Category Archives: Outsourcing

Squeezing outsourcing budgets

Both clients and outsourcing providers are at getting better at squeezing the outsourcing dollars to the best extent they can. This takes a variety of shapes and forms but both have their own agendas on how, why and where to get their economies in. while clients try to get more done with less which is the latest mantra world over, the providers try to get more out of fewer resources. This happens more so in fixed price contracts where providers constantly try to improvise, automate and improve efficiencies to gain pricing advantages.

These have its pitfalls on both sides, unlike construction projects, for example, it is not easy to estimate IT spend more so complex ones that have varying components and dependencies on several accounts and sometimes even third parties.  Many of them have developed comprehensive modelling techniques that tend to serve well but are not sure shot with the accuracy.  There is always a 5 to 10% cushion or even higher but that tends to quickly evaporate.

Factors like duration of the projects, talents of the resources, bench time,  just in time resourcing like inventory in manufacturing, the financial savviness of teams involved in knowing what budgets they are opening, reviews of spending vs. budget regularly are other avenues to track to avoid squeeze down the line.

Sometimes the squeeze is applied in wrong areas that prove to be counter-productive. Pushing the can down the road is another option that tends to backfire.

There is no silver bullet to optimal spend or cutting costs to get to a number.  Prioritization is the key to accomplishing desired outcomes at optimal costs.  Squeezing just to score some brownie points or without the need to do it is another pitfall.  I have also seen areas where IT squeezes budgets while marketing spends the same without tangible results.

Making Rational decisions is the key – the squeeze an or course be applied to areas that don’t provide the payback or considered wasteful spending.

 

Automation impacting outsourcing

Now that Outsourcing has reached a certain amount of volumes, almost all of the major companies that outsource have started thinking seriously about the need for automation of repeated processes.

Robotic Process Automation is still in its in fancy, there is a lot of work to be done here to  separate reality from hype  that the  marketing side of the IT-BPO industry  that loves to hype up any new bell or whistle, and it has done so with robotic process automation (RPA) for the past few years.

RPA involves the use of “software robots” capable of replacing humans for mundane, repetitive tasks commonly found in BPO. However, it will take some time for the real world to catch up with the marketing hype (if it ever will). Industry surveys show only a small percentage of companies have hands-on experience with RPA, and many executives still struggle with understanding the technology and its realistic capabilities.

The advent of new technologies like Big Data, Analytics, improvements in Machine Learning techniques and maturity curve of both software and hardware involved in these areas are scaling new heights and this area will see some traction for see.

Stay tuned.. more to come

Motivating Project Teams

In today’s world with some outsourcing component or the other, keeping the project teams motivated is a bit of challenge.  More so with the global nature of teams, virtual workers, time zones etc.  it becomes more complicated to keep teams motivated at all times.

There are tons of books, authors, speakers and lessons shared. But I would say, two key things are to make your team feel like you value them as individuals and ensure they understand how they are contributing to the success of the project and therefore the company. Regarding the latter I find people are more motivated when they understand the whys.

Help them see that their personal goals and ambitions are aligned with the business goals, including successful completion of the project.

A simple answer may be to ask the team! If you’ve got a healthy enough relationship with your team, ask them what motivates them, rather than making assumptions. You may not be able to promise that you can meet all their goals but at the very least, you’ll find out what motivates them and know where any gaps are.  Understand each team member and what is important to them
Communication, empowerment and involvement. If you don’t communicate effectively, then there is no team. Empower individuals, assign tasks/roles that stretch them and then fully involve them – do not cast them adrift. Encourage them to develop and engage with them in an open and professional manner.
The Team Leaders must try to understand the ideas and attitude of his staff members. If you are implementing mechanical work you must have activities to follow to prevent downtime. The Team leader must make sure that work plan is set for the time frame of activities.

My 2cents contribution: First I´d say that a good way to motivate is to make the team members to embrace the project as their own project, make the team to think they are doing something greater than deliver 1 item on the project but helping to achieve a greater goal

2nd there is nothing more powerful than a loud and proud THANK YOU or GREAT JOB. 🙂 Some organizations do not allow you to spend money ($) with recognition but PM can organize a meeting and publicly thank the resource for his/her great work and contribution it motivates the person to, at least, repeat the behavior.

Be on the same level with your team. And make your team members feel they are a part of the team and their efforts are acknowledged and appreciated.

After many years of leading PM Teams, even through acquisitions and mergers, the one thing I have found most important is “listen.” Listen to not only their direct business needs/issues but more importantly listen to (and HEAR) what other elements are driving their performances. This would undeniably include their lives outside of the workplace. “Lead with your heart…”\

Depends on individuals, culture, environmental factors. Tactical strategies for example it might be money for a North American contract of approved overtime, an Argentina full timer might be recognition with the team and their management (team lunch celebration), for India off shore might be their management escalation to assist in promotions. Project management global teams are more complex than traditional functional management as their reporting becomes matrix and rewards should be targeted to optimize ROI.

Have your stand up/morning meeting in different places, other than work to discuss what everyone is working on or what they need help with. I love to take them out for breakfast or coffee. It helps with the flow of conversation. Ask a new question every standup such as what do you think is working well at this coffee shop or breakfast place? Sometimes unconventional surrounds help a team member think of a different solution.
Acknowledgement of everyone is in the same boat and to get to shore we will all use each others strengths and weaknesses to make it.

If you want to motivate your team be motivated yourself. If the project and its objectives don’t motivate you it’s not likely you will motivate your team. If you’re motivated much of the rest will fall into place….you will be motivated to do many of the suggestions that have been offered in the other comments. You will most importantly want to be successful and for that to happen your team must be successful.

Frequently check with the team and see what their personal interests & goals are; try to align the project goals and objectives with theirs; you’ll see the change

Inject the feeling that you are one among them rather than you are their boss; most of the times, I’ve seen, motivates my team the most

Of course, keep appreciating them, just the 2 words ‘good job’ are enough; quite a few times

The best way to motivate a team is to explain the importance of the project and then involve them in as many decisions as possible. You should let them assist in calculating the durations for activities where they are the subject matter expert. They now have a time based goal that they help create and feel responsible for achieving for the good of the team.

First remember teams are built they are not formed by putting a number of people together and calling them a team.
Second get to know each member of the team and let them know who you are. I have a one page introduction (augmented by verbal expansion); that I use when I take the lead of a team or when I hire a new individual. The introduction tells them clearly what I expect from them and what they can expect from me. This sets the basis of our relationships and how we communicate. I give clear assignments with clear expectations and due dates. Everyone is treated equitably not the same. We build trust with a foundation based on ethics.

Over time I have found that over 90% of the team members rise to the expectations. Those that do not, find something else to do.

Celebrate the team’s accomplishments and do everything possible to set them up for success.
The theory of motivation is about as broad and deep as anyone would want to go. As much as Maslow’s hierarchy has had all kinds of reviews, I think it’s a good place to start. More recently I have begun to include the pursuit of Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. For me personally, I try to use these 4 skills:

Speak confidently and accurately about the future in a way that creates meaning and purpose, because what people hear they talk about, what they talk about they come to believe and this shapes their future.

Think critically about the current situation. Never underestimate the magnitude of the change required to move from “as is” to the “to be”. Accurate perceptions are vital for effective communication and good decision making.

Act with integrity and enthusiasm. I can’t think of a better way of influencing people to volunteer their willing cooperation and active participation in a project.

Relate to others in a way that serves (without ego or selfish ambition). Relating this way sets an example for others to follow. Our measure of success is directly related to how effectively people work together.

Finally, there is no single answer to the question you’ve asked. The fact is, team dynamics and team members vary according to project, organization, and local cultural norms. So, I can’t give the one single thing that will be most effective, but I will add to the many excellent suggestions here, is to treat understanding and motivating the team as a critical success factor, meaning that it will require time, effort and thoughtful consideration to get right. Far too often, personal or team issues appear less of a priority than the technical management issues. But they are every bit as important, particularly early on in large projects. To that end, as Project Manager, it is important to set the frames of reference and structure up front, and as people become comfortable with the project and the team, give them opportunities to contribute, to lead and be heard. So 1) provide clear expectations, 2) get to know the team members, 3) demonstrate your leadership in protecting the team from distractions, 4) be proactive in checking on things, 5) allow the team to take ownership and lead on their own. That’s a good start…

Staying relevant in outsourced environment

Every outsourcing engagement goes thru the pulls and pressures of work.  The concept of do more with less has pushed both sides of the outsourcing engagements to the brink at times.  The combination of pressures arsing from people, process and technology impacts people (human beings) the most.

Sometimes finding the way forward takes some self-reflection. If you’re feeling stuck, frustrated or tired of dealing with the same problems again and again, there might be solutions right in front of you that you just can’t see.

Lack of mentoring and support structures on both sides at times leaves resources perplexed.

Here are the four questions can help clear away your mental blocks so that you can move forward.

1. What’s your mindset?
Start by looking at your attitude about your situation. What are you telling yourself? For example, it could be:

  • “I don’t have the energy to deal with this.”
  • “Why try harder? It won’t really make a difference.”
  • “Things will never get better.”
  • “Why do I care”
  • My loyalty is limited to myself”

Your mindset may be the very thing that’s holding you back, because it affects your choices and how you engage with others. If you find that your self-talk is negative, what messages do you want to replace the current ones with so that you can make more progress?

2. What are you tolerating that you need to let go of?
We all have things, large and small, that we tolerate in our lives. When you hold onto them for too long, they can significantly affect your progress. Take a look at the list below to see if any of these apply to you:

  • Being disorganized, resulting in unproductive time
  • Failing to plan ahead, allowing lower priority work to take over
  • Doing work that others should be doing because of a failure to hold others accountable or delegate

What one small change can you make to free up some energy, and create capacity to find a solution?

3. What choices are you making that are keeping you where you are?
Things typically don’t just happen to us. Outcomes are usually the result of a series or choices that we and others have made along the way. When we make some choices over and over again, they form patterns that may not serve us well.

So, if you’re frustrated by what’s going on around you, ask yourself how you are enabling that situation to continue. The following questions may provoke some ideas:

  • Do you keep trying the same approach, but expect a different result?
  • Are you putting off a difficult conversation?
  • Have your engaged others in solving the problem with you (e.g., escalated the issue that needs to be addressed)?

As you consider the questions above, what do you notice about your own behavior?

4. Are you burnt out?
Finally, your physical health could be a surprising factor that’s keeping you from making progress. Are you getting enough sleep? What does your diet look like? Feeling physically drained can lead you to make more emotional rather than rational decisions. Even getting 15 minutes more of sleep, making sure you don’t skip a meal, or taking five-minute breaks throughout the day can make a big difference

Handling underperformers on your engagement

Managing performance across boundaries in a outsourced environment is always a challenge.  More so not having direct control over your outsourced partner’s resources whose performance is the key to your success.

On the larger teams it is often not unusual to be frustrated with a team member who isn’t performing as you need — and who’s showing no signs of changing?

As frustrated as leaders are in this situation, sometimes they aren’t giving employees the honest advice and specific feedback they need to change. They might be worried about damaging the relationship, or they think that an employee should “just know” what to do.

You can take an approach, though, that helps the employee (and keeps your relationship healthy) while getting you better results. Here’s the process that could help you in dealing with a “stuck” employee.

Look at Your Mindset

Think about how you’ve been engaging with this employee. What role are you playing in the current situation? How are you enabling it to continue as it is? For example, I’ve noticed that when a leader starts showing frustration or micromanaging, it can put his team member in a place of fear and self-doubt. That can make it much more difficult for the employee to make change happen. What would help you get centered so you can address the situation in a more constructive way?

Set Clear Expectations

Sometimes leaders assume an employee should know, without being told, how to handle an assignment. Then they’re disappointed when the employee doesn’t read their mind and meet all of those unvoiced expectations. You’ll do more to boost the employee’s performance when you delegate with clear expectations. Spell out the deliverables, define their decision-making authority, and specify how often the employee should check in and any other key parameters of the project.

One of my clients has a boss who’s discouraged by her performance but doesn’t communicate expectations. He gives her assignments to test her capabilities – but doesn’t tell her this upfront, or let her know what skills he’s looking to assess or build. That approach hasn’t served either one of them well. He would improve his effectiveness if he communicated at the outset, “I’m giving you this assignment to see how you’ll do and where I need to coach you, to help you be successful.”

Give Specific Feedback

Think about whether you’re offering the employee tangible, specific feedback. Are you communicating regularly about what’s working and what’s not? If you want her to make a shift in a certain area — say, being more strategic instead of tactical — are you letting her know this and explaining why this would help her succeed?

There is a  two-part formula for giving feedback. This approach gives the employee useful information she can take action on and keeps the emphasis on performance and results instead of personal criticism.

  1. As objectively as possible, tell the employee what you observed her doing. Share facts without interpreting them.
  1. Describe the impact of those actions. Your goal is to help the employee understand what she did and how it affected others. For example, did the actions she took (or didn’t take) lead to a missed deadline? Misalignment of goals? Wasted time?

Attrition Problems ….How not to lose your best resources

Attrition is one word that every manager dislikes. The Expense of losing someone, recruitment all over again, training, knowledge transfer and all that is associated with replacing a good resource is a painful process. It impacts more than your bottom line, if you are in a large organization with outsourced component this can get more complex with lot of hidden costs associated with it.

Though a level of attrition is expected and is sometime encouraged to draw in fresh blood, it is imperative to keep your best resources at all costs and by all means.

It is easy to lose our best resources both knowingly and unknowingly, if only we know some of the tips and techniques and used it to our advantage we would be in much better shape. Here are some tricks.

1. Be dishonest.

Yes, #1 on the list is dishonesty. Integrity matters. Most good employees – and all great ones – have integrity. So, lying to them, to their coworkers, or to customers / suppliers is sure to turn them off. Over-billing a client, ripping off a supplier, bending the rules, cooking the books, and even just “little white lies” are all sure to catch the private ire of those employees who can best help you and your organization succeed. Don’t think they don’t notice; they DO.

2. Don’t say “Thank you.”

It’s a small thing, but it really does make a difference. Even small gestures of appreciation, complements on good work, acknowledging that someone stayed late / came in early / went the extra mile help keep talented people motivated and engaged. A small gift card, permission to leave early for the day or work from home the day before a holiday (if work is getting completed), a kind word, an email, all of these things cost very little but go a long way. I suggest making a point of doing them. People care if someone notices when they are doing a good job.

3. Forget the values that made your organization a success.

I’ve been part of organizations that truly lived their core values (and even years later can recite them by heart, because they were so prominent). We all knew what they were.We all agreed they were important, or at least accepted them as such. The leadership talked about them, and everything we did as a company HAD to align to them. When you build a team, you have to be very explicit about expectations and the team culture, and then review the key elements of that together from time to time.

4. Don’t take time to listen (to their concerns).

Good people almost always actually want what is best for the organization. They may have differing opinions on what that is, but they can be passionate, even fiery about it.If you’re dismissive of their concerns, when raised, you’re headed down the road to losing top performing people. Even if you can’t change a policy or a decision, you may be able to adjust how it is implemented to optimize the situation based on the concerns that your talented people raise. Just what kind of weak, arrogant, incompetent, narcissistic leader doesn’t want to hear this, anyhow?

5. Ignore their personal and professional development.

Note that there are two dimensions to this – professional development (technical skills, industry knowledge, expertise, professional certifications, formal training, etc.) and personal development. I would include leadership skills, street-smarts, maturity, self-awareness, EQ, general health and well being all as part of this.Leaders only follow stronger leaders, so if you want to keep current or future leaders, be sure you are mentoring them. Let them learn from your own life experience; telling good stories from your experience can be a great way to do this. Help them become better professionals – and better people.

6. Don’t be selective who you hire in the first place.

We all know that hiring people who really fit and are highly talented is tough. We know that the repercussions of a bad hire are awful for everyone. Make sure people really will fit into your organization. I have found that the recruiting process is often commensurate with the organization and role. The better (and more prestigious) the entity and higher profile the role, the tougher the recruiting process often seems – and it should be. Talented people often don’t mind a tough (within reason) selection process because they are usually competitive people who thrive on challenge. Invest the time needed to really explore what makes a person tick before you hire them.

7. Micromanage.

Do I really need to go here? Yes, unfortunately. Though we all know better than this, don’t we? Sadly, I’ve seen way too much of it. It’s not just classical micromanagement either. I’ve seen truly exceptional people who excelled in their role end up with their jobs “dumbed-down” to cater to the lowest common denominator, and to the point they were no longer challenged or motivated. Needless to say, it wasn’t long before they were looking for an opportunity somewhere else.

8. Set the bar low.

Great people will get discouraged and either leave or adapt to mediocrity if that is what they perceive is deemed acceptable. I’ve seen mediocrity accepted, rewarded, applauded, and even promoted! The impact of this on team morale (and on the highest performing team members) was palpable. Set the bar high and then become a cheerleader – even if people don’t make it over the high bar, point out how high the bar was set and how high people did get, and celebrate the success they did have at the right level. They may just make it over that high bar the next time.

9. Be cold and uncaring (to them and to their coworkers).

People are human. Why do we seem to forget this so often? They have personal struggles, ambitions, families, crises, etc. One of my favorite bosses from the past was a gentleman, he knew most about me and my family. He didn’t go beyond appropriate boundaries, but I really knew he cared about me as an employee and as a person (note #5, above).He was personable and when I needed a friend, a true mentor, someone I could go to with a problem. I knew I could talk to him and he’d help me out however he could. He got a lot of loyalty from me in return. I should also point out that talented people watch how you treat other people, not just themselves, and they take note of it.

10. The “usual” things (under-pay them, intrude into their personal lives, harassment, etc.)

Yes, the “usual” things will usually get a good person out of your organization as fast as they can possibly find an opportunity elsewhere. Incredibly, I’ve seen organizations under-pay very good people. One executive even said to me, in private, “Well, just what are they going to do? Leave? They have no place to go. The (job) market is poor.” This was his way of rationalizing, those many years ago, reduced bonuses for a group of people who really had earned them – and who were contractually entitled.This was disappointing to say the least, and I lost a lot of sleep over it at the time, even though my own bonus was good that year. Plus, it wasn’t long before people actually did have someplace else to go, and go they did.

Bringing the best from your offshore teams

As a manager you know that to deliver great results consistently you need to get the best from those that you manage. So what steps can you take to bring out the best from your team? In a typical offshore arrangement this assumes more important given the challenges with distance, culture and other elements that differ from a traditional working arrangement.

You can mitigate this to a large extent and achieve predictable results. Here are some quick tips and techniques.

1.Set crystal clear objectives

The start point of getting the best from people that you manage is to make it clear to them what they are expected to deliver. Often managers become stuck in the long list of activities that are contained in a job description. While this provides some important content, make a point of spelling out the 5 key results that you expect individuals in the team you manage to deliver.

2.Help them solve their own problems

As a busy manager it is sometimes highly tempting to solve problems for people so that you get them away from your desk as quickly as possible. The trouble is that if you always do this, people will stop thinking for themselves and just come to you for the answers. Use questions to coach people to find their own solutions to problems and challenges.

3.Take the time to praise

Few people (if any) turn up for work with the intention of doing a bad job. Yet managers often forget this and fail to recognize the efforts and achievements of their people. Make a point of praising achievement and acknowledging efforts as it will motivate.

4.Delegate whenever you can

There are few managers who could be accused of over delegating. In fact it is generally the complete opposite. Delegating does not just provide benefits to you in terms of freeing up time but also provides scope for those that you manage to take on new challenges.

5.Treat people fairly

Treat people well and chances are that the majority will go to exceptional lengths to deliver for you. A good rule of thumb to check this out is to ask whether you are treating others the way you would like to be treated in the given situation.

Millennial women changing Outsourcing workspace

Women in Outsourcing industry constitute a big number. More than 85% of them are Millennials. (Millennials – loosely defined as those born between 1980 and 1995) Lets focus on India first which has been a remarkable success story.

According to official data, India’s IT and BPO services industry employs some three million workers. Today about a quarter or more of these are women, says India’s industry trade body Nasscom. That is up from a fifth of the workforce in 2007. A recent study, Diversity in Action by Nasscom and PricewaterhouseCoopers, suggests the number of women workers is steadily growing. That change represents a generational shift.

The IT industry has extremely high diversity in terms of gender, geography, language and socio-economic factors, that is because meritocracy reigns in the industry. It all boils down to talent. The competition for talent in the IT industry has smoothed out many of the inequalities, making it more diverse and inclusive than any other in India.

Foremost is the gender balance. Thanks to women-friendly policies, including escorts to the doorstep on nightshifts, generous maternity benefits and 24/7 childcare, the gender imbalance in the industry is slowly being evened out. More middle-class Indian parents, who wield enormous power over their children’s career choices, are becoming comfortable with their daughters working late and being away on business.

But diversity in the industry still has its challenges. While there are plenty of women entering the workforce, there is a pronounced lack of women in leadership or boardroom roles. She believes change is round the corner. There are a lot more women at the entry level in the industry. Secondly, many women are rising in functional roles today. In five or six years, more women will reach the top in business roles and in a few years, the IT industry will start looking like India’s banking industry which has seen domination of women leading banks by sari-clad women CEOs.

Indian companies have imported and formulated some of the best practices in HR. Their flat structures and informal work culture is quite a departure from the ambiance at India’s family-run or old- economy companies. But inclusivity in the full sense of word, encompassing generational diversity and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers, is still not visible in workplaces.

Close to six percent of India’s population has some form of disability but fewer than three in 100 are employed by the organised sector. There is more acceptance of diversity in the workplace than even a decade ago and people have a more nuanced understanding of labels attached to sexual orientation. But diversity as a corporate agenda is largely focused on bringing women into the workplace.

However, one remarkable aspect of India’s young industry has gone largely unsung. India’s infamous caste and class systems have been upended by the IT industry. With the migration from small towns to larger cities, many Indians no longer feel categorized by the caste system or shackled to it in an industry where merit rules.

The industry is dominated by a young workforce – in many large companies workers are aged on average in the early thirties. “Talent issues have diminished all biases, equal opportunity is the reality

Globally Millennials think and work differently. To be competitive, now and particularly in the future, organizations will need to create a culture and work environment that attracts and retains a new generation of workers. This is especially true as organizations work to attract, retain and promote women, who should one day occupy a higher number of senior positions.

The millennial woman is more highly educated and more likely to be employed than previous generations, and she is more confident than generations of women before her. Fifty-one percent of millennial women – compared to 61% of millennial men – say they feel they will be able to rise to the top of their respective organizations. Our study found that the Gen Y woman considers opportunities for career progression to be the most attractive employer trait. She also has more global acumen and is more technologically savvy than previous generations. Finally, the Gen Y woman has a strong sense of egalitarianism and is likely to seek an employer with a strong record on equality and diversity.

Why is this significant? Millennial women will comprise about 25% of the global workforce by 2020. In an era of talent scarcity, attracting and retaining skilled millennial women will be crucial. Organizations will have to adapt in significant ways, including how they manage, coach and provide feedback to these employees.

Many large corporations and employers have slowly begun to retool and transform their talent management processes. They are using important findings to design a system for coaching staff – particularly millennials – that would be more impactful and would have greater personal resonance with this new generation.

An important component of our revamped approach is frequent. Despite their digital aptitude, 96% of millennials prefer to talk face-to-face about career plans and progress, just as 95% of non-millennials do.

In addition to addressing millennial preferences regarding frequent, face-to-face feedback, more frequent conversations foster more effective mentor and sponsor relationships. There is a dire need to create an environment where informal discussion about career development and progression are systemic and will go a long way towards correcting that imbalance for aspiring women. Reorienting organizational processes to reflect the need for and acceptability of these conversations is an important step in changing mindsets that can be particularly destructive to a woman’s career development.

Many organizations have not caught on to the importance of taking an interest in their millennial employees. Less than 2% of millennials identify a colleague, employer or supervisor as the person encouraging them to pursue their professional aspirations, according to a study conducted this year by Bentley University’s Center for Women & Business. The study concludes that many organizations are missing an important opportunity to retain millennial employees by failing to take a personal interest in their career ambitions. One success story cited in the study was a millennial woman who loved her summer job because her employer made an effort to communicate the value and impact of her work. Each week, she was sent to other departments to see how the organization as a whole was using her work. As a result, she felt valued and motivated – and she developed a much deeper understanding of the entire organization in the process, a benefit to her and the employer.

Attracting and retaining millennial women is a business necessity for my organization and so many others. Building a culture where conversations about career development and flexibility are both frequent and constructive is an important, tangible step towards helping women reach their full potential in the workplace.

Recruiting leaders for outsourced engagements

You will always at some point find that you will likely have to replace some people on your team and recruit new leaders. As you rebuild your team, what traits and qualities will you look for? What indicators might help you identify higher-potential staff and likely “A” players?

Here is a good listing of traits and characteristics you should look for in a global world which ever culture you think fit. As leaders to lead teams globally you need to have these to succeed.

THE ESSENTIAL TRAITS

There are six key leadership traits including: curiosity, courage, perseverance, integrity, confidence, and empathy. Some of these traits may be innate―while some are born with a particular trait―while other traits were developed over time, forged in the crucibles of critical moments and relationships.

1. Curiosity

Curiosity is both the most surprising and most frequently mentioned trait. The desire to understand and learn new things helps leaders to build the diverse experiences that later gives them the foundation to be an accomplished leader. Yet, the importance of curiosity as a critical employee or manager is rarely studied in the management literature, curiosity is one of the most important qualities top recruiters look for in recruiting talent. Whether innate or cultivated, curiosity is vital to motivating leaders to pursue experiences and learn lessons that build deeper insights and understanding in an ever-changing knowledge economy.

2. Courage

Courage is the willingness to face uncertainty and perhaps danger. There are always critical moments in which leaders are called upon to be courageous and willingly move into unfamiliar ground in order to go forward. Often, courage is manifested in the willingness to take on new challenges that stretch the individual well beyond what he or she already knows how to do. Courage helps the leaders to master new skills and experiences critical to their advancement and their personal credibility.

3. Perseverance

Perseverance (the willingness to work through challenges without giving up) is another trait vital to individual success in both professional and personal contexts. Often, perseverance provides the drive to master a difficult subject or situation. Among our respondents, this willingness to persevere was sometimes learned in childhood. Others work at cultivating this trait, training with determination to excel in an area where they are not naturally gifted, such as a musical instrument or a sport, to achieve a high level of proficiency. Perseverance enables leaders to undertake challenging and difficult assignments and advance in their chosen professions.

4. Integrity

The trait of “ethically saying what you mean; and doing what you say” is highly desirable . Being able to marry the right intentions with right actions provides a foundation for trust within and across an organization. Getting things done with integrity also makes it easier for others to work for and with you.

5. Confidence

Confidence is another trait that is highly valued. Confidence does not have to be innate; a calm and self-assured style can be cultivated through practice. Confidence that’s grounded in prior experience and confidence in engaging the unknown are particularly valuable. Leaders expressing confidence can assuage anxieties and make it easier for staff to follow direction.

6. Empathy

Empathy—the ability to understand and consider another’s point of view—is also highly valuable for leaders. Empathy can be valuable in testing your point of view against those of others and in avoiding blind spots in decision-making. Furthermore, it can help executives be more effective communicators to, and influencers of, their key stakeholders by driving understanding and helping to find points of convergence that meet each other’s needs.

Other attributes of high-potential talent

Many of the above traits align with other findings on the qualities of high-potential talent. Recently, for example, in “21st century talent spotting: Why potential now trumps brains, experience and competencies” (Harvard Business Review June 2014), Claudio Fernandez-Araoz notes five indicators of high potential:

The right kind of motivation—a commitment to fiercely pursue unselfish goals (additive to the trait of integrity above)
Curiosity—a penchant for seeking out new experiences and an openness to learning and change (same as our prior study)
Insight—ability to gather and make sense of information that suggests new possibilities
Engagement—a knack for persuasively using emotion, logic, and communication (similar to empathy for communications)
Determination—a wherewithal to pursue difficult goals and overcome challenges (similar to perseverance)

Traditionally, the most used gauges of the above traits are analysis of personal and work histories, reference checks, and interviews. But one other method—observation of the trait—can also be feasibly employed in the recruiting process. For example, an executive walks potential recruits through a manufacturing plant in order to discover what the candidate observes about the plant and what questions they ask about the operations.

Recruiting and onboarding of new talent to your team is likely to create significant demands on your time, and success is not always guaranteed. Beyond gauging proficiency in their functional specialization, recruiting to the above traits may help to improve the odds and return on recruiting—helping to identify high-potential, future leaders who are adaptive to changing organizational contexts and needs.

Trust & Relationship in outsourcing

Trust is a core ingredient to build successful relationships. Both personal and professional ones. It is a major leadership characteristic. However, you can´t take it for granted. You need to work hard to earn trust and to keep it. In an outsourced environ, it is even more important to trust each other side and work towards the common goals. Given the distances, relationships in a typical outsourced arrangement, cultural differences etc. it is imperative to keep trust in each other and enhance the relationship further. Most often promises are made and not kept or not taken seriously. Given the multiple levels at which works gets done in outsourced engagement, building trust from the top to the bottom most levels would be extremely rewarding.

Isaac Watts once said that “Learning to trust is one of life’s most difficult tasks.“ If you´re not seen as a trustworthy person you can´t neither form engaged relationships nor high performing teams. And without them you can´t become a successful leader and manager. If you were not careful, you can lose trust within days or even hours.

In today´s article I´d like to share with you my thoughts and what I consider being the most important principles to build, regain, and sustain trust:

Walk Your Talk. Mean what you say and keep your word. Deliver your committed tasks and duties on time and in full. Be consistent and reliable. Arrive promptly to meetings. If you might risk missing an agreed timeline, proactively communicate and explain it, apologize and come forward with a new proposal. Try not missing it a second time to protect your reputation. Lead by example and permanently demonstrate that you deliver on your promises and that others can count on you.

Communicate Frequently And Openly. Direct, quick, accurate, and honest communication builds trust. Share regularly with others. This underlines that you have no hidden agenda. Address possible trust issues within a team in an open and prompt manner. In this context also crucial to develop and possess good active listening skills.

Tell The Truth And Take A Stand. Be honest and don´t lie. This is not as easy as it might sound. Of course, we wouldn´t admit it, would we? Anyway, it´s key not leaving out relevant facts, figures, and opinions when discussing and arguing. Even, and especially, when it´s awkward and painful. People will appreciate it. Also be willing to say no. You can´t be everything to everyone. Taking a stand based on sound arguments – well and politely articulated – will earn you respect and trust.

Be Transparent And Unite. Share your objectives, strategy, agenda, and values. People want to know what you think and believe and to understand how they might fit into the picture. This gives them security and confidence in you and your intentions. Create a common identity and establish a sense of companionship.

Show People That You Care About Them. Be out for others and not primarily for yourself. Appreciate all people you´re dealing with. Show sensitivity to their interests, wishes, and needs. Value them and thank them. Express sincere gratitude rather two times too often than missing it just once. Do it from the heart.

Empower Others. Show people that you trust them. Grant flexibility, stimulate initiative- taking, and ask for regular feedback. Have faith in others skills and capabilities. Be willing to let go and to share power. “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them” (E. Hemingway).

Focus On The Positives. Don´t punish mistakes. As they can happen think and speak about them in a results-oriented and forward-looking way. Jointly look with others for solutions and implement actions to avoid that they´ll happen again.

Coach And Train Others. Guide people around you and assist them in finding their way and the right solutions for themselves. Don´t tell them what to do. Instead ask them for their opinions. Support them in becoming great and outstanding.

Follow High Ethical Standards. Do the right things. Even, and especially, when it might be hard. People will like, respect, and trust your integrity.

Admit Mistakes And Weaknesses. Fortunately, you´re only human. So, when you don’t do the right thing, admit it. Be transparent, authentic and willing to talk about your mistakes and faults in a constructive manner. When you are vulnerable and have nothing to hide you radiate trust. That´s what people love.

Establish Long Term Relationships. Trust is usually not the result of short term actions and profits. It´s stemming from deeper values, ethics, and fundamental principles. Take your time and don´t rush. Be willing to let trust evolve and flourish. The best trust fertilizer is to “give without any strings attached.“ Don´t expect always something in return.