Factors such as the emergence of data and analytics, automation, attrition at senior levels, and dynamics of the new-age workforce have caused a transformation in the HR industry. Data and analytics have significantly affected simple to complex HR roles, be it recruiting, leadership preparation, or preparing the workforce. Although automation & technology made many processes obsolete, they have simplified other processes, dramatically reducing human error.
Afeef Ahmed, CEO of Myndscope Consulting, believes that the ‘face’ of HR has changed, from being transactional paperwork oriented feature to one that needs to be continuously concentrated on bringing value at any organizational level. Therefore, Afeef and his team have been focused on building a gig-talent pool for the company, choosing clientele and the learning industry in general, with an emphasis on providing the opportunity to develop new skills and learn new things during their time with them.
“
We challenge ourselves in raising the bar with each such immersive experience, and perhaps it is this drive of ours that makes our clients come back to us on a repeated basis.
Afeef’s Entrepreneurial Journey
“I was never driven by “being my own boss” or similar slogans! But when I quit as an employee, it definitely was due to a strong sense of dissatisfaction I had with not being able to discover my own capabilities and only measuring my success on materialistic gains, corporate perks, business travel, and designations. I felt my creativity and unconventional ideas were not fitting the corporate environment,” says Afeef. In particular, he recalls a fascinating interview he had for a strategic position at a leading IT company. What was meant to be a 30-minute conversation with the senior official who interviewed him, culminated into a discussion lasting over 2 hours. In the end, the versatile leader was told that he wouldn’t get the job, as the firm felt they couldn’t keep him engaged for more than six months.
Then Afeef went to do something which naturally comes to him. He equips and enables individuals, teams, and businesses with the right competencies and tools to easily and effectively achieve specific goals. Niloofar Yazdi (CDO), his business and life partner, was instrumental in defining the concept and design of what they thought was a groundbreaking approach to learning and consulting. She had played the role of training head with a leading It-enables education firm and was also consulting a few firms in helping them set-up their talent enhancement processes. The initial years were tough for them because they wanted to understand what they were really good at, passionate about, and understand what the industry was looking at as well. Because of their effort and passion, Myndscope Consulting stands as a top 10 workplace solutions provider in India today. Its leadership programs are among the most well-received and recognized by the corporate community.
Creating Innovative Solutions In Talent Engagement
Myndscope Consulting is a brain-based learning & development firm focused on designing and imparting innovative and effective personal development & consultancy programs to address specific requirements of the intended audiences, their business or individual goals, and available resources. The company is focused on enhancing its value-add for its clients and customers and aiming to deliver the most exceptional solutions to them. This drive has kept the co-founders and their team awake, alert, and hungry. Eventually, this helped them stay active and innovation-driven in the space of talent engagement over the years to the degree that various global institutions and academies recognized them for their talent engagement & enhancement solutions.
Its flagship product, HiFi Solutions (Highly Interactive & Fully Immersive), gives the company an edge over others. Afeef asserts, “Imagine using the game of golf to teach leadership skills, and that too at the comfort of playing it indoors! Or through football, you experience team strategy, diversity, and understanding the ten mental patterns of the brain. We use online and board games to help people gain strategic acumen, business acumen, and essential leadership skills. We also use military-based themes in our programs to help people overcome personal and professional challenges.”
The company also prides itself on providing leading-edge services in the e-learning space, both as a consulting company, a service provider, and as a preferred partner with organizations, academies, and individuals. It recognizes the ever-increasing need for corporate and academic training and learning – the need for realistic skills improvement, job-applicable expertise, professional growth, organizational skills, and career advancement opportunities.
Collaborative, Flat Hierarchical And Agile Culture
At Myndscope Consulting, the co-founders created a collaborative, flat hierarchical and agile workplace. As an organization, they still refer back to their core principles, which help them communicate with the staff, partners, customers, and how they typically do business. Employees are respected and valued, be it a personal or professional way. This approach has helped the company create a positive culture of leadership and mentoring while ensuring that employees are comfortable collaborating with colleagues at all levels.
Overcoming the Challenges
As a professional consultant, Afeef understands the challenges of today’s world and the issues his clients are facing in particular. However, this didn’t stop him and encouraged him to do something new. He, along with his team, changed their focus and direction of their services. “In the initial days of the crisis, we did not want to overwhelm our clients with business-related interactions, but instead helped them make the transition of their work-from-home initiatives easier,” says Afeef. The versatile leader with his team conducted free learning sessions to over 2000 employees on how to work from home, manage their time, handle stress, and be productive as well. They conducted special programs for managers and leaders on how to drive their teams with greater compassion and empathy while also being mindful of their objectives. Moreover, they have now transferred all of their learning programs online and trained their team of consultants and trainers to provide these services to their customers.
New Developments Plans For 2020
In the last year, Myndscope Consulting launched its digital platform and two new programs in its HiFi learning suite. This year, the co-founding duo plan to enable their clients to move their learning and employee engagement programs into self-paced and digitized modes, through their own or the company’s digital platforms. They also plan to have 2000 new and experienced managers and senior leaders participate in their immersive learning programs across India. Lastly, they want to engage 5000 students and corporate employees through their online learning programs, primarily AI and Data Science.
