Cultivating Excellence: Building a High-Performance Culture

Welcome to the Vantage HR Influencers Podcast. This podcast is sponsored by Vantage Circle, the simple and AI-powered rewards and recognition platform for employee engagement.

Susmita Sarma: Hello and welcome back to another exciting episode of the Vantage Influencers Podcast. I'm your host Susmita, and today we have with us Ritika Bhandari, the HR Head, GCC region at Teleperformance. In today's discussion with Ritika, we'll explore the journey of cultivating a high performance culture, from making unexpected decisions that elevate team performance to balancing results with values. We'll dive into strategies for reigniting passion, preventing burnout, and ensuring continuous growth. So if you're looking to build a culture that thrives on excellence, this conversation will offer key insights and some real world lessons. Welcome to the show, Ritika.

Ritika Bhandari: Hi, thanks Susmita.

Susmita Sarma: It's a pleasure to have you on the show today. How are you doing?

Ritika Bhandari: I'm doing well, and thank you for having me here for the podcast.

Susmita Sarma: Great to hear that. So before we dive into today's discussion, Ritika, I'd love to take a step back and learn a bit about your journey. You have had quite an impressive career, particularly in the HR space with Teleperformance. So how did you get started, Ritika, and what was the path that led you to where you are today as the HR Head for GCC?

Ritika Bhandari: Thanks Susmita for the question, and it actually takes me back 20 years. I don't know why, but when I was in university, I always thought I want to be in human resources, because I was fascinated to know how human psychology and human growth in an organization happens. That's how I took up HR as my career. So all of my 20 years has been hardcore in the human resource department, but lately I'm really involved in business development and other core areas, because you have to work across those teams as you grow up the career ladder. I have actually worked across different sectors. My HR journey started with talent acquisition, talent management, learning and development, and performance management, before moving into implementing different HR software systems. So it has actually been a full journey, but the journey continues, because there's so much that has come up in HR and AI. I'm actually learning and implementing that as well.

Susmita Sarma: It's always fascinating to hear about the twists and turns that have shaped the leadership approaches of our guests. So now, with your wealth of experience, Ritika, I'm sure you have seen a lot of things when it comes to team performance. Today's topic, building a high performance culture, is one that I'm particularly excited to discuss with you. Let's start with something that might seem a bit unconventional. We all know that to build a high performing team, we need a solid strategy, but sometimes taking risks and making unexpected decisions can have a huge impact. So tell me, Ritika, what was the most unexpected move that you have made to elevate team performance, and what were the outcomes, whether positive or negative?

Ritika Bhandari: Okay, so one thing, Susmita, that I have realized, and I'd say it's always going to be positive, although it is difficult to implement at the beginning, is that the number one thing is having a very transparent communication strategy. You need to be very transparent, and you need to have a really open door policy with your team and your employees, so that people know they can talk about their challenges and about things that aren't going the correct way in an open forum. They need to see that people are hearing them, listening to them, and that they can trust the system. That's one thing I've always implemented, though I wouldn't say I was vocal about it, it's more like a way of life. But one thing I have implemented, and it's really helped, is a response to feedback I've heard for years, people saying they don't have authority and spend so much time taking approvals, and that it's so bureaucratic. So the change I made to ensure people's performance isn't hampered is a very clear delegation of authority matrix. In my department, and overall in the organization, we don't have role holders, managers, supervisors, or director level staff, who hold positions but don't have authority. In the delegation of authority matrix we built, even a team leader approves certain project timelines and resource allocation. If the member is more senior, they have a higher limit in terms of the amounts they can spend, whether on resources, tools, or projects. And of course, the core leadership group approves the high end budgets. I think that has really helped people work in a faster, smoother way, and to know that they don't just hold titles, they also hold authority. So I'd say these two big changes have really had a positive impact on team performance.

Susmita Sarma: So do you think that was something like going against the traditional norms or long standing processes?

Ritika Bhandari: Absolutely. People talk about running employee satisfaction surveys or calling the team for quarterly meetings, but having a very open, transparent way of communication on a weekly basis helps you overcome most of your hurdles quickly, and that's not the traditional way. Through the years, I've realized that one pain point you always hear people raising in HR forums or surveys is their authority level, and how much time things take because of it. So if you want faster work and an agile workforce, you need to have that delegation of authority matrix.

Susmita Sarma: Right, right. And what if there is some kind of resistance from the team members themselves? How do you navigate that while keeping the team aligned and motivated?

Ritika Bhandari: Oh, very good question, Susmita. I think the team is very happy and aligned with these decisions, but sometimes taking your management through the approvals needed to do things like this, and building that trust factor, is difficult, but not impossible. I think when they see the benefit, projects moving faster, the right resources getting hired, and when people have that authority, they become very careful about taking accountability for things. Also, in an open forum, sometimes you yourself feel a little out of place when people give open feedback. But over time it becomes a way of life and a way of working. So you'll always have that settling period, but something that is consistently and diligently followed will work well eventually, if your motives and approach are very clear within your team's boundaries. And of course, you take it as a collective approach, not a dictatorship where I'm just dictating it.

Susmita Sarma: And when we're talking about all these important factors, I couldn't help but think about how often, in the pursuit of performance, we focus so heavily on results. What I'm curious about is, when did you realize that results alone weren't enough? When did you come to the conclusion that aligning values and considering the wellbeing of your team was just as important as hitting those targets?

Ritika Bhandari: Absolutely, Susmita. If one only focuses on results, believe me, you will not get the desired results. So you need to have a really good balance. Number one, your performance criteria should not be based only on results. Certain behaviors that you're trying to drive, the values in an organization, are not supposed to be just on the walls for induction, they need to be part of day to day living as well. Every organization has trust, respect, teamwork, creativity, and problem solving, so that's number one for sure. Second, wellbeing is very, very important. I think what people need is to know their wellbeing is being taken care of, and how you do that can be very different from organization to organization. Most companies are currently focusing, number one, on flexible working hours and a hybrid model. Second, you need regular breaks, letting people be off work, and ensuring they take their leaves on time and really take a break. Third is mental health and physical wellbeing, so a lot of programs really make a difference there. Earlier we would call this team bonding, but it's more about wellbeing now, both your own mental and physical wellbeing, and doing that along with your team, which is really, really essential. We've done a bowling event together, people love football, walkathons, you name it, it really helps. Third, one very important thing is giving people regular feedback. My performance reviews are the fastest, because I share regular feedback with people throughout the year. Nobody is surprised to hear, "Oh, I actually had this feedback for you, but through the year I hadn't given it to you." So when you give feedback continuously, those pieces of feedback are smaller, and it's easier for people to work on, rather than me waiting until the end of the year, when the results and projects are done, to give feedback. That doesn't work for me. So regular feedback is very important. And whatever else you do, your human touch to things needs to stay. It's always good to say thank you, and it's always good to recognize people, even in the smallest way, but to recognize them. So I think these are the things that have a bigger meaning than just results and performance evaluation.

Susmita Sarma: So basically, focusing on holistic growth for both the organization and the individual is so important, especially when striving for excellence. I love the way you've made that connection, Ritika. And speaking of growth, sometimes even the highest performing teams hit a wall. Have you ever encountered a situation where your team was on fire and then suddenly hit a performance plateau? How did you approach reigniting the passion for excellence?

Ritika Bhandari: Yeah, and honestly, it's a common thing that happens. I'll give you an example. When we were trying to implement a new HR system, there was resistance, people saying things like, "No, machines can do it, humans won't be needed, my job will go if a system is doing that." People really resisted it. I think a simple education and a simple conversation with people, explaining that tools will enhance their work and give them more time to do more productive work, that AI will assist them and not replace them, really helped. When that's clear in people's minds while they're taking on projects related to transformation and automation, it makes things a lot easier. Something that used to take hours together is now the click of a button, it's real time for me, and those three or four hours in a day, I can use as productive time. I think I've had the biggest, or most aggressive, conflicts and disagreements with team members whenever it's something related to automation and transformation, because of the insecurities people have around it. But simple education and constant communication about why we're doing it really helps, and they see the results of it.

Susmita Sarma: Yeah, that's a brilliant answer, Ritika. Now, moving on, burnout is something that can affect even the most dedicated teams in an organization, especially when there's a constant drive for excellence. So from your own experience, Ritika, how do you personally handle the pressure that comes with leadership?

Ritika Bhandari: I think number one is to accept that it is burnout. And honestly, I didn't know how to handle it until I'd spoken to experts and read a lot about it. Number one, accept that there's burnout. Sometimes we work in an organization that's huge, and we work with central Europe teams, we work with global teams, and sometimes there are very unreasonable timelines, and we quietly accept them rather than communicating, saying, "I have three running projects, I will deliver, but I need a little more time," or, "I already have my plate full, can this be a slightly later priority?" So communication to your supervisors, within your teams, or to global teams, always helps. And third, prioritizing your work. Everything can't be urgent, and everything can't be important, everything can't need attention right now. So when you prioritize together what's important, what's a priority for you, that really helps. And asking for help, don't shy away from thinking people can't help, that's the time to use people's skills across departments, because they can multitask. I'll give you an example, when it's appraisal time or performance review time, the HR department is really busy, but I don't mind raising my hand and asking my peer group, "Do you have some time to devote to this, can you help us follow up and collate things?" and that helps completely. So that's how one deals with burnout. And at the end, I would always say, take a little break, celebrate success, and then get back to your next project or timeline. Don't just switch on and switch off here and there, give yourself a real break, that's important.

Susmita Sarma: Yeah, it's a delicate balance, isn't it? And I'm sure you've seen that after teams achieve a major milestone, there's sometimes a danger of complacency setting in. So what do you support? Do you want your team members to always be hungry for growth, or do you think that while they continue striving for excellence, they should rest on their laurels sometimes?

Ritika Bhandari: Interesting question, Susmita. This is something that happens, and it was the case with me too, when you work in a certain department, your boundaries are limited. If somebody doing talent acquisition is only ever hiring, hiring, hiring, believe me, you reach a point where you're done with it. One thing we need to work around, and I feel it's lacking, is that even when you look at people's profiles, ten years of experience in one specific field, we should let people become a master of two or three sub-departments within a department. I'll give an example: let people rotate through roles. It's okay if things don't go perfectly in the first month, but if someone is a talent management manager, make them a talent acquisition manager for a while, and vice versa. Both will learn, and both will become well-rounded HR professionals rather than only knowing their own domain. One thing that always helps when people move across these roles is asking them to come up with the five things they think really need to change. If you don't put that across, people don't want to learn or deep dive into it. Until you get your hands dirty, you can't really be at the top, you need to experience different teams. And when you do that, you're also working with different team members, because otherwise you can become very comfortable with the same set of individuals on your team. So I think that works well to cut down the monotony and cut down burnout.

Susmita Sarma: That's a great point, always pushing forward, even after a win, but in different domains, so it doesn't become boring for employees, right? So looking back, what's the one biggest mistake you've seen organizations making while running after excellence?

Ritika Bhandari: There are two things I'd talk about here, and this is something I've seen a lot lately. First, organizations are focusing on results but not on the effort that was made, which is important. It's okay to fail, it's okay if a project doesn't complete on time, don't judge the person because of that. Sometimes you don't win all your RFPs, you don't win all the business deals, but there was an effort put in. In performance reviews, people say, "Oh, at the end I didn't meet my numbers," or, "At the end we didn't meet the project goals." I know it's sometimes difficult in the dynamic work life we're in, but I think you need to recognize effort, that's very, very important. Second, we've become really focused, because the world is moving towards transformation, towards automation and AI, and everyone is talking about it, but people are missing the emotional angle, the EI angle. That's why at my organization, we've done a good blend this year, we're saying that however much we talk about AI, we equally talk about EI. So when we're getting trained on AI, we're getting trained on EI as well, because honestly, you're managing people who are managing big teams, and that element of human touch, that element of EI, that element of empathy, whatever terminology you want to use, is important. That's a very important point, and it's the core of every business that's currently missing. So I think people need to get back to having that balance. If you have a great balance, I think it works well. Those are some of the mistakes I think are happening currently, and that need to change.

Susmita Sarma: That's valuable insight, Ritika. It's clear that building a high performance culture isn't just about pushing for results, but doing so in a way that nurtures the team, aligns values, and creates a sustainable environment for growth. I can't thank you enough for sharing your time, energy, and expertise with us today, Ritika. It's been a pleasure chatting with you, and I know our listeners will walk away with some incredible knowledge.

Ritika Bhandari: Thank you so much, Susmita. That was very insightful, thank you for asking the right questions. I really enjoyed this conversation, thank you once again. And to all our listeners, thank you for tuning in. Until next time, keep striving for excellence in everything you do.