Welcome to L&D Dialogues, a knowledge-sharing initiative of TeamLease EdTech where leaders from the L&D fraternity come together to discuss and debate a topic of interest.

In our recent session held as part of the Interview Series of L&D Dialogues, we had Sujatha Das, Global Head – Learning & Organizational Development, in conversation with Hardik Mehta, Business Head, ELS, TeamLease EdTech.

But before jumping into the discussion, on Sujatha is an accomplished versatile professional with an impeccable track record of the transformation of learning and leadership development. She has demonstrated strong business acumen, vision, and growth mindset, with a reputation built on over three decades of experience.

The topic of discussion we had with Sujatha was leadership culture.

In the last two years, things have changed tremendously. While we would look at the learning culture, definitely leading by example has come out as the most prominent one. People are now speaking and practicing some of the core values, or fostering a desire to learn, because of the importance a lifelong learner holds. When the President and top leaders of an organization come forward to do certifications in technology, it sets a great example for the rest of the team. Especially with remote or hybrid working, things are not the same as before, and promoting a culture of recognition is very important. Let’s take some notes from Sujatha Das’ experience in cultivating a learning culture in her organization.

Developing a culture to promote managers as leaders
Leadership is not a position. Everyone is wearing a hat, even an individual contributor has a lot more responsibilities than they can influence and do as a leader. From that context, anyone can build up leadership within the organization. Special programs do support the middle managers to understand their area of interest with coaching and mentoring, where they have aspirations to grow. And also get them to network with the right leaders who can guide them as mentors. Providing them with the relevant core professional skills as soft skills and the leadership skills to go with it gives them an entire package.

Another way to develop leadership skills is through Learning projects. People have to go to different cross-functional units, which give them a lot of exposure in trying to understand what are some of the challenges and how to overcome them. Watch the video

Aspects of leadership training interventions should focus on

• There are many aspects to leadership but in today's world, when we look at leadership from a practical angle, a leader being inspiring should be a mandatory thing.
• The second is communication at any front, whether it is speaking or just listening.
• Active listening is something every leader should practice
• Critical thinking with a dash of empathy, kindness, and compassion, are the areas that a leader should look into in the current times.

A leadership guide to conflict and conflict management
Everybody feels conflicts are more like an argument or disagreement, which is true, maybe that's where the conflict comes from. But Sujatha Das looks at it from a positive angle. She says, ‘if everybody thinks the same way and agrees, then there's not going to be any creativity or innovation.’ We should look at the conflict in a good manner by trying to say that there is a different perspective, and then try to understand that perspective with the right set of questions.

That’s why conflict is good and should be there. Because if we don't have conflicts, then we won't have different ideas coming through. A diverse audience brings in a lot more different aspects. And that's why one probably needs to develop leaders who can face conflict and take it from a context of understanding rather than taking it personally. Watch the videos here.

Growth happens the best when talent grows within the organization
People look for purpose and value in their work assignments. So if one understands the big picture, people can play to their strengths and grow magnificently. Similarly, there can be coaches to guide and unleash the potential of people and help them perform their best. It's easier when it is within the organization because there's a better network. The second part is in the organic growth of talent. The organization has to amalgamate the experience of seniors and new ideas that freshers bring to help grow in this constantly changing business world.

Overall, cultivating a positive and engaging work environment can help talent grow positively within the organization. Watch the videos here.

The session concluded with a discussion on the types of learners. There are four styles of learning - activists, reflections, theorists, and pragmatists. And that’s why we cannot use the same mode of learning for everyone. To create an engaging learning environment in an organization, we need to focus on the audience first and then plan on the module of learning.

If you found this conversation interesting, you can watch all the videos here.