Reprogramming the Mindset - 'The Enablers', Issue III, Vol. 1 12 September 2010

Dear Friends,

I am truly elated at the response to this e-newsletter ‘The Enablers’. The basic purpose of this e-newsletter is to carry out a social responsibility.

For Issue 3 Volume I of September 2010, we have an eminent personality from the pharma industry as the Guest Editor – Mr. Athmanathan S. He brings with him his 25 years of experience in this industry. From a medical representative he evolved himself to a competent Management Trainer and writer. He was with Sun Pharma as a trainer for over a decade and later headed the training departments of some leading pharma companies like Alembic Ltd., Cadila Pharma and Morepen Laboratories. He is now a free-lance trainer and is also a part of the training team of ‘The Enablers’.

In this article Mr. Srinivasan emphasizes the importance of the First-line managers in our industry. His article talks on changing ‘mind-set’ for effectiveness.

Mr. Atmanathan S. dedicates this newsletter to the first time managers of our industry.

At the end are stimulators for the First-line managers.

I also share with you a few thoughts on First-line management by Tom Peters

Please do let us have your comments on this newsletter.

Thank you

Vivek Hattangadi

Editor

E-mail - vivekhattangadi@yahoo.co.in / theenablers@gmail.com 

Management Article – Reprogramming the mindset

By Atmanathan S.

Many top managers in our industry have risen from the ranks, starting off as Medical Representatives. Their earliest promotion as First-line Manager and success at this level might have greatly contributed to their future professional achievement. First line managers play a crucial role for success of an organization. A well trained First Line manager is an asset to the organization.

The lucky promotees get the right kind of guidance and their transition to managerial position is smooth; some do not and they falter. Getting oriented in the right direction under the guidance of ‘people of wisdom’ will help them succeed.

What is the secret to become a successful First-line manager? The first and foremost secret is to reprogram the ‘mind-set’ which is the true operating system. This operating system, our ‘mind-set,’ is made up of attitudes, beliefs, values and principles acquired from various sources. It needs to be updated and made appropriate to the current reality. 

The kind of reprogramming necessary for professional success

What kind of reprogramming is necessary for professional success? Reprogramming is done through introspection – examining our thoughts, feelings and our behaviors after promotion. When we introspect ‘Why we wanted our promotion?’ we may feel that we had a ‘burning desire’ for recognition.  For some, nevertheless, there is another ‘need’. David McClelland calls it as “Need for Power.” The only source of power we knew as medical representatives was ‘positional power’ or ‘authority’. Once we get promoted, it is natural to exhibit our positional power. We may not be even aware that we resort to such authority since it emanates from our subconscious mind. This can be our first grave mistake that can cause serious consequences. Normally we need not use it. Positional power needs to be used sparingly.     Getting respect is another desire. Earn respect through exemplary performance rather than ‘demanding respect’ as this will not work. Change in mind-set: Instead of having an attitude that our team members are working ‘under us,’ modify it to working ‘with us’. What is the difference? When we say that people work ‘under us,’ we feel superior which gets reflected in our behaviors. This can create a barrier with our team-members, reduce transparency leading to conflict. We may also unknowingly indulge in counterproductive behaviors like discounting others. This subconscious thought can become a strong dismantler of our team.  Changing our mindset this way will do miracles.  To establish our ‘credibility’ and ‘credentials’ is essential for our success. It means establishing that we are genuine and trustworthy individuals. Keep in mind, whether we like or not, we are being watched and evaluated continuously by our team members. Magnanimity and broadmindedness is an important mind-set. Our broadmindedness will help us abdicate ‘psychological games’ like ‘fault finding,’ ‘blaming others,’ ‘passing the buck’ and ‘grabbing the credit’. We need to be magnanimous to give due credit to others as well as ‘own up’ our slip-ups. Remember what Ken Blanchard says in “One Minute Manager” – Catch them doing right! Sincerity, honest and integrity in our behavior can help us earn respect. Altruistic behaviours like self-sacrifice and least selfishness too helps us earn respect.   The so called smart moves like pep talk and goody-goody behaviour are counterproductive. Instead of playing tricks with people, let us prove that we are dependable and reliable. Credentials follow credibility. Credentials come out of our competence, habits and practices. Our team-mates keep on testing our competence and share their evaluation within them. To stop such activities through our positional power is not possible. We cannot work against natural flow of human behaviour. Remember that one of our responsibilities is ‘On the Job Coaching & Training (OJCT).’ Therefore, it is of paramount importance to upgrade our knowledge, skills, habits & practices. It becomes very important for a First-line Manager to transform himself through attitudinal changes, knowledge enhancement and skill building – a true change in mind-set.  A sincere effort to learn, realize and gain insight on various aspects of management through introspection is a must - this is called 'experiential learning'. There is a need to work on rebuilding character through self learning and efforts. Otherwise, there are chances that we can be perceived and treated as 'senior medical Representatives'. It is best to seek the guidance of an accomplished trainer and coach. Once the operating system software called mind-set is modified, we can focus on the next application software called ‘behavioural modification.’ We will learn on ‘behavioural modification’ in one of the future issues. Wish you all the best. A. Srinivasan  Stimulators Why are the First-line managers considered to be the backbone of an organization? What are the steps we should take for self-development?  Write down you career goal 5 years, 10 years and 20 years down the line. Am I on the right path? If not what corrective actions should I take? What Tom Peters has to say on First-line managers? ·         The selection process for 1st-line managers (1LMs) should be as rigorous as that of, say, vice presidents. "360" evaluations are a must. Perhaps a selection committee should be appointed, which includes other 1LMs. ·         New hires should be selected in part on the likelihood of subsequent promotion to 1LM, and this goal should be formally emphasized from the start of their tenure. ·         1LM slots that are open should not be filled until an appropriate (superior beyond a shadow of doubt) candidate is found. 1LMs should be given long probation periods—perhaps 6 months Quotable Quotes “We are the masters of our destiny, because we are the masters of our ‘attitudes’. We translate the ‘thoughts & attitudes’ we hold in our mind, in to reality that decides our destiny” Lesson: Let us keep on checking and validating our thoughts and attitudes.