a portfolio

Charged, enthusiastic and an impassioned globe traveller is how one would probably define Adrian Cropley. From leading IABC Victoria to doing voluntary work to opening a retail store (and eventually a restaurant), Cropley is a man of diverse ambitions.

Having immigrated to Australia in his youth, Cropley was exposed to change at a very early age. “I migrated to Australia at the age of 11 which was quite a traumatic change for me. I think adjusting to change is something I carry from my schooling years,” recalls Cropley.

His academic roots ultimately led to a path toward human resources and a job at Ericsson where he would become the Director of HR.

“It was about 15 years ago, when I was told to take up the role of internal communications from the then-CEO. My first response was, ‘what on earth is internal communications?’”

To best understand the concept, Cropley went in search of delivering the true meaning to internal comms.

“It was not about the company newsletter and organizing events, it was more about strategy. I introduced a strategy for internal communications that got adopted on a global level and I travelled places to execute that strategy,” he explains.

One of those places was Asia, where Cropley grew his team to 8 with a strong focus on the intranet.

Ahead of his time

At a time when few companies fully understood the value of effective internal communication, Cropley was busy creating a robust strategy for executive communication.

“I developed a strategy to produce a number of communication channels dedicated to the CEO. We developed a personalised CEO brand called intouch to communicate with the employees. This included regular news updates through e-mail and arranging breakfasts and lunches as an open forum for employees to approach the CEO and share ideas, views and opinions.”

Intouch TV was also created to broadcast interviews with the CEO and discussions about a product or service.

Cropley’s multi-channel initiative led to an IABC Gold Quill Award in 2004.

Introduction to IABC

After working with Ericsson for 15 years, Cropley accepted a redundancy package and went off to see the world. After his globetrotting, Cropley set up his own consultancy, Cropley Communication and developed a relationship with IABC. “I started my association with IABC because of its sheer exposure to communicators across the globe. I was introduced to a network of peers who could help develop me as I grew a new business endeavour.”

Cropley started volunteering at IABC Victoria, Melbourne and then acted as Vice President for IABC Victoria the following year. At the same time, he became involved with the Asia-Pacific region. Thereafter, Cropley applied for the International Board of which he now serves as Vice Chair. In his current role, Cropley brings profound international exposure and an innate curiosity to understand various cultures.

For example, in spite of organizations becoming more global in their communication strategies, Cropley thinks companies need to think locally within the cultural contexts. He does not support the view of applying the same approach in different countries and believes in tailoring strategies to varied cultures. It’s not only about language and translation; delivery and tone are also important during communication.

“If you are working in the Philippines, the one thing you will notice is that people are always happy. Feedback there is given in a very humourous way. On the other hand, Japan and China have a very formal culture. Status is very important in those countries,” Cropley points out.

Helping achieve global best practices in internal communication

One of the most interesting projects Cropley has worked on of late has been helping Unilever develop its internal communicators as the company positions itself to doubling the business by 2020.

“Last year, I met the Head of Internal Comms of Unilever for the Africa, Asia and Middle East Region, Helene Bradley-Ritt. Her goal was to develop her communicators and take them to the next level. The underlying idea was to develop a global best practices strategy for internal communications teams inside the organization. Along with the development opportunity for communicators I saw an opportunity to get Unilever to partner with IABC and its accreditation program”.

IABC partnered with Unilever to deliver an accreditation program for internal communicators from 9 different countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The coalition of Unilever and IABC brought about an accreditation program that would align the way in which communication is delivered inside the company.

Cropley explains:

“We reached out to senior level managers across various regions and started some development programs. We then lined up the portfolio with two things – one, a project that the communicators would implement in Unilever and two, a review of the communication function with some learnings and recommendations of what needed to change. We decided to take the IABC accreditation process and matched it up with a business need and a business outcome.”

Cropley developed both a week long residential training program with Unilever plus virtual models for marketing, media relations, corporate social responsibility and ethics. IABC also helped Unilever to develop an accreditation exam for their communicators that included oral presentations. Cropley and the IABC accreditation council worked to deliver a new model to align communications right across the company.

“Having in-house training really supports the development of communicators and also raises their status across the organisation. We also undertook a measurement process to understand how the accreditation had made a difference.”

For Cropley, the experience has been simply amazing with plans to expand the project in Asia in September.

Ready and determined

As Vice Chair, Cropley is looking forward to carrying out his new role at IABC.  He sees tremendous growth potential in regions like China, India, Brazil and Mexico.

“I will be looking into two things during my tenure as Vice Chair – one is how we grow our membership globally and build strategic links across the globe and the other is how we further build on our accreditation and development offerings to grow our business. We need to use our content and share it strategically with our community. You will surely see a lot of momentum over the next few years.”

By Karuna Kumar

Driving through the second most populous city in the world, surrounded by over 14 million people, it’s eye-opening to see how daily life moves on in Mumbai – a city that generates the highest GDP among the cities of Central and South Asia.

According to the latest statistics, Mumbai, accounts for 25% of industrial output, 40% of maritime trade and 70% of capital transactions to the Indian economy. It houses the most significant financial institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock exchange and the National Stock exchange.

Being the financial capital of India, the need for strong internal efficiency and employee productivity is indispensable for businesses- small or big. To enquire about the current state of internal communications in India and the scope of issues around employee engagement, I stepped into the Mumbai office of Voltas to interview Mr. B.N. Garudachar, the company’s Head of Corporate Communications. Founded in 1954, Voltas today stands as the world’s leading engineering solution provider and project specialist and is a part of the TATA group. Voltas’ operations have been organized into three business clusters, namely – Electro- mechanical projects & services, Engineering products & services and unitary cooling products.

From a general picture of internal communications in India to the various employee engagement initiatives undertaken by Voltas, Mr. Garudachar spoke with a passion that defeated the doubts I had about the seriousness with which Indian companies approach internal communications.

KK. How significant is internal communications to organisations in India?

BNG: Internal communications have become a critical part of task held roles. Post liberalisation, the task before India was to make organisations very competitive and focus on the right businesses that would drive growth. We realised that the only underlying source for that is operating efficiency. The need was to drive a better productivity out of our guys (employees).

When you need to get better productivity, you need to communicate, you need to motivate and need to make sure the employees are positively engaged. Hence with a view to improve internal efficiency, internal communications became very important for Indian organisations. The spending on internal communications also increased over time. If posed with the same question 15 years ago, I wouldn’t have considered it important enough but today the scenario is just the opposite.

KK. When did this realization dawn upon Indian companies and what drives it?

BNG: The real realisation began five to six years back. Unfortunately, India was not in a competitive environment till 1995. We were in an environment consisting of domination of a few companies.

What drove it was the need in the market place. The need today is to have extremely motivated, committed and contributing employees. Today their contributions are better recognized as the work environment is moving towards performance. Almost 40-50% of the take- home comes from the employees’ performance. Hierarchy is slowly going flat.

In addition, the importance of employee engagement has increased at a time, where there is nothing called a ‘loyal’ employee. There is a meaningful employment on both sides. Organisations need to ensure that they retain people and make employees company ambassadors who carry a positive message to the external world. The employees have now taken the role of partners in the organisation.

KK. Moving to your organisation in particular, when did Voltas feel the need for internal communications?

BNG: A few years ago, the need in the organisation was to shift the attitude of the staff towards being performance-oriented. 1995 was the first time when the company showed a loss. The need was to move towards profitable and sustainable growth. We underwent the whole process of understanding a new direction. We shifted our focus from being just a development and technology- oriented company to a service-oriented engineering company.

The first phase was to communicate that it is important that each one of them contributes so that the company develops.

The second phase was to communicate to our employees that we wanted to become more a service provider than a product manufacturer. We wanted to add value to the product for the consumer.

During the third phase, we started educating people as to what and how they could innovate. We had a series of campaigns talking about what innovation is all about and encouraged staff to contribute their own ideas to the company.

We are now leading a new campaign – the idea being to improve internal efficiency. We have categorized that under an acronym called SWIFT.  Each of those letters stand for something in the organisation.

Our first initiative is to create awareness towards what would create a new Voltas act. Second, we want to recognize that people are already swift in their field of activity. We are doing that through a contest in which we are asking employees if there are any initiatives that they have undertaken that qualifies as SWIFT attributes.

The winner gets a lunch with the MD, coverage in all internal magazines, a SWIFT t-shirt and other small incentives.

The third phase will take place after 4 weeks, when we will be sharing the inputs vis-à-vis employees will be encouraged to offer their ideas in helping Voltas to swiftly address the issues.

KK. So what is the purpose of this exercise?

BNG: It is purely for engaging them. You are creating excitement and subconsciously sending them messages. The idea is to organise programmes through management that meet certain needs, create an environment where employees become engaged with these issues and do so sustainably.

KK. What are your usual channels of execution?

BNG: We have:

Traditional print

We execute our programs through the use of traditional media like posters, brochures and computer wallpapers. We also have a Voltas board and Voltas notes. This communication runs through all our companies globally, not just in India.

Till yesterday, our communication was targeted to permanent employees. Today we have realised that 50% of our staff are on contract basis. So we have extended our reach to those employees. Our online presence is limited at the moment. We are re-engineering our intranet to build a new system that is much more interactive than the previous one. After that, we might experiment with social media.

Walk the talk with the MD

In addition, twice a year – once after the half-yearly results and once after the annual results – the Managing Director speaks to all his employees via a broadcast. This year we have exposed not only the MD on that platform but also the complete corporate management team. They all sit together for a Q&A.

The format of this presentation is such that the MD reviews the past performance, recognises achievements, identifies the future challenges and suggests future direction in issues that relate to corporate intervention. After the 30 minute presentation, there is a Q&A session for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Anyone in our branch offices or project sites is invited to participate via a chat mode.   This is the most effective way of engaging employees – it is a very open forum and people can ask any questions they want.

Voltas Anthem

Launched 2 years ago, our Voltas anthem has done wonders for our people. It is sung by Voltatites and is played before all our broadcasts. Our employees actually stand when this is played. Such is the power of the anthem in uniting people.

The melodious radio – pride of the past

In the past, we created a Voltas Geetmala (radio) and we sent messages through this medium. It used to be played in the canteen mixed with various songs. The normal player was used for this and the production was outsourced.

Voltas management meet

Another approach to our problem solving is the two-day ‘Voltas management meet’. 70-80 people representing all levels and classes in the organisation attend this. In the 2-day meet we share various issues that impact all businesses. We sit together and design a path towards the solution, taking a ‘bottom-up’ approach.

All these initiatives are being undertaken against the backdrop of various company goals. By 2012, we wanted to be a Rs. 10,000  core company (of which Rs. 7000core would be contributed by organic growth) with a 10% profit. Considering the growth accomplished in the last few years, we are hopeful of reaching our organic growth targets.

KK. Does communication change when speaking to white collar and blue collar employees?

BNG: Absolutely not. It is communication at the end of the day. Nothing much changes in that regard. We don’t believe in a white collar and a blue collar employee. We feel that organisational issues are one. The response has to be the same for all employees, unless there are issue-based activities within the factory. Also, most our employees understand English as this is a service-oriented company. Just 1% are Hindi speaking.

KK. How do you see the future of internal communications in India?

BNG: This is a field that very few people understand. For example, no advertising agency would understand internal communications. There is a big need for internal communicators in organisations. We need to develop teams who understand internal comms and work in partnership with the employees to aid organisational efficiency.

For us, being a company that is service-oriented, engagement is necessary. The challenge for us is much more than in the West as we are multi-cultural, multi-lingual and have multiple classes. However, Asia is growing into a huge market and I can say it with much certainity that it is, slowly but steadily, successfully dealing with all barriers in the pursuit of achieving internal efficiency and productivity.

By Karuna Kumar

‘A stitch in time, saves nine’ is an age-old adage. But does it really resonate with our daily corporate lives? Surrounded by reams of paper, struggling to complete the proposal for a prospective client before a meeting, stuffing a sandwich alongside while taking a call from the supervisor and shooting off an e-mail to a colleague regarding the follow up of a previous project…and the list continues!

While many of us wish there were more than 24 hours in a day, the only way to fulfill the desire to have more time is to make more of it – through some disciplined time management.

Time management calls for a commitment to change and significant to change is a commitment to action. The key aspect here is planning and protecting the planned time. The absence of meticulous time planning can lead to labour inefficiencies in the organisation that eventually result in lower productivity.

Emphasizing the colossal losses through poor time management are statistics from a survey conducted in 2007 by Proudfoot consulting. The survey states, “Companies in the UK waste around 18% of all working time through inefficient use of labour, the equivalent of 40 working days per employee per year. The financial cost amounts to £80bn, or around 7% of GDP, based on current average hourly wages in manufacturing.”

An interesting principle that leverages time management is the Pareto Principle of 80:20. The Pareto principle (80:20) lays down a pragmatic premise to understand the relationship between time and efficiency. The principle states, “in anything, a few are vital and many are trivial.” 20% of the defects cause 80% of our problems and 20% of your work consumes 80% of your time and resources.

The Pareto principle is very valuable as it directs people to focus on the 20% of work that matters. 20% effort , if correctly applied, can produce 80% of the desired results. Putting it in another way, the principle also encourages spending  80% of one’s time and energy on the 20% of the work that is really important. Learning to identify what is critical to your mission and setting the right priorities are important in practicing effective time management.

Time is on my side – yes it is!

Creativity drives business innovation and business innovation can thrive only in a time-disciplined environment. Imbibing a few time management strategies in daily work activities can thereby aid the innovative streak of any business.

Here are a few tips to help you apply the right technique:

•Reconditioning the expectations of others to your availability is an important aspect of time-management. In a scenario where responsibility is inherited, do not enslave yourself to an unrealistic process or system. Challenge work that could lead to a waste of your time.

•When it comes to your own short term and long term goals, review your activities and prioritise accordingly.

•Plan your activities thoroughly without leaving everything to your PA’s.

•Ensure you make space for unplanned activities. You never know when an important meeting or task might pop up. Thinking ahead will prevent a lot of schedule-juggling down the line!

•To be really efficient, manage the entire environment in a way that is most conducive to your working style. This includes the adoption of new systems, tools and technology.

•Multitasking – while done by many – is not always beneficial. Too many jobs started at once, at times, can lead to completion of none.

•Learn the art of delegation – perhaps the most important part of achieving effective time management. Keep in mind, it must be guided by benchmarks decided upon unanimously rather than working along prescribed work plans.

•Challenge your own habits and routines and be aware of the way you choose to spend your time.

Manage your calls and emails and do not let them manage you! The inbox need not necessarily be your first destination as you step into your office. Commence your day by attending to significant work that needs your urgent attention. Attending to the frequently popping notifications of e-mails while working on project reports and proposals might not be the best way to manage your time.

Stephen R. Covey’s framework for prioritizing work

Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People recommends a useful framework for prioritizing goals in the chapter, ‘First things First’.

He focuses on four generations of time management:

1. First generation of time management – advocates the use of task lists, notes and checklists that would help in the recognition of demands.

2. The second focuses on the use of calendars and planning books aiming at planning ahead and scheduling.

3. The third generation concentrates on clarifying values, goal setting, prioritizing weekly and daily projects/tasks.

4. Lastly, the fourth generation entails personal management. It is not a matter of time management but managing ourselves.

“Significant to the generations of time management is the identification of primary roles and principles. All decisions around time management must be guided not merely by the clock of scheduling but by the compass of purpose and values,” Covey states.

Digital Approaches to Time Management

With the waves of technology touching the corporate shores, time management has become a much easier task than before. Instrumental in transforming one’s effectiveness both personally and within a business team, digital acumen is a skill-set essential for managing time. With the mobile internet, accessing e-mails on the move can mentally prepare you to react promptly to messages. You can also organise data systematically by grouping information logically and making it more accessible. Digital communication also allows the sharing of information, contact lists and appointments enabling mutually convenient times for everyone.

To conclude this toolkit, I leave you with a final snap shot of the keys to building effective time management skills:

•    Be clear about your goals and values.
•    Establish a clear focus.
•    Be single minded.
•    Be decisive.
•    Be rational.
•    Be persistent.
•    Create routines.
•    Work in time blocks.
•    Set aside time for renewal.

Time is uni-directional. Valuing what’s current is what matters the most. Time management requires planning and organizing in a way that allows the most important goals to be achieved as quickly as possible. The quality of our time management is a determinant of the quality of life we live.

By Karuna Kumar

Maintaining the legacy of a 57-year-old company is difficult enough, however driving it towards an employee retention rate three times the national average while significantly growing sales is an achievement that deserves much admiration.

We caught up with the man responsible for those feats, CEO Garry Ridge, at WD-40’s headquarters in San Diego, California. While the Australian-born Ridge oversees the trademark name of the ubiquitous household spray used by millions across the globe, the company also owns several other brand names such as 3-In-One Oil and Carpet Fresh.

The rise from down under to the top

Swapping one warm climate for another, Ridge left Australia and arrived in the in San Diego in 1994 to become the Director of International Operations at the company.

From there he was elected as Vice President of the organisation in 1995 and finally, took the position of the Chief Executive Officer in 1997, where he found himself in a consumer facing company producing a product that had gradually found a place in toolboxes around the world.

“When I moved to the US, the three words that became vital to me were, ‘I don’t know’. I accepted that I didn’t know and accepted that if I did know, things would get better. I surrounded myself with people who were competent and gave them the freedom to be heard. I always listen with the intent of being influenced.”

Back to school

In his early 40’s, Garry Ridge went back to the books and completed his Masters in Leadership from the University of San Diego. It was there that he met Ken Blanchard, the management expert and co-author ofThe One Minute Manager, the management bestseller that has sold over 13 million copies worldwide. So taken was Ridge with Blanchard’s teachings, that together they co-authored the well received book, Helping People Win at Work.

Through his academic experiences Ridge reaffirmed his ideologies of leadership and developed his theory – ‘I’m not here to mark your paper, I’m here to help you get an A.’ “It is all about helping the employees to get an A and not follow some normal distribution curve. I do not build failure in the mentoring of my employees. Instead, I create a culture that encourages knowledge sharing and non-stop learning.”

Leading a growing company

So, what are the key drivers that have enabled WD-40, to grow from $152.7 million in turnover in 2000 to more than $292 million for 2009?

“I have advocated three strategic drivers for the company: brand, border and business channels. Including more brands in our portfolio, targeting more opportunities internationally and selling our products in multi-trade channels are issues I address consistently,” Ridge explained.

Under Ridge, WD-40 has become an internationally acclaimed brand that has more than 50% of its operations outside the US and has been growing at a 20%+ compounded annual growth rate for the past five years.

Maintaining a globally engaged work force

In a company like WD-40, it’s no surprise that engagement levels are high. Contrary to the shocking statistics of only a third of people in the United States going to work engaged everyday with two-thirds of employees not engaged or actively disengaged, WD-40’s figures present a welcome contradiction to the norm.

A global employee opinion survey revealed that a remarkable 93.1% of the employees in WD-40 are engaged with 96% of them demonstrating trust in their supervisors. “The employees must feel they are in a trusted environment and among people who want them to succeed. We put the responsibility of the employee development on the leader,” Ridge pointed out.

Stats aside, it hasn’t always been a bed of roses for Ridge and WD-40. “I had a lot of pushback, a lot of resistance but I knew that if I could create an atmosphere where the employees had a clear vision, clear guiding values, an exciting future in front of them and people who wanted them to win – we would win. There were times when I wandered but I never gave up.”

For his 300+ employees, Ridge has initiated innovative ways of communicating and motivating his staff. Besides sending his employees a daily quote of the day and signing off his emails with ‘Believe in yourself ’, he gives an assurance to his employees that he will address each of their grievances within 24 hours.

“Communication doesn’t come in one flavour. The key to communication is the permission to communicate. There are four things that come into play here: care, candidacy, accountability and responsibility. I care about my people. I take a deep interest in who they are and what they do. I consistently take initiatives to make them feel cared for. Ultimately, communication is all about consistency.”

Ridge also believes in dual focus. The well being and personal growth of the people he leads is as important to him, if not more, than the organisational goals he seeks to achieve. “When you lead at a higher level, the development of the people you are leading is just as important as the performance and results you desire.”

To err is more than human

With such a down-to-earth approach to his work, Ridge has set a benchmark for leaders of organisations around the world. His strategies and model of leadership can act as a guideline for many others in the business. “The attributes of a good leader start with identifying yourself as to who you are. Having a good look in your own mirror. In addition, a clear, concise and easily explainable vision and a clear set of values must be implemented in the organisation, the violation of which should not be allowed at any point.”

Opening the door to learning is significant to the growth of WD-40. Ridge ensures that his employees share the positive and negative outcomes of any situation. “At WD-40, we don’t make mistakes. We have learning moments.”

WD-40 as a brand has reached out to varied markets worldwide. From direct markets like the UK, the US and Australia through to relationship building markets such as China. Ridge professes a ‘tribe’ philosophy is the underlying current for his success. “Tribes are enduring. They believe in learning and teaching. They also bring in a sense of belonging and think about longevity. We all here, belong to the WD-40 tribe.”

The agenda before the team is global extension, developing around categories, joint ventures and acquisitions and leveraging the trust people have in the WD-40 brand. “For brand extension and border expansion, I have devised a special team called ‘Team Tomorrow’ that is focused on only one thing: tomorrow,” Ridge explained.

Sniffing competitors

Of course, success never comes alone; it often brings stiff competition, with more competitors wanting to get a slice of the cake. Though for the rather calm and composed Ridge, nothing seems to unnerve him. With total employees numbering just over 300, Ridge has managed astonishing annual sales figures of close to $300 million in 2009 – working out at almost $1 million per employee.

While not every organisation can be a WD-40 and not every manager can wear the shoes of Garry Ridge, the point that this CEO constantly makes is that leading at a higher level is about treating people the right way by providing the direction, support and encouragement they need to be their best.

He staunchly stands by the theory that it is not about marking the paper, instead it is about being instrumental in the achievement of an A by the employees. The leader must hold himself responsible for the people he leads. The personal well being of the employees and the organisational goals should be pursued with the same vigour and zeal.

Garry Ridge is not among those resting on his laurels, he is focused about the vision and goals of his organisation. He knows he is here to stand as a winner and sustain the winning streak that WD-40 is on. Brand extensions and border expansions are on the agenda, but making his tribe strong enough to face the storms of stiff competition and entering new markets is his constant challenge.

“My dream is to have WD-40 Company viewed as a leadership laboratory for business.”

For more insight on Ridge’s leadership learnings and expertise, be sure to check out his website, www.thelearningmoment.net.

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So what about that name, WD-40?

Norm Larsen, a scientist at the Rocket Chemical Company, San Diego, was attempting to concoct a formula for displacing water and preventing corrosion in the early 50’s.

It was on his fortieth attempt that he was met with success, hence the name: Water-Displacement 40. The spray has created ripples in the market ever since.