Do Not Dig A Grave And Bury Your Career

D N B SINGH

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To my Grandson Raushan. With love from Nanaji

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The path to your professional success starts with a critical look in the mirror. (HBRS 10 MUST
READS On Managing Yourself).

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Foreword

areer Paths, in conceptual terms, are nice two dimensional charts; in real life, careers move in all four dimensions, including time. There are times when a career goes yo-yo; times when careers move in hoola-hoop trajectories and times when careers go through skydiving thrills!

After three decades of trudging along a career path, there are many pearls of wisdom that one could squander before that amazing tribe: the bright-eyed young executive. Id rather let a tonne of bricks drop : whatever else or whoever else you believe, never ever believe the ad showing the young executive looking crisp and showering sparkle at the end of the day. Such young executives, if they exist at all, are surely headed for corporate execution. My colleague Mr D N B Singh is an affectionate, humane person, as is evident from his initiative to help the young professional through this managerial ready-reckoner Do Not Dig A Grave And Bury Your Career. The young professional will certainly benefit from this book. The senior executives also will find this book worth their while, if only as a reminder that history repeats itself, usually in a nasty way.

Remember what Mr Iacocca had said: Dont Get Mad, Get Even!

Former Chairman & Managing Director Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.

Late SUBIR RAHA

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Foreword

xcellence in academics does not necessarily guarantee a brilliant career with quick progression. There are a number of corporate anecdotes, which recount sad tales of school firsts and gold medal winners who flounder miserably in their path up the corporate ladder.

Corporate success, in effect, is a smooth blend of academic brilliance with good leadership qualities that borders on effective interpersonal equations with a good dose of street smart common sense. People who can master facts, figures and theories have found it impossible to emerge as effective managers and team leaders. Unfortunately, while there are a number of books on marketing management and strategies, very few spotlight the nuances of effective networking and inborn leadership skills. Do Not Dig A Grave And Bury Your Career authored by Shri. D N B Singh, GM (HRD), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., is one book that addresses this problem. The book is racy and will be beneficial to young graduates. With the emergence of a global unprecedented competitiveness, it will take a lot of ingenuity and responsible application for professionals to deliver what organizations expect them to. I am sure the above book, if studied closely and followed will go a long way in smoothening the road to success for young managers.

Former Vice Chancellor Anna University Chennai

A KALANIDHI

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Foreword

he challenge in training is the constant evolution of end user needs. In a competitive environment, corporates are under pressure to continuously change the way they do business. Every business school is expected to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and work place skills. Every year we attract young, enthusiastic and highly impressionable students whose career-view many times stops at the compensation package offered in the campus selections. The peer pressure that makes them hunt for hefty packets many times leads them to a situation where they miss the woods for the trees. Our challenge is to convert academic earnest into intellectual talent.

Mr D N B Singh is in a unique position to help us in this process. He has trained students for a career in the corporate world. He has also had a 35 year experience in Sales, International Trade, Management Services, HRD and corporate training. With simple yet powerful imagery he takes the reader through the minefield of the corporate world. A road map for the uninitiated, the book reminds the reader that learning does not stop when you join a Company instead it is where you start learning in the first place. The book gives the job aspirant a view of what to expect, urges them to shed the inhibitions and mind-sets that come from overconfidence and youth attitudes. Whether it is how to manage your boss, interpersonal relationships, emotional balance and self-esteem or career management, this book gives deep insights that are sure to remove the confusion in the minds of young aspirants. Cutting through mindless jargon, the book answers several searching questions in the individual values and how to remain ethical, professional and motivated. It reminds the reader that every new recruit is a brand which one has to position, promote and add value. The emphasis is on bringing home to the young readers that their experiences may be negative but not uncommon and by sharpening their skills they can handle challenging circumstances. The behavioural approach in the book is quite clear and the tone is both positive and peppy and directly connects to the personal investments that the individual needs to make for corporate success. While the chapter Career Anchors describes the various elements that h old a young professional in a company, First Few Days conditions you mentally for entering into an organization. The 11 examples in Pains To Pleasures is a fantastic ensemble of experiences. Personally, I am proud of Mr D N B Singhs stint in the Symbi osis Institute of Business Management. He has been a singular source of inspiration to his students and his contribution to the institute continues in many ways. I would also recommend this book to people in corporate HRD as an answer to questions plaguing many companies. How to check attrition of good talent? What are the mind-sets of people who join companies? And finally what does good talent want and expect? Besides interesting reading the book is a ready reckoner and a must for a student pursuing a corporate career. Chancellor Symbiosis Deemed University. DR S B MAJUMDAR

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I am extremely pleased to note that Mr D N B Singh has authored a book Do Not Dig a Grave And Bury Your Career. I am sure that the book will be helpful to the new entrant in the field of business. The book not only gives tips on what the company expects from its employees but also gives a clear road map of the needs, aspirations and dreams of your professional managers to pilot their careers through waters that at times may be shark infested. This is an excellent reading for new entrants and middle level managers. Prashanto Banerjee Former Chairman & Managing Director Gas Authority of India Limited This book offers, for the first time, excellent insights to the newcomers. These insights reveal not just how to prepare themselves for joining the organization at the beginning of their careers, but also how to grow and succeed in them. In a very succinct language, the book describes the difficult aspects of corporate life, and exhorts people to return to basics. What is really unfortunate is that the fundamental truths we learn as children we forget as we race ahead with our careers. This book is good not only for the beginners but to people at various steps and landings on the career staircase. And for those who are already climbing quickly on the staircase, it tells them how to get on to the elevator. A good book for winners and potential winners. Late Ranjan Acharya Former Corporate Vice President (HRD) Wipro Limited In the course of starting a career, a young aspirant is bound to make mistakes. The book insists that college qualification is in no way a guarantee of success in the workplace. In fact, the dynamics of a real life situation or experience can never be matched by a largely assumptive static situation in a case study. There are many spectators to the last minute dash in a 100 metres race at the Olympics, but very few can recount the agonies and ecstasies of that last metre in the race, better than the athlete himself. Sharing such live on-the-job experiences Mr D.N.B. Singh addresses these sensitive areas with a lot of feelings and emotion. In his patently lucid style, he takes the reader on a journey into the mindscapes of various corporate protagonists, such as the Owner, the Boss, the Colleague, etc. This book is a must have toolkit to survive the vagaries of the corporate jungle. A. K. Mitra Former Director (HR) Indian Oil

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As a professional who has completed almost an year in the industry, I can say that this book is a must read for all final year management students. It not only tells them what they are expected to do when they join an organization, but more importantly, it provides them with a roadmap to

survive, succeed, win and become leaders of their organizations. It presents a very effective construct of HR and personal marketing basics to its readers. Brilliant and unparalleled insights into the secrets of getting it right, right from the beginning. Nitin Bhushan Sr. Exec. Corp. HRD Wipro Limited

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Acknowledgement

must begin by acknowledging the contribution of 5000/5500young professionals who have provided me with a goldmine of data. I also wish to acknowledge the anecdotes and the authentic statements provided by them. The anecdotes are written in first person for effect but are not the statements of the author.

In the process of developing and designing my workshops, I have adopted the thoughts and experiences of numerous authors. In the absence of individual recall, I thank them collectively. I have a deep sense of gratitude to the ambience of Indian Oil Corporation so positively growth oriented, encouraging and empowering. My colleagues who need a special mention include S Senthil Kumar (they dont make people like you any more), S Varadachari (brilliant in all respects), Sanat Misra (awesome competence), Rajkumar Dubey, Renuka Nair, R G Sriram, Harriet Gonsalves Jeyes, Blanche Sequeira, Debashish Roy Choudary (My cheerful helpmates), Renu Dante and Rama Rajan (they have extended unending help and incomparable hard work in the production of this book). Shri Pasha Suryavanshi for his appropriate illustrations. I must make a special mention of Shri. T J Mody, Vice President, Shri. Dilip Lathi, Senior Manager (Regional Project), and my editors Nitin, Shashi Aiyer, and Sudhesh Garu (Macmillan India Ltd.) Oh! What a Team!! The support, absolute understanding and guidance of my wife Sukhbir, my daughter Karishma and son-in-law Munish. They were also my biggest critics.

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Introduction

n this era of knowledge management, organizations have necessarily to thrive on fresh knowledge, talents, skills and competence as they are the very lifeline of growth. Every organization therefore focuses its resources to impart training for developing the competence of their people, so that they can meet the challenges facing the Company. In Human Resource Management, the journey starts with recruitment. It does not end with recruiting the right person for the right job, but the organization has the prime responsibility of bringing congruence between the individuals aspirations and the Companys aspirations through proper career model for the individual. Today, in the extremely competitive environment, the role of Human Resource Management is to ensure motivation, encouragement for everyone in the organization in order that individuals can identify themselves with the business processes. The sooner an organization achieves the above, the quicker will be the benefits that follow. In this context, this book Do Not Dig A Grave And Bury Your Career is of great relevance, particularly to youngsters who have very long years to go in organizational life.

Indian Oils experience is truly unique. It is an organization that operates in a multifaceted competitive environment and achieves results for itself, and also ensures fulfilling of its commitment towards social responsibilities. This has been possible because of the moulding of right culture in the Company. The chasm that emerges between the expectations of a young recruit and the realities of the workplace have been a source of several studies. Many attempts have been made to find out ways to make young talents decide on the right combination of professional growth and compensation packages. In this direction, this work of Mr D N B Singh stands out, among all other similar works. Mr D N B Singhs assignments in Indian Oil, both as a Manager and a Trainer, gave him ample opportunities to develop deep insights into the behavioural aspects of Management and employing them in real life situations. In this book, he weaves in his considerable experience of over 20 years of watching, interacting, mentoring and motivating the fresh talent entering Indian Industry. His experience in academics also gives him a dual perspective. I wish him the very best and I am confident that he will continue to enthuse and motivate several more young people coming under his tutelage through such endeavours. M S RAMACHANDRAN Chairman Former Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.

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Contents PART I TAKING THE PLUNGE

The Competitive World (Your degree is only a piece of paper) Hello Organization Nagging Doubts The First Few Days 22 26 27 31 34

PART II KNOWING THE ROPES.

Formative Years Quotation You Are A Product Qualified But Unskilled Degrees Arent Abilities Not Equal To The Boss
{Your Responsibility is your Assignment, Your Assignment is your Responsibility}

37 39 40 41 44 46

Workplace Isnt College Quotations Dont Criticize Or Complain In A Big Hurry Quotations Be A Achiever A Winner Always Be Resilient

50 52 54 55 56

59 60

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Committed But Not Obsessed Quotations Be Competent

61 65 66

Quotations Look For Challenges Seek Special Assignments Quotations Staff Work: Prompt And Complete Move On From Mistakes Confront Creatively Managing Conflict

67 68 69 71 72 74 75 76

PART III STRIKING IT RICH

Principles of Success Quotations
{From Pain To Pleasure And Anchor Your Career} Present Yourself Positioning Yourself Marketing yourself the right Way Create Your Own Identity Project Yourself Project the good work Working Smart Socializing At Work Teaming Up Boss Management Interpersonal Relationships Practising Positive Politics Employee engagement (New Chapter) Self Management (New Chapter)

(Ram Kumar )

78 83
84 87 91 93 96 98 101 102 103 105 116 124 129 131

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Women Managers And the Glass Ceiling. (new Chapter) Learn to Re- invent yourself at each stage (new Chapter) Integrity at the work place and in personal life Show character at work place (new Chapter) Make your performance appraisal session Impactful and useful (new Chapter) Can do, will do, but is there a better way (New Chapter) Live by your values (New Chapter)

134 142 144 147 148

149 150

Part IV TREKKING TO THE TOP

Self-esteem and Positive Performance A Part of LifeStress Balance Your Emotions Setting Goals Career Management What do I do if I get stuck in my career (New Chapter) Coping And Managing Change

152
153 165 167 172 174 177 179-181

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BEFORE YOU READ THE BOOK

It would be more useful if you get hold of your attitude, your mindset and your approach and decide to become a Winner from wherever you are today. You may be a fresher or you may be a middle manager, your determined mindset is essential.

Live a life with direction Be fully focused. The next few pages will help you take complete charge of your life your career and your personal professional life

This Book is for Winners of today and Winners and Achievers of tomorrow.

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Some thoughts for You as you inculcate the Winning instinct and Approach.
In todays life we live we need the extra punch, the extra push, the extra ounce of effort to get a head. Nothing comes automatically. Very little is given. Nothing prevents us from achieving what we want. Most of the time, what comes between success and us is our self. We need to strive and strain. Keep at it all the time. Spare no efforts. And create energy to stretch so as to achieve stretched targets. We need never to give up. We need to keep at it. We need to keep going. We need to struggle. We need to fall, get up and start again. We need to succeed. If we fail, we need to learn from our failures and mistakes and continue striving. We need to remember Winners do not quit. Quitters do not win. We need to win. We need never to quit. We need to remember, Tough times do not last. Tough individuals do. We need to remember: ..We can make our lives sublime. And departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time.. We need to make impact. We need to create our brand in the workplace We need to be effective, functional, useful and productive in our jobs We need to commit. We need to contribute in our career We need to remember how the Australian team never gives up, is always ready to fight till the last man and normally wins at the end of the day. We need to remember the Grand Slam winners in the centre court fighting for each point. Recall how Boris Becker put the leopard to shame as he chased the ball for each point. And Won!! We need to remember in the World Cup Football, how Ronaldo and Ronaldinho saw nothing in the over packed stadiums except the ball, the goal post. (And the opponents!) Keep this in mind as you read the book, as you face success or Non Success ..

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YOUR THINKING PATTERN I can. I will. I must, because I want to. It may take time but I will get what I want. I am prepared to struggle, slog, sweat but never give up. I will toil from morn to night and rest when I have reached my goal. Like Arjun I will only see the eye of the fish. I will reach my destination, covered with dust and blood ----but victorious- always. I can. I will. Because I am a winner, an achiever.

I CAN I WILL

I WILL I CAN

You want to reach the Corporate Top? Put the following in your blood stream.

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The essential attitude: I can succeed, I will succeed, I must succeed. I shall over come obstacles, hurdles and setbacks and meet with success. The desire to excel: The deep down desire to excel, never to compromise, always seeking the top. Ready to give my best, ready to walk the extra mile to reach excellence. The desire to produce the results: The attitude of moving from excuses to results. Excuses ensure I remain where I am while the whole world moves a head. Producing results ensures my movement my growth so that at times I am a head of the world.

The ability to achieve goals. I have the confidence that I will reach my goal. It may be a tough goal, a difficult goal but not an impossible goal. I have the ability, I have the competence, I have the strength not only to achieve my goal but to surpass it. I can, I will. The attitude to create winning situations: I have a positive attitude. I believe in winning but not at the cost of other people. I do not believe in Win-Lose situations. I believe in Win-Win situations. Situations which create growth which motivates, inspires, creates a passion for achievement. The attitude to always get things done at the right time quantitatively and qualitatively: It is a question of approach, of planning, of execution of the plan. Of having an attitude of perfectionism, of having a NOW attitude with least delays or postponement or procrastination. Of always emphasizing on both quality and quantity of the highest order. The desire to always try and be a winner and an achiever. I I WILL NEVER BE A LOSER IN LIFE. I will create a brand of an achiever. I shall always try to win in whatever situations I create and whatever situations life places me in. My oxygen, my nutrition, my mantra will be to achieve.

I CAN

I WILL

I WILL

I CAN

In order to succeed in the Corporate Life we need direction, focus and A VISION
What is a vision? A vision is a dream. People who have achieved have always had a vision. A dream which they did not give up. Look around you, and you find that only those who had a vision a dream of what they want from life have made a mark in life. Bill Gates became the richest person in the World because he had a vibrant vision for himself and for Microsoft. So what is your dream? If you dream small you achieve small. If you dream big, you achieve big. So as first step, dare to dream. Maria Sharapova was a poor Russian, today she is World no.1 in Tennis Take a pencil and write down your dream. Share this with your parents. Share it with your spouse and children. Refine it. Define it.

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Take your dream and give it a direction. Where do you want to go? Where do you want to reach? When do you want to reach? How do you want to reach? Define the milestones. Start travel to your destination. Take a dream, give it a direction and then make an action plan. How you will get there. Create your goals. (The following chapter) So, Dream + Direction + Action = Vision. Your vision can be short term, can be mid-term or can be long term. Your vision is not static. It is dynamic. It can be changed. It can be revised. To meet the changing times. But it always has to exist. A ship has its compass. Radar guided by the North Star. A light house. And a very strong anchor to prevent from floating when the engines are off. An Aircraft has its computer, its radar, its navigational instruments. Both the ship and the air-craft are thus able to travel through storm, lightening, and incremental weather. You have your vision. To guide you through frustrations and failures, celebrations and success, greatness and glory. When I began my career I had decided that when ever I got into a new assignment I would do much more than the person before me. I would do so much and of such high quality that the person following me would find it impossible to equal my achievements. When I got into a senior HR position, I decided that I would try making a positive impact in the lives of everyone I met. Everyone.

HAVE VERY CLEAR PERSONAL AND CORPORATE GOALS

When I began my business my only goal was to make money. The rest did not matter. I did not realize that making money was my mission. I had to break my mission into small but tuff goals but today in three years time I have the best restaurant in the city catering to across the board clientele. Your goals will give you direction. Your goals will create your mile stones. You will know where to concentrate, will be able to prioritize better. And importantly, proactively hijacking your life onto wasteful activities. Go through the goal setting process. Your goals can be related to your personal life, your education, your career and your family. Sit and write the write the goals down. Do not have

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goals which impossible to achieve. At the same time, do not go in for goals which are soft and easy to achieve. Going for stretch goals. Hard but possible to achieve. Goals which will stretch your physical and mental faculties to the core. Goals which you will enjoy achieving. In my achievement motivation experience exercises I have proven the data that most of us have an estimate of our selves much lower than our potential. This is also mostly true of corporate people across the board irrespective of the position. Keep your potential in mind when setting goals. Remember that each one of us is gifted with a great potential. It is we who are responsible of lowering our estimates and therefore our potential. A footballer in my school team would play just enough to win. He enjoyed playing against mediocre teams. His game would go to pieces if we faced a strong team. Later in life despite being professionally qualified he took up a municipal job and retired after only two promotions. The methodology is initially having small but tough goals. Achieve these small goals and your confidence goes up. Increase your goals. Make them bigger and harder to achieve. Achieve them. Your confidence gets concretized. You are ready for bigger, tougher more stretched goals. Set goals for your personal, professional, family, social life. As you achieve your goals you will find that your self esteem, your confidence in your skills, abilities gets enhanced.

You can not run the marathon straight away. You practice with small distances as a start. You increase the distance gradually. Lo! And Behold!! You are a competitive marathon. Runner ready to climb the winners podium. Initially, I was like a passenger who when asked by the taxi driver where do you want to go? I would reply the reply would be anywhere you wish to take me. I know it is ridiculous but it is an excellent simile for those of us who do not have well defined goals. AS YOU WALK ALONG THE JOURNEY OF LIFE REMEMBER AT ALL TIMES: TWO ENEMIES THAT YOU MUST WATCH--------- THE COMFORT ZONE AND INERTIA When I am doing well, I am comfortable. I do not see the reason to step out of my comforts and make additional efforts to achieve. I do not see the reason to move out of inaction. Therefore, the among biggest enemies of Corporate Success are the Comfort Zone and Inertia. Security in life, getting things easily some times automatically leads us to the Comfort Zone. We do not make the effort to strive and strain. The effort to change. Why achieve through struggle when I have I want. There are no threats, no risks and therefore limited rewards.

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Inertia is not doing anything living in in-action. Procrastination. Post-pone and delay. Ultimately do nothing. Mary Lou Retton wanted to achieve the Olympic gold medal in gymnastics. She practiced for hours and hours. She did not operate in the Comfort Zone but practiced in the struggle zone. Mary Lou Retton was operated upon for a frozen knee three months before the Olympics. She rejected the Medical estimates of recovery, refused to operate in the Comfort Zone practiced had and went on to win the Olympic Gold Medal. We see the Comfort Zone and Inertia in large measures in the Government Sectors. Risk taking ability, the ability to face challenges and the attitude of struggling endlessly is reduced in the Comfort and Inertia Zone. In my Public Sector Organization I see massive waste of potential by the Inertia of people. They have desires but they do not use their energy to set the desires on fire. They are victims of inertia---------- I want to do it, I will do it tomorrow, or next week----Forget it. Its not worth the trouble, so why do it at all. Inertia in operation.

THREE MANTRAS THAT YOU HAVE GOT TO ETCH IN YOUR PERSONALITY IN YOUR MINDSET PROFILE IF YOU WANT TO REACH THE TOP OF YOUR PROFESSION AND BE RESPECTED IN INDUSTRY.
FOCUS APPLICATION AMBITION

You have the goals and the action plans. What you need now is to have a focus and keep your application at peak. Keep at it do not give up till you achieve. The rays of the Sun when focused through a magnifying glass can burn a hole in the paper. Similarly, a focused approached with application can create miracles. An Indian pace-bowler had a huge potential. But he would not apply himself fully. He would do well in a match, feel I have achieved the bowling Nirvana slacken up and perform below par leading to his omission from the team. I wanted to study exports in the US. I struggled for a scholarship for four years since I did not have the funds. Ultimately my struggle and my uncompromising application, focus were rewarded after a period of four years when I got a full scholarship to study at the World Trade Institute, the World Trade Centre. NY (9 /11 broke my heart.) Shane Warne would bowl continuously on a pre-determine spot, on a single wicket for hours together. Application is the name of the game. The Indian Cricketing Legend Kapil Dev would practice putting for six hours at a stretch when he moved to Golf after quitting cricket. Even in cricket he was known to make no compromises

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on fitness, practice, continued application and focus. This is one of the reasons why ultimately he held the World Cup with pride as the winning Indian Captain Keep a focus on the goals and the results. Move away from providing excuses; move to exclusive focus on the results. Focus not on the activities alone; focus on measured planned activities, concentrate on the results. Results are may not be positive. Learn from mistakes, perfect whatever you are doing and get on the job. Some of us as people are not living but only existing. In order to move out from the Inhale oxygen, exhale carbon dioxide category of people we need to inject into our selves the need to achieve, the ambition to succeed, a bit of fire in the belly. THE AMBITION TO SUCCEED Without ambition very little is possible. You must have an ambition, fire in the belly to reach your goal. To succeed, to make an impact, to leave your brand. Your ambition is the product of a vision and therefore think big. Become an achiever. Become a winner. Look around you and you will see drooping shoulders. Energy-less humans sans achievement. Your ambition, your need to succeed must be stronger than your fear of failing. You must feel some sort of discontent with your current status and position/location in life. This discontent will fuel your fire to succeed. It will create a drive in you to get ahead.

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Part I
TAKING THE PLUNGE (Understanding Transition)

The Competitive World

Gen x refers to an age-group characterized by ambition, impatience, flexibility, independence, creativity and techno-literacy

The Transition
began my career way back in 1963 and grew from strength to strength while working on numerous rotations, assignments and in departments. The first significant breakthrough came in 1976, when I began my role as an educator. Since then I have been training and developing management graduates, new recruits and employees finding it difficult to adjust in organizations. I have taught MBA courses at seven colleges in Bombay University and three in Pune University. I have also held classes at Madras University and in many autonomous colleges in Delhi.

This book has evolved over the past two decades. The process of evolution has been:

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Over these years, I have had occasions to observe many enthusiastic and capable young graduates undergoing similar and sometimes disturbing experiences at the workplace. These youngsters start their careers with stars in their eyes, brimming with enthusiasm and are eager to reach the top in the shortest possible time. However, within the first few years of joining an

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organization, their enthusiasm ebbs and their involvement in the matters of the organization loses its vibrancy and bounce set in. Even exceptionally brilliant students resort to frequent job-hopping, not because the job content is not challenging enough, but because of problems within the organization. My understanding is that there is nothing wrong with these qualified new recruits who join an organization. The only problem is that they are not adequately prepared to meet the organizational and workplace realities. No institution prepares them for this future shock. This became the subject of my study and research. I desired to extend a helping hand to the younger generation in stabilizing career performance at the entry level. I applied myself to the task of training young recruits to successfully tide over the turbulence that often accompanies the transition from college to organizations and establish themselves. With this objective in mind, I designed a workshop on Transition drawing from my experience in the industry, in the academia and also from my education in behavioural sciences. Till date, I have trained nearly 2000/2500 students through workshops, one-to-one discussions, behavioural labs, and in-depth sessions during induction training. This book is the culmination of all these years of teaching and training. My motivation for writing this book is simple but specific: To equip graduates with those skills and competencies indispensable for success in organizations. When employers were asked to list the most desirable characteristics in a new MBA recruit they listed the following as critical: Interpersonal skills. Communication skills. Self-management capacity. Goal-setting skills. Leadership qualities/skills.

I have found that: Young managers are equipped to be successfulthey have the degree, the optimism and the determination. But they suffer at the entry level due to lack of classroom inputs related to behavioural adjustment to organizational realities. They need to develop an adequate, if not superlative level of interpersonal and communication skills. New recruits are very sound in technical, functional and management knowledge. But they lack the necessary people skills and the ability to adjust to rapidly changing, dynamic and very demanding organizational realities. They need to develop effective people management skills and practicable selfmanagement skills. They enter a new area, new culture, new work climate, and take on new responsibilities. But they are unable to successfully combine situational realities quickly with their career ambitions and aspirations, and feel a sense of frustration or failure.

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My findings reveal that new recruits need to be guided, trained and coached not only on the up-gradation / use of technical skills, but also in those social and emotional competencies that are

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They need to set those short-term goals that will pave the way for the achievement of their long-term objectives.

essential for success, i.e. up-gradation and enrichment of attitudes, emotional competencies, and ways of thinking. This book is designed to fulfil this purpose. As soon as they enter an organization, most young managers seek to make an impact in two major areassecond to improving organizational systems and practices, they betray an urgent desire to prove that the boss knowledge, approach and decision-making processes are out-dated. They start digging a grave to put the boss in. But what goes into the grave is their own career prospects. They are permanently sidelined or terminated. If they leave the organization without reflecting upon and learning from these mistakes, these are likely to be repeated in a new job. The book is designed to prevent such a happening. The formative years of the careers of new recruits are critical given the intense competition and result-oriented work environment. They cannot afford to have setbacks at the very outset. The scars of the injuries experienced at this stage remain with these youngsters throughout their journey to higher-level management. Because once the boat is rocked, stabilization takes time. The purpose or objective of this book is to prepare youngsters for the turbulent times of transition from college to the workplace; from a protective environment to an organizational jungle so that all attendant injuries can be prevented. It has been the experience of the author that employees do not get what they desire, while working towards that top slot. A study carried out by the Harris Education Research Council in 1991 for a body of American employers found that: More than half the workforce lacked the motivation to continue learning and improving on job. Four out of 10 were not able to work cooperatively with fellow employees and just 19 per cent of those applying for entry-level jobs had enough self-discipline in their work habits. This human factor is equally applicable to other parts of the globe. According to a survey conducted by Training and Development, an American Society for Training and Development magazine, the top management positions over the last decade or so, have been occupied by managers in the 3540 age bracket. It follows that there is no sense in rushing things and jeopardizing careers. Promotions do not come their way right away, no matter how brilliant the recruits are. The sooner this fact is understood the better it is for their careers. Learning through repetitive mistakes is, therefore, a waste of time, energy, and potentiala luxury young managers can ill-afford. It normally takes few years say two to three, in some cases even five, for the individual to understand organizational reality. The duration is not as important as understanding that the process of transition and the pains and pleasures thereof are normal. It is clear to me that each new entrant needs to plan and expend efforts to make the transition from the college to the workplace seamless and effective. Young managers need to be helped to acclimatize and aculturalize themselves to organizations which is crucial for their success. This book will fulfil this need. The approach of this book is mostly behavioural, as I am a professional behavioural practitioner and trainer. It is structured in a linear fashion, but the content is richly textured. Each experience is shown to be a learning process. Above all, the approach remains positive all through. An important point needs to be made. During your professional education you must have found politics, infighting, emotional blackmail of students and sacrificing integrity for just a few

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dollars. All at the level of the Faculty, the Dean and other seniors. Accept this as a reality of life. You are going to experience similar if not same in the commercial organization. The educational institute is also an organization and a faculty etc. are also human so learn from your educational experiences without participating. Store it and refer to your learning when you join an organization. The book is your journey to reality.

Happy learning.

Future shock (is) the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time. Alvin Toffler 1970 Future Shock

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REMEMBER

Your Our Degree is only a Piece of Paper

Remember that your degree is only to get you your first job. It is your visa, your passport to your first job as you leave college. After that your degree has no value. It is page one in your personal file. It is not being said that you have wasted your money and time in your professional college. It is important to realize that the organization expects something much more from you after taking you on board. While your degree is a piece of paper the company looks at your knowledge and more importantly how you convert your knowledge to actual implement able action. Your skills at the workplace. I have seen youngsters flaunt their degree and their qualification without being conscious of the fact that they need to prove that they are competent, able to practically use their knowledge to meet the business objectives of the company. Do not let theory become a block, a speed breaker. Use your theory as a base foundation to build on practical job aspects. So remember Prove to the company that you actually have earned the degree. Do this by your actionable performance, by showing on the job competence by focused delivering.

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Hello Organization

ome, let us reduce the shock. Let us look at the new world you are entering.

As you move from college to the commercial or industrial scene, you will experience a world of change. From a protected, structured environment with strict parameters for performance evaluation, you are entering an arena where performance is assessed differently. This makes it essential that you are introduced to the basic ingredients of organizational structure. This will help you to understand the organization as a vibrant, throbbing body of people who relate to each other as they work together. Classical theory views an organization as a rational and bureaucratic system. Though organizations are undergoing dramatic and radical changes, bureaucracy still exists as the predominant management style. This is particularly true of large organizations. The bureaucratic model is characterized by: Specialization or division of labour. A hierarchy spelt out through the organogram. A regular set of rules, policies, procedures and practices to be observed and implemented very strictly. A spirit of formalistic impersonality without emotions or enthusiasm. The bureaucratic organization has both functional strengths and dysfunctional weaknesses. For instance, a rational model believes in rationalizing the system and not the people. But it also dehumanizes people by reducing human beings to units of labour. The rational model is characterized by specialization, bureaucracy and scientific management which make for higher productivity. Specialization or division of labour is the cornerstone of organizations. Division of labour multiplies the productivity by several times. It involves breaking down a complex task into numerous simple routines and assigning each of these subtasks to one worker so that he can quickly master the tasks assigned to him and progressively grow in efficiency. All of them together produce 20 times more units than what they would have if they had done the entire work independently. Besides, specialization will also ensure that the quality of the product will be much superior. Bureaucracy involves a clearly worked out hierarchy spelled out in the organogram that ensures accountability on the one hand and an impersonal manner of discharging duties with minimal emotional involvement. This reduces conflicts that impede work and allows for full fledged and unhindered production. Scientific management concerns itself with increasing the productivity of an individual by controlling fatigue and stress levels by providing the right work conditions and hygiene factors. It draws from ergonomics and extensive job analysis and job design. These methods ensure that work goes optimally with few hurdles. But all this has changed now. Thanks to the work of humanist psychologists, an organization is now viewed as a social system i.e. as a network of people. Here the motivation to work arises

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out of positive and enriching human relationships at work and the challenge, autonomy, and the scope for decision-making the work itself affords. Consequently, in modern organizations, systems, persons/people, decision-making and resultorientation have become the key words. More importantly, people are neither numbers on the payroll, nor boxes in an organogram. They are not role people, but whole people vitally alive and growth-oriented. In the modern organization, commitment, contribution, cooperation and collaboration are the pillars of individual and organizational success. Transparency, participative decision-making and joint responsibilities with individual accountability are the watchwords of modern organizations, irrespective of their size and structure. There are various organizations in the public as well as private sectors where you can find gainful employment. The public sector provides security through a lifetime employment whereas the private sector provides growth and lifetime employability. These are: A small organizationessentially a one-man show. A small family-owned organization. A small family-owned but professionally managed organization. A medium-sized organization. A large organization in the private sector. A large organization in the public sector. A medium-sized organization in the public sector. The type of organization you should join depends upon your qualifications, your aptitude, your choice and the availability of employment. Organizations could be in the manufacturing sector, service and hospitality sector, marketing, construction or a combination of these. The latest job opportunities have been with the Information Technology sector; these however have fast passed their peak. However you must bear in mind that finding a job is much easier than holding it successfully. It calls for a great deal of adjustment. Therein lies the greatest challenge. You have to adapt into an organization What makes your adjustment process difficult is that each organization has its own culture with a value system, traditions and a unique climate which must be understood. As members of the organization, we act, react and interact with one another. Through this exchange, we comprehend processes and appreciate problems, which arise either due to the structure of the organization or inter-personal behaviour. So it is important that you understand how organizations function. Each organization has common structural dimensions as given below: Vision, mission and goals. Control and regulation of the work through a hierarchy of people and activities. Rules, regulations, policies and practices as well as the degree of freedom to operate.

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 Status enjoyed by the employees within the organization and the role expectations from them by the organization. Decision-making process. Style of implementation of the decisions. It is not essential that all organizations possess all these structural dimensions; these are mentioned only to enable you to relate and understand the organization better. Organizational culture is like an iceberg where formal structures, policies, practices, financial stability etc., are visible. What is not visible and what you should find out about the organization is the hidden portion of the iceberg, relating to values, culture, styles of management and leadership and team operations. This inside view aids your adjustment. Look at the vision, mission and goals of the organization and learn the degree of emphasis on the achievement of goals. Find out whether the end justifies the means or whether adhering to principles, values and morals is more important than the achievement of goals. Importantly, do find out whether the work environment is motivating, empowering or otherwise. The type of teamwork, the degree of rewards for individual and team performances are also part of the iceberg under water. Find out about the organization if possible from your sources. In the past, organizations had a very soft approach towards fresh recruits. They were exposed to long in-depth classroom induction training with numerous test quizzes, examinations and grades. Loads of reading material with books of reference were provided. It was actually like an extension of college and a pleasant orientation to the new world. However things have changed. Today, the employee is expected to shoulder the responsibility of learning, upgrading skills, performing and growing. Inductees are not taught through very structured inputs and yet the organization expects them to learn. The organization no longer resorts to hand-holding to help its employees to perform. It is, however, available for support whenever required. The opportunities and the ambience is provided by the organization but the final responsibility of learning rests with the young manager. I changed jobs and I reported at the new place at 9.30 am. I was given one hour to settle down, half an hour to submit my documents and at 11 o clock I was expected to deliver. No induction, no acclimatization, no acculturalization nothing of the sort. On the job deliver. Authentic statement. Fresh employees specially the generation Y wants to enter the organization on Monday and start taking strategic decisions on Tuesday. I wish they displayed more keenness to learn the job content, the company culture and the technologies in use. I would place keenness to learn as a strong parameter for selection.

Authentic statement. Moreover, you are responsible for your own career. You must make sure that you increase your value to the organization through a continuous process of value addition in each activity.

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Given this context, it may be helpful if we concentrate on: Positive thinkinglooking for the best. Building an OK level of self-esteem. Developing skills. Learning from outside sources. I also urge you to analyse and understand the environment, i.e., government policies, state of economy, political forces as well as pulls and pushes from the society and community that influence organizational life and functioning. (page 21) The purpose of this chapter was to give you a quick birds eye view of the commercial world you are about to enter so that you can anticipate pitfalls and avoid them as well as identify opportunities for growth and exploit them. What follows will prepare you so that the shock is less shattering, less stressful and you will be able to handle yourself with minimum disorientation. Look about. Learn. Understand and adjust. I changed jobs after 6 months in my first job, which was in a medium sized organization owned by a family and run by the younger generation who were qualified. The environment was quite stress free and I had a well defined role. But the excitement was missing. I have now joined an advertising agency where there is high level of stress, anxieties and running after deadlines. My full life has changed and I carry papers to home. Fortunately, I was prepared for this change and hence the cultural shock has been minimum. I understood that each organization has its own profile. Authentic Statement

A fresher was required to report at 9 am which he did since the HR on boarding person was busy he asked the management trainee to sit down. Nothing happened till 1 oclock and the MT was sent to have lunch. He had to find his own way. Again he waited till 5 oclock without any action. The HR guy called him at 5.15 took his portfolio of papers and asked him to report the next day.

Not a very unusual happening. On the other side of the coin our people like bill gates who make it a point to spend the first half of the day with summer interns and also those who are new recruits. Like one hears very often it takes all types to make this world to populate this world.

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Nagging Doubts

A
be

s a new entrant, you will

beset with endless nameless apprehensions. These apprehensions could be:

doubts

and

I am well qualified. I bring with me up-to-date knowledge. Will I be able to use my qualifications and apply my knowledge in the organization? I have heard that organizations are full of politics and that youngsters are not welcomed readily. Will the company let me contribute my best? What if my superiors dont give me the opportunity to grow? In such a case, what happens to my past qualifications and future growth? I know I can solve some of the outstanding problems this organization has. Will anybody take me seriously? What happens if I dont succeed? How does the organization tolerate mistakes and failures? What will my family and friends think in case I fail on this job? Will I learn and grow? Do I have to make major sacrifices in order to grow in the organization? What are these sacrifices and what will be the price I have to pay for going up the ladder? So on and so forth . . . These are normal thoughts that cross the mind of a new careerist. You are no exception and your fears are not baseless. The pressures are great, challenges are many and pitfalls are numerous. Not that the normal life is devoid of these. In an organization, as in families, there are bound to be differences of opinion concerning attitudes, values, education and aptitudes. Look upon these as positive learning opportunities and approach them in such a fashion that you get into win-win situations.
When I joined my company, I was full of apprehensions. I was just a graduate and pitted against engineers. I feared whether I will be able to grow amidst such tough competition. But I made my grade quickly without stumbling at the blocks. With experience, I became multiskilled. My apprehensions were obviously misplaced.

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Dont worry too much. Just as you have survived numerous crises in your normal life, so will you in your organization. Things will work out. They normally do. Face the future with confidence and with the will to succeed.

Take charge. Be confident. Go ahead, one step at a time. Cautiously, carefully but surely and positively.
I was trembling when I entered the training hall on the first day. However, the Head of Training gave an introductory talk which prepared us mentally. It was comforting to know that each of us had similar if not the same doubts about the career ahead. When the trainers shared with us that they had also been through the same feelings we felt more confident about the future. It is not as though all our apprehensions vanished, but the tension was much less. Authentic Statement

As a boss and as a trainer, I find it very useful if the youngsters are prepared for what actually happens in organizations. Authentic Statement

As a HR Specialist with 3 years work experience I expected to be given hard core responsibilities such as performance management systems, strategic role of HR, employee engagement etc. I was surprised when they gave me the first 6 months to go around the JVs and subsidiary offices to meet the people and get to know things. What I thought was a waste of time turned out to be rich knowing the organization. Authentic statement.

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The First Few Days

I was selected after written tests, group discussions and a series of interviews where the level of management interviewing me kept increasing. So, I felt I was valuable to the company. However, when I reported, I was asked to wait because Personnel was busy with some impending strike. Finally, at 4 P.M., after a cursory glance at my documents, I was told to go for a medical the next day. What a waste of one full day. Authentic Statement

ery true. Absolutely correct. Not very unusual. Nothing wrong.

As a new entrant, when you report to an organization you normally feel like a VIP. You have whipped the competition and have been selected on the basis of your qualifications, potential, etc. Therefore, you feel that you are among the best things to have happened to the organization. You expect a little preferential treatment; some extra attention when you report to the organization you are joining. And that is quite normal. However, this may or may not happen, especially in those organizations where the prevailing attitude is Heres one more guy/gal to join the bandwagon. It must be remembered that the selection committee, as well as the department that is going to utilize your qualities, competencies, and talent are quite different from the people, the department and location that you encounter on the first day. We are talking about the Personnel Department. Personnel, in many organizations, is sensitive and has a positive approach to new recruits. You will know you have joined such an organization when you experience a personal touch, with attendant efforts to make you comfortable on your first day. Expect to be taken to the head of Personnel for a small informal welcome, after which someone from the department will show you the areas you need to get familiar with, e.g. the cafeteria, cash section, etc. In other organizations, where the Personnel Department does not consider caring as one of its strengths, you are likely to feel alienated and isolated. Your joining process may consist of someone checking your documents, placing them on file and assigning you a company identification number. After that you are left to fend for yourself and find your way about. It must be emphasized that there is nothing wrong or right with the approaches described above. They do not in any way imply that you are not important to the organization. Sometimes, the practices are a part of the system and sometimes the practices reflect the management style and approaches of the head of Personnel, duly handed down to team members.

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It may not be easy to handle this apathy and indifference, but as a new entrant, you have to accept these practices with a firm belief that any negatives you experience are not directed at you exclusively. Do not also be in a hurry to judge the whole organization and its work style based on the first few days of your experience. In small organizations, the new entrant is put on the job immediately once the formalities are completed. Alternately, induction training starts immediately. In larger organizations, there is a gap of a few days between joining, induction, and getting on with the job. It is always prudent to use this time to get to know the ropes informally. In the Personnel/HRD department, especially if you make an effort, you can easily find a willing employee, a willing talker who can share useful data with you. You will also get a feel of people who are in power and who exert influence. See if some of them are located in the HRD group and explore the possibility of gaining an exposure to them by a simple seeking. Alternately, making a note of such power people for later use is also recommended. In the first few days, pay special attention to presenting a pleasant exterior, displaying elegant manners and smartly acceptable clothes (dont overdo it or you will stand out like a sore thumb). Dont worry too much in the first few days and dont form impressions this soon. All organizations care for their employees and any experience to the contrary should be taken in your stride with a firm belief that a great and positive future awaits you. If you worry too much its easy for someone to capitalize on those fears. In my organization, most new recruits didnt report after the first day. We were all baffled by this and decided to pursue the matter. We soon discovered that the person in charge of the joining formalities, had risen from the ranks and was envious of the allowances of the management trainees. His start-up salary was less than the daily allowance of the trainees. So he left no stone unturned in painting a dark picture to the trainees. No doubt they put as much distance between the company and themselves as possible. Once he was removed from the position, things changed. So hold on. Grit your teeth. Things will work out for themselves. They always do. Just learn to adjust and take things in your stride.
I felt uncared for and suffered greatly when I joined my organization. However, on learning how to handle the first few days in a training workshop, I prepared my younger brother who was selected by a Public Sector undertaking. I am happy to say he was fully prepared and could make his mark from day one. He had very few adjustment problems. Authentic Statement

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In the first few days do not form an impression of the organization do not judge the climate culture and people. Just collect data for storing in your mental data bank. Learn to put into practice the HR Competence: Organizational Awareness, become aware of the formal and informal structure, formal and informal power, the source of power and the different types of power that you see in the Organization. Learn to understand the indepth the culture especially the importance placed on interpersonal relationships, teamwork and delivery of results. Use your smile often. Keep your ears and eyes open and your MOUTH SHUT.

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Part II
KNOWING THE ROPES (Cognitive Restructuring)
When you join an organization, things dont start happening on the first day. They take their time. During this period you may feel that nothing is being achieved. Dont be in a hurry, remember that these are your....

Formative Years
Please remember the image and reputation created by you in your formative years will go along with you for a long time even if you leave the organization. It has been found that people create their own work style and patterns of behavior in the first few years of their corporate life. In my own formative I had created a vision statement I will do when I take over an assignment or get into a new job or a new department I will do more that my predecessor has done and I will do so much that my successor will find it difficult to emulate. God has been kind I have been able to live my vision of my formative years to a very large extent.

You are new to the Company and the Company is new to you. Dont expect miracles to happen. The Company will test you before giving you responsibilities. In certain sectors like IT, the level of responsibility and the job content for each position is laid out. So dont be in a hurry to rock the boat and expect the Company to make exceptions in your case

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he first few years in the organization are crucial for a new recruit. A new recruit immediately becomes the cynosure of all eyes. These also are the years when he has to establish himself in the organization as well as build his career. Any setback at this stage can have far-reaching repercussions. Once we create a negative image in the minds of others, it is not likely that they will ever discard that image no matter what we do later.

As you work towards creating your brand equity and identity in the organization, at all costs avoid actions which will come in the way of superlative image-building and identity creation. Avoid: Prestige controversies. Fights and quarrels. Uncontrolled displays of temper. Operating in a win-lose mode. In fact, you must take an oath that you will not lose your temper or throw a tantrum at work. Keep a diary and list four sections: a) Impression b) Reputation c) Identity d) Image

Log your plans, successes, your learning from failures and race towards the brand image you wish to create in the organization. Go for the win-win mode. Remember competition is high. Too much is at stake. Focus on attitude. For instance, on joining the organization, you feel you should be given assignments that are directly related to your qualifications. It would be foolish for any organization not to do so. But you soon realize that the organization feels differently; before being given responsible assignments you are encouraged to experience the ground realities. Get a feel of the work and undergo organizational and functional induction.

Determine from the organization the period of eligibility for your first promotion. During the interim period, keep your mind focussed on that promotion, and begin the work of creating your reputation, impression and identity in the organization. Understand role shedding and role taking. You have come from a location where you had the child (son/daughter) and the student role. You have got to shed these roles and gradually take on the professional role which requires you to practice initiative responsibility and accountability. The following chapters will identify the dysfunctional and non-adaptive behaviours that will abort your career. Read these carefully and guard yourself from falling into those pitfalls. Please... Dont dig a grave and bury your career.

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Note : On a separate page. It is well said if you dont take charge and decide your own destiny somebody else will

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As you enter an organization, you expect instant recognition and quick rewards. You feel that the organization should focus on you. These expectations are not likely to be met. There may be a few dozen or so employees, other than you, with the same or similar expectations. Therefore, you have to be different; you have to consider that ...

You Are A Product

A Product? Me? How? Here is how:

s a new entrant into the organization you are an unknown entity. In marketing terms, you are a product of which only the outer packing is visible. The quality of the product and its actual performance is unknown. The organization has only an indication of the potential of your performance; not the performance itself.

When we talk of you as a product, the outer packing is your name, your family background, the percentage of marks you obtained in college and graduation. Exteriors can be misleading. I remember going to a movie titled Hot Lips and Winter Cold Heart. Well, you can guess what I felt when I got to know that the film was about sea fish. Your exterior is only an indication of your abilities. You have to translate your potential to actual performance. Concentrate on all those activities which will bring your performance into the spotlight/focus. Look around, talk to seniors and actually make a list of priority activities that you will concentrate on. It will be useful if you make up your mind to ensure value addition in all that you do. In other words, what you do has to be better in quality and quantity compared to what has been done earlier. Make sure nothing dilutes or contaminates the level of your performance. Just as taste is the proof of the pudding, performance is the proof of your ability. This was one of the most useful things I learned at the very start of my career. I always thought that my qualifications would carry me through. I now realize that I have to be very careful in proving to the organization that my performance will always be beyond their expectations. I have been doing this for the last two years and already my boss thinks differently about me. Authentic Statement

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After completing the professional degree program you feel you have learnt all there is to know about a particular subject. Your knowledge is fresh. Your understanding of the subject is in-depth and very clear. You, therefore, feel fit and ready to undertake any task. Here you need to stop and realize that you are...

Qualified But Unskilled

Knowledgeable but not automatically competent.

I am a rank holder in engineering and my friend has a distinction in MBA. And you say that we are unskilled. How dare you! I have been class monitor and a badminton champion. I was also very popular in college. I think Im quite skilled.

ets see. A professional qualification gives you a vast knowledge base. Competence and expertise are not created by knowledge alone, but by a combination of knowledge and skills.

In our supply point we had a blue collar worker with numerous personality problems. On the advise of the psychologist, he was left alone to work independently. Here comes a fresh MBA (HR ) eager to take over the world. Though the blue collar worker was twice her age, she took him under her wing, so to say, and started to counsel and mentor him. Things went out of control and the worker had a nervous break down and the girl herself went into a shock. Knowledge gives you awareness but not skills. A distinction holder from a premium engineering college joined a manufacturing unit at the floor level. He would attend factory wearing a spotlessly white shirt. The workers tried to discourage him but he felt his degree required absolute designer clothes. This went on till one day a senior blue collar worker dipped his hands in grease and greeted the engineer with a slap on the back--- leaving his finger and hand prints on the shirt. That was the end of the white shirt.

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When will we realize that degrees dont guarantee the right attitude. In fact sometimes they come in the way of the right attitude. Authentic statement. Therefore, ask yourself what skills you have acquired when you finished college. Make a list of these and identify how many relate to organizational work. Are they sufficient? Do you feel you are really and fully skilled to take on challenges at the work place? Make an honest assessment. A fresh graduate with a professional degree normally needs to upgrade his or her: Job Skills Job skills are competencies required for doing a job well. These come with practice and experience. The starting point could be the classroom as far as knowledge is concerned, but honing that knowledge into skill requires practice and experience. People Skills People skills is the lifeline of any successful career. It is the ability to work as a team member; to interact with people across departments i.e., Boundary Management. It also implies the ability to supervise firmly, yet with compassion and sensitivity; handling people in such a way that work gets done. I was told that two ladies fresh from college were sent to an outlandish place for training. The place had no toilets for ladies. One of the ladies drove to town 10 km away when ever she felt like easing up. Exasperated, she resigned. The other lady negotiated with the location head and got the toilet reserved for ladies with the gents going open air. She finished her training successfully and did well in the organization. Thats what managing people is all about. People skills also includes skill to work across sectional, departmental and organizational boundaries to produce the desired results and achieve goals; to obey without being servile; the ability to generate and receive positive vibes; the ability to convert negative vibes into positive ones. In short, it is the ability to get along very well with people. Man management i.e., maintaining good interpersonal relationship (IPR) with colleagues, including those lower than you in the hierarchy (but are sometimes twice your age) is a part of people skills. After college I was posted in the south of India. I tried to get things in order, but met with stiff resistance. I could sense the male mindset not willing to be told to by a woman. They branded me a Bombay girl. I could feel the undercurrent of resentment and hostility. Work place is so different. I had a real tough time initially. Then one day I had a problem with the local language. I asked my immediate subordinate to help me out. That broke the ice. Thereafter, I frequently went to him and other colleagues for help. That slowly changed their mindset. When I was called back to Bombay, my subordinate offered to ask for a transfer so as to be on my team. Learn to tackle situations and people. Dont give up on a situation as hopeless or irredeemable. Try to downplay yourself a little and see the difference. However, do not underplay or undervalue yourself, just accept the fact that in organizational work, besides knowledge, various skills matter. The most important among these being job skills and people skills which must receive special attention from you.

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Therefore, remember that a professional qualification is just an indicator of possible potential talent. Translate that potential into performance. Dont give up. Give in. Getting a distinction in engineering was easier than developing people skills. Initially, I had a tough time in the organization. I realized my skill gaps during a counselling session. I am happy I have a firm direction to work in. I have a long way to go but at least I know where I am going. Dont let anyone tell you a degree guarantees people skills. Authentic Statement

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A professional degree is an indicator of knowledge and may be, strength of memory. Possessing a good college degree, however, gives a new entrant confidence that he is competent, capable and, therefore, talented enough to meet and overcome all the challenges of organizational life. A feeling that is quite normal but not quite justified when applied to reality! Remember that ...

Degrees Arent Abilities

emember, your glorious academic career was based on marks obtained in an exam that may or may not have a direct relation to the abilities required at the workplace. Besides, exams are an individual effort, while organizations require multiple skills and talent as part of teamwork.

I was the least qualified guy in the office. So I was worried that I will be ignored for important assignments. Our marketing manager was a super performer. He would come up with new ideas every day and inspire us a great deal. I admired him a lot and tried to match his energy levels. I always managed to reach my targets. At the end of the year I was astonished when of all people, he promoted me to the position of Sales Officer. Then I realized qualifications dont count at the work place. Its abilities and achievements. Do you have the requisite skills now that you have exited college? Make a list of these and identify how many of them relate to organizational work. Also, make a list reflecting the parameters you feel that talent/ability depends on. Some of these could be: Rigidity or high flexibility. Motivation. Interpersonal relationships. Result-orientation. Application with ability to work long hours. Self-esteem. Negotiation skills. Leadership qualities. Follower-like qualities. Self-discipline. Learning abilities. Effective teamwork. Boundary management, etc. Communication skills.

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Give yourself a rating on a scale of 1-5 against each. Highlight those where your scores are low. It is likely that you have low scores in most of these competencies. But dont get disheartened, because these are not taught in any colleges. You have to learn them on job. So, see what you can do to remedy the situation. Get into a one-to-one with a friend, colleague or boss whom you trust and who can help you. Work out an action plan and ask for help to monitor as you go about reducing the gap between actual and desired level of those talent parameters which are essential and where your scores are low. Be ready to learn the practical lessons life and work place has to teach you. All of us in our MBA batch were convinced we were Gods gift to management. A few months before graduation we attended a workshop on Transition. We realized that we had to begin working on proving our talent. A few of us are still in touch with each other and find that not only did our attitude change after the workshop but also our performance in the organization as compared to others with similar qualifications. Actually we had to first prove to ourselves we were talented. After that it was easy to prove our talent to the company. Authentic Statement During my management college days I had a colleague who has seven years work experience backed with an engineering degree. She was intelligent but had problems in handling personal and interpersonal situations. Operating from low self esteem she constantly sought external approval. Her positive attributes were overshadowed by her negatives. Our professor counsel always told her that she had one major enemy in the institute --- her self. Authentic statement.

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As a new entrant you are likely to feel you are fully equipped, have the necessary arms and ammunition, the map and, thus, full knowledge of the topography. Your pockets bursting with degrees and qualifications, you are ready for war; winning the battle is only a matter of time. Its a foregone conclusion because the world is waiting to be conquered by you. As a result, you often see seniors as old and redundant, and feel that: What you learnt in the past twenty years, I picked up in three years during my MBA. Therefore, we are equal. But you are ...

Not Equal To The Boss

I have a boss who became an engineer 20 years ago. His knowledge is rusty and outdated. He has no clue of the recent developments in our field. He should count himself lucky that I am with him because now I can teach him all that he has missed. When I was doing my MBA we had case studies for each subject. I have picked up the experience of those who wrote the case studies. My knowledge is up-to-date and the company should feel happy that I have been selected, because with my coming, all their problems will be solved . I have told my boss that he should now hand over all his problems to me, especially since he completed his education so long ago. The Boss has 20 years experience I have 2 years of real solid academic learnings plus a few hundred case studies. This makes me equal to the Boss.

hese are authentic statements usually heard at induction labs and during presentations made to new recruits.

Self-confidence and confidence in ones knowledge are excellent attributes but must be used judiciously. The young professional must understand that experience gets richer with age and matures with responsibility. In 20 years, the superior/manager would have weathered numerous crises. Each crisis may have been a learning opportunity, he must have learnt many lessons, whether consciously or unconsciously. This knowledge is not available in books; neither can it be substituted by case studies. Money, material and machines depreciate with time. Only man appreciates in value with time and experience. So, we are equal is a statement that needs to be examined closely specially since it originates from the intellect. Obviously the new recruit is equating 20 years of experience with the numerous case studies he or she has handled at college; there is no denying that each case study reflects someones experience, but let us not forget that learning by proxy is not genuine learning. Make that small paradigm shift which enables you to say: My qualifications and your experience will jointly produce a great synergetic team, so I look forward to working with you. Say this in all humility, showing respect for your senior. In these days of Engineer plus MBA it is possible that your boss is not as qualified as you are. Sometimes he is there because of his business acumen in taking the company from start up to the present level. In such cases dont throw your qualification in the face of your senior. Dont prove your superiority. Help him realize that you could be his strength in providing him coverage in areas which are your strengths. Always offer your contribution to the workplace as a gesture of

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help in humility. You will find it useful if you use the words My competencies are incomplete without your guidance. Be genuine, be true. As a new entrant, you must strive to integrate classroom knowledge with workplace experience. For this you must dig into your supervisors and seniors and get them to talk about their experiences. They will love it because the past is always golden and any senior would love to talk about the good old days. Listen intently. Make notes. Do this and you will end up with the following: Classroom knowledge = Thundering Success + Others experience + Own experience

Relate the classroom learning with the workplace realities.

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When you enter an organization, do not forget that the organization has been running, in most cases, very well much before you joined. You see a few holes in the system, a few systems that are out-dated, some new ideas that need to be put in place, wastage that needs to be plugged here and there. Nobody seems to care. Your bright ideas are not heard and even if heard, not considered seriously. So, the defects in the organization remain unattended and you feel that no one cares for the company but you. True! Very true. But what is your role? Know that ..

THE WHOLE COMPANY IS NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. YOUR ASSIGNMENT IS. YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS YOUR ASSIGNMENT, YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WHOLE COMPANY.

t the beginning of a career you are not a CEO. Let the boss bother about the organization. You take care of your work and perform exceedingly well, right where you are. Take care of what is happening in your area of responsibility and set right whatever is not proper and do this without compromising or sacrificing quality.

If you do have a burning desire to change something outside your area of responsibility, talk to the people concerned, make your point, try to persuade and then leave it. Do not push for acceptance. Flag it mentally and come back to it whenever useful. Remember, detached involvement is the key. At all times, remember such issues are not part of your job or responsibility. They are only peripheral; hardly important in the final analysis of your own performance. Use conditioning. Condition the people who are going to receive your suggestion. Plant the seed casually, water it, nourish it strategically with fertili zers. The recipient gets conditioned to your suggestion, whereafter acceptance will be easier. Let me remind you at the cost of repetition please do not move out of your area of responsibility until you have achieved performance excellence and gathered enough experience and expertise to look outside. Remember it is your responsibility to first understand the system, the processes, the methods, the way they do things in your organization.

Area of concern

Area of responsibility

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Taking the concept from Steven Covey we may have a huge area of concern but it is the area of responsibility that we should concentrate on. Very often people have neglected their area of responsibility and have interfered in the areas of concern, which is the area of responsibility of somebody much higher in the hierarchy, and have got into trouble. So concentrate on your table, make sure it is 100% clean and the delivery time fully met. Changing things immediately on arrival is not your business. So hold on till you get the right opportunity or more importantly the right image/status to recommend changes and have your recommendations considered and accepted. Stick to your role. Excel at your work.

An excellent performance in college does not automatically mean an excellent performance at the workplace. What is true and applicable in college may not always be applicable in the organization. These are two different worlds and initially you will do well to know that ...

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Workplace Isnt College

In college, I was considered brilliant and I always scored very high marks. In my

organization, I do not seem to show any brilliance and my work does not seem to be appreciated despite the fact that I am an expert problem solver. I dont know what is wrong.

Everybody in my department appears to be helping everybody else. If we did this in

college, it would be labelled cheating. Things are so different from what they were in college!

ou are right. In college, individual excellence is all that counts. Marks are obtained by an individual and, therefore, individual performance is prized. Input is not shared, neither is credit nor the final achievement. The final certificate or degree is given to an individual.

But this is not so in an organization. In an organization, individual brilliance is desirable but team performance is needed and rewarded. The need of the hour is individual contribution to the success of the team which ultimately contributes to the success of the section, department and the organizationespecially in this era of intense competition. On the shop floor we had a problem identical to one that I had solved in our college lab. When I gave the same solution it was rejected outright. There was a long outstanding problem in our manufacturing unit relating both to material and manpower. I worked out the solution based on my college inputs, but my boss rejected it immediately. I wonder why? In college right answers get full marks. They are theoretical solutions to model problems. Organizations are confronted with practical complex problems where model answers dont work. In the workplace, it is more important that the answer is acceptable and workable. Quite often, a brilliant suggestion gets knocked out due to poor presentation even though, according to your reckoning, the solution is bang on target. Or, it gets rejected because organizational realities were not kept in mind while the solution was being worked out. You have to learn to market your ideas persuasively to the management, as you would sell a product to a customer. In an organization there are other considerations to a proposal rather than only its contents: Tactical and strategic consideration, political issues and implementation feasibility.

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 Whether the proposal fits in with the personal career goals of the seniors. Organizational exigencies, goals and strategies. Interdepartmental realities and intra-organizational considerations. Cost and budgetary considerations. Risk of failure and non-success because of the creative or innovative content of the proposal. The credibility and trust enjoyed by the person originating the proposal or suggestion. Keeping all this in mind, learn to operate in the context of the organization rather than emphasizing upon the content of the suggestion. Discuss your proposals with those who have experience and who can guide you as a lighthouse guides a ship coming into port. At the cost of repetition, it becomes very essential that you realize that organizational realities are different from the conditions in college. Accepting this will also involve adjustment and adaptation of your thinking and also your work style. I remember an induction workshop where I was trying to bring home to the new recruits that work place requires a different mindset altogether. To hit hard and drive the point home, I said that they were as good as unskilled labour. That evening, I got a call from the mother of one of the participants requesting me not to make such statements as it hurt her brilliant but sensitive son. No doubt a case of mamas pet. The next morning, when the class got to know this, they filled a feeding bottle with beer and kept it on his seat with the message GROW UP. Most importantly, change that individuality mind set and move from individual performance to team membership. Remember, you are on a different turf altogether. You cannot imagine the trauma I went through when, despite my most aggressive presentation, all my suggestions were rejected one after the other. I was totally devastated. But now, some sense has dawned. I do a lot of consultation to make my suggestions politically and departmentally acceptable. I think this is an important lesson I learnt. Authentic Statement I wish we had been taught team building in college. We only worked as teams during college socials and functions. We hardly realized the importance of teams until we started working. I wonder what happens to people who do not get a proper induction. Authentic Statement In college we have seen our faculty and our Deans playing dirty politics and doing the opposite of what they speak about teams. I wish there could be more Walk the Talk. You may experience a culture shock when you first join an organization simply because things are contrary to the inputs given at college. Sometimes, events could occur that are contrary to your value system. Whenever any of this happens, and it almost always will, for Gods sake...

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I finally realize that in the College I had a single role of a Student, in the Organization I have multi roles self role, colleague, team member, subordinate, supervisor to name a few. I have to execute each role at peak in case I am to achieve corporate peak performance.

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Note: On a separate page. Take calculated risks . if you do not take a risk you will not fail but then you will also not succeed. In the changing climate everything is dynamic and every change is fraught with risk. Accept this as a part of life and face accept and overcome risky situations.

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Be Positive

Dont Criticize Or Complain

People are tired of criticism negativity complaining. Print media is full of it, inflation and corruption creates it at home therefore please dont add your negative bit in the work place. Be extra careful in looking at the positive side of things and creating positive vibes Be a person that people look forward to interact with. Be positive. Express your opinions in a positive manner. People welcome positive colleagues.

R nitpick. Criticism and complaining arises out of not accepting circumstances, people and situations as they are and wanting them to fit to your ideas. Your colleagues were there before you and are likely to get defensive over your cribbing and complaining. You may be viewed as unfriendly.

If your criticism is sharp, you may even be labelled as a nuisance. You may thus lose their support and their help may be withheld. Your learning process will suffer. We once had a colleague who was a brilliant Chemical Engineer. But he was a great critic. Show him a proposal and he would find many loop holes and come up with many recommendations. He was acerbic in his remarks. He was very soon dreaded and avoided. Within a week of reporting to my department, he started finding holes in my pet project which got me a promotion. Ouch!! I got him out of my department. Pronto! So hold on. Change gears. Keep your negatives at home (actually not even there). Show happiness and pride in the workplace. Show that you rejoice being part of the team. If there is at all a need to voice your opinions do it positively and dont make it sound like criticism. As regards complaining, it may be useful to remember, that those who keep complaining and whining to express problems are hardly ever welcome. Criticism may at times be tolerated, but complaining and crying seldom is.

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I have heard that in a secluded Himalayan monastery, the inmates have to maintain absolute silence. They were allowed to speak only two words every couple of years. A young initiate who completed his first two years was called to say his two words. Food bad, he said. Two years later, he used his opportunity to speak up to exclaim stay uncomfortable. Yet another two years passed and he stormed into the superiors office to proclaim I quit. The superior looked at the young monk and said I am not surprised at all. All that you have done since you have arrived is complain, complain, complain!. Exaggerated? May be. But when you get two words to speak, you dont focus on the lumps, bumps and unfairness of life. You dwell on those things that are right, good and beautiful. Therefore, it becomes imperative that you abstain from complaining. So make it a point not to complain, and to find means other than complaining to solve a problem. Try and experiment: complain about anything, say the weather, the traffic, the corruption. Do it for five minutes. Examine your energy level. You will find a tremendous waste of useless energy. Repeat the experiment with something positive. The lunch you ate. The cars on the road. MP3 and its music. You will find negativity creates negative energy which is a waste. Positivity creates a positive energy which is a definite pick up. Now that you have joined the organization, you feel you should be given assignments that are directly related to your qualifications. It would be foolish for any organization not to do this. However, you must realize that the organization knows best and before being given responsible assignments you must experience the ground realities. Get a feel of the work. Undergo organizational and functional induction. All this is hardly palatable when you are...

In A Big Hurry

I am a MBA rank holder and I have a good track record in designing product launches. I am also very customer-oriented. I think it is sad that my company doesnt realize this. I have been told to visit all our retailers in town. What a waste of time! After induction we are being sent for on-the-job-training which will take around a year. By that time all my engineering knowledge will have become stale.

The Generation Y appears to be in a perennial hurry. The next generation is being called
generation NOW. Both the generations must work on this parameter because decision work and rewards in organizations have nothing in common with the instant noodles.

A mini culture shock for dreams dreamt while at college.

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aving joined an organization, you want to become a part of the decision-making process; a part of the machinery that runs the organization. High ambitions! This is one of the bubbles which bursts early in the life of any new recruit. Especially, since you are in a hurry to succeed.

You may feel an urgency to put your classroom learning into practice; prove to yourself and to the world that your degree has been earned and that knowledge can be applied. Take it easy. Realize the fact that in the ultimate analysis your knowledge-based qualification may not be directly relevant to your job. We have had chartered accountants assigned to sell toothpaste and soap in the initial period of their careers. Its too early for great things to happen. You can become a decision -maker only after the company has tested your mettle. Concentrate on the task at hand. Pour all your energy, creativity and ingenuity into it and rewards will surely follow. As you go along, keep checking for the increased presence of the following in yourself: Empathy. Humour. Courtesy. Building trust. These qualities will go a long way in taking you toward your ultimate goal. Be patient, wait and work your way up. But steadily. Only a nudge was needed to make me realize that I cannot be a Concord and reach the top in a few short years. A few unrealistic dreams have been shattered, but now I have my feet firmly on the ground. I dont want to be left behind but I am also very practical when I say that I am not in a hurry to overtake my seniors. A cousin of mine began his career by selling threads, from shop to shop from tailor to tailor. He struggled hard. He changed jobs gradually working in different sectors. Slowly he established his reputation as a slogger, as a person with total moral and financial integrity; a result producer. With each change of job he increased his level of responsibility and grew. Today he is the Corporate Head of Marketing enjoying sterling benefits and commanding a powerful reputation. From the same family I have a nephew who was in a hurry to make millions. He changed jobs. He crossed lines, sacrificed values and integrity and ultimately became a reject. It is essential to understand that we need to work our way up positively with a combination of the hare and the tortoise. Authentic Statement

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Note: On a separate page.

Dont compete or compare yourself with others. Set your standards. Raise the bar each time for yourself, with yourself. Give yourself stretch goals. Be conscious that at each step you have to build your capabilities.

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In our organizational journey, we need to leave our footprints in the sands of time. We must plan our careers in such a way that we do things which nobody has done before. Also, which those following us will find difficult to emulate. We must move from the routine. Everything that is done must have our own stamp. For this, you need to...

Be An Achiever

Give the work to her: She gets things done.

ecide what is it that you desirethere deep down in the belly. Is there a fire? An urge to excel, an ambition to soar quickly, surely, definitely. Yes? Then, go for it. Discard security, safety. Go in for real results. Leave your footprints in the sands of time as marked by your company and corporation.

The most important competencies that motivate, push and drive achievers are: An urge to succeed, raise standards to a superlative level. Absolute commitment to plans, goals, targets. Unwilling to accept no compromise or dilution in results. Great positivity, looking for the brighter side, becoming a risk taker (though a prudent one), taking the initiative to put forth new ideas, new systems, new analytical techniques and ultimately new procedures and products in place. Ability of getting over obstacles, problems and road blocks by the sheer desire to succeed. Look for ways to extend the boundaries of your work area. Increase the area of your influence and acceptance. Learn to enrich your work life by extending/adding to your Key Result Areas. Go ahead. Just do it. Take charge. The world is yours. As a young retail merchandiser, I had made it a point to introduce at least one new item a month and ensure it is sold. My aim was to achieve, achieve and achieve, more than anyone else had done before me.

Authentic Statement

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Twenty five years later, people still remember me and my youthful enthusiasm. I have carried the Achiever label with me throughout my journey.

I have heard seniors tell the younger generation go by the rules. Dont be in a hurry to take risks. See that you fit in. dont try to overestimate or over perform. It does not pay in the long run. I wish such seniors would keep their counsel home. I also shudder to think what sort of achievers their children will make. No. Go. Achieve. If you dont take a risk you will be safe but remain exactly where you are.

At the end of the day it is all about attitude, the attitude to win, to achieve, to make a mark and move on. It is something that is within all of us. It needs to be brought out through introspection self- awareness and a deep down desire to achieve, to succeed. Go! Grab Success. Remember you can shape your destiny. You can influence the path your career will ultimately take. You must have a positive approach at all times. You must inculcate, breed, induce the killer instinct, the achiever instinct within yourself. Therefore you have no choice; you have to be...

A Winner Always

ou must have the success mind-set. Have the profile of a winner. Plan, goal-set, and work towards winning. Dont let a setback bring you down. Learn from it. Recreate in your mind the event or process that didnt work as you had expected and identify what went wrong. Create your learning map from this. Use this education to advantage, i.e., apply your education to the process of success and failure. Come out as a winner. Have an action plan and live it. Always be in charge of your career, more importantly, in control of your life.

Be a good communicator. Communication and presentation skills form a very important part of a successful career profile. Knowledge, expertise, and opinions are only a part of the game. The important part is conveying these effectively through appropriate presentation skills. Keep your presentation simple, but keep it straight. Keep it short, attractive yet impressive. Avoid jargon and legalese. While speaking, avoid shoulds, mights etc., because they do not show resolve and intent. On the contrary, they generate vagueness. Instead use can, must and will. They mirror your confidence and resolve to attain to what you suggest. Always come across as a positive person. Most importantly, dont insist that you are right. Give freedom to others to disagree with you. Whilst facing a contentious issue, develop the art of separating the person from the behaviour, the person from the issue. Leave the person alone and attack the issue. Seek guidance from seniors. Benefit from their experience. If you feel you need the help of someone senior, other than your immediate supervisor, seek an appointment. Dont just barge in. The person may be busy, occupied, tense, under pressure, or simply too ego-oriented to offer help at the first go. Consult your supervisor/mentor.

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Once you meet the concerned senior, make your request after being asked to do so and define the time you would require with him/her. The point of such interactions is to learn how he/she grew in the organization. Ask for permission to watch or share his/her ideas. As a new employee you are bound to see things happening which you are convinced are not proper. Remember that the boss has his/her own point of view that differs from yours. Desist from the temptation of saying you are wrong. In fact, make it a point to banish the word wrong from your dictionary. Always begin with In my opinion. A positive attitude and a cheerful disposition ensure that you are perceived as a winner. Take special care to .. Be seen as part of the solution, not as part of the problem. After completing my Hotel Management course, I joined the Hospitality Industry and was posted to the kitchen. There I met a guy who was always on the go; learning, exchanging notes, picking up tips and planning more and more exciting menus and recipes. He was a top favourite with everyone particularly the foreigners. He was so mercurial and positive that even his mistakes were tolerated or rather appreciated. He always came out on the top whatever the situation. What a guy! Authentic Statement A positive attitude plus a desire to achieve plus a winners instinct equal to thundering Corporate Success. It is whether in personal life or in professional career imbibing, inculcating a killer instinct, a winner instinct is very essential today. Look around you and you will find that everybody wants to make a million, get instant fame and be a celebrity. But they are unable to convert their dreams to reality due to sheer lack of effort. They have a laid back attitude, get late promotions and ultimately be left behind. Or change jobs frequently. The competition is unforgiving at the same time richly rewarding. Authentic statement. INVEST YOUR BEST ALWAYS AND RECEIVE THE BEST ALWAYS.

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In your journey to being a Achiever and a Winner, you are likely to come across speed breakers and road blocks. This will slow you down but remember at no point will you give up. You have got to hang on, persist and persevere and

BE RESILENT.
Diane L.Couto in HBRs On Managing Yourself has this to say about Resilience. These are dark days: People are losing jobs, taking pay cuts, suffering foreclosure on their homes. Some of them are snapping sinking into depression or suffering a permanent loss of confidence. But others are snapping back, for example, taking advantage of a lay off to build a new career. What carries them through tough times? Resilience. Resilient people possess three defining characteristics. They coolly accept the harsh realities facing them. They find meaning in terrible times. And they have an uncanny ability to improvise, making do with whatevers at hand. In deep recessions, resilience becomes more important than ever. Fortunately, you can learn to be resilient People who have attained their goals and fulfilled their vision are those who practise the three defining characteristics of resilience. These cannot be taught but have to be inculcated by you through personal energy and strong perseverance. In other words, the World and Success is before you. Invest and reap the harvest.

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As a new entrant you will naturally work with a very high degree of zeal and enthusiasm. Organizations need dedication and commitment but too much of everything is normally dysfunctional. Excess commitment can lead to excessive involvement. When you are excessively and compulsively involved, perspective is lost and irrationality steps in. You start thinking that rejection of your suggestion means failure or more importantly, rejection of you as a person. This is going too far. So, be ...

Committed But Not Obsessed

ometimes, when you work with a very high level of commitment and dedication, you cross the line of objectivity and operate irrationally. A failure to get the desired results generates anger and tempers flare.

The feeling that prompts such situations is Because I am committed and dedicated, things should go my way, things should be done only my way! Whatever I propose must go through. If it does not, something is drastically wrong with the organization. The stance required here is one of detached involvement as Jagdish Parikh puts it. In other words, let go. Do not hang on to the proposal or issue as though it were your life. When, you and your proposal or issue become a single entity it becomes difficult to differentiate the person from the issue or proposal and frustration enters. Normally, such situations are called prestige issues. The proposal or issue gets super upgraded to a prestige issue, instead of retaining its original identity of a simple proposal. You are not being asked not to be dedicated or committed but to stop from getting so involved that it results in over-commitment and loss of a rational approach. We once had a young colleague who was exceptionally brilliant. He loved expositions and would talk endlessly to prove his point. He never let go an issue. People avoided him like plague. His batchmate was an average guy with excellent social skills. He made such an impression on the seniors that he was their pet. Naturally, his growth was phenomenal. So its important that we are easy-going and a joy to be with at the same time result oriented, rather than being obsessed with our work. You are responsible for the proposal, the project, but you are not the proposal and rejection of the proposal is not rejection of you. Remember, very rarely in organizations are results produced only by individuals and there are other considerations to a proposal rather than just its contents. Such as: Tactical and strategic considerations, political issues and implementation feasibility. Personal career goals of seniors. Organizational exigencies, goals and strategies. Interdepartmental realities. Cost and budgetary considerations. Risk of failure due to the innovative content of the proposal and leading-edge technology involved.

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Excessive involvement creates a feeling that you lack information and do not see the problem in its full complexity. Others may have access to information or data that you do not have; they may be in a position to recognize priorities and criteria you are unaware of. Therefore, you lose out if you are operating with excessive involvement. You will win if you operate with detached involvement. Whenever you take up an issue, remember to differentiate between context and content. The content may be perfect but the context may be off the mark. It is essential to keep both in mind. A young garment export executive turned everything into a prestige issue. Her desire to always win blinded her to the cultural differences of the buyers. She always forced her designs and colour schemes on the customers. She argued so well that they accepted them out of exasperation but never returned. When last seen she was arguing with the boss on why she should not be sacked. Display ownership towards the solution of the problem that you see, but do not assume parenthood. Avoid getting related to the issue by blood. Treat it as a friend, a close friend but nothing more. Be committed but by no means obsessed. Unattached involvement is such a good concept. Earlier I used to fight tooth and nail till my proposals were through. My boss hated me for this and I had stopped getting satisfaction from my job. Now that my whole approach has changed, I get a lot more job satisfaction even though all my proposals are not accepted. I feel that the quality of my work life has also improved. Authentic Statement I cannot understand why these youngsters keep on pushing their thoughts and views at me all the time. If I disagree with them they accuse me of disliking them. But we have a new MBA who seems to have attended some workshop in college. He gives his best, yet does not make it an issue of life and death. He leaves it to me. Authentic Statement A classic case of obsessed ownership was a Dean in one of the colleges. She was so obsessed with power, with the need to control that she overlooked the need to contribute to the benefit of the students. It was a manic need. Students were forced to compromise values and do her biddings. Seeing this was a tragedy especially since she was very well qualified. Commitment, involvement is good up to a point. It becomes destructive as it reaches obsession. Authentic statement.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni puts it beautifully when he says that We should want to win. We should give our 100%. But there is no need to be desperate for victory. Aim is to excel and win.

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Note: On a separate page. Learn something new identify and build competencies for the next role. Do an exercise in self awareness and opt for the next role accordingly. Know your strengths, do a swat analysis and move upwards steadily but very surely.

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Work can be done in two waysdo it yourself, or get it done from others. Either way, it is the results that count. The future is unlimited when, in addition to your hard work, the management recognizes your competence. So ...

Be Competent

ompetence involves performing a task to pre-set parameters. It not only involves a skill to work, but also the will to perform to the best of your ability.

Skill, hard work, knowledge, aptitude, and attitude integrate to create competence. If even one of them is missing, competence suffers. Remember ultimate competence implies absolute personal excellence. Nothing less. No compromise. No dilution. No reduction of standards. You have all the competence you need in you. We all have. Bring it out in large measures; pour it out from the bottomless container of your competence. Competence is both real and potential. It is up to you to manifest the potential inherent in you. Bring it out with a bang! Aim for the top. In the corporate world today competencies is a rich mantra. HR systems and sub systems are moving to measurable matrix and competencies is one of them. Irrespective of the role list down the core competencies of your job responsibilities and get to work to developing these competencies. It is not overnight but the time invested guarantees rich returns. In the older order it was a complement to hear he is a hard worker he works tirelessly Today the same choice of words could be detrimental to career progression. The words today are competence delivery reaching out to solve problems Do this and you will be left with only one choice to succeed. I was always an in-tray and out-tray managerfunctionally good thats all. I didnt much care for developing core competencies. Now that I have to compete with the younger generation, my incompetence is glaringly evident. With their conceptual and analytical skills they will make excellent leaders and I will be ignored and left behind.

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Authentic Statement

Note:: on a separate page

Changing roles As you go up the ladder roles will change accept the changing roles as a challenge as a fantastic learning opportunity. Adapt adjust to change. Dont be closed to relocation. Cultural learning in each region is Indias rich heritage. So go ahead. Dont be afraid of risks and accept change with self confidence.

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An organization is a storehouse of various types of assignments and activities. Sometimes, a new entrant is tested through tough assignments; at other times, given routine jobs till he/she creates confidence in the seniors about his/her competencies and abilities. Take the initiative and go ahead deliberately, rather than sit back and receive what is handed over to you. You can do this when you:

Look For Challenges

I have been doing my work so well. I have really tried to fit in. In fact, I have not changed anything and have continued all the laid-down routines perfectly. But, they still havent promoted me. Live a routine life with routine assignments and you get a routine career path. I love challenges and I go out of my way to pick challenging situations. I love to take risks, in fact, I like to create challenging situations. This gets me noticed. My seniors have recognized my potential and mettle. Pick challenging situations and handle them successfully and the organization will pick you for a promotion. Look for challenges and learn to meet them. Create challenging situations and extract success from them. Do not have a laid back attitude at the workplace. You are young, on the go and your career graph is upward directed. So take the initiative. Create new ideas, new products, new processes, new activities. Bring a newness to all that you do. Get the spotlight focused on you. Make the organization realize that it has made the right choice and is lucky to have you on board. Remember that in your earlier journey at the college level, taking initiative was not a cause for reward. You did exactly as you were told and were rewarded for obedience. Toeing the line was important. Not necessarily so in an organization. Achievers, winners have one thing in common: they constantly take the initiative, create opportunities to impact their environment and the organization. They dont look for one single great achievement. They hoard in their bags numerous, small, regular achievements. Look at yourself frequently and ensure that you are right out there in the field playing hard. Cheering from the stands as a spectator never got anybody the best player award.

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Remember every challenge accepted and overcome, every challenge successfully handled will give you tons of credit to anchor your identity. Just step out. Act. Take charge. Challenge, change and the world will be at your feet. My HRD head was a tough customer. He used to tell me I work 17-18 hours a day. Anyone wanting to be on my team must be willing to work at least 14-15 hours a day. I dont want my people to agree with my plans and suggestions; I want them to improve upon them. I seek dissenters and not yes-men. No doubt he became the Chairman and the Director of the organization. Can you meet these expectations? Authentic Statement Be remembered when there is a crisis or a challenge or a crunch of time for delivery. Create your brand as a challenge seeker, a person who does not step back when the going gets tough. All of us are in this game to make an impact, to make a career and rise. Therefore shun the comfort zone and take on challenges. Create opportunities with a challenging content, deliver and see what the corporate world has to offer to you. Ratan Tata calls it walking the extra mile. The following extract from a media report will clarify what it means to create and accept challenges. Ratan Tata was speaking about the car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Ratan Tata states Also questioned the work ethic of British Managers, saying they did not go the extra mile unlike their Indian counterparts. its a work ethic issue. In my experience, in both Corus and JLR, nobody is willing to go the extra mile, nobody, Tata said. I feel if you have come from Mumbai to have a meeting and the meeting goes on till 6 pm, I would expect that you wont, at 5 o clock, say, Sorry, I have my train to catch. I have to go home. Stating that things were different back home, the Tata group chairman added, if you are in a crisis (in India). It means working till mid night, you would do it. The worker in JLR seems to be willing to do that: the management is not. He said earlier, JLRs entire engineering group would be empty on Friday evenings. The Sunday Times May 22, 2011 Understand the importance of putting that extra ounce of energy and effort, of accepting challenging situations. Similarly we have Martin Crowe, the cricket player from New Zealand who at the age of 48 wants to play competitive cricket again since he is not satisfied with a laid back life and is looking for challenges in his life. Today a great challenge is keeping abreast with technology, with the tools we use in the workplace. Dont shirk from this challenge of generation Y.

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You are making a mark, you are getting noticed. People are thinking well of your capabilities and competencies, and you got picked for that important assignment. So...

Seek Special Assignments

ood news. Great to be handpicked. Positive happening. But hold on! Dont just jump into it. Ask questions, the most important being: What is the ultimate objective of the project/assignment/presentation?

Who desired this project/presentation? What is the timeframe? Whose help do I seek? Where will I get the data/inputs resources, etc., from? What are the pitfalls to watch out for? Generating such questions and answering them gives you clarity. You will understand the assignment thoroughly. But avoid going at it completely on your own. Take help. Share with those who count. They will ultimately share your credit when you succeed. Look around and seek to relate various activities. Get a feel of the big picture and see how your job/project/work assignment relates to the big goal/target. (This goal/target could relate to your unit, location, department or the organization). This will widen your perspective and vision. You will have a better understanding of your job responsibilities. Relating it to the big picture will help you enrich your job. Learn to look at the larger landscape, at the entire canvas. As soon as I understood the significance of being noticed I sought opportunities where I would stand out so that my bosses would take note. So far I have been quite successful because each time something special happens I become part of it. I only hope this continues to happen even when annual increments and promotions are being decided. Authentic Statement As a CEO, I like go-getters, people who are aggressive and are willing to make a sacrifice to prove their mettle. After undergoing the special workshop we organize, I find that a lot of seekers are created Authentic Statement

Authentic Statement.

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Special assignments are not for ordinary people. They are for people who are special. So prove to me that you are able to handle additional load, additional pressure in the form of special assignments. Then I will mark you out for special activities and of course special rewards.

Active networking assists in netting special high visibility assignments. Authentic Statement.

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Note: On a separate Page.

Attitude for career growth: Refuse to be stagnant move before you get stale: This movement can be internal (rotational) or external. Look for additional responsibilities more challenging job content project your work and negotiate rewards. The first two years are learning years. The next one year is consolidation of learning and career growth all the time thereafter.

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Authentic statement. Speed, accuracy and completeness are the hallmarks of excellent work. They also add to the dependability and reliability parameters of the personal brand image. To learn and achieve this we must learn and practice...

Staff Work: Prompt And Complete

Learn to work in-depth bring out all the details rather than surface surfing.

ompleted Staff Work means putting up a proposal, a project, a suggestion that is complete in all respects. Completed staff work involves doing the homework, gathering data, analysing the same and generating alternative solutions, one of which is recommended for acceptance with justification thereof.

This is one area which is neglected in the corporate world. The Gen Y is in a hurry to obtain decisions therefore puts together a half- baked proposal seeking decisions. Incomplete staff work is a bane and entails loss of manhours due to repeat work. While it is appreciated that looking at files, accumulating data is both boring and cumbersome it is the necessary nutrition of Corporate work specially where decisions are required. Completed staff work is always time-consuming since work has to be done thoroughly. Therefore, do not be in a hurry to put up the proposal/project/suggestion and be done with it as if it is a weight to be taken of your chest. Incomplete staff work : Is done in a hurry. Reflects lack of homework, detailed study and application of mind. Lacks thoroughness. Does not generate all the alternatives but recommends the first one that comes to mind. Is of almost no use to the boss/management (except being an irritant). Reeks of casualness, lack of interest and involvement; tantamounts to doing work without commitment. Therefore while you are on projects, be prompt, in-depth, studious and accurate with a broad perspective/prospective focus on the key result area. Quickly identify and obtain data from various sources. Collect, select and organize data to get the outline for your first draft.

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After the first draft is completed, sit down and think of any questions that could strike the reader. Incorporate the answers into the text of your proposal. Keep supplementary data ready for reference and also for responding to queries. Accuracy is the hallmark of good completed staff work. One secret of success behind good completed work is to sleep on a proposal overnight. Ruminate over the data and review it again the next morning. You will be in a much stronger position with regard to culling relevant facts for your report. In case the proposal/project/suggestion is lengthy, it may be useful to place an Executive Summary at the beginning. Though completed staff work is time-consuming, it needs to be prompt and, therefore, does not allow for procrastination. Completed staff work is the backbone of any management decision. Therefore, the greater the onus of the decision, the greater the depth and quality required of the staff work. It will spell disaster for the organization if the subordinate and the boss are weak or lacking in completed staff work. Be prompt with the staff work and the management will be prompt with the promotion you want so much.

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The younger generation have a typical characteristic in as much as it wants to be perfect, they want to achieve and be successful in each and every activity undertaken. There is no space for failure or mistakes. Therefore, at times, making a mistake or failing is a disaster. No ! Failing is not such a calamity. What you must understand is that you have to develop skills to...

Move On From Mistakes

Making mistakes is no crime. Not learning from them is criminal.

have seen Generation Y collapse after making a mistake. They behave as if the world has come to an end. The earth will stop rotating. There can be no success without learning from failure.

Only those who do something make mistakes. Inaction and inactivity, or maintaining the status quo never produce mistakes. Remember that a person who makes mistakes is more highly thought of than the one who goes for a safe, error-free approach. Leaders handle mistakes with humility and grace. Since you are aiming to reach the top, pick up the habit of moving on from mistakes and ingrain this into your system. Often, times are bad and you get into a bad patch. Even your most well intentioned and well thought out actions go wrong. This is a reality for which you are not responsible. Dont let these setbacks upset you. You must have the maturity to accept them. Nothing that is negative lasts long, so dont let it get you down. When an unfavourable set of circumstances besets you learn to accept it and more importantly, learn from it. It is always essential that one learns from a mistake or failure. Therefore, when you take up a challenge and succeed, rejoice and go ahead. When you take up a challenge and do not succeed, make it a learning opportunity, do mid-course correction and still go ahead.

Is there a religion anywhere in the world which propagates that mistakes are sins and therefore will be punished. Obviously not Mistakes are only to prove the imperfection of the human race. I have seen Generation Y permitting mistakes made a few years ago pilot and effect their current life and decisions. One must remember that the past doesnt come back and the mistakes made in the past remain embedded in the past. Therefore learn from the mistake and let them go into the past.. Importantly:
Mistakes are lessons, if you can learn from them. Treat them as teachers.

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And remember that mistakes are not failures.You make a mistake , learn and move ahead.

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In an organization, as in families, there are bound to of opinion concerning attitudes, values, education Look upon these as something positive and approach a fashion that you get into win-win situations. The achieve this is to ...

be differences and aptitudes. them in such best way to

Confront Creatively

onflicts are endemic to organizational life. They are stock features of the corporate lifescape. People normally shove a conflict, an issue or a difference of opinion under the carpet and convince themselves that no problem exists.

When you join an organization, you will have many fallouts and conflicts. But dont shove them under the carpet but face them squarely i.e., confront. Confrontation is a very useful behavioural style. It does not mean getting into a hot argument or having a fight. It means facing an issue with maturity and sensitivity. When handled in any other fashion, confrontation degenerates into a fight. Learn to separate the issue from the person(s) concerned. Examine the issue, attack the issue and leave the person alone. For example, when you do not agree with what the boss is doing or with a decision that he/she has taken, it is best to use an expression such as I have a different point of view or Can we look at the problem in a different way? Be very careful not to use the word wrong because the most sophisticated form of professional suicide is telling the boss he/she is wrong. Remember, you have just joined the organization and the boss is senior to you in age, experience and status. He or she is, therefore, unlikely to take very kindly to the label wrong. Desist from the temptation of proving the boss wrong and discuss the issue in a mature fashion. People use different styles and approaches in different situations to manage differences of opinion or conflict. You must learn and practise the following strategies and use the one most appropriate to a given situation. Compromise. Collaboration. Avoidance. Withdrawal. Confrontation. Therefore, when things go wrong, when there is a conflict, when there is a difference of opinion at the place of work, please remember: confrontation. So, dont be afraid to confront constructively; to project yourself in a positive manner. Remember: Attack the issue and not the person. Since you are inexperienced, but knowledgeable, examine different points of view, different alternatives. Ask for inputs and insights to solve the problem.

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 Avoid using derogatory or negative adjectives such as slow, incompetent, badly handled, useless when describing a person or situation. Ensure feedback is specific, to-the-point and data-based. Try to be non-judgemental. A report is never lousy but it needs further improvement. Similarly instruction s are never half-baked or confusing, but rather instructions need to be given / received / asked for in a complete fashion. Confront. Remember, there can be no movement without friction. So, dont be afraid to confront constructively. Confront the isuue with a positive mind. Confront proactively not to seek revenge.

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Managing Conflict

onflict is very positive and productive if handled carefully and with care.

Do not get into the rights and wrongs of conflict. Move away from the person and look at the issues. Keep your perceptions under control. Perceptions unless checked and data based are a source of problems. Use the technique of Talk in handling conflict. Have a face to face and thrash out the issues. Start the talk by saying that you are more interested in solving the problem and are not at all in the win lose situation. Emphasize the Win Win approach. The question is how do we create a Win Win approach. This is done by generating alternatives and choosing those which are beneficial to both the parties. Please remember in an organization when we have negative destructive conflict both the parties lose. The greater loser is the one who is junior and less experienced. Please remember in a situation of conflict the senior will always get managements support. Behind closed doors the senior will be counseled and criticized but in a face to face between management senior and junior the management will support the senior irrespective of the facts of the case.

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Part III
STRIKING IT RICH (Principle of Success)
New Chapter Editor Macmillan Please place it appropriately in the Book.

Mr. K. Ramkumar Executive Director, ICICI Ban Shares with us his own story which can inspire us to greater Heights (Mr.Ramkumar (50 years), Executive Director on the Board of ICICI Bank is responsible for Customer Service and Human Resource functions. Mr. Ramkumar has completed his PGDM from Madras School of Social Work in 1984 and BSC Chemistry in 1982. Prior to joining ICICI Bank in 2001 Mr. Ramkumar had over 16 years of experience in companies such as Hindustan Aeronautics, Brookebond Lipton India Limited (now Hindustan Unilever Limited) and ICI India Ltd. His work in these companies has mainly been in the areas of Human Resources Management and Production Management. At ICICI Bank Mr. Ramkumar has been responsible for Human Resource function, initially for the Bank and then for all the companies in the ICICI Group. He has worked extensively in the areas of recruitment, competency design, succession management, learning and development and Leadership Development. Under his guidance, ICICI Bank has implemented cutting edge practices and methodologies in the domain of leadership development, learning, creation and use of psychometric tools. Mr. Ramkumar also has extensive experience in the areas of process design and quality management to create scale and efficiency. At ICICI Bank, he has driven cost productivity across the organization through work methodization & norming, and process & structure optimization. He has joined the Board of Directors with effect from February 1, 2009.)

Looking back and discerning the myth from reality

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27 years ago when I embarked on my career, I was no different to those who do so today. I had completed my PG Diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from Madras

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School of Social Work. Unlike these days there were far and few campus offers, at least not in the non IIMs and XLRI. I had to take my share of entrance exams and I got selected as a management trainee in Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd in 1984.

Like most youngsters today, I believed that my post graduation was a passport to success. I was clear that intelligence and knowledge were visas, to teach a thing or two to all those bungling illiterates at HAL. I was some one who could recite chapter and verse in Personnel Management, OB and Labour laws. I was also someone, who by virtue of my graduation in science, more than comprehend technology and engineering. A special brag badge was my ability in quant nothing but 100 ever in math. So the strategist, innovator and reformer had arrived at HAL, to deliver it from its dark ages. I was also some one, who had indefatigable energy and unwavering commitment.

So after the fun called management trainee period -18 months of extra curricular activity was over, I was itching to do the real thing. Transform HAL and change all that was old world personnel management HR had not yet arrived. Every passing day frustrated me. I was consigned to doing menial stuff like processing promotions, drafting petty charge sheets, entering data into the terminal linked to the main frame and checking sheet after sheet of employee data which was being computerized (no digitization language yet). I had to learn DoS, COBAL and Dbase. My date with IR was resolving disputes on canteen service, with the lowly placed executive committee members of the union My out door exercise was, doing the routine adjournment treck to the labour court. Then when back at office, I was drowned in updating personal files, recruiting lowly placed shop floor workers and stenos. My dalliance with compensation was limited to processing pay roll. My never ending love affair with MIS had just begun. Oh! What a waste of a great talent. No opportunity to negotiate the grand wage settlement, still worse could not change the Confidential Reports to Behaviorally anchored Rating scale based performance management, my OD skills were crying for an opportunity, worse of all no opportunity to do career planning and succession management (no talent management terminology yet)

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My mentor during this period was Pramod Fernandez, a lawyer by education and not the blue blooded tribe of post graduate in personal management - gift to mankind like me. Pramod did all these and was also spending a lot of time with the union representatives and managers on the shop floor. He could walk into some ones room and after a discussion get them to agree to his proposal. The General Secretary of the Union Mr. Mahadevan (a very tall CPI leader in Bangalore) and some of his most ferocious deputies frequently visited him and sought his advise, the head of the factory (5000 strong employees) the General Manager, was leaning on him to sort out differences amongst his team members. Pramod was the advisor to the head of personnel of the

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Bangalore complex (20000 employees in BC) on policies and selection of people for various key positions. He was also the much sought after faculty in the prestigious HAL staff college. I was amused that he never did anything that was taught to us as personnel management. No OD interventions, no career development work, no new design of performance management, nothing that I wanted to do and transform HAL.

Pramod used to draft me to take his case, as a presenting officer in domestic enquiries, He would nudge me to draft a briefing for the lawyers. He would send me to meetings chaired by the 2 powerful DGMs to represent him and solve issues. He would hand over his sessions in the HAL staff college for me to handle it on his behalf. He was heartless to send me to Agra to be gheroed and roughed up by Radhe shyam and Ravindra Singh (4 years later both were dancing at my marriage in Chennai). He even got me to be abused, threatened and almost beaten up by Thoota Vera Raju, the militant head of the contract labour union, by asking me to deal with him and handle a volatile IR issue. A remarkable talent like me was being wasted with drudgery. He one fine day came up with an even cruel punishment. He asked me to work with the shop floor guys and come up with a directory of skills, computerize it and get a program written for identifying the surplus, redeploy them and retrain them into alternate skills. In doing all this I had to cop up the resentment of the union, the endless power politics and posturing by the bosses of those, who were to be declared surplus and also from those, who were to receive and retrain them (left thumb impression type employees to be retrained into electronics and avionics skills). The last one was the worst of all these, to go to Barrackpore in West Bengal and shut 2 departments. What a misery for a great talent- you would call in the modern day a HR talent.

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My misery did not end at HAL, it continued at Lipton India ltd and there after in Brookebond Lipton India ltd. Mr. Nirmal Sinha will torture me to read the wage settlements over and over, which I had negotiated first at Trichy then at Kolkata. He would want me to have meetings with ministers and political leaders in the West Bengal, pound the corridors of the labour department and do a VRS. Sanjeev Kathpalia would want me to shut a factory, handle a strike, get into production and improve technical efficiency, impart technical skills to the workers in the shop floor, inculcate quality and productivity orientation, soften the aggressive unions for improved quality & productivity, recruit first level engineers and even handle conflicts amongst the first line managers in the factory. My foolish bravado, led me to sacking the minority union leader, for theft. An hour later, the factory struck work and I was facing a death threat from him. I chickened out and pleaded with Sanjeev and Mr. Sinha, to use the appeal process and reinstate him. The two heartless men instead made me live with the threat for a year and turned me into a hero with the Board of Lipton. The reward turned out to be a punishment. I was sent to Kolkata to handle 3 Unions and an ailing tea factory to squeeze out once again manufacturing efficiencies, quality and productivity. Oh God! What a miserable living, still no OD, no PMS, no behavioral

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training, no career management, no psychometry, by now no competency mapping but stuck in the mire of shop floor management.

Long at last I earned my right full place (after 9years) head office posting. I will finally do what I studied for. Personnel Management now called HRD. Alas this was also to be a disappointment. I fell into the hands of another cruel mentor Satish Pradhan. He wanted me to handle Unispan - a HRIS, once again before the PC, entering & checking data and codes. I could not get freedom from MIS generation. I was to coordinate and manage the filling up of a form called MDP Management Development Plan. The BBLIL merger found me handling, the never ending post merger identification and redeployment of surplus sales force, negotiating with seniors to release and accept people for key jobs, even drawing out BBLILs first Z list (senior Managers who should be asked to go), recruit first level sales managers. He drafted me into handling the logistics of the post merger integration workshops. This called for late night sparing sessions with him in one city after another, on the next days training material and flow. I had to cope with his heartless throwing me down the deep end in these workshops, to stand in and handle an hour of facilitation, only to be roughed up by the senior managers, Finally, I got to coordinate climate surveys, but not the opportunity to design the one, I believed was the best. Once again I found myself cohabitating with the sales force union.

After 9 years I still could not be a HRD manager for which I studied. I missed out narrating, the many late evening impassioned discussions on policies and the next morning frustration, of my failure in not being able to convince the senior managers. It was Satish, who after making me go through this harrowing lobbying failures, will some how clinch it with the VPs. But there was no HRD at all. It was one miserable networking and power management exercise. Certainly not what I studied and mastered. He tortured me with his endless supply of books and articles nothing on HRD. He would ask me to convert them into training material and facilitation plans. I never understood why a HRD talent, should waste time with writing cases or preparing training material on marketing planning, sales force productivity, supply chain efficiency, operational excellence etc never relevant areas like recruitment, job evaluation, culture, motivation, change management, compensation design etc.

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I can assure you that nothing has changed for any of the talented new youngsters, who join organizations. Most youngsters study and train to be managers, with an aspiration of one day becoming an entrepreneur or reaching the top management. Irrespective of the industry and function, they almost always like I had, yearn to do narrow & specialized technical jobs or rewrite the strategy, complain about long working hours and demanding bosses. We all waste our best 5 to 7 years not understanding that managerial work is:

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Data & information organization and systemizing the same Gaining insights about people and their preference and using it as the bridge to gain access and influence them Cutting through functional, departmental and organizational boundaries, weaving through power dynamics, by building human networks and using information, business knowledge and above all relationships, not logic to solve problems inside the organization, so that the customer outside can be served well Smoothly taking over from ones boss the fleeting opportunities, to play on the big stage representing him and learning the real art of moving people and organizations Personal credibility, indefatigable energy and unwavering commitment even in the midst of failures learning to not cop out by blaming the boss or the system Learning to overcome resource limitations & constraints, organize work, relentlessly focus on execution and improvise ceaselessly Absorbing pressure, personal and professional, maintaining emotional balance and perseverance under pressure

Implicitly trusting your boss (rare exceptions not withstanding) or the super boss and submitting one-self to be molded by them. If we rigidly hold to our form, any attempt by well,meaning others to mold leads to a break, almost always the new form never materializes Recognizing that functional knowledge in purity is pedantic. It is like cement, which if not mixed with sand and water, will never become concrete. Mere knowledge even if it is applied, without people network and judgment, is like concrete without the steel frame

It took me many years to figure these out. The most fulfilling part of my story happened in December 2008. I was nominated to be appointed as an Executive Director on the Board of ICICI Bank. A profile was written about me, to be put up to the Boards appointment and Governance committee. It was shown to me. It was only then I realized, how immature I had been, in not having understood the true import Pramod, Mr.Sinha, Sanjeev, Satish, Kalpana and Mr. Kamath, of my mentors actions. The simple fact, that they were molding me out of my rigid HR form, into being a Leader, had escaped my grasp.

Looking back, I long for those extended evenings, well into 11 pm with biscuits, peanuts, potato chips and ice tea for dinner, Satishs cigarette smoke filled room, the stimulating duels and his exasperation when he called me a moron. I now know that the first 7 years, are an extended internship for growing out of functional fixation and learning the first steps to being a Leader.

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Note: On a separate page Now The Future is a Matter of Choice, Not Chance!

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From Pain to Pleasure

n an organization, you are likely to undergo varied experiences. These are by no means unique and some, or most of them are undergone by most of us as we move up the organizational ladder.

We have already acquainted ourselves with various situations and experiences we confront in organizational life which are not likely to be very positive at the feeling level. We have classified them as typical Pains. In the following pages, I will share with you the ways in which you can work through them and convert them into pleasures instead. The ultimate aim is to help you become more functional in the organization. If you religiously follow these strategies to the point of internalizing them you will hit the road of success and will have little to complain thereafter. Remember, this conversion from pain to pleasure is squarely your responsibility. You are in charge.

The pattern of self-perceived talents, motives and values serves to guide, constrain, stabilize and integrate the persons career. Edgar H. Schein

Anchor Your Career

hen you enter an organization, some of you may find the atmosphere, climate and culture comfortable and conducive to performance. Others may find the same organization unfit to work for. This is because each of you has different capabilities and competencies and is pushed and driven by different motives and goals. You also have a unique set of ambitions and values. What holds you to an organization or drives you away is the career anchor/s you subscribe to consciously or otherwise.

A career anchor functions in your work life as a way of organizing experience, it involves identifying your area of contribution in the long run and generating criteria for the kinds of work settings in which you want to function. It also serves to identify the patterns of ambition and criteria for success by which you will measure yourself. People even from a fairly homogenous background such as a graduate management school totally differ in how they view their careers. It becomes crucial for career aspirants to come to recognize these differences so that psychological contracts can be developed which accurately reflect their needs and expectations. There are various types of career anchors, some apply to you, some dont. It is always useful to identify your own career anchor/s and work towards fulfilling the needs that your own particular anchor/s generates. Here are a few of the more frequently adopted career anchors.

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Security This is a very common anchor and relates to job security, steady and regular income and timerelated career progression. If you are result-oriented, willing to take risks and believe in achievement-related career progression, and do not want to sacrifice your personal ambitions at the altar of the organization, then this anchor may not be yours. On the other hand, if you are willing to sacrifice freedom, initiative and go by the rule book with time-related promotions, then this is the career anchor you subscribe to. Technical/Functional Competence Here, the actual content of the job becomes important, since you intend to use your technical and functional competence on the job. It is important to understand that other than this competence, you may or may not look for other motivators and satisfiers. Personal Growth If you view life in the organization as a continuous process of personal growth, increasing your knowledge, competence, capabilities and abilities, this is your career anchor. In the absence of these opportunities, you would consider your career stagnant and would not care to work for such an organization. Recognition and Rewards. Generation Y has an issue with this. All their activities must be recognized (in public)and duly rewarded. This creates a feeling of belongingness of ownership and discourages attrition. Status and Position-related Perks This is a very strong career anchor and should appeal to you if you are willing to take risks and work continuously towards going up the ladder, obtaining additional perks and benefits at each step. Jobs with high visibility, where the visiting card carries respect and credibility, fall within the ambit of this career anchor. Freedom to Operate People with entrepreneurial attitudes and skills, who want to become entrepreneurs, relate very well to this career anchor. Government jobs, public sector organizations, where rules are more important than results, will create discomfort for those who subscribe to this career anchor. Work Climate and Culture: Toxic free You are anchored to your career by work climate and culture, seek peace of mind, limited stress, good interpersonal relationships and a t-free workplace. Other factors and parameters come second. People who relate to this career anchor usually retire mentally a few years after joining the organization. The culture and the climate must be toxic free; free of bullying of the Boss operating from his inadequacies to create a fault finding climate. Power and Leadership Fulfilment As the name suggests, this career anchor is for those who are prepared to pay the price of power and who have leadership qualities. Such people only want to climb the ladder of success in the shortest possible time and would not mind cutting a few throats en route. This list is only suggestive and not exhaustive. Try and see what makes you tick, what factors will make you hang on to a job/organization and what factors will pull you away.

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While security would appear to be the most attractive career anchor in these days of acquisitions and mergers, downsizing and job insecurity, you may like to carry out a quick selfanalysis on your needs and aspirations and locate areas in your organization where your career anchor is fulfilled. Alternatively, it may be the best thing to look for some other organization. Remember, job satisfaction contributes to personal well-being and vice versa and each anchor has both pluses and minuses. Anchor your career where raging storms cannot capsize your career. I changed jobs after six months though the environment was quite stress-free and I had a well defined role. But the excitement was missing. I am now with an advertising agency where there is a high level of stress, anxieties and running after deadlines. Fortunately, after examining my driving career anchors, I was prepared for this change. Each organization has its own profile and culture, I just had to find one that suited me. Authentic Statement Generation Y finds it fashionable to change jobs; while we are not advocating a lifetime single job like old times it is important that we have some job anchors. The initial years should be years of learning and responsibility. If you find that your learning curve has flattened out of if you are not being given responsible assignments, find the reason why and try to remedy the situation. If it doesnt work out then leave. Frequent job changes in the CV creates a wrong impression. Each change must be a step upwards, additional responsibility and more money. After about 8 years get steady and start creating a solid career. Becoming a CEO in mid forties is sometimes considered to be late. Achievement, recognition, growth and money make great anchors. They also make great change agents

How can I be happy in my career? How can I be sure that my relationship with my family is an enduring source of happiness? And how can I live my life with integrity? If youre not guided by a clear sense of purpose, Youre likely to fritter away your time and energy on obtaining the most tangible, short term signs of achievement. not whats really important to you. If they dont figure out their purpose they will just sail off without a rudder and get buffeted in the very rough seas of life. Clarity about their purpose will trump knowledge of activity based costing, balanced scorecards, core competence, disruptive innovation, the four Ps and the five forces. HBRs 10 Must Reads On Managing Yourself Therefore create a strategy for Your r Life Clayton M Christensen

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Present Yourself

ou must develop your presence. When you enter a room full of people, your presence must be felt. Presence is your inner strength coupled with personal presentation (PP). Let us spend time on this.

The most important item of personal presentation is appearance and grooming. I know of a brilliant software engineer who had numerous people problems. But he had no clue why. I immediately saw what the problem was. It was his appearance. He believed that intellectuals should be a little dishevelled; uncombed hair, a little stubble, overgrown nails and soiled boots I despatched him to a parlour for some dusting. It was effective. Within months, Suggested Colour Schemes for Gentlemen
Trousers Shirt Predominant Colour In Tie Blue, Maroon, Grey, Silver Brown, Tan, Rust, Red, Beige Socks Shoes

Blue

White, Light Blue, Ivory, Pale Pink

Black, Grey, Navy Beige, Brown

Black

Brown

White, Tan, Cream, Lemon

Brown

Charcoal Grey

White, Light Grey, White, Blue, Grey, Ivory, Silver, Rust, Lemon, Pale Maroon Pink, Watery Green White, Light Blue, Pale Grey White, Ivory, Cream, Watery Green Blue, Maroon, Grey Olive, Blue with Olive, Brown, Maroon

Black, Grey

Black

Light Grey Olive

Black, Grey

Black

Black, Olive, Brown

Black Brown

Source Unknown He got a big promotion. So take care of your personal getup. Look well groomed and taken care of. For gentlemen that means combed/brushed hair, clean-shaven, flawless chins or a brushed back beard as well as clean and fitting clothes. The tie, belt, socks and shoes must be impeccably matched/contrasted. For the ladies, it means minimum make up with a very fresh and pleasant appearance. I remember a promotion interview when a woman waded in laden with gold ornaments and wrapped

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in an expensive silk saree. No doubt she was dressed to kill; kill her own chances. The jewellery made such an impression on the panel that she was summarily rejected. In some cultures, grooming is not encouraged for ladies. Things are different in organizations. A smart appearance is a must. You should be well clad, well shod but not overwrought. Make sure the accessories match. Purse/sandals/footwear must agree with one another. Gentlemen please... Make sure the trousers fall on the shoes. Avoid white trousers. Sober cufflinks are always welcome. Keep the collar straight and crease-free. Use a spotless, white handkerchief. Complement trousers with suitable shoes. Use a belt of the same colour as the shoes. A wallet should ideally complement the belt. When wearing a tie, button the shirts collar button. Make sure the tie touches the belt. Wear a neat tie pin with a tie. Button all the buttons of a collar-down shirt. Always button your cuffs.

Accessories must complement your outfit colour-wise. Source Unknown Both men and women employees must never wear colours that are complete strangers to one another; which do not match or do not contrast. Personal conduct is an equally important aspect of personal presentation. At all times try to display polished manners and polite behaviour. Always remain poised, steady, suave and smooth. Body language must remain under control. Gestures and Postures should be expressive yet pleasant to behold. I am reminded how my body language troubled me in the past. I did not realize that I had developed a habit of swinging on my heels. My body language went out of control and with the constant motion, I was not able to establish eye-contact. I became a butt of ridicule and nobody took me seriously in spite of my seniority. I had to work for days to remove the label of dancing manager. So mind your body language. Learn to make your greeting respectful, formal yet with warmth and with personal touch. Especially when your subordinates are senior to you in age. Shake hands firmly, not in a limp fashion. Learn to bend appropriately without bowing. Tact and basic courtesy are vital. Use a smile as often as possible. When making a point, be clear, concise and wherever required, firm. Be assertive but not aggressive. Modulate your voice and expression to suit the occasion. Avoid being raucous. Practice effective eye-contact while talking. Pick up public speaking skills, clear expression, and avoid uhs, aahs and umms.

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It is useful to feel and display enthusiasm, interest, and keenness in whatever is happening around you. Ask questions. Contribute your views. Participate in life. This will show others that you are alive and concerned. People should find you lively, easy to get along and pleasant to be with. Dont escape into a private world of fantasies or much worse pull a gloomy, grief stricken face. A good sense of humour also goes a long way in creating a positive impression. But when being humorous: Avoid making fun of a person, caste or community. Avoid making the other person feel belittled. Avoid humorous put-downs. Avoid off-colour jokes, especially, the bawdy ones. As far as possible, poke fun and laugh at yourself. In personal presentation, the overall approach, planning and direction should be to create an impression, to leave a mark. In this era of high competition, the rewards are few and contestants numerous. You have to stand out in a crowd, get noticed and be remembered when the goodies are being distributed. Effective personal presentation will make you visible in a positive way. Po or presentation, on the other hand, makes you stand out as a sore thumb. I remember a luncheon we had in honour of an Army General. My young friend attended it wearing sandals and without his shirt tails tucked in. On top of it, he was the first to reach the table and stack his plate as if food was running out of stock. The impression and reputation he created for himself that evening took years to erase. Self-confidence, high self-esteem and a positive self-imageall add a special touch to your personality. These take time to develop and do not appear overnight. Plan and work towards a powerful personality. First impressions are made on the basis of your appearance and remember, First impressions are often lasting impressions. In fact it is sometimes said that the first five to ten seconds are crucial for making or breaking an impact. There is a huge conflict between the older generation and the generation Y since the latter shy away from formal togs. I was consulting in a firm where a fresh engineering graduate wore the same T shirt for 3 days. Correcting him was fraught with danger. Similarly a 3 / 4 days stubble is the male hunk norm. Sometimes organizations dont want male hunks. They want performers Finally it is a personal choice and the acceptable corporate norms and culture. My sales team has really changed its profile, since we spoke to them about the impact and scope of personal presentation. Each member is smartly turned out and is also always able to make a very positive impression. I am really proud to lead them. Authentic Statement Before criticising the dress style of Generation Y remember what how your Parents commented on your drain pipe trousers, your bell bottoms, your collar turned up, shirts and Elvis Presley Hairstyle. Each Generation has its own style and therefore let us refrain from commenting but make sure that the youngsters stick to the corporate dress code and personal presentation. Authentic Statement.

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I was training in a five star when the Management Trainee came to the hotel with his hair done up in spikes, chewing gum vigorously. The Manager commented that this was not acceptable during duty in the hospitality industry. The Trainee was asked to go to the locker room and set his hair right. Or alternatively apply for leave. The Management Trainee applied for leave. Its not a question of values, its a question of rebelling against authority and making obedience a prestige issue . Authentic Statement..

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Good marketing strategy requires a product to be positioned suitably so that an image is created in the minds of the people. Since you too are a product, you must practise the art of ...

Positioning: Marketing Yourself the Right Way

Professionals manage their Careers consciously.

he strategy of positioning is actually marketing yourself to the Management, to the Team, to the Boss. You must be able to speak about yourself in a skilful fashion that is both impressive and impactful.

You will not have much competition in this area because very few practitioners in organizations use positioning as a career management tool. You must emphasize upon your assets upon your positive points your experience and your personal learning in the corporate world. You must do this in a way that your senior management is aware of your profile and picks you up when the opportunity is right. Employees get the job based on their experience, their qualifications and related background. This is just the outer label of the packing of the product. The organization determines the quality of the product strictly based on the performance at the work place. Therefore when marketing yourself please remember that there has to be a direct integration between the positioning and the performance.

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Positioning implies favourably influencing the perception of the product or services in the mind of a target customer. A product that is attractive and has catchy features will make a stronger impact on the mind of a customer.

A product may have myriad features, but you have to select and project those which meet customer expectations and prove useful to them. Given the intense competition, the products success will be determined by the positioning strategy and the strength of its brand equity. Not many young professionals, as well as those in very senior positions, know what it means to try positioning themselves. As a consequence they do not make the impact they could have. I remember mentioning to the GM of a company, the importance of positioning a product in a successful marketing campaign. He immediately said, Positioning is not a problem. I will send the transport, you have the product positioned wherever you want and in whatever quantities you please. Remember you too are a product. You have to try positioning yourself in such a way that you conjure up in the minds of the management those attributes that are related to excellence in performance. This will prove to the organization that you are a great product. When you mention Close-Up toothpaste, you think of fresh breath, shining teeth and selfconfidence. A Mercedes Benz brings to mind affluence, comfort and exclusivity. A Mont Blanc pen stands for smooth writing and status. On similar lines, when your senior colleagues think of you the recall should be related to your personal brand equity which, as mentioned earlier (but bears repeating) should reflect: Authenticity. Genuineness. Reliability. Trustworthiness. Result-orientation. These are the attributes that organizations look for in a new recruit. (Qualities like hard-work, sincerity, loyalty and dedication are assumed to be present as screened during the selection process). So now go ahead and launch yourself with a great personal marketing plan and prove to the organization that you are a top product, an entity that the organization can be proud of and do very poorly without. More importantly, direct your positioning plans at those who matter, who count and are sensitive enough to be impacted upon. Take charge. Position. Launch. Promote. After the talk on Transition in college, I went back and reread the chapter on Positioning. I understood the importance of approaching a job differently. Today, in my first ten months in the organization, I actually planned my own positioning with each activity and I find my actions make an impact while others just go ahead without thinking. Authentic Statement

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When you enter an organization, the setup already exists, people are in place, know each other and relate well. You are the new entrant. It is up to you to create your place in the new space, to become part of the setup. Become a vibrating, contributing member of the team. For this, you will have to try to...

Create Your Own Identity

Let people know you and think of you as a Professional.

I have been in this organization for three years. Nobody has made an effort to get to know me. In fact, even my boss is not totally aware of the work that I do. I think I am wasting my life even though I am contributing to the organization.

I am a chemical engineer but all the work related to my area is given to a mechanical engineer. This person is a big show off and most of the time is talking about his own work. He has more friends than I have, but as far as the quality of work is concerned, I think I am superior. Both statements come from employees who obviously did not take time to plan and create their identity in the organization. What do we mean by creating an identity? It means creating a picture, an image of yourself in the minds of other people in the organization. You must locate your place in the organization and develop your identity so that there is a fit between you and your place in the organization. Your qualifications, your qualities, and your attributes must meet the job requirements at the workplace. You must make this known to the people who count. This means looking around and networking. It also means identifying and doing things you excel in. These should fall within the goals, the needs and the immediate exigencies of the organization. Let the power circuit know when you do so. Become known as an effective troubleshooter. Let people call on you when there is a problem or even a crisis. Create an image that you can handle pressure situations without getting ruffled. Spread the message that there is a range of activities you excel at. Avoid becoming a fit only for a

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single slot person. Place yourself as able to fit any important slot, specially one which is troublesome, challenging and gets noticed by the top brass. An identity cannot be created without the process of projecting and highlighting the great job done by you. So, go ahead and softly but systematically project the great work you are doing to the corners that count so that your capacity and ability to do good work is integrated with your personal identity and image. Create your organizational identity in line with the attributes of your personal brand equity. Do this effectively and you will be entrusted with plum, rewarding assignments in line with the identity you create. One way to create a successful identity is to adopt the Six Sigma approach a concept made popular by Jack Welch in General Electric (GE), and now used extensively by organizations around the world. Six Sigma essentially means error-free working and is not related only to manufacturing. When you adopt the Six Sigma approach at your workplace, you must say to yourself, I am going to do error-free work. My work will always be equated with excellent quality. Excellence in quality will cover every detail, every activity. For instance, your correspondence should be error-free, with all the commas and full stops in place, devoid of spelling mistakes, long sentences or grammatical errors. Sentence construction must be perfect. Do this whether you are on the shop floor, in the control room, in the computer department, in finance, sales, product development or anywhere else. The Six Sigma approach should also apply to your conduct such as reaching for appointments on time, adhering to deadlines, delivery schedules, etc. Once you acquire the reputation of being a quality-output person, you will get fewer reminders with lesser follow-up. Your seniors will feel confident that they can delegate to you without the need to frequently check back. In fact, you need to do the checking to keep mistakes out. I am reminded of how I used to slog during the early years of my career. Working late into the night was an every day thing. When my wife was ill with typhoid, I left her in the care of my parents and went to my office. Similarly, when I was suffering with high fever, I hired a driver to drive me to office. All this was noticed by my seniors and I quickly got the reputation of being committed and dedicated. Till date, no one doubts my loyalty and efficiency. Generation Y is not likely to agree to what I did. They will call it a slavish mentality. This is because self plays a vital part in the life structure Drop the attitude of completing work in a hurry. Work done in a hurry suffers in quality. Correcting it is time-consuming. The overall time taken will practically be the same as it would have been had you done your homework and applied your mind before the work left your table. Develop a checklist to prevent mistakes creeping into your work. Create an identity of being a Six Sigma person. Do this and people will go to war to include you in their team. The very fact that you have called me for an interview and feedback from among so many new recruits is an indication that I have been able to make an impact in the Organization. Authentic Statement In the first few years I kept such a low profile that I was pretty much part of the furniture. After understanding transition, and discussing my case with the trainer, I now have created some sort of

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identity in my company. I know it is time consuming, but in due course people will pick me out because I will have made a definite mark with a profile. Authentic Statement Normally generation Y is more outgoing and very happy to interact and create impressions. It must be seen that the impressions have a very positive impact I had to give a presentation to a Board of Directors. My power point somehow was not turning out as expected. One of my new entrants stepped up and offered me help. The presentation she created was brilliant and so was the effect on the Board of Directors. The word spread, her identity was created and rewards came in pretty fast. Create an identity, create a reputation, create an image and take rewards home.

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You do a tremendous amount of good work and are very productive. Sadly, this information remains with you and does not reach the quarters that count. The management is blissfully unaware of your great contributions. Who is to blame? Dont expect the management to expend time and effort to find out all that you have been doing. This is your responsibility, therefore, it becomes very important to...

Project Yourself

Sometimes directly sometimes indirectly let the people know what a wonderful job you are doing.

new

entrant

how

will

people

know

your

work,

your

achievements unless you talk about them? There is no one out there to monitor your work and broadcast your achievements. You cannot hope to leave this all important task to some benevolent big brother. Its your responsibility. So go around talking. Dont boast. Talk. Take pride in your work. Show that you enjoy what you do and that you feel good at being part of a team. After this you must project the work you are doing. You must take pride in your achievements, however small. Only then will others find the time and opportunity to do the same. Use suitable adjectives to describe your personal level of satisfaction at the good work done. These adjectives could be superlative, excellent, very satisfying, so enriching etc. Do this as if you were working out a spot promo. Give it your best. Expand contents slightly, but be careful. Dont over-project. When I got an opportunity to teach in a prestigious management institute, I showed the appointment letter to my MD and he wrote a few words of encouragement on it. I showed it to my seniors who, I knew will rise very high in their careers. The seeds I sowed so casually that day bore fruit four years later when that senior chose me for a good post in Australia Authentic Statement.

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Here are a few suggestions. Make a list of all your activities and, against each, note write how you have contributed to the assignment, to the job and to the organization through these. List what you have done which is good and praiseworthy new ideas, new suggestions leading to procedures and new systems, product improvements, savings in production, new marketing strategies, etc. Bring these to the notice of your immediate supervisor. After informing your immediate supervisor, seek/create opportunities to bring this to the knowledge of the seniors or the big boss. Such opportunities are best found during conferences, lunches and dinners and at social functions. If the organization has a system of picking up and dropping seniors from and to airports, railway stations or hotels, volunteer to do this errand. It is a golden opportunity to gain their undisturbed attention. Do this with pride and dont forget to tell your bosses how proud you are to be a part of the team and the organization. Once a fresh charted accountant joined our organization. He was a cheerful and helpful soul. Any proposal that went to him was promptly dealt with and he went out of his way to help others. When it came to taking credit for his work , he was very shy and withdrawing. Soon people started to take him for granted, he may have been part of the furniture. He was so neglected that he was not even invited for important occasions. But soon he learnt his lessons. Being good at figures, he raised a hell for others. He would raise so many objections that the affected parties started to prostrate before him. Thereafter, no one took him for granted. But you need not go to such extremes, only remember to make your work known to those that matter. A word of caution: take care not to overshadow the immediate seniors. They may be nonprojectors themselves and therefore, may not take too kindly to your Operation Project. Do it carefully. Involve them also. Say We have done it rather than I have done it. Bosses are wise enough to know who has actually done it. Switch on on yourself. the spotlight. But focus it on others as much as

Dont show off. Just show the good work done.

around 700. When my request for additional manpower was turned down, I realized that my bosses did not know just how much work I was doing. I began systematically highlighting both the quantity and quality of work, now they have given me two additional hands.

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When I joined the organization, 110 credit proposals were cleared per month. Now, I clear

Authentic Statement My subordinates expect me to know all about their work. All my time is taken up with targets, conferences, meeting and touring. Therefore, I have asked my subordinates to give me a five to seven minutes presentation every fortnight. In the production department this is not required. After attending some workshops, the people are constantly talking about their achievements to the boss. Authentic Statement

Projecting the Good Work.Creating an Impact.

Stop working if you do not let others know what you are doing.

n our body of HR professionals we were hurtling towards a national conference. We needed high performing people to come on board. There was this one friend of mine who was extremely committed, capable and competent but who did not make herself visible. I had a corridor meeting with her and I shook her up. She came on board and became a crucial contributor to the success of the national conference. This brought home to me the importance of visibility. Authentic statement. Please remember that unless your achievements and accomplishments are visible and acknowledged the effort is a complete waste. Listen to this : I was consulting in a company on performance enhancement. Supervisor A spoke to me with fatigue saying he had worked on all weekends throughout the month because the pressure of work with defined deadlines was high. I happened to see the manager of supervisor A. The manager spoke to me with a request can you please speak to supervisor A. He is very slack in his work. Hardly has any focus and takes his duties casually. Please speak to him. I was shocked to hear these diagonally opposite stories. I had a face to face between the supervisor and the manager. It was revealed that the manager was not aware of the supervisors working on four consecutive weekends. The defence of supervisor A was that he thought that the manager was aware of his working additional extended hours. I realized the importance of projecting my contribution to the corporate goals and highlighting my achievements and accomplishments. Authentic statement.

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The importance of displaying your work can never be underestimated. We have to all times understand that the boss does not have much time for us. He has his own pressures, his own time bound targets and he also has to manage his own boss therefore we have to create our space in his time structure so that he is aware of our presence and also he acknowledges our contribution. There is a catch here you must show the work you are doing but do not show off It is not being recommended that you have an in your face attitude and approach. Make it soft. Make it subtle and make it effective. Given the ethos of Indian Culture I found top performing managers suffering due to the absence of projecting the good work done. They quote the Bhagvad Gita which says that do your duty and do not look for fruits and rewards. My take on this is it is your abundant duty to your self and to your family to ensure that your hard work does not go unrewarded therefore to project your work and expect rewards is also a rich part of your duty.

As a new entrant how will people know your work, your achievements unless you talk about them? There is no one out there to monitor your work and broadcast your achievements. You cannot hope to leave this all important task to some benevolent big brother. Its your responsibility. So go around talking. Dont boast. Talk. Take pride in your work. Show that you enjoy what you do and that you feel good at being part of a team. After this you must project the work you are doing. You must take pride in your achievements, however small. Only then will others find the time and opportunity to do the same. Use suitable adjectives to describe your personal level of satisfaction at the good work done. These adjectives could be superlative, excellent, very satisfying, so enriching etc. Do this as if you were working out a spot promo. Give it your best. Expand contents slightly, but be careful. Dont over-project. When I got an opportunity to teach in a prestigious management institute, I showed the appointment letter to my MD and he wrote a few words of encouragement on it. I showed it to my seniors who, I knew will rise very high in their careers. The seeds I sowed so casually that day bore fruit four years later when that senior chose me for a good post in Australia. Here are a few suggestions. Make a list of all your activities and, against each, note write how you have contributed to the assignment, to the job and to the organization through these. List what you have done which is good and praiseworthy new ideas, new suggestions leading to procedures and new systems, product improvements, savings in production, new marketing strategies, etc. Bring these to the notice of your immediate supervisor. After informing your immediate supervisor, seek/create opportunities to bring this to the knowledge of the seniors or the big boss. Such opportunities are best found during conferences, lunches and dinners and at social functions. If the organization has a system of picking up and dropping seniors from and to airports, railway stations or hotels, volunteer to do this errand. It is a golden opportunity to gain their undisturbed attention. Do this with pride and dont forget to tell your bosses how proud you are to be a part of the team and the organization.

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Once a fresh charted accountant joined our organization. He was a cheerful and helpful soul. Any proposal that went to him was promptly dealt with and he went out of his way to help others. When it came to taking credit for his work , he was very shy and withdrawing. Soon people started to take him for granted, he may have been part of the furniture. He was so neglected that he was not even invited for important occasions. But soon he learnt his lessons. Being good at figures, he raised a hell for others. He would raise so many objections that the affected parties started to prostrate before him. Thereafter, no one took him for granted. But you need not go to such extremes, only remember to make your work known to those that matter. A word of caution: take care not to overshadow the immediate seniors. They may be nonprojectors themselves and therefore, may not take too kindly to your Operation Project. Do it carefully. Involve them also. Say We have done it rather than I have done it. Bosses are wise enough to know who has actually done it. Switch on the spotlight. But focus it on others as much as on yourself. Dont show off. Just show the good work done. When I joined the organization, 110 credit proposals were cleared per month. Now, I clear around 700. When my request for additional manpower was turned down, I realized that my bosses did not know just how much work I was doing. I began systematically highlighting both the quantity and quality of work, now they have given me two additional hands. Authentic Statement My subordinates expect me to know all about their work. All my time is taken up with targets, conferences, meeting and touring. Therefore, I have asked my subordinates to give me a five to seven minutes presentation every fortnight. In the production department this is not required. After attending some workshops, the people are constantly talking about their achievements to the boss. Authentic Statement

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At times you will find you are among the few who actually slog round the clock. Still, you do not get credit for all your hard work. Others, who work less than you do, seem to be getting more appreciation. Before you debate the injustice of it all, or start wallowing in self-pity, stop for a minute and ask yourself: Am I Focused on Quantity or Quality? If the answer is quantity, think of ...

Working Smart

odays flat, hierarchical organizations need smart workers. Working hard is not enough. One has to work smart. Your career goal is to reach the top and, therefore, working hard is not enough.

A person with an attitude only for hard work will find it difficult to impress others and make a mark. Hard workers dont take time to understand the task, and the principles involved. They dont understand the work in its entirety and find out what is the most appropriate modality of performing it. They slog and slave. Smart workers plan and perform. Working smart involves multi-skills and multi-activities with many people at the same time. Therefore, it is very important to mix quantity and quality, into a rich blend. Do this consciously, in a planned fashion. Productivity is the need of the hour and a smart worker gets more done in the same time. The director of marketing had announced a scheme to increase sales. My territory was large but the number of dealers was less and it was not exactly a hot area. It was a forgone conclusion that I will not be able to get the incentives nor would my dealers. But I pushed this negativity to the back of my mind and decided to work smart. I sat with my dealers and suggested that we devise a strategy to boost sales and get the incentives. After initial resistance and normal cynicism, they agreed to undertake a vigorous campaign in the high potential areas and temporarily ignore the low potential zones. Once I got them committed to this plan, they went all out. It paid rich dividends and we recorded the highest sales and all of us got our incentives and were sent on a foreign tour. When you feel frustrated that your hard work is not being appreciated, step back, review your output/interactions in terms of quality versus quantity and get back on track. This is essential for success. Smart work separates managers from men.

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Socializing At Work

Within limits. Prudently done.

eople behave differently at different times in the same situations, or behave in the same way at different times in different situations. So does an organization.

Organizations have great systems but their implementation lies in human hands. Do not expect perfection in implementation, least of all in the implementation of human resources (HR) systems. Remember the intentions are noble, but organizational exigencies determine the line of action that may be in an entirely different direction. Rather than doing a SWOT analysis of the organization, or dissecting policy (non) implementations, criticizing and complaining, learn to adjust, adapt and contribute. When you adjust and adapt, you socialize. After this, you work, you contribute. Thus you become part of the system and gain acceptance. Remember that the organization will not change for you. You will change with and for the organization. In the following chapters you will find strategies for peaceful coexistence with all your colleagues which automatically translates into quality performance. Read them and see how best you can apply them to ... Win your way into the hearts and the minds of people.

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Very rarely in organizations are results produced only by individualsexceptions may perhaps exist in R&D departments and in computer programming related setups. However, in every other scenario we find that brilliant solo workers can either become career failures or they deeply internalize the concept of ...

Teaming Up

Individual brilliance is desirable but team performance is more rewarding. Performance as a team member is what the organization wants and organizations all over the world look for team players. Work is done better by teams. An exceptionally brilliant individual can be easily outclassed by a well-knit team of mediocre men. Therefore, in your first few years in the commercial world constantly practice effective team membership. Use the term we as often as possible: I am so happy to be a member of the team that has. Being fresh out of college, you are keen to achieve great things. Good. Go ahead. But give credit (as far as permitted by prudence) to the team. It is always the team. Credit will ultimately come back to you on the rebound. I am told that a foreign buyer of crabs was dismayed by the fact that the consignment of crabs sent to him had containers without lids. He feared that most of them had escaped. He took up the matter with the Indian suppliers who reassured him that not a single crab would be missing because each time an Indian crab tries to climb up the container and break free, a dozen other Indian crabs will pull him down. In the end all stay down. Avoid the crab mind set. If you dont try to rise together, you will be pulled down or you yourself start pulling others down. Teamwork relates to the process of give and take; of subordinating personal goals and egos to organizational goals; of resisting the temptation of shooting the ball into the goal from a distance and grabbing all the glory; of passing the ball instead, to a fellow player enabling him to score with certainty. When you and the team jump with joy remember that the ball was passed by you. Teamwork is all about putting in your optimum, stretching yourself to the limit and then sharing the credit happily. A Good team player is ready to take responsibility and contribute in addition to his normal function. In a team there are weaklings and we must remember that the strength of the team is equal to the strength of the weakest link therefore we have not only to ensure that we are not only the weakest link in the chain but also to contribute to helping others to become better and stronger team contributors. As a team player I found that the credit was given to the team and my individual contribution was often overlooked. This did bother me and after consulting my Mentor I found a way to take care of this lacuna. Whenever people spoke of the team performance I would always add the element of my contribution to the success of the team. I found it very easy to say as against a sales target of 100 we achieved 130 units. I am happy that my contribution in this was 40 units. Remember in a team no task is below our dignity. Every task has its own respect, its own value contribution to the final goal of the team.

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Root for your team. Roar on to victory. Remember in India people dont work for organizations. They work with and for people and through people they work for organizations therefore team work becomes vitally important in the success of corporate careers. Clear communication and mutual understanding with a lot of trust creates a team where people work towards a win-win situation. So learn to trustand be trusted. Feel accountable for the team goals, display ownership of the joint integrated goals. There is a distinct problem with individuals who are brilliant in their job knowledge: They are wonderful single players but leave much to be desired as team players.

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I have yet to sit down with a manager, whatever his level of job, who was not primarily concerned with his upward relations and upward communications
Peter Drucker

Boss Management
Bosses are neither a title on the organization chart nor a function. They are individuals and are entitled to do their work in the way they do it best. It is incumbent on the people who work with them to observe them, to find out how they work, and to adapt themselves to what makes their bosses most effective. This, in fact, is the secret of managing the boss. (HBR 10
MUST READS) PETER DRUCKER

Largely the responsibility of the subordinate

just you wait I will tell him what I think of his proposal. I am going to tear it apart. Once I am
through he will understand that I am not only knowledgeable but also very competent we all know what exactly will happen to your career with such an approach to discussions with your boss.

oss Management is a crucial skillthe absence or presence of which will dramatically alter

your career graph and affect you and, of course, your boss.

Largely the responsibility of the subordinate Boss management is a crucial skill the absence or presence of which will dramatically alter your career graph and affect you and, of course, your boss. Successful careers have a common element running through them and that is excellent boss management. Boss management implies intelligent handling of the upward relationship with those who matter. Since the support, help and encouragement of your boss will nudge your career upwards now and in future, your motivation and job satisfaction is derived from the strength of this relationship. In other words, you can manage your career better when you manage the boss well.

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There is a myth that subordinates expect bosses to be great leaders. In a recent TOI- TNS poll it was revealed that 29% of the bosses are good leaders while 71% are either poor or average therefore do not look for miracles in the corporate world as far as the leadership factor in Bosses is concerned.

The TOI study also reveals that people look for honesty over efficiency and the ability to inspire. One another study has revealed that of all the people we are happiest interacting with, friend and spouse top the list while Boss is at the bottom of the list. Normally there is a lot of cynicism about the word Boss and Boss management. Traditionally we expect direction, control, decision making, motivation and empowerment from the boss. If this is not coming through we feel the boss is not fit to be a boss and therefore we harbor negative feelings about him. This could be the starting point of ripples in the relationship. We want the boss to be kind to us in his assessments and appraisals. We must do the same to/ for him in our day to day dealings with him. Generation Y expects the boss to be a visionary, powerful, empowering ready to delegate a part of his power to them. Generation Y finds it very comfortable when they realize that reality is sometimes different from their expectations. Boss management is not same as managing a tricky situation, problem or business proposition. It is all about being an effective subordinate. Let us examine the basics of boss management: Establishing strong, professional interpersonal relationships with the boss and those seniors who are directly or indirectly involved in your work. Establishing a rapport and doing your bit to create a conducive environment for interaction, based on mutual trust and dependability. Working with your boss in a planned, conscious way to obtain the best results for the team, for your boss and for yourself. In an effort to establish a wonderfully effective relationship with the boss and others in authority I once had a colleague who diligently memorized the birthdays, wedding anniversaries etc. of his superiors. When asked how that benefitted him, he used to say bosses never forget the one who remembers. You have to: Get to know as much as you can about the boss. Start by remembering that he/she is a human being with strengths and weaknesses. Understand his/her pressures, personal adequacies and inadequacies. Adjust and adapt to their profiles and management styles. Understand your own profile as a subordinate and your preferred style in managing the boss relationship. Make an effort to understand the qualities your boss admires most in subordinates and make a note of those qualities that he/she finds irritating. Look at factors common to those in the hallowed inner circle, people who relate with him or her well. Make an attempt to develop some of these attributes. Sometimes, bosses want subordinates to do things exactly as they do. Other bosses want subordinates who possess qualities and attributes they lack. To find out what you need to do, examine how the boss manages his or her boss. Is it through total obedience and accommodation? Then a similar approach would be preferred from you. Do not stand on judgement. Whether the boss is right or wrong is not important. Just try to understand the bases of his or her actions. Get to know all you can about the boss at the workplace, by indirect questioning of the people around you. But dont try to get even with him by devious

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means. That will lead you to a disaster as it once led a friend of mine. Listen to his story in his own words: Many years ago, I happened to live in the same society as my former boss. He was in the habit of bending rules for personal gains. He used to finalize his fishy deals at his residence. I got into the habit of ferreting out the information about his visitors from the security guys and publicized these at the office. That was my way of getting even with him. Smart isnt it? At the annual performance assessment he fixed up my career in such a way that I had to forget promotion for five years. I had to find a new job. In your understanding the boss, his or her negatives will overshadow the positives. Do not pass any comments or share your opinions with your colleagues. The best strategy in building a good boss relationship is to keep your mouth shut about the negatives. If you dont, it could just as well be you making this statement: I shared a few negative points of my boss with a close friend who promptly added spice to my comments and passed it on to the boss landing me in trouble. Me and my big mouth. But there are no ready-made formulae to deal with the boss. The style you adopt depends much on the type of boss you have. Adapt to his/her behaviour and management style whatever it is. One problem that creates discomfort is when the boss Micromanages. He takes all the decisions, he operates at levels one or two lower. There is nothing wrong with you or with him. This is very common in the IT sector. A person is promoted on his technical knowledge and performance which he carries with him to the next level as Team Lead. Understand the reason for his Micromanagement. Sometimes it is the key issue of over delegation. The boss delegates and leaves it to you to manage the results. You feel uncomfortable and are at times fearful of something going wrong. Work on your self-doubt.

Let us Talk of Different Types of Bosses

The Nurturing, Empowering Boss
Normally gives you a free hand, is available for guidance and support. The danger with this type is you may create a semi-parent out of this one, which results independence. Be careful. Otherwise, this is a boss style you can look forward to. The Benevolent Monitor Gives you freedom, at the same time monitors your work closely. What this one actually needs is feedback and data on all the happenings and activities. Such bosses help you focus on results. The Cut-and-dry Boss Always distant, non-personal, and hierarchical. Believes in minimum talk. Do your work and keep away. Developing an interpersonal relationship with such bosses takes time, but is very, very satisfying. Has three pastimes in lifework, work and work. Prepare to sacrifice your time, holidays, personal life and planning if you want to fall in line. Alternatively, since you are in the formative stages of career-building make this investment. Give him/her your time, your energies in full measure. Long-term results with such bosses are excellent.

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The Overenthusiastic, Result-oriented Workaholic

The Non-delegator This type abounds in the work market. Does everything himself. You do it and he will redo it. You check and he will recheck. A frustrating boss who has little confidence in himself, even less in you, calls for a high level of adjustment. Such bosses expect you to operate as errand boys or classically as yes men. When working with a non-delegator, prepare to be marginalized, bypassed. At the same time, he will expect your appreciation since he works late due to pressure of work. Pity him. Growth under such bosses is limited. Therefore, get away from him as soon as possible. Till then, accept his style. The Cheerleader Encourages you in all that you do, including when you make mistakes. Good boss to work with. Learning may take time and will definitely take initiative (your own), but will be relatively painless. The Critic or the Toxic Boss. Loves to criticize all that is done and not done. Perfect at finding holes in your work. Hard to please. Hard to work with. However, once won over, gives support help and empowerment ... but continues to criticize. The Risk Taking Decision-maker Normally does not expect (or has the time to wade through) completed staff work. Adjust by giving the pros and cons of any project (in brief and not in detail, since he/she has neither time nor patience). Sometimes, when things go wrong as a result of his/her quick decisions, this boss is likely to blame you. To bring such situations to a minimum, analyze data fully at your level before taking it further. Additionally, help him/her analyze by going into greater details. The Avoider-of-decisions Believes in orbiting of proposals to avoid decisions. Requests additional data, studies so many alternatives that the proposal/issue dies a natural death. Dont expect too much to be done under this regime. Learn to work in the status quo. You will feel nothing moves and nothing gets done. Most important, dont share this suffering with your colleagues as it will reach the boss duly spiced. The Yeller The one with big lungs whose voice can be heard across the corridor at the other end of the hall. Loves to reprimand in public. Also praises openly. Normally has a golden heart. You will adjust after receiving a few good shouts. You will miss him when he is on vacation. Caution do not get overpowered or cringe when the decibel level rises beyond eight. The Boss with a Low Flash Point Another version of the yeller. Highly emotional, highly volatile but normally great at heart. When working with such bosses keep a close focus on the assignment given to be handled. Also ensure close follow-up on matters of importance. The Bully Certified member of the Mafiosi. Repertoire of preferred work styles includes bulldozing, pressurizing, pushing his/her way around. However, he/she always gets the work done to desired results. Such bosses normally listen to people who have confidence, adequate job knowledge, courage and conviction to speak and make their point. Others get treated like doormats unless they are good at their job.

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The Soft Smoothie Never criticizes, is never rude but always unfailingly polite. A good boss to work with, but requires care and caution as such bosses normally will speak about you derogatorily in your absence even though you are their subordinate. So dont be taken in by the soft exterior. Remain on guard, be soft, and trust only after testing. The Polished Boss Has impeccable manners. Does not hurt or behave insensitively. Is always prim and proper in dress and work-style. Expects class from his/her team members. Good role model. The Chess Player To such a boss you are only a pawn on the chessboard. To be moved and used for personal plans. Understand and accept but do not counter as he/she is a seasoned player and you are in a comparatively weak position. The Deaf Boss Very low on listening skills. Gives you an answer before you can complete your sentence. Is very sure that he/she is the only one who knows all the answers. Your contribution is only incidental. This is a person who firmly believes he/she is the encyclopedia of knowledge, experience, expertise and everything under the sun. Understand this and act accordingly. The Super Boss Pleaser Specializes in working totally in line with his/her boss requirements and in his/her image. Does not have any other priority other than the boss priorities. Mottothey only rise who stand and wait on the boss. Such bosses would expect you to behave with them as they would with their bosses. Quite painful at times. The Rigid, Closed Boss Does not believe in taking risks, refuses to look at new ideas and would like to carry on with the historical ways of doing things. A very predictable boss. Do not expect creativity and innovation to be his/her strong point. Keep yours in control. The Peace Loving, No-conflict Boss Is unable to handle conflicts and, therefore, avoids them. Specializes in shoving things under the carpet. Hates people-oriented problems. An excellent head-in-the-sand ostrich. Do not take problems to him. He will put the blame on you. A good ambience is more important than results. The Change Manager Loves innovation and new ideas. Is able to cope with change and manages well in dynamic situations. Subordinates grow under such bosses. Mr/Ms Effective A great team-worker and is flexible, participative and open. Enjoys his/her job. He/she projects job satisfaction and is normally a pleasure to work with. Such bosses not just motivate, they inspire.

Times have changed. Today, it is not enough only to be a disciplined soldier who obeys and executes unquestioningly often at the cost of personal convenience. It is managing the relationship with the boss and those in authority with flexibility, value-addition initiatives, and result orientation that bring career success.

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Adjusting and Adapting

Therefore, boss management in todays competitive scenario is not simple yes sir -ing, it is much more. You are required to become a valuable asset in the inventory of the boss. To understand this approach further, let us take the example of situational leadership where the boss handles the subordinate in a manner that is appropriate both to the situation and to the profile of the subordinate, i.e. different strokes for the same person in different situations. I had two bosses. One was open, believed in participative management, liked to empower and above all did not mind dissent. The other was strict, circumspect and did not like to take risk. Knowing their contrasting styles, I adapted myself to them. When I was with my first boss I spoke openly, showed dissent if it was needed but when I was with the other I spoke with my tongue in cheek, showed difference to his opinions. As a result, I received the support and appreciation of both. We must look at managing the boss relationship similarly. It may not be functional to adopt a single style in relating to our bosses and others in authority at all times. Different approaches will be needed based on different situations and people. As an effective communicator recently told me: I adopt a different strategy each time I enter the boss cabin. I do this after I see his moods, read his body language and also look at the amount of papers on his table. Sometimes I find it best to beat a hasty retreat. Let us pause for a minute to emphasize that managing a relationship with those in authority is far removed from manipulating or playing games. Games in the workplace, especially when they involve superiors are dangerous as they reduce, if not totally destroy trust. Managing your relationship with your superiors can be split into two responsibilities: Managing the relationship with the boss and those in authority. In the same relationship, managing your self (which is more difficult). Achieve this selfmanagement and the rest will be comparatively easy. Self-management in a relationship situation depends very much on your personal values, beliefs, self-image, your adequacies and inadequacies, your concerns, anxieties and what you hold dear to yourself. It also depends on your experiences on the home/college front during your period of growth. For example, a person brought up in a restricted, traditional, highly disciplined environment will be comfortable with a structured relationship where the dos and donts are well defined. Flexibility may not be a strong point, as would be in the case of a person brought up in an atmosphere of freedom and openness. Give yourself early caution or danger signals in case you find those in authority making demands which clash directly with your values. Establishing a nurturing relationship with a competent, high-performing senior is comparatively easy when compared to a senior who plays hide and seek and is not very high on managerial integrity. For instance, heres what a stressed out subordinate reveals about his boss: My boss hasnt grown as a person despite getting regular promotions. He is also not professionally qualified. He does no reading. Therefore, he is comfortable only with nonprofessionals or those who adopt devious means to get along. It is difficult to leave his cabin with your dignity intact. Insulting and humiliating others are his strong points.

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You have to establish a healthy working relationship with such bosses also and, therefore, you have to call upon all your relationship-building skills. Here the subordinate has to do an excellent job of self-management and adjustment, rather than boss blaming which is always more comfortable. In business schools, emphasis is laid on how to be an effective boss, i.e. on the bosssubordinate relationship, teaching youngsters how to be effective in a subordinate role (i.e. the subordinate-boss relationship) is thus extremely rare and there is very little printed material on this. However, it is an extremely crucial issue. As the noted career researcher Edgar Schein of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology points out, Where his education has taught the gradu ate principles of how to manage others and to take the corporate point of view, his organizational socialization tries to teach him how to be a good subordinate, how to be influenced, and how to sell ideas from a position of lower power (Schein 1984: 18). One of my colleagues used to think that he was the most knowledgeable person around (Actually he was!) He called our seniors Intellectual Pygmies and found it very difficult to respect them and actually told them so. He had to change many jobs and finally ended up as a school teacher. It was almost impossible to be with him due to his arrogance. Fortunately, he married a girl who was an excellent IPR person. I guess she impressed him with the idea of getting along with people, especially the seniors. He soon found a job that he deserved and is doing well and enjoys the confidence of his boss. He has changed so much that I even spend weekends with him. Whenever there is a problem in the workplace, quickly examine the type of upward relationship you enjoy with authority figures and you will find something missing. Set it right. So learn to be a good subordinate before you visualize yourself in leadership roles. We once had a boss who would not grant a leave very easily. But one of our colleagues had no problem in getting all the leave he wanted. He was adept at managing the bosses. Knowing that the boss was interested in personal development, all his leave requests were for attending classes or taking exams. With the previous boss who was relationship oriented, leave reasons were to take care of a sick mother or to attend a marriage ceremony and so on and so forth. He had a knack for knowing the soft spot of the bosses and making good use of it. It is emphasized above that one of the most important relationships that is to be effectively, successfully and happily managed in the corporate world is the relationship with the boss. The quality of work life, your motivation your empowerment your productivity and your general company happiness is generally dependant on the relationship you have with the boss. I remember speaking to one of my team members on the phone at his residence in the morning. He appeared to be on the verge of depression and was completely under the weather. Sensing that something was wrong I questioned him when he requested for a few days leave as he could not handle the pressures in the office. It hit me like a ton of bricks that I was the cause of his depression. I called him over to the office and we had a chat. After that I expended efforts in establishing a relationship with him. The net result was better working conditions and higher productivity. These results could also have been achieved by my team member if he had understood the importance of establishing a happy healthy relationship with me his senior. Authentic statement.

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The mantra is to establish a happy healthy work relationship with the boss in the work place. Please remember that normally when we go to a boss for a decision he is more that likely to say no therefore in order to create a decision coming your way give him the pros and cons and also show him the benefits to the organization, to the department and to him that the decision will accrue. I have found that sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for a decision. Practice this as an important part of Boss Management. I do the Loco Inventory Instrument to establish internal and external controls of the participants in class. I have so often found the external control scores relating to the seniors the boss the management extremely high. Discussions have revealed that these participants look upon the boss as an impediment, an obstacle, a speed breaker. Surprising but true in all cases the individual had little or no work relationship with the boss. When you go for a meeting with the boss support your boss and his views enthusiastically. All differences must be ironed out before you enter the meeting room. If the difference of opinion persists keep your views to yourself and support your boss or better still reduce your participation in the meeting to a bare minimum. I remember when I was fairly junior my boss reserved presentation for me where the result was negative where the productivity was low even though the assignment was not mine. Soon I became known as a harbinger of bad news, of negative figures. I was not aware of this until I noticed that all presentations with positive results and good news were made by one of his favourite team players or by the boss himself. I confronted the boss in one of the social get together where when his defences were low. He agreed to my observation and stopped making me the carrier of bad news. I was successful in changing his style because I confronted him in a social gathering and not his official surroundings. Subordinates are very keen to prove the boss wrong. Young management graduates with minimum corporate industry experience feel they are more knowledgeable than the seniors because they have learnt from the text books. Having confidence is recommended but that is not the end of the story. The finest mantra of boss management is Learn to disagree with the boss constructively. Do not use the word right and wrong but emphasize on your experience, education and views. Ask the bosss permission to express your opinions which are divergent to his. Here is the mantra SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY BUT SAY IT IN THE WAY THAT THE BOSS WANTS TO HEAR IT. MAKE SURE IT CREATES COMFORT AT HIS END. Speak up. Have your say but remember it is not only what you say but how you say it. In the context of the current organizations without political boundaries we have the option of working in a different country, in a different culture or also having a foreign boss in our own company in such a case we must understand the cross cultural issues that arise therefore it is very important to define and understand your own culture at the same time define and understand the culture of the boss. People do things as per their own cultural make up. This is to be understood completely.

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I was working with a US company and we had signed an agreement on talent management. The CEO of the company had set timings for each employee during the day. I found it very odd and difficult to adjust so I approached him and requested him to relax this appointment by time working and permit me to come in with my problems and my items of discussions freely. Authentic statement. In our company the senior management always had lunch together. The CFO was a very strict vegetarian and would not even permit mixing of plates duly washed at the lunch table. The head of technology was a French man who was happy gregarious and outgoing. He would not hesitate to pick up items from other plates. This caused a lot of discomfort to our strictly vegetarian colleague. Ultimately he excused himself from the lunch group and had his meals by himself. This was grossly mis- understood by the French person. This effected both the interpersonal relationship and the working in the top management group. Let us understand culture. Let us Listen to a Few of Our Colleagues... My chairman always preferred things in writing rather than a one-to-one discussion. I found this very discomforting, because I am a people-oriented person. I prefer a role-to-role relationship rather than a personal-contact working style with my boss. I perform better and I am more motivated when I have personal contact with my seniors and am able to communicate well with them. I find it difficult to establish an effective business relationship with my boss since I always see him as a competitor standing in my way and blocking my progress. I dont think he can see beyond his personal interest and, therefore, sees me as a threat. My goals, my targets, my achievements are the same as those of my boss and, therefore, I feel very comfortable in establishing a cordial relationship with my seniors. In all the above cases the subordinate has to look at his/her subordinate style and need for effective self-management in the establishment of a work relationship. Let us exert and spend sometime in understanding the boss. Study the type of boss you have and work out an approach to work with him/her so that he/she is satisfied. You are comfortable and are producing results all the time. Understand your boss inadequacies, because a lot of his/her actions and behaviour are directed to cover and hide these inadequacies. This is done unconsciously but you have to learn to spot that behaviour and those actions, which are sourced out of these inadequacies. This understanding will reduce your suffering and your frustrations at the workplace. This will also help you understand, adapt and adjust to the boss-created and boss-centered environment. Avoid creating a God or parent out of the boss. You have here a human with faults. Invest time to establish and maintain a professional relationship with him/her. This investment will bring you returns.

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Understand the rules of team play. Show that you are a willing, effective contributing team player, acknowledging the boss as a leader. Try and match your strengths and weaknesses with those of your boss, to see whether they can complement each other.

 Look at your own emotional and work needs. Without negatively affecting your identity, your personality and profile, see how far you can adjust to the emotional and work needs of the workplace created by your boss. This will help in establishing a good relationship. Always carry a solution when discussing a problem. Do not take it personally when your recommendations are rejected. Accept the fact that you cannot change the boss, his behaviour or work-style. However, you can remain objective and fully focused. We would like to repeat here that the essential items in boss management should be constant, clear and concise communication, wherein you receive feedback fully and give feedback prudently. Establish a relationship of trust, dependability and reliability. Never, for a moment, sacrifice open prudent communication. No boss ever likes to be caught by surprise. So let the river of information and feedback flow continuously on what is happening in your work area. Finally, remember you are not in the business to teach the boss, neither are you in charge of his attitudes, beliefs or behaviour. You are in this business to establish a good relationship with him to get along with him at all times, especially when he is under pressure and has to meet the demands of his own bosses. Learn to grow in the shadows of the oak. As the following statements reveal, career progression through effective boss management is the ultimate message. I had a boss who would always shout at us. I hated him for this until I learnt about the concepts of managing my boss. I worked to get close to him and found that he was actually very emotional by naturethe yelling was only a mask. When he was transferred, he insisted that I see him off at the airport. I did not listen to him and went to the airport with my colleagues. On seeing us he burst into tears. Harsh exterior. Very soft emotional deep within. Cherished our bonds but afraid to admit it. Authentic Statement I was posted in a city far away from headquarters. My predecessor had got into trouble because he did not keep the boss informed. I contact the boss every day and have a small chat, so she is fully informed about what I do. In fact, she has asked other people to start following this practice. I think I am doing a fairly good job of keeping my boss happy. Authentic Statement There has been a paradigm shift as Generation Y enters the commercial world. Due to high attrition rate companies make it a point to ensure the mental comfort of employees. Extra attention is given to the people management skills of the Bosses. So things for Generation Y in certain cases are softer. People are encouraged to speak their mind provided the benefit is with the organization. Grinding of personal agendas is not encouraged. Even in the changed scenario we must realize that we have got to manage out boss professionally and positively. Sometimes Generation Y feel that they are high fliers, self starters dirvers to the top. This may not always be true and could be the starting point of Boss problems.

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A very common question what do I do if I do the work and the boss takes the credit. It is a very common happening irrespective of the sector and type of organization. The solution is to establish a work relationship with the boss which permits you to share the credit without becoming a threat to him. Gently remind him to put your name somewhere in the report so that people know your contribution as well. You must find ways and means of directly, indirectly keeping the big bosses informed. Normally the big bosses are aware of the fact of life but do not wish to rock the boat unnecessarily when work is going on.

My experience has shown that competent people working under less competent bosses always have a problem. They must remember the very famous adage:

it takes competence to recognize competence I have found that youngsters who have moved away from their family roles and take charge of their life are brilliant at Boss Management and have no difficulty in accepting authority. They are conversant with healthy relationship building. At the same time a few others are unable to move away from the mothers petti coat strings and behave petulantly in the Office space.

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Interpersonal Relationships

Learn to relate with the Person not his habits, qualities or designation.

Very few people work by themselves and achieve results by themselves- a few great artists, a few great scientist, a few great athletes. Most people work with others and are effective with other people. That is true whether they are members of an organization or independently employed. Managing yourself requires taking responsibility for relationships. This has two parts.

The first is to accept the fact that other people are as much individuals as your yourself are. They persevere and insist on behaving like human beings. This means that they too have their strengths; they too have their ways of getting things done; they two have their values. To be effective, therefore, you have to know the strengths, the performance modes, and the values of your co-workers.

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The second part of relationship responsibility is taking responsibility for communication. Whenever I, or any other consultant, start to work with an organization, the first thing I hear about are all the personality conflicts. Most of these arise from the fact that people do not know what other people are doing and how they do their work, or what contribution the other people

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are concentrating on and what results they expect. And the reason they do not know is that they have not asked and therefore have not been told.( HBR 10 MUST READS) Peter Drucker

In the work place we derive our satisfaction and happiness (which lead to morale building and motivation)from two sources:

Our job and job content.

Our relationship at the work place.

We must remember that interpersonal peace at home is also a big contributor to interpersonal peace in the work place. It is intra personal before inter personal therefore I need to be at peace with my self before I am at peace with the world.

elationships at the work place are crucial to organizational success as well as individual wellbeing. Good relationships make the most horrible jobs tolerable or even enjoyable, while the atmosphere gets vitiated and motivation gets killed by poor relationships.

Besides, organizations rely heavily on team work. Individual contribution does count in an organization, but critical to organizational well-being is a team members contribution to teamwork and team results. It is essential for you as a new entrant to get along well with other team members, as also members of other teams (intra-department and inter-department team work and work relationships).

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Therefore, in your efforts to create an impactful and credible reputation, your ability to get along with others, as also your IPR skills assume critical importance. It is of little use if you are good, intelligent, sharp, and committed but are unable to get along with others in your workplace.

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Any jarring experience, or unnecessary friction, arguments and disputesthe blame will be laid at the door of the new entrant, irrespective of who is right or wrong.

Two important parameters of IPR skills are: A good level of self-esteem and self-worth (covered elsewhere as a full chapter). Relatedness vs. relationships. People who are uncomfortable with themselves are uncomfortable with others and teamwork suffers. Create a high level of self-comfort and self-trust, only then will you find it easy to trust others and be comfortable with them. In developing IPR skills we must understand the difference between relatedness and relationships. We are related to our family by blood/adoption but that does not necessarily mean that we have a relationship. Similarly, in the office we are related by hierarchy and the reporting order. Therefore, any form of relatedness is of little use unless we establish positive, effective relationships. Establishing relationships is time-consuming and requires personal investment, which is investment of personhood at the intellectual and emotional level through a process of give and take, of becoming a part of the other persons world appropriately. Boss/new entrant, new entrant/peers, new entrant/subordinates are all related to each other by the official work structure but no relationship can exist between them without a conscious, deliberate and planned effortessentially by the new entrant, since you are the unknown entity. You have to take the IPR initiative. Let us look at a few quick points, which go a long way in establishing good IPR in the workplace. As IPR skills are sharpened, conflict resolution skills also get honed. A conflict does not mean getting into a fight, it essentially means facing an issue squarely and resolving it. As a person looking forward to a rewarding career, you must learn to handle conflicts very sensitively and cautiously. Learn to read and understand the other persons body language. Language read from body postures, gestures and facial expressions almost always convey the truth about feelings. Develop the expertise to differentiate between what a person is saying and what he/she is actually telling you. Develop an accurate understanding of what the posture, tone and pitch of voice, facial expressions and instant reactions at the level of eye contact convey. This will give you a more complete picture whilst telling you about the psychological/mental state of the other person. Learn to control your own body language appropriately so that positive vibes are conveyed. Learn as you go along. Extensive reading is available on the subject. Be helpful and dont do things for others on a quid pro quo basis. Do it to show that you value the relationship and, more importantly, value them as persons. Help subordinates perform better by counselling, guiding, and coaching. Take an interest in their work and their problems. You will thus create loyal, long-lasting support.

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Learn to give compliments and learn to accept compliments with humility and grace. Do not dodge a compliment. This will show that you are comfortable with the interaction and

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Dont be rigid or dogmatic. Practise openness prudently and be flexible. Be prepared to listen to the other persons point of view and consider it actively. It is important to not only hear but also to listen.

are in control of your feelings. Accepting compliments gracefully is also an indication of a good self-esteem. Practise sensitivity, i.e. be sensitive to the feelings of others. Be sensitive to the situation, to timing. Become aware of and sensitive to the inter-relatedness of issues and people. This will help in preventing you from getting into a relationship mess. Show that you care for the other person. This is related to sensitivity, but is mentioned separately once again as caring and sharing are the cornerstones upon which interpersonal relationships are built. Trust and become worthy of anothers trust. Good IPR also encourages eye contact. Avoid looking away from the listener (looking at the ceiling, the wall, others in the room) when speaking to her or him. Learn to observe and share the observation without being judgmental or critical. Reduce the gap between what you say and what you do. This will bring you the reputation of transparency. Remember your co-workers are not the same as you. They have their own personal profiles comprising their strengths, their values, and beliefs. They also have their own ways of looking at things. Do not consider them OK only when they have habits and attitudes similar to you. Learn to accept people as they are, just as you want to be accepted by them as you are. Dont you want to feel good about yourself? You do. So try and make others feel good or even great about themselves. Get rid of behaviours that cause irritation or discomfort to others, for e.g. speaking with a raised forefinger, not standing still while speaking, interrupting. When you make a mistake and step on peoples toes, you want to be forgivenright? Do the same when others make a mistake too. Avoid getting into ego conflictsconflicts involving your ego or the other persons ego or the egos of both. These conflicts end up as damaging situations, which at times, are irrecoverable. Learn to subordinate your ego to the interpersonal needs of the relationship. If the other persons ego is causing conflict, let go and confront the issue later when the ego hassles have reduced. There is a definite relationship between communication and IPR. As you develop IPR skills, you move from un-skill full communication towards a skilful, non-abrasive, sensitive, trusting, caring, accurate, and smooth communication flow. As you move from self-management incompetence to an adequate level of self-management skills, you will find that you are able to relate well with people, manage time and energy well, are able to cope with pressure and are able to be productive and effective in the workplace, thereby climbing a few steps up the ladder of a successfully managed career. I recall reading that three motivational competencies typify outstanding performers: Achievement drivestriving to improve or meet a standard of excellence. Commitmentembracing the organizations or groups vision and goals. Initiative and optimismtwin competencies that mobilize people to seize opportunities and allow them to take setbacks and obstacles in their stride. The above principles constitute the essence of good IPR. Good IPR can be established when you move away from your characteristic style and behave in a manner that suits the situation and more importantly suits the other person and his or her style. The secret is to make the other person comfortable, without sacrificing your identity.

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You will find you can do this if you have respect for the person, are flexible and not rigid in your approach and at the same time have confidence that you can successfully handle relationships. Remember, success rarely comes directlyit comes through other peoplewho, thus, become important in your success map. A critically important tool in IPR is giving and receiving feedback. Develop this consciously. when receiving feedback : Learn to compress positive feedback. Dwell, examine, analyse and act on negative feedback. Feedback is given only when requested. Do not rush in to proffer unsolicited and uninvited feedback. When giving feedback you must ensure that it is current, data-based, specific and nonjudgemental. The intention to help must be evident and visible. While developing IPR skills you must take time to understand that all of us have personality problems which need to be taken care of if we are to be successful. Some of these problems can be seen in terms of Transactional Analysis: a) Poor self-image and a high opinion of others. (I am NOT OK. You are OK). b) Over-estimation of oneself with a low opinion of others. (I am OK. You are NOT OK). c) Poor self-image and low image/opinion of others. (I am NOT OK. You are NOT OK). d) Good self-image and good opinion of others (I am OK. You are OK). Finally, you must learn to reach out to others genuinely. Initially, the risk of rejection and fear of failure will keep you back from doing this. If you learn to operate from an OK level of selfesteem, both the risk and the fear are taken care of and you will find it very easy to reach out to others, establishing a relationship with them. In other words, establishing excellent IPR at the workplace. Things to do: List down your critical, vital relationships in the organization. This should include the names of your boss, peers and subordinates. Concentrate on building these relationships very consciously and in a manner that balances them appropriately. Better to know and address people by their first name (this may not be applicable to your seniors). Establish a list of relationships which are not hot and on which you can spend less time. Remove them from your active list. But dont ignore them. Look upon your peers and subordinates as partners in business. Behave as though the profits of your business depend solely on them. This will help you establish close relationships. Spend time to network and learn about the functions of other groups, departments and, if possible, other companies. This will help you to not only increase your knowledge but also to establish relationships, specially when you can extend help to people not directly involved in your work. When I joined the organization, I was the youngest of the lot. Even some of my subordinates were senior to me in age. I was so stiff and full of fears that I did not reach out to anyone. As a result, no one knew my first name even after fourteen years in the organization. Slowly I started to reach out to them and they readily responded to my initiatives. I discovered that they had similar fears of rejection. Now I am known as a peoples person. People need people. So do you.

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I have seen, felt and experienced the power of interpersonal relationships both at work and my personal life. I remember in my formative years my colleague who shared the cabin with me always complained that I could say anything to my junior team members and get away with it while they would protest if he used even the slightest strong language. I explained to him that while he had only a work relationship with the colleagues I had developed healthy personal relationship and rapport with them therefore my strong language was seen in the context of a caring relationship and accepted. I have experienced similar situations in my personal life. Both in my personal and official life people are prepared to walk the extra mile without complaining.

Go ahead. Connect, relate, establish successful relation-ships and be a success in life. In my previous assignment a lot of my time went in putting out fires created by infighting among people. Here, most of the staff has attended the IPR workshop. There are hardly any controversies or fights and disagreements are sorted out in a healthy way. A lot of my energy gets saved. Authentic Statement Based on my interactions with the trainer , I had learnt that the organizations are built on interpersonal relationships. Work gets done and crises get diffused because of relationships. As soon as I resumed my work, I made a very concentrated effort to establish good relationships with my co-workers. Recently, when we had a production problem due to off-spec raw material, one of the blue collar workers, whom I always refer to as dada (elder brother), worked with me throughout the night to help me solve the problem. Once, when I was unwell, food was brought to my house by two other workers with whom I get along very well. Authentic Statement Sometimes we seek recognition from others which may not be forthcoming. In our anxiety and impatient we spoil the relationship with the individual. Sometimes we carry baggage from home. We project our parents, siblings on to people in the office and expect similar back home treatment. We thus load others with our expectations which when not fulfilled spoil our relationships, Authentic Statement.

BARKSDALE LIFESTYLE EVALUATION NO. 70a

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(This is an EVALUATION, not a test.) The following statements describe a lifestyle that is in alignment with reality and essential to achieving and maintaining SOUND Self-Esteem. This EVALUATION is an index of your current Lifestyle and a beginning reference point in your progress toward developing a Lifestyle that generates and maintains Sound Self-Esteem. Careful inspection of these statements discloses their vital importance to functioning in a harmonious and constructive manner. Make every effort to comply with them, if you want to achieve Sound Self-Esteem. Do not, however, feel less than, ashamed or guilty if you are not doing as well as you feel you should. Simply realize that you are ALWAYS doing the BEST your prevailing Awareness and current Self-Esteem permit. Score as follows (each score shows how true OR the amount of time you believe that statement is true for YOU): 0 = not at all true for me 1 = somewhat true OR true part of the time 2 = fairly true OR true about half the time 3 = mainly true OR true most of the time 4 = true all the time Score Lifestyle Statements .............. 1. I accept complete responsibility for my own well-beingfor everything I think, say, do and feel. .............. 2. I am my own authority for everything I do and direct my life in constructive channels. .............. 3. I make decisions promptly and willingly accept the consequences. .............. 4. I discipline myself through monitoring my thoughts, desires, images and expectations. .............. 5. I think for myself and act accordingly. .............. 6. I allow myself the freedom to make mistakes, to be wrong, to fail, free of self accusation, guilt or feeling less than. .............. 7. I take deep satisfaction in doing my work conscientiously and well. .............. 8. I approach every problem and every new endeavor with confidence. .............. 9. I do not blame others for my problems, mistakes, defeats or handicaps. .............. 10. I do not procrastinate or drift; I motivate myself in line with my chosen life objectives. .............. 11. I follow all undertakings through to a logical conclusion. .............. 12. I do not allow personal comparisons to affect my sense of worth. .............. 13. I do not try to prove my worth by my accomplishments. .............. 14. I defer to no one on account of his wealth or status. .............. 15. I do not blame myself for my mistakes, defeats or failures. .............. 16. I stand up for my own values, opinions and convictions.

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.............. 17. I refrain from no endeavour because of fear of failure or defeat. .............. 18. I do not require others confirmation or agreement and approval to do as I, myself, see fit. .............. 19. I do not let others talk me into things against my better judgement. .............. 20. I am patient, kind and gentle with myself. .............. 21. I take the initiative in personal contacts and relationships. .............. 22. I walk erect and face everyone with a friendly countenance. .............. 23. I do not deny my needs, feelings or opinions to please others. .............. 24. I am frank and open with everyone, free of all masks and pretentions. .............. 25. I do not try to impress others with my worth or importance. LIFESTYLE INDEX or LSI (sum of scores for all statements) NAME ....................................................... DATE .............................. TO FIND YOUR LIFE STYLE INDEX (LSI), simply add scores of all Life Style Statements. The possible range of your Life Style Index is from 0 to 100.The higher your score is, the more harmonious and constructive are your actions. Copyright 1974 by Lilburn S. Barksdale and reprinted with written permission of the publisher and copyright holder.

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Develop positive relationships by making others feei important, by showing caring by making them feel that they Matter

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Practicing Positive Politics

Companies are always engaged in internal political struggles, power struggles, infighting and so on. Thats normal life

Alvin Toffler PowershipIn the Work place Personnel June 1990: 21

Positive politics is an integral part of the management process

olitics

is

an

inalienable

fact

of

organizational

life;

it

is

an

integral part of the management process. In fact, politics is present in every walk of life. Even in a family, there are healthy political pulls and pushes, favourites and preferences. Politics is no longer a bad word, or a practice to be looked down upon. Politics, as discussed here, is very different from politics at the national level and the power squabbles normally present in organizations. The politics we are talking of is healthy, constructive, positive, and useful to career progression in organizations. What we cover here is how to be influential, sought after, and acknowledged. This will ultimately help us as we go up the hierarchy. It is the additive to the blend of performance and effectiveness. Positive politics is not underhand, snide, or slimy. It does not ask you to be hypocritical or manipulative or totally self-centered and selfish. It also does not require you to put the knife in. It is all about being visible and influential by using the power of knowledge and expertise. It is also about using our influence to get things done, breaking down barriers. It is the official, legitimate way of establishing a solid identity and benefiting from it. We also give an overview on how to become influential and politically sound so that you contribute more effectively to the organizational goals. Once you enter the organization, you have to develop certain skills that relate to conducting yourself successfully in the climate and culture that is, at times, turbulent and multidirectional. This is known as sharpening skills related to the practice of positive politics. Here is a first-class example of what we are referring to.

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 There was a time early in my career when five departments had invited me to join the team. This was not so much due to my work competencies, but basically due to my managing the political environment skillfully. I was acceptable to people across the board who had dissimilar job requirements and profiles. I could not afford to annoy anyone of them so I went to the HR department (Personnel then) and requested them not to shift me. I got my work done without annoying anybody. Practicing positive politics. Politics at the individual level is basically staying in touch with the right people in the right places. Being visible, getting noticed and identified as acceptable and competent. Politics at the individual level also emphasizes that you take no sides. You are not a part of any particular group or camp. You do not articulate one set of philosophies, goals, opinions or values, ignoring or rejecting the other side. In other words, if groups exist in organizations, as a new recruit you have to make sure you are acceptable to all, yet not identified or clustered with any one single group. It is better to be identified as one who effectively works for organizational goals. The use of positive political strategies helps build good interpersonal relationships at the boss, peer and subordinate level. To achieve this, you must move:

From knowledge to competence. From hard work to smart work. From good interpersonal relations, to excellent, yet street-smart, positive political skills.
Such political skills refer to gaining power and influence to get ahead in the early stages of your career, they basically emphasize upon managing the impression you make and managing the image you create. It also means getting the eye and attention of those who count. Lee Boyce (Influential Manager 1991) mentions various powersthe power and influence gained by owning up mistakes, the power of the argument (being articulate with the ability to argue your case coherently and persuasively) and also the power of values, where our values are sacrosanct and not open to compromise. These powers and influences are available to all of us and we must use them judiciously and prudently in our practice of positive politics. Some time-tested activities which help in the practice of positive political skills are:

Creating a very positive external impression by adhering to the dress code, positive body
language and pleasant conduct. Blowing your trumpet cautiously and carefully.

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 Displaying a good level of self-esteem. Doing a crash course on, and then practicing, business etiquette. Avoiding put downs in private or public. Avoiding short-circuiting and crossing the lines of power. Ensuring expression of disagreement in a positive way. Appreciating seniors prudently (finding your bosss stale jokes extremely funny). Becoming your boss troubleshooter. Showing you can take pressure easily. Showing your willingness to work late hours. When you do this, please ensure your seniors note this practice of yours. Proving your worthiness as a team member. Sending out birthday greetings with a personal touch. Displaying loyalty at all times. Ensuring a visible presence at organizational functions. Staying close to the powers that be on such occasions. Taking active part in activities where you get noticed. Seeking feedback when you know you have done well. Once in a while, attempting eye-catching behavior (within limits). Opting for or volunteering for important projects, task forces and activities where the visibility is high. Getting invited to attend important lunches and dinners. Once there, seeking the attention and the ears of the powers that be. Getting nominated to important training programs, conferences or workshops. Normally, such nominations are an indication of reward and recognition. In certain organizations, one has to behave in a politically correct manner. Therefore, one says what the seniors expect to hear, or what those in power agree with. Organizations that expect politically correct behavior normally appreciate silence and withholding disagreement. In certain other organizations, being politically correct in taking a stand during discussion is looked down upon, and expressing your views sincerely and honestly even at the cost of disagreeing with the powers is encouraged. Review the atmosphere, culture and the political practices/expectations of the organization you join, but do remember when you disagree with your seniors or those in power, do so in a very positive and prudent manner.

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Practicing positive politics gets fine-tuned with experience. Whatever politics you practice, you must remember that in the end you must be acceptable to as many people in as many positions as possible in the organization.
My team members have been through the workshop where positive office politics was taught. Now they make special efforts to be on the right side of the bosses of other departments. This has brought great results, especially since I am not so good at boundary management. Authentic Statement My boss places high premium on birthday wishes. Since I know the importance of positive politics, I rang him up at 15 minutes past midnight to wish him on his birthday. I have become his favorite ever since. Authentic Statement My boss mother was admitted to the hospital. Since the hospital was on my way home, I used to visit her to and fro from the office. When the lady was discharged, my boss invited my family for dinner in spite of his aloofness. He even treats me very well in the office. Authentic Statement

Some additional thoughts on practicing positive politics.

Please remember that positive politics are constructive, productive and recommended. Negative politics are destructive and at the cost of some individual who loses in the bargain. The people who practice positive politics always end up in a win win situation which leaves both the parties with happy positive vibes.

Negative politics alienates others and creates enemies. you win by putting me in a lose win situation. I shall never forgive you or forget it until I have operated a win lose situation with you. People who operate on the win lose approach are adept at creating enemies and souring relationships. In the work place this does not help and it is noticed by the seniors who label you as a political player.

One of the worst things you can do is to practice inclusion and exclusion at the work place. You include some person and exclude others.

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Learn to be influential but not political.

if you include me I feel accepted valued. If you exclude me I feel rejected. Feel I am not either important enough or good enough. This feeling of rejection created negative feelings between me and you. One of the best ways of practicing positive politics in addition to what has been said about is by accepting help from others at the same time readily extending a helping hand to the people around you. Do not extend help on a selective basis restricting to those who are useful to you. Be a helpful guy across the board without looking for returns. Learn to practice equality and impartiality. Dont be choosy and dont play games. If you play games you get caught and once caught it takes years to get over the black stigma. The seasoned positive politics practitioner he knows how to put himself at the right place at the right time in the limelight getting noticed by the people. Making an impact is positive politics. I was training the management trainees of a very large software company they call them GETs. I was told that the following day there was a party where the seniors from overseas and domestic would attend. I emphasized the fresh trainees the importance of making an impact. I told them to define their pride in their company in 2 or 3 lines. I asked them to create opportunities to share this pride with the seniors who would interact with them because they all were new faces on the campus. It was so successful that a guy was ultimately selected for a US project

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EMPLOYEE( SELF) ENGAGEMENT (New chapter)

Employee engagement means employee involvement commitment dedication and onwnership leading to higher productivity, better customer service, higher profits. Attrition is one of the areas of concern in the corporate world. In addition to retention employee productivity and commitment is the new area of HR intervention. Why wait for the Corporation to get you into employee engagement. Take initiative. Take the first step yourself and : Create a paradigm shift and work on your own employee engagement. Therefore it will be extremely impactful and rewarding if you invest in yourself by yourself in becoming an engaged employee. You could be a role model for others in this respect. Involve yourself in as many activities as possible. Show your zeal to learn new things and to excel in them. Display ownership in all aspects of the work this is my company, this is my job, this is my assignment, this is my customer. Make your motivation, your enthusiasm as visible as possible. It is your attitude that determines your engagement in the assignment in the Company and in the team, therefore make your attitude as visible as possible It is well said that you move from should work to want to work. Take responsibility beyond the call of duty. Let the environment know that you were a vibrant product, full of life on the go. That you can be depended on and that you do not work by the clock. Dont wait for orders but take initiative and start doing things as well as getting things done. Be self driven become your own performance engine. When you make a mistake, when you annoy somebody be quick to own up and avoid repetition. A very important part of practicing employee engagement is to keep your commitments and your appointments. Dont try something that you cannot fulfill; also do not accept appointments that do not fit into your time schedules. Dont accept time frames which are beyond your ability. Practice effective time management. Make out an action plan for yourself on how you will create and practice Self Employee Engagement. Create a list of your strengths, of what you excel in doing. Implement this list. Some of the lead points are below:

Read all about the concept of employee engagement. Literature maintains that
loyalty and commitment are the foundation in the practice of engagement. employee

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Align your individual goals with the corporate goals to the extent possible. Create a link in the company who will help you practice this concept. Talk this over with your corporate mentor and seek his guidance. Get the concept into practice. Make it as visible as possible. From time to time review and seek the help of your seniors as required.

Familiarize your colleagues with this project and you will find that soon you become the center of gravity in pulling a positive image and reputation in the corporate world. Like Leena Nair, Executive Director HUL who says A WILL-DO ATTITUDE WORKS

An important part of Employee Engagement is employee recognition. Please do not wait for the company to recognize you and your efforts. You recognize your efforts yourself and feel good about yourself. Feel that you are above run of the mill and are exceptional. Corporate rewards as and when they come are welcome.

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Excerpts taken from HBRs On Managing Yourself by Sumantra Ghoshal and Heike Bruch mentions: Fully 90% of the managers, we observed wasted their time and frittered away their productivity, despite having well defined projects, goals and the knowledge necessary to get their jobs done. Such managers remain trapped in inefficiency because they simply assume that they do not have enough personal discretion or control. The ability to seize initiative is the most essential quality of any truly successful manager. In most cases, however, it is not the environment that inhibits managers from taking purposeful action. Rather, it is managers themselves. We have found that managers can learn to act on their own potential and make a difference

SELF MANAGEMENT

We live in an age of unprecedented opportunity. If youve got ambition, drive and smarts, you can rise to the top of your chosen profession regardless of where you started out. But with opportunity comes responsibility. Companies today arent managing their knowledge workers careers. Rather, we must each be our own chief executive officer. Most people think they know what they are good at. They are usually wrong. More often, people know what they are not good at and even then more people are wrong than right. And yet, a person can perform only from strength. One cannot build performance on weaknesses, let alone on something one cannot do at all The implication is clear: Only when you operate from a combination of your strengths and self-knowledge can you achieve true and lasting-excellence. (HBR 10 MUST READS SELF MANAGEMENT Peter Drucker).

I have been researching stories of success and of non success. I have studied the style, the approach and the commitment of people in both categories. I have found that the process of success is based on two words : SELF MANAGEMENT Additionally I have also found that the process of non success is based on two words Self destruction. Self sabotage. My experience has been that people do not destroy us because we are so busy destroying ourselves. Sometimes others only accelerate the process. Very often we see a person performing

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under par and ask why is he behaving like this. Does he not understand the harm he is doing to himself? What is self management? Is it good nutrition. Good physical and spiritual health or is it something beyond, something more important.

YES. Self management essentially is MANAGING THOUGHTS MANAGING FEELINGS MANAGING BEHAVIOR AND ULTIMATELY MANAGING ATTITUDES.

We are all aware of the fact that life is a mental game and it all starts in the head. Therefore it is very important and imperative that we learn to manage our thoughts. Thoughts can be positive or negative. Thoughts can come like a tsunami therefore it is not easy to control our thoughts but it is essential and imperative that we learn to manage our thoughts. He is no good She does not like me This will not work out I have to assert myself otherwise people will take me for a ride I have to ventilate my views frankly and brutally. I will tell him what I think of him. I will teach him a lesson. These thoughts are easily transferred to feelings which get translated to behavior. Behavior repeated often results in development of attitudes. With this chain of heavy negative thoughts, feelings, behavior and ultimately attitudes, the possibility of Self management being destroyed is high. This effects our performance, our reputation in the workplace. Try and have positive thoughts. Negative thoughts are natural and at times more comfortable but destructive; therefore become conscious of the negative thoughts and stop them before they take root and convert into feelings.

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Some of the huge success stories are based on Self Management. One name that comes to mind immediately is Indian Captain of Cricket Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Look how he conducts himself on and off the field. No tantrums. No grimaces. No negative gestures. All the time positive. During

press conference he adroitly avoids traps set by the media people and doesnt create controversies. Admirable self management. One another example of self management would be our cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar. In all his 21 plus years of playing he has not got into a single controversy. No negative expression of thought. Not a single blame game.

What do you think of the Self Management level of Sourav Ganguly or even Schwag Therefore learn to conduct yourself with maturity, grace and faultless speech and poise. Dont try to settle scores or teach the other person a lesson. The ultimate sufferer will be you.

For success please remember positive self management must be backed by peak performance, high productivity and positive interpersonal relations. Some additional points on managing self would include

Understand your profile. Understand what triggers you to positive and what triggers you to negative.
Avoid negative triggers. Make a list of values that you hold sacred to your self. Display these values and do not compromise on the values which are important to you. You may have picked up some wrong values in your corporate journey. Please discard them and replace them by positive values Chart our your personal profile: 1) what are my strengths,2) what are my values,3) where do I belong,4) How do I work, 5) Be ready to take feedback from people specially look for negative feedback; examine it thoroughly before acceptance. Continuously analyze your performance and look for gaps between desired and current levels Reduce gaps by working on the cause analysis. Remember Organizations like people have values, make sure that your values, your ambitions, your visions are in sync with the corporate values. Continuously look at your contribution, seek how they compare with your KPA/KPI, seek feedback on your performance. Frequently the employees consider themselves to be extremely outstanding performer while the management has a divergent view Look at the body language of the people you speak to. You will immediately know whether you are causing discomfort in which case back out immediately. Irrespective how powerful your inputs are please remember a negative response is never helpful.

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SELF MANAGEMENT THE SINGLE MOST POWERFUL MANTRA OF SUCCESS.

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Women Managers and the Glass Ceiling.

ur Indian Society is quite restrictive and it is only in the last decade or so that we have permitted our ladies to work in the corporate world after marriage and starting their family. Traditionally we are very happy and comfortable with the womens role as a home maker and the family raiser.

For women managers one of the most important practices they need to excel at is a good work life balance. Most of them come from nuclear families without the support of the joint family system. In the absence of the inlaws or their own parents the women managers have to develop expertise in juggling the office, the home, the husband and the child. we got married and had an addition in the family a bonny girl. My husband had a touring job while mine was with a software company. Initially we did not know what to do. We put the child in a crche and we were fully aware of the fact that the child was denied love and affection of the parents during the whole day so when we took the child back from the crche we were very particular and sensitive to be affectionate and touchy touchy with the child. We more than made up for our absence during the day. We were also very particular till the child was of the day care age that we included her in all our activities over the weekend. During the week we asked her on what she would like to do during the weekend and we went by her wishes and desires totally. I was able to look after my job and my family equally well. Authentic statement. My daughter has done her MBA from one of the premier universities. She was campus placed and was doing very well in her career. The time was right, the boy was good and we got her married. She carried on with her job till she had an addition to the family then she was forced to resign. When the child was of day care/ school going age my daughter had time on her hands and wanted to reenter the commercial world. It was so difficult to get a suitable opening. People wanted to employ her once again at entry level with out considering her work experience before and during marriage. This became a serious issue and ultimately my daughter had to become and entrepreneur and start her own career councelling outwit. Authentic statement. This is one of the crying needs of the women manager today is to crack this problem. Lady employees who are career oriented or who need the job badly for economic reasons join back immediately after maternity leave. Some relation steps in to take care of the infant. However the challenge is when the infant child falls sick, is teething, has bad tummy or related problems. Here the understanding and the flexibility of the HR policies of the organization comes into play. Importantly also is that the lady employee must as far as possible not opt for very challenging assignments which requires extended hours or touring. It is difficult if not impossible to recommend a course of action but the women employees especially those who have risen to the management cadre need to start working on this problem as soon as marriage is on the horizon. The lady employees must study the gender and diversity policies and practices of the organization and very subtly and diplomatically make the best use of the policies. It has been found that networking and having a strong mentor is useful to get over these situations.

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Here are some quotes/thoughts of Sonali Roy Choudhary Head HR. They are her personal views and have no relation with a Corporate responsibilities. 1. There was a time when women professionals believed they needed to emulate male professionals in their skills/competencies to be successful in the corporate worldthat is no longer true and women are forging their own paths using their unique skills and outlook, to achieve the highest levels of success 2. The most critical enabler for a women to get balance between her professional and personal aspirationsbalance is a very individual choice and what works for one may not work for anotherhowever, it does not mean a 50/50 division between personal and professional but an integration of the two worlds, which allows her to prioritize either one as and when the need arises. There are times when work will be more demanding, and other times when personal or family commitments need more focus. This balance changes on a daily basis! Ensure you are clear about your goals linked to different life stagesat some point it may be career first, at another family first, at another point self first

3. Ask for what you want go after it single-mindedlyconfidence in your self is your
closest friend! Think about what solutions you can help the company with vs. only waiting for your organization to come back with options if there are conflicts between life-stage need and career need control your destiny.

4. Leaders, and women in particular, should be a change agent for diversity allow
themselves and the organizations/teams they lead to be influenced by different perspectives, beliefs, and experiences and abandon the stereotypes. 1. Its critical while managing talent to recognize the differences, but maintain the standards of performance all too often we believe that one should come at the expense of the other. In my experience, that is never the case and systems should be designed to allow people of all backgrounds/gender to be successful but hold them to the highest standards.meritocracy should not, and need not, be sacrificed for diversity. 2. Identify talent early, and groom them through a variety of experiences to ignite the true potential. 3. Finding role models and mentors at different stages through my career has been immensely helpful in my growth and development.they can come from anywhere but find someone who is committed to your development and build strong network of mentors which last throughout your career.

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Appreciate if these are not attributed to me/publicized in my P&G capacity as these are my personal views

In a candid, freewheeling conversation with her colleague, Poornima Pandey, Leena (Executive Director-HR-Hindustan Unilever) shares her success mantra and career philosophy. Follow Leena as she describes her recipe for success as: an extra large cup of hard work+ a big shot of spiritual and physical balance+ a tablespoon of thinking big + a sprinkling of divine intervention and luck Leena (41) is an Electronics Engineer who discovered her passion for people and HR and switched lanes. She is a gold medalist and MBA in HR from XLRI, Jamshedpur. She has worked with Unilever for the last 18 years in a variety of roles like Employee Relations Manager, Management Development Manager, Business Partner for the Home & Personal Care Business. With her appointment as Executive Director-HR in June 07, Leena became the first woman on the Management Committee of HUL. She is also the youngest Executive Director to be appointed. She also leads HR for Unilever South Asia. She has been on Business Today most powerful woman list for 5 consecutive years. She was awarded Young Woman Achiever of the year 2008 in Business by FICCI (YFLO). She is the chairperson of CII (WR) HR & Training Sub Committee, and CII (WR) CII + i Committee, Preparing Mumbai for a secure Future, and Chairperson of the ASSOCHAM Expert Committee on HRD and Labour Laws. She is passionate about her work and her family and her other interests include reading, running, travelling and movies. Her husband Mr. Kumar runs his own Financial Services Company and they have 2 sons Aryan and Sidhanth aged 13 and 9 years. PP Leena, an unusual starting point for our chat would be for me to ask you to what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken? LN Poornima, I believe a lot in internal locus of control; that you can set goals for yourself and that you can find ways to make them happen. But in a strange way I also believe that the more you relax about big career decisions and believe in a greater power it helps you unleash your work in a better sense. I know my hard work matters and the contribution I make will matter, but all this rests upon a deeper self assurance that what is due my way will come and that the planets are aligned, that God is on my side, that good things will happen to me, because I believe in good things and I will do good to others. So it's a paradox in a way, but it defines me. For example, in a very strong way, I try to make sure that the job that I do at any point in time must be better than anything anyone else has done or is being done to the best of my potential. Every moment that I have, I must influence it to be the best that I can be. And when those moments stack up together they will make a pretty strong track record for the right career moves to happen to me. I also believe that you must dream big. Somehow the universe will conspire to make it happen for you. If you believe you're lucky more luck comes your way. So I haven't sat and orchestrated every move in my career. Absolutely not; but I've been obsessive about ensuring that every job I get into I really find a way to leave a legacy behind and I push myself to do that. PP Thats interesting because often young people who are just starting their careers assume that every successful person they see around them is actually busy orchestrating their careers

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or planning their next move. So if there was one piece of advice that you would offer a young person who is just stepping out what would it be? LN You know, my biggest piece of advice would be don't spend time worrying about how you are going to grow or what the organisation needs to do for you. You just worry about what is the contribution you can make. And as long as you are in that space where you can say that this is the contribution I can make and I can contribute to 2 or 3 other areas, I can do even more, I can make a difference to the place I am part of you will find the organisation recognising that. But if you keep thinking: Oh, how is it going to do any good to me, when am I going to get my next grade, when am I going to get promoted, when am I going to get my next big thing, big money; then your energy, your time is not going in to applying yourself the best possible way to the job at hand. So it's really important to let go. I know it seems a little idealistic, but I think that makes a big difference. Today, I find a lot of youngsters saying they first want an ideal set of circumstances and they then want to deliver. They want an ideal job, an ideal company, an ideal boss, an ideal set of colleagues. You know what...that doesn't exist. One will have an imperfect boss, an imperfect job, an imperfect set of things to do, an imperfect team who works with you. So it's about what you make of all this that matters. I find this philosophy of- let me first get all the conditions to succeed right, then I'll succeed completely flawed. I would strongly say Start with the conditions you have and you will find a miraculous way to succeed if you just accept that. Instead of saying I'll wait for the job I love, say the job I have; how do I learn to love it because there is no perfect job in the world just as there's no perfect boss in the world. PP Leena, looking back I want you to share with me the few things that you know that you do differently from most people and which have stood you in great stead? LN I am sure that there are others who practise and believe it but one of the things that has worked for me is my ability to dream big. You know, I've shared this many times saying I walked into this company as a management trainee and I said yes, I will head HR in this company one day. I dreamt about it, I believed it would happen to me. And it did. Even today when I set goals for our team, I'm always looking at what's the best we can be, what's the best we can do; I'm always dreaming big and in a way almost refusing to believe that my team can't make it happen. So, it's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. I dream big and then I expect that everyone else will absolutely live up to that dream and you know what? They do and I have no reason to regret that stuff. So a little bit of faith has helped me a lot. But it needs taking big risks, it means going out on a limb, because sometimes those big things don't happen. You have to be willing to take failure in your stride. The other thing that has helped me is I think I have a really thick skin. I don't let rumours get to me. I don't worry much if people don't think I'm not great or any of that. I have no space in my life for the negative stuff people are saying about me...it just rolls off me. I don't get deterred by criticism, by bad news stories about me. I just hang in there and say yeah I

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know what I'm doing, I know it's the right thing, I reach out for advice a lot, I absolutely don't believe that I'm the brightest person going around or any of that. In fact if you ask me what's got me going...I'll say I've got a great set of people in my team, and as my bosses who care for me, want me to succeed and are constantly giving me advice when I reach out for that. So the sheer feeling that I'm not all that great and I can achieve what I can because I listen to people, I'm willing to take advice, I'm open to it. Have you seen anything else in me Poornima which you feel is working for me? PP Yes. Even after a long hard day, you have the same amount of energy reflecting in your body language, in your face, in everything that you do. I am impressed because I know that personally as my evening approaches, I'm like 'Oh, where's my next shot of energy going to come from?' I don't know how you manage to do that, but I think it's wonderful. Another thing is that you're extremely grounded. You speak to everybody in the same way and that's a great motivator for your team and they go out on a limb because you do that. I have never seen you make a distinction between people at different levels. You don't have this inner circle and that makes people who are perhaps just joining your team feel really motivated. Oh and you have an elephantine memory; you remember names and faces of folks you may met many years ago. LN Come to think about it; yes, people do talk to me a lot about my energy levels. Recently we had a recognition ceremony and at the party I spoke for 140 people. And a lot of my team mates came and said that the first one and the last one, I did it with the same energy, same capacity, same level of love, I knew everybody's name; but to me...it doesn't even strike me because I did know everybody's names and I did know what they do; so it was no big deal. PP I think one more thing that stands out is that you have a Life. All of us know of people we would like to tell to go get a life. I think the reason you are able to stick to the positives is because you have a full life outside of work. I've seen you speak about your family or do stuff which is outside of work and take some time off when you needed to. I think it sets a good precedent for the organisation and it makes people feel like this is for real. And especially for women, when they see you do it, it makes them believe that they can do it too. LN In fact you've touched upon a very good point. 9 out of 10 times when I speak, I speak about physical fitness, I speak about mental fitness, I speak about emotional fitness, find a place for your family, do things that you love. I speak about spiritual fitness and in my case that is about the purpose I put into everything that I do. Why am I doing what I'm doing? I do what I do because I love every minute of it which is where the energy comes from. So you're right, it's a big part of my life that I constantly talk to people about physical, mental, emotional, spiritual balance. Maybe I can give so much of myself during the 5 days I'm at work because I know the 2 days I'm at home I'm giving 110 percent to my family. Not even a minute I will think about work. I think that this balance is very important. And the energy at work is actually stemming from that Poornima. Because I know that what I give to the work is my entire heart because when I'm away from work I'm giving my entire heart to other things; keyboard, dancing, friends, family, movies; all the things I am passionate about. Because I know I have space for that in my life, I don't resent anything at work because I know I have the time and space to do that.

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PP One of the frequent feelings I have when I walk away from a meeting with you (and I know a lot of other people feel that way) is that of having been hit by a sledge hammer. You always force me to get into a space where I have to look beyond the immediate into the future. It is interesting how you are always looking beyond constraints. So Id really like to ask you Leena to share how you manage to march into the dark only with a small glow of an idea you strongly believe in. LN Poornima, I feel like I have been doing these marches all my life. See, from engineering, when I decided to do HR; it was a walk in the dark. All my life I was told I was a science student, I had technical aptitude, I was good at Maths and then suddenly wake up one morning and do HR which had none of the glamour it has today...it was seen as personnel, it was seen as administration was a complete march in the dark. I think even opting for HUL when there were hardly any women working for HUL...you know in those days we were like 2 percent women and for me as a woman to say I will be a part of it was a march in the dark. Dreaming big, most of the times means a march in the dark. Most times when I set off I don't know where it's going to end, but it's a march I want to take and if I don't succeed it's fine, but at least it's something I give my heart to. PP But how often have you faced any obvious advantages or disadvantages because of being a woman? LN I think there have been disadvantages and advantages but let me talk about the advantages first because I am basically an optimistic person. The advantages are in a lot of ways, are the positive stereotypes of women that have worked for me. That I would be more empathetic, more understanding, and more listening. I did stand out in a male oasis where people felt like I was somebody they could come and talk to and that has improved my approachability, my networks and my relationships. The other advantage has been that I see myself as an adventurer; where I am setting off on this path that many others haven't taken. It gives me a sense of adventure and a sense of fun. Im exploring things, Im trying out things and Im giving myself the permission to fail. It also gives me great joy to inspire even one other woman who think they can make this work for themselves. People relate to me because they don't see me as someone who's born with all privileges and whose working in a privileged world. They've seen me struggle; they've seen me come up so they feel that if she could do it, we can do it. I'm also an emotional person. When I get upset at work everyone knows it, sees it. I have tears in my eyes when I'm feeling deeply passionate about something or deeply upset about something. And in a way being a woman has given me that space. Nobody looks down upon me. They just sort of assume she's going to be a little emotional, it's okay and in a way she's different and that's stood me in good stead. Perhaps if I was not a woman, I might not have not been able to push some of the things we are doing day with the conviction that I have. So today, if I am able to drive some of the changes we've done for improving safety and security for our women, to have policies for our men and women which allow them to balance their work-life, career by choice, day care centre in office...I think the conviction from being a woman has helped that cause.

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If I look at disadvantages, the disadvantages are the reverse of stereotyping because people might also believe that because I am a woman I might be soft, that I might not take the hard calls necessary, that I might not do the hard, tough things that you need to do, to give hard performance feedback, to ask someone to leave the organization, restructure a factory. The disadvantages have also been that I had to sometimes seek permission to make it okay for family to walk into our workspace which wasn't always there. It is true that when you are doing sales, or working in a factory, there are some hardships which you have to be willing to take on to your chin till you can make it easier for other women. So I've lived with those. I've lived with not having some of the facilities and privileges earlier on in my career and then creating them much later on for the women who came after me. So those have been some of the disadvantages. But all in all, I would say I feel privileged that I've had the opportunity to make it better and more inclusive for other women who come after me, and I feel a true sense of satisfaction that maybe in a small way I've changed this world, this organization and maybe some other corporates and their attitudes towards men and women.

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(New Chapter)

Learn to Re-invent yourself at each stage Keep updated. Avoid stagnation in todays dynamic world.

oday the world is changing at a very fast pace. Technology, communication, customer demands and expectations, speed of delivery, the internet, the mobile hand seteverything, you name it and it is not the same as it was a month ago, a year ago.

This makes it imperative that we regularly update our knowledge, become familiar with the practices and keep ahead of the changes. For example the BlackBerry has created a revolution in the commercial world. Decision makers are required to look at their messages and respond in the shortest time. I know of a President (HR) of a huge conglomerate who gets around 40 to 50 messages every hour. If he doesnt attend to them immediately his inbox gets super loaded. Irrespective of your job content or the sector or the location you have to be current and in touch with the developments all round. I admire the youngsters, the way they keep up with the technology changes and use the modern techniques to be in touch and communicate. I was being trained on MS Office 2003. I moved to MS Office 2007 and before I could catch up here comes MS Office 2010 with its features that make life less complicated. One of the effective ways of doing this is through the internet, through Google and by attending workshops and seminars. Authentic statement. As an educator I always felt the need for continuous education and study. This was not possible a few years ago. It is not only imperative but also extremely useful to obtain on line qualifications which are directly related to your profession. We are in an area of super specialization which is made tremendously easy by the internet. If you dont keep updated then you are likely to make a statement I have job but I have no career I neglected my efforts to keep my graph moving upwards Sunset at noon As you go along in the organization you are rewarded for the good work done. People understand you and your style then comes the time when you stagnate in your assignment both your reputation and your performance gets a bit stale. People at this stage normally change jobs and the cycle is repeated in the new location after a few months.

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This is a time that you have to understand that you must Re Invent Yourself. Unless a company is constantly redesigning its products and reinventing itself there is a likely hood of problems. In a public sector Oil Company the house magazine had the same format for over 3 decades. People would hardly glance at the contents. Request for contribution elicit ate little or no response. The magazine was the best table mat for tea and lunch. The corporate communication people got together and decided to reinvent the magazine from the scratch. Whatever was being included was listed and it was either retained or deleted depended on the readers needs. The magazine moved to meet the reading needs of gen Y and which resulted in introduction of new items and approaches. The net result was that the circulation almost tripled. The magazine was in demand and people pitched in with their contribution. Authentic statement. The example of the house magazine is excellent in illustrating the need of reinventing your self when stuck in a company career. My research has shown that the 2 main reasons for people stagnating in their career is Poor or unprofessional boss management. Poor unplanned shoddy self management. In the process of reinventing yourself look at these two parameters and also establish a need to create a fresh vibrant image and develop new interests, new relationships with sharp networking. The process of reinventing self is also found to be very useful in personal life where our interpersonal relationships where our roles and responsibilities stagnate where we take our spouse and family members for granted. Reinventing self is a lot of fun but it involves moving away from the comfort zone. It is very important to remember that when we are successful we are comfortable in the environment, have a total grip on the job and perform at peak without much effort therefore there is a likelihood that we slip into the comfort zone. Please remember if you are easy on your assignment, can fulfil targets, are acknowledged as an achiever --- all this without much of an effort then the danger is you are in the comfort zone. This makes the need to reinvent our self ever more urgent. I was handling the import and export of petroleum products for 6 years. I found that I knew everything backwards and very slowly a once challenging assignment was turning out boring and dull. I also was becoming indispensable as my bosses changed a number of times but I was retained. I became aware of my lethargy and also of the risk that the complacency brings. Therefore I launched into an additional career as part time faculty in the management collages. Additionally I worked on moving to the logistics department where my basic knowledge was zero and therefore a bigger challenge. In todays professional scenario changing jobs is the in thin. Each time you change your job you have got to reinvent yourself to suit the new environment, the new challenges and the new delivery expectations.

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Reinventing yourself is also required each time you are promoted. Promotion is on the previous performance and brings with it new leadership and other related responsibilities. Therefore re invent yourself to take up the fresh responsibilities.

In the IT sector the techies get promoted to team leaders based on their technical performance. They continue to hang on to their old role which is also their area of comfort. They need to understand the importance of reinventing themselves completely in the new role as team leads. when you enter the organization your job and functional competencies have to be at peak while your people skills have to be at a low level. As you grow in the organization your people and leadership skills have to increase multifold. I had a CEO who operated at 4 or 5 levels below. He would continue to do the job of a Chief Manager while his people and leadership skills were below par. He was not a big success.Authentic statement. A colleague of mine was excellent in the line functions, he continued this style even though he was in the corporate office. He did not grow and became an obstacle in the path of others because he insisted on doing what he was good at --- the line functions and holly neglected the leadership competency development Authentic Statement. GROW WITH THE RESPONSIBILITIES

TIME AND GROWTH Work, Job Functional Skills when you enter the organization your job and functional competencies have to be at peak whicle your people skills have to be at a low level. As you grow in the organization your people and leadership skills have to increase multifold. I had a CEO who operated at 4 or 5 levels below. He would continue to do the job of a Chief Manager while his people and leadership skills were below par. He was not a big success. Authentic statement.

PEOPLE SKILLS

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because he insisted on doing what he was good at --- the line functions and holly neglected the leadership competency development Authentic statement.

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INTEGRITY AT THE WORKPLACE AND IN PERSONAL LIFE (New Chapter)

There is a prevailing feeling that values, integrity and morals do not enjoy a powerful place in the Corporate world specially with Generation Y. This makes it imperative that we expend efforts and thoughts so that an image is created and a message goes out that we are not for sale. That our values cannot be compromised under any circumstance It must be remembered that a reputation once sullied or spoilt takes a life time to correct. We must therefore place maximum emphasis on practicing a straight though difficult path even in the most challenging times and situations.

List your values, practice them and live by them

The positive point is that instances of doubtful integrity are rare by and large but are mentioned here as one has to be alert and always on guard that there is no stigma on our personal reputation. As regards personal integrity, sometimes in its urgency to become rich Generation Y makes a mistake which gets noticed and may be penalized too. Therefore while becoming rich is a good ambition adding urgency makes it fraught with danger. There are no short cuts to success.

I have seen successful managers who are treated as lepers because of incidence of doubtful integrity either moral or financial. Every body in the organization would avoid them like plague. Sad.

Have a snow white clean and clear reputation irrespective of your stage level and stature in the organization.

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Show character at the work place

esides the moral and the financial integrity we need to have a powerful character.

After the two recent earthquakes followed by massive tsunami a portion of Japan has been destroyed. This was being discussed when a mention was made dont worry it may take time but Japan will rise to the top once again. The Japanese have character. This is a character that we are speaking about. When we join corporates, we have to create an image, an identity and a reputation for ourselves. A person with character doesnt give up easily. He is willing to grind to hand on till results are achieved. If the results are not as desired the person with the character analyses the reasons and starts again. Such a person is dependable and reliable. A person with character commands respect and is sought after in difficult times. One of the main constituents or traits of character is attitude. A positive attitude brings success. A negative attitude is not success. Our true character is revealed when we are under pressure. How do we handle pressure. Do we resort to a fight or flight. Do we take every tough situation as a challenge and bring forth the best in us. Character defines our response to speed breakers and obstacles. Our character determines whether we are casual or focused. Whether we have self doubt or self confident and whether we are ready to put in extended hours in our search for success. The traits and elements of our character get formed from home or later from school and collage. show me your friends and I will tell you who you are. One of the strong traits of character in the corporate world is resilience and the ability to stick to the activity until complete irrespective of the odds. Look at your vision statement and decide what sort of a character will be required to bring the vision to reality. Note down the traits and work towards developing the character which will fulfill your vision

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MAKE YOUR PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SESSION IMPACTFUL AND USEFUL(New Chapter) Please remember that your movement upwards in career is largely determined by how seriously you take your performance, your feedback and the reasons why suitable rewards may be denied to you. If everything is hunky-dory even then you have to invest in your annual performance counseling session.

In preparing for the counseling session please make out a list of your achievements. Make sure that the words excellent, superlative, outstanding, very well appreciated, are peppered in your achievement statement. Prepare to standby and justify your achievements. In our company we had the system of writing down our achievements and submitting it to the boss to help him evaluate our performance. One of our team members, a star performer brought in a list with mediocre language to describe his achievements. I had to sit with him and help him re word his achievement report so that it was as impressive as his work. He got promoted. Look at your past months and analyze whether the boss, the management and the environment has been conducive and supportive. If not during the session find out what is missing in your profile that the next year things will be friendlier. Always remember to emphasize on your strengths. Do not talk about your weaknesses but list down your learning for the whole year and relate each learning to a weakness thus it will appear that while you are concentrating on your strengths you are also working to reducing your weaknesses. A simple straight statement of your weaknesses will open you to criticism and negative evaluation. In your performance appraisal counseling session find out what the company has for you in future. Whether you will remain where you are or whether you will rise upwards. Find out VERY INDIRECTLY how you should reduce the gaps in your profile so as to become more qualified for the next higher slot.

It is always desirable to arrive at an action plan with your appraiser, note it down in bullet points and later share it with him in written text. Never ever get into a fight or a heated argument with the appraiser. Be friendly, be cool during the process and settle scores later. ________________________________________________________________________

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AN DO, WILL DO, BUT IS THERE A BETTER WAY.(New Chapter)

Can do, will do, but is there a better way

n the organization we must learn how things are done we must have an open mind and not restrict our thinking to ways that the input output equation has been carrying on for the last so many years.

If we have what is called the process mindset we continuously think of how we impro ve the deliverables. Normally process mapping is done to enable us spot the weak points or the areas where we can bring in improvements. These improvements can be normal or innovative and creative as well. Since it involves a process of change we must learn how to convince others of the benefits of the changed processes and the savings / additional profits thereof. With the process mindset one is never boared or stagnant in the assignment one is alive one is alert and one is ready to leave small footprints in the sands of various processes in the organization. It has been found that a process mindset that is finding a better way to do things at lesser cost with the result that there is greater productivity reduced product returns enhanced profitability and most importantly improved motivation, morale and activity.

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Live by your values

hen we say live by your values it does not mean only the financial, the moral values related to integrity. The values we speak of here are divided into two

Work life values and Personal life values The core work and personal values are the source of direction of our life giving it a purpose and aim. Sometimes our happiness is derived out of values. I am normally a peace loving guy. I joined an organization where conflict, confrontation and dissent were encouraged with the result that there was a charged atmosphere all the time. This conflicted with my value of peace and harmony. I found I was continuously unhappy and stressed out. I almost quit. I was counseled on the reason for my discomfort and quickly adjusted my self without compromising or even adjusting my values. I made it a point to be at peace and harmony with people despite the fact that they were at hammer and tongs with each other. Some of the work values that I can share are honesty and hard work, dedication to duty, timely deliver, quality excellence in performance. My important value at the work place has always been work life balance. One of the most effective ways I have found is to create a vision a purpose and live by it. I have practice do what you love and love what you do. Thus I have found that my creativity and innovation are normally at peak. My adrenaline is flowing and I find excitement in everything that I do. Generation Y today unlike the normal impression is extremely strong on values. They know what they want and they are not prepared to do anything which will take them away from their ambitions, dreams and desires. I know Generation Y refusing plum jobs because of the sector the type of work or the lack of work life freaking. Sir, how can I take this job. It is located in a small town. Saturday, Sundays are holidays. How will I spend my time--- no pubs, no discos nothing to relax Similarly as regards personal values we have to ensure that there is no clash between our personal values and the life we lead. A family oriented person will feel cheated and left out if he is posted in a place without the family. He will feel lost and both the quality of official life and personal activities will suffer. Sometimes there is a discomfort on how decisions are taken and there is a clash of values thereof. when I was in the HR department I found that promotion transfers movements terminations were not data based. They were more on whims and fancies of the management. To me every HR paper was a representative of the peace tranquility safety and welfare of a famil. A decision taken in a hurry can effect the family adversely. I suffered mental and physical discomfort when I saw

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what was happening. I examined my values found I was on the right track. Could not accept what was going on and fought my way. I paid with my career growth and had to move or into another organization. It is important to realize that no company gives you values. You carry your own values into the company. It may or may not give you the opportunity to practice your values. That is a different story. We will at times face a conflict between work values and personal values. If we compromise then there is heart burn if we stick by our values we pay the price. sometimes my persona values have stood in the way of my performance. My personal value says be nice to people dont hurt them. My work value says negligence non performance must be penalized hence terminate. It is very often that I find such conflicts.

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Part IV
TREKKING TO THE TOP (Long-Term Strategies)

Great people have an awesome self-image Gene N. Landrum, Ph.D

In an organization, policies that support self-esteem are also policies that make money. They support and liberate energy for positive performance. Policies that demean self-esteem are the policies that sooner or later cause a companys decline, for when you treat people badly and disrespectfully you frustrate ego energy, you cannot positively hope to get their best. And in todays competitive, rapidly changing global economy nothing less than their best is good enough
Nathaniel Brandon

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Self-esteem And Positive Performance

uccessful people believe in themselves, in their ideas and in their plans. They have a good image which carries them through failures, criticism and condemnation. Sometimes, their selfconfidence, or their belief in themselves borders on arrogance but remember the greater the person, better the self-image and self-confidence, which to us at a lower level appears to be arrogance.

Sportsmen succeed basically because they believe in themselves. They use failure as a motivator to drive themselves to greater heights. When they lose faith in themselves their life becomes a series of failures and they fade out. People who believe in themselves and in their ideas, possess good self-esteem and self-worth are sure winners. We cannot achieve great things in our careers unless we have high self-esteem. Let us examine the subject of self-esteem and self-worth a little more closely. Self-esteem is a measure of what you think of yourself; the image you carry of yourself and the value and worth you place on yourself. It is not built overnight but gradually. You have to undo the negative inputs of your childhoodthe formative and the growing-up years. This is difficult, especially since the people we love and adore most provide the negatives. To an infant or a small child, the parents are images of God. But these very icons load us with too much negativity in the name of nurturing and parenting. Let me share with you an experience, from which you can see that the level of self-esteem we currently enjoy was determined years ago during our early and formative years. On a journey by train to Lonawala, I had a couple sitting on the opposite seat with their sevenyear-old son between them. As the train moved, the nos, the donts and the stop -its began being hurled at the child from both sides at a fast pace. I kept count but gave up when I reached around one hundred in as little as an hour. This youngster, irrespective of the encouragement he subsequently receives, will grow up with a negative self-image, low self-esteem and low selfworth, fully convinced that nothing he does is ever right and, therefore, he cannot do anything right. This happens to all of us, especially when our society is hierarchical and prohibitive. The donts originate from a sense of protection and are meant to nurture but the message received by the child is: There is something wrong with me and I am NOT OK. Even when our parents are positive and believe in empowering, often some other authority figures, such as teachers or grandparents, take over and negatively affect our self-worth and selfesteem. I remember having a stammering problem as a kid. My elders and peers harped me no end and tore my esteem to bits. But my mother and wife helped me to build my confidence bit by bit,

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brought my esteem to an OK level and started me on the journey of becoming a brilliant spe aker which I am now. In our personal and professional lives too, we face numerous situations and experiences, which are pleasant, unpleasant, happy, unhappy, nurturing or torturing that affect our self-esteem. Normally, on undergoing a negative experience we end up blaming ourselves, feeling bad about ourselves and are unable to remain in control or take charge. As a net result, our performance suffers. We deteriorate and decline if we are not careful, and enhance neither our selfesteem and self-worth nor our self-image. When I missed my promotion, my self-esteem went for a bungy jump. I started thinking negatively and soon was caught in a mire of self-pity and began dressing like a tramp until I caught my image in a mirror in the office toilet. Horrified at the sight, I told myself that no matter what, I will never let myself down like this and never allow anyone or anything to do this to me. I told myself that my organization does not gain anything by destroying me and it is good just as I am. With this paradigm shift, my thinking changed and so did my behaviour. I focused on my task and excelled at it. My management soon realized their mistake and promoted me. I suffered but not for long. It gave me an opportunity to test what stuff I am made of . I took care of my selfesteem; it took care of me and my performance. Understand that self-esteem is neither a straight line nor a graph that points upwards all the time. It has its valleys and its peaks. Care must be taken to reduce the valleys and while remaining at the peak as often as possible. Remember, as a human being your self-esteem fluctuates with your thoughts and feelings which ultimately reflects in your behaviour, affecting your performance. So, what is this business of self-esteem? Self-esteem should not be built on what others think of you. It is what you think of yourself. The opinions of others of you will only be an extension of your opinion of yourself. One must ask If I dont love myself, who will love me? I can love others only after I love myself. Therefore, the critical issue is what is your self-awareness of your true value and true worth. Remember: self-esteem is situational. An artist may have extremely high self-esteem when painting and may have low self-esteem at other times. There are many successful people who have low self-esteem. Marilyn Monroe is a wellknown example. Everyone loved Marilyn Monroe except Marilyn Monroe herself. She killed herself because she didnt value herself. Make sure you maintain your self -esteem at all times and amidst all circumstances. Let us look at what happens in organizations. I get fired needlessly. Instead of analyzing the reasons, you blame yourself: My colleagues bitch about me and stab me in the back. They basically dislike me.

Nobody listens to me.

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You do not separate reality from perception. You do not look at the reasons why they dislike youwhether they actually dislike you at all.

So you blame yourself. You dont find out whether it is a perception or reality. Whether onl y a few dont listen to you or the whole world doesnt listen to you. Whether you are boring, complaining, etc. Low self-esteem thrives on self-blame. All my suggestions are rejected. You feel useless and incompetent and, therefore, do not have the time to review the content and the context of the suggestions. Low self-esteem prevents you from seeing that while you are competent, your suggestions lack the required conviction and the force of personality. People who dont work get rewarded. I do so much work and go unrewarded. Low self-esteem makes you wallow in self-pity. Perceptions and reality dont get separated. Boss doesnt listen to me. Boss is busy, under pressure. He/She looks for quality and not time-wasters. But operating from low self-esteem, you think you are to blame. You are incompetent, no good and, therefore, you suffer. Is it possible that there are other reasons? I get left out. Low self-esteem prevents you from finding out the reasons why. Exclusion leads to selfrejection where low self-esteem thrives. Out of your low self-esteem, you feel the boss doesnt like me. He/she just did not notice you. These are some typical examples where the level of self-esteem adversely affects performance. Positive performance, successful working in organizations are simply not possible unless your self-esteem is in place. A person with low self-esteem blames himself for whatever happens. He holds himself responsible when something happens as also when something doesnt happen. It becomes extremely essential that you learn how to take care of yourself in life, especially at the workplace. You have to work on yourself consciously, deliberately. A chartered accountant who joined our organization was placed on the shop floor to get a first hand idea of the manufacturing process and then on to the HRD to get the hang of the human element at the workplace. But she took all this as a rejection and lack of confidence in her abilities as an accountant. This affected her performance badly and she was on the verge of a breakdown. So brittle! I spoke to her, helped her to re-establish her self-esteem. Soon she was regarded as an asset to the organization. Performance is dependent on behaviour, which in turn is dependent on: Feelings. Thoughts. Therefore, in order to ensure a high level of performance, it is essential that we become aware of our behaviour, feelings and thoughts. All these are related to self-esteem.

Principle 1 Stop pointing fingers at yourself, i.e. stop blaming yourself, condemning yourself and generally having a low impression of yourself.

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Some suggestions on getting your self-esteem in place.

Principle 2 We are human. Therefore, we do make mistakes. We also do things right. Dont wallow in self blame when you make mistakes. Learn to gloat over the things done right. Principle 3 We are human. We have our negatives and our positives. Nothing in this universe is perfect. Neither you nor me. God is. And we are not God. Therefore, learn to accept your negatives with your positives. Build on the positives and reduce the negatives. Principle 4 Learn to accept yourself as you are. Use positive self-talk and tell yourself I am OK. I am neither too good nor too bad. I am OK. I am all right. Principle 5 Learn to separate the person from the behaviour. When something goes wrong, do not blame yourself but seek to correct your behaviour that leads to those mistakes. Low self-esteem makes you hold the other person responsible. But if you have an OK level of self-esteem you hold your own behaviour responsible and hold the other person in good light. On receiving a reprimand from the boss, someone with low self-esteem goes into a corner and licks his wounds with self-pity. The one with OK level of self-esteem analyses the problem, looks for the source, takes care of it and gets over it. A boss could yell at you basically due to his own inadequacies or work pressure. An OK self-esteem understands this very well, as the following statement reveals. A classic case was when my boss yelled at me in the presence of others without reason. I felt hurt and upset but did not blame myself as I realized that the boss was operating from his inadequacies. I am OK. Principle 6 Avoid distorted thoughts. Remember, If you think you can or if you think you cant, you are right. John Ford II. Similarly, I think, therefore I am. Ren Descartes This is an important concept to understand as we strive to enhance our self-esteem and enhance performance. Distorted thinking is like any bad habit. Once it gets formed, it takes real effort to overcome it. Remember, thoughts that are unrealistic and negative, lower self-esteem. Therefore, learn to dispute and discard unrealistic thoughts. The minute you start conquering unrealistic views and stop deflating your self-esteem, you will start feeling better. Start with the base I am OK and proceed to look at the behaviour that is causing problems. Your OK stance will give you comfort and strength to reduce distorted thinking. Principle 7

Principle 8

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Stop feeling guilty. Things do go wrong sometimes. Being burdened by guilt will affect your selfesteem adversely.

Substitute the word should, with will, can or must, as far as possible. This will give you inner strength. Principle 9 Learn to have good thoughts when times get tough. Positive results are guaranteed as you learn to express yourself and think in positive terms; positive feelings, behaviour and performance will follow. Principle 10 After a non-success experience, tell yourself that nothing totally bad can happen to anyone if they manage to reflect and learn from the experience. This learning process will tend to minimize the negative aspects of the situation. Look for the silver lining and you may find that the clouds have disappeared. Develop this as an attitude. Principle 11 Develop the skill of identifying positives. Negative thinking lowers self-esteem. Control thoughts that are repetitive, self-defeating and those that cause psychological pollution. People unwittingly undermine their best efforts with their own negative thinking. Only positive thoughts can result in positive behaviour and performance. Principle 12 Feelings are an essential part of being human and are often the key motivators to change and growth. Feelings can be either positive or negative. However, healthy feelings that are nurturing increase our self-esteem. These feelings enrich, encourage and protect us. Negative feelings are not bad, however, they become dysfunctional when you integrate the person and the feeling and are unable to separate the two. Principle 13 Learn to name the feeling and get to the source. The feeling could be sad, mad, afraid or glad. Or, if you are unable to define the feeling, just accept the way you feel and dont deny the feeling. When something goes wrong, determine the amount of control you have over the situation. We may not have absolute control over a situation but we can choose how to respond. The reaction is ours; we are in control and in charge. So, stop feeling like a victim or disempowered. Principle 14 Remind yourself constantly I am lovable and capable. This mantra will keep your self -esteem flying at the proper level. Principle 15 Practise relationship building. Invest yourself in relationships. Make this unconditional and expect no returns. You will get enriching returns automatically. As you work in the organization, you will find situations which affect you emotionally, where your feelings are involved. These situations could either relate to success or to failure. How you respond to them will depend on your level of self-esteem. It has been proven time and again that the one common factor impacting our relationships, productivity, physical and mental health, is our level of self-esteem. It has been proven time and again that positive performance is directly related to a good level of self-esteem. Low self-esteem,

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on the other hand, results in arrogance, bragging, acting conceited, having visible I trouble and other self-projections where I actually know deep down that I am not OK. Words related to self-esteem include self-identity, self-enhancement, self-evaluation and selfreliance. All these are absent if self-esteem is low or absent. Principle 16 Bring liveliness into your work style. Remind yourself that you are fully alive, energetic, involved and interested. You do this and people will find you interesting. Principle 17 Make conscious and concrete choices. With this you will feel responsible for yourself and for your actions. Situations which are not the result of your action or choices, cannot, therefore, affect your mental peace. Principle 18 Learn to get in touch with your feelings constantly. This will not be easy because, being young and qualified, you operate from your intellect rather than the feeling level. Learn to acknowledge the inner realities of your needs, aspirations, ambitions and also the depth of your feelings. To practise this principle, you need the help of a senior colleague or mentor. Principle 19 Practise affirmation. These are positive statements you make about yourself by yourself. Or, select these from books on self-esteem. Principle 20 Give up blaming. Listen and understand before blaming others, more importantly, before blaming yourself. Principle 21 Do frequent introspection. This will create self-awareness and help you get to know yourself better. Principle 22 Stay open to threatening emotional experiences. Do not shut down and get into the denial mode. Principle 23 Practice self-acceptance, self-assertiveness coupled with authen-ticity and genuineness. Principle 24 Project, through your behaviour, that you are valuable and unique, always positive despite the fact that the climate is turbulent, stormy and even chaotic. Principle 25 Use the Sorensen Method for breaking the chain of low self-esteem (also see Semigrans model in the diagram below). Principle 26 Low self-esteem need not mean below par performance. If we are strong and have strong competencies, we can perform well. However, a good level of self-esteem reduces wastage of energy and effectiveness, thus taking us to excellence.

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Principle 27 Our dress, body language, gestures, level and tone of voice and eye contact are strong indicators of self-esteem. Take care of them. Principle 28 There is a chronic desire to define oneself through ones behaviour in a way that demonstrates to others that one is valuable and unique. Self-esteem requires that one become valuable and unique to oneself before becoming so to others. How Self-esteem Actually Works (From One Minute Self-esteem: Caring for Yourself and Others by Candace Semigran) Increased self-esteem Increased self-confidence Increased self-trust Increased peace of mind More energy to do more Greater trust from others More relaxation Greater inner peace. Principle 29 There will be times when you will feel technically incompetent and inadequate, underworked or overworked. Stay with this feeling, it could be a time when your self-esteem is in the dumps. Learn to analyze and find out the reason why. Principle 30 You feel organizational injustice, you become a victim and the suffering commences. At times like this, establish how much is reality and how much is perception. Principle 31 When you experience an unsatisfactory relationship with authority, or have problems in accepting the authority of others, examine your self-doubts related to your competence and your achievement factor. Principle 32 Public speaking and presentation skills are the cornerstones on which careers are built. The effectiveness of these, in turn, is based upon the level of self-confidence and self-esteem. Few speakers with low self-esteem have ever succeeded. Principle 33 It is easier to take charge and move on after a career mishap if ones self-esteem is in place. Such a fall is always temporary. You have to learn to analyze the failure without bringing your personhood into play. High self-esteem recharges our batteries, getting us to perform better after failure. Principle 34 The quality of communication that is practised between colleagues depends on their levels of selfesteem. The higher the level, more open, honest, appreciative and empowering the communication. Evasive, inappropriate, abrasive, humour with ridicule indicates low self-esteem.

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I joined an organization as a sales officer and was expecting a good posting. While all my batchmates got field jobs, I was consigned to the office. Had I not attended the workshop on selfesteem, I would have blamed myself and felt bad. However, I took special care not to fall in the

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Remember, you are as much part of existence as much as the sun and the stars.

trap of negative thinking and focussed on my job. I did brilliantly and was given a raise along with the field post of my choice. Authentic Statement While in college, I was obsessed with the opinion of others and withdrew myself from others. But after going through the SE workshop and joining an organization, I was able to take risks and express myself freely without fear of rejection. My self-esteem is now very strong. Authentic Statement My boss did all the work by himself and rarely ever assigned any work to me. I felt invalidated and useless. I even felt that I was not effective enough to win his trust. After the Self-esteem inputs, there was nothing wrong with me and I realized that my boss did not know how to delegate. The organization stands to lose because of his style. Authentic Statement

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HERE ARE THE DIRECT RELATIONS OF SELF ESTEEM WITH POSITIVE CORPORATE PERFORMANCE.

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BARKSDALE SELF-ESTEEM EVALUATION NO. 69 (This is an EVALUATION, not a test.) This Self-Esteem Evaluation measures your current level of Self-Esteem, your Self-Esteem Index (SEI), and serves as a gauge of your progress in achieving sound Self-Esteem. It is important to clearly understand all statements and be completely honest in your scoring if you are to obtain a valid SEI. It is essential that you answer these statements according to how you actually feel or behave, instead of how you think you should feel or behave. Score as follows (each score shows how true or the amount of time you believe that statement is true for you): 0 = not at all true for me 1 = somewhat true OR true for only part of the time 2 = fairly true OR true about half the time 3 = mainly true OR true most of the time 4 = true all the time Score .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Self-Esteem Statements I dont feel anyone else is better than I am. I am free of shame, blame and guilt. I am a happy, carefree person. I have no need to prove that I am as good as or better than others. I do not have a strong need for peoples attention and approval. Losing does not upset me or make me feel less than others. I feel warm and friendly toward myself. I do not feel others are better than I am because they can do things better, have more money, or are more popular. I am at ease with strangers and make friends easily. I speak up for my own ideas, likes and dislikes. I am not hurt by others good luck and winning. I do not need praise to feel good about myself. I feel good about others good luck and winning. I do not find fault with my family, friends or others. I do not feel I must always please others. I am open and honest, and not afraid of letting people see my real self. I am friendly, thoughtful and generous toward others. I do not blame others for my problems and mistakes. I enjoy being alone with myself.

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.......... 20. I accept compliments and gifts without feeling uncomfortable or needing to give something in return. .......... 21. I admit my mistakes and defeats without feeling ashamed or less than. .......... 22. I feel no need to defend what I think, say or do. .......... 23. I do not need others to agree with me or tell me Im right. .......... 24. I do not brag about myself, what I have done, or what my family has or does. .......... 25. I do not feel put down when criticized by my friends or others. YOUR SELF-ESTEEM INDEX (sum of all scores) TO FIND YOUR SELF-ESTEEM INDEX (SEI), simply add scores of all Self-Esteem Statements. The possible range of your Self-Esteem Index is from 0 to 100. Sound Self-esteem is indicated by an SEI of 95 or more. Good Self-Esteem is indicated by a score of 90 to 94. Experience shows that any score under 90 is a disadvantage, a score of 75 or less is a serious handicap, and an SEI of 50 or less indicates a really crippling lack of selfesteem. Copyright 1974 by Lilburn S. Barksdale and reprinted with written permission of the publisher and copyright holder.

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A Part of LifeStress

tress is the pressure beyond a persons ability to withstand.

You may have encountered a little stress while growing up. Most certainly your stress levels in college peaked a few days before your exams, plunging to zero upon their completion. By and large, stress and tension were not very high in college (unless you attempted a subject you did not understand, or did not like, or both). Not so in an organization, where stress is a normal, accepted part of life. It is very difficult to find an assignment in an organization that is totally stress-free as the following statements testify. I plan my day before I come to work. Hardly any of what I plan gets done. I am busy putting out files, and attending to other, unplanned activities. My locus of control is mostly external and this is very stressful. I work very hard but job-related stress increases every day. I am able to manage my job but not my stress. I am successful, I am respected. I take on challenges and I am an achiever. Each of my activities is very stressful. I wonder whether I am headed for a burnout soon, even though I have just started my career. Lets look at organizational needs that cause stress: Sales target = Stress. Production target not met = Stress. Presentation to be made = Stress. Deadlines to be met = Stress. Reviews = Stress. Quality problems = Stress. Annual increments and appraisals = Stress. Interpersonal problems = Stress. Stress, stress everywhere, in every activity. We might wish we can do without stress, but remember that peace can only be found in the grave and that within controllable level , stress can be very useful and very positive.

The Impact of Differing Levels of Stress Low Normal High Very high

A low or nil level of stress. Easy, laid-back. Results either come without much effort, or results are not part of the key result areas (e.g. Municipal Corporations). Positive result-related stress. Essential for the drive to achieve.

High pressure. Becomes dysfunctional, threatens quality of work and quality of life.

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A motivating factor.

Reduces creativity and innovation. Ends up in hospital. Look at it positively, stress is good, perhaps essential to keep you operating at peak level. On the other hand, a complacent attitude and an easy operating environment may not be all that good. Walk into an office where everything is slow, methodical and laid-back, where the very absence of achievement-related stress is visible, where yesterday, today and tomorrow are identical in time schedules and you will find that in such a place even a healthy, positive level of stress is looked upon negatively. Such places will find it difficult to respond to stressful situations. Study the attitude and approaches to stress in your organization. It has been found that it is useful not only to have things under control, but also to project an image of urgency. Sometimes appearing easy and relaxed in the workplace can be seen as the reflection of a casual approach. For instance, often heard in the workplace are statements like, Look at that manager, he has no work. His table is so clean, he must have over-delegated. While we must not look for a stress-free life we must live a life of manageable stress stress that pushes you, creates a drive in you to achieve. Signs and Symptoms of High Stress We are unaware at times, of the stress level in our system and we are also unaware of how it affects our performance on the job, if at all. The following signs will indicate to you that stress is affecting your performance adversely: Frequently falling sickpsychosomatic illnesses like frequent stomach upsets, migraines, sleeplessness, acute back pain, frequent cough and cold, feeling tired quickly, feeling unwell or feeling depressed. Low level of motivation. I just do not feel like coming to office. Frequent controversies, arguments, conflicts, raising your voice at the workplace. Poor IPR situation. Poor quality of work output on the shop floor, in the office or while facing competition in the field. General feeling of lack of control at the workplace. General tendency toward negative thinking and negative speech. Tendency to procrastinate. Missed deadlines. Low level of productivity so low, it gets commented upon. Daydreaming, fantasizing, general escapism. Avoiding situations that are challenging and need the best from you. Rationalizing, finding excuses for failure, resorting to excessive pleasure-seeking/looking for release of pressure through frequent drinking, smoking, overeating.

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When experiencing a high level of stress continuously over a period of time, so much so that it becomes routine, we must locate the source/stress.

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Make a conscious effort to avoid a working style that causes high stress. Such a style encourages mistakes, reduces quality and a health-related price is ultimately paid by the practitioner.

The 19 Most Common Sources of Workplace Stress 1. Lack of planning. Plan your work to generate a direction and a schedule. Stick to it as far as possible. 2. Poor time-management. This is a major source of stress. 3. Inability to establish priorities. List your activities and prioritize them as per importance. 4. Unpreparedness. Not being prepared for reviews, conferences, and presentations. 5. Fear of the unknown. What will happen today? What unpleasant surprises does my workplace have in store for me? 6. High, unachievable targets. Targets stretched to an un-achievable limit. 7. Fear of failure. 8. Boss-related fears. Emanating from poor boss management. 9. Conflicts with other people at the workplace. 10. Keeping things suppressed and bottled within you. Not bringing things out due to the lack of confrontation skills, lack of self-confidence, lack of knowledge and preparedness, lack of job securityall this leads to stress. 11. Deadlines. 12. Very heavy workload. 13. Non-humane work climate. Ill-treatment at the workplace. 14. High level of responsibility for multiple jobs and assignments, each demanding time application with similar deadlines. 15. Unhappy, negative past experiences. 16. Incidents lowering image in the eyes of co-workers. 17. Stress related to change and management of change. 18. Finance-related stress. 19. Stress related to exclusiona party takes place and you are not invited. The boss holds a conference on your subject and keeps you out. He/she makes a decision about your work and you hear of it from others. High targets, deadlines, ill-treatment, conflicts and denied rewards normally lead to uncontrolled, high levels of stress in the workplace. It has been proven medically that these levels have a long-lasting, adverse impact on health, as the following statements testify. I had a boss who was busy obtaining personal gains. Since I did not join the bandwagon he harassed me continuously, with the result that I have both high blood pressure and diabetes today. The boss treats me very badly whenever I go to him. This has given me acidity and migraine. I lost my promotion and all my colleagues became senior to me. This was very stressful and I could not handle the humiliation. Now migraine and lack of interest in the job are a part of me.

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Let us look at a few ways to handle stress, so that it remains within controllable levels and it becomes a positive element in our achievement. Control your responses: be factual, introspect. Separate perception from reality. Check and make sure your self-esteem is at an Im OK level. Upgrade your knowledge, your preparedness through homework. Improve IPR at the workplace. Establish a good, healthy work relationship with the boss. Practice yoga to reduce stress. Learn meditation. Exercise regularly but do not overexert. When encountering a stressful situation in office, climb a few stairs rapidly. The above list is by no means exhaustive and is only suggestive. Additionally, look at other non-workplace related sources that create uncontrollable, high levels of stress in your life and work out solutions. It must be emphasized that, unless controlled, a high level of stress leads to adverse effects on health and sometimes is simply not worth it. This is not to say that we should run away from stress or take assignments where stress levels are low. However, avoid long, continuous periods of high stress. Remember, you can control all stress and bring it down to the level where it is positive and drives performance. You must examine if leading a high-stress life-style is worth the price. Avoid making stress your life and you will avoid an early burnout.

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Balance Your Emotions

re you considered a good performer and colleague because you are smart, intelligent, qualified and loaded with knowledge and expertise? Not necessarily. In the final analysis you are assessed by your behaviour and self-management skills.

We are hired because of our intellectual strengths. But we grow because of our emotional stability and maturity, because we are able to handle ourselves and most importantly are able to handle our emotions. You must understand that balanced, under control emotions are a very major strength that we all need to cultivate to succeed in the workplace as well as in society. Therefore, success in corporate life does not depend only on technical knowledge or cognitive competence. What counts is the ability to get along with other team members. And getting along with others involves an emotional approachan approach where emotions play a controlling role. In a recent cricket match, I saw the opening bowler bowl his heart out and his emotions seemed under control. He bowled in a planned, aggressive manner and finally got his wicket. On the other side, the batsman was obviously having a bad morning. He swung so wildly that it was obvious to spectators that his emotions were not in controlhe was operating under emotional pressureand under such conditions it was only a matter of time before he threw his wicket away. Emotional maturity or stability is the ability to understand your own feelings and emotions as well as understanding the feelings, emotions and reactions of others. Cary Chevnin and Mitchel Adler (Training and Development, 2000) define Emotional Intelligence (EI) as the ability to accurately identify and understand ones own emotional reactions and those of others. It also involves the ability to regulate ones emotions to use them to make good decisions and act effectively (Mayer, Salovey and Caruso, 1998). It is a fact that a large number of brilliant individuals do not meet with success because they do not bring the power of emotional intelligence into their work and societal environment. Together, EI and self-esteem (SE) provide the foundation on which various attributes contributing to success are built. For a young manager who has just commenced his/her career, these would be among others: a feeling of self-worth, the ability to give and take, risk taking, confidence, trustworthiness and integrity. Emotional maturity also implies getting in touch with our feelings, understanding them and then keeping them under control so that dysfunctional expressions and behaviours are avoided. The following statement signifies a healthy approach. When I lost my promotion all my colleagues became my seniors. I felt hurt and rejected, but I made up my mind to become more effective and prove to the management they had made a mistake in not promoting me. EI is useful at all timesmore so when the chips are down, when things are not going your way, when life becomes loaded with negatives. People will watch you in such situations and you stand to make a very positive impression if you are able to operate with emotional stability under such circumstances. As an industry colleague recalls:

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 I had a boss whose temper flashpoint was low. No day was complete without a few files hitting the floor or the ceiling. He was a very intelligent man. He was intelligent. But not emotionally intelligent and, therefore, ultimately his level of success may have been adversely effected. EI does not mean licking your wounds and swallowing negatives when ill-treated or hurt. EI is giving vent to your feelings in the right way, at the right time, to the correct person/s. As you grow, you mature in EI. However, if you learn to become aware of your emotions, their consequences and the need to manage emotions early in life, you will realize that practising EI can result in experiences that are both beautiful and effective. When talking, making a presentation, when persuading or emphasizing a point one has to be sensitive to the emotional reaction of the other person/s. With a fine-tuned EI reading, your reactions and adjusting your pace/approach becomes much easier and more effective. Daniel Goleman (1998) concludes his studies by stating The difference between superior performance and average performance depends almost completely on EI. In other words, EI + job knowledge + job competencies = success OR Skill in handling own and others feelings + job knowledge + job competencies = thundering success Therefore, we must understand that each element in the equation above has its importance. Job knowledge and job competencies are easily obtained. The problem is EIand understanding it and honing it. Another related area is emotional competencies or EC. This is the learned ability based on EI that improves job performance. EC can include attitudes and beliefs as well as skills and abilities. EI or EC does not mean that we do not get angry or do not express happiness or joy openly. EI refers to a controlled functional and effective way of doing this. EI or EC does not, even for a moment, ask that you become a robot or a rigid employee with no feelings, far from it. It does ask that you become aware of your feelings, impulses and short emotional fuses. Once you become aware of these, learn to keep them in check and release them judiciously. I am reminded of a colleague who never reacted to the yelling of the boss nor did he complain about it. On the contrary, he used to look serene when his boss yelled at him. We marvelled at his emotional balance until we found out that he was hard of hearing and switched off his hearing aid when ever his boss was in his elements. In interpersonal relationships the other person/s play/s an important part. So you must learn to first become aware of your own feelings, then become aware of the other person/s feelings, reactions and anxieties. I had a senior who was a dignity destroyer. Harsh and acidic. When confronted with this he vehemently denied doing this. He was not aware of (or refused to admit) his own emotions, neither was he aware of the emotional reactions he was causing in others. A case of low, latent EI or EC.

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When you have positive self-esteem, you accept yourself as you are. The other does not have such a role to play. With EI, you become aware of your own feeling level, as well as that of the other person, and adapt your behaviour accordingly. For instance, if you feel the boss yells at you and humiliates you for no rhyme or reason, let us see the role SE and EI/EC have to play in such a situation. SE: The boss yelled needlessly. I am OK as a person. Maybe something is wrong with my behavior which I must examine. I will not let such yelling affect my self-esteem. EI/EC: I am hurt and humiliated. I have got in touch with my feelings. I am aware of them. I feel like yelling back but my EI tells me that yelling will not be functional. Therefore, I will control my impulses and quick reactions. I will positively speak to the boss on this later. Right now, he is agitated and upset. Talking to him now will not be functional. I will be prudent and with a measured approach share my feelings with the boss later. Becoming sensitive to your own feelings and those of others will help tremendously when dealing with customers. You will become aware of their feelings through their responses and their emotions will be clear to you. You will also be aware of your own emotions. Good knowledge of both the sides of the interaction will lead to a greater chance of customer satisfaction. This is equally true for external as well as internal customers. Remain calm, collected, and you will remain to collect the autumn leaves.

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If you have no definite destination, then any road will get you there. It is essential to be focused on a series of goals, some short-term, some long-term. If a well-defined goal is achieved along with a feeling of satisfaction, we have a process of positive growth. Drifting, falling by the wayside and non-successes are less easily acceptable if the goal is welldefined. A road map is essential if your journey is to be pleasantly completed. For this, you must understand the process of...

Setting Goals

Right from the beginning of my career, I have been doing a periodic potential assessment exercise with my senior. This comprises a frank and free personal SWOT, what is required of me to get there and what should I do to get there in the shortest possible time.

oals are flagstones of your future. They automatically structure your time and give you a ready-made road map to your career goal. Now you need not waste time and can launch into your voyage.

So, get down setting those crucial goals. Sit down with your supervisor and obtain his/her job expectations of you. List your activities and achievements. Establish gaps between actual and desired level of performance. This gives an idea of the direction of goals. Establish your key result areas (KRAs) and extract your key activities from each. Establish clear-cut, time-bound goals against each KRA. Use this opportunity to clarify expected business results/parameters and receive a performance appraisal. Dont let go until you have the managements overall expectations of you. Share this with your supervisor, obtain his/her approval and ask for regular feedback and guidance on your goal achievement. This feedback can be monthly, quarterly or at the most halfyearly and must be directed to obtain the managements assessment of youre: Functional/job skills gap. Performance gap. People-skills gap. Behavioural gap. Get down working to bridge the gaps. Dont restrict yourself to the goals but plan to exceed them especially when you have set goals that do not challenge you enough. Growth is possible when your goals require abilities that exceed what you possess. This will make your life more challenging, your work more satisfying and your image more impressive. Look for fulfilment; for enrichment. It will help a lot if you love your job and take pride in your responsibilities even as you reduce those goals where you experience drudgery or lack of interest, whilst expanding those goals which align with your aptitude and bring out the best in you. As Stephen Covey lays down in his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, besides your work life, make a list of goals related to your personal life. Write down the various roles you

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occupy, i.e. son/daughter, wife/husband, brother/sister, father/mother, friend etc., and establish goals against each role. Such role-specific goals will enrich your life beyond belief. Imagine, fantasize, and write them down. Self-talk on their importance to you. Get them to be a part of your unconscious system. Work towards them and feel elated when you have achieved some of them. Look for reasons why your achievement is not cent per cent. Remember two important things while setting your goals: Prioritizing and evaluation of progress. Prioritizing is very important to goal-setting. Learn to prioritize using the important vs. urgent grid. Goal-setting is incomplete without maintenance of a daily diary to record the progress made. Keep a pocket diary to note the progress you make. Whenever you find yourself falling behind or deviating from your goals, do a mid-course correction. This is not a solo exercise; you will need the active help of colleagues and that of your close friends. Share, but share prudently. Identify your goals, set your limits and stride resolutely towards them. In the public sector organization that I have joined, goal setting is a mere ritual. However, our trainer insisted that we sit down and finalize our work-related goals with our boss. I found this exercise extremely helpful, especially since not only the performance but the goals themselves are reviewed every month. Authentic Statement

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Career Management

As we go along we have to ask the person in the Mirror whether in our journey we are staying true to our self. Robert Kaplan in On Managing Yourself HBR mentions that we have to ensure that our work also fits in our own beliefs and personality, additionally Is my leadership (work) style comfortable? Does it reflect who I truly am? Do I assert myself sufficiently, or have I become tentative? Am I too politically correct? Does worry about my next promotion or bonus cause me to pull punches or hesitate to express my views?

nce upon a time, organizations took employees on board and looked after their training, growth, careers, ultimately providing pension and benefits for a comfortable retired life.

A career was interpreted as a series of upward movements that led to greater security, higher salaries with more perks, more authority and power, with a higher degree of visibility. No longer so. Today, the responsibility for career management has shifted from the organization to the employee. Therefore, you are the one in charge of and responsible for your own career. It becomes your responsibility to upgrade your skills, and knowledge to ensure growth. You must try to be at the right place at the right time. You must build support from many bosses so that you gain your rewards in time. Additionally, a career is an unending process of growth and learning based on reflection upon mistakes and success-related and work-related experiences. It is a process full of frustration, happiness, pains and pleasures, ups and downs. Career management simply means you plan and manage your career in such a way that the ups are more than the downs. In fact, as far as humanly possible, we should ensure that our career journey is full of ups, i.e. peaks rather than valleys. Career management also means doing an excellent job at the individual level while acknowledging the strength of interdependence. You dont have to look upon your career as joining the rat race or jumping onto a fast track. However, you must ensure that irrespective of the stage your career is at, the journey continues to be meaningful. This must be done without always sacrificing the self. In other words, you have to examine whether your personal identity has merged with your organizational role thus making your growth unidirectional. For proper career management and growth, it may be better for you to develop a fully blossomed, multidimensional, multi-skilled personality. I was a witness to the career graph of a senior colleague who joined as a trainee and rose up to be a board of directors. He was focused and intense. He believed in being on the right side of the powers that be without having to become a yes-man.

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He kept track of the direction the company was taking, analysed where he would fit in and contribute and identified positions of high visibility and high responsibility. Then he met those in positions and told them what he could do for the organization. When he was given those responsibilities, he put in superlative efforts. His success was due to his competence and also due to his excellent career management skills. Career management can be depicted as follows: Self-assessment. Environmental scan. Self-assessment Draw an inventory of your strengths, weaknesses, and qualifications. Take a special look at your values and interests. Also, consider your personal ambitions, the milestones that you would cross in your journey towards the ultimate goal. Look at the career path models designed by your organization, if available. At the self-assessment stage, some assignments will rule themselves out (A pure MBA may not aspire to a technical assignment and a technical graduate may not be included in a promotional assignment and so on ...). Environmental Scan Look at the direction in which the company is going. What are its future plans with regard to mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, entry into new fields etc? Make a note of where you could possibly fit in. Identify who is on the fast vertical track. Who will be the big boss heading the opportunities, who will be part of his/her team, which opportunities are likely to appear when and where? Also, identify who is highly thought of, but is plateauing career-wise (such individuals may not help you directly, but can speak well of you). There will be some others whose opinions and views are sought and respected by the management. Importantly, in your environmental scan, identify those, who you feel may come in your way, who may create obstacles in your growth or those who may help you by pushing your career upwards. Make a list of various jobs, assignments and departments you aspire to work in. List out the attributes required for each. Note down your qualifications and your self-assessed profile. Identify areas which match and then create a match between self and the job opportunity and the team that you want to join. See how such inter-team, interdepartmental postings are given and then work out a strategy to create an opening for you. Normally, postings and responsibilities related to plum assignments take place through the boss. When he/she takes over a new responsibility and wants to strengthen the team, people normally called upon will be those who have proven competence and who also enjoys his/her trust; above all those who have proven loyalty. Always seek the support and patronage of the boss. Never be flippant in the presence of your bosses. I knew a youngster who got himself into a lot of trouble with his boss. Listen to what he has to say: I was popular with my friends because of my sense of humour. I always tried to be funny, to lighten the mood of others. When I joined an organization I tried to be funny with my boss too. I once cracked jokes against a community without knowing that his wife belonged to that community. Naturally, he did not take this too kindly and very soon I lost my credibility in the

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organization and was always ignored for serious responsibilities because everyone thought I lacked the maturity and gravity to handle them. So learn to be on the right side of the rising stars (normally much more than one in number). Good career management requires good visibility, excellent networking and contacts all within the organization. So, get friendly with the HR team. Learn to benefit from the grapevine. Get on board with someone who has inside news about future plans. Study the networking techniques, both formal and informal, of successful seniors who have risen in the organization or who have succeeded excellently in their careers. Target the rising stars; look for opportunities to interact with them so as to make an appearance on their horizon. Let the rising stars know, albeit indirectly, that you would love to be on their team and that you have what it takes. In all this, do not forget the current boss. Continue to be on his/her right side always; else he/she can become a great roadblock. Prevent this from happening. Finally, do not neglect the quality or effectiveness of your current assignment. Continue to be a star performer, standing head and shoulders above the crowd. You will be noticed. You will be rewarded. Success is guaranteed.

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What do I do if I get stuck in my Career?

Some of the universal reasons are lack of opportunity, company stagnation or post self-management, post boss management and inability to project the work being done.

here would hardly be anyone in the history of organizations who has not had a dip in his / her career on the way up. It is normal happening and therefore let us look at what we should do when our career is in the valley: how do we bring it to a peak once again.

I have come across 2 sets of people in my consultancy years one those who fall and remain fallen .Two those who fall get up dust themselves and carry on the battle to succeed. The first step that is recommended is to examine your behaviour, see what you have done and more importantly see what you have not done which has caused the jarring in your journey. Without feeling guilty or blaming yourself dis-passionately examine your behaviour and take corrective action. In most cases you would be on track once again. Look at your Boss management. In my corporate life I have found that majority of the career hiccups occur due to insensitive boss management therefore go back to the chapter on boss management and identify what went wrong. I remember my boss wanted me for an important conference but I kept away doing a training program. I also fought with my boss on 2 or 3 occasions regular fights to prove him wrong. At the end of the year he got a change and he fixed me up. I lost 2 years in promotion. Look at your interpersonal relations. See whether you have created friction and negative conflict in your work place. Have you created undue pressure and stress in the working? Answering in the positive improve your interpersonal interactions with people become more accepted and then go on to win. The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) has a very powerful approach in the Behaviour Engineering Model (BEM) The BEM propagates the theory that factors influencing performance are either environmental or individual. Put in a matrix it looks like this;
Information Environment Individual Data Knowledge Instrumentation Resources Capacity Motivation Incentives Motives

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Look at your personal case; take the help of a Mentor or a close colleague you trust who knows your work style. Look at the six windows or boxes are reflected above. Start with window no one and end with window no six. In the recorded experience there is hardly any career situation which is not solved by the BEM Analysis.
Information Environment Individual Instrumentation 1st Data 6th Knowledge Motivation 2nd Resources 3rd Incentives 5th Capacity 4th Motives

To help you do a good job each one is explained in detail with examples below.
Information Environment Data 1. Relevant and frequent feedback about the adequacy of performance 2. A description of what is exemplary performance 3. Clear and relevant goals and objectives Individual Knowledge 1. Systematically designed training that matches the requirements of exemplary performance 2. Placement Instrumentation Resources 1. Tools, resources, time and materials of work designed to match performance needs Motivation Incentives 1. Adequate financial incentives contingent upon performance 2. Non-monetary incentives 3. Career -development opportunities 4. Clear consequences for poor performance

Capacity 1. Flexible scheduling of performance to match peak capacity 2. Prostheses or visual aids 3. Physical shaping 4. Selection

Motives 1. Assessment of peoples motives to work 2. Recruitment of people to match the realities of the situation

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Use the BEM dispassionately, honestly with an open mind-set. Identify the gaps in the individual portion and then make a implementable, actionable action plan to reduce those gaps.

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Even if the reason is behavioural or related to motivation, morale or whatever it will be revealed clearly and if you are serious in bringing your career to a peak the issue and situation will come back to where you want it.

If the gaps exist in the environment it would be better to discuss the same with the supervisor or the Manager. Take their help and support to reduce the gaps.

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Each organization has its own culture, its own traditions and its own set of dos and donts. The visible part of work practices is only the tip of the iceberg. You have to become capable of gauging the true depth and nature of this iceberg. And to become capable of doing this you have to first reduce the turbulence experienced by you in the new environment. Also remember, that in todays commercial world things change on a daily basis. Technology up-gradation, mergers and acquisitions, a downsizing paradigm shift in management functioning style and restructuring due to cost control to name a few. Therefore, even as a new entrant you must be good at...

Coping And Managing Change

Organizations operate in a highly volatile environment. They operate in a flux. This atmosphere places a lot of pressure on the employees. New entrants at any level have a difficult job cut out for them. On the one hand they need to adjust into the organizational culture and on the other they need to cope with the change necessitated by the ever-changing environment. In both cases, you must learn to cope with change if you have to survive the deluge. While adjusting to organizational culture, you must learn to deal successfully with your perceptions. Misperceptions, perceived injustice, perceived denial of reward, perceived wastage of potential, talent, education, etc., can land you in great trouble. Explore each perception for truth and reality. If it is a perception, not based on reality, drop it quickly. Even when your perceptions are accurate but they are part of organizational reality, it is best to accept them as such. If change is not possible externally, the solution lies in changing internally within yourself. Therefore, learn to manage and accept external change without sacrificing the quality and level of your competence. This is very important. Read this very carefully as it will help you understand the job market today and also reduce delusions and frustrations in the workplace. In the first few days you will find everything so perfect that you are excited about doing a great job. Or, you find everything exactly opposite to your dreams and vision. And you end up feeling very frustrated and fed up. This is because fully qualified professionals are available in large numbers due to high output at the college level. Organizations recruit engineers/MBAs where earlier a graduate or a postgraduate (non-professional) served the purpose, since the jobs are not very high-tech. Therefore, professionals end up doing jobs with negligible, or low to mid-tech content. They get easily disillusioned or frustrated due to a perceived waste of qualification. The best thing to do under the circumstances is to accept the reality, work with sincerity, prove your competence, create a strong identity and then try to move to an assignment in the same organization with a more rewarding job content (also called job rotation). Leaving the organization or changing jobs should be the last resort since the same story is likely to be repeated in the new organization you join, since you will be a new entrant again. Remember, if change is not possible externally, the solution lies in changing within yourself.

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In todays commercial world things change on a daily basis. To succeed in your chosen career, you need to think on your feet, adapt and cope. There are two parts to the management of change: Managing current changes occurring in the workplace. Enhancing your skills for the future. It is natural that change is always accompanied by resistance therefore, keep your resistance level and phase to the minimum. Not falling in line quickly will be seen as an attempt to sabotage the new systems and methods. Ensure that you show an active interest in the process of change: ask questions, learn about the areas or operations affected most by the change process. After understanding the change that is taking place, make sure your response is visibly positive. Make a road map of your plan to handle change and its consequences. Share how you will manage the change and help others also to do the same. If you really want to be good at managing change, you have to understand the theory as well as the practical steps thoroughly. It would be nice if you made a list of: The managements role and responsibilities in the change process. The employees role and responsibilities in the change process. Share this with your seniors not with a look how knowledgeable I am attitude but with an am I on the right track? approach. Of course, all this after you have done enough reading on Management of Change!

Manage change. Adapt! Excel!

I left my last job in less than a year because I was being used to do only minor data analysis and scheduling dispatches. This was not the job for an engineer with an MBA. I felt fed up. In my current job, we were told during induction that our assignments initially would have very little to do with our qualifications. One more shock! But they prepared me very well. Right now I am handling only a small part of logistics but along the line I know the company will use my talents to its advantage. Authentic Statement I dont know what is wrong with our youngsters. Everybody wants a managers job and that too in line with his or her college specialization. As a CEO I felt there was a real need for this workshop, and I find that they are now more sensible in their approach.

Authentic Statement

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