First of all I apologize to the readers for having been quiet so long. The last few months have been so hectic that I did not have time to do my usual writing.
Here's today's post and it is on a very relevant subject on Networking. Now we all know good networkers and not-so-good networkers. This post is for the not-so-good networkers.
1. 500+ Linkedin Contacts is NOT networking A lot of people think that networking is a count of as many people one has been acquainted with. Wrong! Recently I met a friend of mine after two years. We talked for an hour and while parting, she said 'lets connect over Linkedin. I will send you an invite'. I burst out laughing. That's because she has long since been my Linkedin contact. The fact is that she has 500+ contacts and she has lost track of who she is linked to.
The key to networking is how well you have kept in touch with your friends or network in a human manner.
2. Do not use Automated social contact mechanisms to automatically keep in touch.
How often have you got a congratulation message when a status changes or when your birthday comes. Sure, keep your Facebook app for remembering anniversaries and birthdays. However do send a personal mail, even it is a one-liner, greeting the other person. Never let an app do it for you. By receiving a personal message from you, the receiver will feel wanted, rewarded and hence reserve a soft corner for you which will always help you.
Same goes for sending an invite to a social portal such as Linkedin. Use the invite text box to type in your personal message. 'Example, Dear Kaushik, how are you? Long time since we met. How are Vimala and children? Lets catch up sometime". Now compare this with the standard message that is generated. Can you see the difference?
3. Build and Retain personal credibility: This is very important. Your friends must know you and respect you as much as you do them. For example, you may have a well placed friend who is a CEO of a multi national and another friend who is a travel desk consultant in a large public sector. Treat them both equally. Respect and courteousness are very important to retain network.
4. Reach out and Help your network : I cannot emphasize this enough. Most people on official networking sites only reach out to others when they need help and not vice versa. When your network (acquaintance, not close friend) sends you a mail asking you to help in a job search, please do not reply saying 'Please send me your CV. I will forward'. Now, I can see you all smiling because each one of us have done that to 'get rid of the nuisance'. Instead do try your best to find opportunities and give a call back to the acquaintance and explain your own efforts and also provide suggestions on how best he/she can look for a job. If you are afraid that that person might leech on your back, let go of that fear. As a successful professional, you know how to handle unnecessary intruders.
5. Make friends with support staff: Always build relationships with your MD's executive assistant, the office admin staff, the travel desk consultant and the IT manager in your organization. No process and SLA can get you a speedy delivery as much as what personal relationships can do.
6. Make time for friends: Here's a quick check. Look at your chat messages and see how soon you have aborted the conversation with 'ttyl', 'ttys', 'Kids have school tomorrow' etc. This means that friends/network are low priority for you. I have a friend who always types these four lines on WhatsApp and vanishes even before I respond.
hi
howru
l
tc
Sometimes if you are obsessed with being organized and being overly a to-do list accomplisher you have a high risk of losing out on network because networking does not have a place in your life. Instead spend at least half a week end day per month in meeting a network-friend for coffee outside home. A coffee meeting is casual, takes less time and creates enough bonding between people.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Saturday, March 19, 2011
I'm madly in love with my motorbike
Shoaib Akhtar has announced his retirement from International Cricket (not IPL?) and this saddens many fans like me. The frames of picture roll over before my eyes - the 160Kmph balls, the airplane action and yes, the motorbike ride inside the stadium!
Read this piece from cricinfo.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/page2/content/story/506724.html
Not just in cricket but in organizations, we will find some Shoaibs occassionally and it is important that such performers are covered under organizational management strategies.
What every manager, who manages such mavericks, needs to keep in mind:
- These characters will not appreciae, follow or influence what is 'standard'. Organizations, as they grow bigger, grow more robust on structures, frameworks,definitions etc etc have processes that will help the big organizaion manage predictability, reliability and sustainability in the market. So, a typical assessment of Shoaib-like-mavericks would be towards eliminating them.
- A Good manager lives with a maverick. A Great manager leverages the maverick. As an ode to the maverick - these are the guys and gals, who think out of the box and who provide you orthogonal and lateral ways of working. For them, what matters is how grandly and audaciously the results are produced; how big the impact is and how innovative was the whole solution.
- Bloated egos, unpredictable temperaments, high romanticism are the traits of mavericks. This can cause ruptures within team dynamics, cause impact to an organization that is geared to do only as per copy-book. A great manager looks out for great fitments for these mavericks in such situations and locate the best environments for these romantic geniuses to survive.
- Never ask this highly intelligent Akhtar clones to project manage a project. They just cannot! They are not wired to manage tasks, milestones and risks. Those are for the proces experts.
- What you assign to these big picture thinkers is always wrought with high risk and high returns. There is every possibility that the maverick will abandon his project when it is almost done or completely change the fundamentals just when the project is stabilizing and entering the 'me-too-organized' stage.
- These characters are usually emotional and will be very loyal to you as a manager when you show deep empathy for him or her. They are not bean counters.
So, what do you do with a Shoaib Aktar in a pakistani team? First of all, his captain Afridi is also a maverick. Now this combination rarely works. A maverick has to be managed by an emotionally, structurally stable manager. And as the organizational system (eg. Pak board) is hierarchial, traditional, process managed, the captain will be seen as showing favouritism to his 'buddy' while he is actually shielding the maverick!
So, Shoaib goes and the world loses a great bowler. I do understand how Shoaib could have avoided all those controversies and agreed with the systems. But this article is an ode to the maverick you see.....
Enjoy the world cup!
Read this piece from cricinfo.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/page2/content/story/506724.html
Not just in cricket but in organizations, we will find some Shoaibs occassionally and it is important that such performers are covered under organizational management strategies.
What every manager, who manages such mavericks, needs to keep in mind:
- These characters will not appreciae, follow or influence what is 'standard'. Organizations, as they grow bigger, grow more robust on structures, frameworks,definitions etc etc have processes that will help the big organizaion manage predictability, reliability and sustainability in the market. So, a typical assessment of Shoaib-like-mavericks would be towards eliminating them.
- A Good manager lives with a maverick. A Great manager leverages the maverick. As an ode to the maverick - these are the guys and gals, who think out of the box and who provide you orthogonal and lateral ways of working. For them, what matters is how grandly and audaciously the results are produced; how big the impact is and how innovative was the whole solution.
- Bloated egos, unpredictable temperaments, high romanticism are the traits of mavericks. This can cause ruptures within team dynamics, cause impact to an organization that is geared to do only as per copy-book. A great manager looks out for great fitments for these mavericks in such situations and locate the best environments for these romantic geniuses to survive.
- Never ask this highly intelligent Akhtar clones to project manage a project. They just cannot! They are not wired to manage tasks, milestones and risks. Those are for the proces experts.
- What you assign to these big picture thinkers is always wrought with high risk and high returns. There is every possibility that the maverick will abandon his project when it is almost done or completely change the fundamentals just when the project is stabilizing and entering the 'me-too-organized' stage.
- These characters are usually emotional and will be very loyal to you as a manager when you show deep empathy for him or her. They are not bean counters.
So, what do you do with a Shoaib Aktar in a pakistani team? First of all, his captain Afridi is also a maverick. Now this combination rarely works. A maverick has to be managed by an emotionally, structurally stable manager. And as the organizational system (eg. Pak board) is hierarchial, traditional, process managed, the captain will be seen as showing favouritism to his 'buddy' while he is actually shielding the maverick!
So, Shoaib goes and the world loses a great bowler. I do understand how Shoaib could have avoided all those controversies and agreed with the systems. But this article is an ode to the maverick you see.....
Enjoy the world cup!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Loved this post on Courage
Source:
Business
10 tips to gain driving force
Fear and dread stultify your strength. Courage and energy redouble it! The best ideas are no use if you have not got the courage and drive to put them into practice. Take in the following statements. They will help you to keep improving your potential at being brave:
1. Keep in mind that you can continue to develop your personal strengths on a daily basis. Being self-conscious means leaving nothing to chance and taking things into your own hands.
2. Fear is energy which you can easily turn into a positive strength. Fear implies uncertainty and not knowing how things will develop. But that’s exactly where chance is hiding: Get enough courage to take the right route and follow it.
3. Courage is like a driving force, which helps you meet your goals and encourages you to believe in yourself and concentrate on what’s important.
4. Courage makes it easier to deal with every new matter. Stop wasting time before starting something. Courage will make you save time!
5. Courage is also a sign of vitality - people can immediately discern inner strength from a person’s face. Courage is charisma!
6. In future, your name will be the representation of courage and eagerness to act. Always speak out your name with courage and self-confidence - in that way you will give your life the right drive.
7. Courage changes your body language and expressiveness, courage improves your health. Courage gives you the aura of a personality who doesn’t just talk but also takes action successfully.
8. Courage gives you satisfaction and an eye for the meaning of life. You can deal better with other people's opinion and, at the same time, represent your own ideas with force and commitment.
9. Courage is simply indispensable on many days. Courage is a feature of your personality. You can boost this quality on any occasion.
10. Pluck up your courage time and again, thereby getting to know yourself even better. Explore your own boundaries time and time again.
A brave person is self-confident. They send out positive vibes and confidence and increase inexorably their creativity, their will to succeed and their zest for action. They work with full concentration on implementing their plans, thereby overcoming internal and external forms of opposition. They aren’t afraid of the future, because they know that they will shape it themselves!
1. Keep in mind that you can continue to develop your personal strengths on a daily basis. Being self-conscious means leaving nothing to chance and taking things into your own hands.
2. Fear is energy which you can easily turn into a positive strength. Fear implies uncertainty and not knowing how things will develop. But that’s exactly where chance is hiding: Get enough courage to take the right route and follow it.
3. Courage is like a driving force, which helps you meet your goals and encourages you to believe in yourself and concentrate on what’s important.
4. Courage makes it easier to deal with every new matter. Stop wasting time before starting something. Courage will make you save time!
5. Courage is also a sign of vitality - people can immediately discern inner strength from a person’s face. Courage is charisma!
6. In future, your name will be the representation of courage and eagerness to act. Always speak out your name with courage and self-confidence - in that way you will give your life the right drive.
7. Courage changes your body language and expressiveness, courage improves your health. Courage gives you the aura of a personality who doesn’t just talk but also takes action successfully.
8. Courage gives you satisfaction and an eye for the meaning of life. You can deal better with other people's opinion and, at the same time, represent your own ideas with force and commitment.
9. Courage is simply indispensable on many days. Courage is a feature of your personality. You can boost this quality on any occasion.
10. Pluck up your courage time and again, thereby getting to know yourself even better. Explore your own boundaries time and time again.
A brave person is self-confident. They send out positive vibes and confidence and increase inexorably their creativity, their will to succeed and their zest for action. They work with full concentration on implementing their plans, thereby overcoming internal and external forms of opposition. They aren’t afraid of the future, because they know that they will shape it themselves!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Pandit Ravi Shankar
One of my favourite terms is Passion. It's an often misused word especially in the leadership context. Leadership is most effective when a leader works for his/her cause with passion. Now, is 'Passion' visible all the time? I don't think so. So how does Passion get rewarded if the passionate person does not tie visibility to it as well? A passionate person is satisfied when his or her goal is accomplished and may not even be aware if his passionate work has been visible, got rewards or awards and if they captured the headlines.
No prizes for guessing this one. How many of us know one Muhammed Yunus of Grameen Bank as compared to King Khan? One is passion without visibility and one is with visibility.
Read on this Vijay Govindarajan's blog:
http://www.vijaygovindarajan.com/2009/10/pandit_ravi_shankar_at_spauldi.htm
No prizes for guessing this one. How many of us know one Muhammed Yunus of Grameen Bank as compared to King Khan? One is passion without visibility and one is with visibility.
Read on this Vijay Govindarajan's blog:
http://www.vijaygovindarajan.com/2009/10/pandit_ravi_shankar_at_spauldi.htm
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Cattle Class ...
Afaik, we have evolved from being considered belonging to a herd and belonging to labor class to 'cattle class'.
I learnt it the hard way when I became a manager first time last decade. Being a manager (or for that matter being a first time minister) is also a punishment because every word you say anywhere, even those that you tell silently to yourself, will be scrutinized. And needs to be explained!
Now, read this:
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/tharoor-meets-sonia-over-his-cattle-class-remark/101920-37.html
No wonder, some top managers, always stage manage every activity, every word , even their thinking! Thats life :-)
I learnt it the hard way when I became a manager first time last decade. Being a manager (or for that matter being a first time minister) is also a punishment because every word you say anywhere, even those that you tell silently to yourself, will be scrutinized. And needs to be explained!
Now, read this:
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/tharoor-meets-sonia-over-his-cattle-class-remark/101920-37.html
No wonder, some top managers, always stage manage every activity, every word , even their thinking! Thats life :-)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Anna Daatha Sukhi Bhava
Okay, with all the festivals around and with the associated spirit behind them , it's time to type here some of my principles.
One of my former colleagues who was in senior management lost his job 5 months ago as his entire division was wiped off. He had an almost perfect resume and the necessary skills but the next job was evading him. He would call me almost every second day and tell me how his finances were and how he has to repay mortgages etc. However not once did he bad mouth his company or his boss at all during the whole period.
Yesterday he called to tell me that he has indeed got a very good job, after 5 months of despondency, in a multi national company. I really felt very happy for him especially knowing how much he had struggled with factors that were not under his control and how his family (wife, kids, old parents) had put up with the turmoil.
So, I asked him yesterday about his one trait 'why didn't you bad mouth your boss/company'?. I was his former manager too at one point in time.
He emphasized to me what are my core values as well.
- No boss is so political that he/she targets only you.
- Politics is nothing but a collection of individual agendas
- When you put yourself in your manager's shoes then you will know or internalize his/her own agenda. And you will get a bigger perspective.
- Sometimes factors are so uncontrollable that nobody can do anything to it.
- Boss/manager is not a super hero!
In ancient scriptures there is a popular saying 'Anna Daatha Sukhi Bhava'. Let the person who gives me my bread live well (loose translation). Why don't we extend this . Make Boss = Anna Daatha?
One of my former colleagues who was in senior management lost his job 5 months ago as his entire division was wiped off. He had an almost perfect resume and the necessary skills but the next job was evading him. He would call me almost every second day and tell me how his finances were and how he has to repay mortgages etc. However not once did he bad mouth his company or his boss at all during the whole period.
Yesterday he called to tell me that he has indeed got a very good job, after 5 months of despondency, in a multi national company. I really felt very happy for him especially knowing how much he had struggled with factors that were not under his control and how his family (wife, kids, old parents) had put up with the turmoil.
So, I asked him yesterday about his one trait 'why didn't you bad mouth your boss/company'?. I was his former manager too at one point in time.
He emphasized to me what are my core values as well.
- No boss is so political that he/she targets only you.
- Politics is nothing but a collection of individual agendas
- When you put yourself in your manager's shoes then you will know or internalize his/her own agenda. And you will get a bigger perspective.
- Sometimes factors are so uncontrollable that nobody can do anything to it.
- Boss/manager is not a super hero!
In ancient scriptures there is a popular saying 'Anna Daatha Sukhi Bhava'. Let the person who gives me my bread live well (loose translation). Why don't we extend this . Make Boss = Anna Daatha?
Monday, July 27, 2009
Time for some stress busting.....
Time for some stress busting.....
I saw some funny OOO messages. Here they are.
Source: http://daveduarte.co.za/best-out-of-office-automatic-replies/2008/06/09/
I saw some funny OOO messages. Here they are.
Source: http://daveduarte.co.za/best-out-of-office-automatic-replies/2008/06/09/
1. I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. I may be a little moody so be prepared.
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn’t have received anything at all.
3. Sorry to have missed you, but I am at the doctor’s having my brain removed so I can be promoted to our management team.
4. I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails you send me until I return from vacation on 4/18. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
5. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
6. The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection and is unable to deliver this message. Please restart your computer and try sending again.
( The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see how many in-duh-viduals did this over and over.)
7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system.
You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.8. Hi, I’m thinking about what you’ve just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.
9. I’ve run away to join a different circus.
10. I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as ” Sharon ” instead of “Steve”.
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