www.mindtrain.in ACHUTHAN RAJAGOPAL

NEW CEO

How to Handle People and Pressure to Achieve

Create Culture : • Expect high performance from the

colleagues.• Enforce growth thinking and risk taking

attitude.• Encourage team to try again - if the goal is

worth pursuing.• Make the team feel empowered and wanted.

Be a Team Player :• Meet : frequently the team members and

review - even if it is only for 2 minutes.• Analyze : the constraints and encourage the

team to “go under, above, and around “ the constraints to achieve the target.

• Select Team Leader : who has got people skill and the ability to subordinate self for the team’s performance.

Be a Team Player :• Team management : Inspire and protect the

team to give them edge to perform excellently.

• Empower with accountability : Delegate power and responsibility and make them accountable for their actions and inactions.

• Drive the change : By enabling the team members to take the lead; be an organizer for the change.

Be a Team Player • Share : Be a part of the team with strong inter-

connections and identity. • Build trust - by “back-praising “. Back-biting

will reduce trust quotient of the team.• No personal attack: Question the work and

not the competence of the member. Any personal attack will be counter productive.

Team Selection :• List out the skills needed.• Select the team members who fit the bill -

functionally and emotionally.• If internal resource is not good enough, source

from outside – even on a project basis.• A team which tasted success in the past may

turn out to be more effective in creative output.

Milestone and Metrics :• Define the goal in clear terms• Define the performance parameter in

measurable terms.• Decide the short-term goals and datelines

for achieving them.• Communicate the metrics to the team and

get their buy-in.

Fund the Venture :• Budget the cost of the project clearly.• Identify the source of the funds and the

timing of fund availability.• Arrange for stop gap solutions, when

required.• Review the uses of the fund very

meticulously.

Focus on the CORE activity :• New projects and new ventures should not

dilute the bread and butter of the organization

• New thrust should be given through the existing leaders of various core activities.

• Empower the present leaders to enrich and enhance their share of contribution.

Mousetraps :• Team members tailor their views, their

positions and at the extreme case, even the facts to suit the CEO.

• The verbal cocoon are created to igloo the CEO.

• CEO’s Less tolerance to ambiguity and paradox in the existing system.

CEO’ Competency :• Adaptive thinking – Willing and capable of

adapting to the situation of the present.• Passion : Have passion to “delight” the

stakeholders.• Execution bias : Always focus on actions

directed towards goal.

• CEO’ Competency :• Emotional Intelligence : Wisdom to

empathize with the team members and their aspirations.

• Accepting defeat gracefully : Humility to accept once failure and the courage to start all over, with the new learning.

• Networking : Beyond the stakeholders to get fresh ideas for growth.

• CEO’ Competency :• Stakeholders : Focus on each stake holder

independently and address their values in a comprehensive way.

• Awareness : Keep the ears and nose to the ground to sniff out the developments; a timely deflection is essential to keep the organizational energy on core value.

• CEO’ Competency :• Winning :Not to compete with the team

members. Help them gain wings and fly high. Winning that matters.

• Stay Humble : Share the booty with the team and not to compete for the spot lights.