC Library

The Learning Post Quiz

Highlights from April - July

Leader Speak

Upcoming Programs

Insights & Perspectives

April - July 2021 BY TMTC

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This journey has also enabled me to experiment and take risks. One

such initiative is called ‘Unconventional Learning’ where participants

and members of Team TMTC go to unfamiliar contexts to observe,

assimilate, learn and apply these learnings to their own context. We

once went to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and listened to the

officers talk about the work they do. Also present was the project

leader who had launched GSLV Mark 3 D2. One participant asked the

officers a question which seems very innocuous and familiar to us in

our day jobs: 'How do you set individual key result areas?’. There was

silence. No one responded. The person repeated the question. One

of the officers said, ‘I don’t really understand your question’. Several

participants immediately chimed in with a chorus of ‘Tell us, how do

believe a team is extremely good when someone who hasn’t

completed school education or taken a course on customer service

can think differently and have the self-assurance to execute a plan.

More recently, as we were all coming to terms with the ‘new normal’,

a lady programme co-ordinator faced challenges in the form of

several medical emergencies, one after the other. Her parents were

injured and needed care and her grandmother was hospitalized, and

she had to step in as a caregiver. This programme co-ordinator

continued on her post to see that the programme went on smoothly

during this particularly trying time for herself. I also noticed all her

colleagues stepping in to support her so that the reputation and

work of TMTC could be upheld. This attitude of service and

dedication to the institution is commendable.

The impact of our team’s dedication is palpable too. A few years ago,

a batch of IAS officers attended a programme at TMTC, wherein we

included feedback with a psychometric instrument. In a one-on-one

with one of the officers, I discussed his blind spots and watch-outs.

He listened to me attentively and took my feedback. Two years later,

he gave me a call inviting me to an event with a few days’ notice. He

said that he was launching a nation-wide initiative and that he

wanted me to be present at that launch. Additionally, he wanted me

to address the audience! What touched me was he publicly

acknowledged the role of what he learnt at TMTC in helping him

launch a project of national importance. The event was attended by

several ministers, international partners as well as the NITI Aayog

members. In my mind this defines the amazing platform TMTC is

and the transformative power of the classroom.

I will retire at the end of July 2021. Looking back, I think the changes I

have seen can be expressed in these words: previously when you

came to TMTC, it was a facility, but now TMTC comes to you, it is a

solution for you, your department and your company.

I am delighted Anand Shankar succeeds me in this learning mission. I

am glad that he brings both his experience and insights from

different worlds to TMTC. I want to thank you, for all your support

and partnering during my tenure at TMTC, for the last six years.

Along with colleagues at group HR and the team TMTC, we have

collaborated wonderfully. It has been a rewarding journey and truly

we have all achieve a lot together, including awards at international

forums for the business impact our programs create and our

innovations in learning. We have also learned a lot and raised the

bar. In closing, I recall a chat I once had with Prof. Das Narayandas of

Harvard Business School. Talking about the character and quality of

the staff at TMTC, I said that nothing has ever been lost at TMTC,

because the staff have impeccable honesty. Prof. Das remarked,

‘Emmanuel, you are right that nothing has been lost, but a lot has

been found’.

That is my wish for each one of you, that when you seek learning, you

find a lot.

you set individual key result areas?’. One of the senior members of

the space centre then responded thus: ‘You know, it takes all of us in

this room 7-10 years to design and develop a rocket and about 10

weeks to assemble it all together from different places. After those

years of preparation, it takes us only the first 20 seconds of the

launch to tell whether our outcome is a success or a failure. So you

see, there’s nothing individual about it. We are all in mission mode.’

This taught me that whatever work we do, we should look at it as a

mission rather than a ‘job’ or ‘career’.

With warm regards,

Director, TMTC

Group Human Resources

Emmanuel David

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Highlights from April– JULY 2021

The continued focus of our companies on their capability building

initiatives, despite the challenges of recent times, has helped keep

TMTC’s virtual corridors buzzing with thought and activity! While our

program directors cogitated about the design of new learning

solutions, our daily team calls were animated by the planning for the

launch and delivery of over 30 interventions in the past 4 months!

Some of the highlights for us since April include the delivery of as

many as six batches of the TCS Emerging Leaders Seminar (a mini-

MBA style program for mid-management high potentials); several

batches of a virtual selling skills program, also for TCS; a program for

Tata Capital Housing Finance Ltd. to help enhance strategic

orientation across leadership levels; two open programs on Data

Analytics; a senior leadership development program for TACO; and a

unique workshop on mindfulness-based leadership. We also

launched “Blue Mint”, a learning journey for early-career talent that is

designed and delivered in partnership with London Business School.

We also began a much-awaited coaching certification journey for senior leaders from group companies. Designed in collaboration with a Master Coach, this journey will help the participants work towards their ACC certification from the ICF.

Our weekly “Learning Latitudes” webinars have continued to be well-

attended, with more than 7000 participants joining the 22 webinars of this period. Some of the popular sessions included a reverse mentoring conversation, the launch of “#Tata Stories – 40 Timeless tales to Inspire You”, the latest book by Mr. Harish Bhat, Brand Custodian, Tata Sons Ltd. and a discussion on Innovation and Design Thinking by leading industry experts.

Our team also curated and hosted the #Tata Expressathon – a special TTU Roadshow series through May and June which featured a range of sessions on different facets of public speaking and communication. The sessions were delivered by an eclectic mix of expert speakers drawn from diverse fields including playback theatre, films and podcasting.

The series ended with a rousing finale – an Oxford-style debate that featured senior Tata leaders as speakers, and was moderated by Harish Bhat, Brand Custodian, Tata Sons Ltd. In case you missed this, do look for the recording on TTU; as much as the subject was extremely topical and saw some very animated and passionate arguments – among the panelists, as well as in the form of audience participation! - this was a Masterclass on communication.

#Disover Your Tata, the July Roadshow on TTU which ended with a first-ever virtual tour of the Tata Central Archives, also got excellent participation going from our colleagues across group companies!

[If you would like to view a recording of Learning Latitudes or TTU Roadshow sessions, please log on to https://www.tmtctata.com ]

Upstream

by Dan Heath (2021)

The Power of Geography:

Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World

by Tim Marshall (2021)

The Ministry of Common Sense

by Martin Lindstrom

Code Breaker

by Walter Isaacson

HBR: Guide to Beating Burnout

by Harvard Business Review

The Conscientious Manager

by Phani Medicharla

New Books in the

TMTC Library(Please for a short description of these books)click here

Mahatma Gandhi’s room Gandhi Ashram, Sabarmati Ahmedabad, India

An “Unconventional Learning” session took TCSeLS participants on avirtual tour of the Gandhi Ashram

The Learning Post Quiz

Send your responses to [email protected], and win a gift!

(Hint: The answers to some questions can be found in the resources

shared in this issue)

1. Which Google product, based on digital olfaction technology,

uses sensors to distinguish between different kinds of smoke

to avoid false alarms from ringing in your home if all you are

doing is making toast or taking a hot shower?

3. Which industry leader personally financed the first Indian

team to the Antwerp Olympics in 1920 and was also the first

President of the Indian Olympics Association (IOA)?

2. One of the challenges in Omnichannel Marketing is that of

“marketing attribution”. What is that, and why is it a problem?

4. Danish toy company LEGO recently launched a special new

set called “Everyone Is Awesome”. What is this designed to

celebrate?

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LEADER SPEAK

“Lifelong learning is full of joy,and so fulfilling!”

I learnt so much during the writing of these Tata stories. For each

story, I had to research several documents, mainly sourced from the

Tata Central Archives, and some books too, to establish all the facts,

and to dig out previously little-known events and anecdotes. This

process of research, which lasted several months, was a learning in

itself. It taught me so much more about the culture and the values of

the Tata Group, and how some of our core values had been nurtured

by our leaders, over the decades. For instance, reading the actual text

of a speech delivered by our Group’s founder Jamsetji Tata way back

in 1895 was such a revelation into how his mind worked.

Then, again, I learnt from posting these stories on Linkedin. Just four

years ago, at the age of 55 years, I did not have a presence at all on

Linkedin. But I thought to myself, in my current role, I need to use this

influential platform appropriately and powerfully. How can the Brand

Custodian of Tata not be present on this professional platform, when

Then, I also learnt from my conversations with many colleagues, even

as I gathered their own experiences, which went into some of these

stories. These interesting discussions with Tata veterans such as T.R.

Doongaji, Farokh Subedar, B.G. Dwarakanath and Rajendra Prasad

Narla gave me unique insights into the leaders that they had worked

with.

Last year, I wrote my fourth book, which has just been published.

Titled “#TataStories – 40 timeless tales to inspire you”, the book

narrates 40 inspiring stories from the rich history and heritage of the

Tata group. To begin with, I posted these stories on Linkedin, where

they drew excellent reader response.

the brand has to appeal and connect to today’s generation? So I

learnt the first steps on Linkedin from a much younger colleague at

Tata Sons, Haroon Bijli, who is a digital and social media expert. I still

recall the several learning sessions that he generously provided me,

as my reverse mentor. Three years later, when Linkedin selected me as

one of their Top Voices in India, I was immensely gratified that my

learning voyage had delivered some results.

And, finally, while writing this book, I also read a few academic papers

on business history and storytelling, to learn the most effective ways

of chronicling these stories into an immensely readable book that

can stand the test of time.

If you consider all the above, you can see at once that learning is not

unidimensional. Not at all. On the other hand, knowledge comes to

us through so many streams – including reading, research,

conversations, reverse mentoring, training programs, online courses,

attending relevant webinars, discussions with your team members

and with agency partners, interactions in social media and travel. This

is such a rich menu of choices, all we have to do is use those methods

of learning that work best for us, and our circumstances.

Lifelong learning is important to upskill ourselves, to ensure that our

skills remain relevant at all times. Learning ensures that we bring the

right perspectives into our workplaces, and, indeed, into our lives.

Learning keeps our mind active and vibrant, because there is no

better tonic for our brains than new knowledge.

May I end this brief note with a note of sincere thanks to Emmanuel

David (Emmy), who has recently retired from his role as Director of

TMTC. He championed and evangelized learning. It also gives me

great pleasure to welcome Anand Shankar, who takes over from

Emmy the leadership of TMTC, an Institution dedicated to lifelong

learning for all of us in the Tata group.

To all of you, my friends, happy learning!

But what does lifelong learning require? A few attributes, which I

think all of us can develop. First, the thirst to learn in our current

professional area, and to then apply these learnings to our careers

and lives. Second, the curiosity to learn from a range of subjects, even

if these learnings have no immediate or short-term relevance to what

we do at work. As Steve Jobs famously said, all the dots you discover

are quite likely to join in the future and will eventually benefit you.

Third, keeping aside the time and space for learning, which requires

some rigour in time management, but which is ultimately very

fulfilling. And, finally, looking at learning as a source of joy, which

breathes pure, fresh air into our hectic lives, ever so often.

Brand Custodian, Tata Sons

Harish Bhat,

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Insights & Perspectives

How global companies can manage geopolitical risk

As political frictions inside and among regions heat up, the

likelihood increases that they will affect a global enterprise's

operations, performance, or people, write the authors of this July

2021 article in the McKinsey Quarterly. They go on to say that the

challenges that geopolitical risks create will get worse; according to

one report they quote, in the next two decades competition for

global influence is likely to reach its highest level since the Cold War.

The article also suggests a five-pronged approach that company

leaders can use to manage geopolitical risk. To read the full article,

click here

For some great reading suggestions about business books from

strategy+business, the online journal of the PWC network, click here

panacea, the big challenges to making it work; and some solutions.

In this Wharton School marketing professor Raghuram podcast,

Iyengar, one of the co-authors of the study, discusses the research

on how firms can harness the full benefits of omnichannel

marketing.

The Hazards of a “Nice” Company Culture

In far too many companies, there is the appearance of harmony and

alignment but in reality there's often dysfunction simmering

beneath the surface. The intention behind cultivating a nice culture

is often genuine. Leaders believe they're doing a good thing that will

motivate people and create inclusion. But often, it has the opposite

effect and the result is a lack of honest communication, intellectual

bravery, innovation, and accountability. To combat a culture marked

by toxic niceness, the author of this article of a June 2021 article in

the Harvard Business Review suggests leaders use four tactics. To

read more, click (Please note that a one-time subscription will be here

required, and will enable you to read up to 5 free articles each month

on this site)

The New Rules of B2B Lead Generation

Making decisions with data too often comes down to finding a

purpose for the data at hand — not finding the right data. If you

want to make good decisions with data, say the presenters of this

webinar by the MIT Sloan Management Review, start from the

decision you need to make and then ask which data you need to

make that decision. They go on to give examples of how data-driven

often means answering the wrong question and show how decision-

driven data analytics results in better decision-making. To watch the

webinar, click (Please note that a one-time subscription will be here

required, and will enable you to read up to 5 free articles each month

on this site)

Omnichannel marketing seems like a simple enough concept;

consumers like to shop online, offline, and across different channels,

so firms need to meet them wherever they are. But coming up with

an omnichannel marketing strategy is a lot more complicated than

just collecting cookies and tracking purchases. A recent study

published in the Journal of Marketing in collaboration with the

Marketing Science Institute explains why omnichannel is not a

How to Optimize Your Omnichannel Marketing Strategy

Business Scents: The Rise of Digital Olfaction

Despite the economic and commercial importance of olfaction,

businesses have generally lacked robust tools to detect, measure,

and manage smells in a scientific way. This is now changing with the

emergence of two branches of digital olfaction technology: one

focused on the digital detection and analysis of different odors, and

the other on the digital transmission and re-creation of smells.

These technologies could potentially revolutionize a range of

industries, explain the authors of this May 2021 article in the MIT

Sloan Management Review. To learn more, click (Please note here

that a one-time subscription will be required, and will enable you to

read up to 5 free articles each month on this site)

Understanding Decision-Driven Analytics

Face-to-face meetings are back, but is that what clients are looking

for? Companies need to update their lead generation strategies to

make them more data-driven and more in line with potential clients'

preferences. To adapt, companies should follow a new B2B sales

playbook, say the authors of this June 2021 article in the Harvard

Business Review, which presents their 5 approaches to doing this.

He goes on to To learn more, read the full article (Please note here

that a one-time subscription will be required, and will enable you to

read up to 5 free articles each month on this site)

Designed to help develop the attributes required to lead diverse

teams

Leading Workplace Investigations

(6 September 2021 onwards)

Making Enterprise Risk Management Work for You

(30 August - 22 September 2021)

Participants will take back an appreciation of how risk

management can create value; develop an enterprise-level view

of risk; and acquire tools for risk management

Participants will learn to conduct effective internal investigations

based on the principles of natural justice.

Being an Authentic Leader

(6 September 2021 onwards)

Strategic Selling & Customer Management Skills

(13-24 September 2021)

Will enhance sales and customer management capability for the

digital era.

Designed to develop the skills and mindset crucial for partnering

with customers for success.

The Art of Business Story Telling

(11-13 October 2021 )

Participants will acquire communication skills to inspire, motivate,

and influence listeners.

Business Consulting Skills

(5-8 October 2021)

Upcoming Programs(For more information about any of these programs

please write to: )[email protected]