GreyFlex Weblog

There’s been a small break from my writing due to a new business process engaged by us recently. Activity in business is rare these days and therefore it is a good news considering the turtle pace of deals and action seen in business all-around. The client has been magnanimous to offer us this deal considering that we are yet operating at a smaller scale and on successful implementation the scale seems quite promising. Scaling up fast is possible when you are small and the opportunity is big :-).

Here I write on client business transition, which is an exciting phase in business. The business then has the opportunity to experience a new process, manage a new process, implement a new system and if all components in the process runs well, reward comes in the form of added bottom lines. A new process for a client brings in excitement and needs to be carried out at a fast pace which often  can be extremely de-settling for the set internal processes. Its like stirring a bowl with mud and water, and then you suddenly see a colloid of brownish liquid till the mud actually settles down and then there is clarity. The water gets it clarity with the passage of time and everything looks settled and is back to normal. Similar is the reaction, with colleagues, associates and even family members when the equilibrium is disturbed from an otherwise set eco-system.  The effect of the stir is quite different on each of these individuals.

From an account manager’s perpective, responsible to such a client, one would wish that the stir settles down instantly and clarity is available quickly. While most account managers would wishfully want such improbable to occur, the length of passage of time will test the nerve of even an otherwise cool mind. It becomes important for the account manager to be able to see clarity because a query from the client in unclear waters can be extremely unnerving leading to the feel of being out of control. A feeling such as this will be the last thing an account manager would ever wish. Though one would want to, there is certainly no escape from the extreme chaos that is bound to happen within the existing systems and the way of doing things. A new process; a new role; changed systems; often warranted by such transitions, can get colleagues & associates, grapple at the pace, and usually leads to bursts of stress and excitement getting the whole ecosystem tense. 

To complicate matters further, family chips into the chaos not realising that people involved in transition sometimes unconsciously carry home this experience. They are not unreasonable in their quest to know the reasons of chaos, but explaining chaos requires patience which is generally thin in such circumstances :-).

I believe, it is during such turbulent times, the tough get the opportunity to prove themselves and clear the stir. It takes attention, commitment, willingness and pace to settle  the process and revert to stability. It is probably an opportunity as well for everyone in the process to align and check each other on reliability and adaptability. Transition in business teaches you valuable lessons, and the gripping experience, like all times is unique and worth each penny being an entrepreneur.

It is fun on assignments which involves creativity. One could wonder the extent of creative skills possible on recruiting assignments. When a sector is dynamic, evolving and fast growing, client companies allow recruiting agencies the liberty to look for various options in the market. New roles; new positions; facilitates career moves across skills and sectors, thereby making the whole transition interesting to change seekers and facilitators.
 
I remember distinctly, with the Insurance sector liberalised in late 2000, we were exposed to recruiting in the exciting Insurance space. This space had till then invoked an image of the elephantine PSU, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India which is managed by the Government. The potential of business opportunities in the sector and the extent of career aspirations that were possible in this segment suddenly dawned on us when we met up with young Human Resource professionals from the newly launched  private life insurance joint venture company. 

The opportunity was exciting as we reviewed the database of experienced professionals from various other segments and uged them to explore the new option; as we got into dialogue with educational institutions to initiate freshers to evaluate new career avenues. The dearth of otherwise eager talent to manage this kind of business process, made it creative, fulfilling and meaningful to move people across sectors and skills and get them to accept good positions, career growth and better salaries.

Over the last year or so, with the sluggishness in various sectors, most companies are back to what we call as the relavancy factor. Probably for want of training time, they’d insist on evaluating resumes of candidates with just the similar experience, thereby reducing the role of recruiting firms to being mere resume pushers and end up hiring people only from the relevant sectors and with relevant skills. While such moves could result in short term gains of minimising transition cost of positions left vacant within a project, I believe it could have cascading effect over an extended period with monotony creeping in leading to attrition.

If time is not a serious constraint, client companies should push recruiting firms to offer candidates with relevant attributes and attitude, and not just relevant skills. Training specific skills may perhaps not turn out to be as expensive as attrition.