Imagine a world where leaders don’t just manage teams, but truly understand and connect with the people they lead.
Let’s talk about a leadership skill that is often overlooked – EMPATHY.
In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing work environment, leading with empathy has become an invaluable skill for effective leaders. But is empathy a “feel-good” element, a “nice-to-have” quality or does it have any business impact?
What’s being a leader truly like!
The real job of a leader is not about being in charge, it is about taking care of those in charge. One of the important things that are lacking in most of our companies is that they are not teaching us how to lead and leadership is a skill, like any other, it is a practicable, learnable skill.
At its core, leadership revolves around others, it involves inspiring people to exceed their own expectations and lead them in a direction that is compelling and inspiring.
Empathy – a skill like no other- can make a big difference when it comes to leadership. When employees do not get the leadership they deserve and need, that is when things go down. This disconnect can lead to a decline in performance and morale. What needs to be understood is that the individual success of an employee and the holistic success of a company are not mutually exclusive, but they go hand in hand.
This is why empathetic leadership is the need of the hour.
It is more than just a leadership style, it is a mindset that enables employees to be their very best selves, and this is supported by a study conducted by Microsoft.
Nearly 64 per cent of employees surveyed with empathetic leaders say that they are satisfied with their job and 83 per cent of them feel seen and valued. These numbers are twice as high as those achieved by non-empathetic leaders.
Understanding empathetic leadership
Empathetic leadership is a leadership style that helps leaders’ step into the shoes of their employees. It encourages leaders to understand their team members’ perspectives, emotions, and experiences. It involves genuine care for individuals, curiosity about their motivations, and the ability to connect with diverse backgrounds. It positions leaders to be responsive to their team’s needs, fostering an atmosphere of curiosity and openness rather than fear and distrust.
It’s not about being overly nice or avoiding conflict but demonstrating care in interactions and decisions, ensuring everyone feels valued and supported. However, Empathetic leaders go beyond feeling for their team members; they take action to help them grow their careers, and sometimes that means giving constructive criticism.
Impact of empathetic leadership
Empathetic leadership isn’t about blindly agreeing with every point of view. Instead, it means that you are willing to understand and appreciate differing perspectives, which can be challenging to master and maintain.
Historically, empathy has been viewed as a soft skill and often overlooked as a performance indicator. However, research has highlighted its importance in today’s leadership landscape.
A recent study conducted by Catalyst, a global non-profit organization, surveyed 899 employees in the U.S. to examine the impact of empathetic leadership in the workplace. After receiving the highest response from IT industry Employees, it was found that:
Demonstrating empathy in the workplace enhances human interactions, leading to more effective communication and positive outcomes for all involved.
Becoming a more Empathetic Leader
Leadership is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Some leaders are naturally more empathetic than others, giving them an edge over their peers who have difficulty expressing empathy. However, the majority of leaders fall somewhere in the middle, occasionally demonstrating empathy.
The good news is that empathy isn’t a fixed trait. Empathetic leadership is a skill that can be cultivated and developed over time.
Empathetic leadership can manifest in various ways, including:
Perspective-Talking
Understand team members’ thoughts, feelings, and experiences through active listening, open-ended questions, and genuine interest in their viewpoints. When a team member express concerns about any topic, asks questions to understand their perspective before offering solutions. Example: “What are your thoughts and feelings about the current situation? I’m here to listen”
Active listening
You become a better leader when you become a better listener. Focus not only on words but also on nonverbal cues like tone, pace, facial expressions, and gestures to grasp emotions and values. Example: “How are you feeling about this? Your tone suggests there might be more to it.”
Recognize signs of burnout
Proactively identify overwork signs in team members. Regular check-ins to assess workload and support in recovery can prevent burnout. Example: “I’ve noticed you’ve been working late quite often recently. Is there something on your plate that’s causing stress?”
Showing Genuine Interest
Take a sincere interest in the needs, hopes and dreams of your team members. Don’t try to fix your employees in one mold, rather understand how their unique talents and aspirations can contribute to the company’s success. For instance, a leader may encourage a team member to pursue professional development aligned with their interests.
Emotional Empathy
Enhance emotional empathy by tuning into team members’ emotions, validating feelings, and offering support, fostering trust and connection. For instance, when a team member is going through a tough time personally, an empathetic leader may offer flexible work arrangements or additional support to alleviate stress.
Emotional Awareness
Empathy is a core component of emotional intelligence, encompassing recognizing others’ emotions and managing one’s own without letting emotions override empathy. This principle can be displayed by asking questions like: “I’ve been feeling a bit stressed lately, but I want to make sure it doesn’t affect how I support you. How can we work together effectively?”
Flexibility
Empathetic leaders adapt to others’ needs and emotions while staying true to core values. One way to achieve this is by self-reflecting and asking, “How can I encourage an inclusive and innovative culture by valuing diverse viewpoints and nurturing an environment where each team member feels seen and heard?”
Real-Life Examples of Empathetic Leadership
Empathetic leaders are a source of inspiration in every field. One notable illustration of empathetic leadership can be found in the journey of Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft. Satya Nadella’s distinctive leadership style has been influenced by his personal life experiences, particularly due to losing a child with a disability. This incident motivated him to dedicate himself to a mission that strives to “empower every person and every organization to achieve more.” Central to his philosophy is his belief that the one skill that leaders need more than any other skill is a strong sense of empathy as it is essential to create a culture of innovation. Nadella firmly believes that empathy enables him to better comprehend the needs of both his employees and customers, serving as a cornerstone for his leadership at Microsoft.
Another compelling case of empathetic leadership comes from the youngest female Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern. Ardern represents the new generation of leaders as she seamlessly blends empathy with a firm grasp of detail and resolute decision-making. Ardern openly acknowledges taking decisions on the bases of emotions and morals, but she does not perceive this as a sign of vulnerability. In fact, she firmly believes that harnessing emotions can lead to more sound and ethical decisions.
These personalities serve as a remarkable example of how leaders can embrace their emotions and still make resolute, effective decisions, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and compassionate environment.
Let’s lead from within
Leaders don’t have to be experts in mental health to demonstrate care and attention. Regular check-in with employees, displaying support and care by asking questions regarding their struggles and offering to help, appreciating different points of view and engaging in constructive debates is enough. As the popular saying goes, people may not remember what you say, but they will remember how you made them feel.
Your employees are counting on you to do better and be better, now and in the future.
– Mansi Chopda
HR Executive
One might be considered emotionally intelligent when they can manage their emotions, handle disputes effortlessly, or stay composed in stressful situations. Research conducted by emotional intelligence expert Travis Bradberry suggests that only 36% of individuals possess this skill.
However, emotional intelligence is not exclusive to CEOs and senior managers; it holds significance at every career level, from college students seeking internships to experienced employees aspiring for leadership roles. If you aim to succeed in the workplace and climb the career ladder, emotional intelligence is crucial.
Elements like upbringing and personality often play a substantial role in developing emotional intelligence, but you can enhance yours with effort and practice.
Emotional intelligence is a relatively recent concept that organizations are starting to consider in managing their workplaces. Professors Peter Salovey and John Mayer, based in the United States, initiated the concept in 1990. Their research revealed that certain individuals excelled in identifying others’ emotions, enabling them to solve problems related to emotions.
But what does Emotional Intelligence mean?
Let’s begin by comprehending the concept of emotional intelligence:
Emotional intelligence entails the capacity to access, control, and assess your emotions as they emerge. It also involves regulating your emotions so that they are expressed appropriately.
EI encompasses the ability to recognize emotions in others, exhibit empathy, and adeptly manage relationships. This entails acknowledging that emotions offer crucial information to guide all your interactions.
Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, the author of The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are, emphasizes that emotional intelligence revolves around relationships. Our creation, development, and sustenance are significantly influenced by our emotions and our proficiency in self-regulation, connection, and integration within these relationships.
Group emotional intelligence is about the small acts that make a big difference. It is not about a team member working all night to meet a deadline; it is about saying thank you for doing so.
Vanessa Urch Druskat & Steven Wolff, 2001, p. 86
Distinguishing between EQ and EI is common. In certain instances, Emotional Intelligence (EI) is mistaken for Emotional Quotient (EQ). EI often pertains to one’s capability to comprehend personal and others’ emotions, while EQ is closely linked to assessing emotional skills and identifying emotional competence. Both hold significant implications for personal growth and professional development.
Now, let’s clarify emotional intelligence. It constitutes a form of social intelligence involving the skill to observe our own and others’ feelings and emotions. This information is then utilized to direct our thoughts and actions. EQ aids in expressing emotions, cultivating relationships, dealing with challenges, and making sound decisions. It has been demonstrated as a pivotal driver and predictor of job performance, and effectiveness in leadership and life, impacting overall well-being.
Importance of Emotional Intelligence:
Your emotional acceptance protects you from being manipulated by someone else’s distress. At work, unlike at home, where love ties motivate cooperation, you lack the shared history that aids understanding of those around you. Therefore, it’s crucial to tune in to your coworkers’ needs promptly.
Reading and responding to people’s feelings can prevent workplace politics, morale issues, and cooperation challenges from ruining your work life.
Moreover, emotional intelligence (EI) is contagious. Hiring emotionally intelligent staff or developing EI skills in existing employees yields an even greater return. This fosters an environment where others learn to understand and manage their emotions, becoming better team members.
4 levels of Emotional Intelligence:
Researchers and scientists have defined multiple frameworks and elements of emotional intelligence. In the workplace, these four levels or stages are most relevant.
(A) SELF-AWARENESS –
Understanding Emotions:
Recognizing and controlling emotions is crucial for better decisions. Emotions, originating internally, can be primary or secondary. Primary emotions are initial experiences, while secondary emotions are expressed behaviours. For instance, anxiety may mask the primary emotion of fear, or anger may hide underlying hurt. Recognizing this complexity prevents misunderstanding and promotes emotional understanding.
Your habits:
Whether pursuing weight loss, marathon running, a promotion, or behaviour change for workplace effectiveness, you are the primary driver of success. Habits, automatic and repeated behaviours, impact you and others. Recognizing inappropriate habits and shifting them is crucial for the foundational personal and social competencies of emotional intelligence. These behaviours either enable or hinder effective connections, trust, and collaboration.
Meanwhile, stress is inevitable in every workplace, and managing emotions during its influence significantly impacts you and others. Recognizing others’ emotions helps empathise and stay connected, enhancing collaboration and productivity.
At Sankey Solutions, we prioritize understanding emotions and their impact on decision-making. Additionally, we promote self-awareness through activities like mindfulness sessions and self-assessment tools to identify and shift habits that hinder effective communication.
(B) COMMUNICATING ACROSS TEAMS
Interpreting others’ thoughts, feelings, and needs and responding appropriately is crucial for effective communication across teams. Building and maintaining strong relationships, based on trust in both yourself and others, is essential. This trust, developed over time, ensures reliance on your character and competence.
To practice effective workplace communication:
- Be clear and concise when speaking.
- Confirm understanding and encourage clarifying questions.
- Listen carefully, analyzing tone and body language.
- Stay positive and supportive, even when delivering challenging feedback.
- Cultivate on-the-spot communication habits to enhance feedback, praise, or criticism impact.
To enhance this, we organize cross-functional events where teams practice active listening and clear articulation. Moreover, we utilize open feedback platforms and conduct regular team-building exercises to foster trust and collaboration.
(C) LEADING BY EXAMPLE –
Leadership isn’t limited to executive-level positions. Anyone can demonstrate leadership, as it’s more of a mindset than a designation. Leaders inspire others to surpass their perceived capabilities. Effective leadership involves receiving and giving feedback. A comment from one person is an opinion; from two, a trend; and three or more, a factual and crucial consideration.
Your overall emotional intelligence helps manage stress. Self-awareness enables a better understanding of thoughts, feelings, and desires in any situation. This awareness informs whether the experienced stress is helpful or harmful.
The best among us, although some may be naturally inclined, demonstrate grace under pressure, managing their stress and that of those around them. This may result from extensive training or a calm temperament, contributing to success in stressful environments.
Leaders at Sankey lead by example through actions like acknowledging mistakes and vulnerabilities, demonstrating continuous learning, and supporting their teams during challenging times. We also conduct leadership development programs to cultivate emotional intelligence at all levels.
(D) SUSTAINING CHANGE:
By now, you should understand emotional intelligence and how to increase competency. Developing behaviours demonstrating emotional intelligence requires intention, practice, discipline, and patience. This can only be achieved in relationships with others.
Recognize that most behaviours are automatic and need continual monitoring. Overly stressed individuals are less likely to display new skills, resorting to old habits that undermine progress. Changing behaviour requires courage.
Developing emotional intelligence requires intention and practice. We offer workshops on self-awareness hacks, such as journaling and self-soothing techniques, to help employees navigate stress and sustain positive changes. Additionally, we encourage a growth mindset by celebrating learning milestones and providing opportunities for skill development.
Hacks to develop Emotional Intelligence:
Here are some real hacks to develop your Emotional Intelligence (EI). Understanding and implementing these strategies can significantly enhance your ability to navigate emotions, build strong relationships, and thrive in various aspects of your personal and professional life.
(a) Growth vs. Fixed Mindset:
Do you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset?
- Do you believe your intelligence or level of a certain skill can’t change very much?
- Do you believe you were born with certain qualities such as being smart, creative, funny, or good at sports and that those can’t be developed much?
- Do you believe how you show up behaviourally in the workplace is outside of your control?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have more of a fixed mindset than a growth mindset. What it comes down to is those with a fixed mindset feel they are born with a certain level of intelligence and abilities, and changing this is largely outside of their control. Those with a growth mindset believe that regardless of where they start, they can build and develop their skills and abilities. These skills and abilities are within your control.
(b) Self-awareness hacks:
- Reflect on reactions to new situations and question resistance to change.
- Adopt a “wait and see” approach before passing judgment.
- Be reliable and trustworthy by fulfilling commitments.
- Acknowledge mistakes and vulnerabilities, focusing on continuous learning.
- Demonstrate dependability to gain favorability.
- Practice self-soothing techniques and cultivate journaling and reflection for insights.
- Prioritize self-care outside of work for overall well-being.
(c) Receiving challenging feedback:
Recall a time receiving challenging feedback. Reflect on your behaviour—did you become defensive or dismissive? Alter behaviour to accept feedback graciously, reflecting on its importance for growth. Respond by taking effective action. Explore ways to be more accepting and inviting for future feedback.
Conclusion:
When you remember that we are all peers on an emotional level, it becomes easier to approach the boss, ask an employee to give a little more or understand that a coworker’s irritability is nothing personal. Emotions are great levellers among people, use them to tie you together rather than rend you apart.
Is there a switch in our brains that makes us trust others? And what determines when this does – or does not – happen?
In today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment, trust is a key factor that can make or break a company’s success. Trust is more than a term; it is a feeling. It is the foundation upon which successful organizations and relationships are built. Neuroscience research has shown that trust is not just a psychological construct but is also rooted in our brain’s neural circuitry.
But why focus on trust in the first place?
Companies are twisting themselves into knots to empower and challenge their employees to create a state of high engagement. According to Gallup’s Meta-analysis, high engagement is defined largely as having a strong connection with one’s work and colleagues, feeling like a real contributor, and enjoying ample chances to learn. These have a positive effect on the business as well as the employees, however, one cannot buy higher job satisfaction and engagement.
So, what creates a difference? The answer is to build a culture of trust. You can think of trust as a leading indicator for performance: when employees feel trusted, they give more effort and are more innovative, leading to higher profits. Plus, they experience less chronic stress and are happier with their lives, and these factors fuel stronger performance.
Breakthrough Research on Trust at Work
A global study of over 1600 employees and managers has found that trust is highly correlated with employee satisfaction and productivity. Research showed that employees at high-trust companies were…
- 40% less likely to experience burnout.
- 50% more productive
- 106% more energized at work (Paul J. Zak, 2017)
These are powerful findings and prompt the question, how can we inculcate trust among employees? To understand employees better, it is essential to gain insight into the workings of their minds. This can be achieved by delving deeper into the general working of the human brain.
So, let us understand what runs in our brains –
We are mammals, so we have all these amazing and automatic things that happen in our brains and bodies when we engage or interact with our surroundings. Trust is, therefore, synonymous with connection and distrust is synonymous with disconnection. And why this is so heavy because as humans, for us to survive we have to feel that we are a part of something like we belong to and that we have a community.
Neuroscience has shown that trust is mediated by the release of the hormone “oxytocin” in the brain. Oxytocin acts as a chemical messenger, and it helps us decide at a practical level whether it is ‘safe to approach’ or not, so from an evolutionary perspective, humans are unique.
To simplify, let’s take an example of how it affects work -
Say you are working in a team and your team member treats you nicely, this means there is a positive social interaction, which causes the brain to produce oxytocin. Collectively, if there is a culture where employees are constantly causing the release of oxytocin in each other’s brains then we get all its benefits such as reduced physiological stress and increased empathy and performance.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the benefits of oxytocin cannot be overstated, and understanding how to increase the release of oxytocin and build a culture of trust is crucial for organizations that seek to enhance their performance and create a positive workplace environment.
In the next part of this series, we will explore ways to increase the release of oxytocin and provide some real-life examples of how Sankey Solutions have implemented these strategies to develop trust in their employees. So, stay tuned to learn more about how you can harness the power of oxytocin to create a culture of trust.
– by Mansi Chopda
Welcome back, Trust seekers!
In our previous blog, we explored the fascinating science behind trust and its connection to oxytocin. Recap and read the full blog here.
Today, we take our understanding a step further as we uncover the secrets of the “Trust hormone” by revealing ways to boost oxytocin and unveil real-life examples of how Sankey Solutions has successfully implemented these strategies to foster trust among its employees. Get ready to harness the power of oxytocin like never before!
How to Build Trust?
Paul J. Zack an American Neuro economist, discovered 8 trust-building ways in his book “Trust Factor: The science of Creating High-performing Companies”.
Interestingly, the 8 factors that create trust have the acronym OXYTOCIN:
Now that we have a deeper understanding of what boosts Oxytocin production, let’s explore how Sankey uses this knowledge to cultivate trust among its employees.
Sankey’s Trust building Approach
Sankey solutions has embraced the science of building trust among its employees, following a remarkable approach that aligns perfectly with the acronym “Oxytocin.”
Let’s dive in further to understand what they are doing:
- Notice when people are doing something well, tell them! This is what Sankey solutions adhere to. Overtly, recognizing outstanding efforts through badges and awards inspires excellence and motivation and also inspires others to strive for excellence.
- But it’s not just about recognition. Sankey solutions empowers their employees with crystal clear expectations and trusty goal sheets that enables them to understand the path to achieve their objectives and measure their progress.
- Feel the buzz of autonomy as Sankey lets employees lead projects with flair. Trusting their capabilities, they foster a true sense of ownership and camaraderie.
- Transparency, the cornerstone of trust! Sankey believes that openness and disclosure and not withholding of information, can eliminate rumors and create a culture of transparency.
- Unity and belonging, the heartbeats of Sankey! Sankey organizes social activities and team-building events to create a strong bond among employees and to keep the fire of trust alive.
- Numerous studies have shown that acquiring new skills is not enough; if employees are not growing as human beings, their performance will suffer. Sankey’s continuous feedback and recognition elevate employees, nurturing their potential as both professionals and human beings.
- Sankey unlocks the power of vulnerability as its leadership isn’t afraid to show their human side and ask for help when needed. This courageous act not only builds trust but also inspires the idea that support is a natural part of growth and development.
Conclusion:
Sankey’s holistic approach to building trust is an extraordinary blend of recognition, empowerment, transparency, and support, creating a workplace where trust thrives, inspiring individuals to unleash their potential and achieve remarkable success together.
Our journey into the world of trust has been eye–opening and exploring the factors of OXYTOCIN has given us a clear roadmap to build trust in an organization. Building trust in the workplace requires effective communication, integrity, competence, empathy, respect, teamwork and recognition.
By focusing on these strategies, managers and employees can create a workplace where trust thrives, and people flourish. As we move on from the “Trust hormone” and Sankey’s inspiring methods, let’s embrace this wisdom and unleash oxytocin’s power to nurture trust in all we do.
-by Mansi Chopda
This year’s IWD 2023 theme is #EmbraceEquity. While equity and equality sound similar, they are different concepts, whether in the context of the wider society or in the workplace. Despite being used interchangeably, they actually have different meanings.
The root word they share is “aequus,” which means “even, fair, or equal.”
Equality is about treating everyone the same, while equity acknowledges that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.
We all don’t start from the same place, so providing resources to allow us to gain those same opportunities is equity, it is human.
Equity is especially important when it comes to marginalized communities like women, people of color, disabled people, the economically disadvantaged, and LGBTQ+ individuals. They don’t all start out on a level playing field, so equity is about changing the systemic and structural barriers that hold them back.
While equality is a foundation of democracy, ongoing conversations suggest that equity may be a better principle to progress society. Equity-based solutions take into account the diverse lived experiences of individuals and communities, adapting services and policies according to these differences.
For example, when it comes to women’s advancement, gender equity is needed for meaningful progress. Women are truly diverse, and policies that benefit one group may not benefit another due to historical or current inequalities. Women’s empowerment is crucial for achieving gender equality and creating a more just and equitable society. It involves giving women the tools and resources they need to succeed in all areas of life, including education, employment, and leadership positions. By empowering women, we can break down barriers and create a more inclusive and equal world for everyone.
At Sankey, we have already embarked this journey to embrace equity at workplace through #SheCare initiative that was launched last year, with an objective to drive and coach women propel their careers and create future women leaders organically.
So, on this International Women’s Day, let’s celebrate the amazing achievements of women, but also remember that there is still much work to be done. Let’s continue to support and uplift women, and work towards a world where every woman can achieve her full potential.
The destructive wave of 2020 left an irreversible impact on the entire globe. Disparate industrial sectors like airlines, entertainment, information technology, manufacturing, and oil-gas mining saw a major dent in their products and activities. This unexpected chaos led all the sectors of industry to give up on their employees, realize and witness an empirical experience of their flexible and adaptive capabilities.
Survival of the fittest was a major challenge for all during the global pandemic. The need for resilient organization is extremely crucial in an era where upheavals and mayhems are uncertain. Several organizations strived to adapt to the change. Sankey Solutions persevered in the gloomy wake of turbulent 2020. Amid this turmoil, we ensured uninterrupted project deliveries for clients and unbroken recruitments for candidates. We have provided an opportunity to more than 180+ candidates and solved more than 50+ business problems during the pandemic phase. Sankey turns out to be a resilient organization by displaying a range of characteristics that helped it to cope with change, rather than passively responding to it as a deliberate process.
These TOP 5 characteristics demonstrate the resilient behavior of Sankey Solutions:
1.ADAPTABILITY: In the versatile environment of the year 2020 and ongoing 2021, the employees of Sankey readily adapted themselves to the major changes that took place. This included remote work, work from home, flexible working hours, adjustment for resources, uninterrupted delivery of client projects, and streamlined executions of projects.
2. INCLUSIVITY AND COLLABORATION: Managing the effective decision-making virtually, mitigation of confusions, risks, and errors by active anticipation, presentation of thoughts on the meeting table led innovation inside Sankey Solution to continue seamlessly during the pandemic. Open forum for everyone enhanced the efficacy of inclusivity and collaboration of employees thereby producing better solutions for a problem.
3. RESPONSIBILITY: Every Sankian has ingrained a sense of responsibility beyond the bottom line. Sankey fosters its relationship with stakeholders by keeping responsibility and ownership as a priority while delivering any project. Besides, Sankey has also supported every employee to continue their job without salary reduction and continued its cycle of recruiting potential candidates. Despite the difficult times of pandemic and limited resources, Sankey has never showcased a blind eye to any of its clients or employee.
4. TRUSTWORTHINESS: We ensure loyalty and faith across the board. Sankey has tried its best to exhibit a sense of trust in every aspect. Our practice of transparency and loyalty between organization-employees, leader-employees, and organization-clients has ensured trust in each other. Our mindset of treating every task as an opportunity to grow, position us accurately for maintaining and building trust with employees and clients.
5. PREPAREDNESS: Sankey Solutions is enriched with proactive employees. We thrive to maintain our balance in addressing short & long-term priorities that can help the organization to adapt to unpredictable events and uncertainties. We invested efforts to impart the skills that help us to predict upcoming disruptions proactively. This helps us to kick back the uncertainties thereby keeping our client’s requirements and employee expectations on top.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Resilience allows an organization to rebound and prosper the activities during unprecedented disruptions. An organization needs to be agile and adaptive to the new normal. This helps to set competitive and sustainable advantages of business goals for an organization. A pivot part of an organization being resilient is ensuring you have a strong team to support. We at Sankey Solutions, are proud to have a supportive, robust, and adaptive family.
It is gratifying to be a part of an organization where life comes rewarding at every step. It is rapturing to replete your career canvas with a plethora of opportunities and learning. Sankey Solutions is not just a workplace. It is a spiraling ecosystem, where young minds convene to make difference by engineering innovative solutions that leap them across boundaries. With us, unleash your curiosity and a pioneering spirit to leave a true impact on disruptions. We stand unique because of diversified reasons like:
1. Bountiful Learning
Learning is not confined to Sankey. The abundant learning environment of Sankey enables an ordinary human to bring out the extraordinariness within him/her. We groom and nurture our family of young minds to become strong competitors and future leaders. With us, people join to polish their grey matter, demeanor, and not resume.
2. Profound Exposure
Sankey gives you a host of opportunities to gain exceptional experience. We introduce people to the rich pool of challenges and opportunities that enable them to bring their real selves to the work. We strive to expose our employees to manifold pathways at an early stage because sky is our limit and we have a lot of you.
3. Recast into Jack of all trades
We never distinguish people into well-defined tasks. We invest in every individual equally to leverage their strengths and become the knight riders for upcoming challenges. At Sankey, people are analysts, architects, and engineers of solution. We toil relentlessly for you to direct your road map towards success and drive your passion.
4. Recognition & Awards
Appreciating people and recognizing them is deeply rooted in Sankey’s culture. Our practice of lime lighting the innovative efforts motivates our workforce to leap the boundaries seamlessly. We make sure that you get the lime-light you deserve.
5. Shadow Programs
Isn’t this a dream for all? At Sankey Solution, every employee has an access to reach out to the CEO & director to drive their creativity a long way. Our no communication barrier brings quality ideas and meaningful conversations to the table. People are mentored by the purpose-led-leader and bright minds that create a life-shaping experience for all.
6. Young minds drive the force
Sankey Solutions is driven by young innovative minds. These curious to innovate and experiment brains are the ‘Ace of Spades’ for Sankey. Sankey is rich with individually different but like-minded individuals where they combine differences to achieve impactful things.
7. Inclusion & Acceptance
We appreciate the curiosity within you. We strive to make your voice meaningful and heard. We connect the dots to make #OneSankey and #WeSankey. This helps us to embark the roads towards stronger businesses, sustainable client relationships, and gratified workforce. Our flat hierarchy culture and supportive staff helps every champion working with us to ideate diversity of ideas.
We envision your rebirth with cognizance, passion for technology, advancement, financial growth, multifaceted and many more.
At Sankey Solutions——-“Give yourself a reason to learn, grow and prosper!”
We definitely nailed it. Did you too?
Everyone works assiduously to achieve triumph. But, do you think it is seamless to win? Tons of hurdles come along your way as a share while achieving something. These unexpected hurdles are truly disheartening for most of them. While some despair, others try to conquer it in their own way. And, if you belong to the chunk of people who conquer, our words will make you think again when you step up to jump the next hurdle of your path.
There are 2 types of problem solvers. One, who use the existing and obsolete skills to close a problem, and second, who think about the disparate possible pathways and choose the way that helps him/her to absorb new ability with highly efficacious solution. At this route, the plethora of technologies come into the picture followed by the challenges of using the most desired technology for an innovative solution.
We at Sankey Solutions, encourage the solution mind-set for our entire workforce. This helps our employees to think beyond their limits and play with multiple technologies for one single problem. Sankey strongly give precedence to the learning factor of the employees rather than delivering solutions using the same pathways multiple times. Imagine the exposure level an individual gets when multiple problems arrive. Sounds thrilling right?
Sankey Solutions carve the employees into becoming solution architects, thereby giving them an exposure to full stack development using various technology stacks end to end. This plays a prominent role in developing a complete enterprise solution, thereafter ensuring high quality and high performance in it. We work relentlessly to reshape future of our employees that makes them a knight rider for upcoming challenges in the industries.
Well, the Solution mindset is an attitude of solving the problems confidently by learning manifold pathways of solving them and using the best fitting way to acquire a win-win situation using the latest and cutting edge technology in the competitive market. Sankey strives for the growth of employees and hence, we encourage the ability to acquire new ways of finding solutions, grasping new knowledge, and learning new things in every task they perform. We ensure that our employees try all possible technologies that are available in today’s competitive pool of industries. Working on the multitudes of technology helps our workforce to become a strong competitor for upcoming market challenges. Apparently, the solution mindset quality of every Sankian acts as an initiator for sculpting himself/herself into the more advanced and multi-tasking version.
Why solution mindset works wonders for every Sankian?
Every individual connected with Sankey Solutions is moulded to grow by sharing their knowledge and learning through experiments. Each Sankian is motivated to learn things that can shed a light on the better version of themselves and their peers at creating the innovative solutions. This solution-oriented mentality never lets our employees feel insecure about their limited knowledge in any field. Hence, we appreciate the habit of questioning everything unknown, to learn and unlearn different things. Solution skillset resolute the actions and assures the quality work. We make sure that every Sankian is future ready. Since Sankey has excellent unity in its workforce, everyone working with Sankey Solutions is ready to share their unique skills and clutch new abilities from others. Moreover, this ability of solution skillset is exceptionally raising its demand in the era where all sorts of communications, interactions, and discussion are getting highly infused with high end technologies.
The flat hierarchy at Sankey is the biggest pillar that is making our employees grow expeditiously. Since everything is turning dehumanized, advanced, and automated, learners learn and uncover different new things in multiple ways with highly experienced professionals. Thus, Sankey can proudly say……
“We Groom people to become LEADERS!”
Skillset mindset has numerous benefits but they are ephemeral. By possessing an attitude of solving the problems using the existing skills, an individual never tries to undergo the new concepts for solving. They never undertake new challenges which eventually keep them deprived of exposure and experience. This practice of limiting thought process keeps the person under defined growth. Most importantly, the employee never tries to uncover his/her different capabilities which strongly restricts them from accepting the new challenges of the extremely advanced industry 4.0.
All in all, we would like to sum up by quoting—“Do not dim the intrinsic motivation, amplify it instead to create bliss!”
And the bar kept rising day after day……! Employees were no more just the employees. They embraced the disparate qualities within them like never before.
Sankey Solutions is an emerging workplace where innovators from diverse backgrounds convene with their solution mind-set to learn and unlearn technologies. We strongly believe that the environment where employees can achieve their professional ambitions along with learning at each step will foster growth and innovation expeditiously.
“ Try to learn something about everything and everything about something ” — Thomas H. Huxley
One of our key differentials of swift growth is the peculiar yet distinctive relationship of one employee with another. This turns impeccable because of our 2 major pillars—Team Relentless (TR) and Bar Raisers (BR). Sankey Solutions drives its work culture efficacious and constructive by defining the two teams that contribute diligently and sedulously for the growth and development of the entire workforce. These teams act as a mentors for all the employees thereby, helping them to grow and polish their skills personally and professionally. They meticulously educate the group of people who are obstructed to knowledge and skills development because of limited accessibility of resources.
Team Relentless, often abbreviated as TR, prominently works for the advancement of the internal audience, spotlighting majorly on employee growth and development. Sankey shares a vision for linguistic development of the employees. Hence, it never gives up on the developing the vocabulary of the workforce. Sankey ameliorate and polishes the language skills of the employees through ‘word of the day’ technique and introducing the habit of reading the books that are the nucleus for self-development, professionalism, positive attitude, communication skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, and many more skills that help an individual to seamlessly direct their boats towards achievements and success. It also works effortlessly on several other factors like unearthing the calibre in employees, supporting them morally, economically, and mentally. This group consists of professionals who possess the ability to solve the crisis, thereby producing effective solutions and outcomes. TR team acts as a mentor for the entire workforce in Sankey Solutions.
Bar Raisers, often abbreviated at BR, are the emerging TRs. The members in this team highly accountable for quality and positive energy within the organisation. They act as multi-tasker by performing different tasks along with their primary roles. This team uses their extraordinary skills for dealing with clients confidently thereafter, teaching the new comers the correct use of their knowledge. with deep industry experience, multiple uses of calibre, exposure, and learning abilities.
We at Sankey Solutions focus not only on developing the unified culture for new employees but also on reshaping the environment for existing employees which suits the best for the employee growth at the personal level.
Sankey Solutions believe that real leaders are those who consistently help other budding leaders to succeed with their knowledge and skillsets. Hence, at Sankey, leaders put concerted efforts and energy into ‘Collective learning’ where they share their success stories and ideologies with the wider group for overcoming all the obstacles effectively and getting one step closer to success.
“ Learning has always been on the top priority for Sankians ”
Hence, it dedicates the 2 alternate Saturdays of every month exclusively for learning and upgrading the employees with new technologies and information. These days are known as ‘Sharing Kattas’ where people from different teams come together to share their knowledge to educate other people. These learning Saturdays help the entire work staff to upgrade themselves with new technologies, information, and techniques that are flooding the market. This cross learning culture of Sankey is what makes every employee working here LEADER.
All in all, Sankey Solutions works on the ideology that ‘collective learning’ mechanism helps the success wheel to spin faster and garner quality and active learning irrespective of the age.
Why do we need solution mindset?
With myriad of Tech start-ups flooding the market creating a scenario of rigorous competition, few companies stand out pushing others in the endless loop of facing the unavoidable mayhem. Survival in such testy waters takes more than good luck and abundant capital to back up.
Often the starts-up commit a common mistake of relying on everything except their own potential to endure the storm. Hence, the success rate of start-ups is not more than 10% while the rest 90% just stumble and fall. Even those which had better financial back up; especially those, as they raised funds too much too soon. Again, whether its equity or debt, one cannot rely only on outer world support, it is short lived if we don’t change gears internally at certain pace.Often the starts-up commit a common mistake of relying on everything except their own potential to endure the storm. Hence, the success rate of start-ups is not more than 10% while the rest 90% just stumble and fall. Even those which had better financial back up; especially those, as they raised funds too much too soon. Again, whether its equity or debt, one cannot rely only on outer world support, it is short lived if we don’t change gears internally at certain pace.
How to implement solution mindset?
The potential to face such scenarios lies within the company, its assets. Assets being values which are framework of the principles the company was built upon, aid in setting up objectives and the people, ones who utilise their abilities to help company attain those.
We have endured our uncertainties, persisted despite unfavourable situations, not because we were lucky few but because we had our goals aligned with our philosophy. The philosophy we believe in isn’t anything extraordinary rather essential.
Survival of any company depends upon the common beliefs shared by its people; these beliefs are reflected in every aspect of that company, be it recruiting the staff or handling projects, it’s how they set themselves apart because they have ‘Solution Mindset’ in place and work cohesively towards a planned outcome.
Crisis is faced by every organisation but what they do in that critical time is what averts the crisis. This attitude to find solutions in the time of need means having right solution mindset in place.
What is solution mindset?
Solution Mindset is a much broader concept than to come up with answers for difficult questions. It’s not about recommending solutions that we know but those that suit our customers; to be humble and learn, render customized solutions.
It is not only restricted to learning but also inspiring others. A person with solution mindset is not just a learner but majorly an optimistic person, one who is calm even in the face of diversity and handles crisis effectively.
We can collectively call them an effective leader, who sets an example for others to learn from. Encourages to be proactive and composed at the same time.
How can Solution Mindset be developed?
Acceptance and Patience are the keys to Solution Mindset, acceptance of the situation no matter how complex, and patience to remain positive and hunt for possible ways relentlessly to averse the situation with the help of the team.
With rapidly evolving technology and business landscape, it has become essential to communicate our psyche successfully across the world and that can only happen when we are able to reflect the optimism we harbour and this is also an attribute of Solution mindset.
Having a solution mindset does not mean coming up with unrealistic solutions to the existing problems, it simply could be as simple as making the situation workable or in favour of business need despite of adverse situation and decoding a challenging problem one layer at a time. It is willingness to find a way when all you could see is none.
It drives Sankey
Customer centricity is our philosophy; it’s what drives us. We take decisions keeping in mind the situation of our customer and aim to exceed their expectations. We believe the real impact is not when project is accomplished but when we make an impact on their business.
How is it different from Skillset mindset?
Most organizations set the philosophy of learn once, and apply the same lifetime, no elbow room for innovation makes for monotonous routine, driving employees to rely solely on past experience.
Skillset mindset has shorter learning period and stretched application of their learnings for long time, sometimes for lifelong. This is where it hits roadblock, as there is no scope to unlearn and learn more evolved or improved ways of solving same problem. They will have to try something new and better or this will lead to redundancy which ends up in obsoletion.
In this context Solution mindset would make one agile to adapt to changes, where they explore the gambit of possible options available to them for enhancement of their personal as well as professional goals.
A mindset is usually the differentiator, skills are usually in abundance, one can work hard and with dedicated efforts can achieve mastery over a skill but when it comes to mindset this can set apart success from ordinary.