HR CAN LEAD GROWTH

Traditionally if we talk of growth in an organization we will look towards sales and marketing for answers, and at a stretch at cost cutting measures introduced by a vigilant finance department.  It is seldom if not rare that growth is attributed to an HR intervention.  

The knee jerk reaction of most organizations during an economic crash is to cut costs and the first and foremost redundant manpower.  A similar such reaction in recent times, saw a lot of capable mid-level leaders without projects to spearhead, since the value from existing customers was shrinking.  Businesses focused on sales effort to get in newer customers and a flurry of mergers and acquisitions to consolidate profitable growth.  Needless, to say this concerted effort led to the formation of new amalgamations with a larger customer base but a mix of culture and capability.  But when it came to implementing the newly acquired projects – organizations felt the pinch of the lack of capable mid-level leadership to implement these projects effectively.  A catch 22 at the least!
One of our clients in the IT industry found themselves in exactly such a spot.  A series of complex mergers later they had a much diffused sense of how to deliver their goals.  Just at this moment an intervention on “Developing Direct Reports Ability” across 500 managers in the organization, the brain child of a very savvy and alert head of HR, helped create opportunities for growth.  What began as a softer intervention aiming at developing the manager’s capability in Coaching, with steady & unshakeable effort from HR accelerated into a wave of change across the whole organization.

They convinced the managers to invest in this intervention, drawing direct linkages to performance enhancement and business goals - bringing in sweeping changes into many aspects of manager employee interface, performance and eventual growth of the organization!  
Some of the reported AHA moments across the organization:​
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MANAGER MOMENTS

• We did not know that our Direct Report was as capable as he/she is – if we had known we would have planned projects very differently.  In the future we will be able to plan much more for the customer given we have such potential within our teams.
• I do know which goals my team members are not meeting but I never really could understand that despite so many inputs why they could not bridge the performance gap.  For the first time I wore the Coach hat instead of the Manager’s hat and recognized the learning needs that hindered successful performance in my team.
• I always believed that learning was provided for in training sessions but did not know that it only contributed to 10% of my DRs Abilities.  The remaining 20% through coaching & mentoring and 70% through experience is directly my responsibility.  Is it a surprise that MY DRs were unable to learn and grow as effectively as they should have.
• I have realized that people will only learn from and listen to me when I can address their expectations, aspirations and needs.  This has brought me closer to them, to becoming a MANAGER of CHOICE and take greater control of my performance goals.

EMPLOYEE MOMENTS

• I did not know my manager knew so much about me – I feel that I can trust him given that he has taken so much interest in me
• For the first time I believe that great performance is within my grasp. I am getting the right exposure to developing my capabilities and for growth.
• MY manager is interested in my development; I thought he was only interested in my performance
• I am getting a chance to show case what I am capable of, getting projects I want to participate in and have a chance to perform better.

It is self-explanatory the result of this intervention lead to a greater manager employee bond, a greater grip on performance and planning by teams and resultant satisfied customers.  It is always heartening to know that we have so much capability within.  But this HR led intervention helped the organization differentiate growth plans and retention plans according to the mapping of the employees during this intervention.  

A direct link was forged between the identified competencies (for development and assessment) and the next year’s growth goals.  The intervention transformed into being merely soft skills development into an investment into growth for the future.  New leaders were identified for spearheading newly acquired projects and new leadership was assigned to hitherto unidentified and untapped opportunities from within.