Shifting Cultural Paradigms: 3 Years,4 People team, 21 Global Awards later. Here's how we did it ...

This year, we won 21 Global Awards across multiple categories for a people and cultural initiative that took 3 years to build, with as small as a 4 people team .

Why do awards matter?

Specially in this space,

a. Direction : It is easy to loose direction specially since there is not a lot of number crunching you can rely on .It can validate what you do but it cannot be the basis. Something organisations do the opposite of sometime.

b. 'Human' Impact : Taking responsibility for the human aspect, it is imp to always keep checking your content and its impact on the human psychology.

c. 'Business' Impact : You know the results have been huge and benchmarking with the market helps.

Who could benefit from this article?

Organisations who

• don't have an idea on how to address the ' human' part.
• have solved it and yet see no substatiative ROI in terms of behavior, engagement or results over a period of time
• know how difficult it was for them to get similar results in the past despite using the right resources.

How did we do it ?

Functional Essence :

We understood well the needs of the organisation AND the leaders. We carved out aspects that were simple and yet would make a profound difference to our leaders. While the core concept was simple, the underlying strategy was complex and well integrated.

We worked with the key stakeholders ( we were informed would be the most visionary and empowered) to understand their perspectives and changes they would support. To and fro with them, with they sharing good time with us, ensured we were in alignment throughout the process.

Training for a class of 500 in one session meant we were heavily planed. Using the consulting and design thinking approach, we created multiple possible personas in all interventions. For each we had something that would nudge them forward.We monitored every step they took and altered our operational strategy to match the incoming feedback.

We showed personal and business results that far exceeded the investment - both tangible ad intangible results.

Human Essence :

We created, sold, executed it keeping the employee and his/her experience, his/her needs at the center of our program. Everything was though through with focus and detailed attention to what would help them.

We went back to the drawing board with every additional information we got - their leadership styles, their likes and engagement parameters with content, their feedback. We never let love and compassion die of exhaustion in the operational execution of the program. We kept the measurement alive but we forced the thought of making ANY numbers , out of our minds. We pushed ourselves in good and bad days within our own career and personal cycle, to keep the care for others alive and paramount. We breathed and lived the program as much as we could.

Room for Magic

Some things we planned and somethings we could not have. When you work on something good, with the right intentions, support in all forms comes to you . That is the magical part.

We had the best people support us and believe in us. We always thought that people who did not believe, needed more data and more time, that is it.

We had the best participants. That was a dream class year on year. They reciprocated our love multi fold. They always made us re-believe in ourselves.

Step by step with us, responding to us vivaciously, sharing their results, spreading the love, celebrating their wins with us. They hung to every word we said and we still find encouragement in every word they share with us. Their win is our win and our wins is always theirs. The PE Evangelists.

What could you do as a champion of this, in your own organisation ?

If you are supporting this in your organisation , here are a few pointers that may help

• Keep at it. Your heart is your real compass. The people you effect: your real equity and legacy. Most of the time that should be enough :)
• Don't over judge yourself. You may not know everything. You know enough :) to help. Help.
• Get the right people in the organisation to support it. Most often than not, they will be the busiest ( since they will actually be good people managers and hence have more responsibility on them than others). Account for that but don't compromise on it.
• Manage the nay-sayers. Some of them can be very good salesman of why this is not good enough ( even better than you). Some come in sheep skin. Some just don't know. Trust yourself.
• Believe and trust in your product. Belief and trust gets every organisation its clients for every new offering. Ask the business to believe and trust in your product the same way clients trust them for new strategies. Not every deal is a result of numbers. At the same time, do your due - get the data, impact and everything else that you can, ready.
• Market yourself. Here is to those who feel marketing themselves or their products is cliche. It is'nt. If you are a good person doing good things, shout it out ! Amid the noise of a lot of other things, this should be heard. It is your responsibility. Good people in good positions of help is a must. ( it does breed more unrest sometimes. take risks that you can at the stage in your life and your product lifecycle)
• Get those impacted by your product to showcase it. It is their responsibility now too. You may not be able to do everything. And you don't have to. Trust them.

Meanwhile, Stick to your purpose. Support the like minded. Take help from those who believe.

Lots of love and energy to make it possible. It is def worth it - personally.

Nidhi

Aside , Our final list of Awards ( the data )

PRODUCT DESIGN & BUSINESS IMPACT

1.BEST NEW ‘BUSINESS’ PRODUCT OR SERVICE OF THE YEAR

2. BEST NEW INNOVATION OF THE YEAR

3. BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING 

4. BEST IN LEADERSHIP TRAINING

5. BEST DEPLOYMENTS IN ASIA-PACIFIC

6. BEST EVENT OF THE YEAR

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

7. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

8. EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

WOMEN LEADERSHIP

9. 30 WORLD CHANGING WOMEN IN CONSCIOUS BUSINESS  

10. EXCEPTIONAL WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 

11. FEMALE EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR IN ASIA, AUSTRALIA OR NEW ZEALAND

12. WOMAN OF THE YEAR - TECHNOLOGY

13. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

14. FEMALE EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR (WOMAN)

INNOVATION FOR BUSINESS

15. BUSINESS MAVERICK OF THE YEAR

16. BUSINESS INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

17. MAVERICK OF THE YEAR

18. WOMEN MAVERICK OF THE YEAR

HUMAN RESOURCE (HR)

19. HUMAN RESOURCES EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

20. HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR 

TEAM SPIRIT

21. BEST HR TEAM OF THE YEAR

To more soon !