“As you sow, so shall you reap”? is an adage much battered from overuse but I maintain that clich?s become clich?s for a reason. Particularly in the context of people in the IT industry, I feel that it is overwhelmingly true. The energy directed towards discussions on how to cope with high attrition rates might be better channelled into figuring out the why of the problem. We have sown an environment in which we have devalued the individual and placed a higher priority on what that individual nets for his or her company at the end of the day. While all of us maintain a sharp eye on the bottom line and revenues, devaluing the individual in a people-driven industry is not so much about axing one’s own foot as it is about placing the axe on the ground and getting a nice, long run-up to it. (more…)

A good leader is that most elusive of creatures – very difficult to pin down and fit within a paradigm or set parameters. The definition changes with social contexts, times and the demands of the economy. However, there are some things, which like diamonds, are forever. I was thinking back to my own early days and realised that the leaders who I felt were the best, were those who I could trust, have access to and those, who, when they talked of change, led from the front. (more…)

Management, like everything else, has its fair share of unspoken dictats and advisories and there was a phase (which still lingers) when there were so many open doors leading into the CEO’s / MD’s office that there was a very healthy cross-ventilation! (more…)

Change is the only constant, as we are told often enough, but intelligent change is difficult to achieve. Given that like the Red Queen in Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland, all of us have to run to stay in the same place today, effecting change requires more than just energy. It calls for someone who can lead transformation from the front and has the requisite drive to ensure that a transition is made at every level. (more…)