On my way to be a....

Praveen A George Edwin asks everyone; does anyone know that there are so many people who are still being retrenched... So, many… Every day I see people around me leaving the company, because the company doesn't have work... When will this recession end?


Is it a call to become a job maker rather than a job seeker? There are lots of qualified and talented fellows out there. Never leave an option to start a new venture even if it is small. It is bit challenging to become an employer. Never invest too much and see great heights of profits till it is achieved. Keep in mind the harassment received so far from employers so far and create a new culture of mutual respect.


Let us join hands now to make a beginning…

Managing Up things by Understanding...

A very long time ago, there lived the King of Kings in Persia. Every night for three years, he would take a virgin from the town, make her his wife, and then have her beheaded in the morning. He did this because of the betrayal he felt as a result of his first wife’s infidelity. After 3,000 such executions, he met and married Scheherazade.

On the night before she was due to be killed, Scheherazade began to tell the King a captivating story. Just before she reached the end, and just as she had gotten to the cliff-hanger, Scheherazade abruptly stopped. The mesmerised King, who eagerly wanted to hear the rest, asked her to continue. But Scheherazade said there wasn’t enough time since dawn was about to break, but vowed to finish the story the next day when it would become even more exciting.

And so the King kept Scheherazade alive as he eagerly anticipated what would happen next. But every night, Scheherazade would stop just before the end of the story, which made the King keep her alive for one more day. This continued for 1001 nights, by which time Scheherazade had become the Queen and had given birth to three of the King’s sons.

In this supposedly true story, famously called Arabian Nights, Scheherazade influenced the King in the same way you can influence your boss. That one way is summarised using one word: understanding. The more you understand your boss’s objectives, problems, and style, the easier it’ll be for you to get approval for any big ideas you’d like implemented.

Scheherazade understood the King’s objectives (to be entertained), his problems (feelings of betrayal), and style (storytelling). She combined an understanding of all three to get what she wanted. You can do the same thing.

Objectives: Find out your boss’s key performance indicators, and then link any proposed change to the achievement of those goals.

Problems: Discover what’s keeping you boss up at night and show how your solutions will help to solve those problems, rather than your own.

Style: If your boss is analytical, use numbers. If your boss is direct, don’t waffle. If your boss is expressive, tell stories.

Eventually, Scheherazade ruled the kingdom. So can you.

Change

A positive thought for your day, Change by Catherine Pulsifer
If you could change one thing in your life what would it be? A tough question for some people. For others they don't even have to think about it they know exactly what the change is. So lets look at why it is tough for some and why for others it is easier. A Tough question for some people. WHY? Change is sometimes threatening to us. It takes away the "known". We may be the type of person who likes routine, it is our security, and "change" may upset our routine, our security. The saddest thing for me is watching those who don't want to change, they resist the change, they put up barriers to try and stop change.

Our world is constantly changing, has been for years and will continue in the years to come. Heraclitus was a Greek Philosopher and lived during 500 B.C.. He is quoted as saying, "There is nothing permanent except change." That was written many years ago and now here we are entering the millennium and change seems to be much faster today. One of the major contributors to our faster pace change is technology. Take the Internet for example, look at the information available to us. Look at how fast we can access the information we need. I remember when I was doing research for university, (before I had access to the Internet). I would go to the library, look up reference books, locate the books and easily spend the day combing through the books looking for the specific information I needed. Today, I sign on to the Internet, do a search for the specific information I need and in seconds have tons of information. I can then go the sites and print the info I need. It has cut my time in half (if not more!), plus it has given me a much wider range of information. Many times when I used the library, I had to order a specific book I wanted and then wait a week or longer for the book to arrive. Using the Internet I have access to world wide information.

Technology is changing our lives in many different ways! Everything from faster more efficient ways of doing business to lowering the cost of goods by eliminating the middle man. It is eliminating some jobs, however, creating new opportunities.

Resisting change in your life wastes valuable energy. When people focus on stopping the change rather than being open and trying to understand the change they are missing opportunities. In every change there is a positive effect. At the time when the change occurs we sometimes cannot see the positive, but if we focus and really look for it is there. Resisting change can lead to job joss, to marriage break ups, to friendships lost, to financial challenges. Just imagine what our world would be like if change did not occur.

For others they don't even have to think about it, they know exactly the change they would make.

For those who know the change you would make, my question to you is "what are you doing to make it happen." Wishing for something will never make it happen. But setting goals and taking action will make your change happen. We have all heard the saying, "Some people go their grave with their music still in them." They have had a dream but never did anything to make that dream come true. If you answered the question, "what would the one thing you would like to change", but have done nothing to change it, start to do something. Break down the change into steps, set time frames for yourself and start taking steps to make that change a reality.

Don't let others change your life, be your own change agent and implement the changes you want! And if an unexpected change occurs in your life, find the positive in it. Rather than wasting your energy and wasting your time, focus on the positive, in some cases search for the positive - there is opportunity in every change.

Let change be your friend!

Attitude at work

As they say, it’s all in your mind. So, having the right attitude can help you scale the success ladder. Shubha Subbaraman explores

Broadly speaking, there are four kinds of employees: (1) The over enthusiastic ones, who think they can bring about a revolution overnight (2) Those who look at corporates as a doomed entity with no redemption whatsoever (3) the I-don’t-care kind and finally (4) those who perceive every situation objectively and are constructive in their actions.

Unfortunately, no matter how efficient you are, if you don’t have the right approach towards the job, the results will be evident. Each employee has his/her stance about several aspects of their career and job in particular. Thus, the key to success begins with the realisation that everything is a matter of attitude, and thus, having the right attitude can really work wonders for your career.

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE    

Adopting an extreme approach all the time is unacceptable, states Praveena Parikh, who works as an inhouse counsellor with a leading KPO, “Irrespective of whether your bent is positive or negative, its important to strike the balance.” For example, some people make tall claims of what they can do, but their achievement is null. On the other hand, there are others who accept every situation the way it is. If you look at it objectively, neither of the two is actually productive.

 

Employees with the right kind of attitude can help take the company to the next level. However, by right attitude we do not imply positivity alone. It’s fair on the part of the employee to feel let down or unhappy about a particular instance or situation. But venting that anger or disappointment in the most appropriate manner, or more importantly, in a productive manner is what matters, adds Parikh.

MENTOR MATTER    

The attitude of an employee is one of the key attributes that is evaluated during the recruitment process. When it comes to recruitment, the attitude of an employee and his/her belief in oneself has as much to do as his/her core abilities and skill sets, explains HR executive Narayani Shastri, “For example, very often we have candidates who think they are in control of technically every situation. Their confidence levels appear to be at its peak. Self confidence is important, but over confidence can be a disaster as such candidates are difficult to mould. They come with a mindset and stick to it.”

Elaborating on this, Parikh, feels, “The learning curve is limited in such cases, and ego clashes are quite common, thus stimulating negativity among team members.”

SO HOW DO YOU STRIKE THE BALANCE?    

Start positive: To begin with, start with a positive attitude towards your job and your colleagues/ supervisor. Be open to ideas, and ready to expect change as well as accept change in its varied forms.

Opinion matters: It’s best to form your own opinion/s about people/situations rather than following the herd mentality; but before you do so, remember to assess the situation objectively.

Be constructive: As Ravi Patel, who works as a Manager, HR (Initiatives for employee welfare) with a BPO, explains, “Constructive feedback is always a boon. Therefore for any problems you may be facing, it’s best to approach the concerned people and get it sorted rather than crib over it. Unlike popular belief, the job of the HR team is not just to support the requirements of the management. Happy employees are an asset to the company, and therefore, one of their key roles of HR is to ensure that employees are satisfied and their grievances are addressed appropriately.’’

Resist negativity: No matter how much you want to shun it, you cannot escape negativity. It’s all around you. Therefore, it’s important to resist it for your own benefit. For example, when you hear something negative from a colleague or friend, understand that you may be getting only one aspect of the whole situation. The other side of the bread could also be buttered. Therefore, be your own judge.

Break free: Humour and enthusiasm are two key elements that can always keep energy levels high. Try to find humour even in hostile situations. It’s not all that difficult; there is humour in every situation. However, whether you identify it or not defines the kind of person you are. Sometimes you may have to dig deeper, but it’s worth the effort for it keeps you going.

 

- Education times (TOI) 25^th Jan, 2010.

Sometimes

Sometimes we forget that there are people watching us (meaning: our actions, what we do).

Sometimes we forget we are E-mails read on a daily basis.

In these E-mails we are sometimes the subject, the lines, the contents, the verses, the comas, the full stops which are all important.

Sometimes we forget that there are those who take these things seriously, what we do slightly and think there hasn't been any impact made.

Sometimes we forget that the power to do good to others Lies within us and when we release it we are bound to be affected by the same.

Sometimes we ignore the fact that whatever we sow is what We reap in life…

Sometimes, sometimes, sometimes…

A Love story

A Love story

Someone got me upset and I was talking to my friend about it, and she said that I should sit down and write a love story; maybe it would make me feel better, so I did...

I miss my baby so but she's not here anymore. And it's true, she's the one, who if I was getting worked up, she'd probably say something so that my anger would be directed towards her instead.

My heartthrob and soul; I miss the new meaning she puts in my life when she is around. The passage of time has made our bond stronger; our understanding of each other more deeper; our arguments longer because time has increased our knowledge of each other; our laughter more rich; our happiness more profound; our tears more poignant; our memories more nostalgic; our lives more rich because of the joy that a friendship as vibrant and fulfilling as ours brings; a friendship devoid of the illusions that lust gives, but yet filled with the mystery of love and undeniable attraction.

And yet, this is more of a dream than reality, because distance has become my worst enemy; the arm that twists the hands of fate and destiny. The realization that separation is not always a choice, but can be determined by miles and oceans, and countries and continents. The painful reality that life is not always fair and dreams are not always realized, but then the acknowledgement that all things will work out as they ought to, everything happens for a reason and maybe or maybe not, fate will unravel its cords in my favor. After all, it's not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.

A love story; worthy of films and romance novels. As close to the clichéd "love at first sight' as it can possibly be. Five years ago, since I first set eyes on her and to this day, some things never change. Some things do change however; from a little boy’s crush to a growing adolescent's troubled and confused emotions, and now to a young adult's confidence in the fact that above all else; all the other side attractions, flings, involvements, even girlfriends, in my heart she remains supreme.

There can only be one key to fit a door and she hold the key that unlocks the door to my heart. Not the heart that is free to love friends and family, to look twice, maybe three times at every cute girl, to find deep attractions and bonds with special people, but the heart that in this life that we live, only one person can have. For in life, you find only one true love, only one you can love in spite of who they are, only one you can love without setting any conditions nor asking any questions about whether this really is love, or lust or infatuation, because you have the answer; it lies in the very depths of your heart.

I have my answer and I have found my love, but I must accept the fact that as much as you will find only one true love in your life, it is only if you are lucky that you will spend the rest of your life with her. But I truly believe that it is better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all, because in life you win some and you lose some. Life is a battleground and it is the courageous and strong that emerge victorious. And I find the strength from within to survive from day to day, to overcome my trials and temptations, to conquer my difficulties and to transcend the greatest of all things; LOVE.

Modified a few (Copyright © 2003 Dinah Hanson --- Ghana)

Who do you need to forgive?

Today I ask the question, "Who do you need to forgive and why? I had a conversation with a friend over the weekend about anger and the benefits of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a funny thing, where by doing it, you not only release the other person from your anger but you also free yourself. Do you realize how much energy you put into keeping an old score unsettled? How it is a constant reminder of how someone did us wrong? How that moment or series of moments keeps playing the scene over and over again in our head, like a movie that never changes? Is this a good use of our time and energy? Who is our anger really affecting? Us or them?

When you don't forgive someone, you take it upon yourself to keep that anger near the surface. You give that anger active power, power that could be directed towards what you do want, not what you don't want. It has been said that whatever you focus on comes back to you into your life, whether the focus be positive or negative.

If you insist on not forgiving, for whatever reason that works for you, are you really telling the universe that you want more anger to manifest itself? Perhaps you never looked at it this way. Perhaps you think your anger is justified because we don't know all of the facts. Perhaps you think that you will look weak and the other person will win, if you forgive them.

I remember a story I saw on TV years ago. A woman had been torched, wrapped in bandages and in pain, when the interviewer asked her if she hated the person who had done this to her? She thought for a split second and responded with a, "No". When asked why not, she said she didn't want that person to have power over her. She didn't want that person constantly in her thoughts. She said she forgave him, not because it helped him, but because to forgive helped her. She need every ounce of energy possible to make a recovery and she wouldn't waste once ounce more on her attacker.

Try it, forgive someone today for what they did to you yesterday, last year, ten years ago, etc. Who feels better? Them or you? Release yourself from the burden of carrying around anger and move forward and focus on what you really want, what we all want: love, understanding and forgiveness for being human.

Copyright © 2004 Marlene Blaszczyk