Kapable Review

“Kapable taught me to stop assuming what others were thinking and focus on what I wanted to communicate”

For almost 25 years, I have worked in HR, and over that time I have learned that the role keeps changing as you grow. What worked when I was managing people locally did not necessarily work when I moved into international HR and started working across different countries, cultures and leadership teams. That transition was one of the moments when I realised that technical knowledge and experience alone were not enough. I needed to become more structured, more concise and more deliberate in the way I communicated.
My role today involves much more than the traditional HR function. I work with employees, government officials, leadership teams and people dealing with very personal challenges. I also handle legal and operational matters and work with teams across different product groups. In an environment like this, every conversation can require a different approach. I joined Kapable with an upcoming presentation at IIM in mind, where I would have to present a project in front of professors, senior HR leaders and a large audience, followed by questions. I knew I could manage the content, but I wanted to be confident that I could express it clearly and handle whatever came my way.
One of the first changes I noticed was that I became more comfortable pausing. Earlier, I was very spontaneous with my responses. I would listen to someone and immediately start answering, sometimes before fully thinking through what the situation required. I also spoke very quickly, and there were times when I would almost consume the words at the end of a sentence, leaving the other person to figure out what I had said. I began slowing down, thinking before responding and paying more attention to how clearly my message was landing.
That change became particularly useful with my international colleagues. They would sometimes tell me that I was speaking too fast, and I started consciously slowing down so that the conversation was easier to follow. I also stopped worrying so much about what the other person might think of me. Earlier, if I had a problem at work, I might hesitate to tell my boss because I would wonder whether they would think I was complaining. Now, if there is an issue, I am more comfortable raising it clearly and focusing on solving it.
The same shift has changed how I approach my team. I used to assume that someone with 15 years of experience should be able to handle everything independently. Recently, I had a conversation with a senior team member whose performance was suffering. Instead of beginning with a firm conversation about the work, I first tried to understand how he was doing, whether there were personal challenges affecting him and where he needed support. That changed the entire dynamic. He became more comfortable approaching me, started proactively sharing concerns and we were able to address important issues together much faster.
It also changed the way I interact with younger employees. Earlier, I carried an assumption that because I was more senior and experienced, I naturally knew more. Today, I am much more interested in understanding their perspective and learning from what they know while sharing my own experience. That has made those conversations much more open.
I have also changed how I prepare for presentations. Earlier, preparing the slides felt like preparation itself. Now, I think about the story I want to tell. Instead of simply moving from one bullet point to another, I try to create a narrative that gives people the larger picture and keeps them connected to what I am saying. I recently used this approach during an HR review with my leadership team, and I intend to carry it into my upcoming IIM presentation.
I know I am still a work in progress, especially in high-stakes situations. But I now have a clearer understanding of what I need to practise. I have started recording myself, listening back to my audio and preparing deliberately instead of relying only on my experience. For me, the biggest change has been realising that communication is something I can consciously improve. I have the experience and the knowledge. Now I am learning how to make both come through with greater clarity, composure and connection.