Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Prayer
A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agree that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, there was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, a! ll of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?" "My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."
"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."
"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"
"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."
For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone , but those of another praying for us. This is too good not to share... My prayer for you today is that all your prayers are answered. Be blessed. "What you do for others is more important than what you do for yourself"
Monday, October 29, 2007
The Ultimate Secrets of Truly Effective Affirmation Techniques
Affirmation technique has been used by many successful people for centuries. It has helped many ordinary people achieved extraordinary results in their lives. It has turned many failures into successes. It has made many miracles in the history of human revolution. However, majority of the people who have used affirmation find it is not working. Why is this case? What are the elements that people have missed out when they use the affirmation techniques? I constantly ask myself these questions, and seek for the answers. The result is no one book gives the compete answers. Some tips given in this book work for this specific situation, and not for other situation. Another books give other tips work for other situation, but not for this. I have tested and filtered out the ineffective ones, and left only what I call the ultimate secrets for effective technique.
The purpose of affirmation:
Before I give you the effective techniques, I must make you understand the true purpose of affirmation. Simply stated, the purpose of affirmation is to pass a command from the conscious mind to the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind has this ability, if anything it accept as true, it will do whatever it takes to turn it into reality. The affirmation is to pass a message to the subconscious mind, and let it believe the message is true. So this brings to the first element of an effective affirmation.
1. The affirmation must be believable to the subconscious mind
Most of the affirmation the people used fail at this first stage. They tend to give an unrealistic message to the subconscious mind, and hope they can get response. If you are financially broke, you say to yourself “I earn RS100,000 per year.” is this believable to your mind? If your body is totally out of shape, you say to yourself “I am very attractive”, is this believable to your mind? I doubt it.
What if you are currently broke, and you want to make RS100,000 per year? What if you are out of shape, and you want to make yourself attractive? I find the best and easiest way is to use the word “I choose” in your affirmation
Instead of saying “I earn RS100,000 per year.”
Now say “I choose to earn RS100,000 per year”
Instead of saying “I am very attractive”
Now say “I choose to feel that people find me attractive”
Do you feel the differences?
2. The subconscious mind seeks for proof
There is a misconception that the affirmation must be repeated thousands of times before it could be installed in the subconscious mind. This is not necessarily true. You can use the repetition method to embed your affirmation, but there is an easier way. It is at the time you find the proof, state your affirmation. Many people stay in poverty is because they had associated pain to money. Whenever they spend their money, they will think of their bills, loans etc. This will automatically lead to ultimate pain. It is the feeling you attached to money makes you rich or poor.
How can we turn this into our advantage? Instead of feeling pain to spend money, what if we associate pleasure to it. Next time when you go out for shopping, at the moment you take out your money or credit card, say this affirmation to yourself “I always have more than enough to spend.”
See how you will feel. This works because the subconscious mind sees the proof. As long as you have some money left in your pocket, this affirmation is always true, so the subconscious mind will believe.
How about we combine the first and second methods together and make an affirmation like this “ I choose feel that I am always have more than enough to spend.” Say this at the time you spend your money. See how you feel. You don’t have to repeat it thousands of times, a few times of real life proof will make your subconscious mind believes.
3. The affirmation must trigger feelings
A fact about the subconscious mind is that it does not speak in words, you can only communicate with it through feelings, emotions. There are two methods that you can use to trigger your feelings. First method is to use words that involve feelings. Words like “fun, enjoyable, comfortable, delightful” will work effectively. Second method is to use imagination. Visualizing the situation stated in your affirmation already comes true. See yourself in that situation and feel the feelings.
4. The affirmation must obey the 3 Ps factors
The 3 Ps are positive, present tense, and personal.
Affirmations must be stated positively, instead of saying “I am not fat”, say “I choose to stay slim”. The reason for this is that before the mind knows the meaning of I am not fat, it must think of what fat means first. So saying that statement will inevitably leads to the feeling of being fat.
Affirmations must be in present tense. Many books have mentioned this. However, I only agree to some extend. If you say “I have a luxury car”, your mind will not believe you. The reason I include this P here is that once it combined with the first technique, it will work perfectly. Now say “ I choose to have a luxury car”. Your mind will do its best to bring it into reality.
Affirmation must be personal. Your subconscious mind only work for you, not for others. If you say “Ann loves me”, it will not effective, because you have no any control on Ann. Now say “I choose to feel that Ann really loves me”. This time you are in control, because you can control your own feelings.
5. Personal development affirmation should be stated in comparative
“I am confident” may not be as effective as “I am becoming more and more confident”
A even better affirmation could be “I choose to feel more and more confident”
The reason to use comparative is because there is no end to how much confident you should become. You mind may think you are already confident enough, and it will not need to do any more work.
These 5 techniques are the most effective ones that I have found from my research on affirmation. If you can use all the 5 techniques, I guarantee your results will be amazing. Even you only use one or two techniques stated here, you will find your affirmations become far more effective.
The purpose of affirmation:
Before I give you the effective techniques, I must make you understand the true purpose of affirmation. Simply stated, the purpose of affirmation is to pass a command from the conscious mind to the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind has this ability, if anything it accept as true, it will do whatever it takes to turn it into reality. The affirmation is to pass a message to the subconscious mind, and let it believe the message is true. So this brings to the first element of an effective affirmation.
1. The affirmation must be believable to the subconscious mind
Most of the affirmation the people used fail at this first stage. They tend to give an unrealistic message to the subconscious mind, and hope they can get response. If you are financially broke, you say to yourself “I earn RS100,000 per year.” is this believable to your mind? If your body is totally out of shape, you say to yourself “I am very attractive”, is this believable to your mind? I doubt it.
What if you are currently broke, and you want to make RS100,000 per year? What if you are out of shape, and you want to make yourself attractive? I find the best and easiest way is to use the word “I choose” in your affirmation
Instead of saying “I earn RS100,000 per year.”
Now say “I choose to earn RS100,000 per year”
Instead of saying “I am very attractive”
Now say “I choose to feel that people find me attractive”
Do you feel the differences?
2. The subconscious mind seeks for proof
There is a misconception that the affirmation must be repeated thousands of times before it could be installed in the subconscious mind. This is not necessarily true. You can use the repetition method to embed your affirmation, but there is an easier way. It is at the time you find the proof, state your affirmation. Many people stay in poverty is because they had associated pain to money. Whenever they spend their money, they will think of their bills, loans etc. This will automatically lead to ultimate pain. It is the feeling you attached to money makes you rich or poor.
How can we turn this into our advantage? Instead of feeling pain to spend money, what if we associate pleasure to it. Next time when you go out for shopping, at the moment you take out your money or credit card, say this affirmation to yourself “I always have more than enough to spend.”
See how you will feel. This works because the subconscious mind sees the proof. As long as you have some money left in your pocket, this affirmation is always true, so the subconscious mind will believe.
How about we combine the first and second methods together and make an affirmation like this “ I choose feel that I am always have more than enough to spend.” Say this at the time you spend your money. See how you feel. You don’t have to repeat it thousands of times, a few times of real life proof will make your subconscious mind believes.
3. The affirmation must trigger feelings
A fact about the subconscious mind is that it does not speak in words, you can only communicate with it through feelings, emotions. There are two methods that you can use to trigger your feelings. First method is to use words that involve feelings. Words like “fun, enjoyable, comfortable, delightful” will work effectively. Second method is to use imagination. Visualizing the situation stated in your affirmation already comes true. See yourself in that situation and feel the feelings.
4. The affirmation must obey the 3 Ps factors
The 3 Ps are positive, present tense, and personal.
Affirmations must be stated positively, instead of saying “I am not fat”, say “I choose to stay slim”. The reason for this is that before the mind knows the meaning of I am not fat, it must think of what fat means first. So saying that statement will inevitably leads to the feeling of being fat.
Affirmations must be in present tense. Many books have mentioned this. However, I only agree to some extend. If you say “I have a luxury car”, your mind will not believe you. The reason I include this P here is that once it combined with the first technique, it will work perfectly. Now say “ I choose to have a luxury car”. Your mind will do its best to bring it into reality.
Affirmation must be personal. Your subconscious mind only work for you, not for others. If you say “Ann loves me”, it will not effective, because you have no any control on Ann. Now say “I choose to feel that Ann really loves me”. This time you are in control, because you can control your own feelings.
5. Personal development affirmation should be stated in comparative
“I am confident” may not be as effective as “I am becoming more and more confident”
A even better affirmation could be “I choose to feel more and more confident”
The reason to use comparative is because there is no end to how much confident you should become. You mind may think you are already confident enough, and it will not need to do any more work.
These 5 techniques are the most effective ones that I have found from my research on affirmation. If you can use all the 5 techniques, I guarantee your results will be amazing. Even you only use one or two techniques stated here, you will find your affirmations become far more effective.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
A Glass Of Milk(What An Act Of Kindness Can Do)
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house.
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water.
She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?" You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit. Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save h er life. From that day he gave special attention to her case. After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all.
Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ... "Paid in full with one glass of milk" (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly. Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."
There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the waters comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time.??If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the wo rld a better place - And, after all, isn't that what life is all about?
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water.
She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?" You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit. Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save h er life. From that day he gave special attention to her case. After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all.
Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ... "Paid in full with one glass of milk" (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly. Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."
There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the waters comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time.??If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the wo rld a better place - And, after all, isn't that what life is all about?
The Brick
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.
As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.
The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"
The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do, " He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car.
"It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. "Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.
Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:
"Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention. God whispers in our souls and speaks to our heart. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice. God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way."
As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.
The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"
The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do, " He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car.
"It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. "Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.
Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:
"Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention. God whispers in our souls and speaks to our heart. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice. God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way."
The Obstacle in Our Path
In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway.
Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.
Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.
On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road.
After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.
As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been.
The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many others never understand.
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.
Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock.
Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way.
Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables.
On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road.
After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.
As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been.
The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.
The peasant learned what many others never understand.
Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Living in 80th floor.
There were once 2 brothers who lived on the 80th floor of a tall building. On coming home one day, they realized to their dismay that the lifts were not working and that they have to climb the stairs home. After struggling to the 20th level, panting and tired, they decided to abandon their bags and come back for them the next day. They left their bags then and climbed on. When they have struggled to the 40th level by this time they had gone sufficiently mad and irritated. The younger brother started to grumble and both of them began to quarrel. They continued to climb the flights of steps, quarreling all the way to the 60th floor. They then realized that they have only 20 levels more to climb and decided to stop quarreling and continue climbing in peace. They silently climbed on and reached their home at long last. Each stood calmly before the door and waited for the! other to open the door. And they realized that the key was in their bags which were left on the 20th floor.
THIS STORY IS A REFLECTION ON OUR LiFE AND TiMES .
All of us climb the tall building called LiFE. Some climb till all the 80 floors and some less. Many of us climb under the expectations of our companion. Time to time these are our friends and parents till the 20th floor, then our spouse and our dear ones till the next level of the building. We seldom get to do the things that we really like and love and are under so much pressure and stress so that by the age of 20, we get tired and decided to dump this load. Being free of the stress and pressure, we work enthusiastically and dream ambitious wishes. By the time we reach 40 years old, we start to lose our vision and dreams. We began to feel unsatisfied and start to complain and criticize. We live life as a misery as we are never satisfied. Reaching 60, we realize that we have little left for complaining anymore, and we began to walk the final episode in peace a! nd calmness. We think that there is nothing left to disappoint us, only to realize that we could not rest in peace because we have an unfulfilled dream. A dream we abandon 60 years ago. So what's your dream? Know your dreams and follow it so that you will not live with regrets. * ACCEPT YOURSELF * BELIEVE IN YOURSELF * LIKE YOURSELF Inside each one of us are powers so strong, treasures so rich, possibilities so endless, that to command them all into action would change the history of the world.
THIS STORY IS A REFLECTION ON OUR LiFE AND TiMES .
All of us climb the tall building called LiFE. Some climb till all the 80 floors and some less. Many of us climb under the expectations of our companion. Time to time these are our friends and parents till the 20th floor, then our spouse and our dear ones till the next level of the building. We seldom get to do the things that we really like and love and are under so much pressure and stress so that by the age of 20, we get tired and decided to dump this load. Being free of the stress and pressure, we work enthusiastically and dream ambitious wishes. By the time we reach 40 years old, we start to lose our vision and dreams. We began to feel unsatisfied and start to complain and criticize. We live life as a misery as we are never satisfied. Reaching 60, we realize that we have little left for complaining anymore, and we began to walk the final episode in peace a! nd calmness. We think that there is nothing left to disappoint us, only to realize that we could not rest in peace because we have an unfulfilled dream. A dream we abandon 60 years ago. So what's your dream? Know your dreams and follow it so that you will not live with regrets. * ACCEPT YOURSELF * BELIEVE IN YOURSELF * LIKE YOURSELF Inside each one of us are powers so strong, treasures so rich, possibilities so endless, that to command them all into action would change the history of the world.
5 management dilemmas
Whether you’re managing your own company or one department within the regional office of an international corporation, there are universal challenges every supervisor faces. These difficulties test the mettle and resourcefulness of even the most seasoned and skilled supervisor.The following guidelines will help you handle the top five managerial dilemmas swiftly and effectively.
1. Conflicts between employees.Individual differences in employees’ abilities, temperaments and work styles can frequently lead to tension and problems on the job. When coworkers clash, you face a dual dilemma — you must deal with the immediate issue as well as prevent fall-out that could negatively affect the rest of your staff. Meet individually with every employee involved and, without assigning blame, restate the situation as you see it. Give each person the chance to give his or her side of the story. Listen as objectively as possible, even if you disagree with certain viewpoints. Then, encourage the parties to collectively brainstorm ways to resolve the problem. Emphasize that your goal is not to decide who’s right and who’s wrong, but to help the team work together more harmoniously. Although you should guide the discussion, make sure they understand that it is their responsibility to reach agreement. If the conflict proves to be intractable, you may ultimately have to reassign or transfer one or more of the individuals.
2. Low morale.Many factors can cause a decline in morale, including a downsizing or uncertainty about a company’s future. When employees are demoralized, they are likely to fall into a self-perpetuating cycle of inefficiency and low productivity. Turnover may increase as staff members seek more secure jobs elsewhere. As a manager, you must take decisive action to reverse such trends and bolster spirits.Meet with your staff and acknowledge that the company has been through a difficult period. Thank them for persevering and continuing to do their best. If you honestly can, reassure them that the situation has stabilized. If this is not the case or if you are not in a position to comment, avoid making promises you won’t be able to keep as your staff may be further demoralized by assertions that eventually prove to be untrue. On an ongoing basis, remember to always recognize and reward good performance. A simple thank you or public comment about a job well done can help boost lagging morale.
3. Performance problems.Most managers have at least one staff member who doesn’t perform up to his or her potential. The best strategy for dealing with this dilemma is to hold periodic performance reviews. Schedule a private meeting with the employee and review recent activity. Start by recognizing instances when the person exceeded expectations and explain why you value this type of behaviour. Then discuss problematic areas. Together with the individual, establish performance goals and discuss how to monitor progress. Set up another review session as a check-point. There will be times when no amount of monitoring can reverse weak performance. When you don’t see an appreciable change after ample time and numerous efforts to assist the worker, termination may be the best option. An under-performing employee is generally an unhappy one, and this can negatively impact the rest of your staff.
4. Chronic tardiness/absenteei sm.Most employees are late or absent from time to time, but if one of your employees comes in late with alarming regularity or has a high frequency of absence, you must take action. Meet privately and say that you’re concerned about the situation. Give him or her a chance to explain the tardiness or absences — a compelling personal reason (family problems or a medical condition, for example) may be the root cause. If that’s the case, express your support and discuss ways that the person can still meet his or her job-related responsibilities. If the employee has no reasonable explanation, reiterate the company policy and state that habitual tardiness or absence will not be tolerated. Be prepared to take the necessary disciplinary action if the problem persists.
5. A top performer hands in her resignation.When one of your most talented, valuable employees breaks the news that he or she has decided to accept a position elsewhere, your first instinct may be to make a counter offer or try to persuade him or her to stay. But if an employee is determined to move on, neither of these strategies will have an effect. Although it’s difficult to lose a good staff member, you must realize that people’s professional and personal goals change over time. Ask if the employee would be willing to stay on long enough to help train a replacement. At the very least, he or she should tie up as many loose ends as possible and provide you with a final status report on unfinished projects. Conduct an exit interview, being sure to ask what made the employee decide to leave. Pay close attention to the answer in case it points to a situation you have the power to change (for example, the individual felt there were no further opportunities for advancement) . Finally, request their new contact information, so that the person remains part of your professional network.No business is immune from dilemmas that, if not handled wisely and in a timely fashion, could cause decreased productivity, low employee morale and diminished profitability. But by responding strategically, you’ll find that such problems arise less frequently and pose little threat to your company’s continued stability and success.
1. Conflicts between employees.Individual differences in employees’ abilities, temperaments and work styles can frequently lead to tension and problems on the job. When coworkers clash, you face a dual dilemma — you must deal with the immediate issue as well as prevent fall-out that could negatively affect the rest of your staff. Meet individually with every employee involved and, without assigning blame, restate the situation as you see it. Give each person the chance to give his or her side of the story. Listen as objectively as possible, even if you disagree with certain viewpoints. Then, encourage the parties to collectively brainstorm ways to resolve the problem. Emphasize that your goal is not to decide who’s right and who’s wrong, but to help the team work together more harmoniously. Although you should guide the discussion, make sure they understand that it is their responsibility to reach agreement. If the conflict proves to be intractable, you may ultimately have to reassign or transfer one or more of the individuals.
2. Low morale.Many factors can cause a decline in morale, including a downsizing or uncertainty about a company’s future. When employees are demoralized, they are likely to fall into a self-perpetuating cycle of inefficiency and low productivity. Turnover may increase as staff members seek more secure jobs elsewhere. As a manager, you must take decisive action to reverse such trends and bolster spirits.Meet with your staff and acknowledge that the company has been through a difficult period. Thank them for persevering and continuing to do their best. If you honestly can, reassure them that the situation has stabilized. If this is not the case or if you are not in a position to comment, avoid making promises you won’t be able to keep as your staff may be further demoralized by assertions that eventually prove to be untrue. On an ongoing basis, remember to always recognize and reward good performance. A simple thank you or public comment about a job well done can help boost lagging morale.
3. Performance problems.Most managers have at least one staff member who doesn’t perform up to his or her potential. The best strategy for dealing with this dilemma is to hold periodic performance reviews. Schedule a private meeting with the employee and review recent activity. Start by recognizing instances when the person exceeded expectations and explain why you value this type of behaviour. Then discuss problematic areas. Together with the individual, establish performance goals and discuss how to monitor progress. Set up another review session as a check-point. There will be times when no amount of monitoring can reverse weak performance. When you don’t see an appreciable change after ample time and numerous efforts to assist the worker, termination may be the best option. An under-performing employee is generally an unhappy one, and this can negatively impact the rest of your staff.
4. Chronic tardiness/absenteei sm.Most employees are late or absent from time to time, but if one of your employees comes in late with alarming regularity or has a high frequency of absence, you must take action. Meet privately and say that you’re concerned about the situation. Give him or her a chance to explain the tardiness or absences — a compelling personal reason (family problems or a medical condition, for example) may be the root cause. If that’s the case, express your support and discuss ways that the person can still meet his or her job-related responsibilities. If the employee has no reasonable explanation, reiterate the company policy and state that habitual tardiness or absence will not be tolerated. Be prepared to take the necessary disciplinary action if the problem persists.
5. A top performer hands in her resignation.When one of your most talented, valuable employees breaks the news that he or she has decided to accept a position elsewhere, your first instinct may be to make a counter offer or try to persuade him or her to stay. But if an employee is determined to move on, neither of these strategies will have an effect. Although it’s difficult to lose a good staff member, you must realize that people’s professional and personal goals change over time. Ask if the employee would be willing to stay on long enough to help train a replacement. At the very least, he or she should tie up as many loose ends as possible and provide you with a final status report on unfinished projects. Conduct an exit interview, being sure to ask what made the employee decide to leave. Pay close attention to the answer in case it points to a situation you have the power to change (for example, the individual felt there were no further opportunities for advancement) . Finally, request their new contact information, so that the person remains part of your professional network.No business is immune from dilemmas that, if not handled wisely and in a timely fashion, could cause decreased productivity, low employee morale and diminished profitability. But by responding strategically, you’ll find that such problems arise less frequently and pose little threat to your company’s continued stability and success.
Every one must work in an organization
One manager let employees know how valuable they are with the following memo: "You Arx A Kxy Pxrson
" Xvxn though my typxwritxr is an old modxl, it works vxry wxll -- xxcxpt for onx kxy.
You would think that with all thx othxer kxys functioning propxrly, onx kxy not working would hardly bx noticxd; but just onx kxy out of whack sxxms to ruin thx wholx xffort.
You may say to yoursxlf -- Wxll, I'm only onx pxrson.
No onx will noticx if I don't do my bxst.
But it doxs makx a diffxrxncx, bxcausx an xffxctivx organization nxxds activx participation by xvxry onx to thx bxst of his or hxr ability.
So, thx nxxt timx you think you arx not important, rxmxmbxr my old typxwritxr. You arx a kxy pxrson.
" Xvxn though my typxwritxr is an old modxl, it works vxry wxll -- xxcxpt for onx kxy.
You would think that with all thx othxer kxys functioning propxrly, onx kxy not working would hardly bx noticxd; but just onx kxy out of whack sxxms to ruin thx wholx xffort.
You may say to yoursxlf -- Wxll, I'm only onx pxrson.
No onx will noticx if I don't do my bxst.
But it doxs makx a diffxrxncx, bxcausx an xffxctivx organization nxxds activx participation by xvxry onx to thx bxst of his or hxr ability.
So, thx nxxt timx you think you arx not important, rxmxmbxr my old typxwritxr. You arx a kxy pxrson.
Average intelligence person wins
I never tire of telling the story of Dean Eisenhower (no relative of President Eisenhower) of Harvard Business School, many years ago. He had a commencement meeting of the faculty with the Deans address where he spelt out his vision for the School and the expectations from the faculty. He then ended the talk with an appeal to these teachers. ’Take care of our outstanding students,’ he said ‘please nurture them. For, from among them will come the future faculty of Harvard.’ After a pause, he continued ‘And take greater care of the average students. Also nurture them. From among them, will come the future funding for Harvard.’
Dean Eisenhower was not wrong. The outstanding students would go out into the world, with their first class honours degrees and the Phi Beta Gamma labels – and expect that every corporate house, big or small will open their doors wide open and welcome them with a red carpet and fat pay packages and perks. And it does not happen. The corporate houses could not care less – or more, about first class honours qualifications. All they want is delivery of results – by employees who know their strengths and weaknesses, who are prepared to work hard and make sure that they are an asset to the company. They deliver.
While the case of average students is quite different from that of the toppers. And the first indication of their productivity is their attitude to getting a job. They try harder. They apply wider. Their expectations are lesser. They are more innovative. Their learning is faster because they have more enthusiasm. And they know how little they know. Their risk taking ability is higher; because they have nothing to lose in status or ego. They reach out for, and grab opportunities. They know they cannot wait for opportunities to come to them.
We all know about Bill Gates and how he dropped out of college, followed his own path, guided by his own star (if wealth is an index) and now has personal wealth of 55 billion US$ in 2007.
We also know about Steve Jobs and how he dropped out of college to start Apple; how he neglected studies in school because he was besotted with ‘design’ and spent all his time ‘designing.’ How he succeeded and built the huge Apple empire and then was fired from his own company and how he fell and rose again.
Closer home, I remember Sami who was working at Mumbai Airport as Traffic Assistant. One day a friend approached him to say that his company chairman-international was arriving and could he somehow manage to get the local managing director to receive and welcome him inside the ‘No Visitors allowed’ area? Pulling the right strings, Sami managed to do this. The managing director Whitby was very appreciative. When the group was leaving the airport, he told Sami to see him any time at the office, if he needed anything. A week later, Sami called Whitby and fixed an appointment. He told Whitby that he was fed up of the Traffic Assistant job and it was also a dead end. Was there anything he could do, with his pass class B.A. degree, in this large toiletries conglomerate? Sami was hired as regional sales manager for West India. Whitby felt that with his people skills and his gift of the gab, Sami would perform – and Sami did perform. He rose to general manager of a division before he left the company to become general manager of another company. Had he ignored the invitation to see Whitby and considered Whitby’s invitation merely as a social nicety, Sami would have perhaps been a Senior Traffic Assistant 15 years later!
Al Reis, the well known author in Marketing once wrote that ‘in the dairy, cream rises to the top. In daily life, it’s generally not true. It is mostly milk at the top of the corporate bottle. Intelligence is a two edged sword. Too little and you can’t cope with the corporate paper work. Too much and you are out of touch with reality.
You will find that top executives come from the middle of the IQ curve. Peter McColough, former Chairman of Xerox made the same point about his Harvard School class of 1949. ‘The record of accomplishment corresponds negatively with the standing of the class.’ The top people did not do that well. The one-third in the middle did. The guys who got the highest marks tended to be in the middle in accomplishment!
Dean Eisenhower was not wrong. The outstanding students would go out into the world, with their first class honours degrees and the Phi Beta Gamma labels – and expect that every corporate house, big or small will open their doors wide open and welcome them with a red carpet and fat pay packages and perks. And it does not happen. The corporate houses could not care less – or more, about first class honours qualifications. All they want is delivery of results – by employees who know their strengths and weaknesses, who are prepared to work hard and make sure that they are an asset to the company. They deliver.
While the case of average students is quite different from that of the toppers. And the first indication of their productivity is their attitude to getting a job. They try harder. They apply wider. Their expectations are lesser. They are more innovative. Their learning is faster because they have more enthusiasm. And they know how little they know. Their risk taking ability is higher; because they have nothing to lose in status or ego. They reach out for, and grab opportunities. They know they cannot wait for opportunities to come to them.
We all know about Bill Gates and how he dropped out of college, followed his own path, guided by his own star (if wealth is an index) and now has personal wealth of 55 billion US$ in 2007.
We also know about Steve Jobs and how he dropped out of college to start Apple; how he neglected studies in school because he was besotted with ‘design’ and spent all his time ‘designing.’ How he succeeded and built the huge Apple empire and then was fired from his own company and how he fell and rose again.
Closer home, I remember Sami who was working at Mumbai Airport as Traffic Assistant. One day a friend approached him to say that his company chairman-international was arriving and could he somehow manage to get the local managing director to receive and welcome him inside the ‘No Visitors allowed’ area? Pulling the right strings, Sami managed to do this. The managing director Whitby was very appreciative. When the group was leaving the airport, he told Sami to see him any time at the office, if he needed anything. A week later, Sami called Whitby and fixed an appointment. He told Whitby that he was fed up of the Traffic Assistant job and it was also a dead end. Was there anything he could do, with his pass class B.A. degree, in this large toiletries conglomerate? Sami was hired as regional sales manager for West India. Whitby felt that with his people skills and his gift of the gab, Sami would perform – and Sami did perform. He rose to general manager of a division before he left the company to become general manager of another company. Had he ignored the invitation to see Whitby and considered Whitby’s invitation merely as a social nicety, Sami would have perhaps been a Senior Traffic Assistant 15 years later!
Al Reis, the well known author in Marketing once wrote that ‘in the dairy, cream rises to the top. In daily life, it’s generally not true. It is mostly milk at the top of the corporate bottle. Intelligence is a two edged sword. Too little and you can’t cope with the corporate paper work. Too much and you are out of touch with reality.
You will find that top executives come from the middle of the IQ curve. Peter McColough, former Chairman of Xerox made the same point about his Harvard School class of 1949. ‘The record of accomplishment corresponds negatively with the standing of the class.’ The top people did not do that well. The one-third in the middle did. The guys who got the highest marks tended to be in the middle in accomplishment!
People leave managers not companies
(Azim Premji forwarded this to his employees.)
Every company normally faces one common problem of high employee turnout ratio. People are leaving the company for better pay, better profile or simply for just one reason 'pak gaya'. This article might just throw some light on the matter. After reading it' I realized how true the subject line of this mail is.
Early this year, Arun, an old friend who is a senior software designer, got an offer from a prestigious international firm to work in its India operations developing specialized software. He was thrilled by the offer. He had heard a lot about the CEO of this company, charismatic man often quoted in the business press for his visionary attitude. The salary was great. The company had al l the right systems in place employee-friendly human resources (HR) policies, a spanking new office, and the very best technology, even a canteen that served superb food. Twice Arun was sent abroad for training. 'My learning curve is the sharpest it's ever been,' he said soon after he joined. 'It's a real high working with such cutting edge technology.' Last week, less than eight months after he joined, Arun walked out of the job. He has no other offer in hand but he said he couldn't take it anymore. Nor, apparently, could several other people in his department who have also quit recently.
The CEO is distressed about the high employee turnover. He's distressed about the money he's spent in training them. He's distressed because he can't figure out what happened. Why did this talented employee leave despite a top salary? Arun quit for the same reason that drives many good people away. The answer lies in one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called First Break All the Rules. It came up with this surprising finding: If you're losing good people, look to their immediate supervisor. More than any other single reason, he is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he's the reason why they quit, taking their knowledge, experience and contacts with them. Often, straight to the competition.
'People leave managers not companies,' write the authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. 'So much money has been thrown at the challenge of keeping good people - in the form of better pay, better perks and better training - when, in the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue.' If you have a turnover problem, look first to your managers. Are they driving people away? Beyond a point, an employee's primary need has less to do with money, and more to do with how he's treated and how valued he feels. Much of this depends directly on the immediate manager. And yet, bad bosses seem to happen to good people everywhere. A Fortune magazine survey some years ago found that nearly 75 per cent of employees have suffered at the hands of difficult superiors. You can leave on e job to find - you guessed it, another wolf in a pin-stripe suit in the next one.
Of all the workplace stressors, a bad boss is possibly the worst, directly impacting the emotional health and productivity of employees. HR experts say that of all the abuses, employees find public humiliation the most intolerable. The first time, an employee may not leave, but a thought has been planted. The second time that thought gets strengthened. The third time, he starts looking for another job. When people cannot retort openly in anger, they do so by passive aggression. By digging their heels in and slowing down, by doing only what they are told to do and no more by omitting to give the boss crucial information. Dev says: 'If you work for a jerk, you basically want to get him into trouble. You don't have your heart and soul in the job’.
Different managers can stress out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious, too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over seemingly trivial issue. It isn't the 100th blow that knocks a good man down. It's the 99 that went before. And while it's true that people leave jobs for all kinds of reasons- for better opportunities or for circumstantial reasons, many who leave would have stayed - had it not been for one man constantly telling them, as Arun's boss did: 'You are dispensable. I can find dozens like you.' While it seems like there are plenty of other fish especially in today's waters, consider for a moment the cost of losing a talented employee. There's the cost of finding a replacement. The cost of training the replacement. The cost of not having someone to do the job in the meantime. The loss of clients and contacts the person had with the industry. The loss of morale in co-workers. The loss of trade secrets this person may now share with others plus, of course, the loss of the company's reputation. Every person who leaves a corporation then becomes its ambassador, for better or for worse. We all know of large IT companies that people would love to join and large television companies few want to go near. In both cases, former employees have left to tell their tales.' Any company trying to compete must figure out a way to engage the mind of every employee,' Jack Welch of GE once said. Much of a company's value lies 'between the ears of its employees'. If it's bleeding talent, it's bleeding value. Unfortunately, many senior executives busy traveling the world, signing ne deals and developing a vision for the company, have little idea of what may be going on at home. That deep within an organization that otherwise does all the right things, one man could be driving its best people away.
Every company normally faces one common problem of high employee turnout ratio. People are leaving the company for better pay, better profile or simply for just one reason 'pak gaya'. This article might just throw some light on the matter. After reading it' I realized how true the subject line of this mail is.
Early this year, Arun, an old friend who is a senior software designer, got an offer from a prestigious international firm to work in its India operations developing specialized software. He was thrilled by the offer. He had heard a lot about the CEO of this company, charismatic man often quoted in the business press for his visionary attitude. The salary was great. The company had al l the right systems in place employee-friendly human resources (HR) policies, a spanking new office, and the very best technology, even a canteen that served superb food. Twice Arun was sent abroad for training. 'My learning curve is the sharpest it's ever been,' he said soon after he joined. 'It's a real high working with such cutting edge technology.' Last week, less than eight months after he joined, Arun walked out of the job. He has no other offer in hand but he said he couldn't take it anymore. Nor, apparently, could several other people in his department who have also quit recently.
The CEO is distressed about the high employee turnover. He's distressed about the money he's spent in training them. He's distressed because he can't figure out what happened. Why did this talented employee leave despite a top salary? Arun quit for the same reason that drives many good people away. The answer lies in one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called First Break All the Rules. It came up with this surprising finding: If you're losing good people, look to their immediate supervisor. More than any other single reason, he is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he's the reason why they quit, taking their knowledge, experience and contacts with them. Often, straight to the competition.
'People leave managers not companies,' write the authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. 'So much money has been thrown at the challenge of keeping good people - in the form of better pay, better perks and better training - when, in the end, turnover is mostly a manager issue.' If you have a turnover problem, look first to your managers. Are they driving people away? Beyond a point, an employee's primary need has less to do with money, and more to do with how he's treated and how valued he feels. Much of this depends directly on the immediate manager. And yet, bad bosses seem to happen to good people everywhere. A Fortune magazine survey some years ago found that nearly 75 per cent of employees have suffered at the hands of difficult superiors. You can leave on e job to find - you guessed it, another wolf in a pin-stripe suit in the next one.
Of all the workplace stressors, a bad boss is possibly the worst, directly impacting the emotional health and productivity of employees. HR experts say that of all the abuses, employees find public humiliation the most intolerable. The first time, an employee may not leave, but a thought has been planted. The second time that thought gets strengthened. The third time, he starts looking for another job. When people cannot retort openly in anger, they do so by passive aggression. By digging their heels in and slowing down, by doing only what they are told to do and no more by omitting to give the boss crucial information. Dev says: 'If you work for a jerk, you basically want to get him into trouble. You don't have your heart and soul in the job’.
Different managers can stress out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious, too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over seemingly trivial issue. It isn't the 100th blow that knocks a good man down. It's the 99 that went before. And while it's true that people leave jobs for all kinds of reasons- for better opportunities or for circumstantial reasons, many who leave would have stayed - had it not been for one man constantly telling them, as Arun's boss did: 'You are dispensable. I can find dozens like you.' While it seems like there are plenty of other fish especially in today's waters, consider for a moment the cost of losing a talented employee. There's the cost of finding a replacement. The cost of training the replacement. The cost of not having someone to do the job in the meantime. The loss of clients and contacts the person had with the industry. The loss of morale in co-workers. The loss of trade secrets this person may now share with others plus, of course, the loss of the company's reputation. Every person who leaves a corporation then becomes its ambassador, for better or for worse. We all know of large IT companies that people would love to join and large television companies few want to go near. In both cases, former employees have left to tell their tales.' Any company trying to compete must figure out a way to engage the mind of every employee,' Jack Welch of GE once said. Much of a company's value lies 'between the ears of its employees'. If it's bleeding talent, it's bleeding value. Unfortunately, many senior executives busy traveling the world, signing ne deals and developing a vision for the company, have little idea of what may be going on at home. That deep within an organization that otherwise does all the right things, one man could be driving its best people away.
Friday, October 19, 2007
12 Questions to Measure Employee Engagement
Five years ago, The Gallup Organization began creating a feedback system for employers that would identify and measure elements of worker engagement most tied to the bottom line--things such as sales growth, productivity and customer loyalty. After hundreds of focus groups and thousands of interviews with employees in a variety of industries, Gallup came up with the Q12, a 12-question survey that identifies strong feelings of employee engagement. Results from the survey show a strong correlation between high scores and superior job performance. Here are those 12 questions: a.. Do you know what is expected of you at work? b.. Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right? c.. At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? d.. In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work? e.. Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person? f.. Is there someone at work who encourages your development? g.. At work, do your opinions seem to count? h.. Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important? i.. Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work? j.. Do you have a best friend at work? k.. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress? l.. In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?
Monday, October 15, 2007
Top 60 Soft Skills
The Workforce Profile defined about 60 "soft skills", which employers seek.
They are applicable to any field of work, according to the study, and are the "personal traits and skills that employers state are the most important when selecting employees for jobs of any type." 1. Math. 2. Safety. 3. Courtesy. 4. Honesty. 5. Grammar. 6. Reliability. 7. Flexibility. 8. Team skills. 9. Eye contact. 10. Cooperation. 11. Adaptability. 12. Follow rules. 13. Self-directed. 14 Good attitude. 15. Writing skills. 16. Driver's license. 17. Dependability. 18. Advanced math. 19. Self-supervising. 20. Good references. 21. Being drug free. 22. Good attendance. 23. Personal energy. 24. Work experience. 25. Ability to measure. 26. Personal integrity. 27. Good work history. 28. Positive work ethic. 29. Interpersonal skills. 30. Motivational skills. 31. Valuing education. 32. Personal chemistry. 33. Willingness to learn. 34. Common sense. 35. Critical thinking skills. 36. Knowledge of fractions. 37. Reporting to work on time. 38. Use of rulers and calculators. 39. Good personal appearance. 40. Wanting to do a good job. 41. Basic spelling and grammar. 42. Reading and comprehension. 43. Ability to follow regulations. 44. Willingness to be accountable. 45. Ability to fill out a job application. 46. Ability to make production quotas. 47. Basic manufacturing skills training. 48. Awareness of how business works. 49. Staying on the job until it is finished. 50. Ability to read and follow instructions. 51. Willingness to work second and third shifts. 52. Caring about seeing the company succeed. 53. Understanding what the world is all about. 54. Ability to listen and document what you have heard. 55. Commitment to continued training and learning. 56. Willingness to take instruction and responsibility. 57. Ability to relate to coworkers in a close environment. 58. Not expecting to become a supervisor in the first six months. 59. Willingness to be a good worker and go beyond the traditional eight-hour day. 60. Communication skills with public, fellow employees, supervisors, and customers.
How many soft skills do you possess?
They are applicable to any field of work, according to the study, and are the "personal traits and skills that employers state are the most important when selecting employees for jobs of any type." 1. Math. 2. Safety. 3. Courtesy. 4. Honesty. 5. Grammar. 6. Reliability. 7. Flexibility. 8. Team skills. 9. Eye contact. 10. Cooperation. 11. Adaptability. 12. Follow rules. 13. Self-directed. 14 Good attitude. 15. Writing skills. 16. Driver's license. 17. Dependability. 18. Advanced math. 19. Self-supervising. 20. Good references. 21. Being drug free. 22. Good attendance. 23. Personal energy. 24. Work experience. 25. Ability to measure. 26. Personal integrity. 27. Good work history. 28. Positive work ethic. 29. Interpersonal skills. 30. Motivational skills. 31. Valuing education. 32. Personal chemistry. 33. Willingness to learn. 34. Common sense. 35. Critical thinking skills. 36. Knowledge of fractions. 37. Reporting to work on time. 38. Use of rulers and calculators. 39. Good personal appearance. 40. Wanting to do a good job. 41. Basic spelling and grammar. 42. Reading and comprehension. 43. Ability to follow regulations. 44. Willingness to be accountable. 45. Ability to fill out a job application. 46. Ability to make production quotas. 47. Basic manufacturing skills training. 48. Awareness of how business works. 49. Staying on the job until it is finished. 50. Ability to read and follow instructions. 51. Willingness to work second and third shifts. 52. Caring about seeing the company succeed. 53. Understanding what the world is all about. 54. Ability to listen and document what you have heard. 55. Commitment to continued training and learning. 56. Willingness to take instruction and responsibility. 57. Ability to relate to coworkers in a close environment. 58. Not expecting to become a supervisor in the first six months. 59. Willingness to be a good worker and go beyond the traditional eight-hour day. 60. Communication skills with public, fellow employees, supervisors, and customers.
How many soft skills do you possess?
Saturday, October 13, 2007
TWENTY RETENTION TOOLS FOR CURBING ATTRITION
In today's scenario ATTRITION has become the most dangerous alarm to all HR employees' ears and Organization is facing troubles to fight it out. Suggested Retention Tools for curbing attrition to a great extent are submitted herewith. These need not be brainstormed and implementation strategy should be worked out immediately.
1. OFFER COMPENSATION – ATTRACTIVE AND COMPETITIVE : Fair compensation alone does not guarantee employee loyalty, but offering below-market salaries makes it much more likely that employees will look for greener pastures.
* Use of Industry Surveys and other data tools to stay informed on wage trends.
* To benefit both company and employees, tie increased one time performance pay to meeting specific goals aligned with business objectives.
* Collect data from exit interviews to document trends from your departing employees, and then use this data to make a business case for increasing salaries across the board.
* Go for Employee Engagement Surveys / ESS, to find out what perks, benefits and forms of compensation other than money will help keep them motivated.
* Let employees decide their own compensation package / reimbursements once the quantum is fixed.
Pay Exception is a procedure at FedEx, which allows managers to recommend and give exceptional pay increases to their highly performing employees when it is not covered by normal policy. Extensive performance measuring scheme and incentive policies by Sasken Communications , Awards and recognition like "Best project" , "contribution", "mentorship" by Aztec Software and Formal Individual / group recognition at departmental / organization levels by Intel Technologies India Pvt Ltd are few outstanding examples. *
2. BENEFITS NEED TO BE QUANTIFIED AND QUALITATIVE. Although benefits are not a key reason why employees stick with a company, the benefits you offer can't be markedly worse than those offered by your competitors and like minded industries.
* Group Medi-claim Insurance Scheme and Personal Health Care (Regular medical check-ups)
* Corporate Credit Cards and Discount Coupons
* Cellular Phone / Laptop and other latest technology on-board
* I nterest free loans for higher educations
* Performance based quarterly incentives
* Flexi-time and Flexible Salary Benefits
* Wedding Day and Birthday Gift
NTPC Limited has social security systems for their employees with high level of commitments and a unique culture of celebrating all their achievements. *
3. TRAIN YOUR FRONT-LINE, MANAGERS AND ADMINISTRATORS . It can't be said repeatedly that people stay or leave because of their bosses and not the companies. Make sure your managers aren't driving technologists away. Harp upon the competencies and substantially invest in human capital irrespective of ROI.
* Improve managers' leadership, communication and interpersonal skills through coaching, training and feedback. Rate these key skills in their evaluations, and tie compensation to performance.
* Create a safe environment and process for employees to bring up concerns with their managers.
In Whirlpool Appliances, there are highly selective leadership development mentor programs. Managers selected to participate as mentors go through a rigorous selection process and are then monitored closely to ensure that only managers who consistently produce results remain in the program. *
4. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES NEEDS TO BE DOVETAILED. Make sure your employees know what is expected of them every day, every month and every year, what types of decisions they are allowed to make on their own, and to whom they are supposed to report.
* Provide clear vision, brawny and consistent communication, teamwork and respect for human capital' efforts.
* Share the company vision/mission clearly and regularly.
* Collaborate, communicate and listen. Contented employees achieve amazing things.
Eli Lilly & Co.(India) Pvt. Ltd has a Red Book on Code of Business Conduct which provides standards for conducting business consistent with the company's legal obligations, global policies and core values. Employees are taken through the Corporate values, vision and mission and Red Book. There is a structured training program on the Red Book and the employees are required to sign the Responsibility Statement of the Red Book to certify that they agree to comply with the principles and values. *
5. ENHANCEMENT, ADVANCEMENT AND PROGRESSION OPPORTUNITIES . To foster employee loyalty, implement a career ladder and make sure employees know what they must do to earn and go in for progression. A clear professional development plan gives employees an incentive to stick around. Do away with you Performance Management System if it has turned to NOVA (Non Value Added Activity) and go in for instant performance rewards. Think! Think out of the box!
* Assess employee's performance against the focus area's set in their performance agreement for the appraisal year and improves their proficiency.
* Provide an opportunity to the employees to express their views or to seek further clarification on their performance.
* Identify potential of employees and to develop them for future roles.
* Reward them appropriately.
* Generate data for career planning and succession planning.
Computer Sciences Corporation India (P) Ltd in the sabbatical policy, not only does the Company pays for the fees of higher qualifications being acquired by any employee, any break in service for acquiring higher qualifications is treated as work experience for the purpose of determining seniority within the Organisation, and there is an assured job for the employees after completion of his/her course. *
6. OFFER RETENTION BONUS: Employee longevity typically is rewarded with an annual raise and mandatory vacation time after three, five or ten years. But why not offer other seniority-based rewards such as a paid membership in the employee's professional association after one year, a paid membership to a local gymnasium and clubs after two years, and full reimbursement for the cost of the employee's formal dress.
* Build a high degree of recognition value into every reward you offer. Reduce entitlements and link as many rewards as possible to performance.
* Troubleshoot your reward system to make sure that what it is rewarding is what you really want to happen.
* Give employees a choice of rewards.
* Increase the longevity of your rewards
Intel Technologies has cash bonus plans and performance based bonuses for employees. *
7. RETENTION STRATEGIES IMPLEMENTATION NEEDS TO HAVE A PROCESS OWNER: Measure your turnover rate and identify a process owner responsible for containing it. If customer returns, in-house rejections and non-confirming products can have a process owner as a countermeasure why not a process owner for implementation of retention strategies? Think better, think bigger, think brighter, think broader, think bolder, think positive and set higher audacious goals.
* The ability of the employee to speak his or her mind freely within the organization is another key factor in employee retention. If so, employees offer ideas, feel free to criticize and commit to continuous improvement. If not, they bite their tongues or find themselves constantly "in trouble" - until they leave. *
8. GO IN FOR EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT PRACTICES: You won't know what's wrong... or what's right … unless you practice. To check the pulse of your organization, conduct employee satisfaction surveys on a regular basis. Go in for its analysis and implementation.
* One idea: Ask employees what they want more of and what they want less of – Capture Voice of Employees
* Value addition in terms of ASKPT (Attitude, Skills, Knowledge, Practices, and Trust) has to be the end product.
* Stay Interviews and its implementation, call back your employees and ensure ombudsmen concept.
From the very beginning, Mindtree Consulting has been active in its social responsibilities. Infact, MindTree has identified social responsibility as one of its core values and therefore, regularly encourages it in the organization. It has adopted an old age home and a home for children of Sri Lankan refugees in Bangalore. Every third Saturday, MindTree Minds visit these places and spend half a day with the inmates there. *
9. TEAMWORK AND CROSS FUNCTIONAL TEAMS: It takes effort to build an effective team, but the result is greater productivity, better use of resources, improved customer service and increased morale. Give great emphasis on cross functional approach as it endorses acceptance and accountability.
* Make sure everyone understands the department's purpose, mission or goal.
* Encourage discussion, participation and the sharing of ideas.
* Rotate leadership responsibilities depending on your employees' abilities and the needs of the team.
* Involve employees in decisions; ask them to help make decisions through consensus and collaboration.
* Encourage team members to show appreciation to their colleagues for superior performance or achievement.
Sapient Corporation has a practice known as "Team Storming". When a team (project team or an internal team) has worked very hard, teams from across the office get together and storm the team with a 'goodies' basket to recognize the team and lift their morale. *
10. PAPERLESS ORGANIZATION: If your high performers and technologists spend nearly as much time filling out paperwork, it's time for a change. Convert paperwork to an electronic format; and hire non- tech administrative staff to take over as much of the paperwork burden as is allowed under legal or regulatory restrictions
* Intranet facility
* Centralized servers for data storage
11. FUN IS MUST. Celebrate successes and recognize when milestones are reached. Buffet lunches, birthday parties, employee picnics and creative contests will help remind people why an organization is a great place to work.
* The companies organizes cultural program as and when possible but most of the times, once in a quarter, in which all the employees are given an opportunity to display their talents in dramatics, singing, acting, dancing and sports programs such as Cricket, football, etc
Fun elements at work like Parties, bashes, outings, picnics at Aztec Software & Technology Services Ltd and De-motivation to work on holidays by Phillips India are few good illustrations.
12. MISSION STATEMENT FOR EACH FUNCTIONAL AREA . Everyone wants to feel that they are working toward a meaningful, worthwhile goal. Work with your human capital to develop a departmental mission statement aligned with company's vision, Make sure employees understand how their contribution is important.
* A place where people work with a smile on their faces and dreams in their eyes
* A place where your views can be freely voiced and are received with an open mind
* A place where you know whenever you need help, there is a family of 2000 members waiting to help you out
13. ASSIGNMENTS FOR JOB ENRICHMENT: Identify your employees' talents and then encourage them to stretch their abilities into new areas. You have to have a great mentor or mentors. A variety of challenging assignments helps keep the organization stimulating. Lay emphasis on stretch Key Result Areas.
* Employees today want more than just a job. They want to contribute to the big picture and help the company sustain it through the tough times. Provide challenging and meaningful work assignments that stimulate them.
* When employees feel bored, their motivation declines and they lose focus on how their work fits into the big picture.
* Delegate meaningful work whenever possible so employees can learn something new and feel challenged. Additionally, provide regular development and learning opportunities.
Johnson & Johnson conducts a Strategic Roadmap Meeting which is a large-scale interactive process (LSIP) of communicating with employees and getting their buy-in on the strategic goals set by the company. This is a theme based motivational event. *
14. TRANSPARENCY IN COMMUNICATION. Employees are more loyal to a company when they believe management or those at the helm of affairs keep them informed about key issues
* Communication is the first step toward creating the kind of environment that people care about, and if they care, they just may stay, keep your people in the loop about what's happening with the company.
* At any time, all of your employees should have a pretty good idea of how business has been carried out.
* They should be aware of what issues the company is attempting to address.
Everyone from new recruit to CEO is treated as same in Nokia. Everyone flies the business class and everyone stays in luxury hotels. *
15. ENCOURAGE HIGHER LEARNING. Create opportunities for your key performers and technologists to grow and learn. Encourage every employee to learn at least one new thing every week, and you'll create a work force that is excited, motivated and committed.
* To keep morale high, coach and facilitate every day.
* The "I tell/you do" method of management simply does not work for motivating and retaining people. Instead, become a coach to your people and encourage them to try things their own way.
* Allow for mistakes to happen, as mistakes are often our greatest learning opportunities.
* Most people are grateful for constructive feedback. It shows that you're paying attention to their progress
FedEx has Personality Development Systems, amount of 3000 $ annually as education reimbursement and an Online training library with 600 courses. *
16. FLEXIBILITY AND PRAGMATISM: Employees will be loyal to organizations that make their lives more convenient by offering on-site childcare centers, on-site hair styling and dry cleaning, flexible work hours, part-time positions, job-sharing or involving spouses in CSR activities and promote ownership culture.
* Employees of school-age children might appreciate the option to work nine months a year and have the summers off to be with their children.
17. DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE INDUCTION PROGRAM. Implement a formal orientation program that's at least three weeks long and includes a thorough overview of every area of your department and an introduction to other departments.
* Infosys has a 23 days Induction Program with ISB Bangalore*
* Sona Group has tied up with MDI Gurgaon for one month Induction Program
18. WORKPLACE AMBIENCE. No one wants to work with equipment that's old or constantly breaking down. Provide employees with the highest quality supplies you can afford. Cheap, leaky pens may seem like a small thing, but they can add to employees' overall stress level.
* A career-oriented, valued employee must experience growth opportunities within your organization.
19. NEVER, NEVER, EVER THREATEN AN EMPLOYEE'S JOB OR INCOME. Even if you know layoffs loom if you fail to meet targets, it is a mistake to foreshadow this information with employees. It makes them nervous; no matter how you explain the information, even if you're absolutely correct, your employees will update their resumes
* Demonstrate a vibrant workplace that retains and promotes talents and at the same time encourages development of non-performers to perform better and dissuade pink slips
20. VALUE YOUR EMPLOYEES . Recognize outstanding achievements promptly and publicly, but also take time to commend on the many small contributions your staff makes every day to the organization's vision, mission and growth. DO NOT FORGET — THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE YOU LOOK GOOD.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Do You Know Your People?
On walking into the factory, the MD noticed a young guy
leaning against the wall, doing nothing. He approached the
young man and calmly said to him, How much do you earn?"
The young man was quite amazed that he was asked such a personal question, he replied,
none the less,"I earn$2000.00 a month, Sir. Why?" Without answering, the MD took out his wallet and
removed $ 6000.00.cash And gave it to the young man and said, "Around here I pay peoplefor working, not for standing around looking pretty!
Here is 3 months'salary, now GET OUT and don't come back". The young man turned around and was quickly out of sight.
Noticing a Few onlookers, the MD said in a very upset manner,
"And that applies for everybody in this company". He approached one of the onlookers and asked him, "Who 's the young man that I just fired ?" To which anamazing reply came of,
"He was the pizza delivery man, Sir!"
leaning against the wall, doing nothing. He approached the
young man and calmly said to him, How much do you earn?"
The young man was quite amazed that he was asked such a personal question, he replied,
none the less,"I earn$2000.00 a month, Sir. Why?" Without answering, the MD took out his wallet and
removed $ 6000.00.cash And gave it to the young man and said, "Around here I pay peoplefor working, not for standing around looking pretty!
Here is 3 months'salary, now GET OUT and don't come back". The young man turned around and was quickly out of sight.
Noticing a Few onlookers, the MD said in a very upset manner,
"And that applies for everybody in this company". He approached one of the onlookers and asked him, "Who 's the young man that I just fired ?" To which anamazing reply came of,
"He was the pizza delivery man, Sir!"
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Good Boss
Here's an inspirational story for all our team/program leaders:
Working 12 to 18 hours a day was not uncommon for scientists at the rocket launching station, Thumba. A group of such scientists were frustrated due to the work pressure and meeting their boss' demands; however, they were loyal to him. On a particular day, a scientist picked up enough courage to go up to his boss and say, "Sir, I have promised my children that I will take them to the exhibition this evening. Therefore, I have to leave the office at 5:30 pm. Can I leave early today, Sir?" His boss replied, "Alright. You may leave early today." The scientist was happy for having received the permission and went on to continue his work. He stayed on to work after lunch, and, as always, got so engrossed in his work that that he peered at his watch only when he thought he was done. Unfortunately, it was past 08:15 pm. With a jolt, he remembered his promise to his children. He looked for his boss who was not in his office. Having told him just that morning, he wrapped up work and hurried home. As he drove home, he felt very guilty for letting his children down. He reached home. The children were not at home while his wife was busy reading. He felt that initiating any conversation with her would only add fuel to fire and stayed momentarily quiet. Looking up at him, his wife asked, "Do you want something hot to drink or have dinner right away?" The man could only ask, "Where are the children?" His wife said,"Don't you now? Your boss came here at 5.15 PM and took the children to the exhibition you promised to take them to". He was surprised. But, it did not take him too long to guess what happened. The boss who granted him permission observed him working very seriously well past 5.00 p.m. He thought to himself that the scientist will not leave the work until it is done, but if he has promised his children a visit to exhibition, then they deserve it. So, he took the lead in taking them to the exhibition himself. The boss does not have to do it everytime. But once it is done, loyalty is established. No wonder, all scientists at Thumba continue to work under this boss in spite of the great pressure. By the way , can you hazard a guess who this boss could be?? He was none other than Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam.
Working 12 to 18 hours a day was not uncommon for scientists at the rocket launching station, Thumba. A group of such scientists were frustrated due to the work pressure and meeting their boss' demands; however, they were loyal to him. On a particular day, a scientist picked up enough courage to go up to his boss and say, "Sir, I have promised my children that I will take them to the exhibition this evening. Therefore, I have to leave the office at 5:30 pm. Can I leave early today, Sir?" His boss replied, "Alright. You may leave early today." The scientist was happy for having received the permission and went on to continue his work. He stayed on to work after lunch, and, as always, got so engrossed in his work that that he peered at his watch only when he thought he was done. Unfortunately, it was past 08:15 pm. With a jolt, he remembered his promise to his children. He looked for his boss who was not in his office. Having told him just that morning, he wrapped up work and hurried home. As he drove home, he felt very guilty for letting his children down. He reached home. The children were not at home while his wife was busy reading. He felt that initiating any conversation with her would only add fuel to fire and stayed momentarily quiet. Looking up at him, his wife asked, "Do you want something hot to drink or have dinner right away?" The man could only ask, "Where are the children?" His wife said,"Don't you now? Your boss came here at 5.15 PM and took the children to the exhibition you promised to take them to". He was surprised. But, it did not take him too long to guess what happened. The boss who granted him permission observed him working very seriously well past 5.00 p.m. He thought to himself that the scientist will not leave the work until it is done, but if he has promised his children a visit to exhibition, then they deserve it. So, he took the lead in taking them to the exhibition himself. The boss does not have to do it everytime. But once it is done, loyalty is established. No wonder, all scientists at Thumba continue to work under this boss in spite of the great pressure. By the way , can you hazard a guess who this boss could be?? He was none other than Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam.
weakness can be strength
A 10-year-old boy decided to study Judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move. "Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?" "This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened. "No," the sensei insisted, "Let him continue." Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion. On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. "Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?" "You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm." The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength. "Sometimes we feel that we have certain weaknesses and we blame others, the circumstances and our self for it but we never know that our weakness can become our strength one day. Each of us is special and important, so never think you have any weakness, never think of pride or pain, just live your life to its fullest and extract the *best* out of it!" You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own *mind*. - Darwin P. Kingsley
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