Abhijit Bhaduri’s Blog
I write about careers, skills and the world of work. The cartoons and sketches are mine.
2019: The Year of New Media at Work
To reimagine the workplace as an experience, one needs to understand the new media. Whether it is AR or VR or Mixed Reality or Holograms or even podcasts, there is lots to choose from. For that the HR teams will need to learn enough about the new media and then layer it with their imagination and creativity to create the experiences. The workplace needs to be a deeper digital experience and instant access to information is one way to create that. The HR teams must work with people who understand web design, user interface design, video production, data visualisation and of course, content creation.
Career Advice for Millennials
If you want to, for example, run a half marathon, you have to train for it. That would mean finding time to train every day. This, in turn, will demand a change in your lifestyle. It may need you to pay attention to what you eat and drink, when you sleep, and how you make space for the new dream you have.
How to work with influencers
Can employees act as influencers? Most organizations rarely allow any one employee to build a social media presence such that it allows the employee to be an influencer. an employee of a well-known airline who was synonymous with the airlines raised eyebrows of the Board members who believed that he was building his own brand at the cost of the organization's.
Do you have a boring workplace
Do you look forward to being back at work on a Monday morning? Do you look forward to being in a place surrounded by inspiring colleagues? Let me put it simply. Is your workplace as boring and devoid of personality as is possible? Is it soul-crushing? I can tell you a simple way to find out. Read on ...
The fourth space for working
Almost a decade ago Starbucks branded itself as the “third space” after office and home, where work happened. As the nature of work, working and workers have all changed, a fourth space has emerged. Co-working spaces get people from large organizations, small and medium enterprises and the solo workers. The solo worker could be the lone employee of a company or a gig worker who connects to the world on his or her mobile. This may also be triggered by the millennials who enjoy connecting and sharing their life in the virtual world. The co-working spaces give them a chance to do so in the work setting as well. Co-working is more than a working space. It is a place to not be lonely...
Book Review: Stories at Work
When you come across an old photo, you recall a story. Suddenly a date becomes significant. Milestone events get etched in our mind because our brain has created a little PostIt note and created a special place for it. By the way, where were you on 11 September 2001? You may be racking your brains to leaf through the pages of your memory. But as soon as you read the story, everything falls into place. Can you use stories in the workplace?
How to Build Your Own Silicon Valley
Medha works in the first stage to build the self-confidence of students. This is done by helping them build their sift skills like public speaking, working in teams, negotiating and influencing others. These are all vital skills that every employer looks for. The next phase is where Medha builds the digital literacy among the students. In the final stage, the Medha volunteers coach the students on how to appear for job interviews, how to write a resume and also help them find internships.
The Unconscious Bias Against Introverts in Corporations
One of three people is an introvert says Susan Cain's research. Yet, we often ignore and fail to leverage the power of the introverts. This book is really about understanding the almost silent ways in which introverts operate. Even in organizations, we idolize people who can speak spontaneously, backslap strangers and who visibly demonstrate action. That really puts the introverts at a disadvantage. Introverts are uncomfortable in offices without walls, unabashed self promoting behavior and visibly appearing confident by monopolizing the conversation.
Getting Distracted by Shiny Objects
You want to look for information, you will get it - lots of it. There will an equally large number of journals that will tell you that "research shows..." that you ought to be doing something. There will be an equally powerful publication that will tell you that what you just spent time learning and telling your team to implement is the equivalent of "fake news" in the world of management. You want to get on with your ever-growing To-Do list but these shiny objects keep distracting you. You are not alone.
How to Experience “Hot Streaks” in Your Career
If you want to be an Algorithm Mechanic for a bank, who will tweak the logic behind algorithms, you will need “skills in risk management, service design, and financial literacy, rather than technological proficiency.” Problems are becoming too complex to be solved by one individual or one discipline. That may provide a clue to what can trigger "hot streaks" in any career - especially in a world of algorithms.
Future of Work: Human Innovations or Systems Intelligence
Work, Working, and Workers are all changing. If we look at work, it is severely impacted by machines; when you look at the nature of jobs, there’s a huge amount of upscaling; the where, how and what of working are also changing; who is a worker has also changed – gig workers, digital migrants. Everything is getting reconfigured now. So must HR.
How to Build Gravitas
Gravitas was one of the virtues that "Romans of good character were expected to exemplify and pass on through the generations." Gravitas came from the word gravity and was used to mean a sense of the importance of the matter at hand; responsibility, and being earnest. Firms coach senior leaders in building their executive presence. Gravitas is an important element of Executive Presence. Can it be learned? ...
The Rising Power of Employees
Employers no longer own the brand. Leaders were just about starting to take the voice of the customer seriously. Now they have to also deal with the collective power of a hyperconnected world of workers. Employees are keen to force the employers to make ethical choices. Leaders have no choice but to follow the employees. This time they are leading.
Learning to Manage Transparency
Harvard used to have some of its employees manage their endowment funds. These people were paid huge salaries and bonuses like professional fund managers of investment funds. The result was Harvard earned billions but the fund managers earned in millions. When their salary information was shared with their colleagues, it made them resentful. Harvard was forced to bring their pay in line with other colleagues. The fund managers left. Transparency is not easy to manage.