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Inf luencerA

n O

utlOOk On leAdership & ChAng

eIssue 191 – June 2020

P a r t n e r f o r L e a d e r s h i p a n d C h a n g e

ªFROM Hd’s desk: THe expeRT VOice Working with Purpose

ªFuTuRe FORwaRd Unlocking Talent Potential in the Millennial Age: When the Extra becomes the Principal

ªQuick BiTesPart A: Evolving the Way we Think about Work Part B: 60 Second Read: Finding Meaning In Everyday Work

ªLeadeR’s deskRole of Leaders in Making Work Meaningful

ªFeaTuRed:BOOk ReView Ikigai – The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

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Working with Purpose:

Re-discovering your ‘Why’!

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Issue 191 – June 2020

Copyright © 2020 Human Dynamic. All Rights Reserved.

The exPerT Voice hd’s desk

From

- Dr. Deepika Gupta (Director, L&L SBU Human Dynamic) in conversation with Lina Lam, Managing Director, Korea and Japan, Human Dynamic

Working with Purpose

When any business strategy is infused with authentic and purposeful work, the organizations are able to accomplish greater goals; personally and collectively. Employees feel energized, collaboration enhances and the learning curve gets accelerated. Lina Lam shares her

thoughts and experience on some important elements of working with purpose.

Deepika: There is a lot of conversation these days about purpose driven work culture. What are your thoughts on this?Lina: I view purpose-driven work culture to have certain important elements like: ① Organizations being able to spell out

their vision and mission ② Leaders ‘walking the talk’③ Committed employees, having a shared

sense of ownership towards self, team, business and society

④ Culture that supports the staff in leveraging their highest potential to drive organizational change

Deepika: How do passion and purpose join hands for success or performance at the workplace?Lina: Normally, in the workplace, people keep learning something new and are asked what they need and how can they do better in their work. However, seldom people are asked, “WHY” do they do what they do? “WHY” for an organization is the purpose of the company; and “why” for people is the purpose for their career.

Apart from craving for the natural benefits like perks and promotions; an individual needs some passion to drive them to be content and have a reason to learn and push forward.

Passion is a powerful driver when joint hands with purpose. A passionate individual is driven by intrinsic factors and is self-driven to look for resources, to question the facts and move

PASSion iS A PoweRfuL DRiveR wHen joint HAnDS With PurPose. A PAssionAte individuAl is driven by intrinsic fActors And is self-driven to

Look foR ReSouRceS, to queStion tHe fActS AnD Move toWArds self-leAdershiP in order to be successful

from all levels of a company. Passionate employees are

engaged and are self-motivated to learn and invest their time in order to contribute to their personal growth and the success of the company. Most importantly it takes strong leadership and knowing that tapping into the passion that each employee has for their job will take patience, creativity, structure and regular contributions to each employee’s emotional bank account so they trust they are safe to unleash the passion within. Some pointers to be mindful of while we learn how to unleash an individual’s, a team’s, and a company’s potential are:þ Hire right people and be their role

modelþ Know your team and establish strong

connectionsþ Reward, recognise their efforts and

inspire themþ Demonstrate authenticity and

encourage the same The key distinguishing trait I feel

that separates purpose-driven leader from a performance-driven leader is that the former care about people and also about making a difference together. They take those extra moments to be present and coach people. There is high shared energy and the contributions are optimal.

towards self-leadership in order to be successful.

Deepika : Are you passionate about your work? How does this passion make you an effective leader or team member? Lina: I enjoy my work and am passionate about working with my team to support customer companies to transform their workplace culture. While partnering with our customers for various interventions towards creating a joyful workforce we dedicate selves to have that clarified purpose; which might emerge in quite moments or while in talks with the team we can feel its presence. And such powerful moments create that breakthrough when we least expect it. What is more important to note is that when it happens; it –like a ball of yarn- gets thrown across our life and the string helps connect the significant life experiences together. Just like the way we see it during our consultations and coaching sessions which work meaningfully for our individual

clients and business leaders.

Deepika: Can you build passionate employees?Lina: Building a culture where passion is essential,

encouraged, and rewarded takes commitment and energy

“Pleasure in the job Puts

Perfection in the work.”

– aristotle

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Issue 191 – June 2020

Copyright © 2020 Human Dynamic. All Rights Reserved.

unlocking talent Potential in the Millennial Age: When the extra becomes the Principal- By Dr. Deepika Gupta

ForWArdFuture

Talent engagement is an age old and a given concept when it comes to practices

to interact with and develop the talent. The fact that it’s a combination of aspects under HR strategy and HR benefits; indicates that its partly a strategy initiative and partly a culture initiative. We understand that ‘Culture can eat Strategy for Breakfast!’ So, how do we put this in perspective while dealing with a workforce that is largely millennial in mindset if not in age! We begin by understanding what makes our people tick, what we as an organization want to stand for and what we want to be known for by strengthening what we commit our time, expertise and customers to. This is what was traditionally accepted as the EXTRA – considering these variables to be ‘on top of’ the job and company; and is now gaining a central principal foothold – where talent is getting attracted to organizations that exude purpose and commitment to a value driven ethos.

Once working with purpose is injected into the culture, and emulated by the top leadership, it breathes down to the staff in general. Once the organizational values are in sync with the individual values, employees begin to thrive in their places of work and are willing to go above and

beyond their call of duty. What are some of the

best practices to increase the percentage of people who thrive in an organization?

At HuMAn DynAMic, we are a team of diverse and engaged consultants working together to reinvent ourselves continuously as we partner with your talents and leaders to build positive & productive work cultures!

« Understand people when hiring. What are their drivers, what are their choices, and what are they willing to fight for are good indicators of understanding their personal value proposition.

« Find ways to reinforce big picture thinking in the age of digitization where it is easy to work in silos

« Be creative in your product development and experimental in people development: It is worthwhile to branch out of traditional approaches to arrive at solutions and move towards design thinking to reinvent products, solutions and people development.

« Re-evaluate your performance review metrics to understand what the organization is directly and indirectly encouraging. Is performance rewarded only against financial metrics or also for contributions?

« Pursue commitment to health & wellbeing of employees beyond lip service: In essence what this means is that there is no point giving complimentary gym memberships if there is an expectation for overtime every day. People want to enjoy working and that is possible when their needs in multiple sectors are met and they are able to look at work as a fulfilling part of their life.

« Allow for talent mobility & exciting career conversations to cope with change fatigue: Create opportunities so that there’s something that the employees can look forward to. People’s skills, competencies and interests evolve over time and a living organization that grows with them will be able to retain and hone talent vs a stagnant dogmatic organization that would bleed talent.

« Give a Platform: People want to further their ambitions and gain achievements driven from either an internal or external source of motivation. Organizations that fill this need by providing exposure, opportunities, and a validation of their skills through creative ways, people want to outperform.

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Issue 191 – June 2020

Copyright © 2020 Human Dynamic. All Rights Reserved.

BiTesQuick

PARt A

evolving the Way we think about Work- By Rachel Chang

RefeRenceS:« https://www.jackcanfield.com/blog/finding-life-purpose/

« https://ideas.ted.com/want-to-discover-or-re-discover-your-sense-of-purpose-at-work-heres-how/

A simple practice to build

satisfaction with your work is reflecting on the way we think about our daily tasks. This can change your relationship with work.

‘woRk iS wHAt MAkeS

tHe ReSt of youR life Possible’.

Now, reflect on the following:

1) does your motivation change?

2) do you feel a shift in the excitement?

How about applying this to a wider list of your tasks? Take an entire day and reframe it as a calling. Be mindful of the changes that it brings to your perspective and how it impacts your sense of joy and purpose.

What if you feel you don’t know your

Pick one upcoming task on your calendar (attending a meeting, giving a presentation, editing a newsletter)

try thinking of it as a task first, as a part of the job, then as a career, and finally as

your calling

Make a note of each of these mental states and your

responses to them

do-it-yourself:

purpose? One of the best practices that experts have reported of is to pick a manageable period of time- a week may be. Notice when you feel most on purpose and what are you engaged with that time. Find out the associations. See those openings of feeling of vitality, when making an effort leaves you energized and not drained. Look out for patterns, categories of things/tasks

Remember it’s a process of seeing what works and what needs attention for you and your life.

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Issue 191 – June 2020 BiTesQuick

Copyright © 2020 Human Dynamic. All Rights Reserved.

PARt B: 60 SeconD ReAD

finding Meaning in everyday work- By Sharmini Abd Karim

Surveys and researches have zeroed down on certain vital elements that need to be brought to forefront while curating an environment

where organizational change is personal and where innovation becomes a bottom-up process of purposeful actions initiated by employees themselves.

This can provide a roadmap to align employees’ personal aspirations with the vision of the organization. Studies confirm that when people understand and believe the reasons behind their actions (eating healthy)

they display greater resilience and stamina towards ‘why’ they are doing it (losing weight to become healthy and fit). iT’s eAsier To Win The gAme When you cAre ABouT The gAme!

RefeRenceS:« https://www.inc.com/brian-scudamore/4-ways-to-create-a-purpose-driven-culture-your-employees-love.html

« https://leaderonomics.com/business/purpose-driven-organisation

1 2 3 4

Creating space for employees to connect with their stakeholders; through chats, narrating stories, testimonials.

invite your customers to provide feedback about your product/services by engaging them together with your employees. Allow employees to hears/see and get first-hand information about how their work impacts lives of

their customers.

Make it a practice! Note one good thing done by each team member, thank them for it and explain why it made things better.

encouraging people to think about their work and its purpose by asking a series of ‘why’ about their daily tasks.

HeLp peOpLe gRasp THe iMpacT OF THeiR wORk

Making wORk ReLaTaBLe TO THe gRand VisiOn

LesseR anOnyMiTy

RecOgnize and RewaRd gOOd wORk

« https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/making-work-meaningful-a-leaders-guide

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deskLeader’s

Issue 191 – June 2020

Copyright © 2020 Human Dynamic. All Rights Reserved.

role of leaders in Making Work Meaningful

- By Duc Dao

RefeRenceS: « https://hbr.org/2017/08/how-to-make-work-more-meaningful-for-your-team

« https://hbr.org/2018/11/9-out-of-10-people-are-willing-to-earn-less-money-to-do-more-meaningful-work

See employees as more than what they do; seethem for who they are.

Ë wHaT LeadeRs can dO: What are the unique insights experiences they can bring to the organization that can help you to be better than what you are today?

Walk the two-way street.

Ë wHaT can LeadeRs dO: Link your efforts with their needs. Give them opportunity to

bring their full selves to work by showing up and inspiring them to

bring nothing less to the table.

Despite realizing the relevance of a strong shared sense of purpose in transforming their organizations corporate leaders and experts

stumble across a challenge of understanding what’s required for their employees to be fully engaged and willing to dedicate their discretionary efforts to the work they do. Some things that the leaders can take heed about are:

Work doesn’t have to be exciting/glamorousfor it to be meaningful; it just has to matterfor organizations and people themselves.

Ë wHaT can LeadeRs dO: Foster relationships to understand what matters to them and how can that be connected to what they do? Encourage and support them to step up, display their creativity on how they can do better going forward.

This finding alone speaks about the power and drive behind providing the employees with work that matters. Indeed today’s employees want to be

challenged, they wish to learn and grow and they

want to know that they are doing meaningful work in their

organization.

(90%)9 out 10

OF eMpLOyees wOuLd TRade a pROpORTiOn OF THeiR

LiFeTiMe eaRnings FOR MORe MeaningFuL wORk

(BetteRUp Meaning anD pURpOse RepORt, 2018)

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FeATuredBook Review Issue 191 – June 2020

Copyright © 2020 Human Dynamic. All Rights Reserved.

Book DetAiLS : ikigai – The Japanese secret to a Long and happy Life AutHoRS: hector garcia and Francesc miralles tRAnSLAteD By: heather cleary yeAR of PuBLicAtion: 2017 PuBLiSHeR: Penguin random house uk

When everything from the world economy to our individual spirits seem to be sinking during these unprecedented times of COVID-19; there is this Japanese prescription of Ikigai (eye-kay-guy) that I turned to and found a lot of solace in.

Ikigai meaning “the realization of what one hopes for creates the concept of “a reason to live” or the idea of having a purpose in life. Although Ikigai is a slower process in Japan and often has nothing to do with income or work; experts recommend starting with four vital questions: ê What do you love?ê What are you good at?ê What does the world need from

you?ê What can you get paid for?

The learnings from the books could be summed up in the following list:

u Stay active; don’t retire.v Take it slow.w Don’t fill your stomach.x Surround yourself with good friends.y Get in shape for your next

birthday.z Smile.{ Reconnect with nature.| Give thanks.} Live in the moment.~ Follow your Ikigai.

10 RuLeS of ikigAi:

ikigai – the Japanese secret to a Long and Happy Life- By Prachee Phule

««««

Attempting to find answers and a balance between these four areas could be a route to Ikigai for the ones who are looking to interpret the philosophy.

Ikigai is said to lie at the junction of four critical parameters — passion, profession, vocation and mission. It’s simply channelizing your energies — creative, mental, physical, spiritual — in the direction of your goal. For that you should know ‘what you’ wish to ‘do’ in life.

Its really appreciable the way the book nudges the readers to those internal energies which facilitate them to a renewed purpose of everything that they do.

Its easier to relate to the concepts of discipline, routine, courage, and the zeal in life during these frustrating times that the humanity is battling with.

The book very strikingly introduces to concepts like Blue zones, Logotherapy, Flow, Tai Chi and Longetivity and the purpose of the authors of the book is to share the simple yet profound wisdom of long, happy and purposeful life.

PASSION MIS

SION

VOCATIONPROFESSIO

N

What you love

What the world

needs

What you are good at

What you can be

paid for

i k i g a i

Apart from all this; what I connect to right now is a principle of ‘slow living’ as they say “Being in a hurry is inversely proportional to quality of life. As the old saying goes, ‘Walk slowly and you’ll go far.’ When we leave urgency behind, life and time take on new meaning.

This book persuasively shows small changes that the readers can adapt to in order to find more joy and purpose in whatever they do. Ikigai is doing something where your heart is and that will get you into a flow. Ikigai can also be a micro-flow, where you enjoy daily routine tasks (personal and professional) like doing the dishes, writing reports etc.

The narrative tone and the ease with which it flows makes this book a relevant course of motivation and a ‘highly recommended’ one.

Have you read the book or found your Ikigai?