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.

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.

Stress in student life - III

College time is one of the most interesting time of life where you can discover your own self and your hidden potentials. This is the time to experiment and choose a path that will take you to the top. So follow these simple tips to de stress yourself --

1. Plan your schedule. Yes, boring as it may sound, but this is the best way to plan your work, study, assignments, presentations etc. Get the right information from the start. Be clear about the kind of assignments, presentations that you are required to give. Most of the universities follow a fixed academic calendar. Get a copy of it and refer to it when planning your work. Most of the teachers give adequate time for handing in assignments --- be sure to give it on time to avoid last minute hiccups. If you are on time, you will not have to run around them alter seeking extensions. Make a realistic timetable and make sure to follow it.

2. Work on your weakest point. This is very important. You must know the area where you are lagging. Some students are good in written work. Some are better in oral presentations. Take time to look for your shortcomings. Take the help of friends and family to recognize yours and work around those shortcomings. There may be six or seven subjects in a semester. Instead of leaving the harder one to the last – work on it more than others. This way you will be saved the panic attacks at the last minute.

3. Prioritize. It is important to be able to differentiate between important tasks and not so important tasks. There will a time when you need to make hard choices. You should be able to make realistic assessments of consequences. It is your choice to whether you want to your assignment or go for the movie. Whatever decision you make will have effect on how you make further progress in your college. Needless to say, handing over assignment should be more important than going for the movie.

4. Develop a stress busting hobby. As said before, it is the duty of a student pay adequate attention to their studies, but at the same time, it is equally important to have a well balanced life which can lead to all round development. There are so many extra curricular and co curricular activities in any college. You can choose any one of them and develop yourself in it. Use this activity when you are stressed out or are unable to concentrate on your studies. This could be in form a a sport, dramatics, singing, dancing or any other enjoyable activity which can make you feel happy again.

5. Make a group: It is very important to have like minded people or people whose company you enjoy around you. Find yourself some good friends on whom you can depend on. Act as each other’s cushions during difficult times. Help each other out and most importantly, give each other a good advice. It is good to have some people Loneliness can make the challenges of your new life seem much worse.

6. Stick to a healthy lifestyle. It is important to take care of your health when you are working hard. A healthy body keeps stress away and gives rise to a healthy mind. A good diet can work wonders and lift your mood and help in coping up with the pressures. Avoid using alcohol and drugs as a way to cope with stress, as these can negatively affect your mood as well as your health Yoga and meditation are very helpful activities for managing stress.

7. Manage your sleep. In one of the famous dialogues in the mystery “ The Bourne identity” – the protagonist who is a secret agent shares his secrets with a partner and frequently repeats that “Rest is a Weapon”. And this is true in our normal lives as well. Sleep deprivation can cause irreparable damage to our health and work if continued for a long time. As a student, when you are required to work under multiple pressures, having a good sleep at night is an advantage you can use effectively.

Office Politics

Office politics exists in every organization, small or large and no matter how much an organization tries to avoid it, it cannot be wished away. The reality is that where ever there are people working with and around each other, there will be personal and professional politics. From the first day of our career to the last day in office, office politics affects us all. Our performance at work, our relationships with superiors, peers and subordinates could be determined by office politics.

Office politics in broader sense, is a conflict arising out of personal and professional communication. It can be verbal or non verbal. Body language plays an integral part in office politics, both as a contributor and an inhibitor.

At work, there are often issues which we have very little control over. It’s not uncommon to find corporate policies, client demands or boss mandates which affects your personal interests. Bitching and complaining are common responses to these events that we cannot control. But other than making you a constant whiner or a person who is always negative, it seldom accomplishes anything.

Instead of feeling victimized and angry about the situation, focus on the things that you can do to change the situation. Remove the victimized feeling and allow others to see you as someone who knows how to operate within given constraints. You may not be able to change or decide on the eventual outcome, but you can walk away knowing that you have done the best within the given circumstances.

To win this game, you must build a network of allies which you can tap into. Another reason to hold back your temper is your career advancement. Many organizations are now moving towards using 360 degree reviews to promote someone. In this review, ll the other persons who are involved in day-today interactions with the employee are asked for their opinion on the working of the individual. And thus a few bad reports from them could ruin your plans for advancement even if you have performed very well.

So, be prepared to encounter some nasty bits while in your work career, but be confident and choose your own way out of this mess.

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.

Work Life Balance

The concept of work-life balance is not something new. It has been around for ages but it is only recently that people have become much more aware of having a good balance between work/career/profession and personal life. Not only the individuals but the organizations are also waking up to the fact that they have a role to play in helping employees maintain a good work – life balance.

It has been observed that the high stress levels or an imbalance between these two aspects in any employee negatively affect his quality of work, increases problems related to his health and causes decline in productivity and efficiency. Moreover, it also affects his personal life which again causes more stress in work life. So, this is basically a vicious circle which affects both the spheres of our lives.

There is a life at work and at home and also a life having space for leisure. Of late, we have been seeing an increasing number of social issues such as high divorce rates, infertility due high stress levels, more frequent nervous breakdowns etc. in young people. This is all due to the increasing importance of one’s career over personal life. Young people are falling prey to working 24 hours a day and hoping to get to the top very soon and in the process they totally neglect their personal lives which ultimately create such an impact on their lives that they lose out in work sphere as well.

Thus it is necessary that people exercise some control over when, where and how they work. True, work is important but not at the cost of health and personal life. Just as a good job is necessary to boost our self esteem and self worth, a good family and personal life is necessary for a happy and peaceful mind. A good balance in work and life can play a phenomenal role in the attainment of personal and professional goals.

The core of work life balance could be defined as the achievement with enjoyment. If an individual goes on working his or her best at work place without enjoying it, they will never be able to sustain it for long. Sooner or later, the performance will fall. But if you enjoy what you do, you will sustain your work motivation and excel in whatever you do. But most of us are not so lucky to get a job which we enjoy doing. There are many more concerns such as money, family etc which are involved. In such a case, though it may seem difficult, if you have a personal life to fall back on in tough times, it will help. Having something to look forward to at the end of a boring day at work can help lift your spirits and make you ready to face another challenging day at work. The key is to relax and unwind before commencing another grueling day at work.

It is quite possible that you do not enjoy what you do for eight hours a day , but you do look forward to what you do for next three four hours and that will energize you and de- stress you and let you enjoy your life. When you are relaxed and not totally dependent on your job, you have a better chance of managing your job better. Infact, you will see that you will find ways to motivate yourself and create a much better atmosphere at work too. Your productivity will increase and this will help you get better opportunities at work. Hence, it becomes absolutely vital, that you give equal importance to all the spheres of life. A person who is a workaholic and does not enjoy his family life cannot be termed a successful person.

Today the deadlines are getting tighter and an individual's job is not only to match that deadline but also to give quality output. Due to this work pressure it becomes exceedingly difficult to maintain a family life. It becomes very difficult to have the right mix of work and pleasure. While you strike a work life balance, you are not merely balancing your profession and family, you are also balancing your mental and status quo and thereby balancing your emotional intelligence, which is the worldly ability to manage you and to handle others.

According to Sarang Panchal, Nielsen’s managing director, customized research, Asia-Pacific, India, China and Greater China, “A booming economy has resulted in better jobs and salaries. However, this has brought in long work schedules, leaving individuals with very little time to balance their work and life,” It is not surprising that most Indians consider work-life balance as their biggest concern since demanding careers are taking a toll on their family lives.”

The organizations are also doing their bit by helping employees have a healthy work life balance. They have specialized training and awareness programmes and also allow their employees to actively pursue a hobby and a healthy after work life. According to Shantanu Banerjee, Director HR, Xansa , “Employees tend to feel motivated when they feel that the organization is putting extra effort in providing a healthy balance between work and life." It has been seen that there is a strong link between work-life balance policies and reduced absenteeism, increased productivity and job satisfaction. Other benefits include improved recruitment and retention rates with associated cost savings, a reduction in employee stress, greater levels of job satisfaction and loyalty and an improved corporate image.

The benefits of a healthy work life balance are there for both the individuals and the organizations. Hence, it is not only important but also better to give equal importance to all the spheres of your life.

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.

Be Responsible

Taking responsibility, Being Responsible, responsibility -- we have all heard these words very often in our life. And we use them quite liberally too. But, how many of us are actually doing it?

If you are thinking that doing your job properly makes you responsible -- then you are wrong. Politicians who claim to take moral responsibility for accidents and tragedies are simply faking it. No one take responsibility of other people's actions. And this is precisely the problem of 95% men/women/children.We equate responsibility with care, effectiveness and efficiency.

We as a society has been taught to take responsibility for everything except ourselves. But we do not take responsibility of our own actions and emotions. Everything is blamed on someone else or something else. For us, the government, the politicians, the rich, the bosses, the neighbours, the in-laws, the spouses, the kids -- everyone is to blame but our own selves.

Why is it so hard to look for shortcomings and faults in ourselves? We all know we are not perfect -- but still we all struggle to accept our faults. No wonder the, without acceptance, there is no way we can move forward to correct them. And when we learn to look at our own shortcomings and try to improve upon them -- we are being responsible.Let us look at some tips on how we can be responsible to ourselves --

1. first of all, acknowledge the fact that you are not perfect. And you can make mistakes. And there is nothing wrong in making mistakes -- but it is wrong not to own them up.

2. When confronted with a conflict, think about your own role before analyzing others. Most of the time you will find, that you could have done things differently.

3. Do not blame others for your problems. Look for solutions. Blaming others will not solve the problem.

4. Take action to improve things you are not happy with. Do not expect others to do it for you.

5. Fulfill your promises to yourself. Take time out for your own self and treat yourself with respect and you will find others will follow suit.

6. Do not allow others to make you feel bad. You are not what others think you are. You are what you think you are.

The idea is to be responsible first to your own self and then think of taking responsibility for others.

Importance of Team work and Team Building

Team work is all about working together for a common goal or objective. It is obvious that no one person is capable of doing all the work. It is for this purpose that teams are formed.

Teams can not only work faster but also more efficiently. Sometimes, when confronted with a somewhat difficult problem, managers form a team to look into its different aspects and find a solution. The idea is that “Several heads are better than one”. The discussions, ideas that flow between the team members have better opportunity to be explored. Thus it is a common practice to use team or group to solve a particular problem.

From an individualistic point of view, an individual has to interact with different people. As a new comer, you are always part of one team or a group. In a department, individual goals are always linked with the team goals or the departmental goals. Hence it becomes imperative that you should know how to work in a Group or a team.

But the question is : How does an effective team work help an Individual?

Simply put team goals generally have more weightage than the individual goals. Underachievement of team goals do not go well with the top management as they will not bring the desired results. Although individual goals are equally important, organizations do not thrive on individual brilliance. Organizations are not individuals – they are a collection of individuals. Therefore, companies stress on good and cohesive teams and try to encourage a team spirit in their employees. A cohesive team can fulfill all its goals and objectives which in turn will benefit each and every individual in the team.

Even from an employee point of view, working in good teams helps to bring out the strengths of each employee. No one wants to work in a team where members backbite or try to discredit each other. Every one is looking for an environment which is conducive to work and where there is a degree of mutual respect and trust for each other.

Companies look for this very quality when recruiting new people.

Thus to be effective in a team and become a good team worker you must:

1. Encourage and display a friendly and cooperative behavior.

2. Treat everyone as you want others to treat you.

3. Work as per the team requirement and not for or at your own convenience.

4. A helpful attitude goes a long way in fostering team spirit.

5. Be open and be willing to contribute

6. Develop a relaxed climate for communication

7. Establishes clear goals and targets

Email and Phone Etiquettes

E-mail and Phone etiquettes are part of the communication skills. They are also one of the important ways of communicating and sharing your opinions and views with others.

All of us use emails for writing or sending personal messages to friends and relatives but when it is an official email , make sure to follow these points:

1. It is a good idea to use a signature line with contact details when writing to clients or customers. But this can be ignored if you are writing to persons who know you well or to people within your own group.

2. Your message should not be too long or too short. If you need to provide more information, attach a separte file or a document.

3. Never send attachments which are great in size. This not only clogs the servers, they are difficult to download. Large documents should be placed on server and a link should be provided.

4. Do not use emotions and abbreviations in business and official mails.

5. Add disclaimers while sending mails to clients as it helps to protect the company from liability.

6. Send your mails only to persons who require it. Do not mark a copy to all just for the purpise of showing off your work.

Similarly, While on Phone,

1. Introduce yourself with your name. And start with a formal Hello.

2. In a business environment most people do not want to chat just for the sake of it. Before you try to get their attention ensure you know exactly what needs to be discussed.

3. Duriang Official calls, do not crack jokes unless the other party initiates them, And even if you do, do not go overboard.

4. Speak softly and avoid disturbing your co-workers. If possible walk out of the work area before you attend the call.

5. If you are in a meeting either switch off your mobile or put it on the silent mode. Avoid answering calls or responding to text messages. If it is absolutely necessary to do so, be courteous and explain the situation before excusing yourself from the room.

6.If you are with colleagues or clients inform the caller about the same as s/he may prefer a more private set up.

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.

Tips on Personality Development

Here are some tips to develop your personality.

All of us at some point in our life have admired leaders having a charismatic personality and secretly wished that we had some of that charisma in ourselves. Though charisma or inner charm cannot be acquired superficially, it is still possible to develop a well liked and admired personality.

There are many other qualities that make a fulsome personality than sheer physical beauty. This is not to undermine the importance of a beautiful face but it is not everything. The inner charm or personal magnetism is what actually makes someone very special. However when the two are combined the combination is irresistible.

A good attractive personality is always an advantage in any situation. People are drawn towards magnetic and attractive personalities and want to know all about them. It is exactly the reason why people are crazy about celebrities and devour every bit of news regarding them with interest.

So, what is the secret of developing a good personality?

By constant self appraisal and discipline, we can cultivate habits and attitudes that can develop our personality. These are not too difficult to follow and are qualities that we learn from our childhood but forget as we grow up.

1. Being courteous and friendly to everyone without bias and discrimination is a must. We are all so engrossed in ourselves that we fail to appreciate good work and people around us. Do not do so.

2. Be active in praising and pay attention to your friends, relatives, co workers by listening to them and taking interest in their lives. You do not have to go overboard by giving gifts , remembering birthdays etc, but even if it is a small nod of acknowledgement or encouragement, make sure it is genuine. Everyone can spot a fake and it does not help either.

3. Be kind and gentle to people. Everyone makes a mistake, be forgiving and importantly – differentiate between the mistake and the one committing mistake. True, it may cause a lot of trouble, but it is not going to end the world. So be forgiving and be gentle.

4. Perhaps the most important trait of good personality is its confidence. Self confidence or having confidence in yourself can make a huge difference in how people perceive you. If you unsure of yourself, you will be projecting the same image outside to others as well. And you can acquire confidence in your abilities by keeping your mind and body healthy.

5. Do not be selfish, be open to other people’s interests and try to be helpful.

6. Be clean and neat all the time.

7. Try to be happy and maintain a positive outlook to life. If you are at peace with yourself, you will radiate peace and happiness to others as well and people will feel comfortable talking and meeting you. .

8. Silence is Golden – an age old proverb, but useful nevertheless. Think before you speak Unnecessary comments or speaking without your turn are considered bad manners and no one actually wants to listen to people who try to show off all the time. You may be an expert in your field, but that does not give you the leeway to hijack conversations and turn them into me, me and me monologues. Successful people speak little and put their efforts into doing rather than showing. So be wise and speak only when you are required to and upto the limit of your knowledge. It is important to acquire wisdom in addition to knowledge which helps us to distinguish between right and wrong. Wisdom involves character. And a good character makes a good personality.

9. Develop your character by inculcating good behavior and discipline in your life. Let your inner charm and faith flow out and embrace others in its magnetic wrap. Charge yourself with strong willpower and faith in your abilities. And see the world fall at your feet.

Conflict management -- An important skill for Managers

First let us consider what is conflict?

It occurs when people individually or in groups are unable to obtain what they want and try to seek their own self-interest. These individuals or group of individuals may do so while being aware or their agenda or sometimes they may not be aware of it and are unconsciously acting in such a manner. And when two such groups clash, there is bound to be conflict.

Most of the time it is simply the clash of egos and person’s own sense of self esteem which gives rise to disagreements. These disagreements, if allowed to continue or if remain unresolved, lead to conflicts. Thus it is important to recognize the early symptoms of conflict and manage it accordingly. In fact, conflict management is one of the key challenges of any manager.

Keep the following points in mind while handling conflict in your team:

1. To be able to resolve conflicts or manage conflicts, it is important for managers and supervisors to recognize the beginning or the early signs of conflict. Pointers are available in form of body language, constant disagreements on all issues, strong public statements or backbiting, increasing lack of respect for rules and procedures, disinterest in discussion of progress or failures etc.

2. Do not ever allow disagreements to fester for a long time. Unresolved conflict threatens our self-esteem and people generally try to find someone who agrees with us. Thus we talk behind other people, trying to garner support for our actions and deeds. This instead of helping the cause, helps to alienate the person further and the issue becomes larger. Thus, conflict creates a sense of psychological distance between people, such as feelings of dislike, bitter antagonism, competition, alienation, and total disregard.

3. Keep communication channels open and encourage people to openly voice their disagreements and conflicts. We all know that disgruntled employees are not going to provide 100% on their jobs and productivity and morale is going to slip down.

4. Discuss and reach a consensus to resolve conflict amicably. Poor communication is one of the main causes of disagreements reaching full blown conflicts. By keeping their feelings under wrap, employees continue to suffer silently and are not able to focus on their work. If the problem is between two coworkers, then as a manager it is your duty to encourage them to resolve their disputes amicably by acting as a mediator.

5. Be impartial. The conflict management process is more likely to succeed if the two parties have respect for the mediator's integrity, impartiality, and ability. Otherwise one or the other will protest against favoritism or partisan behavior.

6. Learn to accept different points of view. No two people can always have same view of the situation. Accept it and encourage others to accept it as well.

7. Escalate. Sometimes, even after trying hard, you may not be able to sort the issue. In such cases, it is better to escalate the issue to your higher ups for them to take action.

The management gurus have often talked about constructive conflict as well. Conflict is constructive when it results in clarification of important problems and issues and the discussions bring about innovative solutions to problems. If conflict is taken in a positive manner and helps to bring people together to resolve issues by opening communication channels and building cooperation among people through learning more about each other, then it is desirable. It is the responsibility of the manger to turn conflict into an opportunity. But of course, not every conflict is an opportunity and some of them need to be resolved immediately with stern attitude.

But most of the time, we encounter destructive conflict at the workplace. The negative conflict is characterized by moving of focus from important activities , low morale or self-concept , groupings between the team and lack of cooperation and trust, leads to irresponsible and harmful behavior, such as fighting, name-calling etc.

Hence, it is important for managers, team leaders or HR people to take note of it early and solve it at the earliest.

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.

Motivating Employees

EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

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. We can also describe motivation as the primal force that drives employees to excel or to do better. Most of the theories of motivation are based on the concept of workplace or employee motivation.

The traditional ‘stick and carrots’ theory of Sigmond Freud assumed people to be generally lazy and not wanting to work. In order to get them to work, they must be rewarded, coerced or punished. But it is not money alone that motivates people, their behavior is linked to their attitudes and different factors prevalent at work

It has also been proved that the person starts from satisfying his basic physiological needs first and moves up to satisfying his higher need such as esteem and self actualization. But it is quite obvious that people may or may not follow this hierarchy in terms of satisfaction of their needs. People are different and so are their requirements. Not all humans are driven by same set of needs though they may be at the same economic or social level

In our careers, everyone is motivated by something—it could be money for some, or it could be position and power for others. Some people are happy with a pay rise while others look at accompaniments such as good atmosphere, relaxed attitude, flexible timing etc.

Human resource people use a combination of many such rewards or incentives to keep their employees happy. Depending upon the level of the employee, the incentive schemes are put in place. Almost all organizations have such schemes in place. No organization can afford to have unmotivated employees – loss of motivation is dangerous for employers as it directly affects the productivity and quality of work. It is important for HR personnel to understand what will work for which type of person. Though it is impossible to satisfy each and every individual, companies should employ incentive schemes for groups depending upon the type of work they are doing. Going for a scheme that covers all employees is not a good idea as the playing rules are different for each department and the goals and objectives are separate. We cannot really compare the work of a software engineer and a shop floor workman. Putting them under the same umbrella is bound to create problems.

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. Different techniques such as offering monetary rewards for achieving high productivity and quality, awarding certificates for exemplary work, providing a fun filled picnics or get together on achieving the given targets are used to keep motivation at higher levels.

Self motivated employees are generally seen at the top ranks of an organization. These employees are already heavily compensated for their efforts and are recognized persons in their fields, thus the ordinary forms of motivation do not work for them. At their levels, they are self motivated and work for the love of the work and not for any rewards and recognition. Similarly, freelancers and business owners are supposedly self motivated as they work for themselves setting their own goals and targets and try to better their own performance again and again.

But whether it is self motivated freelancers or HR induced motivated employees of an organization, it is obvious that no one can work without a bit of motivation to take them one step further.

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.

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