THOUGHTFUL DEBATE

PERCEPTION   89% of managers believe  e mployees leave for more money. REALITY   88% of employees leave  for reasons other than money (Source Saratoga Institute (PwC)) In my experience and interactions with various employees in the past, the above is more confirmed over years. Most employees have various needs which vary based on age, progress in career, challenges in life etc. Following are few expectations, if addressed, PROBABILITY of hearing I QUIT is minimized. A clear and transparent communication to the employees from management. Create opportunity for growth and development. Encourage career progress. Treat them with respect, recognize contribution and reward as appropriate. Encouraged and groomed as an asset. Create and offer Challenges, which create growth opportunities. Involve them as stake-holders and business partners for strategic growth. Constructive feedback and learning opportunities for strategic progress. Perceptions are not always

What not to do while Negotiating a Job Offer. Most do not remain with 1 organisation for life-time. This is in interest of the individual and also organisation. If you do not plan to move after 5 years or more, you are enjoying the hospitality of organisation  and soon becoming complacent. You are soon not contributing to self nor to organisation. So it is obvious the smart and sensible explore opportunities, after a size able period of give and take with organisation is complete. In fact in my experience and few senior mentors of mine, for self growth and learning we should explore before we become big frog in a small pond. Well finding a job is much simpler than negotiating the job offer. Here are few NOT TO DO Things while negotiating Job Offer. 1. Do not discuss and invest time if you are not keen to join the Organisation. If the Job Offer becomes tempting you may land in confused state of mind to join or not join, due to the offer. 2. Do not accept everything at fi

Never Say Why Me? Many times when we face a wall, or encounter failure, or do not get what we wish for...... We ask ourselves Why Me? Why was I chosen to be the target ? Why only I get this failure? We should never say Why Me? When we say Why Me? we accept we are failure and trigger to accept the worst. This is a roller coaster downward spiral. Since when we accept all the failure. We find reasons to justify the failure. We will search reasons to find excuses for the failures. Why Me? This question is very pessimistic and loaded with negative affirmation. Our mind accepts this as a signal and will only produce or send signals to justify the cause. We should never ask Why Me? Infact we should explore and seek reasons to trigger mind for success. When we stop blaming self, mind will send positive signals, positive suggestions, constructive options. This positive triggers will channelize constructive actions. Constructive actions will support succes

A father left 17 Camels as an Asset for his Three Sons. When the Father passed away, his sons opened up the will. The Will of the Father stated that the Eldest son should get Half of 17 Camels, The Middle Son should be given 1/3rd of 17 Camels, Youngest Son should be given 1/9th of the 17 Camels, As it is not possible to divide 17 into half or 17 by 3 or 17 by 9, the sons started to fight with each other. So, they decided to go to a wise man. The wise man listened patiently about the Will. The wise man, after giving this thought, brought one camel of his own & added the same to 17. That increased the total to 18 camels. Now, he started reading the deceased father’s will. Half of 18 = 9. So he gave 9 camels to the eldest son. 1/3rd of 18 = 6. So he gave 6 camels to the middle son. 1/9th of 18 = 2. So he gave 2 camels to the youngest son. Now add this up: 9 + 6 + 2 = 17 & This leaves 1 camel, which the wise man took back. MORAL:  The atti

Sometimes simple stories tell a lot. Hope you like this.

Wearing Good Shoes, increases productivity.  Did we ever think, how powerful is the role of Shoe in our life. No, never. I am sure. We have better and important things to concentrate. In fact shoe is the last thing in our list to buy or shop, while getting dressed or shopping a outfit. Imagine a typical average shoe 8inch * 2.5inch sustains the complete weight of an individual. This means on an average 1 sq.ft (both shoes combine) are balancing the weight of an individual. Is this not something to ponder upon. On an average we will be wearing a shoe for approx 10hours a day or more. Let us do some simple Maths. We invest approx 5000 INR ($100 USD) and use the shoe for 1 year. Which means we invest approx 14INR per day or 1Rupee per hour. So an average we would spend 1Rupeee to 4Rupee (If we invest 20,000INR) per hour. This is a intimidating statistics for a tool which supports us at work on road. Why investing in a good shoe is important.... 1. Good shoe, supports y

Kicking balls is the best way to beat Anger...... My earlier post I shared the experience of  game at school to hit with a ball and Tennis game to strike the ball. In both cases I was subtly venting my steam and channeling negative energy , thoughts into constructive output. This used to make me feel joyful and energetic. In both cases it supplemented my good health and hence good productivity. Once my friend invited me to Golf Course. It was my first visit and experience to visit a Gold course. Anyone who is a frequent ( each one is after the first visit) will appreciate this facts after you visit a Golf Course or Range. 1. The impressive GREEN lush lawns gives you a boost of energy and calmness. 2. The scenic landscaping and wide range gives a great boost to vision and bliss to eyes. 3. The calmness and serene environment cools all your stress the moment you walk on the greens. Just a visit gives you such a boost and makes you forget the fights, debate an stress of

Kicking balls is the best way to beat Anger...... Oh Shit! Hell with you! Damn Stupid!......we do utter this and other such stuff, at least once a day....at least I used to.... We do this to vent our steam....... We need to vent our steam to let go anger...... What is Anger ? When something happens not as per our wish or expectation. When we are stuck in traffic, and car ahead of you breaks-down, folks in rear start honking at you.....You get angry. When your Supervisor post appraisal , rates you as " Just Meets Expectation " , .....You get angry. When you are placed on hold or disconnected, via IVR to update your details on Credit Card...You get angry. When your flight is delayed , although weather conditions are good but the Airline has not update for you.....You get angry. All the above and many such similar situations make us angry. Anger is hidden in D anger Anger also leads to Stress, Stress leads to many irreversible challenges. Let me share fe

Success Succeeds, Stress Screws...... Who would like to dis-agree, Stress is a Curse...... Well you can agree / dis-agree or agree to dis-agree.... Let me start with simple statement, "Today everyone is blessed with Stress" What is Stress...... Something which keeps us awake at night is Stress... We get worried about the Loan , repayment of Loan EMI and lose Sleep..... We get worried of school of our child and lose sleep... Something which gives us sadness feeling is Stress.... We compare our payslip with our colleague and get sad..... Something which triggers to be irritable is Stress... Something which triggers decrease in memory is Stress.... We go in the kitchen and wonder why did you come, you open the fridge and wonder why did you open... Something which triggers anger at innocent is Stress.... We get stuck in traffic, and keep honking.... Something which causes loss of appetite is Stress.... We visit our Favorite dining place , order the best d

Quitters never Win...... Not everyone gets an Outstanding Rating, few do get "Does not Meet / OR  Just Meets Expectations" What do you do when you are told your performance "Does not Meet Expectations" ? I am sure one of the toughest and most uncomfortable time is to be having above experience. Few things to pay attention..... #1. Do not lose faith in self . #2. Do not believe someone with few more years experience, can judge you, to evaluate you correctly. #3. Do not become pessimistic. #4. Do not stop doing what you are good at. #5. Please write an e-mail to 5  people whom you know well, requesting for feedback. #6. Do not react to the evaluation, from emotional viewpoint. #7. Do not schedule meeting with your Manager for at least 1 week, for further action plan ( let the reactive trigger and emotional wave settle down ) #8. Do not start talking negative about Manager or Organisation (This does not make you feel or become any bette

Snoring is Slow Killing Snoring in sleep is DANGEROUS for HEALTH...... If you Snore , it is time to take it SERIOUSLY.....  Snoring has extreme NEGATIVE IMPACTS....  #1. Snoring gives disturbed sleep. #2. Snoring causes momentary suffocation, NOT GOOD for HEART and BRAIN #3. Snoring causes TIRED and SLEEPY feeling during day. #4, Snoring causes LACK of CONCENTRATION and dip in efficiency. #5. Snoring may lead to Hypertension. #6. Snoring causes Sleep Apnea, cause of major road accidents #7. SNORING also is cause of DIVORCE cases.  Please DO NOT NEGLECT, Get it checked and overcome it.....I DID so can you.....

The Amazing Kite-Flier Every 'Makar Shankranti' festival the skies of Mumbai are dotted with kites of various shapes and colours. The sight of a kite flying far away never fails to bring a cheer to my heart. Years ago as a child in Mumbai my passion and obsession was ‘Kite-Flying’ , anytime of the year excepting the monsoons. To be a Kite flier one needs to have a good kite, twine, winding reel, eye-hand coordination and lots of patience. It’s a game of passion and energy. Any kite-flyer will know the importance of the above parameters for success. Of course as a child this came spontaneously. I never realized then that the possession of these few things which were so natural and spontaneous, would be the musings for a few People Management concept. Well so what has kite-flying really got to do with People Management concepts? Patience…..Patience , is one of the most important elements in kite-flying. When you start at launching a new kite, it does not immediately soa

The most favorite topic of discussion or concern among young managers is, “How should we MANAGE our Managers?”. In fact I think the thought of managing the Managers is the most high-priority thought or concern after the most debated and liked topic “Sex”. Honestly speaking I wonder why everybody is so worried or concerned about managing the managers. They should either focus on Managing Self, Managing teams, Managing Health or Managing Spouse. Well all said and done , giving honest answer is not the best practice (I know it is paradoxical), not at least in current recession times. Well keeping humors apart, let us dissect this question and address the challenge. First and foremost the reality is “You can never choose your Parents and Managers”. So you either learn to “Live” with them or decide to “Leave” them. The choice is yours and entirely yours. I feel leaving should be the last action and actually never an option. So let us see “How to Learn to Live”.  Rule #1. Thi

"OM" or "AUM" --> Welcome to the Almighty Power of Universe........ I grew up in a simple family and was inducted into basics of yoga and power of almighty as a child. My father had a Photograph of  Symbol "AUM" and it had meaning written..."AUM" means Welcome to the Gods. As a child I did not understand much of this nor had any interest ion Yoga. But when I used to hear my father chant the word AUM or OM, used to feel good and calm. As years passed and I got busy with career and growth, the chanting of  "AUM" was forgotten. I chanced upon this almost after 30years as a an accident and during a Leadership Workshop. We had a module on "Managing Stress", and the facilitator conducted a guided meditation using the "AUM" or "OM" chanting and breathing technique. I have been practicing chanting of "AUM" for last few years and found it very useful. How to Chant "OM" or &qu

How to deal with the Challenge of managing Senior Resource in Team? Globalization combined with increasing competition for revenue and profitability has created opportunities which are un-imagined in developing places. This has triggered the in-organic growth of people with talent, or those who found themselves in right place at right time. How do we deal with resources who are Senior by age and experience and you happen to be the fortunate to lead the team? This definitely is not rocket-science but needs skill and sensitivity and is mandatory for all those who wish to continue, the in-organic growth to success. Here is a 5-point checklist: #1. Respect the experience and seniority; you earn respect by giving respect, not demanding one. #2. Do not try to dominate them by Hierarchy, demonstrate leadership by Knowledge and Innovation. #3. Empowering them for key-challenges helps handle the ego and minimize the initial resistance. #4. Leverage the experience to delega

Every Parent's dream is to have a Smart child.... I am a father of daughter. Like every other parent we wish to have best for our children. We aspire, they do not encounter the challenges or troubles we faced in our life. Every parents dream, is they help their child to become SMART, SMARTER.... Is this possible ? As a concerned parent I am researching, exploring , discussing with other parents and also leveraging on our own parents and our generation parents. I am not sure , as I am also in trying exploring phase, but here are Top 4 factors which may help, to make our children smarter. Music: Music helps develop the part of brain which we very rarely utilize in our routine education system. Music helps to relax. Music makes us fit and fresh. In-fact Music helps at all ages and delays the ageing of brain after 40+. If we cant practice we can listen to music for few minutes. My daughter started playing Piano 2 years ago, I can see the benefit and also positive impact

Cycling is Rejuvenating.... I used to love cycling in my school days, Infact most of us grew up cycling for fun. It was the best mode to travel, As the years progressed the humble cycle started to rust in garage replaced by engine driven CAR. I started cycling again at 45years of age. Routine medical checkup gave indications of  cholesterol and lipids. Visiting Gym is not everybody's cup of tea. I used to watch children in my campus, cycling and having fun. It made me nostalgic of good old school days. I went and got myself a simple cycle. I have been regularly cycling across the city , whenever and wherever possible. I am more fit medically and mentally in a joyful mood. Here are some benefits of Cycling. Builds Stamina: It helps build stamina. Since we enjoy cycling we dont get tired and bored. We can always push ourselves a little farther than the previous time. Soon most of us would be doing 10 to 12 KM easily. In most cases it maybe the distance from House to W

The other day I was driving home from office , during the day few of us like minded folks had invested the day sharing on the topic "Lead by Example" and how "Leaders must Lead from the Front" .. Lesson from a Shepherd...... I was driving in my car, deep in thought introspecting about the "Leadership" challenges in changing times. Suddenly I had to hit the brakes,as a big herd of sheep were crossing the road right in front of the car. I cursed the situation and wondered, where was "Shepherd" who was supposed to lead them. After sometime when the sheep had crossed the road, I saw the Shepherd walking behind the herd. I was very irritated with him and wondered, what kind of leader was he, hanging behind the herd? Few days later I was conducting a workshop and discussing about "Dynamic Leadership Styles", suddenly the visual of the Shepherd walking behind the herd of sheep came to my mind. I felt this is also a "Leader

Lessons from my Pet Dog...... I have a Pet Dog for last 4 years. Dogs soon become member of family, they dont talk but they speak a lot with eyes, tail etc. They understand human beings more than we humans understand each other. I have learned few things from him. 1. Give love to all, and greet all who comes home. 2. They do not love people based on designation, money, power they have unconditional love towards all. 3. Take small naps (doze) whenever possible, it keeps you more alert and fresh 24 * 7. 4. When dealing with strangers and hostile folks, "Why bite when bark can do:-) ". 5. Cover your shit and move on with Life. 6. Stretch yourself when you wake up, secret of Fitness. 7. Wag your tail when Master is around (Boss is always right, keep him happy). It is interesting to have a Pet specially Dog, they keep you happy and fit.

Hiring Senior Level Managers is a Challenge for Small/Mid size Organization? Most individuals write on topic of expertise or experience, I am deviating and writing this article as a posing question, to find answers. I do not know the answer, so do not expect the same in rest of the article. I decided to express few aspects which I am experiencing while looking for Senior Level Managers. Individuals look for a change of job/organization for various reasons like better career, lucrative financial, learning opportunity, challenge etc. It is not necessary that for an individual all the above or more parameters need to be satisfied for change. Sometimes any one or maybe two are sufficient to trigger the thought for change. Incidentally the above criteria dominate in the early 2 to 10years of employment and also at high frequency of change. The reason is appetite for growth and risk taking attitude is high in the early 10years of employment or in age of thirties. Most individu

Does Fitness increase Productivity at work ? Yes!  How is it possible. 1. If you are fit, you are in a motivated state for discussion, meetings and interactions.  2. If you are fit, you are cheerful and social with seniors, peers and subordinates.  3. If you are fit, you are alert for late scheduled calls and efficient in handling queries.  Are the above 3 not good enough reasons to increase productivity at work, for a good work-life balance.  Stay Fit , Stay Happy.

Do Processes Kill Innovation? Innovation is a change in the thought process for doing something or "new stuff that is made useful". Process describes the act of taking something through an established and usually routine set of procedures to convert it from one form to another. When the mankind created Fire, we had no process, which was the first Innovation! Telephone, television, car seat-belt, air-plane, jeans, chewing-gum are just few of the innovative creations which are integral part of our life today. Innovation, by its very definition, violates process. It is almost impossible to change your thinking as long as you are abiding to processes. Process expects following defined set of steps, which guarantees expected outcomes. In a way, process ensures minimal failures or zero risks. Process is outcome of left-hemisphere brain, which drives routine or well rehearsed processing. Innovation is driven by right-hemisphere brain involved in novel si

Would you retain top-talent and star-performers? In times of recession and in good times, retention is neither talked about nor thought of aspect. When everybody starts hiring and the industry starts showing signs of exponential YOY growth, Top talent or Start performers are on everybody’s list. Managers and Recruiters start thinking and planning for them. Let’s first understand what I mean when I say top-talent and star-performers. These are human resources who make a big difference to every small thing that impacts growth and future opportunity. Obviously they are tipping-point for many initiatives. I believe that small and growing organizations must focus on retaining top-talent, since huge knowledge base, expertise and ownership which they posses is not something which is easily replaceable. They also become threat over a period time and become in-dispensable. On the other hand, large organizations can afford to let go star-performers, since they can build