If we have to make space for NEW things, we need to let go of the OLD clutter!

??What could they be? Let me illustrate in two dimensions (there could be more), one at individual and another at the org level.

??The catch however is, unlike just giving away our unused garments, we can’t simply let go off practices overnight. So how do we actually do the rehaul?

A little more reflection gave birth to some ideas which I wish to share with you:

?For ease of recollection, consider this acronym – RRR ( quite popular these days)

?R – Remove??????????????????R – Reinvent ?????????????????????????????R – Replicate

?At the Organizational level:

?What people policies are you still holding onto which aren’t relevant to the present-day scenario?

?1.???Notice periods – does our current policy of forcing people to stay back for a long period of time after their resignation really make any sense? Remove the policy and replace it with something more effective, find a way to build a talent pipeline from outside. We are in a dynamic environment. Opportunities and choices are varied. Let’s be prepared to let go of people faster, lest they could start turning counterproductive. Think about it, would you have the same zeal and drive to work another 60 days after you have put down your papers?

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2.???Promotions and Role changes, what is the relevance of our current talent development practices. Are we keeping people in the same role with the same set of deliverables for over 18 months? Reinvent - tweak the practice and rotate people faster, keep them engaged, give them interesting challenges to work on, avoid the traditional promotion-culture of annual promotions based on tenure, age or just performance. Map your current talent to future roles and put them on developmental journeys. Remember your employee quits not when she finds another job, she quits the moment she feels there is nothing new to learn in her current role.

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3.???Leader behaviors – do you notice some leaders who can pull off the toughest of people challenges with ease. Notice what behaviors they bring forth, Replicate – its ok to copy sometimes. It’s always not necessary that you spend a fortune on a bunch of folks by sending them to an overly glorified B-school just to help them realize basic human behavior. Encourage people to replicate each other’s behavior. Observing each other at work can teach you what no b-school can do for you.

?At the individual level:

?1.???What habits or practices do you employ on a day to day basis to execute tasks? Are they adding value to your stakeholders? Are they becoming a bottleneck to others? Remove those habits. Seek feedback from your key stakeholders, you will find golden nuggets coming your way.

?2.???How are you communicating with people across the hierarchy? Are you sensitive to the cultural changes happening in your organization and do people understand your perspective? Reinvent the way you draft emails, design proposals or handle disagreements. It’s critical for your growth.

?3.???Are you in control of your career development or do you wait for time to take its course? Seek coaching on a regular basis and challenge your own paradigms. Improve your risk appetite and try to replicate creative practices which other top performers are deploying. Replicate them in your own way.

?If we have to make space for NEW things, we need to let go of the OLD clutter!?