Go Green at the workplace

Most of us are very prompt and eco friendly when we talk of our homes but leave our ecp friendly attitude behind when we reach our workplace. Its high time we start adopting environment friendly habits at workplaces as well. Some people do argue that it is the duty of the employers to install green products in the office and they do not have much say in these matters at office. Let’s see if we can make a difference.

1. Turn off your lights: Lights are the biggest killer of energy in the corporate world. Many offices have a mall staff working nights but they leave the lights on in areas where there is no one working. The simplest thing you can do is to turn off your lights when you don’t need them. When you go out of the office for lunch or to some other room, turn your lights off.

2. Turn things off at the power : We generally leave the power on while switching off the computers. Sometimes it may be necessary for charging them, but leaving them on all night is not a good idea.

3. Optimize Energy Settings on Your Computer: Use energy settings that will put the machine into sleep mode if not used for a certain period of time. This helps to shut off the monitor when not in use and helps to save electricity. Remember Screen savers do not save power. If you are going off for a longer period, it is best to shut down the computer.

4. If you are planning to replace older computers at work, switch to using laptops and notebook computers. They use around fifty percent less electricity than desktop computers. True, they may be costly, but in the long run, they will be more cost effective along with the being more friendly to environment.

5. Refill printer cartridges rather than throwing them. Refilling them is cheaper than buying a new one. Moreover, you are not buying more and more plastic.

6. Trying being Paperless: There is no point in printing out every notice, memo or email that you get. Store them online and use less paper. If it is really important to print, then use both sides of the paper for printing. Use smaller left over papers for making notes. Try to use the back side of old documents for drafts and notes. Avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible.

7. When buying paper, try buying greener options such as chlorine-free paper or alternatives made from bamboo organic cotton etc.

8. Do not use disposable cups, plates, or other such items in your office.. Bring your own reusable cup and plates and avoid using plastic utensils. Bring a reusable bottle filled with water which can be filled up from the water cooler.

9. Catch the bus to work : Not only do you save on petrol and money, you also end up lessening the carbon footprint. Each car that you take off the road saves thousands of liters of greenhouse gases ever year. Moreover, it relieves you from the driving hassles every morning.

10. Recycle : Depending on the kind of waste you generate, recycle whatever you can. These days, we have the concept of e-waste for electronics such as old cellphones, chargers, DVDs, CDs, inkjet cartridges, and computers. Even these items can be re used and recycled.

It is said “ Be the change you want to see in the world” So, do not wait for others, but take the action now. Small things add up. If 100 people do 100 small things it starts to make a big difference.

What is your SQ?

High IQ is passé, Having High EQ is still needed, but it is SQ that will lead you to the top. Research has revealed that most admired and charismatic leaders have highly developed SQs. So, let us find out what exactly is this SQ?

It has been an old practice to measure intelligence and qualify people on the basis of their IQ (the Intelligent Quotient). Societies like MENSA International only allow members who score highly in their IQ tests. But these tests measure the rational intelligence that is used to solve logical problems. It was believed that the people who have higher scores are more intelligent.

But then authors such as Goleman came up with another measure that not only makes us aware of our feelings but those of others too. This was called the EQ --.Emotional Quotient. According to experts, a highly developed EQ can help people become better at understanding and managing others. It makes them more empathetic and compassionate towards others.

But recently, authors such as Dana Zohar and Ian Marshall have introduced a new dimension to human intelligence. It is called the Spiritual Quotient (or SQ). This is the intelligence used to answer questions on meaning and value of life, it seeks fulfillment and happiness at the workplace. The concept of spirituality at workplace is increasingly becoming popular. Till now, workplace was considered a place to earn money to live a better life – but not as a place where you can connect with others. This created a conflict between values of life and working only for money. All humans in general are spiritual – to curb these tendencies in workplace to be able to move forward was becoming the ultimate paradox for all. No wonder, then we tend to feel curbed, and choked, unable to unleash our true selves to our colleagues as the workplace for long has been considered as a place of race towards the top rather than for peaceful co existence.

In such circumstances, IQ is totally inadequate while EQ can still help create more meaningful relations at work, but what is needed is the ultimate intelligence of compassion, balance, peace and a belief in good for all. In more direct terms, spiritual intelligence motivates people to balance their work schedules to spend more quality time with their families. It will help executives understand the importance of ethics in business and CSR (corporate social responsibility) will not remain just another yardstick to measure performance.

Thus where IQ solves the logical problems, EQ helps us in more meaningful relations with emphasis on self awareness and social skills. SQ helps us to understand our core values and makes us more active to create new situations according to our desires. These qualities sustain long term business development and build strong corporate cultures that promote high morale and prevent loss of talent.

SQ is transformative in nature. It provides the necessary courage and conviction in times of paradigm shift and chaos. Creativity, Innovation, Clear communication, being Visionary are some of the key indicators of a High SQ personality.

Many people falsely believe that being more religious makes you spiritual. Wrong. Religion has nothing to do with spiritualism. Nor is SQ related to any particular religion. Spiritualism is a way of life. It is more to do with their inner self and giving wings to your true nature. Naturally, if you are able to work in a place which gives you full freedom to work and unleash your creativity.

MENTOR MENTEE RELATIONSHIP

Much has been written about the importance of having a mentor in the workplace, a person who can guide you through the ups and down take you under his or her wing, and nurture your career. But in reality, finding a good mentor can be a tough ask.

Traditionally, A mentor is an individual, who is more experienced and generally older, who helps and guides another individual’s development. Generally, this terminology is used to refer to the person who guides you in the workplace. These relationships usually evolve depending on the need and requirement of the mentee. Many a times, we start following a senior person in our offices whom we admire. This may happen unconsciously or consciously. But the more we admire a person, more we try to act like him or her. But the actual mentor-mentee relationship takes place only when the senior person (the mentor) starts taking interest in your career and gives his/her guidance. Usually this guidance is not done for personal gain.

Although the major benefit from this association is drawn by the mentee, even mentors have much to gain from a mentoring relationship. This is an opportunity for mentors to showcase their ability to identify and develop new talent. Talking/discussing professional and personal issues with new and young professionals helps them keep in touch with the latest happenings and brings out new perspectives for them as well. Moreover, being able to share their expertise, or just wanting to help out, be a positive influence, or give back something to their community is an important motivator for mentors. But no matter what the reason for being a mentor is – people find it a very enriching and rewarding experience that also contributes to the organization and the profession.

But whether you are a mentor or a mentee, it is important to keep few things in mind as that this beautiful and life enriching relationship is not soured. Trust is the basis of a mentoring collaboration-a base on which all other aspects of the relationship is built. And it should never be broken.

For a Mentor, it is useful to draw the boundaries of the association. There are certain things which should be avoided such as :

• Financial help in mentee's business or life pursuits Doing so in a formal mentoring partnership changes the relationship and causes a conflict of interest. You are unable to be neutral and objective to the performance and have a higher stake in his/her success propelling you to do more than required. The mentee could even become totally dependent upon you or start taking your support for granted.

• Doing the actual work for your mentee – Sometimes in order to be more helpful, the mentors start doing the work of the mentee such as handling projects, writing reports etc. But this practice is more harmful rather than helpful. Not only are you as a mentor doing extra work, you are making the mentee dependant without teaching him anything.

• Playing personal counselor –Usually, a true mentor will not limit their helping to work-related issues and provide advice for life situations as well but it is important to maintain a thin line which should not be crossed. It is one thing to advise the mentee regarding situations and another to get involved personally. Thus mentors should never get personally involved in the lives of their mentees.

For a Mentee:

• Decide what you need in a mentor – It is better to choose someone working in the same functional area as you are, as well as someone who shares your values. Many organizations have started formal mentorship programmes, but it is still not much in vogue in Indian companies. So, you might have to do your own matching.

• Never ask your direct supervisors to be your mentor – There is too much of a conflict in this relationship. Better have someone with whom you can talk freely about career and workplace issues. You do not want them asking about your latest project when you need advice on another issue.

• Avoid a mentor who is too controlling, judgmental, or a know-it-all – You do not want to be controlled like a child. Some mentors become too possessive. Stay away from them. Look for someone who is positive and will be happy to guide you and share his/her experience with you.

• Look for someone who is trustworthy. You must feel safe in order to reveal your weaknesses. The role of mentors is to help mentees feel comfortable. Make sure the person you are choosing as a mentor can keep things confidential. Or else all your weak points and mistakes that you shared will become part of the office gossip.

Decision Making Ability

In our daily life, we take a lot of decisions everyday, some of them are routine while some involve some thinking from our side. And it is these decisions that we take , that has a profound effect on the way we lead our lives in present as well as in future. But we never give much credence to ourselves or to our ability to tackle sound decisions in our life. And we have all been involved from simple to many complex decision making activities at some point in our life.

But, even though we take lots of personel decisions every day , it is only in the context of our workplace that our decision making ability emerges as a good skill. As employees and as management personnel, our decision making ability is constantly under scrutiny at our workplaces and here we ourselves are not only more aware of our decisions but also pay more attention to making them.

As per one of the study, a sound decision making ability is given weightage by prospective employers especially at middle and top management level.But how does this process of decision making takes place ? What is so difficult about it that most managers are downright fearful of the consequences of a wrong decision? Generally, a decision making process involves three steps: A recognition of a need; a decision to change and a will to implement the decision.

Decisions are an inevitable part of human activities. If understood properly, each problem becomes an opportunity. Decision making is a key role for any manager or leader. But many people struggle when it comes to taking decisions. And this is not due to their inability but simply a fear of taking the wrong decision which makes them fearful. The fear of failure, procrastination and lack of clear understanding of the issue are the main reasons why decisions go wrong. And these are things which managers should totally avoid.

Management experts have come out witha structured approach to decision making which involves certain simple steps to take a complex decision. The first is to Define the problem as clearly as possible. It is absolutely vital to have a clear idea of the problem you are trying to reach a decision on. Many experts suggest writing down the problem on a sheet of paper and revising it again and again till it can be written down in one single sentence. Then the decision taker should assess all the possible outcomes. It is importanat to take a look at all possible outcomes of that decision. The third step is to explore various alternatives and finally Choose the best alternative. Of course, any decision taking will be incomplete without proper implementation. So, once you have decided on the option, go ahead and implement it.

Maintain a Positive Attitude at work.

Most of us spend half our time at our workplaces criticizing our bosses, superiors or colleagues and blame them for our bad performances. We blame our circumstances, our personal problems, bad work culture, unfriendly timings and policies followed by our organizations but seldom have I seen anyone taking responsibility of their own behavior.

Achieving success in your career isn’t just about brains, talents and connection. Its more to do with the right attitude towards work. And I call ot a POSITIVE ATTITUDE and a POSITIVE BELIEF. And this is what Charismatic and successful Leaders have in abundance. They make things happen and move with the sheer force of positivity.

Everyone likes a person with a positive attitude. No one wants to listen to a whiner. Bosses do not want people who always bring problems. Come to think of it, none of us wants to work with a person who is always angry, grumpy or simply negative. But even then we all fall into the trap of negativity quite frequently especially with issues related to our workplace.

A positive attitude brings optimism into your life, and makes it easier to avoid worry and negative thinking. If you adopt it as a way of life, it will bring constructive changes into your life, and will make you happier, brighter and more successful. Always expect the best to happen and it will happen. It is certainly a state of mind that is well worth developing and strengthening.

Follow these simple tips to Get better success at workplace:

1. Take Responsibility: Easy to say but very difficult to do. None of us wants to take up responsibility at the workplace. But without it, you cannot hope to move forward. The moment something goes wrong, we attribute it to everything else except ourselves.

2. Nothing Is Impossible: Believe in yourself. It is easy to pass on the blame to management or the organization, but have you actually tried getting things done. Do it first without any presumptions, Most of the time you will find people responding. But our problem is, that we believe what others tell us – It cannot be done. As they say “It is better to try and fail, than not try at all”.

3. Learn from your failures: Turn your failures into stepping stones to success. It can happen. Things can go out of control, but that is not the end of road. You can always try again. Past is history – and we must learn from history and move forward. It is okay to make mistakes but it is definitely not ok to repeat them again. Therefore, learn your lessons quickly.

4. Be sincere towards your work: You cannot hope to rise further unless you can show enthusiasm and zeal towards your work. It may happen that you feel unmotivated for some time, but if the conditions persist, it is better to look for another career or job rather than stick to current one which leaves you dissatisfied.

Emotional Intelligence – How important it is in workplace

Emotional Intelligence as a necessity in workplace is fast gaining popularity these days. It has been observed and shown that because of their wide range of abilities, people with high emotional intelligence tend to be more successful in life than those with lower EQ (emotional quotient) even if their general IQ is average.

But before delving into its importance, let’s consider what it is all about.

Emotional intelligence as a concept was made popular by Daniel Goleman in his world famous book -- 'Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More than IQ', which is based on research by various eminent scientists such as Peter Salovey, John Meyer, Howard Gardner, etc. In simpler words, Emotional intelligence is the innate potential to feel, use, communicate, recognize, remember, describe, identify, learn from, manage, understand and explain emotions.

Similarly, Emotional Quotient is defined as a set of competencies demonstrating the ability one has to recognize his or her behaviors, moods, and impulses, and to manage them best according to the situation.

Actually, it is not hard to see what we are talking about here. Leaving aside the management jargon, it is as simple as being strong both physically and emotionally and to withstand emotional pressures at work. Even in our day to day life, we all are aware of certain people who simple cannot get hold of their emotions. They are too emotional to talk to. We avoid talking to certain type of persons who react rather strongly to things.There are some who cry at slightest trouble (especially women), some lose their temper at slightest provocation (especially men) and some who react even violently to certain situations.

This is exactly, what is being termed as emotional intelligence. That is intelligence to know and understand your emotions and not only understand but also being able to control them. So, when a person can understand his/her own reactions to situations and people, they are able to behave in much more appropriate manner at the workplace. And they are considered as more “matured” and reasonable to work with, for obvious reasons. Add to this the ability to understand other people also; relate to their situation, show understanding of their particular problem or issue , from their point of view and you get a person who can deal with people, understand their moods and issues and work accordingly. Who would not want to work with such people?

So, How does this behavioral intelligence translates into workplace success?

An employee with high emotional intelligence can manage and control his or her own impulses, communicate with others effectively by understanding others better and listening to them more effectively, handle unexpected changes easily, adapts to various situations, and solves problems. These employees are generally optimistic and do not react too overtly to any situation. The clarity in thinking and their composure in stressful and chaotic situations separates top performers from weak performers in the workplace. Obviously such people are a boon for any organization, but the vice versa is also true. That is, many people who are otherwise of average intelligence and good technical skills but emotionally weak lose out in career growth because of their weakness in controlling their emotions.

Experts have identified some emotional intelligence competencies that have been proven to contribute more to workplace achievement than technical skills, cognitive ability, and standard personality traits. These are but not limited to:

1. Empathy: Our awareness of others' feelings, needs, and concerns. This helps to understand other people’s feelings and perspectives, and showing an active interest in their concerns and interests. Also those in customer handling positions are able to anticipate, recognize, and meet customers' needs.

2. Social Skills. Getting other people to respond to you in a certain way or getting the desired responses from others. This is especially useful if you are in leadership position and can use these skills to influence subordinates and get desired results.

3. Personal Competencies: These skills help to manage our own emotions through self awareness, preferences, and intuition. Being aware of one's strengths and weaknesses leads to self-confidence and allows such people to effectively use their strengths while trying to improve on the weaknesses.

4. Restrain negative feelings and Reinforce positive behavior: the ability to control negativities such as anger and self-doubt, and instead focus on positive ones such as confidence and congeniality.

5. Maintaining good balance between work and family: Another important skill is to have a healthy work –family balance. As human beings it is good to have a cushion against negativity in any one sphere of life. We need to have a good strong family support system to help us enjoy both aspects of life.

Therefore, it is a good idea to spend some time getting to know one self and our responses in typical situations. Getting a better handle on your emotions will lead you to have a better control and progress in your careers.

Self Motivate yourself to overcome tough times.

Motivation is the most discussed and least understood phenomena. Right from Maslow’s theory till now, there has been an unending debate on how or what motivates an individual. But what has definitely emerged form this debate is that self motivation or intrinsic motivation is the one that stays a long time.

Extrinsic motivation is caused by external factors where someone else tries to get things done in a certain way and gives out rewards/punishments for adherence. Needless to say that intrinsic motivation comes from within where in the person really wants to do his/her work.

During the tough times such as the current economic recession, even keeping one’s job is getting difficult. Thus there is no question of high rewards or incentives for employees during these times. But it is still important to keep your motivational levels high because this can help you tide over difficult period.

So, what exactly is “motivation”? Motivation is a psychological process that gives behavior purpose and direction. Or it is an internal drive to satisfy an unsatisfied need.

Staying motivated is a constant struggle even in good times for most of us. We as humans are constantly exposed to negative thoughts from others as well as self induced doubts and depressions. And this is what separates the highly successful from the others. Although there is no simple solution for a lack of motivation, it is important to sustain it to stay afloat in the current job scenario. Keeping employees happy and motivated is one of the key challenges of Human resource people. Actually, sometimes it is more important for an employee to be recognized for his good work rather than be awarded. Little gestures of recognition and understanding can ago a long way in producing self motivated employees.

Let us look at some common tips to help one self motivate himself during slump times. But before that let us understand why we lose our motivation. It could be because of external factors such as bad vibes in the workplace or situation such as that of today of economic recession or they could be internal such as Lack of confidence, direction and focus. Out of these, there is not much we can do about external factors, but we can definitely control our internal motivational factors. And this is how we can do it --

1. Set Goals -- Short and long term goals - Use both short and long term goals to guide yourself to your ultimate aim in life. Keep reminding yourself of these goals as and when possible.

2. Make Work fun - Work is most enjoyable when it doesn’t feel like work at all. Add activities that you find most enjoyable and create positive environment to get better results.

3. Create challenges – you will be happy when you are progressing towards a goal which is not only attainable but requires you to be more creative. Winning small battles gives the motivation for tackling bigger issues.

4. Finish what you start. A half finished project is of no use to anyone. Quitting is a habit. Develop the habit of finishing projects.

5. Keep self learning or learning new things. First this will help to reduce dependency on others for knowledge and second it will open up new worlds of opportunities and most importantly, it will keep you interested in doing something new.

6. Align and Harmonize natural talent with interest that motivates. Natural talent creates motivation, motivation creates persistence and persistence gets the job done.

7. Learn to take risk. Failure and bouncing back are elements of motivation. Failure is a learning tool. No one has ever succeeded at anything worthwhile without a string of failures

Keeping track of your most important tasks will direct your energy towards success. So, keep yourself occupied with step by step goals and see how it takes you to the ultimate one.

Goal Setting: An Important Exercise

All of us who have worked in professional environments have faced this word very often. Goal setting and measuring has become a very important part of corporate work cultures. Infact, it has been termed and described as one of the basic reason of enhancing productivity in organizations. So, what is so special about it?

Goal setting is a not a new management funda or anything which has been unknown. We all have been doing it for ourselves everyday in our lives or at some point in our life. We all set our sights on something important in our life – it could be any particular object that we want to buy, a latest car, a play station, a house, a laptop . So, getting that thing is our goal and how we go about getting it is our action plan. The only difference here is that we do not actually acknowledge it as a goal and end up not achieving it.

This is where the process of verbalizing and writing down your goals can help. Writing down your goals is important. You are able to clearly define what you want. Secondly, it will make it simpler to review and follow the goal.

The written word is the difference between a real goal and a dream. But there are some things which need to be kept in mind when writing your goals:

1. Set a goal which is really important to you and not which others tell you are good for you. – usually we follow what others (parents, friends, peers) tell us to be good. And this is why most of us fail to reach our goals. The reason is that we are not at all passionate about such goals because they are not our goals at all.

2. Make SMART Goals – This is the most commonly used acronym used in connection with goal setting in business environments. But the fact is that it makes sense in personal sphere as well. Let us look at them one by one.

a. Specific – Each and every goal you set should be specific. A general statement such as “I want to be successful” is not a goal.

b. Measurable – Though this comes straight from business environment, it is important for any goal to be measurable; otherwise you will not be able to identify its success or failure properly.

c. Achievable – Do not set a goal which is impossible to attain. You will never even try to achieve it because you know you cannot do it.

d. Relevant – This is important because goals which are against your core values or wishes are irrelevant. This attribute also makes sense when we talk about having smaller goals which take us to the ultimate goal.

e. Time-based – The goals should be time bound. You cannot set a goal and hope you will achieve it one day. There has to be a specific time period in which you must attain it otherwise it may lose its significance.

3. Make them prominent – display these goals at all possible places within your home and office so that you can see them easily. They should serve you as constant reminders of what you are supposed to do in your life.

4. Review – Last, review your goals very often. Check out the progress you are making. Set smaller sub goals to reach your final goal. Not only these sub goals motivate you further on achievement, they also let you monitor the progress you have made till that point.

Another important aspect here is to be Flexible. Sometimes we seem to hit a rock barrier and it seems like we cannot go any further. In such cases, be open to modify your goals to suit the current scenario. Or it may also happen that the situation changes dramatically and the goals you set are no longer as relevant as they were then. Again, be flexible enough to revise them rather than leave them altogether.

But this flexibility should not be used to cover up the deficiency or under-achievement of goals.

Goal setting is the foundation for personal and workplace success. But it is not a simple writing down of some ideas on a piece of paper. Goal setting is a roadmap to your success. Therefore, put in some effort to set your goals and achieve what you want in life.

Getting Ahead with Knowledge and Skill upgrade

In today’s fast changing and competitive business environment, just being good is not good enough. Organizations want their employees to excel and keep ahead of the competition and one of the ways to do so is by constant skill and knowledge upgradation of employees and workers.

This has now become a key issue as more and more organizations are going global and require people who are at least at par with the global world, if not ahead. Thus given the highly competitive market scenario that is prevalent globally, constant upgradation of skills and knowledge is a crucial prerequisite for all professionals at all levels to remain productive in their role and the respective positions.

Skill sets or requirements vary from role to role and are different for different departments. For example, at the entry or the junior level, execution and supervisory skills are most relevant while supervisory and leadership skills are more important at the senior levels. But soft skills are those essential skills that are required by everyone.

Generally, organizations may either provide training themselves or ask their employees to do the training and keep themselves on the top of competition. Besides training and new online certifications, companies are also opening up knowledge banks within the firms to enable the use of best practices and learning by all members or employees. Since it is not possible to send every employee for retraining or new courses, this knowledge transfer within the company helps them to achieve the purpose. Upgradation of skills thus can take place through training and seminars. Sharing of good practices within the organization and creating a knowledge bank which can be accessed by all employees is another technique to increase the skill sets of employees.

The Human resource department plays an important role in this area by evaluating employee performance by appraisal system. Through appraisals, the HR managers identify the strengths and weaknesses of each and every individual employee and provide recommendations for their training etc. Naturally, it is important to note that trainings or skill upgradation should be provided in areas where a need has been identified, and not just to meet the number of training hours. Moreover, it should help the employee to perform his/her current task in a better and more productive manner. Thus the training should be in line with the individual’s area of interest and responsibility, to ensure that there is maximum retention and usage of learning by the employees.

Job rotation is another way of training employees in different skill sets. In today’s highly competitive environment, it helps to have cross functional teams which can undertake various projects and job functions at different times. Thus horizontal rotation, is one of the most effective manner in which the person profile and role profile can be matched. It can be used as an opportunity to recognize an employee’s talent and potential for higher or different positions. Moreover, it also provides useful insights in determining future growth prospects of the employee and help to start grooming him/her for future position by identifying the training needs in particular areas.

Online learning programs are another popular options available to employees for upgrading their skills. These courses are generally modular and allow flexibility in terms of choosing and learning particular areas. The online tests and exams provide the necessary feedback to employees on their performance. These courses enable employees to take the course at their own convenience and speed.

Thus it is important for employers to encourage their subordinates to constantly upgrade their skills and encourage them to share their expertise amongst each other. On the other hand, an employee can hone his/her skills by making use of different opportunities given by the employers or on their own as well.

Networking and Socializing Skills

Good networking and socializing is a prerequisite for most of the business professionals. An informal meeting or chats go a long way in developing potential business partners or clients. But there are a lot amongst us who are mortally afraid to go out and network with people outside their offices and home.

But do not worry. These are not the skills which we are born with. These soft skills can be cultivated with proper practice and can be learned and polished.

Small talk or socializing as it is popularly known as helps to establish connections and to determine commonalities, an integral part of doing business in some cultures. Therefore, follow the below mentioned tips to overcome your fear of meeting people.

1. It is important to understand the basic nuances of starting and facilitating introductions that help to generate conversation. The basic rule is to talk about other people’s interest rather than your own and this can be done by asking the right questions. These questions should be framed in such a way that they further the discussion in a meaningful way.

2. Thus the second rule is to be prepared. It is important that you know some background about the other person and thus it helps to be prepared for such meetings in advance especially if you are a newcomer and are struggling to establish yourself in the field.

3. Knowing how to work the room so you meet the people you came to see is a proficiency that will serve you well in all areas of your professional and personal life. A good conversationalist can always get more from the interaction and can effectively turn the conversation towards his interest.

4. It is a good idea to keep yourself abreast of current happening in and around the world or the news and events concerning your area of business. That gives you something to talk about as you start the conversation. Once the ice is broken, you can gradually move on to topics that are upper most in your mind.

5. Spontaneity and sincerity should reflect in your manners and conversation. Though it is good to be prepared in advance by knowing who is coming to an event, faking an interest cannot really take you anywhere. You need to be genuinely interested in the other people and their interests. Only then, will they take you seriously. This is especially important as everyone meets many new people in such events and it is difficult for them to remember all of them. So, unless you have made a good impression, you are most likely to be forgotten the very next day.

6. Another thing to remember is that even if you have made a good impression but you do not follow it up, the other person is most likely to forget you. So, the key to successful networking is timely and consistent follow-up. Meeting someone once is not going to bring you business or make other person want to help you unless you change that meeting point to something more personal contact by following and keeping in touch regularly.

7. Social skills give high-tech entrepreneurs a big advantage in today's fast-paced world, where you may have only a minute to make a good impression. Network groups are a great way to meet new prospects, build business relationships, and market your products or services. People who belong to network groups are there because they want to learn more about your business and share their own interests with you. So, there is no point in fearing rejection at such events. Be confident and act natural and allow yourself to freely mix with other people and enjoy yourself.

Getting Ahead with Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are part of the desirable qualifications that employers seek in prospective employees. They generally look for candidates who can get along with other people at all levels such as colleagues, co workers, seniors and subordinates.

In today’s competitive world, besides the usual college degrees and certificates, it’s the soft skills such as interpersonal skills or the ability to get along with everyone that helps people to progress further at the workplace. They enable you to work with others harmoniously and efficiently.

Here are some tips to get you going :

1. Everyone likes a person who is courteous, respectful, helpful and cooperative. We must understand that no two persons are alike and they should be treated in a slightly different manner. Its not that you should try to make everyone happy, but one should definitely try to be friendly and helpful to coworkers. If your colleagues and friends have a good word to say about, then half your work is done. Management prefers those personnel who are well liked by others and who can get others to cooperate with them. Having a competitive streak is good, but not at the cost of alienating others. Remember, in office politics, it always helps to have some people behind your back.

2. Working well with others involves understanding and appreciating individual differences. Many individualistic persons who are brilliant keep languishing at the lower posts while average persons with good rapport with people cross the barriers towards the top management. Thus it is very important to brush up your social and interpersonal skills to score the brownie points against the competitor.

3. Try to be cheerful and happy while in office. People generally avoid people who are constantly complaining and whining about something or the other. While there is no need to show happiness overtly, it is advisable to maintain a positive and healthy outlook towards work. Also try to radiate your happiness to others by encouraging and appreciating them. This is especially useful if you are a manager as this helps in keeping your subordinates happy and motivated. If you let others know that they are appreciated, they’ll want to give you their best.

4. Another important thing is to pay attention to other people by trying to know them. Ask their opinion in important matters. Listen to them carefully and never ridicule them for expressing their ideas. All people love managers who take active interest in their work. The subordinates and coworkers appreciate that the boss listens to what they have to say.

5. Next, Encourage the team spirit in your team. Try to create an environment that encourages others to work together. Avoid taking sides and treat every subordinate equally. It is important to be fair to all so that your juniors can trust you. Keep your communication lines open to your subordinates. They should feel comfortable in approaching for your advice or in case of conflicts, they should have faith in you. Be clear and consistent in handling indiscipline and always provide dignified alternatives to people for exit.

A successful manager is the one who with the use of his excellent interpersonal skills is able to resolve conflicts in his team and turns them into a cohesive unit working toward a common goal in the interests of the company.

Importance of Presentation Skills

PRESENTATION SKILLS

In continuation with my previous article on Communication skills, I now present key skill which needs to be developed to get ahead in today’s competitive workplace.

With advent of Microsoft office, presentations have become a very popular and simple way of conveying one’s message at the work place. Be it a top management review panel or a small departmental meeting, they are incomplete without a formal presentation. The topics vary from presenting of a change in organizational structures, positions or general discussions regarding the company policies, or a proposal on a new product, proposal for new projects, even asking for more resources, or plain presentation of facts to a visitor or a prospective client. If management is the art of getting things done then a presentation is a fast and potentially effective method of getting things done through other people.

The presentation provides an opportunity to display your skills in front of seniors, peers, coworkers, colleagues and subordinates. A good performance immediately gets you noticed while a fumble may lead to oblivion for a long time. Moreover, a well crafted and presented presentation can bring out problems and questions to surface and allow discussion and solutions to emerge. Thus such an opportunity should never be wasted and seized upon to enhance your standing in the organization.

Keep the following points in mind when preparing for a presentation:

1. It is very important that the presentation should be carefully prepared with the type of audience for which it is intended kept in mind. The presentation is a failure if the people do not understand what is being talked about. Hence, there should be clear focus on one or two themes or objectives. The main idea of presentation is to make your message understood and remembered.

2. All human beings have very short memory and until and unless, the subject is interesting enough, people do not pay attention. So, the challenge is to make your presentation in such a way, that the audience is forced to pay attention. Some seasoned presenters start off with a light jovial note to prepare the audience for hard facts later. If you manage to hold the audience’ attention, then you have a winner on your hand.

3. Keep your presentation short. Do not increase the duration just for the sake of it. No one wants a lecture from you nor do they want to see slides filled with text which is mostly unreadable. Talk in points and keep them limited.

4. Use visual aids such as pictures, diagrams, graphs, charts etc. to convey your message. It has been proved that people remember things if they can associate some visual memory to it. Thus your visual messages will be better received than the hard facts in text.

5. And most important, build your presentation around one or two main points only. Keep reinforcing them without being overtly repetitive.

6. A good presentation is not only dependent upon the presentation itself but also on the presenter. The presenter should rehearse or practice well before the final day. This is especially true if you are a manager and have asked one of your subordinates to make a presentation. The audience not only looks at the presentation, they also look at the presenter.

In fact, the presenter is more important and he/she should take care of the style, pace, tone to be used. There are five key facets of the human body which deserve attention in presentation skills: the eyes, the voice, the expression, the appearance, and how you stand. Make sure that you pay attention to all these when you present.

a. The voice should be normal and not too wavy or weak. But make sure you are not shouting as well.

b. Try to maintain eye contact with the people in the audience. This will help you relax and be more natural.

c. Bring variation to your tone and expression. Do not over do but do not be monotonous either. Maintain a fine balance between over doing and under doing.

Follow these simple tips to become a rocking presenter.

Time management

Here are some tips for Time management

Time is essence. Time is money. Sounds cliché! But it is true. Effective time management is the skill that sets apart effective people from ineffective ones. These skills help in focusing our selves on our dreams and aspirations and help us to achieve what we want to in our life. It is not just for working people but for persons in all spheres of life. Hence, it is essential that we manage our time as efficiently as possible. Here are some tips for managing our time effectively and which can make our life simpler:

1. First and foremost, learn to respect time. It is not going to wait for you. So, use it while you can. PRIORTIZE your work. Not all tasks are equally important. Learn to differentiate between important and unimportant ones.

2. Learn to DELEGATE. There is no pride in doing all the tasks yourself. Save your time and effort in doing the important tasks.

3. Use TECHNOLOGY effectively. Why walk down two floors to hand down reports or to the cubicle down the corridor for small things. Send an email or better, use telephone. Reduce these frequent jaunts to minimum.

5. Learn to say NO. Say no to frequent interruptions and distractions. Friends dropping in say hello or calling up to say good morning are real time wasters. Avoid them and better, tell them you are at work and would not like to be disturbed.

For Full article go to http://www.helium.com/items/1086301-tips-for-time-management

Improve your leadership skills.

This one is for those gearing up for leadership roles. Some tips for improving your leadership skills.

Great leaders are born and not made. While this may be true, there is nothing to suggest that no one can acquire leadership skills. Though not easy, it is not impossible also. But yes, leadership is not so easy to practice. There are no schools and colleges that can make you a good leader but there are certain ideas and practices that can put you on the right track.

Leadership is all about behavior and soft skills. Good leaders are people who are trusted and respected by their staff and followers not because of their college degrees and qualifications, but due to their behavior and ability to inspire others. While Management relies more on planning, organizational and communications skills, Leadership is different. It relies more on personal skills and attitudes. A good leader is known for his/her qualities such as integrity, honesty, humility, courage, commitment, sincerity, passion, confidence, wisdom, determination, positive attitude, compassion and sensitivity.

Every good leader has his own style of working and it is not necessary that what works for one will work for other also. The situation and condition should decide how and what leadership style should be followed.

Renesis Likert explained four broad styles of management as

Exploitative – Authoritative,

Benevolent -- Authoritative,

Conservative and

Participative.

In the exploitative style, the manager or the leader takes decision and the subordinates have to follow his instructions. He does not allow any room for suggestions or discussion and the motivation is characterized by threats.

In the Benevolent style, although the leader is again the supreme authority, the motivation is characterized by rewards. There is no team work and lower level employees do not feel any responsibility.

In the third one that is the Conservative style, leader shows some trust and delegates some responsibility towards lower levels. There is limited amount of involvement.

But the last type – Participative is by far the best as in this style as the name suggests there is equal participation by employees and the manager and the leadership role is reduced to that of a mentor. There is complete confidence on subordinates and motivation is through economic rewards based on goals which have been set by equal participation of both parties.

How to be a good leader: To be a good leader, cultivate a style that suits you and your personality best.

1. The first thing is to develop a reliable and attractive mission statement that people will understand, respect and believe (that is not impossible to achieve). Communicate your ideas and vision clearly and show people how they are going to affect them.

2. Believe in yourself and others will also believe you. But if you are unsure yourself, you cannot hope to inspire confidence in others. And needless to say, that your leadership has to be backed by exemplary track record and reputation such that teams members and peers respect and value.

3. A good decision making ability under intense pressures is a must and for this make sure you have all the facts and figures before taking decisions. Do not be impulsive or take decisions emotionally.

4. Team building is another area where leaders excel. They have an eye for good workers and never fail to appreciate good work. A leader always set his sight on target and does not allow temporary setbacks to distract him from achieving his goals. Work confidently towards your goals. Persevere and keep encouraging and motivating your team. Lead by example and people will follow you.

5. And the most important thing is to never ridicule or show arrogance to your subordinates. No one likes to be bossed around. Respect your people even if he is a clerk or a peon in the office. People always support leaders who support them and so make sure to be there in the times of crisis and see how you develop into a great leader.