SKILL SETS OF IRSE OFFICERS

RELEVANT TO CORPORATE WORLD

Abhay Kumar Mishra, IRSE (VR),

COO (Spl Proj) , Emaar MGF Land Ltd

A skill is broadly defined as An ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic, and sustained
effort to smoothly and adaptively carryout complex activities or job functions involving ideas cognitive skills),
(things (technical skills), and/or people interpersonal skills.
Competent business and public service leaders who are skill equipped and prepared to run global
organizations are in short supply and are in demand as never before. Skills to prepare todays managers for
future leadership roles cannot be left to chance. Coursework and training are not enough in this complex
corporate world of uncertainty. Organizations in order to impart the relevant skills must create systems and
processes that enable managers to learn leadership from experience. They must provide them with a clear
sense of what needs to be learned, surround them with people who support their efforts to develop
themselves, and promote effective developmental practices, such as reflection, dialogue, intentional goal
setting and feedback.
A research-based, time-tested guideline for developing managers proposes engaging them with three clusters
of experience, using a 70-20-10 ratio:

Challenging assignments (70%)

Developmental relationships (20%)

Coursework and training (10%).

IRSE, on retro reflection fits the bill through its extensive classroom learning schedules, onsite training
and above all putting in situations which are unprecedented in nature. Following aspect of the career
training which gets imparted during the tenure are pertinent to prevailing Corporate work ethics and
culture.

The Show must Go On- Regardless of what happens the wheel never stops is the
Motto of the job in IRSE .

Born Go getters - Its passion, drive and motivation which is cultivated early in the
career in IRSE. Go-getters are passionate about what they do. People who can think of

the next actionable task and are able to be specific about it, are the ones who will get to
it and deal with it. It is a skill very relevant and scarce in Corporates today.

Planning & Organizing : As a master planner and developer of railways IRSE

officers develop this skill set without any efforts.It is one of sought after skill required in
corporate world.

Crisis Management - Crisis management and disaster management in the context of

the railways would focus accident on minimising the loss of life and reduction in
disruption in the operation of the Railways. In the context of Corporates crisis
management is the process by which an organization deals with a major event that
threatens to harm an organization or its stake holders. The enormity of the frequent
crisis situations in railway careers prepares one with the effective tools of methodical
and uninhibited thinking , ability to maintain composure in the situation of gravest
uncertainty with an eye on the finding ways and restoring the normalcy at the earliest are
biggest lessons for todays managers.

Man Management Each officer right from the beginning of the career is expected
to manage a army of men , several times senior in experience and age . This helps
them in imbibing at an early age the skills of :
-

Handling difficult people

Resolving conflict within the team.

Organizing work.

Creating and sustaining a positive mental attitude.

In the Corporate world the chain of events that leads to strong and sustained business
results starts with great managers, and the defining contribution of great managers is that
they boost the engagement levels of the people who work for them and manage them
efficiently.

Multi culture sensitivity and awareness In the entire career in the IRSE an
officer is exposed to various Geographies, cultures and systems .and expected to
assimilate the work culture sensitivities of different people and yet hit the ground
running. This inculcates a lot of tolerance and flexibility and the ability to get the best

out of people and manage to utilize the complimentary skill sets of different people to
deliver the best results.

Multi tasking Multitasker , a person who is able to perform many jobs

simultaneously, is a preferred profile for many professional sectors and corporates.
The skill is more relevant in the post recession period where the people who can
contribute to more than one Project/Teams are in great demand. IRSE by virtue of
enormity of the network and tasks its catering to , enable its officers to practice this
virtue right from the beginning of ones career .

Dealing with Government Working through the maze of systems and approvals
which forms the very essential and ever pervading cob web of regulations enables and
IRSE officer to understand, prioritize and learn to align the interest of the
Organization with the work in hand, a skill which is not taught in any Business school
but is a very important and desired skill in the business world.
Above is not an exhaustive list but shows that after joining IRSE services officers
develop number of skills which are useful within railways and in the corporate world.
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