I am 44 years old, a senior vice president at a small technology company and I thought I had a good thing going. I was doing well-the past two years were especially good-and had the CEO's ear. However, our company recently hired a new CFO, and I just can't seem to get along with him. Being above me in the organisational hierarchy, it is easy for him to pass off my ideas as his own, something that he does regularly. The CEO, impressed by his hire's performance, has suddenly started giving me the cold shoulder. Indeed, at last month's review he actually pulled me up for poor performance. I am at my wit's end. What should I do?

Are you in trouble! The CEO and CFO, both, don't particularly like you. Maybe the latter views you as his primary competitor within the organisation. Talk to him; get him to be an ally rather than an adversary. The easiest way to do this is to seek his opinion on key issues. After his comfort level increases, offer your own suggestions. This may also be a good time to review your performance-does the CEO have reason to be unhappy with your work? Work harder, noticeably so and if, despite everything, there's no change in the CEO's perception or the CFO's hostility circulate your resume.

I have every reason to be happy, but am not so. At 30, I have made it as a project manager at one of India's best known software companies. That's right, I now head the very team of which I used to be a part. However, I can't but help feeling that some of my former team members are not too happy at having to now report to 'one of the boys'. I can sense a change in the way some team members behave with me. Worse, the team's output has plummeted. Please help.

Whatever you do, don't bring this up with your boss, not just yet. That would be tantamount to admitting your failure as a team leader. Bring up the issue with your team, one member at a time. Don't do it in your office where the seating arrangement probably keeps reminding them of who the boss is. Meet with the team at a coffee shop or a pub. Try and make them realise that the team's performance matters more than who made project manager and who didn't. Give this approach some time. If it fails, talk to your boss. The problem could well be with your team, not you.

I strongly believe I am a victim of sexual discrimination. I am 35, a mother of two, and a senior analyst at an equity research firm, a post I have held down four years. The head of research at our firm quit recently. As the senior-most contender for the post, I considered myself a shoo-in. I was shocked when the job went to a junior colleague. One of my friends, who is a senior manager at the firm, told me that although I was the best person for the job, the senior management believed a married woman, a mother to boot, wouldn't be able to handle the stress that came with the job. Can I take the firm to court?

I take it your friend in high places was involved in the selection process. If not, speak to someone who was to get the facts straight. If you are still convinced that you have been discriminated against you could do one of two things. You could quit and sign on with a firm with more a progressive mind-set. Or you could seek legal redress and file a suit against your employer. You would be completely within your rights to pursue the second course of action but doing so could affect your immediate career prospects. Most employers are paranoid about litigious employees. The legal process could drag on, and that could cause you mental and financial distress. Think long and hard about it, but if you still feel strongly about it, go ahead and sue the company.

Mine is a problem of plenty. I am a sales manager at a fast moving consumer products company that is still recovering from three rounds of lay-offs. Predictably, my work load has increased, my superiors have reposed their faith in me, and I am actually handling the complete launch of a new product-unheard of for a 29-year old manager. However, the 24X7 work schedule that this entails is taking its toll on me. Should I quit?

Consider yourself fortunate: you still have a job, your superiors are happy with you, and you have been handed a rare opportunity to prove yourself on a platter. Make the most of this. Maybe when things look up, you could request some assistance. The company should, if all goes well, be able to afford that by then. Meanwhile, don't whinge.

Answers to your career concerns are contributed by Tarun Sheth (Senior Consultant) and Shilpa Sheth (Managing Partner) of HR firm, Shilputsi Consultants. Write to Help,Tarun! c/o Business Today, Videocon Tower, Fifth Floor, E-1, Jhandewalan Extn., New Delhi-110055.

Recruiter's Diary
Under intense pressure to make its managers more accountable, India Inc wakes up to the merits of external benchmarking as an HR tool.

Sanjay Kapoor, Partner Amrop Intl.

Not too long ago, if you had the best results among your peers in your company, you were guaranteed a promotion. If you didn't, you would still be promoted, perhaps a little later than your best performing colleague. Not so anymore.

What, in hr jargon, is called internal benchmarking (rewarding the most successful employee with a promotion first) is increasingly giving way to external benchmarking in corporate India. Simply put, external benchmarking means that when companies look to fill vacancies in senior positions, they not only consider the best talent from within the company but also search outside the company. Indian companies are no longer content to confine themselves to in-house talent when it comes to something as important as their organisational and financial performance. With the pressure of global competition becoming intense, companies want the best talent available in the market.

Amrop International was recently mandated by a large MNC to manage a head-hunt for the position of its country head. We shortlisted four candidates for the job-two from within the company and two outsiders. Each of them was put through the same recruitment procedure to ensure objectivity in the selection process. At first, the internal candidates found the procedure a little awkward since they weren't accustomed to competing with external candidates for their promotions.

Companies are becoming more cautious about the quality of candidates they recruit at senior levels and are willing to invest additional time, effort and resources to ensure that they find the best person for the job.

A BALANCING ACT

Building competent leadership teams is acquiring great importance in the eyes of India Inc.'s companies against the backdrop of extreme competition. A minor error in a top-level recruitment can directly impact the company's profitability as well as its market positioning. Most progressive Indian companies are beginning to benchmark the quality of their managers against the talent available in the market. They seek to balance the business objective of ensuring the best people in critical positions with providing growth to their existing employees. To achieve this twin objective, companies are redefining their recruitment procedures and investing additional resources in assessing the talent available in the market.