Five Ways To Multitask at the Workplace

With bigger workloads, tighter deadlines and more pressure, the temptation to pack in as many tasks as possible is hard to resist. But juggling too many things at once can lead to more mistakes and stress, along with loss of productivity. Sreeradha D Basu suggests how you can get it right. 

1 Get Organised “Make a list of the things that you need to accomplish,” says Sangeeta Lala, senior VP, TeamLease Services. “With so much technology at one’s fingertips, it’s become easier. One should use these gadgets to schedule tasks,” she says. 

2 Prioritise your Tasks List the tasks you need to get done and classify them in order of importance, impending deadlines and the like. Also learn to recognise when a particular task is so important that you need to put multitasking on hold and give it your undivided attention. 

3 Don’t Procrastinate As your responsibilities increase, you need to resist procrastination. “If you have an agenda, plan early and address it as soon as possible. Otherwise if you keep tasks on hold, they tend to pile up, affecting the quality of your work,” says TeamLease Services’ Lala. 

4 Eliminate Distractions Resist the urge to peek at your blinking smartphone or answering your email when you’re working on something. Keep those tasks for later and don’t let them waste your time. 

5 Don’t Overcommit Multitasking has its advantages, but don’t take on too much or set yourself unrealistic targets. “It’s all very well to impress your bosses but don’t end up becoming a victim of burnout,” says Vijay Anand Menon, associate director at RAMPgreen Solutions, provider of cloud-based call centre solutions.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 27-04-2012)

Five Ways To Politely Reject a Job Offer

IT REQUIRES courage and diplomacy to turn down a job offer. There is the fear of being blacklisted by a company, and in a small fraternity, of crossing paths with a ‘could-have-been employer’. But there are always good ways to let an offer go, as Devina Sengupta shows.

1 Give Good Reasons A flimsy excuse can be seen through. An HR head of Bangalore-based IT firm recently received an email from a candidate who said he had lost his father and may not be able to cope with shifting jobs. "It was a sincere letter and I appreciated the candidate’s honesty," says the HR head. 

2 Mail or Call "A well-drafted email or a conversation can explain why you have to drop the offer. If a candidate is senior, then acall to the hiring manager is required to explain why the decision was taken," says Nirmala Menon, founder and CEO of Interweave Consulting. 

3 Write In Early It is natural for companies to look at other candidates and expect employees to have multiple options. Still, do not delay declining the offer till the eleventh hour — this is unprofessional and industry experts often remember those who did. 

4 Inform Everyone An email declining the offer has to go out to all those who interviewed you in multiple levels, says Elango R, HR head of MphasiS. "Make it personal to you and not the company," he says. This will stand you in good stead. 

5 Close the Loop After joining the new firm, an email to everyone, including the previous organisation and those who you did not join, should be sent. The email should have details of your co-ordinates, which reflects that you are interested in building relationships.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 20-04-12)

Five Ways To Be a Good Listener to Your Team

Being a good listener is absolutely essential if you want to become a good leader. The worst leaders don’t listen; they’d much rather just talk. It’s the truly effective leaders who know how important it is to communicate better with people by becoming better listeners. Sreeradha D Basu gives you some tips. 

1 Be With the Speaker When you are listening to what another person is saying, give them your undivided attention. “People will not open up fully till they feel you are concentrating on what they’re saying,” says Ronesh Puri, MD of headhunting firm Executive Access. “Don’t switch off in the middle of what they are saying. Your body language gives you away every time. Display a friendly, open attitude and body language,” he says. 

2 Avoid Distractions People feel comfortable sharing when they are not interrupted. So put that Blackberry on ‘silent’ and avoid looking at your watch or taking sneak peeks at the computer. Just focus on what the other person is saying. 

3 Ask Questions Ask questions that let the other person know that you are interested in what they are saying and want to learn more. “I’ve always found that these draw people out. I had quite a few such conversations with a bright performer whose performance had slumped of late. It was only after several such meetings that he felt I genuinely cared enough for him to confide in me. It took time but we fixed the problem,” says a team leader in an information technology firm who does not wish to be named. 

4 Withold Judgement A leader needs to be open to new ideas and new perspectives. A judgemental attitude hardly ever works. “Avoid the tendency of discounting what the other person is saying simply because it’s contrary to your own beliefs. Accept that there can be different views,” says Puri. 

5 Avoid Giving Advice People aren’t always looking for someone to solve their problems. At times, they just need someone to listen; someone to let off steam to. It’s important for a leader to understand that and simply empathise on such occasions.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 17-04-2012)

Five Ways To Keep Yourself Focused At Work

Keeping yourself focused at work can be hard sometimes. Here is an occurence you see too many times before – you start of your day by telling yourself that you will get (insert amount) of task done today. As determined as you are, you might end up having blunt conversation with your friends, replying and sending out e-mails and of course, get really busy on social outlets – just like most of us here.

(Image source: ihtatho)

So how do we avoid all these evil attention seeking, unnecessary task and make sure we accomplish what we should be accomplishing on the day itself? Our minds are easily wavered and affected and it becomes extremely hard to realign your focus with goals at job task. Today we are showing you 5 ways to improve your focus at work and how you can possibly discard activity that can divert your attention. Now these tips can be subjective but it may be effective for you!

1. Work In Chunks

It’s a scientific fact that our brains can only be attentive on a limited amount of information for a limited amount of time. Making sure the appropriate information in mind is the one that lines up with our duties at work is where the difficulty is. To lighten the load on your brain, it is better to segment your work into small manageable pieces. The idea is you do not want to spend an entire day working on one task non-stop. Breaking it up allows your brain to ‘breathe’ and it will reward you later with effective work. So work in small portions then leave your desk and if your lucky go outside breathe in mother nature.

(Image source: Shutterstock)

2. Reward Yourself For Your Determination

It’s not really a bad thing to visit sites like Facebook, Meebo, or Twitter to get your social updates, but it’s important to not spend huge amounts of time on them, especially when your work is not complete. What I tend to do is create a set of tasks that I need to complete before I can visit any of those sites or leave my desk. I will work awhile, complete a task, then reward myself with some time catching up with a friend. This strategy relies on sheer perseverance and strong will. If you cant stick to goals that you set try another one of these methods.

(Image source: Shutterstock)

3. Find The Right Music

As for me there is no way that I can push through an entire work day of coding or designing without the appropriate music to keep me motivated. For me its either intense techno or alternative music that sustains me throughout the day. I can be wrong about this but I believe its important that whatever genre you decide to listen to, to make sure its music that can be easily filtered out while keeping the work ethic at full throttle. For myself I can not listen to music that makes me think about the words or sucks me into wanting to fall asleep, both of which becomes a distraction. Finding the happy medium will increase your drive immensely and will make the day fly right by.

(Image source: Shutterstock)

4. Go Incognito

If all else fails and you just cant seem to get away from the Facebook and pesky co-worker emails, you have to hide yourself. Go invisible on the instant message clients, set the away message to “BUSY, DON’T BOTHER ME”. And for those workers who love to stop by your desk, throw on those head phones so they dont feel inclined to spark up a conversation. I often have to hide from being annoyed from others. It seems the moment one person starts talking to me that the floods of people come. I’ve learned to never put myself in conversational positions while trying to be focused or make sure that i’m in control if I am in those situations.

(Image source: Shutterstock)

5. Be Interested/Passionate About Your Work.

Finally the best way to be productive is to truly enjoy and be passionate about what your working on. We go to great lengths and hours of work for things that interest us. Yet we lose focus instantaneously if what we are doing is not important. It might take sometime finding interest in the work you do, you might have to just think about the big picture or maybe focus on impressing those around you (possibly a boss) to stay on track.

(Image source: Shutterstock)

Original Link: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/five-ways-to-keep-yourself-focused-at-work/

Author

Woody Romelus

Woody is a web designer who has been solving design-related problems for 5 years. He is pursuing a Masters degree in Software Engineering where he would like to fill the gap between development and design. You can find him and his work at his online portfolio.

Five Ways to Keep Focused On Your Entrepreneurial Dream

The first few months of starting your own business can be a bit uncomfortable; comparable to a baby’s first steps or swinging a golf club for the first time. There are going to be mistakes, inefficiencies and unexpected curveballs. However, successful startups are able to circumvent operational ineffectiveness and learn from them.

For one man startups, you are the head honcho. You only answer to you. This can be a wonderful thing for people who roll out of bed ready to tackle the world. However, for the average entrepreneur, being able to schedule time to stay focused on the startup can become a task in itself. Here are five ways to get your entrepreneurial dream going in the right direction.

1. Get in a Routine

Getting into a routine is one of the best ways to consistently crank out work.If you are working 9-5, schedule an hour before work to plan and organize your tasks for after work. Maybe make it a habit to continue working till, say 8? Try to get on a balanced routine of day job work, exercise, startup work, sleep. Keeping a clear head and balanced lifestyle improves your efficiency, but forming your startup work into habit helps you get stuff done when you don’t want to.

2. Find Your “Spot”

Finding your secret spot to work at when you don’t have an office, decreases distractions, increases the time you spend on your startup, and overall, helps separate your personal life and your entrepreneurial dream.

A secret spot can be a public library, or it can be a crowded hotel lobby. If a certain atmosphere helps you clear your head, form it in your routine to work from there. I’ve found that working from home is virtually useless for many people.

There are too many distractions, and many can never fully slip into a work mindset in the comfort of their home. Instead, try these secret spots:

• The beach, at night- The sound of the ocean is one of the most calming places to work. If you need Internet, Google “How to tether [Your phone] to [Your computer]” There are ways to get Internet access anywhere for free, if you are creative.
• Hotel Lobby- Hotels typically have free Internet and a warm ambiance. The hustle and bustle of working from a hotel can spark some creative juices.
• Your Car- Sometimes a creative spark hits you like a baseball in 1998, hitting the bat of Mark McGwire . You can’t escape this fervent idea, grab your laptop and drive to a place with free WiFi. Working from your car can actually be a great, controlled atmosphere.

3. Learn to Walk Before Running

You should learn to handle day-to-day tasks before getting overwhelmed with the big picture. Startups need a “grind it out” approach, not a “strategy approach.” Know who your business is, and produce hard material for your business (sales collateral, payroll reports, web copy). Most executives are great at steering the ship, but it’s the ones who can roll up their sleeves and take necessary steps to get the ship in the water that are able to benefit later. Simplify your daily tasks.

4. Craft Your Pitch

Okay, in 30 seconds, tell me what about your business? Crafting an elevator pitch for your business will not only help you in the event of potential investors; but it will be a backbone for non-strategic business decisions.

Many startups really don’t know who they are. Locking down a paragraph of how you will sell your business, guides the ship. Often times, long and jargoned business plans will emphasize every element of a business. This can confuse you, as an entrepreneur on to where your businesses value proposition lies.

5. Take a Vacation

Finally, some time for you. If you are burning the wick at both ends, take a step back. The easiest way to kill the quality and integrity of your startup is to not give 100%.

A vacation will help you look at your business from a different perspective. Being able to ask different questions about your business can keep you prepared for future.

There are many different ways to keep your life, work, and startup on track. Learning to balance your priorities and responsibilities is important for the success of your entrepreneurial endeavors. However, if you are able to find your sweet spot, lock down your elevator pitch and get in a routine; you can keep your business going in the right direction.

Image Credit: My joy young.com

Author: Matt Krauststrunk 

Original Link: http://www.resourcenation.com/blog/5-ways-to-keep-focused-on-your-entrepreneurial-dream/32974/

Five Ways To Help the Team Cope with Stress

Stress at the workplace primarily emerges in three situations: shortage of time, strained relationships or when employees feel they are getting a raw deal. But a good leader can help his team manage stress levels at individual and group levels, says Mahima Puri. 

1 Stick to Schedules “If the team can effectively manage time, there will be no or little stress,” says management & life skills trainer Yadhav Mehra. “Project schedules should not be stretched beyond a stage, otherwise energy levels and productivity drop, leading to stress and frayed tempers,” adds Venkatraman Girish, senior VP – HR, Jubilant FoodWorks. Team meetings should be well-timed, he says. 

2 Encourage Breaks Having a little ‘me-time’ during office hours can help manage stress. ‘‘Encourage your team members to take some time off during office hours and indulge in activities that relax them,” says Girish. 

3 Allocate Jobs Well A team leader or manager should allocate work as per capabilities and capacity, says Mehra. “A manager should give specific deadlines, instead of demanding all the work be done in a few days,” he adds. 

4 Resolve Conflicts A good manager always tries to resolve conflicts among co-workers, instead of brushing them under the carpet. “If it’s not possible to resolve conflicts, keep them open instead of concealing them. Sometimes it’s alright if two people cannot get along,” says Mehra. 

5 Outline Common Goals Pushing the team towards a shared goal or a common target helps build what Mehra calls ‘positive stress’. “Working towards a shared goal lends a sense of excitement, instead of fear or insecurity, which is typical in a competitive environment. When a shared goal is achieved, everyone is a winner,” he says.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 10-04-2012)

Five Ways To Work Out a New Set of KRAs

Just when many have let out a collective sigh of relief at appraisals being over, a new set of key result areas (KRAs) needs to be cleared. Firms have made their variable component higher and the criteria more rigorous, so nothing short of achieving them completely would ensure a good take home at the end of the stipulated period. However, there are ways to make the goals look simpler and attainable for a smoother year ahead, says Devina Sengupta. 

1 Do a Fish Bone Analysis Once targets have been given, an executive should develop the flowchart of programmes to develop, training to receive or give, and parameters that will help him or her reach the desired goal. Called the fish bone analysis, the employee will then have to talk to different departments which will support him. “Business metrics have to be defined and converted into quantifiable metrics and linked to the final goal. It should be in cause-and-effect terms,” says Rajesh AR, head of employment services division of Manipal Education. 

2 Draw up an Action Plan The boss should be consulted on stages that need to be reached to achieve the KRAs. “Chalk out a detailed performance action sheet,” says SM Gupta, HR head of Bangalore-based ITeS firm Aegis. With each KRA there should be a ‘smart principle’ where goals are broken down. The manager must ensure the status is checked regularly, while the executive has to list daily, monthly , quarterly, half-yearly tasks. 

3 Prioritise Targets A list will help the executive chart out areas that require immediate attention, training, or assistance from other teams. There will also be the long-stretched goals, which the employee should deal with separately. 

4 Start With Clear Goals To make goals more achievable, the supervisor has to give a set of tangible goals. So if he wants sales to increase, then he has to hire employees, add distribution centres etc ,and not follow a feel-good syndrome during performance review, says K A Sudarshan, co-founder of EMA Partners in India. 

5 Bring HR to the Table KRAs can be made more tangible if there is a discussion between the HR and business heads on the goals of the financial year and how they are important in improving organisational performance, says Srinivas Nanduri, partner board & leadership hiring, Maxima Global Executive Search. Once these goals are clear, the individual can make KRAs fit into the overall milestones.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 13-04-2012)

Five Ways To Deal With a Missed Promotion

The appraisal results are out in the open, and that promotion you thought you more or else had in the bag seems to have passed you by. Don’t fret. Being passed over for a promotion doesn’t have to be the end of the road. Sreeradha D Basu has some tips on how to bounce back.

1 Believe in Yourself A missed promotion doesn’t, in all cases, have to be a reflection of your capability as an employee, so don’t be too hard on yourself. A number of external factors, other than individual performance, can have influenced this decision. “You need to look at the overall perspective. It could be a function of a slow economy, the company may not be doing well, or the sector you are in may be going through a lean period, which is why the company prefers taking a cautious approach,” says Sunil Goel, director of executive search firm GlobalHunt. 

2 Meet the Manager If you were indeed eligible for a promotion, you need to have a candid conversation with your manager about why you missed out. "You need to understand whether the challenge in your current job is more or less than your capability. If it’s more, then you are certainly not ready for a promotion," says Judhajit Das, chief HR, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance. He adds: "Use your manager’s feedback to help reassess your goals. Identify the reasons why you didn’t get promoted and work on those areas over the course of the next year." 

3 Enhance your Skill Set Make a conscious effort to develop your skills in areas where they are lacking — information technology skills, training programmes or others, and take the relevant courses. “I got passed o ver for a promotion once simply because another colleague had experience in working on a certain kind of project. I made sure that I had left no areas untouched from my end the next time appraisals came around,” says IT professional S Nayak. 

4 Avoid Rash Decisions GlobalHunt’s Goel advises against taking a hasty call to change jobs if a promotion doesn’t come through. “It will take a year to make a proper mark in the new organisation. Instead, it makes much more sense to demonstrate your abilities better and try for a promotion in the next cycle in the current company. Switching a job should be the last resort,” says Goel. 

5 Stay Positive Instead of brooding over the negative, concentrate your energies on improving your abilities so you don’t miss out on the next opportunity. Give it your best shot so that you are in a far stronger position the next time around.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 06-04-2012)

Five Ways To Get Out of Stagnation at Work

Being underemployed can be a frustrating experience, considering someone is not given work or responsibility commensurate with qualification or experience. But there are ways to get around it, as Writankar Mukherjee suggests.

1 Identify the Reasons Do some stock-taking on why you are not given work. Is it because the boss likes or trusts someone else? Or, have you done something unacceptable? “Take responsibility rather than asking for it. If bosses see that you really want to work, there will be no dearth of assignments,” says Jindal Steel and Power executive director Manish Kharbanda.  

2 Upgrade your Skills This may be the perfect time to enroll for that part-time professional course or go in for a distance-learning one. However, this applies only if you are underqualified. “If someone is overqualified and underemployed, they can improve their communication and influencing skills by enrolling in a workshop or training,” says Angel Broking senior VP (HR) Dhruv Desai.  

3 Opt for Challenges The best way to get noticed by the bosses is to opt for a transformational project within the company. Contributing to cross-functional projects is another good option, says Ikya Human Capital Solutions MD Ajit Isaac. “This could be projects around quality enhancements or product development. It could be a fitting way to prove one’s worth,” he says.  

4 Think before you Quit A person who is underemployed can be desperate to make a switch. But it is always better to mend relationships in the current job, create a positive image and then look for a change. Otherwise, there are possibilities of a negative comment by the boss during reference checks. “Any role or job has its own dimensions,at times not optimally exploited by the professional. One can try and take a re-look, and this can be more satisfying,” says says ICICI Prudential Life Insurance HR head Judhajit Das.  

5 Skip Online Games The worst damage to your image could come from playing online games or being on Facebook the whole day. Spend your spare time getting to know about the company, reading about the industry and competitors. Build a relationship with other colleagues. Or do constructive jobs like working on CSR projects.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 30-03-2012)

Five Ways To Keep those who Steal Credit at Bay

Four years ago, at mid-sized product manufaturing company Symphony Services, a vice president was asked to leave because he took credit for his juniors’ work, and when they reported the matter, he started harassing them. “Stealing credit is a habit one can be coached out of, but he hit back at those who spoke up. That is unacceptable,” says VP and CFO, C Mahalingam. Parading the laurels that belong to others is a common problem, but employees can protect themselves, as Devina Sengupta shows.  

1 Cultivate Mentors For those who are plagued by their department heads taking all the credit, a senior mentor can spread the good word, says Mahalingam. The employee should also talk about his work and drop in details now and then to colleagues and other seniors as subtly as possible.  

2 Approach Seniors There have to be go-to people with whom the employee can air grievances. “A team of seniors accessible to employees where reviews are done often, and where everyone can access the work done, will close the trap on these gaps,” says Hitesh Dhingra, founder and CEO of startup Letsbuy.  

3 Play Smart After a conversation with the boss on a task, send an email to him thanking him for his time, the feedback and his appreciation, if there is any. These records if needed can be used later on. Also, during feedback sessions, politely slip in the efforts you put in, and keep the seniors posted as well.  

4 Train the Boss Heads of online startup Redbus insist that managers name team members behind a successful project. “The manager needs to be trained and explained that for him to rise and gain respect he needs to be appreciative of his juniors and give them a much credit as possible,” says Shankar Prasad, COO, who insists on being told by the manager the feedback they gave to their team on performing well and also asks for emails on these. 

 5 Advertise your Work “Beat your own drum as no one else will do that for you,” says Prasad. To make others aware of the work done, drawing references to it helps. However, one should not do this incessantly, as it can boomerang.

(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 03-04-2012)