Few people succeed in leaving their emotional selves outside office. And so, reading our own and others’ emotions accurately and responding to them appropriately becomes important not only for gaining competitive edge professionally but also peace of mind. This especially so when an economic slowdown, technological advances and globalisation have heightened insecurities over job redundancies. Old industries are giving way to new businesses. The workforce is getting younger, restless and less hesitant to quit a firm if its values or attitudes don’t align with their own. Consumers are more demanding and able to voice concerns directly to companies on social media: an unempathetic ad campaign can hurt a lot than any time in the past.
From Command to Empathy is about developing precisely the workplace skills needed to cope with such challenges. Considerable amount of quality business literature on developing empathy and emotional competencies is already available, but authors Avik Chanda and Suman Ghose add relatable case studies picked from the Indian corporate context. Both draw from their personal experiences of working in Fortune 500 companies and top global consultants. The book is directed essentially at individuals but speaks to organisations as well. Questionnaires, tips and assessments in the book are aimed at helping readers evaluate (using scores) their emotional intelligence before setting goals for improvements or changes.
Dealing with a difficult bully for a boss or figuring out why the best-performing employee quit despite loving the job — the book has answers to a range of such everyday situations. The authors find that six of the 10 least empathetic companies in terms of the Global Empathy Index are from India. They recommend a new corporate mindset in which energy replaces power as the fuel driving organisations.
And influence plays a much more important role than authority in getting things done. Wisdom rather than knowledge is sought. Ownership, not responsibility, is the new mantra. These are essential if companies are to deliver on the additional expectations of them — emotional, social and ecological sensitivities — besides the traditional goals of profit, shareholder value and sales targets.
New entrants into offices, the millennials full of energy, with a sense of entitlement, yet short on attention and easily distracted by gadgets, can be tricky to handle for any manager. And yet, globally they already form nearly half the workforce. The book devotes a whole chapter to understanding them and their peculiar problems. This is one of the most insightful sections in the book.
From Command to Empathy: Using EQ in the Age of Disruption ;
Avik Chanda and Suman Ghose,
HarperCollins,
₹599.
