9

Communication

Managers who have in recent years become leaders in India have

one thingin common-communication. They write, give speeches,
and address meetings and conferences. Many of them have now
written successful books, such as Nandan Nilekani (Imagining
India, where he sets out a road map for India's future) and Narayana
Murthy (A Better Indian, ABetter World,a collection of his speeches
and writings). After he completed his term as president of India,
A.P). Abdul Kalam made it his mission to address students,
scientists, businessmen and particularly the youth of India. He
even teaches a course at lIMA along with another professor,Anil
Gupta. Similarly, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Anu Aga, Kiran Bedi,
Deepak Parikh, Kumar Managalam Birla, Ratan Tata, and Azim
Premjihave become well-known fixtures at forums and convocation
addresses. The new generation of Indian leaders such as Shivender
Singh of Fortis, Sanjiv Bhikchandani of [Link], Vijay Mahajan
of Basix, Vindi Banga of Unilever, Jerry Rao of Mphasis are also
well-known speakers and motivators.
Communication is the only way that one's thoughts, values,
dreams, experiences, actions and talent become known to others.
AsI explained in the chapter on efficacy, effective managers
communicate to influence others. Indeed, as we've seen with some
 ofthe examples above, it can become an
important
of a person's stature and influence.
known to a wider audience after
Nandan Nilekani component
Imagining India. And became
joke that Jack Welch made even more money after And there's a
he retired
GE through his writing. Communication is
perhaps the from
largest factor responsible for manytalented
and become of use to society.
single
people to get noticed
Good managers also are good networkers.
Through
they learn, articulate their goals,and disseminate their networks
thouck
This chapter focuses on the two thoughts.
unique competencies of good
managersand howthey communicate, network, and make a
difference. There is a lot of material available on how to
communicate effectively. The purpose of this chapter, however.
is to look at what our
managers
they do it, what makes them Communicate and how much
we can learn from successful
effective, and what are the lessons
communicators.
WHAT MANAGERS COMMUNICATE

Communication is one of the qualities that really sets apart

transactional managers from the transformational ones,achievers
from visionaries, visionaries from
missionaries. Everyone has to
communicate constantly. At the lowend, managers
about practical, work-related communicate
matters. The more effective
the manager, the more they
their communication. manage to tie in larger issues in
At the low end managers talk
about: goals and purpose,
activities, methods, dos and don'ts, expected
norms, guidelines, instructions, rewards, behaviou,
immediate tasks to be done, punishments,
consequences
accomplishing goals,what is acceptable o
and what is not, et

MANAGERS WHO MAKE ADIFFERENCE 240

 higherend: the connection
between current and
Atthe goals,ambitionssof the company andteam, impact
long-term
achievements on career goals, future opportunities,
of
optimism, talent needs,
needs, problem-solving approaches,
[Link], howsuccessful people
achieved higher targets, benchmarking data, costs,
have
efhciency parameters, needIfor change and how that change
ispossible,etc.
Atthe visionary
level: vision, values, goals, strategies, how
others with their thoughts, data about
toinfluence
opportunities, the country and its status in the world, the
the need to work, dreams
company and its status globally,
social needs,
of the CEOs and others in the organization,
etc.
values, sustainable
At the missionary level: vision,
poverty,
development, future of theworld, nation, people,
of the work they
socialresponsibility of business, the glory country,appeal
to the
are doing, their team's contributions
conscience, need to sacrifice and share, long-term good
to
the country, dreams for the country and humanity
of
at large.
low-end communication
to engage in
we most managers have can rise to the next
one of the key ways you
nuday-to-day level, and bring inthe big
level is to be aware of your communication values behind
ideas and
picture. Connect your audiencetothelarger
what you're saying as much as possible.
communication
Khandelwal used
Case study 1: How Dr Anil|
Bank of Baroda
to
connect to people and transformed

COMMUNICATION 241
 its year- Bank
revitalize level.
challenge
in of bankthe i in a
remote
system. not
[Link] new way to time would
answers a
at
deep the
involved tobe
called l20employees
across-section
242
as change
engagementwith implementdoesmay, yearns
we
the
ninety-seven-y
the every the thesebest to about planned
to
2005 He endeavours initiative
100
functionaries
DIFFERENC
branches also timecreative that
at at big perceptible
were
weplanning of connection
value
change.
by
the
he of
in vision employeestogether
Baroda people:
really us, our to
the He is
Whatwhatfrom
intimidated events was around
change. new
know
our instructions find It A
For the of this him informed our group conclave). MAKE
our a about emotional
partof fears? to a of Zonal/Regional
of was customers. dreaming
Bank engage
communicating one not from
this to had of to started day, WHO
engagement was evenhis communicate success large
bring
only
because in doesfor result out
that allay him We a
the we ThisJust
employee compulsions
receiving reachthrough we (employee over
participants
drawn
from
MANAGERS
to changes
joined that could
of an
aspirations. He will or we keepmechanism?
The and theme,
was tha mind developing Overwhelmed
event, cadres.
required decision. benefits do
employee meant we [Link] leveltogether
questions.
depend
upon
remit enormous this the
Khandelwal an Orissa
imagine
How and
do thisManthan
and needed group
in new what instructions.
out Howwhat psychological all
His Baroda image employees
also or
particular
rationale, on
working covering
chairman. me
bank.
old The For and bank's Bihar know
be
fact,
reach
know?by these We future. Baroda
Based large
Anil of our and
to to
a
 expectedtolend support for holding such events. The
aroundIfour
programmewas woven around fo key
and service
sales ture,
culture, themes--building
customer centricity, leveraging
a
rechnologyfor business success, and moving towards a
universal financial services organization. The
entire
programme was to beconducted in a
highly informal and
non-threateningg(conducive)environment,, where employees
felt safe and energized to contribute. The whole objective
wastoget people ignited with zeal and positive images of
themselves and ofthe bankacand alsoto seek their commitment
to the new vision.

Case study 2: How Jack Welch transformed GE through

communication

In 1981,at the age of 45, Jack Welch became the eighth and
youngest CEO of GE. His goal was to make GE the world's
most competitive enterprise. He knew that it would take
nothing less than a revolution to make this transformation.
To Welch, business was 'allabout capturing intellect.' More
people, more ideas. But to make sure that no worthwhile
idea went unsaid, organizations had toencourage people to
articulate and express themselves. To spark communication
and exchange of ideas, Welch turned GE into a learning
organization. In alearning organization employees are gven
access to important information and are expected to scope
Out new ideas andopportunities and come up with creative
solutions to problems.
Managementguru Noel Tichy, who assisted Jack Welch,
developed anew theory which was actively promotedin GE
(dig0odscussed in the chapter on internality.. According to him,
leaders should have a teachable point of view. They

COMMUNICATION 243
 then should communicate their experiences and points of
is the way you create
view to others. This a
organizationandlaalso develop your own leadership lskils
Welch. did in
earniandng
influence. This is exactly what Jack GE. People
at all levels were encouraged to come up with ideas, solve
problems, andtake the organization forward. This is how
communication became a foundation of GE's growth
Peter Cappelli and his team, after studying ninety-eight
Indian CEOs, identifiedempowering communication as one
of the ways these leaders shape their organizations. 'Ar HCI
for example, an online system allows employees to create
quality control "tickets", much like those on an assembly
line. These can flag product-quality problems or even
personal issues related to management such as, "l have
problems with my bonus". Employees can also post
comments and questions on the company's "U and I"
website' (Cappelli, et al. 2010:95). Asimilar system was used
by Anil Khandelwal to connect with customers and
employees at the Bank of Baroda.

KINDSOF COMMUNICATIONS

Successful managerscommunicate a number of things to their

juniors and alsoencourage them to communicate upwars. Ine
tollowing is asample list of things that can be communicated to
influence each other and enhance utilization of employee
cOmpetencies, engagement, and achieving vision. For example
when an employee is able to document and communicate his/
her talents through apersonal biography. this information canbe
used to fully explore the individual's capacity tolearn. Family-
relatedinformation helps in gorganizational
counselling, providing
244
MANAGERS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
syport
andmanagingemployee welfare. Company vision and
help
individuals to connect their daily work with the
(Ustomers
dhes theyserve and enhances their engagement. Every
would
employee
|liketofeel that they are not merely working for
and
cheque,but serving someone Imaking a contribution to
apay
Komethinglarger.

TABLE 9.1

Possible
Content

Personal
Personal data, biographic information,
experiences, feelings, intentions, concerns,
fears, ideas, reactionsto decisions by others,
personal experiences, preferences, pain,
happinesS,qualifications, values

family related Problems, issues, happenings, wealth,

relationships, health, upbringing,
qualifications, work, values, status
conflicts, solutions,
Community Needs, problems, issues,
in other
related diversity, experiences, changes
what is
communities, events, analysis of
good, community behaviour
good and not so
implications, conflict andsources of
and its
conflict.
conditions, culture, norms,
Workplace Tasks, goals, work
preferences, career
related methods, values,
opportunities, rewards, policies,
accomplishments,performance

COMMUNICATION 245
Team related Composition, Tasks,
Functioning, Progress,Activities, Processes,
Accomplishments
Positioning of the team, Positions, Work
methods, Conflicts and their resolution
Membership, Responsibilities, Functioning
Task-related information, Resources, Roles.
Responsibilities
Organization Vision, Mission, Opportunities,
related Competitor
information, Performance information,
Technology, Values, Systems and procedures,
Culture, Success experiences, Events, Policies.
Accomplishments of individuals and teams,
Benchmarking data, Survey results,
Customer-related information including
needs, Problems, Preferences, Solutions to
issues, Conflicts and their sources,
Organizational processes, Financial data,
People/ermployee-related information,
Accomplishments of employees
Country, World, Vision for anevw world, Mission and
and Humanity tasks
required to be done to achieve world or
related
Community vision, Values, Need for sacrifices,
Collective action, Movements and plans for
movements, Developments, Happenings,
Predictions, Projections, Development-related
issues, Needs of special groups, Happening
across the world, Philosophy, Spiritual issues,
Trends, Diversity Issues, Changes in society
Organizational impact on society, Societal
needs, World statistics and other related
information
246
MANAGERS WHOMAKE ADIFFERENCE
 managers also variety of opportunities for
se a
Good
communicating
different things. For example, daily and weekly
aregood
places for communicating expectations and
meetigs
diffculties. Table 9.2 provides a more detailed look at
identifying
Communicateto who and how.
to
what

TABLE 9.2

What to Medium/situation to
Targetof
Communication Communicate communicate
eeeeee eeeeeees

ToJuniors or Expectations, tasks, Circulars, performance

subordinates targets, goals, management systems,
andotherstaff results,challenges, training programmes,
down the line opportunities, vision orientation sessions,
and values of the daily, weekly, monthly
company, policies and other periodic
andprocesses, meetings, internet
changes, work memos, web site
procedures, culture, messages and informal
norms, etc. sessions, vision and
value workshops,
newsletters

Boss, seniors Views, opinions, Performance planning

and top and review discussions,
Suggestions,
daily and weekly
management difficulties, support
requirements, meetings, Concept
thoughts and ideas papers, task forces and
Committees where
opportunities are
available, suggestion
schemes

COMMUNICATION 247
 Colleagues Expectations,
compliments for
Memos, notes, inter
and internal
customers help and assistance departmental meetsessions,
brain storming ings,
provided, assistance
specially requested
required, support
requirements
informal meetings,
newsletters
External product Memos, notes, informal
customers, innovations, usages, discussions, telephone
suppliers services, calls,SMSs, greetings,
expectations special bulletins,
newsletters
Public at large, Company
investors performance,
Newsletters, newspaper
advertisements,
accomplishments, websites, video films,
technological and investor meetings,
other changes, special bulletins and
innovations other communications

HOW MANAGERS COMMUNICATE

Any textbook on communication will say that

a two-way communication is
process. It involves the sender, a receiver, a message,
and the medium through which it is
thus are not just communicators but
transmitted. All managers
Here is a more detailed look at how the
receivers of information.
four types of managers
both give and send
information.
Doers

Doer managers, in varying degrees, take but

don't give informato
MANAGERS WHO MAKE ADIFFERENCE 248
 granted
Ithe goals,,tasks, and methods given to them
tor
[Link] perhaps faithfully.
dfollow

This person does things blindly without even

Blinddoer: understandwhat is required of them. They
attemptingto They
Communicate very little. At the bottom of the continuum
not evenseek
seek clarifications
and take everything
they may
They receive distorted
they're given for granted.
[Link] interpret the message by their seniors,
juniors, customers, and colleagues
in the way that suits
them.
Inderstandingdoer: This kind of manager seeks clarification
They do not take the
on the tasksthey are expected to do.
information as
instructions for granted and seek as much
require
possible before beginning or at each step. Theydetailed
sometimes
continuous guidance and instructions,
instructions.
attempts
Questioning doer: This kind of manager not only
been told, but also
tounderstand everything they've
Perhaps an achiever
questions what is and is not acceptable.
in the making. clarification when
Quiet doer: This kind of manager seeks
whatever asked
required, talks less but quietly accomplishes
asked. They
to do. Once accomplished they keep quiet until task.
completeda
may not even tell the boss if they have
task has been
Iney perhaps feel that if they announce a
Completed, there will bemore work assigned to them or
they might feel a general lethargytoshare information.
Talker doer: This kind of manager usually talks morethan
they produce. They do not do much beyond what is asked
to be done but communicateeallthe timeabout their views,

accomplishments, etc.
COMMUNICATION 249
 Shirker: This kind of a person shirks
their
not do things ont time. They constantly lookforwork and does
constraints. They have little to excuses and
complaints, problems, and issues. communicate apart from

LEADERS DO NOT LISTEN

Good communication also requires good listening skills. However
Shrinivas Pandit (2001),after surveying a large number of
India, came to the conclusion that leaders do not leaders in
listen'. This wwe
based on his finding that the leaders he
with their vision that theyoften do not
interviewed were so obsessed
listen to others' point of view
once they make up their mind (see chapter 5 on
leadership).
Achievers

Achievers constantly communicate. They give

try to understand problems. They try to instructions and
ascertain from their
juniors if they have understood their tasks and
toinfluence them to stretch their roles and also try
goals and applytheir talent.
Non-communicating
whoset high
achievers: These are the managers
standards, have a desire to achieve something
but don't wish to be in the
limelight. Sothey are silent
achievers and believe that their work speaks for
They are most often themselves.
the losers among achievers. They are
likely to be left out except under a
highly
supervisor who can notice and reward them. competent
Communicating achievers: This set of managers share wiu
others whatever they have been able to
with, they share their own views accomplish. lo be3
and not just thegoals set

MANAGERS WHO MAKE ADIFFERENCE D0

 tasksand targets
the
assigned to them, their approach,
supportthey require, etc. They influence their juniors
or
the
set
to
higher goalsand also communicate their personal
accomplishments and goals, how they worked hard and
attained| various goals.

WITH ACHIEVERS OF EXCELLENCE

FACETOFACE
AHMEDABAD MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION,
BY
JULY2005 SPEECH DELIVERED BY HARSHA BHOGLE
(IMA1985)
Theisittfollowing excerptt from a speech made by renowned cricket
Commentator Harsha Bhogle at the Ahmedabad Management
AssoCiation is a good example of the kind of communication
VISIOnaries make.
Live commentary: Initially Bhogle used tocompete with his guests
but soon realized that youcannot comment on a reverse swing when
Wasim Akram is sittingnext to you. He understood that if he made
them look better, he'd look better himself.
On the secret of his success and his desire for excellence:
Being in the right place at the right time to start off with, and
then by believing that every day my performance has to be the
Dest am capable of. It's funny but you never knoW who is
Watching what and where you can make an impact. My earliest
heroes were the cameramen, engineers, andreplay editors. They
Tiever went wrong and Ithought Ihad agreat responsibility as
ne front man to live up to their standards. My desire tor
excellence comes from these people.
On
mulThe keyti-tastokingmulti-tasking
and being ateam player:
though is to focus on one thing at a
time andi not let them
mingle with each other. Ithink my strength
COMMUNICATION 251
 lies in being able to switch on and off, in
believing that every
activity that I am involved in is very special and deserves
the
I can do. If Idon't do something wel enough I can live bestit
but if I haven't given it everything Thave, I will be
with
disappointed
with myself. When Ifirst got the opportunity to be a commentator
at this level, Iwas excited as a little kid. And |am still iust ac
enthusiastic about presenting and doing commentary on cricket.
I'dlike to think Iam professional and humble about what| do
often the two words go together, and lbelieve that
everyone
who works on a live telecast has to be a team player.
Arrogance is the biggest stumbling block to excellence. Shane
Warne [the cricketer] lived in a 'rarefied bubble', where nobody
had the courage to tell him that he was doing
something wrong.
It is more important to surround yourself with
people who are
better than you. Excellence is learning from mistakes.

Visionary managers
These managers, as we know, largely communicate their dreams
and vision and may stress on the possibility to achieve them, the
methods to be followed (hard work, systems and processes,
discipline, etc.), and the values they and the organizations or the
teams they represent. On task-related communication they will
focus on big things and big scenarios. Let's go back to Anil
Khandelwal.
Along with transforming the workingof the bank (see Case
study 1), Khandelwal decided to do a rebranding exercise when
he took over the Bank of Baroda. The rebranding was of a scale
that had rarely been witnessed in any government-owned financial
institution in India. The makeover of the external façade of the
bank was completed in fifty-three days and the new brand was

MANAGERS WHO MAKE ADIFFERENCE 252

 6June
2005,
2005. Within a month, the rebranding was
launchedon
successful initiative by all quarters
with even the
as a
hailed.
believers. Anil Khandelwal worked internally
irs
sCepticsbecoming
40,000employees to market rebranding and the other
amongst
initiativesheewas
was implementing:
marketing chief
te aletter to our 40,000 employees. Our
conducted a variety of seminars in various locations. The
signihcance offthe logo of the 'Baroda sun' was explained. Ithink
the logo
the Baroda sun
sun is a muchrespected symbol and calling it symbolizes
sun itself
eated asense of pride in people. And the
and brightness. So we threwa very powerful internal
energy, power l
communication. We also brought out a house journal, especially
training programmes.
devotedto brand launch and conducted
constantly stays in
Apart from that exercise, Dr Khandelwal
his employees, addressing and listening to their
touch with
this, according to him, works wonders for an
Suggestions and
to different
organization. He thinks it is important to travel
dialogues
branches/locations for open houses and have blunt
they spoke about
with your employees. Dr Khandelwal says that
and how they could
ISsues such as where they had gone wrong
employees
find solutions toaddress those problems. The names of
and any
at all branches were entered into the computer system
ensure that
Circulars would be individually addressed to them, to
about the
they reached out to them and employees knew
happenings at the bank.

Missionary managers
Amissionary manager's communications is largely inspirational.
They may use stories, pictures, paint the picture of those differing
or those
that are being e and the need for helping them.
influence
They appeal to the consciousness
ness of people and try to
COMMUNICATION 253
 them. They try toinculcate the right kind of values in others..David
McClelland, the Harvard psychologist,
doubt that children who are told.l demonstratstories
achievement-driven: ed beyondhave
grown to become better entrepreneurs.
Consider the following story related by Abdul Kalam:
In 1973 Professor Satish Dhawan (chairman of the
Energy and Space Commission) assigned Abdul Kalam theAtomic
job of
creating a satellite launch vehicle. Kalam,with a team of thousande
of engineers, 10,000 workers and staff finally completed their
vehicle. On the day of the launch, 17 August 1979, and the team
gathered in the control centre, filled with nervousness and
excitement. At eight minutes to launch, the computer took over
the rocket launch. Four minutes later, it put the launch on hold.
chad diagnosed a problem in the second-stage control system:
there was a leakage. Kalam turned to his experts and asked them
to look into the problem. They said that the igniters, that is,
Oxidizers, were more than sufficient and that the launch could
take place even though there was a leakage. So Kalam put the
rocket in manual mode. The rocket took off. It was a beautiful
launch and in the first stage the rocket seemed to be in fine shape.
Then within moments of reaching the second stage, it went into
aspin. Kalam knewhe had lost the rocket [Link] a few
seconds, instead of putting the satellite into orbit, the whole
system fell in the Bay of Bengal. It was a failure.
Professor Satish Dhawan came into Kalam's room and asked
him to join him for a press conference. There were hundreds of
reporters gathered and they asked a lot of questions. One reporter
asked, How can you put 20crores in the Bay of Bengal?' Professor
Dhawan admitted failure but he took the responsibility for it.
Exactly a year later, Kalam did another satelite launch. This time
itwas successful,and Dhawan asked Kalam to conduct the press

MANAGERS WHo MAKE ADIFFERENCE 254

(onterence
He hadtakenthe burden of failure, but handed the
team.
Kalamand his
to indicates how good
episodeclearly managerS can empower
This their communication.
through In passing the credit to
others
Kalamthroughhiss communication to the external world.
H helped buildla future leader. In narrating this
Dhawan also
Sarish sisisalso
alsocommunicating to the young students and
DrKalam
worldthe importance of empowering leadership.
story
the outsideworld
[Link] for empowering communication.
Efectivemanagersshould

FACTORSTHAT AFFECT COMMUNICATION

we choose to communicate, we must be aware that

However
two factors that willaffect the way we do it. The first is
there are
personality.
our cultural context, the second is our

Culture

an influential Dutch organizationalsociologist,

Hendrik Hofstede is
the interactions between national and organizational
who studied
Hofstede's study demonstrated that there are national
cuitures.
cultural groupings that affect the behaviour
and regional these are persistent
of societies and organizations, and that
across time.
Malcolm Gladwell looks at
In his most recent book, Outliers,
communication. Referringto research by
how cultures affect
cultural variables: tolerance for
Hofstede, he outlines three individualism-collectivism,
ambi
and
guity or uncertainty avoidance,
Individualism-collectivism deals with how
themselves.
power distance.
tolookafter
much ntryareexpected of nationalized health
people in a country
The US tops the list and the absence
255
COMMUNICATION
 insurance in the country (until recently) is an
Uncertainty avoidance deals with the extent toexample
which a
of this.
oraculture is tolerant of ambiguity. Those person
who have low toleran
for ambiguity would like everything to be
Theyfeel uncomfortable going
clearly told
told to them.
going to a school that is not
buying an item that is not new, or attending a known, or
has not been fully detailed out. programme that
Power distance deals with the extent to
which hierarchy and
those with power are respected.
to disagree with their Employees not being encouraged
managers, the extent to which older people
and those in power are feared, and the
level to which powerful
people are given special privileges are some of the
power distance. While power distance is a indicators of
varies in individuals of the same culture. cultural variable, it
crashes in countries across the world Gladwell's analysis of air
York in the last three decades including Korea and New
indicates very
inabilityof the co-pilots or the first offcer to convincingly that the
and assertively with the communicate clearly
commanding pilot about the targets or
runways or impending problems is due to power
Thus,culture and personality seem to distance.
content and style. Some peopleand cultures influence communication
things in an unclear and subtle way. For tend to communicate
believe in subtle example, the Japanese
communication and Americans believe in
straight-forward and fact-based exchanges. Their
these. In India there are many cultures promote
cultural
virtue is stressed in certain families, variations. Humility as a
as a result an particularly in rural areas, and
individual's power of expression may not develop.
In other families
assertive
Edward T. Hall classifiescommunication is
culture into twoencouraged.
context cultures are those where categories. HIgn
spoken agreements are valued, insiderslong-lasting relationships and
and outsiders are cleariy
distinguished. There is no business without friendship and
MANAGERS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE 256
 redibilty ained through relationships. Agreements
isattained
trust and negotiationsslow and ritualistic. India is
foundedon trios Inlow-context cultures, such as Germany
these countries.
In
oneof
the US
shorter relationships are valued and they are less
or
dependenton
friendships in business. Credibility is attained
expertise and performance, agreements are by legal
through
contract,andI
negotiations are efficient.

Personality

The MBTI dimension also has an impact on the nature of

for a full explanation
communication (see chapter 4 on teamworkare
naturally more hesitant
of this concept). Introverts
Extroverts also tend
Communicators, as opposed to extroverts.
they derive energy from
toform various forms of networks as
be able to absorb more
other people. The intuitive person may
feeling person
'invisible' information than a sensing person. The
and take decisions on the
may respondto the feelings of others
while those who are the
basis of people and their emotions perceiving
communication. The
thinking typerespond to logical
while judgemental
person might speak freely from the heart
People may like to prepare their speech.
judg1ng type
Iyou are an introvert and a sensing, thinking andheart and need
(ST) you? are less likely to communicate with your
communicate in writingthan
planning. Youmiight find it better to
more relaxed,
by speaking. If you are an ENFP type you may be a
communicatefar
happy go-lucky personality but as aresultmay need
too much, and soometimes unnecessarily. You maytherefore
to have maximum
someone to help you organize your thoughts
CEOS use
executive
Impact. A number of senior managers and
andimpact.
Coaches
to enhance their communicationskills
257
COMMUNICATION
 Credibility

As we know, effective managers communicate alot.

themto be visible--in the media, or in their This requires
organization,:, at talks,
etc. However, high visibility does noti necessarilyIlead to
The little they say is of value. credibility.
On a 10 point scale of credibility and
visibility,
managers should aim to be very high on credibility and moderateeffective
on visibility. Doer managers do not even attempt to be
visible
Their credibility comes from hard work and by following
instructions and guidelines. Achievers become both visible and
credible as they are leaders in the making. Visionary managers
need to be high on visibility and alsoon credibility. It is important
for managers to establish their credibility before they can become
more visible. Managers who become highly visible but have low
credibility, disappear quickly. Missionaries are highly credible as
they establish their credibility through personal example and a
values-driven life.

PERFORMACE REVIEW DISCUSSION AS A

MEANS OF COMMUNICATION
As I've said before, PRDs are excellent tools to aid
communication.
Studies report that managers hate appraisals and do not give adequate
time to conduct a PRD. Yet management textbooks go out of their
way to suggestto managers that good andeffective managersspend
time and conduct PRDS meticulously so that their juniors develop
through the communication they pass on to them. It is said that d
PRD helps develop mutuality and understanding, and empowers the
junior. It also gives an opportunity to the senior to communicate niD
expectations to junior and encourage them to perform better
than before.

258
MANAGERS WHO MAKE ADIFFERENCE
weworking

networkers.
are great
managerss .Networking is the ability
oestablish
tective maintain, and utilize connections with individuals

andcommunicate and benefit from them in avariety

ndgroups i
Networkingis askillthat emanates from an attitude to
ways.
of
andremainconnected. People with networking attitudes
learn
establishand maintain networks. These networks may be
to
lke ocial and
professional or socialpersonal. Today a variety of methods
availableto network. These include:
are

Member ship of internet-based networks like Twitter,

Yahoogroups, Linkedin, Facebook, Orkut, blogs, etc.
etc.
º Social clubs like the Lions Club,
Professional bodiesand associations: Local management
sociations, NIPM, National HRD Network, ISTD, AIMA,CSI.
ORSI, etc.
such
Informal networks established by the candidate himself
as his friends circles, clubs, associations
networks
Dealer networks, customer networks, supplier
Employee unions and associations
associations for
Cultural associations and networks such as
diferent states like the Bengal Cultural Association

Bhikchandanimade
Inthe initial years of [Link],Sanjiv
the
Ue ofavariety of networks for establishing and popularizing
National HRD Network, got
website. became a member
He of the
this
on to the board and attended their meetings regularly and
are potential users
helof ped him a great deal as HRD professionals
network with many
other
[Link]. He also got his team
agencies and organizations that conduct
to
workshopssandseminars
a
and co -sponsored them.
COMMUNICATION
259
 Networking is a great way to expand the world you
live in.
whether you're talkingabout formal
l
ngevents, continuiAndnagall
networkifunctions,
education classes, social gatherings or other
prime opportunitiesto meet new people and/or they're
with those you would like to know better. (Barry
Zweibel
further relations
and personal life coach and founder of business
Incorporated) GottaGettaCoach!
Ways to network
Most of us would rather spend an evening with
and are comfortable with rather people we know
than go up to a stranger and
introduce ourselves. But remember the key to
networking
meet newpeople. Here are some tips to make things
is to
easier:
º If you're shy, it is always easier to
introduce yourself to a
stranger who isstanding alone in a gathering.
Don't worry about having to be witty or
them simple questions about entertaining. Just ask
themselves-who they are, what
they do, who they work for, who they know, what they hate
about these types of parties, etc. People
those who show always open up to
interest
in them.
Ask for business cards so that (a)
you can remember their
names, (b) you have a record of who you talked to and how
to reach them, and (c) you can use
the back of the card to
write down what youwant to
a relevant next step to
remember and what might be
take.
Youcan also turn an
acquaintance into a friend:
Always share information about yourself and be
about what you want to share. The creative
more you open up, ie
morethey will.
º Asmentioned above,
people always open up to those taki5

MANAGERS WHO MAKE ADIEFERENCE 260

 Ask them questions about themselves,
Merestinthem.
like
n
what you might to know about them.
about
nextstep and organize another
think
the
GoO
interaction-a meal,
phonecall, etc.
drink,a
a simplesttricks to make friends istogive them your
the
Oneof attention.
undivided

/
get awkward, trythe
things following
Moveonifthe conversation gets stuck. If you can't think of
'Excuse me, there's Someone Iwant to meet
whattosay, try
(that person standing alone over there). Another trick iis to
ask,them if they'dlike to meet anyone else in the room that
wnuCan introduce them to. Or point to someone else in the
roomandI walk with them to the third person.
lf vou have forgotten someone's name, don't worry. Simply
say, Remind me of your name again' and then tell them
yours.
(Source: http:l/[Link]/networking_skills.htm)

CONCLUSION
a0ership is the art and science of influencingothers to do things
100 Want done and leave them with a feeling that they have done
what they wanted to do..Communication and networking are the
main tools thhrough which managers and leaders influence the
world around them. Unless a manager communicates his vision,
Values, who work with him may lack
expectations, the people
direcion and commitment. It is also essential for managers to
advertisetheir achievements. The key to effective
abilities and communicate but how
Communication is not how much we
COMMUNICATION 261
 credibly we do so. Moreover, as we climb up the
four
managers our communications become more values- rungs of
led. Visionary and missionary leaders use stories to and vision
inspire others and through these they communicate the connect and
and goals of their organizations or society at large. missions

MANAGERS WHo MAKE ADIFFERENCE 262