You carry five balls in the air; all but one is made of glass. Glass is health, family, friends, spirituality. Rubber is career. Juggle well.
Be passionate but not emotional.
Master hard skills early in your career. Master soft skills to get ahead later in your career.
Know when to ask questions - sometimes in a group, sometimes one-on-one. There is big difference in perception and outcome in these two situations.
Always do what you say you will do.
Take lunch – you are not that important.
Read the cover of sports page every day (no joke!).
I was reading Canadian Business magazine‘s The Next Power Elite cover story and found these gems at the bottom of the page. I could not resist sharing with my readers. Credit for the content goes to August-September issue of Canadian Business.
Rose & Robert Skillman Library in Detroit has engraving “The Fountain of Wisdom Flows Through the Books“. To drink from this fountain, I continue to read books and here are some that I have completed recently and would like to share with my subscribers and visitors. I have more detail posted here.
These 3 books are totally unique but fit in for a balanced approach towards any leadership or managerial role that you play in your life.
Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down - John P. Kotter, Harvard Business Press, 2010
Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don’t - Jeffrey Pfeffer, HarperBusiness, 2010
It’s Not Just Who You Know: Transform Your Life (and Your Organization) by Turning Colleagues and Contacts into Lasting, Genuine Relationships - Tommy Spaulding, Crown Business, 2010
Why Should You Read These 3 Books?
Buy-In: A leader or manager has to sell the idea, proposal or get an agreement. Getting people buy-into is the critical task. You will learn two things – first, how to protect your good ideas from being shot down and second, how to win the support of stakeholders when it really matters. Naysayers will use 4 strategies of fear mongering, delay tactics, confusion and/or ridicule to derail the idea.
As we all know that good idea alone will not survive. This book offers 24 major attacks or objections (that people use time and time again) and how to handle them properly. Link provides 24 responses to these attacks.
Skillman Library in Detroit Courtesy: Wikimedia
Power: For a leader or manager, being power less is not an option. If you can influence any decision, you got some power. Projects and initiatives of people who are associated with people of authority gets their way in any organization. Some might have the different opinion of the use of power (i.e. Machiavellian style), but lets use the perspective that if you have power, you can do more good to your cause, organization and society. I will add quote from Baltasar Gracian:
The sole advantage of power is that you can do more good. The Art of Worldly Wisdom, 1647
This book contains excellent advice and analysis about gaining power in corporations and politics. You may not agree with all that is said like perception is reality (but for how long?), but its a good read and use what you feel appropriate with good intentions.
It’s Not Just Who You Know: Leaders and managers accomplish a lot by building rapport at all the levels, they are resourceful and get the work done for greater good. This book fits right where both other left. If you believe that great relationship in life make all the difference, you will enjoy it. Author does not give out any specific formula but shares his own experiences and then elaborates on how one should apply them in life. I used this book to learn from someone’s life how genuine interaction helps build great relationships.
This book is not you scratch my back and I scratch you back type but follows Carnegie’s classic How to Win Friends…
Author shares many inspiring stories and all underscore that relationship building begins with your genuine and sincere attention on the others and it’s not about you. Do not push for the things that you want, figure out what they need. Also, author stresses that exploiting relationships for quick personal gains or favors will eventually ruin the foundation and it soon becomes transactional business relationship.
As a leader, you do not want to accomplish a lot in business but also would like to have strong relationships similar to great balance sheet or super annual report. If you miss out building genuine and sincere relationships at all sectors of life, work and business included, you will be alone at top.
I am extremely pleased by the confidence that Board has expressed in me to take PMI-GLC to next level of volunteer and stakeholder engagement, trusting me with opportunity to formulate and lead operational vision, strategy and direction while working on to provide higher membership.
Last night at Skyline Club in the board meeting, I was elected president for 2012 term by Board of Directors of Great Lakes Chapter of Project Management Institute (PMI - GLC), one of the largest project management member association in Michigan. I will serve as President Elect for 2011. I have been involved with the chapter earlier as Direct of Webservices and then as Vice President of Communications.
I look forward to enhancing our strategic relationships with organization and businesses leaders to highlight the importance and benefits of Project Management and role PMI-GLC plays in the region. I hope to engage more stakeholders to broaden our network of practitioners, while continuing to support a passionate and dedicated volunteer community.
I would encourage all professionals to get involved in their community or professional organizations, it benefits both, the volunteer and the community/organization. And, if you are a professional living/working in Michigan or Metro Detroit area, please get in touch with PMI-GLC at www.pmiglc.org. Let find out how can we make project and program management work for your community, organization or for you.
I have been a shy networker before. I attended the meetings/conferences with many business cards in my pocket but I rarely exchanged business cards and developed any new contact. I had good questions in my mind to ask but hoped that someone else would ask. It wasn’t working out for me.
After reading many books, studying other successful people and learning from some of my friends – I found out where I was failing. I was mainly staying in the group of people I knew. I had objective to gain from the event but not to contribute something in some way. I hoped someone else will show interest in me and will strike conversation and only phrase I used to initiate conversation was, “How are you today?”. I got rid of shyness, gain confidence and equipped with knowledge by knowing that we all have unique styles of interaction and capabilities. Asking question or solution proposed to clarify any issue will not only help me but many others. We all benefit from each other thru interaction. Now, one of my friend says, if I am not working then I am networking. I guess, its good compliment!
It’s not what you know but who you know that makes the difference. – Anonymous
Networking is the must-have capability for any professional these days. We all need good networking skills and should take advantage of connections we develop at any professional symposium or meeting. Networking is absolutely the primary technique that is used to find new job opportunities, career transition or career advancement. While we all attend various meeting, active on LinkedIn (and social media) and attend seminars with networking as one of the objectives; but many times it is not accomplished that well.
Here are 7 points to keep in mind for effective networking at any event -
Setup your agenda for the event & find what unique perspective you bring.
Choose your sessions in advance if its multi session event and jot down your questions on the topic.
Arrive early to meet people; also participate in the sessions by asking questions or sharing your perspective.
Sit with strangers and introduce yourself – don’t wait for others to make move.
Initiate conversations – go beyond “Hi, how are you?”. Show interest in others and listen.
Share expertise and help people solve issues discussed, make note of what you offered to the new contact.
Follow-up with your new contacts after you get home.
How do you play shows some of your character, how do you win or lose shows all of it. – Anonymous
For last couple of months, I have been quite busy with community leadership related work. I had an opportunity to mentor and advise leadership team on the issue that was dividing the community. I also had to stand up against the group of people whom I found was neither acting fairly nor was impartial. Per my research, it was abuse of power and leadership role.
It is now over and resolved satisfactorily, but it was a learning experience for me and I would like to share my lessons that I have gathered from both sides, without referencing to any incident. One side was new and young group of individuals who was selected to lead the community and other group had been in control for over 16 years was not giving up the power and resisting the change.
When I reflect on my decision to support the new and young group get their right, I feel great that I could serve the community.
Here are some of the common sense lessons I learned from both sides of the issue -
As with each problem, understand the issue; background of politics & people involved and their agendas;
Always be fair, remain truthful and act impartial towards all – if you want to be really helpful;
Read any relevant document being referred; do not just believe what is being told;
Don’t sit on the fence and enjoy conflict, become active if you are passionate about the issue and can contribute;
Talk to leaders and offer your help to mediate; negotiate with win-win mental model;
Not every effort to resolve issue will be welcomed, negotiations will fail miserably, stay hopeful – any conflict has its own life cycle as well;
Expect rumors, allegations and indirect threats – do not waste all of your energy on addressing these;
Talk to community members, educate about the issue, tell the truth and share the facts;
Keep all doors open for compromise; find out what price are you willing to pay to keep community together;
Find influencers in the community, get them on your side and ask for help, validate your interpretation of the issue;
Do not quit or bend against pressure if you know you are standing for the truth and justice, you will face lots of pressure and many curve balls;
Whatever you negotiate, offer or communicate, make in writing;
Do not go negative; don’t get involved with personal attacks on opposite group;
Deliver response to any negative propaganda with facts and positive tone – remember truth is like the Sun and false propaganda as clouds, the Sun will eventually shine, the truth will always prevail;
Do not get into reactive mode, expect urge to say negative – but control it;
Remember truth has to go through tough test before it wins;
Keep your head high, keep thinking positive and stay visible in community or group;
Always remember that difference of opinion is natural human behavior, other people might be thinking you are wrong;
Seek lawyer’s help if needed, you need to get involved in fund-raising, planning course of action is key to success;
Do not twist the facts, do not talk out of context, do not exhibit attitude towards people who aren’t agreeing with your opinion;
Always seek advice of people who can tell the truth and fact of the matter, not your supporters only who speak your mind and tell you one-sided story;
If what you hear is truth and is contrary to your belief, consult and reflect that you are not manipulating the situation;
Establish a core group who offers views of issues without any prejudice;
Listen to truth and act upon it, keep your mind open to everything but attached to nothing;
Do your best in every circumstance even if no one is watching you, do not do things to impress others;
Expect victory if you are truthful, impartial, positive, open and just towards all;
Do not give advice to score point or take credit, keep it simple and make it team effort;
Expect confusion in your group, keep all informed and motivated;
Once you get what you want, do not demean other group but let it go;
It will take some time to heal the divide, but keep focused on delivering value to community;
Do not cling to power but work on empowering others to lead;
Power is to serve community not to rule, you may have to make tough decisions;
When you are serving as a leader, it’s not walking on red carpet – you are there to take on challenges; and
Any choice or decision should be based on good for all not only for you.
When I talked about the issue in my community with friends in other communities, all told me one or other kind of similar story in their community or organization. I hope my lessons will help or guide someone someday.
I am on Twitter (follow me) and its very useful tool. I review tweets on my Nokia E71 Smartphone during my lunch break and keep myself updated.
I get to read very interesting and inspiring quotes along with information that people share on Twitter; and I also thought of sharing some quotes with my readers. Here they are:
You have three choices 1) complain 2) walk the extra mile or 3) create your own highway. – Rajesh Setty/@UpbeatNow
When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the fire department generally uses water. @mlomb
If God didn’t want us to smile, he would have given us black teeth. @NarinderSingh
Countless studies suggest that much more often than not, people reciprocate. So give, smile, love and help. @sanderssays
Have courage. It permits you to accomplish things even when they take longer than you thought. That’s what life is all about. @kenblanchard
Let me know what your thoughts are and if you are on Twitter. Thanks.
You might have heard that someone got very bad customer service one day and no one would resolve the complaint at this company. This person gets upset by the treatment received and decides to write a complaint letter to the president of the company. In few weeks he receives a note and the issue is resolved by president’s interference. Everyone gets back to business and few people in the town heard of the story and thats it.
Now go to Web 2.0, someone got bad customer service and received no reasonable response to the complaint. This consumer feels mis-treated as his complaint is not treated fairly. This person sings a complaint song, and shares it on YouTube. Word about this customer service story circulates the internet through the song shared on YouTube, people in millions watch it and it hurts the organization’s bottom line (over $100 millions) and the brand. And then this individual gets an apology from the company and complain finally gets resolved.
This is the power of social media if used correctly. It works both ways.
Here is the complete story about singer Dave Carroll incident and whose guitar was broken by United Airlines (Link to Huffington Post story) . Watch the song.
Here are some key points (and some Customer Service/Help Desk experts can add more) -
Consumer expects good service all the time, although doesn’t give reward or recognize it publically, but indirectly rewards by doing business again and again.
Consumer is generally prepared to handle good and bad customer service; in case of bad service, do not expect more business.
Consumer is wowed by exceptional service only and you can find 5-star reviews online and strong brand following is built/maintained. Facebook Fan page and twitter following of brand can tell something.
Consumer is offended by horrible customer service. You can find 1-star reviews online and some dedicated websites to complain about product, brand or service can be found. Some may get creative like David Carroll and make a dent on your brand.
If not sure how to handle the complaint or issue, do not just say No. Let your boss help you.
If you face customers, genuine attitude determines consumer behaviour to a bigger extent.
I have noticed that consumer tolerance to bad service is inversely proportional to size of brand or organization. Bigger the brand or name of the organization, higher the expectation of consumer in terms of service.
In the beginning was the plan, and then the specification.
And the plan was without form, and the specification was void.
And the darkness was upon the faces of the implementors;
And they spoke unto their managers, saying: “It is a crock of cow manure, and it stinketh.“
And their manager went to the second level manager, and he spake unto him, saying: “It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof.“
And the second level manager went to the third level, and he spake unto him saying: “It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide before it.“
And the third level went to the division manager, and he spake unto him, saying: “It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength.“
And the division manager went to the assistant vice-president, and he spake unto him, saying: “It contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong.“
And the assistant vice-president went to the vice-president, and he spake unto him, saying: “It promoteth growth and it is very powerful.“
And the vice-president went before the president and spake unto him, saying: “This powerful new product will promote growth of the company.“
And the president looked upon the product and saw that “It was good!“
What lessons can we draw from this funny tale? I am interested to know.
Thanks for reading and have a great day.
Reference- ‘Project Planning, Scheduling & Control’ by James P Lewis, Irwin Professional Publishing, Burr Ridge, IL.
I came across 11 leadership principles of Marine Corps in Guide Book for Marines on the Internet and here is my interpretation of 11 principles. I am interested in hearing from Marines about their leadership experience.
Take responsibility – we need to seek and take responsibilities if we need to grow; never shy away, whatever seems challenging will help you expand your perspective.
Know yourself – reflect upon your strengths and weaknesses; seek improvement and understand that you can achieve only those goals that you set.
Set an example- conduct your business in a professional manner; do not loose temper – small minds are bothered by small problems; not only work in your job but also work on your job as well. Be a brand that people want to associate with.
Develop your subordinates- consider this as part of your job; learn to delegate; as Zig Ziglar said “You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want“; give them opportunities to learn & grow; guide them if they fit somewhere else.
Be available – in every respect; be available to listen to problems and challenges people are facing; to motivate, to lead and to show right direction; to hear criticism; to take decisions and to act on time.
Look after the welfare of your employees- the way you want your boss to look after your welfare; develop emotional intelligence; connect with people and find out what motivates them; do something that touches their lives; help them when they are in need. Arrogance and ignorance will not take you to the top or won’t keep you there for long.
Keep everyone well informed – right communication is the key; make sure that the tasks are understood, supervised and accomplished on time and tell why you need all this done; do no assume - aks and tell.
Set goals that are achievable – always set the goals – people need to know what they are expected to deliver and by when; let people figure out how; goals should motivate teams to act; measure the results and reward people.
Make sound and timely decisions- that are aligned with the core principles of your organization and with your job descriptions; there will always be more than one right answer – choose the one that benefits the most and not only you; take decisions like a servant leader.
Know your job – be technically and tactically proficient in your job; know your people; know the processes and challenges; know how can you add value to the organization or your department.
Build teamwork- not all people can perform equally but they should complement each other while working towards a common goal; promote team work and diversity; shield your team from external pressure; be flexible with team.
“Leadership is intangible, hard to measure, and difficult to describe. It’s quality would seem to stem from many factors. But certainly they must include a measure of inherent ability to control and direct, self-confidence based on expert knowledge, initiative, loyalty, pride and sense of responsibility. Inherent ability cannot be instilled, but that which is latent or dormant can be developed. Other ingredients can be acquired. They are not easily learned. But leaders can be and are made.” – General C. B. Cates, 19th Commandant of the Marine Corps
Thanks for reading and welcome your input. Have a great day.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948) was a great leader, lived his life for others and his words of wisdom have given direction to many. Doesn’t matter what we do or where we stand in life, these 7 mistakes, if committed will result in ruined life or career. These 7 mistakes are called 7 blunders of the world.
There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.
We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.
Who does not know Steve Jobs? His vision and life has made a huge impact on our generation. I came across this post. He shares his life lessons with students at Stanford in 2005. No doubt he is wonderful person around and I wish him good health.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
Everywhere we turn our focus to, we hear something negative and how leadership should come forward. Leadership at every level is already faced with some difficult choices. It is of paramount importance that when leaders make decisions to change the course, decisions should not have been plagued by personal ego and due to insecurity.
As John C Maxwell says that Ego and Insecurity are the two greatest landmines of leadership; think about any world leader and if he stepped on these landmines or not. Do you want to? After a long time when we reflect on the decisions we make today should be matter of proud.
As a leader, we get a chance to serve our people, I mean serve genuinely. In these times how we act will shape our organizations and societies. Lets take the right actions while we overcome the short-term issues, we keep long term objectives in our minds.
2008 is nearing the completion of business work days and it was one of the eventful year. We have seen all from US election to Canadian elections, Wall-street meltdown to Automotive bailout, Saturday Night Live comedy to economic worries. All the stuff, never thought of.
But when it comes to our professional life, one needs to make sure there are no unexpected surprises. I have mentored and provided guidance to few people over the year and have also asked for advice from my peers. Some people either make small issues into big problems or do not even have clue what is wrong. Here are some of the points to consider-
Get feedback from your boss; have 1 on 1 regularly (weekly or monthly) to align objectives.
Grow your professional network by volunteering at work, in community or join any organization.
Understand that everyone is different; workplaces are diverse.
Totally messed up? If you are honest, you’ll get another chance. Life is bigger than that!
Do not just focus on getting credit of everything you do or say. Give credit where deserved.
Be careful about sarcastic sense of humor. It may be wise to stay quiet.
If you do extraordinary job you get promotion as a result. Its not the other way.
Help others grow and learn. Don’t be afraid that someone will steal your idea.
Take vacation or take time out. Its must to revitalize your energies and focus.
Try to listen. Pay attention to your superiors and peers.
Dress according to your job profile, at least.
Do not make ‘difference of opinions’ at work your personal issue.
I firmly believe if we are serious to improve ourselves, we can start afresh anytime. Its never too late and Life is bigger than that!
Thanks for reading and let me know what you think.
I was looking into posts on Mr. Barak Obama’s communication style and how it contributed towards Obama’s victory. Did Obama address people in all 4 categories of DiSC Model? These categories are Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness.
Each person in his/her category wants to hear in a specific manner. Some people need direct answer while others need some encouragement and hope and so on. Please see the table at the end of the post and read more about DiSC Model.
While doing so, I found very interesting Wall Street Journal video on the topic titled ”Learning From Obama’s Effective Communication Skills“.
To summarize, what project manager can do -
giving good positive message
clear and compelling tone
giving substance along with style
speaking with confidence and authority
not in hurry to speak- patience
pause between sentences: at least 3-4 seconds
stress the right words
relate to people and places
make it simple to comprehend
identify what is not right with other approach
Here is the table what people mainly like to hear/communicate around-
Major Category
Like to hear words and actions around
Dominance
challenge, power, direct answer, authority, assertive, active
Influence
empathetic, people focused, receptiveness, accepting
I got this humorous email today from one of my friend with subject “Newton’s Unpublished Laws” and found it quite funny, I thought of sharing with you all to kick-off the weekend on a lighter note.
I have ready many laws (including Murphy’s law) but these are quite unique someone came up with. And credit goes to whoever wrote it…
LAW OF QUEUE: If you change queues, the one you have left will start to move faster than the one you are in now.
LAW OF TELEPHONE: When you dial a wrong number, you never get an engaged tone.
LAW OF MECHANICAL REPAIR: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch.
LAW OF THE WORKSHOP: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.
LAW OF THE ATTRACTION: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the next morning you will have a flat tire.
BATH THEOREM: When the body is immersed in water, the telephone rings.
LAW OF ENCOUNTERS: The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don’t want to be seen with.
LAW OF THE RESULT: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won’t work, it will!
LAW OF BIO-MECHANICS: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.
THEATRE RULE: People with the seats at the farthest from the aisle arrive last.
LAW OF COFFEE: As soon as you sit down for a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.
Don’t you find some of these actually true? Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend!
Today I heard first time of Charles Swindoll. He is an author of over 70 books, educator and a preacher. I have not read or listened to him but his quotes (found over the Internet) are very valuable.
I am believer of the fact that where ever we get life lessons, learn from them and implement in life. I save the motivating quotes so that I can refer again and again to align myself. Here are 5 quotes to start the work week.
Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.
The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail.
Alleged impossibilities are opportunities for our capacities to be stretched.
We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.
We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.
Thank you for reading and wish you a wonderful week.
Can’t pick any two? You also need all three – fast, cheap and good?
It has been very commonly used set of options in I.T. when offering an alternative or usually when dealing with issues from outsourced service. Someone will come and say – “Pick any two!”
Sometime ago I was involved in a project where we had to pick any two options and it was very hard to leave out the third one. Many times we had to leave ‘cheap’ and other times ‘fast’, for us ’good’ was essential and paid the price accordingly. We had to compensate for third left out option through continuous improvement. I kind of thought that this is the dilemma every one will be facing. But it is not the case as I am finding out. Things are getting better.
I attended “Practical Wisdom For Getting the Most Out of Life” seminar by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Detroit on July 9th. It was good to see and listen him in person.
His way of talking is like giving sutras (formula) for something. I know condensing some information and giving it in the short form is not easy. Some people enjoy detailed discourses and some enjoy condensed info i.e. sutras. Remember, different strokes for different folks. His daily sutras (link) are available in many languages.
On the lighter side, when someone asked the secret of happy married life – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar summed up for men - “nurture the emotion of woman” and hint to women – “pump the ego of man”. We did some breathing exercise, learned about Surdarshan Kriya (a form of yoga) as well.
Here is a short paragraph from one of the books that I picked up “Celebrating Love“; -
“There are three types of people – the wise, the crooked and the immature. The wise man continues doing good work whether he is scolded or praised. Crooked people need to be praised to get them to do good work. And from time to time immature people need to be both praised and scolded for them to do something good.”
(isn’t it a good management tip from a spiritual guru?). Here are some links if you want to explore more -
I completed DiSC (stands for Dominance, influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness) training last week and fount it interesting. DiSC confirms one thing, different strokes for different folks.
DiSC is a system to help you find out similar and unique characteristics among people. It also shows person’s behavioural preferences and helps to identify different management styles that can lead to obtain better results through interaction.
According to the DiSC model, there are four management styles – by Dominance, by influence, by Steadiness, and by Conscientiousness.
Series of questions lead to a specific DiSC profile, that tells you what is your score and what is you dominant style of management and what are your supportive styles.
D – Dominant : these people are active and questioning; these are direct and competitive in nature. These people want to ‘get it done’.
i - Influence : these people are active and accepting; motivated, enthusiastic, sociable and lively.
S - Steadiness : these people are thoughtful and accepting; patient and even tempered, accommodating.
C- Conscientiousness : these people are thoughtful and questioning; kind of private with analytical abilities and task oriented. Main objective is to ‘get it right’.
As we know everyone is unique and all have different ways of interacting. Imagine, I interact with a person who has dominant style of ‘Conscientiousness‘ (private and task oriented). I pretend to be of ‘influence‘ (sociable and enthusiastic) dominant style; my interaction with that person can not be productive as I may not be providing the specific instructions that other person needs.
Why is that? Because people with dominant ‘infulence’ style mix personal talk with business discussions, becoming informal and emotionally expressive leaving the ‘Conscientiousness’ style person unclear or confuse as Max requires specific task oriented info and does not express himself emotionally.
How it will help me? It lists what are key strengths, what things are overused, what could be the limitations and what changes should be made in management style that make one more effective.
Have you ever taken DiSC and Meyers-Briggs assessment? What are your thoughts? Did you benefit from it? Please share your thoughts. Thank you for reading.
Quotes are powerful words to stir thinking process, give new perspective on things, motivate to take action. Here are some quotes on planning and strategythat I collected from book Strategic Management by Fred David.
Like a product or service, the planning process itself must be managed and shaped, if it is to serve executives as a vehicle for strategic decision making. – Robert Lenz
Strategies for taking the hill won’t necessarily hold it. – Amar Bhide
Great spirits have always encountered vioulent opposition from mediocre minds. – Albert Einstein
A firm that continues to employ a previously successful strategy eventually and inevitably falls victim to a competitor. – Bill Cohen
Planning is often doomed before it ever starts, either because too much is expected of it or because not enough is put into it. – T. J. Cartwright
Planners should not plan, but serve as facilitators, catalysts, inquirers, educators, and synthesizers to guide the planning process effectively. – A. Hax and N. Majluf
Don’t recommend anything you woul not be prepared to do yourself if you were in the decision maker’s shoes. – A. J. Strickland III
“We are on this planet to love each other, to serve each other and to uplift each other. We have come on this Earth to give, not to take. Don’t take pride in taking. Give and you will be given virtues. And that will give you God.” – Yogi Bhajan
When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality. – Joe Paterno.
Who else can say better than JoePa? He is absolutely correct, but key thing is outgrowing individualism. When a team is motivated to work together, everything seems possible and there is quite a different feeling. I have been blessed to work with some of the best people who knew how to empower team and have experienced how team’s common goals produce stunning results.
Very first thing is to cultivate the trust in the team. If there is no professional trust among group members, team will never perform at par.
We have to be little bit open to our team members (my own perspective). if we become totally professional by delegating tasks and demand results with ‘paid for the work done’ attitude, team will not work. You got to use some emotional intelligence, you got to connect with the employee.
Next, you being the boss, have to guide and empower the team. Every team member comes with unique skills, personality, objectives, understanding. You got to know who needs direction, and who needs nod; who needs to be left alone and who should be slowing down. Check Situational Leadership II post on my blog. You are the one who will make things happen through this dynamic team.
Thanks for reading and I welcome your comments how you made your team perform above expectations and what factors were important to you.
What points we emphasize make a big difference in our communications.
How do we do that? We got to know the expectation of the audience and what we want to convey. Over emphasizing something or emphasizing meager issues may dilute the effect of conversation. We develop this skill with experience, paying attention to the audience and listening how others do it.
Certainly there are key things that you want to emphasize. Make sure what you want to emphasize is really relevant and audience has some clue about what you are talking.
Notice how you emphasize? Do you find yourself keep repeating what you want to communicate in different phrases or you cleverly divert every topic discussed and then associate to what you have in mind?
Observe if you are getting your point across. Use some relevant example to explain your point. Do not give frustrated look. You may have to do more work to refine your point.
Thank you for reading. Any suggestions or feedback?
I attended Wayne Dyer’s presentation in Toronto on 28th April 2008. He spoke about his book Living the Wisdom of the Tao.
I am quoting from this book. Lets see what a philosopher, Lao-tzu, said in the 17th verse of Tao Te Ching some 2500 year ago about the Leaders.
With the greatest leader above then, people barely know one exists.
Next comes one whom they love and praise.
Next comes one whom they fear.
Next comes one whom they despise and defy.
When a leader trusts no one, no one trusts him.
The great leader speaks little.
He never speaks carelessly.
He works without self-interest and leaves no trace.
When all is finished, the people say, “We did it ourselves.”
In the case of this post, we got to keep in mind that verse talks about ’greatest leader’. I think- there are still people who exhibit such qualities and making people’s life better. What you think? What did your interpretation of this verse?
We, as a professional, are hired by organizations to deliver results and perform. As time passes, our daily job becomes our universe. We spend our energies resolving problems, improving processes, saving money and many other good things. Sometimes we are ignorant and sometimes we are so busy handling all the situations at the job, we do not realize that whole world has changed and we are still there. We find that new technologies, processes, ideologies, concepts and trends have taken over what we used to do. And when we realize, then blame our employer for not guiding us, showing us the right path, etc. Remember, we are professionals and professionals know all about their field of expertise.
When I see clueless people in the situations when their cheese (i.e. work) is moved (or gone), I tell them to stop complaining but learn the lesson from it and take action.
Here are 11 points I tell (and remind) people to avoid becoming obsolete -
Subscribe to professional/trade magazines and journals and read ( or go to library, but stay up-to-date on what is happening).
Bookmark and frequently checkout websites dealing with news & views related to your field of expertise.
Read some good books on the subject. Check Amazon.com’s ratings and views before buying.
Become member & get involved in professional organizations in your chosen field.
Volunteer your time & services in your chosen field or for any good cause.
Mentor and guide other people, help people grow, offer help selflessly.
Attend seminars or conferences; it does not matter if you got to spend few hundreds from your own pocket and on yourself.
Read some good self-help books on personal development and personal finance.
Grow your network, if good people can not find you; you go out and find for your networking. Interaction is the key.
Always keep learning new things in your chosen field, and
Change with time.
You will find out many successful people are already doing these above mentioned things to grow their professional network and knowledge base.
I am certainly interested in what you got to say on this subject. Everyone has unique experience and lets share our thoughts and learn from each other.
Thank you for visiting and reading the post. I appreciate it. Have a good time.
“The illiterate of the 21stcentury will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler
I found this quote very much true. It is becoming more and more important in today’s work environment for employees and organizations to change their traditional mind-set and evolve.
Have you seen people who are worried about their jobs as the technology they know is now obsolete? People had been working very hard and did not focus on upgrading their skills as market was going through change.
I want to stress that you are in charge of your learning opportunities. It may be soft skills, new language, new technology, new way of doing things or any combination of things that will keep us marketable in this century. We got to be flexible in terms of learning new things, unlearning of old concepts and some times relearning of (back to basics) concepts.
These words of wisdom reaffirm an optimistic view towards our life and work. These words once said by great minds ask us to develop positive attitude, take action, believe in ourselves and make our word more beautiful place to live.
Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are your own fears. - Rudyard Kipling (English poet and author)
It is worth a thousand (British) pounds a year to have the habit of looking on the bright side of things. – Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784
If there were nothing wrong in the world, there wouldn’t be anything for us to do. - George Bernard Shaw
To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe. – Anatole France
Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. – Abraham Lincoln
A man is what he thinks about all day long. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Its been a wonderful year for me, and I hope the ditto for you all the readers.
When I look back and see the things that happened; I believe that I have learned a lot, accomplished a lot and I am a better person today.
Things that looked major challenges turned out to be minor things that I could handle very easily; the things that I thought were distractions proved to be stepping stones for success. I had opportunity to read many good books of personal development, leadership and management.
New year comes with some resolutions that we thing should be accomplished in the year. My take is to have your goal accomplished -
Write down your resolution on paper and method explaining how will you do it.
Must be realistic.
Must have dates associated such as 20% by March.
Read your resolution and review the success often.
You must believe firmly that you will accomplish it.
Posted by virk 
