A tête-à-tête with the man who started talent management in India

Anil Sachdev, who gave human resources a whole new twist, says everyone is born with 'capacities': you have to know how to tap them

When I was a journalist with a business paper in New Delhi - in the early years of the new millennium - Anil Sachdev got me interested in HR. HR = Human Resources. In those days, HR was a nascent term in India. Yes, there were HR departments in all organisations, but they were the guys who delivered offer letters, and deducted leave (when you went on vacation). The raison d'être of managing human capital was always glossed over. Anil was trying to change that - and he did. He founded Grow Talent Company in 2001, which was India's first "talent management company", and which served as an HR consultant for leading bigwigs in the corporate sector. And yes, they were the guys who collaborated with Great Place to Work® for the beginning of the India chapter.
I first met Anil - if I remember correctly, in 2002 - at the Gurgaon office of Grow Talent. He had given me a grand tour of the premises of the company he ran, and I was intrigued when he explained the concept of an "office den"; it was a place where you could unwind, relax, maybe even take a nap (and not worry about being "caught napping"). He said it was perfectly okay for employees to discuss "emotional issues" with the boss; he also said it is the human resources department's duty to psychologically map employees - and not be judgemental. In his own 'capacity', he ensured his company practised what he preached: the Grow Talent space embodied the spirit of its (non-financial) bottomline: "Human capital is the most important asset an organisation has - you need to take care of it."
Thanks to Anil, the HR sector soon became something I was fascinated by. I used to drop by Grow Talent's office, on my personal time, and pore over modules of 'employee workbooks', and wonder why we - the rest of the market - had been so skimpy, thus far, in our efforts to understand, really understand, and get to the bottom of human capital.
In 2008, Anil reinvented Grow Talent into the School of Inspired Leadership; his aim is to "build leaders with character, competence and enthusiasm".
wknd. caught up with the man who, in a sense, re-purposed HR in India (and has, since then, been a much-sought-after global guru in the field), and spoke to him on his favourite topic: managing talent at the workplace.
 
Anil, you've been at the forefront of talent management in India. How does one "manage" talent? Is it because the corollary to that is the corporate sector does not manage talent or is in the dark about managing talent?
Due to the uncertain and turbulent business environment, many companies struggle to do strategic planning for the long term. As a result, they do not pay attention to defining the "demand" for talent. In addition, they do not have a rigorous process for studying the "supply" of talent based on effective performance management reviews and assessment of potential of people. Consequently, their plans for capability building are not impactful.
On the other hand, companies that are known to effectively manage talent anticipate the demand for talent of different kinds, at different levels; they are fully aware of the availability of talent within their organisations and take proactive steps to build capability and do strategic hiring at the right time.
 
Do you believe everyone's got talent, and it just needs to be honed? If so, why? And can you give an example? If not, what happens to those who are "untalented"?
Everyone is born with certain "capacities". These are the capacities to learn, think, relate and act. Based on the opportunities one gets, the encouragement one receives and the efforts taken by each person, competencies are generated. Unrealised capacities are "potential". Realised capacities are competencies in action. The ones who are born with certain "capacities" can shape their future by the quality of "efforts" they make. People with limited "gifts" can outperform due to their own "inspiration" and, therefore, take conscious steps to raise their game. People with a lot more talent often lose to such people because they do not have the discipline, focus and energy required to raise standards.
 
You have been an advocate of interpersonal communication at the workplace. How can that be improved beyond the obvious?
Around 80 per cent of communication is about being fully present - observing and listening with mindfulness. The other 20 per cent is about asking the right questions. Many of us are distracted and do not ask the right questions or are not fully there to pay attention to what is said and implied. and how it is communicated.
 
Give me five ways in which a company, big or small, can make a start and "manage" talent.
1. Define the future landscape of the company based on the trends in the environment, the moves of other players in the industry and the way the market is likely to behave.
2. Craft alternate "scenarios" and determine the quantity and quality of talent required in each scenario.
3. Make a systematic attempt at mining information about all people within the company and identify the potential of people and the probability of people "growing" from within the company.
4. Clearly define gaps as also "excess" of talent compared to what may be needed in the different likely scenarios.
5. Develop plans to build capability through structured experience (assignments, projects, job rotation, promotion), exposure, coaching and participation in external forums and designed education.
 
People are a company's biggest asset: you believe that. What happens when one becomes a liability?
When people become a liability, we have to carefully assess if they are low on both "skill and will". If that is indeed the case, we need to plan for their exit from the company. This needs to be handled with "compassion" so that the process is fair, transparent and painless.
 
Do you feel employees view counselling sessions and workshops as being effective tools? (For instance, I know of many people who say they are a "complete waste of time" - how does one change that mindset?)
Counselling works with those who have emotional issues which they voluntarily discuss with a well-trained professional. Mentoring helps people when an experienced person enables them to navigate through situations that they have not handled earlier. Coaching works when an experienced and skilful coach assists those who are "committed" to the process to raise their own performance by discovering their own answers to thoughtful questions raised by the coach.
 
As the corporate sector gets more cutthroat, and downsizing becomes a norm, how do you explain to a company that people retention and talent management are winning prospects?
The valuation of a company is due to its intangible assets. This is due to brand capital, human capital and the quality of structures and systems within the company. Talent management is the Key Business Process that leverages human capital to create "customer value" and, therefore, shareholder returns. In surveys of CEOs all over the world, in the last few years of uncertain times, they always define talent management as their most critical priority!
sushmita@khaleejtimes.com