Ad land’s young guns: Tina Jose, Head of Corp Comm, Allstate India

Tina Jose, Head of Corporate Communications, Allstate India, has played a pivotal role in driving the growth and reputation of the organization through her strategic communication efforts. With a focus on fostering transparency, engagement, and innovation, Tina has spearheaded initiatives to strengthen internal alignment, amplify the company's voice in the market, and cultivate a culture of continuous learning and development. Her leadership style, shaped by diverse challenges and a commitment to self-improvement, emphasizes collaboration, empathy, and recognition. Through initiatives like "Be the face of Allstate India," Tina has demonstrated a keen ability to leverage the power of employee storytelling to reinforce organizational values and bolster employee morale. With a proactive approach to motivating and inspiring her team members, Tina is dedicated to nurturing a positive work environment where individuals feel valued and empowered to contribute to the company's success. Looking ahead, Tina prioritizes collaboration over competition, embracing opportunities for learning and growth to drive impactful outcomes for Allstate India.

In conversation with Adgully, Tina Jose, Head of Corporate Communications, Allstate India, speaks about her current role, development of leadership skills and knowledge, as well as some challenges that she had faced in her journey, how she shaped her leadership style, and more.

Could you elaborate on how your role has shaped and contributed to the growth of Allstate India?

As Head of Corporate Communications, I have been fortunate to be part of our organization’s growth journey. While I’ve had the privilege of leading communication efforts, it’s important to acknowledge that individual growth is intertwined with the growth of the company. That said, I have taken a multi-faceted approach. Firstly, by clearly communicating our company’s mission and values both internally and externally. This clarity of direction helps in fostering a strong sense of alignment and purpose among employees and is reflected in the work they do. Maintaining transparency between teams inside the organization helped cut silos and redundancy.

The next approach was how to find our share of voice in the market. So, we leveraged our social media, website and PR initiatives to spread the word out there. Not only about the good work we do, but also how we enjoy what we do. We called for volunteers from the company who have been with us and put their testimonials out as to why they joined Allstate India and what made them stay. The industry and our target audience recognized our work, which reflected clearly in the engagement rates on our social platforms growing by leaps and bounds.

I am in constant pursuit for fresh approaches to support the growth of my organization, internally and externally.

As a Communications Head, what are your roles in the organization?

As a Communications Head, my responsibilities encompass overseeing all aspects of internal and external communication. This includes crafting and disseminating key messages within the organization, managing media relations and developing communication strategies that align with our overarching business objectives and values. Additionally, I serve as a liaison between various departments, supporting their internal campaigns for effective communication and collaboration across the organization.

What initiatives have you taken to develop your leadership skills and knowledge?

Developing leadership skills and expanding knowledge is a continuous journey that involves a combination of learning, practice and self-reflection. Few of my constant lookouts to better myself are:

• Learning opportunities – I am happy that my organization has a very elaborate selection of Learning and development programs that our employees can choose for free. I take up certification courses offered within the organization and also externally that focus on leadership development, bettering communication skills and increasing my industry knowledge. 
• Participating in seminars and workshops – I regularly attend workshops and seminars and network with fellow industry peers to exchange ideas, collaborate or even to seek guidance. This becomes crucial when you are working in a very volatile market, and you can seek guidance from other’s experiences. 
• Reading and Researching – A very important pillar to sharpening one’s own skill. Regularly reading articles, industry publications and books help me to widen my knowledge, gain fresh perspectives and keep up with current trends.
• Feedback for self-reflection – Soliciting feedback from my peers, my subordinates and internal stakeholders goes a long way in identifying areas of growth and improvement. 

Overall, these initiatives have been instrumental in my continuous growth and have helped to effectively navigate the dynamic challenges of my role.

What challenges have you faced in your journey, and how have they shaped your leadership style?

Throughout my journey across many organizations, I have faced several challenges like crisis management, rebuilding a reputation damage within a time period or even changing employee perspectives within an organization. But I always believe that challenges are your blessings, disguised as rings of fire, which if you can pass, can transform you into a phoenix. All my challenges have shaped me into being better, more resilient, and wiser. This has brought a lot of patience in me, helped me understand different perspectives and make unbiased decisions.

Could you share a specific example of a successful initiative or project that reflects your commitment to fostering innovation and transformative culture at Allstate?

A successful initiative is one where we asked for volunteers within our employees to come forward and share their story of why they joined Allstate India and what made them stay. We called the campaign ‘Be the face of Allstate India’. We made our employees as our brand ambassadors. This made the campaign more relatable to employees, potential recruits and played a key role in reaffirming the culture of belonging within our organization. The volunteer numbers when we called for nominations, the engagement numbers on our social media and the response to the campaign within the company not only took us by surprise but also taught us how if we put our people first, transformation won’t be far behind whether it’s in business or in workplace culture.

What strategies do you use to motivate and inspire your team members or peers?

Recognition and appreciation are the first steps to creating a happy workspace. To make every team member feel valued, whether through verbal praise, acknowledging them in open forums or even giving them points on our internal ‘Applause’ platform does make a world of difference in boosting their morale and motivation.

Setting clear goals is also a vital part in helping them get a sense of direction and working towards it. Helping them see how they contribute to the bigger picture and ultimately the success of the company is what makes them feel valued.

I also help them identify training programs that will help boost their career goals. Helping them with their career progression and exploring new avenues of work also helps convert their work into their passion.

Is there any organization that you would like to compete with in the future?

I would stay away from competition, but something healthy as learning from each other and exploring new avenues to make a bigger and better impact will always help me and my organization to excel.