What does it take to be an effective manager? Well, you need certain competencies – but which are these competencies? The list varies from one industry to another. And from one B-School to another. Management gurus also do not seem to have any consensus on this. Neither do the various surveys that have been carried out to find the Top 10 competencies. If Integrity tops the charts in one survey on key competencies, then it is interpersonal skills in the other.
Saugata Mitra (Chief People Officer of Mother Dairy) and his fellow HR professionals Seema Bangia and Jayati Mitra do not really get into the listing game in their book but come up with 18 competencies without which they feel business results are not possible. These are classified under five heads – interpersonal skills, people development, work effectiveness, achieving business results and professional improvement. In addition to these, there are some competencies that are exclusive for CEOs such as versatile leadership and creative implementation that are tackled later.
The book begins with the basics defining what a competency is and then goes on to trace the origins of competency modelling. But the theorising is kept to the minimum. Instead, the authors use the case study route to make their point. And refreshingly enough, most of the case studies are India specific. In fact, the case studies are really the strength of the book – there's nothing like a good example from real life to bring alive the point. Ranging from ICICI to Infosys each competency is illustrated with an anecdote or live example from the world of Indian business.
For instance, on the importance of communication there is the example of how Bhavarlal Jain (of agricultural powerhouse Jain group of Jalgaon) apologises to his shareholders through an advertisement in The Economic Times admitting that diversification was a costly mistake. Within three years the Jain group had transited through a difficult business period and turned around successfully. It brings home how transparent communication demonstrating the sincerity of the leader is a key competency
There are many such examples drawn from Indian business – from big, small and medium sized companies analyzing the various management styles of the leadership and their relative strengths. Through these case studies and the behaviour of the protagonist, the authors cull out key HR learnings.
The other refreshing thing about the book is the minimum use of jargon – indeed, not only is the language simple, there are illustrations and cartoons to keep the reader engaged. And quotable quotes on every situation that are truly inspirational. Time starved executives will not need to read copious amounts of text since the learnings are in highlighted boxes and the proficiencies are in bulleted form.
However, the book only focuses on the Dos and highlights only the positives. What's missing is the Don't Dos. Indian business is, after all, also replete with examples of mistakes made by leaders and there is nothing like learning from mistakes – if those had been included too, it would have made the book more rounded.
But all in all, it's a handy reference for the business professional on the way up the corporate ladder.
Mixed Bag Of Goodies 
What does it take to be an effective manager? Well, you need certain competencies – but which are these competencies? The list varies from one industry to another. And from one B-School to another. Management gurus also do not seem to have any consensus on this. Neither do the various surveys that have been carried out to find the Top 10 competencies. If Integrity tops the charts in one survey on key competencies, then it is interpersonal skills in the other.
