Dear Reader,
Now having got your attention , let us pause for a moment to look at, "Emotional Intelligence The Next Step in a Business's Survival Strategy".
In an article by Thomas Bonney, the article goes on to look at even Charles Darwin's theory where in the corporate world, the process of natural selection is becoming very evident within the business community over the past two years.
Employers of today are operating within a challenging new business climate and must now determine what strain of "corporate DNA" will render their organizations fittest for long-term survival.
Read on to know more;
Regards,
Prasad.
Charles Darwin may have presented his theory of biological evolution more than 150 years ago in The Origin of Species, but it could be argued that the process of natural selection has become particularly evident within the business community over the past two years. Employers are operating within a challenging new business climate and must now determine what strain of "corporate DNA" will render their organizations fittest for long-term survival.
Some companies have developed a tougher exterior of core competencies, composed of functional adaptability and flexibility - both within the company and with suppliers, customers and service partners - to weather ongoing competitive threats from an increasingly harsher global external environment. However, a more critical contributor to an organization's enduring success actually lies internally, in the emotional intelligence of its people, starting with the leadership team.
Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to intuitively manage emotions, both those experienced personally and by other individuals and groups. Historically, this term has been most visible within psychology circles and in HR departments at larger organizations. However, it is expected to gain broader corporate favor as more companies realize that typical organizational defense mechanisms no longer ensure survival.
Examples of these fading mechanisms include intellectual property, which is increasingly leapfrogged or stolen; long-term contracts, which are increasingly renegotiated; and access to distribution channel and end customers, which is increasingly disintermediated by the Internet. Alternatively, we project more organizations will recognize the powerful operational cohesiveness that can result from a companywide migration of emotional intelligence "messenger RNA."
Company leadership is the platform of an emotionally healthy organization. Leadership behavior and the tone it sets in the daily operation of a business may be the single largest contributing factor to success or failure.
Managing stress, recovering quickly from setbacks and dealing with adversity are all daily realities in the life of today's business leader. How well or poorly leaders understand and manage their emotions - and understand the impact of their emotions on others - will either motivate or potentially derail employees. In addition, a leadership team with a high degree of emotional self-awareness can be a powerful competitive advantage.
To build upon an organizational platform of emotional health, leaders must foster confidence and trust in employees in terms of their ability to succeed in today's highly competitive business environment.
A core strategy for creating a culture of trust is a consistent interpersonal communications methodology centered on building and maintaining social harmony among teams. In essence, employees must observe and learn how appropriately chosen words and actions hold the power to move organizations forward by harnessing the necessary emotion to achieve the desired goals.
One primary emotional intelligence skill set is the ability to apply word choice, voice tone and facial expression to optimize the clear meaning and productive outcome of a dialogue. For example, in a conflict management situation, a pivotal consideration would be the selection of "I think you should reconsider" vs. "You're wrong."
Another principal skill set is the ability to pick up on subtle verbal and nonverbal cues, including what is not said. Companies on the vanguard of leveraging emotional intelligence's value have the courage to invest heavily in related interpersonal communication training as well as initiatives to ingrain these communication tenets across internal functions and within business partner relationships.
Darwin's closing of The Origin of Species includes the following statement: "From the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly follows."
In a similar vein, emotional intelligence offers organizations a powerful operational platform for emerging from the economic turmoil in a stringer position to survive.
The key to achieving this higher-order foundation for longevity is business leaders' commitment to demonstrating and instilling emotional self-awareness and management as well as interpersonal sensitivity that fosters more productive internal and external communication.
[About the Author: Thomas Bonney is managing director at CMF Associates.]
LULU PAGE
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Dear Reader,
Here is something that caught my eye.
In my thinking, "Strategy is nothing but the business decisions of tommorow taken today".
However when one looks at organizations across the world one finds that they are far from the delivery aspect.
They have the best of managers, best resources to reach out to , and the wherewithall to plan , implement and drive their strategies [atleast all supposedly so].
However when push comes to shove what happens and what results is that these very organizations remain far away from attaining their goals and objectives .
Targets are just about met, promises mostly half baked and half delivered upon , worst is the case of the internal and external customer being left a very dissatisfied person at the end of the transaction.
However in the post below where, Josh Leibner and Gershon Mader discuss the,"Four Myths of Strategy",it is clear that,Companies must abandon several common assumptions about planning and execution for a strategy to succeed.
So read on;
Regards,
Prasad.
Every year, executives at American corporations dutifully gather together their top brass, lock themselves in a room and go through the time-honored tradition known as strategic planning. After a few hours - or a few days - they emerge with a sacred document that will increase their sales, make their services shine, engage their staff and secure their futures.
Well, at least that's the story they tell us in business school. In reality, most companies craft a half-baked strategic plan that is only partially implemented and has sketchy buy-in at best.
Based on their research, Robert Kaplan of Harvard Business School and David Norton of the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative estimate that as many as 90 percent of all corporate strategies are not executed successfully. Beyond not being properly implemented, the strategies themselves are often problematic.
Henry Mintzberg, in his seminal 1993 book The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning, refers to strategic planning as an "oxymoron," claiming that "the process can straitjacket an organization by stifling innovation and commitment."
So what's a well-meaning executive to do if he or she wants to make the most of the strategic planning process while avoiding the pitfalls of poor design and implementation? To start, he or she must understand the four myths that lead to wishful, wasteful or less-than-worthwhile strategic planning efforts.
Myth No. 1: Content Is King
Most executives believe that if you get the content of your strategy right, the success of that strategy is a foregone conclusion. They assume that the substance of the strategy must be composed of realistic objectives and the most accurate and valid information.
In their quest to create a strategy that can credibly stand up to the scrutiny of these criteria - and senior management approval - companies often employ outside experts, such as consulting and marketing firms, to analyze, research and benchmark their industry, competitors and markets. In addition, they use tools such as a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis to help create objectives that address both the past performance and current circumstances of the company. Sounds reasonable. And therein lies the problem.
What goes unrecognized and unaddressed is that no strategy can ever be right or reasonable enough to account for all the events that might emerge on the road to its fulfillment. Not to mention the amount of buy-in required from all levels to deal with those events as they arise. Therefore, perfect content is an illusion that leads to an increasing investment of resources in the pursuit of the one true strategy that will win the day.
In reality, any strategy is only as good as the degree to which the people within the organization are committed to it. Even the most accurate and well-crafted plan will fail if people don't take accountability for delivering it.
Picture the following scenario: A large national service company spent $2 million to hire a top-tier consulting firm to figure out what direction it should take the company. By conducting a standard SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis, the consultants came up with a well-thought-out, several-hundred-page strategy document housed in a beautiful binder - that no one on the management team believed would work. Even though the company had just spent millions coming up with the "right" content for the strategy, it did not have the environment of trust, partnership and open communication necessary for it to be executed.
Leaders who are looking to generate alignment and commitment behind a strategy cannot rely solely on the content of the strategy itself, but must address the context - the organizational culture - in which that strategy is to be executed. For any strategy to succeed, authentic, courageous communication and ownership is essential.
Myth No. 2: Consensus Equals Success
In the eyes of many leaders, the ultimate level of buy-in for a strategic plan is simply consensus. The belief behind this myth is that if everyone feels pretty good about the plan and has no strong objections, it's about the best that can be hoped for.
But the problem with taking a consensus-building approach is that it requires settling for the lowest common denominator that everyone can agree with, rather than striving for solutions that challenge current thinking.
Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of England, once said: "To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects - the process of avoiding the very issues that have to be solved, merely because you cannot get agreement on the way ahead."
Ultimately, consensus can lead to cynicism and resignation that, when difficulties in execution are encountered, manifest in a chorus of "I told you so," "If only they had listened to me," and "I didn't really believe it was the right course of action."
In reality, consensus is way too low a bar for the fulfillment of any strategic plan that requires substantial organizational change. There is, in fact, something about engaging in the process of developing the strategy itself that is fundamental to people feeling ownership over it. Input into the strategy but a lack of involvement in developing it may create compliance, but being actively involved in its generation creates commitment.
To generate this commitment, executives need to set the bar to the higher goal of alignment. Reaching this alignment requires putting people's concerns, doubts, uncertainties and water-cooler conversations on the table so they can be dealt with out in the open. Alignment is achieved when people leave the strategy discussions fully on board with whatever decision the group has reached, with no plan B, no pocket vetoes and no reservations about fully investing themselves in pursuing the agreed-upon direction.
Myth No. 3: Exclusion Is Efficient
The typical strategic planning process is an exclusive affair. Executives often believe that the fewer people involved in the process, the easier it will be. As such, they often limit participation to a small group of business unit heads or the strategy development group. But putting together the strategic planning team is not a matter of finding the perfect group size - it's about gathering together the right people. You must include both those individuals who have the best sense about where the organization needs to go and those who are going to implement the agreed-upon direction and objectives.
Unfortunately, it is often an elite group of people who are removed from the day-to-day issues of the business who do the strategy development. While the objective view that these individuals provide can be useful, those who are then tasked with the implementation of the strategy frequently respond to it with skepticism, cynicism, outright disbelief and even resentment. Beyond the emotional cost, the lack of listening to input from those closest to the issues can be an expensive proposition.
While some impatient executives might see this broader inclusion as slowing things down, slower in this case is faster - since doing things right from the start saves times and money and prevents having to do everything all over again.
Myth No. 4: Communication Creates Commitment
Town halls, road shows, all-hands meetings and webinars are all popular vehicles for spreading the word and gaining buy-in once the strategic plan has been crafted. Most senior executives will tout these communication efforts as a critical step in helping the organization understand what the strategy means and what role each person plays in bringing it to fruition.
But while these types of events can generate a significant amount of energy and excitement, they also contain serious pitfalls that can lead to cynicism rather than commitment.
One of these pitfalls is the mistaken belief that employees are empty vessels, just waiting for the word from above about where the company is headed and what they should be doing to help it get there.
Far from being empty, people are already full. They're full of frustrations and disappointments about what executives have said they were going to do in the past and what they actually did. They're full from promises made and not kept and from accepting requests to get involved in a company strategy and then being ignored when times got tough.
Employees have little time - or need - for fanfare and hype. What they want to know is that their bosses understand and are committed to addressing the challenges they face in putting a strategy in place.
For example: If staff communicate that a certain supervisor is a tyrant, will management listen and hold that person accountable for demonstrating the values they are promoting? If systems are broken or inadequate, will management hear the impact that this has on staff and make the proper investment to set things right? If staff members are caught in the crossfire of feuding bosses, will the leaders of the company leave them to their warring factions or let them know political gamesmanship won't be tolerated?
Only by listening to what workers are saying - through both their words and their behavior - will leaders become aware of an able to address the issues that are preventing them from embracing the company's strategic objectives. When this type of listening happens and action is taken, commitment to the strategic plan follows suit.
Strategic planning is not an accounting and forecasting exercise. It's not a weekend off-site spent in a room, hashing out who's willing to go along with what. And it's not a bunch of words put to paper and placed in a binder. It is a living, breathing, organic leadership action. It requires not a calculator, but the courage and conviction to inspire everyone to be their best and get on the same page. As Academy Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola once said: "The first step in making a good movie is getting everyone involved to be making the same movie."
[About the Authors: Josh Leibner and Gershon Mader are co-founders of Quantum Performance Inc. and authors of The Power of Strategic Commitment: Achieving Extraordinary Results Through TOTAL Alignment and Engagement.]
Here is something that caught my eye.
In my thinking, "Strategy is nothing but the business decisions of tommorow taken today".
However when one looks at organizations across the world one finds that they are far from the delivery aspect.
They have the best of managers, best resources to reach out to , and the wherewithall to plan , implement and drive their strategies [atleast all supposedly so].
However when push comes to shove what happens and what results is that these very organizations remain far away from attaining their goals and objectives .
Targets are just about met, promises mostly half baked and half delivered upon , worst is the case of the internal and external customer being left a very dissatisfied person at the end of the transaction.
However in the post below where, Josh Leibner and Gershon Mader discuss the,"Four Myths of Strategy",it is clear that,Companies must abandon several common assumptions about planning and execution for a strategy to succeed.
So read on;
Regards,
Prasad.
Every year, executives at American corporations dutifully gather together their top brass, lock themselves in a room and go through the time-honored tradition known as strategic planning. After a few hours - or a few days - they emerge with a sacred document that will increase their sales, make their services shine, engage their staff and secure their futures.
Well, at least that's the story they tell us in business school. In reality, most companies craft a half-baked strategic plan that is only partially implemented and has sketchy buy-in at best.
Based on their research, Robert Kaplan of Harvard Business School and David Norton of the Balanced Scorecard Collaborative estimate that as many as 90 percent of all corporate strategies are not executed successfully. Beyond not being properly implemented, the strategies themselves are often problematic.
Henry Mintzberg, in his seminal 1993 book The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning, refers to strategic planning as an "oxymoron," claiming that "the process can straitjacket an organization by stifling innovation and commitment."
So what's a well-meaning executive to do if he or she wants to make the most of the strategic planning process while avoiding the pitfalls of poor design and implementation? To start, he or she must understand the four myths that lead to wishful, wasteful or less-than-worthwhile strategic planning efforts.
Myth No. 1: Content Is King
Most executives believe that if you get the content of your strategy right, the success of that strategy is a foregone conclusion. They assume that the substance of the strategy must be composed of realistic objectives and the most accurate and valid information.
In their quest to create a strategy that can credibly stand up to the scrutiny of these criteria - and senior management approval - companies often employ outside experts, such as consulting and marketing firms, to analyze, research and benchmark their industry, competitors and markets. In addition, they use tools such as a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis to help create objectives that address both the past performance and current circumstances of the company. Sounds reasonable. And therein lies the problem.
What goes unrecognized and unaddressed is that no strategy can ever be right or reasonable enough to account for all the events that might emerge on the road to its fulfillment. Not to mention the amount of buy-in required from all levels to deal with those events as they arise. Therefore, perfect content is an illusion that leads to an increasing investment of resources in the pursuit of the one true strategy that will win the day.
In reality, any strategy is only as good as the degree to which the people within the organization are committed to it. Even the most accurate and well-crafted plan will fail if people don't take accountability for delivering it.
Picture the following scenario: A large national service company spent $2 million to hire a top-tier consulting firm to figure out what direction it should take the company. By conducting a standard SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis, the consultants came up with a well-thought-out, several-hundred-page strategy document housed in a beautiful binder - that no one on the management team believed would work. Even though the company had just spent millions coming up with the "right" content for the strategy, it did not have the environment of trust, partnership and open communication necessary for it to be executed.
Leaders who are looking to generate alignment and commitment behind a strategy cannot rely solely on the content of the strategy itself, but must address the context - the organizational culture - in which that strategy is to be executed. For any strategy to succeed, authentic, courageous communication and ownership is essential.
Myth No. 2: Consensus Equals Success
In the eyes of many leaders, the ultimate level of buy-in for a strategic plan is simply consensus. The belief behind this myth is that if everyone feels pretty good about the plan and has no strong objections, it's about the best that can be hoped for.
But the problem with taking a consensus-building approach is that it requires settling for the lowest common denominator that everyone can agree with, rather than striving for solutions that challenge current thinking.
Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of England, once said: "To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies in search of something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects - the process of avoiding the very issues that have to be solved, merely because you cannot get agreement on the way ahead."
Ultimately, consensus can lead to cynicism and resignation that, when difficulties in execution are encountered, manifest in a chorus of "I told you so," "If only they had listened to me," and "I didn't really believe it was the right course of action."
In reality, consensus is way too low a bar for the fulfillment of any strategic plan that requires substantial organizational change. There is, in fact, something about engaging in the process of developing the strategy itself that is fundamental to people feeling ownership over it. Input into the strategy but a lack of involvement in developing it may create compliance, but being actively involved in its generation creates commitment.
To generate this commitment, executives need to set the bar to the higher goal of alignment. Reaching this alignment requires putting people's concerns, doubts, uncertainties and water-cooler conversations on the table so they can be dealt with out in the open. Alignment is achieved when people leave the strategy discussions fully on board with whatever decision the group has reached, with no plan B, no pocket vetoes and no reservations about fully investing themselves in pursuing the agreed-upon direction.
Myth No. 3: Exclusion Is Efficient
The typical strategic planning process is an exclusive affair. Executives often believe that the fewer people involved in the process, the easier it will be. As such, they often limit participation to a small group of business unit heads or the strategy development group. But putting together the strategic planning team is not a matter of finding the perfect group size - it's about gathering together the right people. You must include both those individuals who have the best sense about where the organization needs to go and those who are going to implement the agreed-upon direction and objectives.
Unfortunately, it is often an elite group of people who are removed from the day-to-day issues of the business who do the strategy development. While the objective view that these individuals provide can be useful, those who are then tasked with the implementation of the strategy frequently respond to it with skepticism, cynicism, outright disbelief and even resentment. Beyond the emotional cost, the lack of listening to input from those closest to the issues can be an expensive proposition.
While some impatient executives might see this broader inclusion as slowing things down, slower in this case is faster - since doing things right from the start saves times and money and prevents having to do everything all over again.
Myth No. 4: Communication Creates Commitment
Town halls, road shows, all-hands meetings and webinars are all popular vehicles for spreading the word and gaining buy-in once the strategic plan has been crafted. Most senior executives will tout these communication efforts as a critical step in helping the organization understand what the strategy means and what role each person plays in bringing it to fruition.
But while these types of events can generate a significant amount of energy and excitement, they also contain serious pitfalls that can lead to cynicism rather than commitment.
One of these pitfalls is the mistaken belief that employees are empty vessels, just waiting for the word from above about where the company is headed and what they should be doing to help it get there.
Far from being empty, people are already full. They're full of frustrations and disappointments about what executives have said they were going to do in the past and what they actually did. They're full from promises made and not kept and from accepting requests to get involved in a company strategy and then being ignored when times got tough.
Employees have little time - or need - for fanfare and hype. What they want to know is that their bosses understand and are committed to addressing the challenges they face in putting a strategy in place.
For example: If staff communicate that a certain supervisor is a tyrant, will management listen and hold that person accountable for demonstrating the values they are promoting? If systems are broken or inadequate, will management hear the impact that this has on staff and make the proper investment to set things right? If staff members are caught in the crossfire of feuding bosses, will the leaders of the company leave them to their warring factions or let them know political gamesmanship won't be tolerated?
Only by listening to what workers are saying - through both their words and their behavior - will leaders become aware of an able to address the issues that are preventing them from embracing the company's strategic objectives. When this type of listening happens and action is taken, commitment to the strategic plan follows suit.
Strategic planning is not an accounting and forecasting exercise. It's not a weekend off-site spent in a room, hashing out who's willing to go along with what. And it's not a bunch of words put to paper and placed in a binder. It is a living, breathing, organic leadership action. It requires not a calculator, but the courage and conviction to inspire everyone to be their best and get on the same page. As Academy Award-winning director Francis Ford Coppola once said: "The first step in making a good movie is getting everyone involved to be making the same movie."
[About the Authors: Josh Leibner and Gershon Mader are co-founders of Quantum Performance Inc. and authors of The Power of Strategic Commitment: Achieving Extraordinary Results Through TOTAL Alignment and Engagement.]
THE HEART OF A TEACHER
Dear Reader,
Here below is a poem that appeared in,'Simple Truths'a site i am subscribed to.
The poem written from a parent to a teacher has good simple words and carry a lot of depth.
Rendered straight from the heart before the oncoming , Teacher Appreciation Day',on the 4th of May, it tells about the desire of honouring and saying thanks to the teachers who made a difference in the author's life.
The Poem is ;
"A PARENT'S NOTE TO A TEACHER"
by Anonymous
I'm the voice of a grateful parent
whose child was in your class...
the one who needed help to find his way
You've been a special blessing
as you helped my child succeed
and I'm thankful for the part you had to play
You gave him so much more
than just the lessons in the books
you gave him wings...so he could learn to fly
You ignited a flame within his soul
a passion to learn and grow...
to never give up and always be willing to try
Your encouragement inspired him
and your kindness was so real
but the thing that thrills my heart the most is this...
By building his self-confidence
you changed his life this year
he believes in himself...and a brighter future is his!
Equally wonderful and appreciative is the response given by a teacher to the parent and the student which is and i quoute;
" IT'S UP TO ME by Haim Ginott
I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather.
As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized."
Regards,
Prasad.
Here below is a poem that appeared in,'Simple Truths'a site i am subscribed to.
The poem written from a parent to a teacher has good simple words and carry a lot of depth.
Rendered straight from the heart before the oncoming , Teacher Appreciation Day',on the 4th of May, it tells about the desire of honouring and saying thanks to the teachers who made a difference in the author's life.
The Poem is ;
"A PARENT'S NOTE TO A TEACHER"
by Anonymous
I'm the voice of a grateful parent
whose child was in your class...
the one who needed help to find his way
You've been a special blessing
as you helped my child succeed
and I'm thankful for the part you had to play
You gave him so much more
than just the lessons in the books
you gave him wings...so he could learn to fly
You ignited a flame within his soul
a passion to learn and grow...
to never give up and always be willing to try
Your encouragement inspired him
and your kindness was so real
but the thing that thrills my heart the most is this...
By building his self-confidence
you changed his life this year
he believes in himself...and a brighter future is his!
Equally wonderful and appreciative is the response given by a teacher to the parent and the student which is and i quoute;
" IT'S UP TO ME by Haim Ginott
I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather.
As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized."
Regards,
Prasad.
Mountains of Business Wisdom: Six Months of Conversations with Top B-School Profs
Dear Reader,
It is indeed a great pleasure for me to share with you a dream article which everyone would love to read.
This article whose title is given below appeared in BNET's post of today.
Mountains of Business Wisdom: Six Months of Conversations with Top B-School Profs.
The review of the last six months of Wednesday interviews with top business school professors from around the world by Jeremy Dann is given at the link below.
Read the Full Story at;
http://blogs.bnet.com/mba/?p=2175&tag=nl.rSINGLE
Happy Reading,
Regards,
Prasad.
It is indeed a great pleasure for me to share with you a dream article which everyone would love to read.
This article whose title is given below appeared in BNET's post of today.
Mountains of Business Wisdom: Six Months of Conversations with Top B-School Profs.
The review of the last six months of Wednesday interviews with top business school professors from around the world by Jeremy Dann is given at the link below.
Read the Full Story at;
http://blogs.bnet.com/mba/?p=2175&tag=nl.rSINGLE
Happy Reading,
Regards,
Prasad.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Social Networking: An Engagement and Communication Tool
Dear Reader ,
Now-a-days social networking suddenly seems to be one of the hot topics around.
Here below is a brief article that is or could be useful to you somewhere.
Enjoy your read.
Regards,
Prasad.
Social Networking: An Engagement and Communication Tool
by Elaine Varelas
Twitter, Facebook and other social networking tools give CEOs and senior leaders the power to communicate instantly and with great regularity and consistency with large, globally diverse teams, including employees, contractors and vendors. This helps foster open communication, clarity of direction and goals and direct connection between individual team members and the leaders of the business.
1. Social networking as a communication tool:
If leaders want their employees to use social networks as means of cross-team communication, it is critical that they be given access to such sites. In addition, if a company is using social networks to promote the organization, products or brand, it does not send a good message to then suggest to employees that they should not be checking their social networking sites during the workday. The employer may, however, ask that employees hold off on making or responding to personal postings during work hours. Social networking can provide a great opportunity for managers to build trust with their team by encouraging them to use the sites for professional communications and for personal communications outside of work. They need to ascertain whether social networking has a negative impact on productivity before unduly restricting or limiting usage.
In some cases, social networking has been found to increase productivity, particularly for teams that are in geographically disparate locations. Furthermore, social networks can be a company's most powerful marketing and lead generation tool - not to mention, they are free to use.
Managers who struggle with staff members who waste time on social networks will often find that productivity issues will remain whether the employees have access to the social networking sites or not.
The risk of overuse or misuse can be ameliorated by putting a thoughtful launch plan in place and providing employees clear and concise parameters for using social networks in the workplace.
2. Social networking as an engagement tool:
Using social networks as an internal tool can dramatically increase the ability for companies to communicate with employees and, if done effectively, can positively impact engagement.
Managers can use social networks to have an ongoing dialogue with staff in real time - whether it's through real-time chat, polling employees on various topics, recognizing exceptional work, etc. Social networks offer a variety of technologies that can be used as a means of keeping employees engaged.
However, managers who want to have an honest dialogue with employees through social networking mediums must be aware that they do run the risk of hearing from unhappy staffers in addition to the happy, engaged ones.
[About the Author: Elaine Varelas is a managing partner at Camden Consulting Group, a division of Keystone Partners and a provider of integrated talent management solutions for organizational and leadership development.]
Now-a-days social networking suddenly seems to be one of the hot topics around.
Here below is a brief article that is or could be useful to you somewhere.
Enjoy your read.
Regards,
Prasad.
Social Networking: An Engagement and Communication Tool
by Elaine Varelas
Twitter, Facebook and other social networking tools give CEOs and senior leaders the power to communicate instantly and with great regularity and consistency with large, globally diverse teams, including employees, contractors and vendors. This helps foster open communication, clarity of direction and goals and direct connection between individual team members and the leaders of the business.
1. Social networking as a communication tool:
If leaders want their employees to use social networks as means of cross-team communication, it is critical that they be given access to such sites. In addition, if a company is using social networks to promote the organization, products or brand, it does not send a good message to then suggest to employees that they should not be checking their social networking sites during the workday. The employer may, however, ask that employees hold off on making or responding to personal postings during work hours. Social networking can provide a great opportunity for managers to build trust with their team by encouraging them to use the sites for professional communications and for personal communications outside of work. They need to ascertain whether social networking has a negative impact on productivity before unduly restricting or limiting usage.
In some cases, social networking has been found to increase productivity, particularly for teams that are in geographically disparate locations. Furthermore, social networks can be a company's most powerful marketing and lead generation tool - not to mention, they are free to use.
Managers who struggle with staff members who waste time on social networks will often find that productivity issues will remain whether the employees have access to the social networking sites or not.
The risk of overuse or misuse can be ameliorated by putting a thoughtful launch plan in place and providing employees clear and concise parameters for using social networks in the workplace.
2. Social networking as an engagement tool:
Using social networks as an internal tool can dramatically increase the ability for companies to communicate with employees and, if done effectively, can positively impact engagement.
Managers can use social networks to have an ongoing dialogue with staff in real time - whether it's through real-time chat, polling employees on various topics, recognizing exceptional work, etc. Social networks offer a variety of technologies that can be used as a means of keeping employees engaged.
However, managers who want to have an honest dialogue with employees through social networking mediums must be aware that they do run the risk of hearing from unhappy staffers in addition to the happy, engaged ones.
[About the Author: Elaine Varelas is a managing partner at Camden Consulting Group, a division of Keystone Partners and a provider of integrated talent management solutions for organizational and leadership development.]
Rethinking the MBA.
Dear Reader,
It was perhaps coincidence that my cognitive brian was full of,MBA of Today Wherefore???? when the interview reproduced below appeared on BNET.
To continue in my vein would be like stealing the thunder from its rightful owner - so dear please go ahead and enjoy the read -
Young brains of today you have miles to go - perhaps this would put you into a more cognitive mode that might spur better solutions to many.
Rethinking the MBA: Status Quo Schools Will "Fall by Wayside"
By Stacy Blackman
Last week, I spoke with Harvard Business School’s Srikant Datar and David A. Garvin, co-authors of the new book Rethinking the MBA: Business Education at a Crossroads, about some of the problems b-schools face. This week, we discuss ways for MBA programs to move forward.
Please do read the article further at the link given below;
http://blogs.bnet.com/mba/?p=2136&tag=nl.rSINGLE
Regards,
Prasad,
It was perhaps coincidence that my cognitive brian was full of,MBA of Today Wherefore???? when the interview reproduced below appeared on BNET.
To continue in my vein would be like stealing the thunder from its rightful owner - so dear please go ahead and enjoy the read -
Young brains of today you have miles to go - perhaps this would put you into a more cognitive mode that might spur better solutions to many.
Rethinking the MBA: Status Quo Schools Will "Fall by Wayside"
By Stacy Blackman
Last week, I spoke with Harvard Business School’s Srikant Datar and David A. Garvin, co-authors of the new book Rethinking the MBA: Business Education at a Crossroads, about some of the problems b-schools face. This week, we discuss ways for MBA programs to move forward.
Please do read the article further at the link given below;
http://blogs.bnet.com/mba/?p=2136&tag=nl.rSINGLE
Regards,
Prasad,
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Why Learning Is Never Enough ?
Dear Reader,
We all talk of learning at some time or the other - as in how much is there to learn.
Some have even stated that there is no end to learning.
Well reproduced below is an article that lays it s points out on,
Why Learning Is Never Enough?
Enjoy your read.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Why Learning Is Never Enough ?
by Kerry Patterson
Ensuring that learning and development initiatives facilitate real change in a workforce requires deliberate follow-up and follow-through.
The foremost challenge in designing learning and development initiatives is effecting real change in a workforce. This is difficult but absolutely necessary for training to achieve solid ROI.
After all, any training program likely not only cost money, but it also took time to design and attend, and therefore spent productivity. If a learning and development program didn't change employees' behavior, then it was a waste - even if they liked the course.
But the ability to transfer knowledge and skills learned in training back to the office is never easy. The training finishes, participants return to work, and they're immediately pulled in a dozen different directions - none of which are designed to help them transfer what they've just learned into part of their daily routine.
Without skill transference, training is merely an expensive vacation that employees take from their daily responsibilities. So what can learning and development professionals do to ensure learning translates into action?
Better still, how can they manipulate the forces that draw people away from adopting new skills to both motivate and enable a genuine change in behavior?
Successful learning officers know that learning is not enough and find ways to ensure their training graduates implement new ideas and skills soon after the training ends.
They supplement their learning experience with a host of strategies that both motivate and enable graduates to adopt the skills taught in training. Skill transference is acquired by combining multiple sources of influence into a cohesive change strategy.
The following tactics can be used to create a well-rounded change strategy.
Co-Opt the Performance System
It's surprising how many training programs aren't supported by an organization's formal performance review system. While few, if any, performance review systems directly contradict what's being covered in training, rare is the program where the skills and ideas taught in training are purposefully reinforced in the formal review process.
For instance, when training people how to hold others accountable, the specific skills taught in the course need to be contained in the formal review paperwork. If they're not, it's unlikely that supervisors will include training graduates' recently acquired skills in their review.
Supervisors may not even know about the new skills, let alone think to include them. So, learning and development professionals should always seek to hardwire into the review process skills that came about as a result of new training.
Enlist Informal Support
While it's essential to build the skills from new learning and development initiatives into a formal review system, it's equally important to take steps to ensure that informal rewards are also aimed at the target behaviors. This is best done by gathering supervisors and ensuring they play a role in getting their direct report's training to stick.
Supervisors will need to talk about the new behaviors, discuss them in meetings, watch to see that the training graduates do what they've been taught and then praise graduates for their progress. For example, they might say, "I couldn't help but notice that you're using the new project software you studied last month. It's good to see you using the new processes. Thanks.!"
People often underestimate how important delivering praise is to encouraging new behavior. For those receiving praise, it's clear that a good word from a colleague or authority figure goes a long way to ensure the appreciated behavior continues. A simple thank you is often viewed as more meaningful and sincere than more formal means of approbation.
In working with supervisors and managers to bring informal praise into a culture, remember that givers of praise tend to forget the power of informal encouragement. Make sure to talk with supervisors about the importance of providing the occasional "Way to go!" and discuss with them what it will take to remember to do so.
What cues can be placed around them? How can managers remind supervisors? A best practice is to hold a meeting one week after participants return from an education experience and discuss the role of leadership in coaching, measuring and encouraging the new behaviors. Take five minutes and brainstorm different informal ways to say thank you.
Connect to Core Values
Much of what is taught in today's leadership and other soft-skill courses is value-based. In addition to informing people what they should do under certain conditions, the courses explain the "why" behind the targeted behaviors. These almost always connect to the company's core values - or at least they should.
For instance, organizations don't ask people to be involved in decision making simply because it's the new training trend. Rather, they ask people for their ideas because they value creative and innovative thinking or constructive feedback and criticism. They also believe that it helps people like they are part of the decision and aligns teams.
Involving others may also lie at the heart of diversity. Organizations seek to rely on the varying views of diverse specialists and realize that doing so leads to the best choices. These may be just some of the values underpinning a training course on teamwork or decision making.
Unfortunately, the idea of talking about values is often far from the minds of leaders, whose jobs require them to focus on numbers and charts. As a result, these leaders miss an important opportunity to connect with what their people really care about.
People don't connect strongly to charts, facts, figures and logic. Rather, they connect to direct and vicarious experiences, personal stories and deeply held values. In explaining how the skills and concepts that participants have learned in corporate training link to the company's core values, learning professionals breathe excitement and life into vanilla behaviors. Leaders should never be afraid to talk about theories, skills and values.
Link Coaching to Training
When it comes to interpersonal skills, training participants need more than knowledge. They need to turn knowledge into action. This requires them to take ideas, shape them in their own words and behaviors and then try them out. This calls for deliberate practice. As the old adage says, practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.
How does one experience perfect practice? Not alone. In determining how well they are enacting new skills, individuals need feedback from others. They need someone else to watch them, stop them when they go awry and then give them specific behavioral advice on how to improve.
In short, they need a coach. A coach doesn't simply look at the scoreboard and tell the team to hunker down. A good coach watches the team members in action and then advises them on what they need to change to affect the result.
Build in Reminders
To help people remember what to do at the right place and time, make use of cues. Put up charts that summarize training skills in meeting rooms. Ask people to carry summary cards with them at work. Put electronic devices to work.
Build in reminders that pop up every morning. Send participants video clips that remind them of what they've learned or even teach a subtle variation on the theme. Ask your IT folks and video specialists to build tools and reminders that are tailored specifically to the skills covered in training.
Training courses work best when combined with a variety of other sources of influence that both motivate and enable training participants to practice what they have learned at work.
This calls for a multifaceted rollout plan that supplements classroom training with both formal and informal rewards, coaching, value links and the use of cuing and reminders. These strategies are the sources of influence that inspire employees to change their behavior for good.
[About the Author: Kerry Patterson is a published author and co-founder of consultancy VitalSmarts.]
We all talk of learning at some time or the other - as in how much is there to learn.
Some have even stated that there is no end to learning.
Well reproduced below is an article that lays it s points out on,
Why Learning Is Never Enough?
Enjoy your read.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Why Learning Is Never Enough ?
by Kerry Patterson
Ensuring that learning and development initiatives facilitate real change in a workforce requires deliberate follow-up and follow-through.
The foremost challenge in designing learning and development initiatives is effecting real change in a workforce. This is difficult but absolutely necessary for training to achieve solid ROI.
After all, any training program likely not only cost money, but it also took time to design and attend, and therefore spent productivity. If a learning and development program didn't change employees' behavior, then it was a waste - even if they liked the course.
But the ability to transfer knowledge and skills learned in training back to the office is never easy. The training finishes, participants return to work, and they're immediately pulled in a dozen different directions - none of which are designed to help them transfer what they've just learned into part of their daily routine.
Without skill transference, training is merely an expensive vacation that employees take from their daily responsibilities. So what can learning and development professionals do to ensure learning translates into action?
Better still, how can they manipulate the forces that draw people away from adopting new skills to both motivate and enable a genuine change in behavior?
Successful learning officers know that learning is not enough and find ways to ensure their training graduates implement new ideas and skills soon after the training ends.
They supplement their learning experience with a host of strategies that both motivate and enable graduates to adopt the skills taught in training. Skill transference is acquired by combining multiple sources of influence into a cohesive change strategy.
The following tactics can be used to create a well-rounded change strategy.
Co-Opt the Performance System
It's surprising how many training programs aren't supported by an organization's formal performance review system. While few, if any, performance review systems directly contradict what's being covered in training, rare is the program where the skills and ideas taught in training are purposefully reinforced in the formal review process.
For instance, when training people how to hold others accountable, the specific skills taught in the course need to be contained in the formal review paperwork. If they're not, it's unlikely that supervisors will include training graduates' recently acquired skills in their review.
Supervisors may not even know about the new skills, let alone think to include them. So, learning and development professionals should always seek to hardwire into the review process skills that came about as a result of new training.
Enlist Informal Support
While it's essential to build the skills from new learning and development initiatives into a formal review system, it's equally important to take steps to ensure that informal rewards are also aimed at the target behaviors. This is best done by gathering supervisors and ensuring they play a role in getting their direct report's training to stick.
Supervisors will need to talk about the new behaviors, discuss them in meetings, watch to see that the training graduates do what they've been taught and then praise graduates for their progress. For example, they might say, "I couldn't help but notice that you're using the new project software you studied last month. It's good to see you using the new processes. Thanks.!"
People often underestimate how important delivering praise is to encouraging new behavior. For those receiving praise, it's clear that a good word from a colleague or authority figure goes a long way to ensure the appreciated behavior continues. A simple thank you is often viewed as more meaningful and sincere than more formal means of approbation.
In working with supervisors and managers to bring informal praise into a culture, remember that givers of praise tend to forget the power of informal encouragement. Make sure to talk with supervisors about the importance of providing the occasional "Way to go!" and discuss with them what it will take to remember to do so.
What cues can be placed around them? How can managers remind supervisors? A best practice is to hold a meeting one week after participants return from an education experience and discuss the role of leadership in coaching, measuring and encouraging the new behaviors. Take five minutes and brainstorm different informal ways to say thank you.
Connect to Core Values
Much of what is taught in today's leadership and other soft-skill courses is value-based. In addition to informing people what they should do under certain conditions, the courses explain the "why" behind the targeted behaviors. These almost always connect to the company's core values - or at least they should.
For instance, organizations don't ask people to be involved in decision making simply because it's the new training trend. Rather, they ask people for their ideas because they value creative and innovative thinking or constructive feedback and criticism. They also believe that it helps people like they are part of the decision and aligns teams.
Involving others may also lie at the heart of diversity. Organizations seek to rely on the varying views of diverse specialists and realize that doing so leads to the best choices. These may be just some of the values underpinning a training course on teamwork or decision making.
Unfortunately, the idea of talking about values is often far from the minds of leaders, whose jobs require them to focus on numbers and charts. As a result, these leaders miss an important opportunity to connect with what their people really care about.
People don't connect strongly to charts, facts, figures and logic. Rather, they connect to direct and vicarious experiences, personal stories and deeply held values. In explaining how the skills and concepts that participants have learned in corporate training link to the company's core values, learning professionals breathe excitement and life into vanilla behaviors. Leaders should never be afraid to talk about theories, skills and values.
Link Coaching to Training
When it comes to interpersonal skills, training participants need more than knowledge. They need to turn knowledge into action. This requires them to take ideas, shape them in their own words and behaviors and then try them out. This calls for deliberate practice. As the old adage says, practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.
How does one experience perfect practice? Not alone. In determining how well they are enacting new skills, individuals need feedback from others. They need someone else to watch them, stop them when they go awry and then give them specific behavioral advice on how to improve.
In short, they need a coach. A coach doesn't simply look at the scoreboard and tell the team to hunker down. A good coach watches the team members in action and then advises them on what they need to change to affect the result.
Build in Reminders
To help people remember what to do at the right place and time, make use of cues. Put up charts that summarize training skills in meeting rooms. Ask people to carry summary cards with them at work. Put electronic devices to work.
Build in reminders that pop up every morning. Send participants video clips that remind them of what they've learned or even teach a subtle variation on the theme. Ask your IT folks and video specialists to build tools and reminders that are tailored specifically to the skills covered in training.
Training courses work best when combined with a variety of other sources of influence that both motivate and enable training participants to practice what they have learned at work.
This calls for a multifaceted rollout plan that supplements classroom training with both formal and informal rewards, coaching, value links and the use of cuing and reminders. These strategies are the sources of influence that inspire employees to change their behavior for good.
[About the Author: Kerry Patterson is a published author and co-founder of consultancy VitalSmarts.]
Monday, April 12, 2010
Cohort Based Learning at Skansa
Dear Reader ,
Here's a very interesting article on , "Cohort Based Learning".
Enjoy the dynamics that flows from it as in lessons of learning.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Cohort-Based Learning at Skanska
by Scott Blanchard and David Witt
In 2007, the leadership development team at Skanska faced a challenge: How could the construction and project development company create a mini-MBA experience for an initial group of 35 executives from various business units around the world?
The answer was to use a cohort group approach, split into five separate sub-teams, and design a curriculum that includes action learning projects.
Now about to graduate its fifth cohort group, Skanska's executive development program has trained more than 150 of the company's highest-potential executives.
One of the key success factors for the program has been making sure executive development training matches the organization's key needs.
For Skanska's leadership development team this means matching program objectives with the company's goals to build strategic business leaders and people managers who: Lead change, seek new ways to approach business challenges and lead the changes needed within Skanska USA.
a) Develop people to think innovatively about business.
b) Through innovation, approach projects and their work with fresh ideas on how to accomplish them profitably.
c) Understand the business landscape and market conditions.
d) Network within and across business units for business opportunities and creative solutions.
e) Want to be great bosses.
Using a five-month training design featuring two intensive one-week classroom sessions with a six-week break for an at-home assignment, the Skanska learning team created an in-depth classroom experience combined with an action learning component to allow participants to reflect on and apply what they learned.
One of the keys to the program has been splitting the 35 participants into five diverse teams that work on individual projects as well as a larger overall research assignment.
The individual assignments include identifying which aspects of company culture support - or present barriers to - leadership development, as well as writing case studies about personal dilemmas they face. Both of these are then presented to the team.
"It's another opportunity for the team to work together providing perspective and feedback so participants take the education and apply it to themselves immediately and personally," said John Benson, Skanska's senior director of leadership development.
"It is taking what you've learned and applying it to a personal situation, which is a great way to cement the learning."
On the last day of the program, teams are given a large, final action learning project.
Using business issues identified by senior leadership, with support from a C-level team sponsor, each group has two months to work on the issue and provide recommendations in a presentation to the top 24 members of U.S. senior management.
"It's a high-risk, high-reward scenario," Benson explained. "Every team presents to their boss and their boss' boss. Senior management listens to each presentation, makes decisions on the five proposals and decides which to move forward on.
"In some cases, the company moves forward with the team's proposal in its entirety. In other cases, certain parts of a team's proposal are accepted and moved forward or none of the proposals or recommendations are approved."
Using real-life business issues has helped the Skanska learning team build an executive development program that creates connections and solves business issues.
Action learning also has helped Skanska meet its goal to provide leaders with skills they perceive as valuable for future success.
In a 2008 study conducted by The Learning Alliance, 83 percent of executive respondents said they learned new skills that were not only relevant to their work but also produced results.
[About the Authors: Scott Blanchard is executive vice president and David Witt is program director for The Ken Blanchard Companies, a provider of training and organizational development services.]
Here's a very interesting article on , "Cohort Based Learning".
Enjoy the dynamics that flows from it as in lessons of learning.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Cohort-Based Learning at Skanska
by Scott Blanchard and David Witt
In 2007, the leadership development team at Skanska faced a challenge: How could the construction and project development company create a mini-MBA experience for an initial group of 35 executives from various business units around the world?
The answer was to use a cohort group approach, split into five separate sub-teams, and design a curriculum that includes action learning projects.
Now about to graduate its fifth cohort group, Skanska's executive development program has trained more than 150 of the company's highest-potential executives.
One of the key success factors for the program has been making sure executive development training matches the organization's key needs.
For Skanska's leadership development team this means matching program objectives with the company's goals to build strategic business leaders and people managers who: Lead change, seek new ways to approach business challenges and lead the changes needed within Skanska USA.
a) Develop people to think innovatively about business.
b) Through innovation, approach projects and their work with fresh ideas on how to accomplish them profitably.
c) Understand the business landscape and market conditions.
d) Network within and across business units for business opportunities and creative solutions.
e) Want to be great bosses.
Using a five-month training design featuring two intensive one-week classroom sessions with a six-week break for an at-home assignment, the Skanska learning team created an in-depth classroom experience combined with an action learning component to allow participants to reflect on and apply what they learned.
One of the keys to the program has been splitting the 35 participants into five diverse teams that work on individual projects as well as a larger overall research assignment.
The individual assignments include identifying which aspects of company culture support - or present barriers to - leadership development, as well as writing case studies about personal dilemmas they face. Both of these are then presented to the team.
"It's another opportunity for the team to work together providing perspective and feedback so participants take the education and apply it to themselves immediately and personally," said John Benson, Skanska's senior director of leadership development.
"It is taking what you've learned and applying it to a personal situation, which is a great way to cement the learning."
On the last day of the program, teams are given a large, final action learning project.
Using business issues identified by senior leadership, with support from a C-level team sponsor, each group has two months to work on the issue and provide recommendations in a presentation to the top 24 members of U.S. senior management.
"It's a high-risk, high-reward scenario," Benson explained. "Every team presents to their boss and their boss' boss. Senior management listens to each presentation, makes decisions on the five proposals and decides which to move forward on.
"In some cases, the company moves forward with the team's proposal in its entirety. In other cases, certain parts of a team's proposal are accepted and moved forward or none of the proposals or recommendations are approved."
Using real-life business issues has helped the Skanska learning team build an executive development program that creates connections and solves business issues.
Action learning also has helped Skanska meet its goal to provide leaders with skills they perceive as valuable for future success.
In a 2008 study conducted by The Learning Alliance, 83 percent of executive respondents said they learned new skills that were not only relevant to their work but also produced results.
[About the Authors: Scott Blanchard is executive vice president and David Witt is program director for The Ken Blanchard Companies, a provider of training and organizational development services.]
Don't Mandate Accountability, Demonstrate It
Dear Reader,
Here is an article on where the buck stops?
Enjoy the read and see for yourself where you stand in relation to the same????
Don't Mandate Accountability, Demonstrate It
by Linda Galindo
Without leadership accountability, or an understanding of how to hold others accountable, implementing good ideas and best practices can stop cold.
Senior talent leaders understand this challenge if, around their organization, they hear declarations such as, "We're great at innovating and planning, but our follow-through stinks!"
Ask Andy Manzer.
Today, Manzer is thriving as vice president of operations at OhioHealth's Riverside Methodist Hospital. However, in Manzer's prior leadership role at another organization, he watched even the best plans and practices fail to be implemented.
There, leadership was frustrated with the lack of organizational accountability. In executive team meetings, the group focused on putting out fires. High-level strategy was rarely discussed. When business and financial goals weren't met, finger-pointing ensued.
All eyes were on the CEO to do something. He didn't hold others accountable. The accountability belonged to him, period.
Working with the organization's talent leaders, the CEO made concerted efforts, from executive retreats to personality testing, to get leadership to come together and lead. But nothing seemed to change.
Then, the lights turned on - at least for Manzer. Through his personal work with talent leaders and an executive coach, he was able to see that he did not hold himself or his colleagues accountable.
"It wasn't that I didn't know how to hold myself accountable," Manzer said. "I had to confront why I wouldn't."
Manzer said he came to realize that he confused accountability with authority. He wasn't in control, the CEO was, which meant he wasn't accountable. In other words, Manzer viewed accountability as a zero-sum game; if one person was accountable for a situation or result, then everyone else wasn't. He also admitted that personal accountability - answering for the outcomes of his own choices, actions and behaviors - required courage.
Manzer took several steps to shift his understanding. He stopped employing an "accountability as a hammer" approach and started engaging himself and his colleagues in owning the results of their leadership - good or bad.
Manzer said he also ceased pointing fingers and assigning blame. Instead, when troubles arose, he looked to himself first.
Consistently, he asked four specific questions: What is the problem? What am I doing - or not doing - to contribute to the problem? What will I do differently to help solve the problem? How will I be accountable for the result?
Further, in leadership meetings, he stopped making excuses and took the fall when his choices caused difficulties.
The changes didn't stop with Manzer. The CEO, along with Manzer's peers and direct reports, caught on quickly. As a result, everyone worked smarter, faster and better, and the bottom line revealed a newfound success.
Talent leaders can achieve results similar to Manzer's by taking the following steps:-
1. Acknowledge that one can't mandate accountability, only demonstrate it.
2. Determine what a lack of accountability is costing the organization.
3. Address barriers to accountability within leadership such as in-fighting and power struggles, and set expectations.
4. Get educated on accountability and develop a common understanding, vocabulary and set of tools and techniques.
5. Make clear agreements for accountability and discuss consequences upfront.
6. Commit to "calling out" a lack of accountability.
7. Communicate a top-down accountability message to the organization - and live it.
"It's in my bones now," Manzer said of his commitment to accountability. These days at Riverside Memorial, he said he sees tangible business results, including delivering more than $14 million over expectations to the bottom line.
"I work to demonstrate accountability every day to myself, the leadership team and our organization's talent."
[About the Author: Linda Galindo is a consultant and the author of The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success - No Nonsense, No Excuses.]
Here is an article on where the buck stops?
Enjoy the read and see for yourself where you stand in relation to the same????
Don't Mandate Accountability, Demonstrate It
by Linda Galindo
Without leadership accountability, or an understanding of how to hold others accountable, implementing good ideas and best practices can stop cold.
Senior talent leaders understand this challenge if, around their organization, they hear declarations such as, "We're great at innovating and planning, but our follow-through stinks!"
Ask Andy Manzer.
Today, Manzer is thriving as vice president of operations at OhioHealth's Riverside Methodist Hospital. However, in Manzer's prior leadership role at another organization, he watched even the best plans and practices fail to be implemented.
There, leadership was frustrated with the lack of organizational accountability. In executive team meetings, the group focused on putting out fires. High-level strategy was rarely discussed. When business and financial goals weren't met, finger-pointing ensued.
All eyes were on the CEO to do something. He didn't hold others accountable. The accountability belonged to him, period.
Working with the organization's talent leaders, the CEO made concerted efforts, from executive retreats to personality testing, to get leadership to come together and lead. But nothing seemed to change.
Then, the lights turned on - at least for Manzer. Through his personal work with talent leaders and an executive coach, he was able to see that he did not hold himself or his colleagues accountable.
"It wasn't that I didn't know how to hold myself accountable," Manzer said. "I had to confront why I wouldn't."
Manzer said he came to realize that he confused accountability with authority. He wasn't in control, the CEO was, which meant he wasn't accountable. In other words, Manzer viewed accountability as a zero-sum game; if one person was accountable for a situation or result, then everyone else wasn't. He also admitted that personal accountability - answering for the outcomes of his own choices, actions and behaviors - required courage.
Manzer took several steps to shift his understanding. He stopped employing an "accountability as a hammer" approach and started engaging himself and his colleagues in owning the results of their leadership - good or bad.
Manzer said he also ceased pointing fingers and assigning blame. Instead, when troubles arose, he looked to himself first.
Consistently, he asked four specific questions: What is the problem? What am I doing - or not doing - to contribute to the problem? What will I do differently to help solve the problem? How will I be accountable for the result?
Further, in leadership meetings, he stopped making excuses and took the fall when his choices caused difficulties.
The changes didn't stop with Manzer. The CEO, along with Manzer's peers and direct reports, caught on quickly. As a result, everyone worked smarter, faster and better, and the bottom line revealed a newfound success.
Talent leaders can achieve results similar to Manzer's by taking the following steps:-
1. Acknowledge that one can't mandate accountability, only demonstrate it.
2. Determine what a lack of accountability is costing the organization.
3. Address barriers to accountability within leadership such as in-fighting and power struggles, and set expectations.
4. Get educated on accountability and develop a common understanding, vocabulary and set of tools and techniques.
5. Make clear agreements for accountability and discuss consequences upfront.
6. Commit to "calling out" a lack of accountability.
7. Communicate a top-down accountability message to the organization - and live it.
"It's in my bones now," Manzer said of his commitment to accountability. These days at Riverside Memorial, he said he sees tangible business results, including delivering more than $14 million over expectations to the bottom line.
"I work to demonstrate accountability every day to myself, the leadership team and our organization's talent."
[About the Author: Linda Galindo is a consultant and the author of The 85% Solution: How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success - No Nonsense, No Excuses.]
An Open Letter to Toyota President Akio Toyoda
Dear Reader,
Here is an ad -verbatim reproduction of a letter that appeared at B.Net.
The link is given below.
It is reproduce emrely to share , stimulate you enough to visit and subscribe directly to B.Net so that you get the best of the best.
To: Akio Toyoda, President, Toyota Motor Co.
From: Steve Tobak, The Corner Office blog, BNET
Re: Your upcoming visit to the U.S. Congress
Dear Mr. Toyoda,
You’ve been Toyota’s chief for all of eight months and already you’re facing the biggest crisis in the company’s history.
I guess what they say is true: timing really is everything.
Anyway, you’re stepping up to the plate and confronting U.S. congressional leaders this coming Wednesday.
A loaded situation if there ever was one.
Say the right stuff that resonates with the American people, and you can stop worrying about “perception” and focus on Toyota’s internal issues. Everyone wins.
Say the wrong stuff, and you could conceivably make matters worse … if that’s even possible.
While I’m sure you have an army of capable advisors and crisis management people, I wonder if any of them are willing to hit you right between the eyes with the truth, unfiltered and unrefined.
That’s one of the problems with leadership — it’s sometimes hard to get the straight story out of people who are always trying to impress you.
Well, you don’t have that problem with me. I’m not out to impress anybody.
Speaking of which, I realize you don’t know beans about me. I’m a management consultant who sometimes advises companies on matters concerning strategy and crises.
I’m also a former senior executive of the technology industry who’s done a lot of business in Japan.
My motivation is simple. I’m a fan of great business stories.
And Toyota is a great business story, having risen to the top of a large, brutally competitive market. Personally, I don’t want to see it fall. And certainly not like this.
Now let’s get down to business. I liked your letter in the Washington Post. It was a bit late for a crisis of this magnitude, but better late than never.
Also, instead of “Toyota’s plan to repair its public image,” I would have called it “Toyota’s plan to repair Toyota.” It’s more accurate.
In any case, you talked about launching a top-to-bottom review of global operations to ensure this kind of thing never happens again; convening a blue-ribbon safety advisory group; and the need to more aggressively investigate complaints and move more quickly to address safety issues.
You covered what Toyota has to do going forward rather nicely, I think. But you missed something.
Indeed, you apologized, but you never really explained what you were apologizing for.
You sort of put the cart before the horse, because you still haven’t told American consumers what actually happened.
And the sooner you do that — tell folks the truth about what happened — the sooner we can all move on. That’s just how this sort of thing works.
Specifically, there are three things about the “acceleration problem” that American consumers need to know, and they need to hear it from you:
1. Your company’s complete and total understanding of the problem. First it was the floor mat, then it was the accelerator pedal, then a software problem. You need to clear all that up. What really was the problem — or problems?
2. The chain of events. Who (among Toyota’s executives) knew what (about the problem)? When exactly did they know it? How did they come to know it (internally, from customers, from a U.S. agency, for example)? And why did they choose to do nothing for so long?
3. What action you’ve taken at the top. We need to hear that you’ve identified and terminated the executives responsible — not for the problem’s occurrence but, much more importantly, for not addressing it aggressively and immediately, especially if there was a cover up. Not that I’m implying there was.
It’s a lot, I know. But you know what? The customers who made Toyota the top-selling brand in America, not to mention billions in profits, have also been through a lot lately. All things considered, this doesn’t seem like too much to ask.
Best of luck on Wednesday.
Sincerely,
Steve Tobak
The Corner Office blog, BNET
http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3873&tag=content;col2
Here is an ad -verbatim reproduction of a letter that appeared at B.Net.
The link is given below.
It is reproduce emrely to share , stimulate you enough to visit and subscribe directly to B.Net so that you get the best of the best.
To: Akio Toyoda, President, Toyota Motor Co.
From: Steve Tobak, The Corner Office blog, BNET
Re: Your upcoming visit to the U.S. Congress
Dear Mr. Toyoda,
You’ve been Toyota’s chief for all of eight months and already you’re facing the biggest crisis in the company’s history.
I guess what they say is true: timing really is everything.
Anyway, you’re stepping up to the plate and confronting U.S. congressional leaders this coming Wednesday.
A loaded situation if there ever was one.
Say the right stuff that resonates with the American people, and you can stop worrying about “perception” and focus on Toyota’s internal issues. Everyone wins.
Say the wrong stuff, and you could conceivably make matters worse … if that’s even possible.
While I’m sure you have an army of capable advisors and crisis management people, I wonder if any of them are willing to hit you right between the eyes with the truth, unfiltered and unrefined.
That’s one of the problems with leadership — it’s sometimes hard to get the straight story out of people who are always trying to impress you.
Well, you don’t have that problem with me. I’m not out to impress anybody.
Speaking of which, I realize you don’t know beans about me. I’m a management consultant who sometimes advises companies on matters concerning strategy and crises.
I’m also a former senior executive of the technology industry who’s done a lot of business in Japan.
My motivation is simple. I’m a fan of great business stories.
And Toyota is a great business story, having risen to the top of a large, brutally competitive market. Personally, I don’t want to see it fall. And certainly not like this.
Now let’s get down to business. I liked your letter in the Washington Post. It was a bit late for a crisis of this magnitude, but better late than never.
Also, instead of “Toyota’s plan to repair its public image,” I would have called it “Toyota’s plan to repair Toyota.” It’s more accurate.
In any case, you talked about launching a top-to-bottom review of global operations to ensure this kind of thing never happens again; convening a blue-ribbon safety advisory group; and the need to more aggressively investigate complaints and move more quickly to address safety issues.
You covered what Toyota has to do going forward rather nicely, I think. But you missed something.
Indeed, you apologized, but you never really explained what you were apologizing for.
You sort of put the cart before the horse, because you still haven’t told American consumers what actually happened.
And the sooner you do that — tell folks the truth about what happened — the sooner we can all move on. That’s just how this sort of thing works.
Specifically, there are three things about the “acceleration problem” that American consumers need to know, and they need to hear it from you:
1. Your company’s complete and total understanding of the problem. First it was the floor mat, then it was the accelerator pedal, then a software problem. You need to clear all that up. What really was the problem — or problems?
2. The chain of events. Who (among Toyota’s executives) knew what (about the problem)? When exactly did they know it? How did they come to know it (internally, from customers, from a U.S. agency, for example)? And why did they choose to do nothing for so long?
3. What action you’ve taken at the top. We need to hear that you’ve identified and terminated the executives responsible — not for the problem’s occurrence but, much more importantly, for not addressing it aggressively and immediately, especially if there was a cover up. Not that I’m implying there was.
It’s a lot, I know. But you know what? The customers who made Toyota the top-selling brand in America, not to mention billions in profits, have also been through a lot lately. All things considered, this doesn’t seem like too much to ask.
Best of luck on Wednesday.
Sincerely,
Steve Tobak
The Corner Office blog, BNET
http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?p=3873&tag=content;col2
Undercover Boss: 1-800-Flowers Chris McCann Interview
Dear Reader ,
Here is an interview that should leave you thinking.
The link has been given at the end of this article.
Happy Reading.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
When social worker Jim McCann opened his first flower shop, his youngest brother Chris was still a teenager. Now, as CEO and president of 1-800-Flowers, respectively, the two have accomplished what few can claim.
They grew a florist business into nearly a billion dollar company.
And they did it by listening to customers, taking care of employees, and learning the ropes from a few sharp mentors along the way.
Here’s an insightful interview with Chris McCann (pictured), this week’s Undercover Boss and President of 1-800-Flowers.com.
Tobak: How did 1-800-Flowers.com come to be?
McCann: My brother Jim opened up his first flower shop in 1976. We were the oldest and youngest of five siblings, so it wasn’t until 1984 that I graduated college and joined him in the family business.
We were 10 years apart in age so I hardly knew the guy. But we figured let’s try it for 6 months and see how it works out.
This week, I think I just signed my 52nd six month contract.
Our styles are complimentary. Jim’s a big picture guy, a visionary, and his forte is marketing. I consider him a marketing genius. I focus on the operational side of the business. And I learned technology along the way, leading our move online in 1991.
Tobak: Who came up with the naming strategy for 1-800-Flowers and 1-800-Flowers.com?
McCann: It was really our customers who told us that. The company used to be called Flora Plenty, but once we realized our business was migrating more and more to the 800 service instead of our shops, we got hold of the 1-800-Flowers number and renamed the company.
Over time we tried CDROM catalogs, a website, and we were actually the first company to sell product on AOL in 1994.
New technology was emerging and we wanted to make sure we were well positioned so, when customers chose the winning technology, the Web, we were there with a website. Then everyone started calling us 1-800-Flowers.com, so we added .com to the name.
While Jim and I would like to take credit for many things, the thing we take most credit for is listening to customers.
Tobak: You must have had some mentors along the way
McCann: We didn’t go to business school, but we often say we got our business degrees from our mentors over the years.
We first met Jerre Stead when he was with AT&T, then he became CEO of their NCR subsidiary. We were small clients but he spent quality time with us. His focus was always on managing company culture.
The concept I mostly took away from Jerre was VMV - Vision, Mission, and Values. The responsibility of the business leader is to over-communicate that and to drive it into the culture. We’ve implemented a lot of what we learned from Jerre over the years.
Another gentleman we were fortunate to spend a lot of time with and pick his brain is Jamie Dimon [current CEO of JPMorgan Chase]. Jim knew him from growing up in Queens, but we first started spending a lot of time with Jamie when he was at Smith Barney.
Jamie used to say you spend way too much time trying to get everyone in your company to “get it.” He said everyone doesn’t need to get the full picture, but people do need to get their particular job and have an understanding of how it connects to the big picture.
If employees need to leave work knowing they accomplished and contributed something. If not, they’re not engaged.
One of the things that Jim and I have both learned is that you build relationships first, business second.
We do that with our customers, our vendors, and our employees. People don’t work for a company; they work for people.
I used to think that Jerre’s and Jamie’s viewpoints were opposed, but I guess you have to find a balance.
Also Ed Miller [former CEO] of Equitable taught us the meaning of loyalty to your employees. Loyalty is making sure that people are in a position to succeed.
But keeping people in a job that has outgrown them or moving them around to other jobs just because you don’t want to deal with the reality of the situation is not loyalty. You’re actually doing them a great disservice.
Tobak: What’s your focus, going forward?
McCann: In addition to learning more about our customers through analytics and maintaining financial strength and flexibility, we’re continuing to invest in technology innovation to make sure we’re well positioned for the future.
We’re investing heavily in mobile commerce and social media. Some people have suggested we cut back on those investments because of the economy, but I remind them, had we done that in the 90s, with the Internet and AOL, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?tag=main;content
By Steve Tobak.
Steve Tobak is a marketing and strategy consultant based in Silicon Valley. He's a 20-plus year high-tech industry veteran and former senior executive of a number of public and private companies. He also wrote the popular blog Train Wreck for CNET. When he's not airing corporate America's dirty laundry and helping companies solve their problems, Steve likes to play with gadgets and animals and drive his wife crazy. Find out more at Invisor.net. more »
Here is an interview that should leave you thinking.
The link has been given at the end of this article.
Happy Reading.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
When social worker Jim McCann opened his first flower shop, his youngest brother Chris was still a teenager. Now, as CEO and president of 1-800-Flowers, respectively, the two have accomplished what few can claim.
They grew a florist business into nearly a billion dollar company.
And they did it by listening to customers, taking care of employees, and learning the ropes from a few sharp mentors along the way.
Here’s an insightful interview with Chris McCann (pictured), this week’s Undercover Boss and President of 1-800-Flowers.com.
Tobak: How did 1-800-Flowers.com come to be?
McCann: My brother Jim opened up his first flower shop in 1976. We were the oldest and youngest of five siblings, so it wasn’t until 1984 that I graduated college and joined him in the family business.
We were 10 years apart in age so I hardly knew the guy. But we figured let’s try it for 6 months and see how it works out.
This week, I think I just signed my 52nd six month contract.
Our styles are complimentary. Jim’s a big picture guy, a visionary, and his forte is marketing. I consider him a marketing genius. I focus on the operational side of the business. And I learned technology along the way, leading our move online in 1991.
Tobak: Who came up with the naming strategy for 1-800-Flowers and 1-800-Flowers.com?
McCann: It was really our customers who told us that. The company used to be called Flora Plenty, but once we realized our business was migrating more and more to the 800 service instead of our shops, we got hold of the 1-800-Flowers number and renamed the company.
Over time we tried CDROM catalogs, a website, and we were actually the first company to sell product on AOL in 1994.
New technology was emerging and we wanted to make sure we were well positioned so, when customers chose the winning technology, the Web, we were there with a website. Then everyone started calling us 1-800-Flowers.com, so we added .com to the name.
While Jim and I would like to take credit for many things, the thing we take most credit for is listening to customers.
Tobak: You must have had some mentors along the way
McCann: We didn’t go to business school, but we often say we got our business degrees from our mentors over the years.
We first met Jerre Stead when he was with AT&T, then he became CEO of their NCR subsidiary. We were small clients but he spent quality time with us. His focus was always on managing company culture.
The concept I mostly took away from Jerre was VMV - Vision, Mission, and Values. The responsibility of the business leader is to over-communicate that and to drive it into the culture. We’ve implemented a lot of what we learned from Jerre over the years.
Another gentleman we were fortunate to spend a lot of time with and pick his brain is Jamie Dimon [current CEO of JPMorgan Chase]. Jim knew him from growing up in Queens, but we first started spending a lot of time with Jamie when he was at Smith Barney.
Jamie used to say you spend way too much time trying to get everyone in your company to “get it.” He said everyone doesn’t need to get the full picture, but people do need to get their particular job and have an understanding of how it connects to the big picture.
If employees need to leave work knowing they accomplished and contributed something. If not, they’re not engaged.
One of the things that Jim and I have both learned is that you build relationships first, business second.
We do that with our customers, our vendors, and our employees. People don’t work for a company; they work for people.
I used to think that Jerre’s and Jamie’s viewpoints were opposed, but I guess you have to find a balance.
Also Ed Miller [former CEO] of Equitable taught us the meaning of loyalty to your employees. Loyalty is making sure that people are in a position to succeed.
But keeping people in a job that has outgrown them or moving them around to other jobs just because you don’t want to deal with the reality of the situation is not loyalty. You’re actually doing them a great disservice.
Tobak: What’s your focus, going forward?
McCann: In addition to learning more about our customers through analytics and maintaining financial strength and flexibility, we’re continuing to invest in technology innovation to make sure we’re well positioned for the future.
We’re investing heavily in mobile commerce and social media. Some people have suggested we cut back on those investments because of the economy, but I remind them, had we done that in the 90s, with the Internet and AOL, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
http://blogs.bnet.com/ceo/?tag=main;content
By Steve Tobak.
Steve Tobak is a marketing and strategy consultant based in Silicon Valley. He's a 20-plus year high-tech industry veteran and former senior executive of a number of public and private companies. He also wrote the popular blog Train Wreck for CNET. When he's not airing corporate America's dirty laundry and helping companies solve their problems, Steve likes to play with gadgets and animals and drive his wife crazy. Find out more at Invisor.net. more »
Why CEOs Talk Tough to Staff, and Why Tender Works Better
Dear Reader,
Given below is an article whose contents would make a lot of sense to some , yet would leave others wondering.
It is upto you my good reader to think through the article , chew on it , so as to later arrive at a stand as in a decision for yourself.
In my view ;
There is neither right nor wrong here .
All one is talking of the approach one needs to take - as they say it is a matter of one's discretion, or individual call.
However one needs to take a conscious call based on a platform of knowing the complete facts and the truth.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Why CEOs Talk Tough to Staff, and Why Tender Works Better
On a flight back from London on British Airways the day after the end of the flight attendants’ strike, one employee said, “We know the company is facing difficulties, and we’re willing to help. But don’t they know that praise goes a lot further than fear?” I have heard similar sentiments from other employees at United—where there is a very punitive policy toward taking sick days—and from numerous workers not in the airline industry.
The comments are empirically correct but apparently hard for senior management to do. The truth of the statements and the difficulty of implementing them are both important.
Beginning with the famous learning theorist B. F. Skinner, research has consistently shown that positive reinforcement—rewarding desired behavior—is more effective than punishment for increasing the likelihood of people doing what you want them to do. In fact, O. C. Tanner, a company that sells both trinkets and also reward and recognition programs to companies, describes the importance of rewards in The Carrot Principle. The book reports on empirical research documenting how effective recognition can be. Add it to the body of knowledge accumulated over the years by people such as management scholar Fred Luthans of the University of Nebraska, and you have compelling evidence for the wisdom of implementing Skinner’s insights.
If there is so much anecdotal and systematic evidence—and even simple common sense—to support using praise and kindness, why is it used so infrequently?
In Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions, naval history professor Zachary Shore suggests an answer.
Shore describes what he calls “exposure anxiety”—the fear of being exposed or labeled as “weak.”
He notes that more than a fear, many people believed that not acting tough will cause others to take advantage of them and see them as weak and spineless—not a good image for a leader.
You see this all the time at work. Management and organizational behavior are sometimes labeled as “soft” subjects—compared, I presume, to the “hard” disciplines of economics, finance, and accounting.
In my education and training work, when I describe companies that take a positive, inclusive, strong-culture building approach to their employees—places like kidney dialysis provider DaVita or the Andean region of Kimberly-Clark where Sergio Nacach doubled sales and tripled earnings in about four years—the response is the same.
This approach seems soft, mushy, and doesn’t signal the toughness that executives want to display.
Here again social psychology has some important insights. The two fundamental criteria we use to evaluate others are competence and warmth.
But as Harvard business school professor Teresa Amabile described in an aptly titled article, “Brilliant But Cruel,” the problem is that we often see competence and warmth as being negatively related—warm people don’t appear as intelligent or skilled as those that are meaner.
You would think that these dynamics wouldn’t apply as much to CEOS—already at the top of their companies, they presumably don’t need to worry as much about their image and ought to be more concerned with creating shareholder value by managing their workforce in a way that provides higher levels of business performance.
But many CEOs do care about what their peers think about them, and therefore make the trade-off to be unduly tough and mean and underutilize kindness, praise, and rewards with their workforce.
Making the same mistakes over and over again is not inevitable or preordained—it’s why I write this column, to help you do better.
Now that you understand both the evidence for the comparative effectiveness of rewards over punishments and the psychological barriers to acting on this knowledge, you should be more motivated and maybe even capable to, as the song says, “try a little tenderness.”
Jeffrey Pfeffer is a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and is the author or co-author of 12 books. His latest book, “Power: How to Get It, Use It, and Keep It,” will be published by Harper Collins in September 2010.
Given below is an article whose contents would make a lot of sense to some , yet would leave others wondering.
It is upto you my good reader to think through the article , chew on it , so as to later arrive at a stand as in a decision for yourself.
In my view ;
There is neither right nor wrong here .
All one is talking of the approach one needs to take - as they say it is a matter of one's discretion, or individual call.
However one needs to take a conscious call based on a platform of knowing the complete facts and the truth.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Why CEOs Talk Tough to Staff, and Why Tender Works Better
On a flight back from London on British Airways the day after the end of the flight attendants’ strike, one employee said, “We know the company is facing difficulties, and we’re willing to help. But don’t they know that praise goes a lot further than fear?” I have heard similar sentiments from other employees at United—where there is a very punitive policy toward taking sick days—and from numerous workers not in the airline industry.
The comments are empirically correct but apparently hard for senior management to do. The truth of the statements and the difficulty of implementing them are both important.
Beginning with the famous learning theorist B. F. Skinner, research has consistently shown that positive reinforcement—rewarding desired behavior—is more effective than punishment for increasing the likelihood of people doing what you want them to do. In fact, O. C. Tanner, a company that sells both trinkets and also reward and recognition programs to companies, describes the importance of rewards in The Carrot Principle. The book reports on empirical research documenting how effective recognition can be. Add it to the body of knowledge accumulated over the years by people such as management scholar Fred Luthans of the University of Nebraska, and you have compelling evidence for the wisdom of implementing Skinner’s insights.
If there is so much anecdotal and systematic evidence—and even simple common sense—to support using praise and kindness, why is it used so infrequently?
In Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions, naval history professor Zachary Shore suggests an answer.
Shore describes what he calls “exposure anxiety”—the fear of being exposed or labeled as “weak.”
He notes that more than a fear, many people believed that not acting tough will cause others to take advantage of them and see them as weak and spineless—not a good image for a leader.
You see this all the time at work. Management and organizational behavior are sometimes labeled as “soft” subjects—compared, I presume, to the “hard” disciplines of economics, finance, and accounting.
In my education and training work, when I describe companies that take a positive, inclusive, strong-culture building approach to their employees—places like kidney dialysis provider DaVita or the Andean region of Kimberly-Clark where Sergio Nacach doubled sales and tripled earnings in about four years—the response is the same.
This approach seems soft, mushy, and doesn’t signal the toughness that executives want to display.
Here again social psychology has some important insights. The two fundamental criteria we use to evaluate others are competence and warmth.
But as Harvard business school professor Teresa Amabile described in an aptly titled article, “Brilliant But Cruel,” the problem is that we often see competence and warmth as being negatively related—warm people don’t appear as intelligent or skilled as those that are meaner.
You would think that these dynamics wouldn’t apply as much to CEOS—already at the top of their companies, they presumably don’t need to worry as much about their image and ought to be more concerned with creating shareholder value by managing their workforce in a way that provides higher levels of business performance.
But many CEOs do care about what their peers think about them, and therefore make the trade-off to be unduly tough and mean and underutilize kindness, praise, and rewards with their workforce.
Making the same mistakes over and over again is not inevitable or preordained—it’s why I write this column, to help you do better.
Now that you understand both the evidence for the comparative effectiveness of rewards over punishments and the psychological barriers to acting on this knowledge, you should be more motivated and maybe even capable to, as the song says, “try a little tenderness.”
Jeffrey Pfeffer is a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and is the author or co-author of 12 books. His latest book, “Power: How to Get It, Use It, and Keep It,” will be published by Harper Collins in September 2010.
LIFE IS A GAME OF FIVE BALLS!!!!
Dear Reader ,
Here is an example of a brief speech on," Life is a Game", from a C.E.O. of a major beverage company.
Enjoy the read , then perhaps a beverage!!!!
30 seconds Speech by Bryan Dyson (CEO of Coca Cola)
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air".
You name them - Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit and you're keeping all of these in the Air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.
But the other four Balls - Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - are made of glass.
If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered.
They will never be the same.
You must understand that and strive for it."
WORK EFFICIENTLY DURING OFFICE HOURS AND LEAVE ON TIME.
GIVE THE REQUIRED TIME TO YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS & HAVE PROPER REST.-------
Here is an example of a brief speech on," Life is a Game", from a C.E.O. of a major beverage company.
Enjoy the read , then perhaps a beverage!!!!
30 seconds Speech by Bryan Dyson (CEO of Coca Cola)
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air".
You name them - Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit and you're keeping all of these in the Air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.
But the other four Balls - Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - are made of glass.
If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered.
They will never be the same.
You must understand that and strive for it."
WORK EFFICIENTLY DURING OFFICE HOURS AND LEAVE ON TIME.
GIVE THE REQUIRED TIME TO YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS & HAVE PROPER REST.-------
THE LINE OF FIRE.
Dear Reader,
All around us, wars and battles are being fought.
Many of us fight these wars on a day to day basis.
Some battle, some fight for even existence .
However what i have narrated below is the reproduction of a true incident as rendered by one of my colleagues who is an ex defence person.
The learning from it is given at the end of the narration.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdi express could not cool his frayed nerves.
He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought, he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do!!
He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.
"Are you from the software industry sir," the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.
"You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today everything is getting computerized."
"Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and stockily built like a sportsman.
He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling pass.
"You people always amaze me," the man continued, "You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside."
Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naiveness demanded reasoning not anger. "It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it."
For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement. "It is complex, very complex."
"It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid," came the reply.
This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone.
"Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat.
You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing."
He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point.
"Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway reservation system is computerized.
You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centres across the country.
Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?"
The man was awestuck; quite like a child at a planetarium.
This was something big and beyond his imagination.
"You design and code such things."
"I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "but now I am the Project Manager."
"Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over,
"So your life is easy now."
This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, "Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work. Design and coding! That is the easier part.
Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressful. My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality.
To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it yesterday."
Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with self-realisation. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth.
And one need not get angry while defending the truth.
"My friend," he concluded triumphantly, "you don't know what it is to be in the Line of Fire".
The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization.
When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek.
"I know sir,..... I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire......."
He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time.
"There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top.
There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom. In the morning when we finally hoisted the tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive."
"You are a...?"
"I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment.
But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier. On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker ” .
” It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety.
But my, "Captain Sahab refused to give me permission and went ahead himself.
He said that the first pledge he had taken as a,"Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded... ....his own personal safety came last, always and every time."
"He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker.
Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me .
I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire."
Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond.
Abruptly, he switched off the laptop.
It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for whom valour and duty was a daily part of life; valour and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epical heroes.
The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight.
"It was nice meeting you sir."
Vivek fumbled with the handshake.
This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the tricolour. Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute.
It was the least he felt he could do for the country.
PS: The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil war.
Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight.
For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest military award.
Live humbly, there are great people around us, let us learn!
All around us, wars and battles are being fought.
Many of us fight these wars on a day to day basis.
Some battle, some fight for even existence .
However what i have narrated below is the reproduction of a true incident as rendered by one of my colleagues who is an ex defence person.
The learning from it is given at the end of the narration.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdi express could not cool his frayed nerves.
He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought, he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do!!
He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.
"Are you from the software industry sir," the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.
"You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today everything is getting computerized."
"Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and stockily built like a sportsman.
He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling pass.
"You people always amaze me," the man continued, "You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside."
Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naiveness demanded reasoning not anger. "It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it."
For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement. "It is complex, very complex."
"It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid," came the reply.
This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone.
"Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat.
You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing."
He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point.
"Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway reservation system is computerized.
You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centres across the country.
Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?"
The man was awestuck; quite like a child at a planetarium.
This was something big and beyond his imagination.
"You design and code such things."
"I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "but now I am the Project Manager."
"Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over,
"So your life is easy now."
This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, "Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work. Design and coding! That is the easier part.
Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressful. My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality.
To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it yesterday."
Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with self-realisation. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth.
And one need not get angry while defending the truth.
"My friend," he concluded triumphantly, "you don't know what it is to be in the Line of Fire".
The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization.
When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek.
"I know sir,..... I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire......."
He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time.
"There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top.
There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom. In the morning when we finally hoisted the tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive."
"You are a...?"
"I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment.
But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier. On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker ” .
” It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety.
But my, "Captain Sahab refused to give me permission and went ahead himself.
He said that the first pledge he had taken as a,"Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded... ....his own personal safety came last, always and every time."
"He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker.
Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me .
I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire."
Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond.
Abruptly, he switched off the laptop.
It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for whom valour and duty was a daily part of life; valour and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epical heroes.
The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight.
"It was nice meeting you sir."
Vivek fumbled with the handshake.
This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the tricolour. Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute.
It was the least he felt he could do for the country.
PS: The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil war.
Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight.
For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest military award.
Live humbly, there are great people around us, let us learn!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
CONTENEMENT MAKES ME .........;
Dear Reader ,
We often wonder what will contentment do for us?
Here then is a short note on it.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Contentment makes me a giver.
Projection:
My mind is busy usually with expectations.
I continue to expect something or the other from people.
Yet I find that people are too busy fulfilling their own expectations to notice or to give what I need.
Since my expectations are not fulfilled I am not able to be available for others and give them what they need.
So what could be the solution?
Solution:
I need to be so aware of what I have and be content with it, that people should never think about what I need but should be able to take from me what they need.
Then I'll be free from expectations and give others what is required.
We often wonder what will contentment do for us?
Here then is a short note on it.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Contentment makes me a giver.
Projection:
My mind is busy usually with expectations.
I continue to expect something or the other from people.
Yet I find that people are too busy fulfilling their own expectations to notice or to give what I need.
Since my expectations are not fulfilled I am not able to be available for others and give them what they need.
So what could be the solution?
Solution:
I need to be so aware of what I have and be content with it, that people should never think about what I need but should be able to take from me what they need.
Then I'll be free from expectations and give others what is required.
JUST BE THERE - STAY
Dear Reader,
What i have written here is a typical case of mistaken identity to the common man/ common eye.
However please try to go beyond that.
The morale is very clearly given at the end as in a L.O.L. [Lesson of Learning]
Read it , think about it and see if it can make a difference in your life somewhere, sometime with someone.
or If You can Make a Difference in Someone Else's Life.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
"Your son is here," she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent.
He reached out his hand.
The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed.
All through the night the Young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.
He refused.
Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words.
The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died.
The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse.
While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.
"Who was that man?" he asked.
The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.
"No, he wasn't," the Marine, replied. "I never saw him before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"
"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just Wasn't here.
When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."
The next time someone needs you ... Just be there.
Stay.
WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
What i have written here is a typical case of mistaken identity to the common man/ common eye.
However please try to go beyond that.
The morale is very clearly given at the end as in a L.O.L. [Lesson of Learning]
Read it , think about it and see if it can make a difference in your life somewhere, sometime with someone.
or If You can Make a Difference in Someone Else's Life.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
"Your son is here," she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent.
He reached out his hand.
The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed.
All through the night the Young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.
He refused.
Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words.
The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died.
The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse.
While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.
"Who was that man?" he asked.
The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.
"No, he wasn't," the Marine, replied. "I never saw him before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"
"I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just Wasn't here.
When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed."
The next time someone needs you ... Just be there.
Stay.
WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
RESOLVING CONFLICTS
Dear Reader,
Here is an article that is on ,'Resolving Conflicts'.
A well written piece will certainly provide for a lot of food for thought .
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Resolving Tough Conflicts - One Competency at a Time
by Jennifer S. Goldman
The ability to resolve conflict is a core competency for leaders in all types of organizations. It's no wonder there's lots of advice out there on the topic.
The good news is that much of it is excellent. The bad news is that most of it pertains to "routine" conflict - conflict that arises every day and is best addressed by using interest-based, or principled, negotiation that produces win-win solutions.
But what about conflicts that reappear despite our best efforts to resolve them? For example, what about the family business in which a father has threatened to sell the company rather than pass it on to his children? Or a newly merged company suffering from a long-standing conflict between two of its highest-profile members?
For all its successes, principled negotiation has its limitations. A new framework called CIVIC aims to enable organizations to effectively deal with persistent conflicts. CIVIC is an acronym for the five core competencies individuals need to do this: complexity, interconnectedness, values, imagination and courage.
Complexity
According to researcher Peter T. Coleman, many long-standing conflicts involve multiple parties, issues and relationships. The first step in solving long-term conflicts is to recognize this complexity. The second step is learning how to anticipate the potentially complex consequences of our own and others' actions.
For example, in the case of the family business in which a father wants to sell the business rather than pass it down to his children, it is important for all parties to ask themselves a set of questions about the potential consequences of their actions before taking a next step. Some important questions include: What are the possible unintended consequences of my behavior down the road for others? For myself? For the company? For future generations of my family and the company's leadership? When we take this long-range view, we may gain a new perspective that can help us prevent conflict from escalating.
Interconnectedness
Conflicts often are made up of interwoven interests and needs between the parties. For example, consider a company in which the sales leaders and the R&D individuals can't see eye to eye. If they didn't need one another, they could simply walk away. But sales would have nothing to sell if R&D didn't create the products, and R&D would have no way of putting new products into customers' hands without a sales force.
In the heat of a conflict, it can be easy to lose sight of the ways in which we depend on one another. A first step out of the conflict is for the parties to simply appreciate the fact that they are interconnected. It helps to map out our relationships and put on the map at least one new person, place or event that we haven't previously considered to be part of the situation. We should also put on the map at least one positive contribution that each person, place or event brings to the situation. Doing so can help us shift our perspective.
Values
If conflicts persist over a long period of time, the parties are invariably getting something out of it. If they weren't, they would have ended the conflict long ago.
An important question to ask ourselves is: What benefits do I personally receive from staying in this conflict? The answer may uncover important - but hidden or taboo - values that each party holds. For example, we may benefit from staying in a conflict if we get to feel that we are right and the others are wrong or if we get sympathy or attention from others. Sometimes staying stuck in a conflict simply allows us to avoid having to deal with it or make a difficult decision. These are all legitimate values or needs that we have, but bringing them to light allows us to find ways to attain them through other means.
Imagination
This core competency has two parts. The first is the ability to envision a better future. This requires that we take a step back and ask ourselves: What would this situation look like in its ideal state? Keeping in mind complexity and interconnectedness, what is the ideal state not just with regard to one other party, but for all involved? Map this out.
The second part of this competency refers to the ability to communicate this vision. If you are a leader in the conflict, you may need to communicate your vision both to your own team and to the other parties. Ask others to contribute to your vision of a compelling future.
Courage
At the end of the day, we may have the greatest ideas on how to get things back on track to produce superior results. But if we don't do things differently than before, we'll stay stuck in the same patterns. We must consciously choose to act differently, one small step at a time. This takes courage. It may take being unconventional or pushing past our comfort zones. We can study the actions of our favorite courageous leaders - real and imaginary - and choose to live by their example.
[About the Author: Jennifer S. Goldman is an organizational psychologist and the founder of Alignment Strategies Group, an organizational leadership consultancy.]
Here is an article that is on ,'Resolving Conflicts'.
A well written piece will certainly provide for a lot of food for thought .
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Resolving Tough Conflicts - One Competency at a Time
by Jennifer S. Goldman
The ability to resolve conflict is a core competency for leaders in all types of organizations. It's no wonder there's lots of advice out there on the topic.
The good news is that much of it is excellent. The bad news is that most of it pertains to "routine" conflict - conflict that arises every day and is best addressed by using interest-based, or principled, negotiation that produces win-win solutions.
But what about conflicts that reappear despite our best efforts to resolve them? For example, what about the family business in which a father has threatened to sell the company rather than pass it on to his children? Or a newly merged company suffering from a long-standing conflict between two of its highest-profile members?
For all its successes, principled negotiation has its limitations. A new framework called CIVIC aims to enable organizations to effectively deal with persistent conflicts. CIVIC is an acronym for the five core competencies individuals need to do this: complexity, interconnectedness, values, imagination and courage.
Complexity
According to researcher Peter T. Coleman, many long-standing conflicts involve multiple parties, issues and relationships. The first step in solving long-term conflicts is to recognize this complexity. The second step is learning how to anticipate the potentially complex consequences of our own and others' actions.
For example, in the case of the family business in which a father wants to sell the business rather than pass it down to his children, it is important for all parties to ask themselves a set of questions about the potential consequences of their actions before taking a next step. Some important questions include: What are the possible unintended consequences of my behavior down the road for others? For myself? For the company? For future generations of my family and the company's leadership? When we take this long-range view, we may gain a new perspective that can help us prevent conflict from escalating.
Interconnectedness
Conflicts often are made up of interwoven interests and needs between the parties. For example, consider a company in which the sales leaders and the R&D individuals can't see eye to eye. If they didn't need one another, they could simply walk away. But sales would have nothing to sell if R&D didn't create the products, and R&D would have no way of putting new products into customers' hands without a sales force.
In the heat of a conflict, it can be easy to lose sight of the ways in which we depend on one another. A first step out of the conflict is for the parties to simply appreciate the fact that they are interconnected. It helps to map out our relationships and put on the map at least one new person, place or event that we haven't previously considered to be part of the situation. We should also put on the map at least one positive contribution that each person, place or event brings to the situation. Doing so can help us shift our perspective.
Values
If conflicts persist over a long period of time, the parties are invariably getting something out of it. If they weren't, they would have ended the conflict long ago.
An important question to ask ourselves is: What benefits do I personally receive from staying in this conflict? The answer may uncover important - but hidden or taboo - values that each party holds. For example, we may benefit from staying in a conflict if we get to feel that we are right and the others are wrong or if we get sympathy or attention from others. Sometimes staying stuck in a conflict simply allows us to avoid having to deal with it or make a difficult decision. These are all legitimate values or needs that we have, but bringing them to light allows us to find ways to attain them through other means.
Imagination
This core competency has two parts. The first is the ability to envision a better future. This requires that we take a step back and ask ourselves: What would this situation look like in its ideal state? Keeping in mind complexity and interconnectedness, what is the ideal state not just with regard to one other party, but for all involved? Map this out.
The second part of this competency refers to the ability to communicate this vision. If you are a leader in the conflict, you may need to communicate your vision both to your own team and to the other parties. Ask others to contribute to your vision of a compelling future.
Courage
At the end of the day, we may have the greatest ideas on how to get things back on track to produce superior results. But if we don't do things differently than before, we'll stay stuck in the same patterns. We must consciously choose to act differently, one small step at a time. This takes courage. It may take being unconventional or pushing past our comfort zones. We can study the actions of our favorite courageous leaders - real and imaginary - and choose to live by their example.
[About the Author: Jennifer S. Goldman is an organizational psychologist and the founder of Alignment Strategies Group, an organizational leadership consultancy.]
Changing Attitudes
Dear Reader,
Given below is an article which was posted on one of the forums by a member of the forum.
The article has been reproduced here in detail as given.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad
Changing Attitudes
by Harold D. Stolovitch, Ph.D.
Sometimes getting people to change their performance seems impossible, despite the urgent need to do so. Here are some examples.
The press highlighted rising conflict incidents - some resulting in violence - related to racial, cultural and linguistic differences between public transit riders and bus drivers. Bus drivers were convinced riders were at fault. "They should go back to where they came from if they can't act decently," the drivers complained.
Firefighter hand injuries increased sharply. A major contributing cause was not wearing gloves at fire scenes. "Real men don't wear gloves," characterized the prevailing attitude.
Women enrolled, through a recent company campaign, in traditionally male-only, well-paying trades were abandoning the program at an alarming rate. They claimed discrimination and harassment. Men ridiculed these grievances, with the attitude, "If they can't take the heat, they should get out of the kitchen."
Each case investigation turned up evidence indicating deeply embedded attitudes, ignorance of the consequences of one's actions and cultural norms as major contributors to the undesirable outcomes. In the public transit case, the majority of drivers were unaware of their own contributory actions that triggered conflicts and had no knowledge of the consequences to themselves and their jobs. Firefighters firmly believed they knew what they were doing. This, coupled with a macho culture, created barriers to improved safety behaviors. As for the women entering hitherto closed job categories, job loss fears, misunderstandings concerning appropriate conduct and blindness about the impact of their actions inhibited the men from changing entrenched behaviors.
Transforming how someone troubleshoots equipment or processes claims basically requires goal setting, practice, feedback and reinforcement. In areas of strong emotion a different paradigm is required, one that focused on replacing deep-rooted beliefs and habitual behaviors. What follows is a six-step strategic approach for transforming attitudinally biased, counterproductive performances into ones that generate positive results for both the organization and the performers themselves.
1. Perception:
Awareness is a critical first step. For the bus drivers, ridership was declining - and affecting their jobs - except in one category: the newly landed immigrant riders with whom they were having conflicts. Drivers were amazed by a video about immigrant riders' fears and perceptions of bus driver hostility. Exposure to statistics about injuries, the long-term health consequences of hand injuries and their effect on absenteeism, budgets and jobs opened firefighters' eyes to how their individual neglect was creating widespread negative consequences.
2. Acknowledgement:
Perception must lead to acceptance of the negative consequences of deep-seated attitudes - short and long term - on all involved.
3. Valuing:
The negative impact of time-honored beliefs and behaviors has to be exposed and replaced with a new value system. Role-play, success examples, informal leader encouragement and reinforcement of all values are useful.
4. Actions:
From words to deeds, models of conduct, practice, feedback and reinforcement come into play. Appropriate policies, pro-cedures, expectations and consequences are critical in this step. Encouraging on-the-job initiatives and monitoring to foster appropriate actions strengthens the probability of performance changes.
5. Support:
A major step forward occurs when performers act appropriately and assist in others' efforts to do so. Encouraging informal support, communicating positive outcomes and recognizing support efforts accelerates the performance transformation.
6. Advocacy:
When key group members assume leadership and press for the new performance, success has occurred.
In all three examples, not only were strategies implemented, they resulted in significant performance improvements. Incidents dramatically declined aboard buses; firefighter hand injuries steadily decreased; women are increasingly succeeding and remaining in their new trades. All were difficult performance changes; all had positive outcomes.
[About the Author: Harold D. Stolovitch, Ph.D., CPT is a principal of HSA Learning & Performance Solutions LLC and is emeritus professor of instructional and performance technology at the Universite de Montreal.]
Given below is an article which was posted on one of the forums by a member of the forum.
The article has been reproduced here in detail as given.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad
Changing Attitudes
by Harold D. Stolovitch, Ph.D.
Sometimes getting people to change their performance seems impossible, despite the urgent need to do so. Here are some examples.
The press highlighted rising conflict incidents - some resulting in violence - related to racial, cultural and linguistic differences between public transit riders and bus drivers. Bus drivers were convinced riders were at fault. "They should go back to where they came from if they can't act decently," the drivers complained.
Firefighter hand injuries increased sharply. A major contributing cause was not wearing gloves at fire scenes. "Real men don't wear gloves," characterized the prevailing attitude.
Women enrolled, through a recent company campaign, in traditionally male-only, well-paying trades were abandoning the program at an alarming rate. They claimed discrimination and harassment. Men ridiculed these grievances, with the attitude, "If they can't take the heat, they should get out of the kitchen."
Each case investigation turned up evidence indicating deeply embedded attitudes, ignorance of the consequences of one's actions and cultural norms as major contributors to the undesirable outcomes. In the public transit case, the majority of drivers were unaware of their own contributory actions that triggered conflicts and had no knowledge of the consequences to themselves and their jobs. Firefighters firmly believed they knew what they were doing. This, coupled with a macho culture, created barriers to improved safety behaviors. As for the women entering hitherto closed job categories, job loss fears, misunderstandings concerning appropriate conduct and blindness about the impact of their actions inhibited the men from changing entrenched behaviors.
Transforming how someone troubleshoots equipment or processes claims basically requires goal setting, practice, feedback and reinforcement. In areas of strong emotion a different paradigm is required, one that focused on replacing deep-rooted beliefs and habitual behaviors. What follows is a six-step strategic approach for transforming attitudinally biased, counterproductive performances into ones that generate positive results for both the organization and the performers themselves.
1. Perception:
Awareness is a critical first step. For the bus drivers, ridership was declining - and affecting their jobs - except in one category: the newly landed immigrant riders with whom they were having conflicts. Drivers were amazed by a video about immigrant riders' fears and perceptions of bus driver hostility. Exposure to statistics about injuries, the long-term health consequences of hand injuries and their effect on absenteeism, budgets and jobs opened firefighters' eyes to how their individual neglect was creating widespread negative consequences.
2. Acknowledgement:
Perception must lead to acceptance of the negative consequences of deep-seated attitudes - short and long term - on all involved.
3. Valuing:
The negative impact of time-honored beliefs and behaviors has to be exposed and replaced with a new value system. Role-play, success examples, informal leader encouragement and reinforcement of all values are useful.
4. Actions:
From words to deeds, models of conduct, practice, feedback and reinforcement come into play. Appropriate policies, pro-cedures, expectations and consequences are critical in this step. Encouraging on-the-job initiatives and monitoring to foster appropriate actions strengthens the probability of performance changes.
5. Support:
A major step forward occurs when performers act appropriately and assist in others' efforts to do so. Encouraging informal support, communicating positive outcomes and recognizing support efforts accelerates the performance transformation.
6. Advocacy:
When key group members assume leadership and press for the new performance, success has occurred.
In all three examples, not only were strategies implemented, they resulted in significant performance improvements. Incidents dramatically declined aboard buses; firefighter hand injuries steadily decreased; women are increasingly succeeding and remaining in their new trades. All were difficult performance changes; all had positive outcomes.
[About the Author: Harold D. Stolovitch, Ph.D., CPT is a principal of HSA Learning & Performance Solutions LLC and is emeritus professor of instructional and performance technology at the Universite de Montreal.]
**Brahma Jnani**
Dear Reader,
Here's something i would like you to read and think about.
Are the present day teachers / gurus / trainers anywhere near what i have given at the end of this short note?
Think and reason for your self as in to know so that you can then decide.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
**Brahma Jnani**
Mandana Misra, a scholar of great repute. His wife, Ubhayabharathi, too was a great scholar. When Adi Sankara was proceeding on his victory march, he met Mandana Misra and entered into a scholarly debate with him. It was decided that Mandana Misra would take to Sannyasa if he was defeated in the debate.
Ubhayabharathi was chosen to be the adjudicator of the contest. Will anyone accept such a proposal wherein the rival’s wife acts as the adjudicator? But, Adi Sankara had no hesitation to accept her as the adjudicator, for he knew that Ubhayabharati strictly adhered to the principle of truth in letter and spirit.
She was impartial in her judgement and declared Sankara to be the winner. Mandana Misra took to Sannyasa in accordance with the terms and conditions of the debate. Ubhayabharati, being his Ardhangi (better half), followed suit.
Ubhayabharathi lived in a hermitage near the bank of river Ganga. Many women became her disciples. Every day in the morning, they used to go to the bank of the Ganga to have a bath.
On the way, there lived a Sannyasi, whom people considered as Brahma Jnani (the knower of Brahma). He had renounced the world to attain true wisdom.
However, he was very much attached to a dried bottle-gourd in which he used to preserve water. One day he was lying down, using it as a pillow, lest someone should steal it.
Ubhayabharathi observed this and asked her disciples as to who he was. One of the disciples said that he was known as Brahma Jnani.
Then Ubhayabharathi remarked, “Though he is one of wisdom, he is attached to his bottle-gourd which he is using as his pillow.”
The so-called Brahma Jnani heard their conversation and became angry.
When Ubhayabharathi and her disciples were returning from the Ganga, he threw away the bottle- gourd on the road, just to show that he was not attached to it.
Seeing this, Ubhayabharathi at once remarked, “I thought there was only one defect in him - Abhimana (attachment).
Now I realise that he has another defect also - Ahamkara (ego). How can one with Ahamkara and Abhimana be a Jnani (one of wisdom)? Her comment was an eye opener for the Sannyasi.
Immediately he fell at the feet of Ubhayabharathi and prayed to her to teach him true knowledge.
A true guru is one who dispels the darkness of ignorance and lights the lamp of wisdom.
That which remains changeless in all the three periods of time is true wisdom.
People accepted Ubhayabharathi as their guru because her thought, word and deed were in complete harmony.
Manasyekam vachasyekam karmanyekam mahatma naam (Those whose thoughts, words and deeds are in perfect harmony are noble ones).
Here's something i would like you to read and think about.
Are the present day teachers / gurus / trainers anywhere near what i have given at the end of this short note?
Think and reason for your self as in to know so that you can then decide.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
**Brahma Jnani**
Mandana Misra, a scholar of great repute. His wife, Ubhayabharathi, too was a great scholar. When Adi Sankara was proceeding on his victory march, he met Mandana Misra and entered into a scholarly debate with him. It was decided that Mandana Misra would take to Sannyasa if he was defeated in the debate.
Ubhayabharathi was chosen to be the adjudicator of the contest. Will anyone accept such a proposal wherein the rival’s wife acts as the adjudicator? But, Adi Sankara had no hesitation to accept her as the adjudicator, for he knew that Ubhayabharati strictly adhered to the principle of truth in letter and spirit.
She was impartial in her judgement and declared Sankara to be the winner. Mandana Misra took to Sannyasa in accordance with the terms and conditions of the debate. Ubhayabharati, being his Ardhangi (better half), followed suit.
Ubhayabharathi lived in a hermitage near the bank of river Ganga. Many women became her disciples. Every day in the morning, they used to go to the bank of the Ganga to have a bath.
On the way, there lived a Sannyasi, whom people considered as Brahma Jnani (the knower of Brahma). He had renounced the world to attain true wisdom.
However, he was very much attached to a dried bottle-gourd in which he used to preserve water. One day he was lying down, using it as a pillow, lest someone should steal it.
Ubhayabharathi observed this and asked her disciples as to who he was. One of the disciples said that he was known as Brahma Jnani.
Then Ubhayabharathi remarked, “Though he is one of wisdom, he is attached to his bottle-gourd which he is using as his pillow.”
The so-called Brahma Jnani heard their conversation and became angry.
When Ubhayabharathi and her disciples were returning from the Ganga, he threw away the bottle- gourd on the road, just to show that he was not attached to it.
Seeing this, Ubhayabharathi at once remarked, “I thought there was only one defect in him - Abhimana (attachment).
Now I realise that he has another defect also - Ahamkara (ego). How can one with Ahamkara and Abhimana be a Jnani (one of wisdom)? Her comment was an eye opener for the Sannyasi.
Immediately he fell at the feet of Ubhayabharathi and prayed to her to teach him true knowledge.
A true guru is one who dispels the darkness of ignorance and lights the lamp of wisdom.
That which remains changeless in all the three periods of time is true wisdom.
People accepted Ubhayabharathi as their guru because her thought, word and deed were in complete harmony.
Manasyekam vachasyekam karmanyekam mahatma naam (Those whose thoughts, words and deeds are in perfect harmony are noble ones).
Only eat what you want to (Let your hunger decide)
Dear Reader ,
Here's something i would really like you to go through. At the end i have given the original author's name and the website adddress.
Hope you would enjoy the read.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Dear Prasad,
I am often amazed at the sheer size of the food portions at some restaurants. There are times, I am sure we have all experienced it, when the amount of food on the plate is completely overwhelming and you know you can never eat it all.
Have you ever looked around the restaurant after having such a feast set before you? Some of the people at the restaurant are surely feeling the same as you are, realizing there is just too much food on the plate; but others are enthusiastically digging into their plate of food, the quantity, in their eyes, perfect for their current hunger.
What is one to do in such a situation?
The answer: let your hunger decide. Eat only what you need too. There is no rule that you must eat all of a meal in order to enjoy and savor the different flavors. When you feel satisfied, stop.
Well, you may be thinking, that is a fairly obvious point. So, what IS the point?
Have you ever thought of using a similar rule with your business?
This idea popped up at the recent Wealthy Thought Leader event. There were big ideas and big money models being discussed, and a wide range of participants, in a wide range of places with their businesses, at the event. Some were, initially, completely overwhelmed by the sheer size of what was being talked about, while others were digging in with complete enthusiasm.
As the discussions continued it became clear that the answer for everyone was:
Eat only what you need too. When you feel satisfied stop.
Talking about a large membership site boggling your mind? Apply the idea to starting a community forum.
Is a $100 000 coaching program money model too big to wrap your head around? Apply the concept to creating a coaching program that is a high-end money model compared to what you currently offer.
Ideas are malleable. Shape the new ideas you encounter into ideas that work for you and your business.
And what does this have to do with Money, Meaning, and Beyond?
This week's excerpt was originally written with the figure $250 000 as the example. As you read it today remember that the number doesn't really matter, pick a number that fits your business; then apply the information to your business' current hunger.
Until soon,
The Money, Meaning & Beyond Team
mmbteam@mythoughtpartners.com
Chapter 22 Riding the Tiger
Some business owners hit a ceiling in their business. They
reach a certain level of success and despite best efforts are
unable to move past this invisible barrier to growth. This
seems to happen frequently at the quarter million dollar
mark, so we've nicknamed it the 'Quarter Million Dollar
Speed Bump.'
Other business owners step right into the flow, and go beyond what they thought was possible. Success arrives at their doorstep in full bloom and it creates a sensation like free falling - wonderful if you're calm, terrifying if you're not.
No matter which category you find yourself in, the most common response is to 'do this' or 'try that' to regain mo- mentum or equilibrium. In our experience, the solution - if we can call it that - has little to do with 'doing' and much more to do with 'being'.
Wisdom nugget:
Come to realize that your business is not yours; it's only on loan to you.
YOU are *not* in control.
Whether you have children or not, you've likely heard the
saying, "Children are not ours, they're only on loan to us."
Somewhere along the path to seven figures, often comes the
realization that the same thing applies to your business. It's
a foundational piece of the journey.
Sooner or later, you, the CEO, Founder, President, Owner,
or whatever title you hold, realize that you are not in con-
trol, and the business is in actuality *not* yours. It hits you between the eyes. And regardless of your spiritual beliefs or personal faith, let's see if this makes a kind of sense:
Your business is really only on loan to you to shepherd awhile.
Different business owners respond to this very differently, so pause a moment now to make a note...how does this idea strike you?
Does it seem true, and feel freeing? Or does it feel odd and uncertain? Maybe it feels like something else entirely.
Copyright © 2010 all rights reserved.
Thought Partners International Ltd.
Box 29016, 2515 Highlands Rd W
Lethbridge, AB T1J 4Y2
403-830-4339.
Andrea J. Lee | andrea@andreajlee.com | http://www.mythoughtpartners.com
Here's something i would really like you to go through. At the end i have given the original author's name and the website adddress.
Hope you would enjoy the read.
Regards,
A.S.Prasad.
Dear Prasad,
I am often amazed at the sheer size of the food portions at some restaurants. There are times, I am sure we have all experienced it, when the amount of food on the plate is completely overwhelming and you know you can never eat it all.
Have you ever looked around the restaurant after having such a feast set before you? Some of the people at the restaurant are surely feeling the same as you are, realizing there is just too much food on the plate; but others are enthusiastically digging into their plate of food, the quantity, in their eyes, perfect for their current hunger.
What is one to do in such a situation?
The answer: let your hunger decide. Eat only what you need too. There is no rule that you must eat all of a meal in order to enjoy and savor the different flavors. When you feel satisfied, stop.
Well, you may be thinking, that is a fairly obvious point. So, what IS the point?
Have you ever thought of using a similar rule with your business?
This idea popped up at the recent Wealthy Thought Leader event. There were big ideas and big money models being discussed, and a wide range of participants, in a wide range of places with their businesses, at the event. Some were, initially, completely overwhelmed by the sheer size of what was being talked about, while others were digging in with complete enthusiasm.
As the discussions continued it became clear that the answer for everyone was:
Eat only what you need too. When you feel satisfied stop.
Talking about a large membership site boggling your mind? Apply the idea to starting a community forum.
Is a $100 000 coaching program money model too big to wrap your head around? Apply the concept to creating a coaching program that is a high-end money model compared to what you currently offer.
Ideas are malleable. Shape the new ideas you encounter into ideas that work for you and your business.
And what does this have to do with Money, Meaning, and Beyond?
This week's excerpt was originally written with the figure $250 000 as the example. As you read it today remember that the number doesn't really matter, pick a number that fits your business; then apply the information to your business' current hunger.
Until soon,
The Money, Meaning & Beyond Team
mmbteam@mythoughtpartners.com
Chapter 22 Riding the Tiger
Some business owners hit a ceiling in their business. They
reach a certain level of success and despite best efforts are
unable to move past this invisible barrier to growth. This
seems to happen frequently at the quarter million dollar
mark, so we've nicknamed it the 'Quarter Million Dollar
Speed Bump.'
Other business owners step right into the flow, and go beyond what they thought was possible. Success arrives at their doorstep in full bloom and it creates a sensation like free falling - wonderful if you're calm, terrifying if you're not.
No matter which category you find yourself in, the most common response is to 'do this' or 'try that' to regain mo- mentum or equilibrium. In our experience, the solution - if we can call it that - has little to do with 'doing' and much more to do with 'being'.
Wisdom nugget:
Come to realize that your business is not yours; it's only on loan to you.
YOU are *not* in control.
Whether you have children or not, you've likely heard the
saying, "Children are not ours, they're only on loan to us."
Somewhere along the path to seven figures, often comes the
realization that the same thing applies to your business. It's
a foundational piece of the journey.
Sooner or later, you, the CEO, Founder, President, Owner,
or whatever title you hold, realize that you are not in con-
trol, and the business is in actuality *not* yours. It hits you between the eyes. And regardless of your spiritual beliefs or personal faith, let's see if this makes a kind of sense:
Your business is really only on loan to you to shepherd awhile.
Different business owners respond to this very differently, so pause a moment now to make a note...how does this idea strike you?
Does it seem true, and feel freeing? Or does it feel odd and uncertain? Maybe it feels like something else entirely.
Copyright © 2010 all rights reserved.
Thought Partners International Ltd.
Box 29016, 2515 Highlands Rd W
Lethbridge, AB T1J 4Y2
403-830-4339.
Andrea J. Lee | andrea@andreajlee.com | http://www.mythoughtpartners.com
Friday, April 9, 2010
Cultivate Courage in Uncertain Times
Dear Reader,
Here is an article as receieved by me in my mail box from one of my fellow forum members.
The thought behind posting it here is to merely extend the scope of readership of some brilliant pieces.
Cultivate Courage in Uncertain Times
by Sandra Ford Walston
There is a strong correlation between courageous leadership and organizational success. Luckily, everyone can learn to practice courage at work regardless of career or position. Based on 13 years of research on the subject, there are six main components of work-related courage.
1. Clarity:
Most people do not have a clue about their inner calling. Think about a time and an issue that excited and animated you. There is a good chance that you have experienced this positive energy at some point in your life. Perhaps you have all but forgotten this experience, but if you look closer, you might see that it revealed your inner essence. Define what is vital in your life and escalate your success at work. One moment of courageous clarity can work miracles in organizational effectiveness and career advancement.
2. Consistency:
Reflect on a facet of work that causes tension in your life. As you examine the situation, begin to notice your "default" courage settings. For example, you might discover you often change your mind. Then, suspend assumptions, detach from opinions and certainty about what you think is true, and take responsibility for your "courage consciousness" development. This also lifts the spirit of your work environment. Courageous people are able to execute this process by stopping to reflect. Do you consistently practice any form of meditation?
3. Controversy:
At times, you may have to appropriately challenge the people you wish to influence. You do this by standing firm in your convictions and questioning the situation. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Regardless of the cost, do you stand steadfast to demonstrate your talents and stand up for what you know to be right? Courageously forthright action does not mean bravado. Courage initiates decisive action and accepts nothing less.
4. Commitment:
When you manage how you learn, you also manage your workplace persona, an important key to developing workplace courage. In other words, when you are centered in your courage consciousness, your workplace persona provides an honest reflection of your inner being.
Success is about developing your own identity, your true self, so that you feel fulfilled and happy in each moment. Self-doubt is an obstacle to courage that ultimately undermines success. According to an ancient Chinese proverb: "He who hesitates before each step spends his life on one leg."
5. Confessing:
Do you confess your shortcomings and missteps? For example, if you lack knowledge about a topic, do you respond in a deceptive manner that keeps your ego intact? The honest response would be to confess your vulnerability by admitting that you do not know the answer.
Confessing is good for the spirit when done in a timely manner and with positive intent. The process helps us face the truth. We take responsibility for what is happening with our spirit and address those missteps that collect unhealthy energy. Yes, we invite potential trouble when we confess our shortcomings, but more importantly, we hold ourselves accountable and establish our integrity.
6. Candor:
Straight talk gets attention because it is uncomfortable for most people. Speaking with courage means learning to speak with your own voice. Only by learning to express ourselves from our own "courageous identities" can we begin to employ the courage that moves us beyond ambiguity.
[About the Author: Sandra Ford Walston is a learning consultant, speaker, corporate trainer and courage coach. She is the author of the book "Courage: The Heart and Spirit of Every Woman."]
Here is an article as receieved by me in my mail box from one of my fellow forum members.
The thought behind posting it here is to merely extend the scope of readership of some brilliant pieces.
Cultivate Courage in Uncertain Times
by Sandra Ford Walston
There is a strong correlation between courageous leadership and organizational success. Luckily, everyone can learn to practice courage at work regardless of career or position. Based on 13 years of research on the subject, there are six main components of work-related courage.
1. Clarity:
Most people do not have a clue about their inner calling. Think about a time and an issue that excited and animated you. There is a good chance that you have experienced this positive energy at some point in your life. Perhaps you have all but forgotten this experience, but if you look closer, you might see that it revealed your inner essence. Define what is vital in your life and escalate your success at work. One moment of courageous clarity can work miracles in organizational effectiveness and career advancement.
2. Consistency:
Reflect on a facet of work that causes tension in your life. As you examine the situation, begin to notice your "default" courage settings. For example, you might discover you often change your mind. Then, suspend assumptions, detach from opinions and certainty about what you think is true, and take responsibility for your "courage consciousness" development. This also lifts the spirit of your work environment. Courageous people are able to execute this process by stopping to reflect. Do you consistently practice any form of meditation?
3. Controversy:
At times, you may have to appropriately challenge the people you wish to influence. You do this by standing firm in your convictions and questioning the situation. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Regardless of the cost, do you stand steadfast to demonstrate your talents and stand up for what you know to be right? Courageously forthright action does not mean bravado. Courage initiates decisive action and accepts nothing less.
4. Commitment:
When you manage how you learn, you also manage your workplace persona, an important key to developing workplace courage. In other words, when you are centered in your courage consciousness, your workplace persona provides an honest reflection of your inner being.
Success is about developing your own identity, your true self, so that you feel fulfilled and happy in each moment. Self-doubt is an obstacle to courage that ultimately undermines success. According to an ancient Chinese proverb: "He who hesitates before each step spends his life on one leg."
5. Confessing:
Do you confess your shortcomings and missteps? For example, if you lack knowledge about a topic, do you respond in a deceptive manner that keeps your ego intact? The honest response would be to confess your vulnerability by admitting that you do not know the answer.
Confessing is good for the spirit when done in a timely manner and with positive intent. The process helps us face the truth. We take responsibility for what is happening with our spirit and address those missteps that collect unhealthy energy. Yes, we invite potential trouble when we confess our shortcomings, but more importantly, we hold ourselves accountable and establish our integrity.
6. Candor:
Straight talk gets attention because it is uncomfortable for most people. Speaking with courage means learning to speak with your own voice. Only by learning to express ourselves from our own "courageous identities" can we begin to employ the courage that moves us beyond ambiguity.
[About the Author: Sandra Ford Walston is a learning consultant, speaker, corporate trainer and courage coach. She is the author of the book "Courage: The Heart and Spirit of Every Woman."]
Shri Guru Raghavendraya - the Patron Saint of Mantralayam - My Guru.
Dear Reader,
Given below is the link of my Guru, shri Guru Raghavendraya - the patron saint of Mantralayam.
Today he is the last ray of hope for many across faiths and race when in the face of seeming adversities they are on the verge of giving up as in defeat.
Please do try to consciously invest your time , interest and patience in visiting the site link.
Your conscious choice in so doing is very much appreciated and sincerely acknowledgd.
May Rayaru Bless Us.
http://www.gururaghavendra.org/
THE EIGHT QUALITIES
THE EIGHT POWERS ONE MUST HAVE;
1]Tolerance:-
This is the power of the, "ability to accept, on the basis of understanding of self and others".
2]Accommodation:-
This is the,'power to break limits and making forgiveness and forgetting an easy process'.
3]Discrimination:-
It is the quality of knowing what to do, and also how to do it
4]Decision Making:-
An ability to learn from the past experiences, understand the present reality and visualize thefuture consequences at the same time.
5]To Face Up:-
An ability to take responsibility in any given situation and lead others through times of despair.
6]Cooperate:-
It is the ability of being connected to others on the level of good wishes and transformation.
7]Withdraw:-
The art of introspection and empowering the self, such that immense strength and clarity is experienced.
Besides this it is also knowing when to withdraw, stay silent and take on a zen like self.
8]Pack Up:-
Being clear and ready for any outcome. Seeing each second as moment of a new begining by moving away as in winding up the past.
How many of us have all these Eight qualities within ourselves.
It is important to have all these Eight qualities as quiet Powers within Ourselves to be able to successful.
1]Tolerance:-
This is the power of the, "ability to accept, on the basis of understanding of self and others".
2]Accommodation:-
This is the,'power to break limits and making forgiveness and forgetting an easy process'.
3]Discrimination:-
It is the quality of knowing what to do, and also how to do it
4]Decision Making:-
An ability to learn from the past experiences, understand the present reality and visualize thefuture consequences at the same time.
5]To Face Up:-
An ability to take responsibility in any given situation and lead others through times of despair.
6]Cooperate:-
It is the ability of being connected to others on the level of good wishes and transformation.
7]Withdraw:-
The art of introspection and empowering the self, such that immense strength and clarity is experienced.
Besides this it is also knowing when to withdraw, stay silent and take on a zen like self.
8]Pack Up:-
Being clear and ready for any outcome. Seeing each second as moment of a new begining by moving away as in winding up the past.
How many of us have all these Eight qualities within ourselves.
It is important to have all these Eight qualities as quiet Powers within Ourselves to be able to successful.
THIRD EYE
Dear Reader, given below is an article taht i got from one of my favourite sites where i have subscribed.
The site and the article is well delivered.
You are encouraged to pelase go ahead and read the article , also please do visit the given links and subscribe to it if you would love to directly get more from,'Miracle Minds'.
Happy reading!!!!
Miracle Mind
Hi Prasad,
In this issue I explore the third eye, and its remarkable power at enhancing and even transforming your world, with examples, an exercise, and an article that explores the nature and function of this magical chakra.
The 3rd eye (also known as the inner eye or brow chakra) is a gateway to higher realms of awareness, and a portal through which spiritual guidance can be be garnered (as through the meditations of the Intuition Zone program).
Your 3rd eye is associated with clairvoyance, as covered more in my article (see below for link to article), and offers access to 'round the clock' guidance from your Higher Self to make your brightest dreams a reality!
One of the ways to open and develop your 3rd eye is through the practise of visualizing and 'inner seeing' of any nature.
The most productive visualizing practise, is that of visualizing your dreams and goals.
Your subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between what's real and imagined and this, as I'm sure you are aware, is a powerful way to manifest your heart's desires.
TheManifesting Blueprint Meditation (that comes with the Miracle Mind Manifesting Program) is a guided visualization meditation that enables you to do just that!
Through this meditation you can positively program your reality, 'stepping into' your desired goal to experience it 'for real' in a very tangible way, along with the emotions surrounding it that are key to calling that reality into your present!
Exercises to see and sense 'subtle energy' in your external world, such as auric fields surrounding people and trees, will also flex your third eye.
A short exercise for practising this is given just below.
But it's not just pro-active methods of visualization that open the 3rd eye.
You can practise receiving images, pictures, visions, from your Higher Self and spiritual realms, and this is where the true wonder and gifts of your third eye come to life.
Techniques and exercises for practising this are in the Intuition Zone, and the guided meditations offer a powerful platform to initiate and experience receiving these insights and answers through pictures and other inner sense mediums.
Each meditation flexes with your inner eye and offers a platform through which you can engage your 3rd Eye.
In the Gifts of Insight meditation, for example, you are guided on an inner realm journey in which you encounter 3 means/vehicles through which to receive guidance.
The mental images you receive will be rich in meaning and have deeply personal and spiritual significance.
When I started exploring inner journeying and visualization, it's amazing how it became sharper and more developed over time.
I now use my inner eye to receive information in the form of images from my Higher Self that serve as invaluable guidance, be it around relationships, finances, career, where to go on holiday, an overview of my life, or a query I may have, examples of which I include in the Intuition Zone.
What's even more exciting is that you can actually transform your reality from inside out through the use of inner imagery.
As an example (covered fully in the IZ workbook), I transformed my financial reality through imagery, changing and transforming the metaphoric images that represented my money consciousness at the time, and my reality changed as a result, with financial abundance following.
Article
Visit the link below for my article on the third eye chakra:
http://www.intuitionzone.com/thirdeye.htm
Short exercise for observing subtle energy
Below is a very simple exercise for perceiving subtle energy, so simple in fact I'd not included it in the Intuition Zone program, but wanted to here as fun exploration.
For optimum results, though not essential, explore this exercise during the twilight hours of dusk or dawn, where the 'veils between worlds' are thinner.
Hold your hands in front of you 2 or 3 inches apart and begin to move them towards and away from each other. You'll likely start to experience a tingling or heat/weight/substance sensation as the energy builds between your hands.
Do this exercise with the sky as a backdrop, and pay particular attention to your finger tips. Can you see a glow or halo around them? Is there a movement of light/energy between your hands?
Now, start to move your hands vertically up and down facing each other, whilst around 3 inches apart.
As you do this, can you notice the energy/ light radiating from your finger tips and palms?
Sometimes squinting slightly, or practising peripheral vision, can help to magnify subtle energy perception.
Seeing auras is rather like seeing the sun's glow around things.
I remember when I was in University in my late teens and began seeing the etheric layer of the auric field around my lecturers (this is the white glow a few inches wide that is usually the first experience you will have in seeing auras).
With them standing in front of a whiteboard as background, the setting was ideal to observe this layer that sometimes had colours that changed or was different in hue in one area or on one side than the other, etc.
The etheric body is the nearest to the human body and, as such, is the densest of the auric layers, yet higher in vibration to the physical body.
Love and joy,
Aine
www.intuitionzone.com
www.beliefbusterkit.com
www.mmmprogram.com
P.S. For more info on the 3rd Eye chakra, visit the link below for my article:
http://www.intuitionzone.com/thirdeye.htm
The site and the article is well delivered.
You are encouraged to pelase go ahead and read the article , also please do visit the given links and subscribe to it if you would love to directly get more from,'Miracle Minds'.
Happy reading!!!!
Miracle Mind
Hi Prasad,
In this issue I explore the third eye, and its remarkable power at enhancing and even transforming your world, with examples, an exercise, and an article that explores the nature and function of this magical chakra.
The 3rd eye (also known as the inner eye or brow chakra) is a gateway to higher realms of awareness, and a portal through which spiritual guidance can be be garnered (as through the meditations of the Intuition Zone program).
Your 3rd eye is associated with clairvoyance, as covered more in my article (see below for link to article), and offers access to 'round the clock' guidance from your Higher Self to make your brightest dreams a reality!
One of the ways to open and develop your 3rd eye is through the practise of visualizing and 'inner seeing' of any nature.
The most productive visualizing practise, is that of visualizing your dreams and goals.
Your subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between what's real and imagined and this, as I'm sure you are aware, is a powerful way to manifest your heart's desires.
TheManifesting Blueprint Meditation (that comes with the Miracle Mind Manifesting Program) is a guided visualization meditation that enables you to do just that!
Through this meditation you can positively program your reality, 'stepping into' your desired goal to experience it 'for real' in a very tangible way, along with the emotions surrounding it that are key to calling that reality into your present!
Exercises to see and sense 'subtle energy' in your external world, such as auric fields surrounding people and trees, will also flex your third eye.
A short exercise for practising this is given just below.
But it's not just pro-active methods of visualization that open the 3rd eye.
You can practise receiving images, pictures, visions, from your Higher Self and spiritual realms, and this is where the true wonder and gifts of your third eye come to life.
Techniques and exercises for practising this are in the Intuition Zone, and the guided meditations offer a powerful platform to initiate and experience receiving these insights and answers through pictures and other inner sense mediums.
Each meditation flexes with your inner eye and offers a platform through which you can engage your 3rd Eye.
In the Gifts of Insight meditation, for example, you are guided on an inner realm journey in which you encounter 3 means/vehicles through which to receive guidance.
The mental images you receive will be rich in meaning and have deeply personal and spiritual significance.
When I started exploring inner journeying and visualization, it's amazing how it became sharper and more developed over time.
I now use my inner eye to receive information in the form of images from my Higher Self that serve as invaluable guidance, be it around relationships, finances, career, where to go on holiday, an overview of my life, or a query I may have, examples of which I include in the Intuition Zone.
What's even more exciting is that you can actually transform your reality from inside out through the use of inner imagery.
As an example (covered fully in the IZ workbook), I transformed my financial reality through imagery, changing and transforming the metaphoric images that represented my money consciousness at the time, and my reality changed as a result, with financial abundance following.
Article
Visit the link below for my article on the third eye chakra:
http://www.intuitionzone.com/thirdeye.htm
Short exercise for observing subtle energy
Below is a very simple exercise for perceiving subtle energy, so simple in fact I'd not included it in the Intuition Zone program, but wanted to here as fun exploration.
For optimum results, though not essential, explore this exercise during the twilight hours of dusk or dawn, where the 'veils between worlds' are thinner.
Hold your hands in front of you 2 or 3 inches apart and begin to move them towards and away from each other. You'll likely start to experience a tingling or heat/weight/substance sensation as the energy builds between your hands.
Do this exercise with the sky as a backdrop, and pay particular attention to your finger tips. Can you see a glow or halo around them? Is there a movement of light/energy between your hands?
Now, start to move your hands vertically up and down facing each other, whilst around 3 inches apart.
As you do this, can you notice the energy/ light radiating from your finger tips and palms?
Sometimes squinting slightly, or practising peripheral vision, can help to magnify subtle energy perception.
Seeing auras is rather like seeing the sun's glow around things.
I remember when I was in University in my late teens and began seeing the etheric layer of the auric field around my lecturers (this is the white glow a few inches wide that is usually the first experience you will have in seeing auras).
With them standing in front of a whiteboard as background, the setting was ideal to observe this layer that sometimes had colours that changed or was different in hue in one area or on one side than the other, etc.
The etheric body is the nearest to the human body and, as such, is the densest of the auric layers, yet higher in vibration to the physical body.
Love and joy,
Aine
www.intuitionzone.com
www.beliefbusterkit.com
www.mmmprogram.com
P.S. For more info on the 3rd Eye chakra, visit the link below for my article:
http://www.intuitionzone.com/thirdeye.htm
WANTED SPONSORS
This is A.S.Prasad from PEOPLE’S SKILLS FOUNDATION at Bangalore in India.
We have our programme ready for developing and enriching the students from various B grade colleges to be transformed into ready executives with the requisite soft skills. This is a combination of expediential and classroom based programmes.
Our programme offers enough bandwidth for even girl students to be equipped in their chosen fields.
We have the faculty and the material ready for rolling -out the programme.
All we need are sponsors for the implementation of the programme.
Corporates , Philanthropic individuals , trusts - genuinely interested in the development and empowering of the youth of India please write into me seeking any additional information whilst expressing your interest, commitment and level of sponsorships for the programme.
We have our programme ready for developing and enriching the students from various B grade colleges to be transformed into ready executives with the requisite soft skills. This is a combination of expediential and classroom based programmes.
Our programme offers enough bandwidth for even girl students to be equipped in their chosen fields.
We have the faculty and the material ready for rolling -out the programme.
All we need are sponsors for the implementation of the programme.
Corporates , Philanthropic individuals , trusts - genuinely interested in the development and empowering of the youth of India please write into me seeking any additional information whilst expressing your interest, commitment and level of sponsorships for the programme.
You cannot Change Anyone-Instead Change Yourself
**Take My Hand **
One day a Spiritual Master saw a crowd gathered around a pond. A Miser of the town with a huge turban on his head had fallen in the water and was calling for help.
People were leaning over and saying, "Give me your hand ! Give me your hand!" But the miser didn't pay attention to their offer to rescue him; he kept wrestling with the water and shouting for help.
Finally the spiritual Master stepped forward: "Let me handle this." He stretched out his hand toward the miser and shouted at him, "Take my hand!"
The miser grabbed spiritual Master's hand and was hoisted out of the pond. People, very surprised, they asked spiritual Master for the secret of his strategy.
"It is very simple," he replied.
"I know this miser wouldn't give anything to anyone.
So instead of saying 'Give me your hand,' I said, 'take my hand,' and sure enough he took it."
c.
One day a Spiritual Master saw a crowd gathered around a pond. A Miser of the town with a huge turban on his head had fallen in the water and was calling for help.
People were leaning over and saying, "Give me your hand ! Give me your hand!" But the miser didn't pay attention to their offer to rescue him; he kept wrestling with the water and shouting for help.
Finally the spiritual Master stepped forward: "Let me handle this." He stretched out his hand toward the miser and shouted at him, "Take my hand!"
The miser grabbed spiritual Master's hand and was hoisted out of the pond. People, very surprised, they asked spiritual Master for the secret of his strategy.
"It is very simple," he replied.
"I know this miser wouldn't give anything to anyone.
So instead of saying 'Give me your hand,' I said, 'take my hand,' and sure enough he took it."
c.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)