How to create the WOW factor in everyday activities and sustain it?

Tips from: Prasad Rajappan, Founder CNERGYIS, who has over 20 years of varied experience in areas of ERP, Operations, Business Process Reengineering, Information Systems and Human Resources.

Excerpts of Mr. Prasad's talk:

Positive people make all the difference. Creative people make the difference. How do we bring out the Creativity and positivity in our people? How do we create the ‘WOW' Factor?

Just an example, there was this movie where the hero was supposed to have a long sword fight with his opponent and in the end win by killing him. But due to a severe backache the actor who was to play the role of the hero was not in a position to stand and shoot for the whole scene, so the production team brainstormed and one of the team members came up with the idea of the Hero just shooting the opponent. The scene was a huge success and stayed in the minds of people far longer than the actual movie itself. This is the difference that creativity and a positive mind can bring.

The real challenge is how to have this creativity and positivity in a sustained manner. In the morning I should be able to come to office and say WOW, it's a new day and a new challenge to meet, at the end of the day, I should be able to look back and say, WOW I've done so much today...

A challenge for HR is how to achieve this wow factor, is it the compensation, flexible needs, transparency in communication or rewards and recognition? My intention is not to add another 5 or 10 more to the list.

When the top management wants to bring this wow factor into the organization, it starts with the chairman saying in his speech, "We need to have an open door policy and a 360 degree appraisal" it starts with a huge burst and then it gradually withers away. What starts as an innovation becomes an expectation soon. There are companies which started with a Gym, which started as a unique facility soon became an expectation not an excitement anymore. But the need to keep an employee delighted is perennial.

The question I have to ask is how to sustain the excitement or the delight and how to measure it. Some of the things that we have come with

Levelling with our people - keep the communication going at all levels.

By being alive to their goals and aspirations - during the interview the candidate is usually asked what your expectation is, they usual response is 20 or 30% growth. We at Cenergys ask them for a 5 year plan and sincerely work towards it. The employee should never leave the company due to salary; if he leaves it should be for a better job content. Everyone has the right to dream big and no one can tell him, no you can only grow at 20 or 30 percent year on year, if he aspires and works towards a 200 percent growth, so be it.

If an employee who is getting 10 lakhs per annum, feels that his market value is 15 lakhs; he is not going to be happy, in this case the company policy should not be a hindrance in him getting that salary if he is worth it. An employee likes it when the company is transparent with benefits and privileges whether tangible or intangible.

Employees can be happy when processes are transformational and not transactional. Empowering our people and providing them a landscape for continuous excitement is the other Endeavour.

Danny Kaye an actor said that "LIFE IS A CANVAS, THROW ALL THE PAINT YOU CAN ON IT"

You cannot get more positive. Imagine your people coming to work thinking like artists. Imagine all of them directing their energies creating colourful pictures. Imagine the results and imagine the balance sheet and what it will do to the bottom line of your company.

Relationship is like a bird, if you hold it tight it dies; if you hold it loosely, it flies away. The only way is to hold it is with affection, then it remains with you forever.

Prasad Rajappan is an MBA (HR) from Mumbai University with a Production Engineering background, Prasad pursued his doctoral research in Change Management and Business Process Reengineering.

Before conceptualizing and forming CNERGYIS, Prasad has worked in leading organizations like Reliance and Ernst & Young. His 8 years in Reliance gave him the opportunity of managing mega projects within tight time schedules and optimum use of resources. Prasad was a part of the SAP Project Directorate, which managed more than 30 SAP implementations across various industry verticals like Petrochemical, Energy, Retail, Life Sciences. His 10-year long stint with Automobile giant Mahindra and Mahindra Limited, gave him a rich exposure to different functions like Production Planning, Operations, Information Systems, Human Resources and Business Process Reengineering.

He participated and won the Young Managers competition at the West Zone level and stood third at the All-India level, conducted by the All India Management Association

He was speaking at a Panel Discussion organized by Businessgyan and TASMAC in association with Cynergyis, on the topic ‘Creating Employee Delight'. 

Compiled by Ms. Mangal D Karnad for Businessgyan.

Issue BG84 Mar 08

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