Five Ways To Make the Boss Listen to You

Despite consistent performance, the boss often does not listen to the subordinate, whatever the issue. Shreya Biswas suggests ways to deal with this.

1 Don’t Confront Publicly Never confront the boss in public, especially in his or her boss’s presence. “In front of anyone else, you should look as ateam,” says K Sudarshan, managing partner, India and regional VP — Asia, EMA Partners International. 

2 Build a Good Rapport To exist in a team and perform smoothly, we need to have a good relationship with the boss. “Not all bosses take the initiative of reaching out, so the onus lies on the subordinate,” says Kamal Karanth MD, Kelly Services India. 

3 State your Challenges Often bosses ignore the challenges their subordinate face as the sole objective is to get the task done. Subordinates too don’t bring up issues in fear. “People shouldn’t wait for a crisis to communicate,” adds Karanth. 

4 Make Boss Look Good Whenever there is a chance, try to make your boss look good. “For instance, try helping with a presentation but praise your boss for it when you are lauded,” says E Balaji, MD & CEO, Randstad India. 

5 Disarm the Boss If you want to talk to your boss about his or her lack of ‘patient hearing’, try disarming him or her. “Do it tactfully, in a friendly way, so the person understands your point of view,” says Karanth.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 14-12-2012)

Five Ways To Make your Elevator Pitch Count

TO PITCH an idea, project or business proposition in five minutes is similar to asking a candidate explain his goals, ambitions of a lifetime and past experiences in a job interview. Every second counts, but the ‘elevator pitch’ can be one of the best rides of your career. Devina Sengupta shows how.

1 Know your Business Entrepreneur Hitesh Dhingra, ex CEO of online company Letsbuy, insists that any one who makes an elevator pitch should have thorough knowledge of his or her trade. The presentation should be within five slides and mailed a day before. “It helped me get our first seed funding,” he says.

2 Show the Big Picture To make an elevator pitch successful, one has to know the market and where the product will stand. The team should be clear about competition, and the chances of it being accepted. Numbers have to be on their fingertips, and they need to show the landscape clearly to the client — for instance, how the numbers will look in the next few years. 

3 Project the Team A client who will ink a pact with the team making the pitch needs to know the people behind it. It is best if the key people on the team are spoken about, says Dhingra. A slide on the group members, their background and what they bring to the table is important to instill confidence in the squad. 

4 List Out Ideas Elevator pitches, if done with help of power point presentations, should have three to five bullet points in each slide or just a paragraph. Some of the points that one can use to convince the listener to buy their argument or invest in the company include: a slide on customer focus, innovation in the product or idea, sales and a growth trajectory. 

5 Keep it Short In such pitches, there is no time to ramble and one should practice before going for the meeting. He should practice with teammates and have all probable questions and responses ready. If the client is bored, one should sense the mood but not become despondent, because it could be a technique to test how convinced you are of the product or idea. Clients and bosses keep an eye out for passion and anyone who loses interest at the mere thought of failure is ticked off. At the same time, a touch of humour without losing brevity helps as well.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 11-12-2012)

Five Ways To Prepare for an MBA While Working

Balancing the demands of work with studying and applying for an MBA can be taxing. Anumeha Chaturvedi shares a few tips from successful applicants that could help one cruise along.

1 Plan in Advance Professionals looking to do an MBA should start working on it a year ahead, says Chaitanya Kalipatnapu, co-founder of executive education programme provider Eruditus and Insead alumnus. Research business schools and interact with alumni, he says. 

2 Leverage Weekends Vaibhav Pandey, a management student at ISB and an ex-software engineer, capitalised on his weekends for GMAT studies. It is equally important to find a support system, he says. 

3 Highlight Leadership Highlight experiences that demonstrate your unique abilities, says Kalipatnapu. Mention instances that show your leadership potential and list cross-cultural experiences, he adds. 

4 Avoid Clichés “Clichés do not work at all,” says Kalipatnapu. Support your application with strong anecdotes. “Essays should tell your personal story,” says Pandey. 

5 Apply in the First Round While each B-school has a different admission format, Kalipatnapu says it’s best to apply in the first round. “If schools have a quota or are focused on diversity, it becomes hard to justify yourself in the second round,” he says.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 23-11-2012)

Five Ways To Deal With Manipulators in the Office

It could get quite challenging for a leader to deal with an employee who is a habitual liar and manipulator at work. Rica Bhattacharyya finds out ways to deal with such people.

1 Stay Away if You Can Stay away from them if possible. “When the aggressiveness is hidden, we know something is wrong... That’s when our feelings are right,” says Dhruv Desai, senior vice president and head — human resources and leadership academy, Angel Broking. 

2 Speak Directly Avoid open-ended conversations with such people . “If you need some work done, you must ask the closed-ended yes/no questions,” says Desai. 

3 Talk about Their Fears If you are his manager, confront him with facts and talk about his fears and insecurities . “If he recognises the problem then you can recommend him for a training programme,” says Abhishek Kumar, assistant professor, BIM-Trichy. 

4 Have a Witness Calmly confront the liar immediately. “Never meet him alone to resolve a situation. Doing so will set you up for more lies, including accusations,” says Desai. 

5 Ignore Them Ignoring often works best. “Not taking such a person seriously can nullify his impact,” says Kumar.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 30-11-2012)

Five Ways to Improve Teamwork in the Workplace (by Catherine Capozzi, Demand Media)

The efforts of teams often produce far greater results than individual efforts. Leslie Palich of Pepperdine University concludes from her studies that teams are generally more productive and their work can lead to the creation of valuable new products. However, groups can also encounter difficulties: infighting, disagreement about the project's direction and vague objectives are just a few issues that can create contention with even the most skilled teams. Improving teamwork in the workplace can be achieved in several ways.

Implement Recognition Programs

Encourage quality teamwork by rewarding groups for good performance. Create incentives to work well as a team by giving praise and issuing small tokens of appreciation that bear the project or company name. Alan Orr, author of the book "Advanced Project Management," suggests giving the team publicity for its work. Such a gesture instills a sense of meaning and value into the nature of the job, thereby boosting teamwork among group members.

Encourage Social Activities

Teamwork is enhanced when workers know each other and are comfortable discussing a variety of issues. Build this sense of camaraderie by formulating team activities. These events could be informal, such as meeting together over coffee at the nearby café, or the team building event may be more elaborate by taking place over the weekend at a secluded resort on the outskirts of town.

Outline Clear Roles

Boost teamwork abilities by outlining clear roles for each of the members. Before the project commences, work with the members to outline skill sets and deadline charts. Delineate responsibilities according to ability. Consult with the group regarding the feasibility of the listed tasks as well, which will deduce possible stress arising from unrealistic expectations.

Identify Existing Problems

Gain feedback from the team to assess sources of strife. Examples of problems include one group member being unresponsive, an inability to meet deadlines, conflict over how best to proceed on the project and personality clashes. Though groups might be tempted to let issues sort themselves out over time, such a method may not be optimal. Lisa DiTullio, author of the book, "Project Team Dynamics," advises that problems be handled the moment they arise. Encourage group members to discuss issues collectively instead of letting the problem fester and grow larger.

Mediate Disputes

Provide detailed instructions on how to remedy issues that arise among team members, which boosts teamwork by empowering members to solve issues efficiently and productively. Begin by suggesting that group members talk directly with the person creating any negative effects. Encourage the group to provide clear documentation of any problems as well. From there, team members should give distinct guidelines for how to improve the situation. Instead of creating a culture of blame, foster an attitude of being proactive and solution oriented. For example, if one member repeatedly fails to turn in her portion of the project on time, mandate that she provide daily documentation of what she has completed thus far.

About the Author

Since 2008 Catherine Capozzi has been writing business, finance and economics-related articles from her home in the sunny state of Arizona. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in economics from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, which has given her a love of spreadsheets and corporate life.

Original Link: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/five-ways-improve-teamwork-workplace-13766.html

Five Ways To Focus on Service (By John Tschohl)

If 2011 taught us anything, it’s that service is more important than ever.

A small company must know that when it does less than customers expect, they perceive service to be bad. When the company does exactly what customers expect, service is good. And when a company does more than customers expect, their service is perceived as superior. I urge you to do more than your customers expect if you plan to retain them.

The Netflix lesson

Look at what happened to Netflix. It lost about 1 million accounts because it lost focus of the customer. When the company announced a price increase last July, customers made a stink and many left. While Netflix has attempted to fix the problem, it still has its work cut out. After leading the pack in customer service in 2010, the company’s satisfaction index fell to an average score this year.

Regardless of the customer base you serve, all small businesses should think of themselves as being in the service business. As you create goals for the new year, first and foremost be sure your company is offering the best customer experience possible.

Here are five areas to focus on:

Value – Competition is fierce these days, and consumers want to feel they are getting value for their money. Larger companies might offer better pricing, but after the initial purchase consumers will ultimately get more bang for their buck with a small business because of the service provided.

Quality – Small businesses can win big with service, because big chains are focused on quantity instead of quality. When a customer has a problem, small businesses are more knowledgeable, have specialists in many cases and can provide unparalleled quality to  customers.

Service – Get to know your customers on a first-name basis, know their preferences and take care of the little things that big companies often overlook. Many small businesses don’t have the lowest prices, but they dominate in service.

Empowerment – Empower employees to make customer-service decisions on the spot. Give employees a $25 or $50 limit that they can spend on a customer to fix a problem.

Speed – Think of speed as the jelly to empowerment’s peanut butter; they form a perfect combination. Customers want problems solved yesterday, so act quickly.

Small businesses should adopt a whole-company customer service mentality. Because quality service is an effective selling tool, it also can be a long-term competitive advantage. Customers will discern a distinct difference in service quality, and it becomes a company’s competitive edge.

John Tschohl is president of  the Service Quality Institute and author of the books, “Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service” and “Empowerment: A Way of Life.”

Original Link: http://www.smallbizchicago.com/2012/01/five-ways-to-focus-on-service/

Five Ways To Deal with a Perfectionist at the Helm

BOSSES CAN sometimes be too demanding. Whatever you do is never enough for them, not even if you are the best of employees. Rica Bhattacharyya suggests ways to deal with a boss who is never satisfied. 

1 Insist on a Deadline Clarify the exact delivery deadline of a task assigned by the boss. This makes your boss aware of time constraints and provides you with a more concrete definition of your responsibilities, says Dhruv Desai, senior vice president and head – human resources and leadership academy, Angel Broking. 

2 Improve Performance Expertise and sound understanding of the subject matter help meet a perfectionist boss’ expectations. “Make an effort to learn your job inside out and as quickly as you can. If necessary, study ways you can improve your performance,” says Desai.

3 Be Smart It helps to be patient at work and demonstrate to the boss that you take their attention to quality seriously. “If they ask you to make corrections to your work, keep making alterations as many times as necessary, to satisfy them,” says Desai. Also, a perfectionist boss likely suffers from insecurity. “Verbally acknowledging your boss’s strengths can work for you, increasing your boss's self-esteem,” he says. 

4 Be Assertive It can be useful to be assertive and honest in a polite manner. “Sometimes it is good to be honest and tell them that they are perfectionists and share the challenges you face as you work with them,” adds Madhavi Lall, regional head - human resources - India & South Asia, Standard Chartered Bank. 

5 Learn What you Can Working with a ‘perfectionist’ boss can be a great learning opportunity. “The stretch can expand one’s thinking and build an ability to look at various perspectives,” says Desai. Also, a demanding boss is likely to be a motivated, high-energy type of person. One way to make the most of such a boss could be to “get aligned to their priorities and execute effectively,” says Lall.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 21-11-2012)

Five Ways To Forge Ahead as Young Leader

The path for a young leader could be strewn with multiple pitfalls, but awareness and the right approach are the key to success, says Rica Bhattacharyya. 

1 Stay Grounded 

A major challenge in a young leader’s career path is keeping his or her feet firmly on the ground. “A young leader should never let success get into his head,” says Dhruv K Desai, senior vice president and head, human resources and leadership academy, Angel Broking 

2 Get Good Mentors “Young leaders must build strong professional networks but also sounding boards or a coterie of like-minded people outside the workplace to discuss and share ideas on professional issues,” says Desai. Also, it is crucial to diversify the sources of mentoring, says Meena Wilson, interim managing director, Asia Pa cific, Centre for Creative Leadership. 

3 Communicate Well As the world gets increasingly globalised and interconnected, knowledge of the right way to communicate in different cultural and linguistic contexts is crucial for a young leader, who otherwise runs the risk of being misconstrued and misinterpreted, says Wilson. 

4 Take Risks “Don’t be over-safe. Take risks early in your career. Expose yourself to multiple opportunities to know your true strengths and passions,” says Wilson. 

5 Know your Subject “Young leaders need to build subjectmatter expertise in a particular domain or in the industry,” says Desai.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 02-11-2012)

Five Ways To Make Sense of a Demotion

COPING WITH a demotion can be tough. But before you decide to throw in the towel, step back and widen your perspective, suggests Shreya Biswas.

1 Figure Out Why Figure out what prompted the move – your performance, the market or the company’s change of strategy, says K Sudarshan, managing partner, EMA Partners International. 

2 Easy Does it A demotion can lead to salary cuts, a smaller role, reporting to a subordinate or all of these. “If it’s just a salary cut, it might be the result of market dynamics and there is no reason for you to panic,” says Sudarshan. 

3 Take a Closer Look It may be that the company has failed to perform in certain geographies and wants to focus on those that are strengthening its topline and bottomline. “However, if it has been at the back of a bad performance from you, you should be alert,” says Rituparna Chakraborty, senior VP and co-founder, TeamLease Services. 

4 Look for Options If you have been demoted with a salary cut and a smaller role, and your subordinate has been promoted to be your boss, the signs are loud and clear. “The only option is to start looking for another job unless you are ready to bear the humiliation,” says Sudarshan. 

5 Be Discreet Be careful about your search, to the extent you can. Else it might become apparent to people, post the demotion, that the organisation wants you out.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 26-10-2012)

Five Ways To Survive Poor Mid-Year Review

Mid-year reviews have just been completed, and if you are among those who did not get best ratings, worry not. There are ways to bounce back, says Devina Sengupta. 

1 Talk to the Boss A detailed discussion with the boss on what went wrong will help iron out any mismatch of expectations. Within the next 10 days, the employee should be given a roadmap for the way ahead. “One should ask if any coaching is needed to improve a weak spot,” says Deepak Shetty, HR head for Philips Innovation. 

2 Take up New Projects Starting new projects is an indication to the boss that you’re high on initiative, says a middle management employee with Titan who does not wish to be named. “The boss should be updated on the status of the projects as well as your contribution,” he adds. 

3 Don’t Jump Ship Yet A poor mid-term review should not lead to a knee-jerk reaction from the employee, says A Sudhakar, CEO of staffing firm Adecco India. “One has to understand the state of the markets and why a company has been forced to give poor ratings,” he adds. 

4 Turn to Peers for Help If others have goals similar to yours and have performed well, asking them how they got there works, says Shetty. 

5 Don’t Skip Levels An escalation to senior managers or skip-level meetings may not help because super managers may be involved in reviews. At the same time, mails to managers on initiatives the employee needs to begin must be documented and a status report given every few weeks.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 19-10-2012)

Five Ways To Look for Jobs after Retirement

RETIREMENT may not always mean fading into oblivion. Anumeha Chaturvedi shows how you can remain employable and occupied.

1 Tap the Network Alumni networks and professional institutes can help in enhancing the job search. “One can also apply for membership to professional bodies and policy think tanks which seek professionals for part-time assignments,” says Michelle Suradkar, HR director of Lowe Lintas & Partners. 

2 Contact Consultants Reaching out to job consultants who constantly need a database of professionals can open up new doors, says Harshit Bhavsar, MD of HR solutions firm Universal Hunt. 

3 Build your Image Subscribing and contributing to specialty magazines, participating as a speaker in educational institutes may not pay that well, but will build one’s image and reputation. 

4 Seek Advisory Roles Professionals should look for advisory roles which match their competence, instead of concentrating on the sector they have always worked in, says Bhavsar. 

5 Invest in a Resource Professionals in their early sixties should invest in a part time resource or a secretary if they wish to continue working for long, suggests Suradkar. “Professionals are used to having a blanket of support and infrastructure around them when they work, and the absence of this after retirement can be unnerving,” he adds.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 16-10-2012)

Five Ways To Manage Work Overload

OVERLOAD CAN LEAD to excessive stress at the workplace. A professional needs to delegate responsibility, manage time efficiently, plan work and strike a work-life balance. Rica Bhattacharya explains how. 

1 Farm Out Work It is important for a professional, particularly in a leadership role, to suitably delegate work. “Delegation of responsibilities will get the work done effectively, on time and without overload on one member. It will also give the manager free time for strategic thinking,” says Gourab Barik, assistant general manager – corporate HR, Emami. “Team members will automatically take more responsibility than you think them capable of,” says Abhishek Kumar, assistant professor, BIM-Trichy. 

2 Manage your Time Overload can be avoided to a great extent with effective time management. “Stop procrastinating. Working smarter rather than harder is the key,” says Anupama Beri, HR head, Snapdeal.com. 

3 Balance Work & Life Employees should be able to strike a balance between work and personal life. This will not only enhance productivity but also help avoid excessive stress. Taking occasional timeout and leave, pursuing hobbies and interests can be some ways to prevent work overload,” says Barik. 

4 Prioritise Tasks The ability to decide which task is important immediately and what can be done later is crucial in managing work overload. “You need to balance what needs immediate action and what needs discussion and deliberation and accordingly, act or postpone,” says Abhishek Kumar. 

5 Enjoy your Work It is important for every professional to be able to align proficiency with aspirations, and only then can one derive joy out of work. “If you enjoy or love your work the very idea of overload will be taken care of to a great extent and might even cease to exist,” says Kumar.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 09-10-2012)

Five Ways To Identify The Strengths of Your Team

A SUCCESSFUL leader needs to put together a team that can deliver on contracted assignments and think creatively. But it’s equally important to identify the team’s strengths and put them to best use. Rica Bhattacharyya shows how. 

1 Get the Right Mix Strategic and execution excellence should be one of the crucial attributes of a strong team, says Shaily Gupta, group head-human resources, Edelweiss Group. “Good leaders ensure their teams get this blend right,” she says. However, equally important is the ability to handle the unknown, to take care of ambiguity and fluidity, says Sandeep Banerjee, chief executive officer and managing director, EdenRed India. 

2 Induce Collaboration The sense of ownership in team members and ability to work cohesively are important to strengthen the performance of a team, says Banerjee. Adds Gupta: “Great teams are those that foster individual creativity but at the same time encourage interdependence which is productive and collaborative”. 

3 Go Beyond the Brief “Great teams have the ability to go beyond the brief and bring new perspectives to the contracted assignment,” Gupta says. Such teams will inevitably push themselves and sometimes even their managements into thinking out of the box, she adds. 

4 Interact Informally While formal feedback can help identify strengths and weaknesses of a team, informal interactions also help in knowing teams better. “I always look out for personal experiences with my team members and colleagues in both formal and informal settings to get to know them better and to appreciate their (and each other’s) strengths and advantages,” says Banerjee. 

5 Aim at Larger Picture A team that rests on past laurels can never achieve greatness. To succeed and be a great team you need to have an achievement orientation, says Gupta. Execution skill is critical to enhance a team’s performance and a leader needs to ensure that the team has the ability to look at the larger picture and have a purpose behind their actions, adds Banerjee.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 11-09-20120

Five Ways To Keep up to Speed on the Bench

IN A HICUPPING economy, 25% of employees in the information technology industry are on the bench. This is a spot no professional would want to be in, but with project inflows taking a dip, employees have no option but to work out survival strategies. Devina Sengupta suggests how they can stay relevant.

1 Polish up Your Skills An employee can use the spare time between projects to upgrade his or her skills. Every IT firm runs online internal training programmes, and thus, one does not need constant supervision when learning. 

2 Brand Yourself Rajesh R had seen his friends at Infosys reach out to delivery managers directly for projects or apply for different teams through internal recruitment channels. "Show project managers the skills you have acquired and tell them you can be of help,” says Rajesh. 

3 Make Yourself Known "Make yourself visible so you are on top of their mind," says Nirmala Menon, founder and CEO, Interweave Consulting. Those on the bench should take part in forums, work on honing their leadership skills and engage in cross-functional activities, she adds. 

4 Don't Jump Ship Yet It makes sense to hold on till a better offer comes along. “The bench is a reality. However, skills never get outdated, so if a person wants to move while he is on the bench, it will not go against him unless he has been on standby for a prolonged period," says Amitabh Das, CEO of recruitment firm Vati Consulting. 

5 Know That it Will Pass Those on bench feel the pinch because their variable pay is reduced, ratings are low and there is a feeling of lost opportunities. However, realising that the phase is temporary may help, besides pursuing hobbies during this relatively free time.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 07-09-2012)

Five Ways To Tap Linkedin for Career Progression

THERE IS MORE to Linkedin than adding contacts and getting recommendations. The platform has a host of features that companies constantly use to narrow down potential talent. Here is how you can make your way to their lists, says Anumeha Chaturvedi. 

1 Choose Right Contacts Being inactive on the portal would not narrow down your chances of attracting the right people. “Recruiters are always looking at means to attract passive talent as they are considered to be quality people satisfied in their current job,” says Irfan Abdulla, director, hiring solutions, Linkedin. But if you are flooded with requests, you should limit your circles to the people relevant to your profession. 

2 Update Your Profile Learnt business intelligence, application development or calligraphy? It might be useful to add it to your profile. Through ‘Linkedin skills’ feature, you can add skills to your profile and look for companies where they will have the maximum impact. 

3 Look for Testimonials Clicking on the ‘work with us’ ads will lead you to the company’s page. You can reach out to the testimonials of employees as they could give more information about the company. 

4 Follow Companies Companies have their home pages on the portal, which display the latest news, from who they are hiring to interactive videos. “A lot of companies spend more time on their Linkedin pages than their own websites,” says Abdulla. Following companies is a good way of staying up to date. 

5 List Volunteering Through the ‘volunteer and causes’ feature, members can add volunteer positions, causes they care about and organisations they support. A majority of recruiters consider volunteer work as valuable as paid experience.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 04-09-2012)

Five Ways To Lead a Team of Older Colleagues

YOUNG MANAGERS have to walk the tightrope of getting a team of older colleagues to perform without sounding aggressive and offensive. With proper communication, they can leverage the skills of older employees without burning bridges. Anumeha Chaturvedi gets experts talking on this.

1 Keep an Open Mind It is important for young bosses to keep an open mind, feels Protiviti Consulting MD Pankaj Arora. “A workplace becomes diverse because of multiple factors like gender and social strata, and age is just one of them. Managers should focus on the skills and knowledge of employees and not age,” he says. 

2 Communicate Directly It is important to communicate directly to get your point across. “One should have more face-to-face meetings with older teammates as this will help them open up,” says N Narsimha Rao, VP, HR, Agro Tech Foods. 

3 Seek Feedback “Young managers should gain the trust of older employees by seeking their feedback when required,” says Rao. “There is no substitute for experience and young managers should seek opinions of older colleagues in relevant matters,” adds Arora. 

4 Leverage their Skills Rao feels managers can leverage their own competence to enhance productivity. “Young managers are well versed with technology while older employees have strong observation skills, which should be leveraged in assignments,” he says. 

5 Lead by Example It’s important to build one’s credibility by leading by example instead of harping on fancy titles. “Young bosses should build their credibility by enhancing their own skills and knowledge,” feels Arora.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 31-08-2012)

Five Ways To Get the Most Out of Your Workday

MANAGING YOUR workday well is a challenge for many with an overdose of information in your day to day life. It gets more difficult to finish numerous tasks within the time period without missing on deadlines when you have only 8-10 hours a day. Shreya Biswas gets you some tips on how you can do it well. 

1 Follow Discipline Plan your day ahead. Make a list of to-do things for the coming week. Make a log of events to attend or participate a day ahead. You will know how much work you will have in hand to manage the next day and prepare accordingly,” says Adecco India managing director Sudhakar Balakrishnan. 

2 Prioritise Tasks Prioritise your work. “Categorise into three segments - what needs to be addressed immediately, what has a mid-term deadline and what can be taken up later. You can then proceed to take up things and finish your work on time,” says Manjunath S R, senior director, HR, Netapp. 

3 Revisit Timeline Stick to your timeline. And to do that be sure you don’t keep unrealistic deadlines. Being realistic with your targets will not only help you finish your work on time but will ultimately add to your productivity as you will have time even to do things which can’t be accommodated in a chaotic work schedule. “Revisit your pending works to figure out how much you have already completed and what’s left to be done. This will help you keep track of how much time you have for different tasks at hand,” says Mr Balakrishnan. 

4 Organise Emails 

Emails can be classified into three different types: simple mails that ask for an appointment or your presence for certain events or meeting – respond to them immediately after checking your calendar; informative emails – read them and label them accordingly; and complex mails that seek detailed information, suggestion and ideas – mark them as important and keep a reminder. You would need to gather info, ideas or figure out certain things before you can respond. Rest are all promotions and you must delete them immediately. “Sorting emails is the most essential part of managing them. If you can do that, you will not have email headache,” explains Manjunath. 

5 Prepare for Meetings Be it a concall or one-on-one interactions, prepare for everything. List down the points you need to raise, doubts to be cleared and answers to be sought for projects/ tasks that are in progress. You will not only have a fruitful meeting but will also ensure that crucial time is not lost.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 28-08-2012)

Five Ways To Connect Emotionally With Your Team

DEVELOPING AN EMOTIONAL connect with team members is a fundamental part of a manager’s role in order to create a work-conducive culture, says Rica Bhattacharyya.

1 Be Yourself A leader needs to be himself. “The moment people see you in flesh and blood, they are far more willing to accept you with your strength and limitations rather than when you are trying to put a façade of being someone else,” says Sandeep Banerjee, MD and CEO of Edenred India. 

2 Reach Out Apart from regular feedback, a leader could also ask for pre-feedbacks. “It is important for a team leader to reach out to people for feedback and also invite feed forward from employees anticipating something to happen,” adds Banerjee. 

3 Inculcate a ‘We’ Culture Inculcating a culture of ‘we’ rather than ‘me’ is a key area for leaders to bond with team, says Anupama Beri, HR head at Snapdeal.com. This creates transparency and openness within the organisation. 

4 Introspect A leader needs to transcend the regular objectives of driving profit and loss. “How strong is your internal reflection and how strong is your will to change are key for a leader to practice,” says Banerjee. 

5 Set Them Free Giving employees the opportunities to grow, learn and experience things in line with the goals of the company helps leaders in connecting emotionally with team, says Beri.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 24-08-2012)

Five Ways To Get Your Career Moving

YOU’RE STUCK in the same job for what seems like ever. You haven’t had a promotion in a long time, you’re tired of doing the same thing for years and given the present scenario, new opportunities in other companies are equally hard to come by. Sreeradha D Basu tells you how you can drive change when you feel trapped in the same job. 

1 Take stock It’s time for you to re-evaluate your skills, talents and abilities, and where they fit in with your overall career aspirations. Says Ruth Singh, HR head at Emkay Global Financial Services: “Review your work over the last year and see how your contributions made a difference to your department. Make sure that you can quantify your achievements in terms of efficiency, accuracy, increased revenue, cost savings or better customer relations.” 

2 Go Beyond Sometimes, going beyond the limits of one’s job makes a lot of difference. “I voluntarily took charge of a project which nobody was particularly keen on. Not only did I impress my boss but it also helped me bag a lateral move I had been angling,” says D Sen, who’d been stuck in the same role in an IT firm for several years. 

3 Change Your Attitude All you need to renew your vigor about work is a change in outlook. Try and see the positives in your current job and stop whining about minor issues. Realise that with a fresh look, you can transform your role and make yourself indispensable to your organisation. 

4 Broaden Your Skills

While it is human nature to want to be really good at one thing, this can actually work against you. “Employees that are versatile and have a broader scope of knowledge and skills are viewed to be more valuable. Find out whether there are other career options in your organisation which interest you and enroll for the necessary training,” says Ruth Singh. 

5 Renew Contacts If you have neglected your professional and personal contacts, now is the time to re-engage them. Says Ruth Singh: “Renew your involvement in forums, clubs, or blogs. Ask them how you might be of assistance to them . You might need their assistance if your situation changes.”

 (The Economic Times, Mumbai, 21-08-2012)

Five Ways To Be Decisive & Focused at Workplace

EXECUTIVES HAVE to deal with a number of strategic choices on a daily basis and take decisions on various issues. However, many professionals lack the ability to take decisions and act upon them. There are ways to improve your decisionmaking skills, says Mahima Puri. 

1 Clarity of Purpose The first imperative to improve decision-making skill is to have clarity of purpose and the thought process behind it. Explains K Sudarshan, managing partner, EMA Partners India, “Be clear of what you wish to achieve through the decision and exactly how you want to go about it.” 

2 Take Calculated Risks A well-informed and competent professional is expected to take calculated risks. “Ideal circumstances do not exist in the real world. Use both experience and knowledge and weigh all your options before taking a decision,” says N S Rajan, partner and global leader – people and organization, Ernst & Young. This would also help in minimising risks. 

3 Avoid Indecision Rajan asserts that indecision may cost an organisation or a professional more than a bad decision. “If you feel there are no choices or solutions to a certain problem, it is not a problem, it’s a fact. There is no point is wasting time on facts. But if there are choices, work upon them before the time runs out.” 

4 Empower People Every decision may not be the right one. Rajan says that not only have organisations understood the need to empower people; they are also realising that professionals should be allowed to make mistakes. “There must be room for mistakes, otherwise people won’t learn. At the same time, it is also important that the manager takes a decision within the realm of the organisation's processes,” he adds. 

5 Keep People in Loop It usually helps if some colleagues and seniors are kept in the loop while taking decisions. “No body likes surprises, especially if they are not very pleasant ones. Therefore, it is advisable to keep a senior or a colleague in loop, as they may help to rectify your mistakes or improves your decisions at the right time,” says Sudarshan.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 17-08-2012)