The importance of leading by example

Those in the top management of Falcon, most of whom have graduated from top business schools, have proved their mettle in taking Falcon Motors to the position it holds at present. For the past 8-10 years there hasn’t been an intake of fresh MBA graduates, due to which the organisation today lacks contemporary business acumen. So, hiring the right MBA graduates who suit the culture of the organisation, coupled with an effective management trainee programme can definitely do wonders for Falcon.

The success of the recently instituted transition programme mostly depends on how the current management embraces this concept. Managers should be an integral part of the transition programme. They should be involved not only at the conceptualising stages of the programme: by giving inputs on how the programme should be designed, but should also be roped in as mentors and trainers to the management trainees.

The managers (including those from HR) should be trained on how to handle the trainees and make use of them productively. One of the major exercises in this programme should be for the managers to devise 3-month, 6-month and 12-month plans, which will set goals and deliverables for the trainees. To facilitate this and reduce confusion, the HR manager at the end of the programme should be in the know regarding the schedules and programmes of the trainees:who their mentors are and who they need to report to.

The trainee programme and the transition programme for managers cannot happen in isolation. A key aspect of this entire programme is the team building exercise. The main intention of all these activities is to ensure that the trainees and their respective managers are on the same page. Through the team-building exercise, the competencies of the trainee should be aligned with those required for the respective projects. By the end of the programme the teams for various projects should be finalised and the trainee should share a good rapport with their managers and other team members. The outcome of this would be a set of highly confident trainees who can understand and deal positively with the new environment.

The issue with the current structure is that the decision making and flow of information is time-consuming. In order to eliminate this issue and to develop a win-win situation for both the employees as well as the organisation, it should be restructured to be better able to meet its present and future needs. The new structure will make employees an integral part of the decision-making process and make sure that there is two-way communication within the organisation.

For this restructuring exercise, the management should:

- Communicate the need for restructuring at all levels of the organisation

- Collect information about and them and make sure they understand their existing jobs

- Align their new jobs to the organisation’s strategy

- Ensure quality stakeholder communication and fast decision-making

-Help trainees to feel confident about themselves and believe they can play a significant part in the organisation’s growth.

- Communicate that “performance” is the “way-up,” irrespective of current positions

The management trainee programme should not just improve the skills of the trainees, enabling them to contribute more to the organisation, but also help them develop the right attitude and make them feel confident about themselves. The issues raised by trainees in the feedback regarding lack of infrastructure can be temporarily solved by providing them with laptops and making them share desks with the existing employees. A plan for revamping the organisation’s infrastructure should also be communicated to boost their morale. Ultimately, the programme should help the trainees develop themselves, and take charge in the face of responsibilities and challenges.

Able trainees will contribute effectively and help Falcon develop its workforce for the future.

(The authors are pursuing a PGD in management at the Bharathidasan Institute of Management – Trichy)