Cedar Podcasts

Sanjiv Anand, Chairman, Cedar Management Consulting International

In this episode, I share five critical pillars that I believe every CEO must personally lead when shaping their organisation’s people strategy. First, I discuss why organisational structure must be designed around business strategy, not individual personalities. Second, I explain how compensation frameworks should reward strategic performance through meaningful variable pay. Third, I introduce what I call the “hit by the bus list” ensuring immediate successors are ready for every critical leadership role. I also speak about culture, not as a set of values on paper, but as behaviour demonstrated daily by leadership. Finally, I emphasise the importance of direct, unfiltered communication with employees through forums such as monthly town halls, which I see as essential to building trust and alignment. These five pillars are, in my view, fundamental to building a resilient, high-performing organisation.

Sanjiv Anand, Chairman, Cedar Management Consulting International

In this episode, I speak candidly about the challenge of work–life balance for senior executives. Over the years, I have seen many leaders express regret about not spending enough time with their families. Success at work should not come at the cost of personal fulfilment.

I share practical disciplines I believe in — working smart by prioritising what truly matters, delegating effectively, and limiting distractions such as unnecessary emails. Leaders must make conscious choices: get home on time, protect weekends, and take full holiday entitlement. For those who travel frequently, plan schedules to maximise family time and disconnect when you can.

Most importantly, do not let devices control your life. Leadership is not only about serving shareholders — it is also about honouring the moments that truly matter.

Sanjiv Anand, Chairman, Cedar Management Consulting International

In this episode, I outline the critical HR priorities that I believe every CEO must personally lead. First, organisational structure must be aligned to strategy — it cannot be delegated blindly to HR. Structure is a strategic decision.

On compensation, I emphasise the growing importance of performance-linked variable pay to meet market realities. I also discuss succession planning through what I call the “hit-by-the-bus list,” ensuring immediate backups for every critical role.

Culture, in my view, is not defined by posters but by behaviour at the top. CEOs must model and reward what they expect. Finally, I highlight the importance of direct communication — particularly regular town halls — to build trust, alignment and leadership credibility across the organisation.

Sanjiv Anand, Chairman, Cedar Management Consulting International

In this episode, I speak about the evolving role of Boards of Directors in human capital management. In my view, boards can no longer remain distant from people strategy. Their most critical decision is the selection of the CEO — and that choice must reflect the organisation’s immediate need, whether transformation, stabilisation or growth.

I also caution against allowing incoming CEOs to bring an entire “mafia” of loyalists, as this can destabilise culture and dilute institutional continuity. Compensation structures, including meaningful variable pay and ESOPs, must be designed to drive strategic performance, not entitlement.

Ultimately, culture begins at the board level. As organisations across Asia and the Middle East mature, boards will play an increasingly active role in HR governance and long-term leadership alignment.

Communication in change management must be treated as a strategic lever, not a one-time announcement. The goal is to move people from awareness to adoption — and that demands sustained, deliberate messaging.

We work across two layers. General communication keeps the entire organisation aligned on objectives, milestones and progress through town halls, leadership updates and formal channels. Targeted communication, often led by Change Agents, focuses on specific user groups directly affected — particularly during testing and pre-go-live phases.

The discipline lies in ensuring the right message reaches the right audience at the right time. When communication is structured and consistent, uncertainty declines, confidence increases and adoption accelerates across the organisation.

Measuring readiness throughout the change journey is essential. We use what we call ADKAR Temperature Checks — a practical mechanism to assess emotional and behavioural progress at defined milestones, rather than waiting until go-live to uncover issues.

At each phase, the focus evolves. In the early stages, we assess Awareness and Desire. During testing, we evaluate Knowledge and Ability. After go-live, attention shifts to Reinforcement.

These temperature checks create a continuous feedback loop. They surface readiness gaps early, enabling leadership to strengthen communication, refine training or increase sponsorship where required. Change should never be treated as a one-time event — it must be measured, recalibrated and reinforced to ensure sustained adoption and long-term impact.

Effective change requires disciplined stakeholder engagement. Not all stakeholders demand the same intensity of focus — engagement must be deliberate and prioritised.

We categorise stakeholders into four groups. Q1 stakeholders are both highly influential and significantly impacted; they require early and sustained engagement. Q2 stakeholders are impacted but less influential, calling for proactive communication and reassurance. Q3 stakeholders have minimal influence and impact, where broad updates are sufficient. Q4 stakeholders hold influence but face limited direct impact — their concerns must be anticipated to prevent future resistance.

Mapping these groups on an influence–interest matrix allows leadership to allocate effort strategically. Structured engagement reduces surprises and ensures that change is actively supported rather than quietly resisted.

Training is what ultimately converts change into capability. Creating awareness is only the first step; people must feel confident operating in the new environment if transformation is to succeed.

We distinguish between two critical forms of training. Functional training focuses on how to use the system and is often delivered by the software provider. Process training, led by Learning & Development, clarifies how workflows, responsibilities and controls will evolve. Both dimensions are essential.

Structured training moves an organisation from understanding to execution. It closes the gap between awareness and ability. Without it, change remains conceptual. With it, change becomes operational, measurable and embedded into daily performance.

Impact assessment is, in our view, one of the most critical disciplines in effective change management. It is the point where strategy meets operational reality. Before any rollout, we must clearly understand how a new system or process will affect specific users and business units.

We evaluate impact across three dimensions: the type of change, the training required, and the level of impact — high, medium or low. High-impact areas require structured training and frequent communication, while lower-impact areas demand lighter, more targeted interventions.

This discipline ensures that the right people receive the right preparation at the right time. Without impact assessment, change becomes disruptive and reactive. With it, change becomes structured, focused and measurable — significantly increasing the probability of success.

At Cedar Management Consulting International, we approach Change Management as a coordinated, multi-stakeholder discipline — never the responsibility of a single department. At the centre is the CM team, accountable for planning, sequencing and tracking the entire change journey. But structure alone does not drive adoption.

We place strong emphasis on Change Agents embedded within the organisation, bridging strategy and frontline reality. Marketing plays a vital role in delivering clear, consistent messaging, while Learning & Development equips teams with the capabilities required for operational change.

Our objective is clear: enable structured adoption, minimise resistance and accelerate value realisation. This is how strategy moves beyond intent and becomes embedded behaviour across every level of the organisation.