How a Successful Manager deals with Trivial Matters for Reducing Employee Dissatisfaction?

Sometimes when I get tangled into trivial issues regarding work life, I often think what are the most important factors that makes you a successful professional, rather a successful manager!

There are certain things that a manager has to achieve

• Targets or results
• A motivated team
• Performance

However, it's not in that exact order. He might have been give a target that can be a number of sales leads, revenue or just an intangible results. This is his end goal. For achieving the target, he needs performance for which again he needs to have a team which is efficient and performance oriented. And efficiency comes only with motivation. So, what is then, the foundation of any successful managerial attempt?

Is India Ready for a Political President?

India is a Republic - its a known fact. The President of India is the nominal head of the State- this is also a known fact. It is an established fact too that the President of India is mere a rubber stamp. However, one of our past Presidents have shown us that rubber stamps too can influence the government policies! I am talking about the very efficient and probably the most favorite President of India- Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

Dr Kalam did what no other Presidents in the past did. He showed that even if a President cannot dictate the Parliament, he can at least register his disagreement to the policy proposals. It is a different matter that he then has to sign it (or not sign by keeping it in his office itself) after it is again referred to him. But why I am writing all this? Because, I am afraid- as a citizen of India- will the present President of India, who has transformed himself from the 'so much active politics' to a completely 'apolitical avatar' be able to keep the Highest position free of politics?

The ruling party- struggling most of the time with its coalition parties- is not able to pass the policies and laws of its choice (thanks to didis in east and south and bhaiyas in north). Can the President who is now a President due to this party only deny signing ordinances, bye laws and even orders of Presidential rules in states? Won't the Rashtrapati Bhavan become the backdoor for passing all those laws that can't be passed in the democratic temple of Parliament? Hope, this doesn't happen!

Many Indians are not happy that the President cannot speak Hindi well. With all due respect to our national language, I would also like to say that our favourite Dr Kalam was also not from a Hindi speaking state but this factor never came to anyone's mind. Does the Indians not able to recognize their real fear - the fear of being in the hands of 'Potential Political President'! Probably yes that's why they are debating about language known or unknown to the President forgetting the larger issue. Or may be, they know in their hearts of heart that 'We the Indians' cannot choose our President!

With all my fears in my mind, I pray that the Highest position of this largest democracy influence the first citizen of India magically and he be the very apolitical and a people's President! Amen!

What I did not know before Anna Movement?

- “We the People of India” is not just a phrase with which begins our Constitution!
- A 74 year 'young' man can be the source of inspiration to more than half of India!
- This nation can actually be awakened!
- Opposition can be quite in the Parliament and let the voice of people heard!
- Media can do without commercial breaks for longer periods to let people see and hear what their dear leaders say.
- News channel can actually take stand without being neutral and I would become a fan of Arnab Goswami for conducting the discussions in favor of  'aam aadmi'!
- Youth of this country can come out of pubs, discos and malls to street for an actual cause.
- They can make a disciplined queue at Ramlila ground to fill up the volunteers' form.
-They can distribute packets of biscuits and water to the supporting mass and EVEN pick up the used wrappers and wastes!
- An NGO can declare- they don't want further donations as they now have enough money to take forward the crusade against corruption.
- We still can think and act if a true leader shows us the right direction.
- Mobs can remain disciplined and peaceful too!
- General public can take vows for not offering bribe for whatsoever work!
- Slogans are not just slogans! Vande Mataram and Inquilab Zindabad can move that something within you which had been burried there!

And I hope that Anna stays what he is now in the hearts of millions of Indians and keeps on doing what Prasoon Joshi has beautifully said in his poem- “Lo Mashaalon ko jalaa dalaa kisiney. Bholey thay bhaaley banaa daala kisiney!”

Is the Young India losing Hope in Political System?

The other day, I read in the newspapers about the polls in Delhi. Around 500 people opted for availing Section 49 (O) - Right to not to vote. The news also told that this was an incomplete figure. There are more constituencies whose data has to be revealed. The election officers expected the figure to go up to 1000!

Does that mean that we have a real dearth of visionary politicians? The Young India is losing hope in political parties as well as the candidates! There was this young man featuring in the news who claimed that he went blank after seeing the list of candidates on the voter machine. He could not decide as to who deserves his vote! He chose not to vote for anyone by entering his choice in the earmarked register. And a young lady, working for an NGO quoted that she too wanted to exercise her right of not to vote but the officers on election duty convinced her to cast her vote. Is that right? If an adult person wants to show her faithlessness in the system, do the government machinery has the right to not honoring her wish in the largest democracy of the world?

One of my colleagues disclosed to me that she too wanted to “not vote for anyone” but because it will make a huge issue in the presence of the whole of her neighborhood, she did not dare to ask for the procedure of availing Section 49 (O) and did cast her vote.

The only reason for my getting bothered is about the future of India. When there is no party strong enough to convince the people of this country about their eligibility for running government, can we feel secured? When there is no political leader, who, independent of his party, can instill faith in the youth about their future, can we remain positive about our so called democracy?

Speaking of myself, when I ultimately thought of casting vote, I wanted to know the agenda of the candidates contesting election from my constituency. To my surprise, when I searched for the same on net and otherwise- I found nothing of the sort! How and on what basis could I then vote? Has the time arrived when the campaigning methodology of our country's election too should change? Are we entitled to know about the agenda of our representatives? Is there any mechanism to ensure that the elected candidates stick to their agenda? Is that possible sometime, someday?

Lots of unanswered questions!!!

HAPPY 2009

A Very Happy And Prosperous New Year To All

NITHARI and its children - What happened then?

It’s not very long when the whole country was shaken up by one incident- Nithari killings. Nithari- the small so called village in Noida came to the limelight and became famous overnight- all for wrong purposes. All the news channels and the newspapers had only one topic to discuss, only one topic to write about- NITHARI and the brutal murder of its children.

What happened then? A long enquiry still going on against the accused, some compensation declared for the families of the deceased (Whether they got it or not, that is another matter to see into), gradual withdrawal of the media, affected families coming to terms and busy giving blood samples for DNA test to prove that the body parts are of their own kids, the fading memory of the people, the anger and frustration receding from our face, mind and even soul.

The souls of all those children who have been murdered may rest in peace. They have had there share of misery and their destiny took them away from their families. But what about the other children who still have their life to live on? They are panic stricken, they miss their siblings and friends but they do not worry about their future because they do not know one has to. But we do. Yes, we know and understand that our children should get education for a bright future; we work hard to provide a better future to them. We are very busy in ensuring that they get a good life but just take some time to think about these less privileged children, the children of our society- aren’t they our responsibility too? Don’t we get anything from our society that makes us liable to give back something to it? At least our society gives us our identity- We, the Indians! Our India deserves a good future- good future for all its children.

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” - Edward Everett Hale

Some people with the same spirit have gathered together and doing what they can do, in their own little ways, to make the lives of the children of Nithari a better one. In a small room, they are running a school to give basic education to these children. They give some time in the evening, after their work is over, and teach these children. They arrange for books for these children. They are in contact with the schools in vicinity to get these children into formal education. They also try to help their families in solving their problems.

“When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers” -Colleen C. Barrett
We need more “bricklayers”. We need people to join this initiative and help change the future of our children forever. We need You to help in this task in whatever ways you can.

“Begin to free yourself at once by doing all that is possible with the means you have, and as you proceed in this spirit the way will open for you to do more.” - Robert Collier

Save Energy – Reduce Electricity bills, Global warming too

Fascinated by the latest gizmos? Hold on! Before investing in any latest electrical appliance, just check how much power is it going to swallow? If you are going shopping with your child for a playstation , just go through the report of a global study which says that game consoles like Play Station 3 consumes five times more power than a medium sized refrigerator. Such a Play Station, even on its standby mode, could cost almost $250 (about Rs. 11,000) a year in electricity as compared to a fridge which costs less than $50 (about Rs 2,000) a year.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has made energy efficiency rates mandatory for refrigerators, tube lights, geysers and is planning to add air- conditioners to this list. This has been done to encourage the industry to come up with more energy efficient products. Now it’s the turn of the consumers to become responsible and switch to electrical appliances with BEE Star- Rated Labels.

Star ratings determine how many kilo-watts of power an appliance consumes in a year. A product labeled one star will consume 20 % more energy than a two star product. With every rise in the number of stars, energy efficiency improves by 20 %. Thus an appliance with One Star is least energy efficient and that with Five Stars is most energy efficient.

So next time when you are buying any appliance, count the stars within the coloured strip of the BEE label and feel honoured for being a responsible member of the mankind helping reduce global warming, an enlightened citizen increasing the availability of electricity for more people and a happy money saver reducing your own electricity bill.

Here are some more tips on energy saving

Are you listening……? The Art of Active Listening

03/06/2008

“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” — Ralph Nichols

Have you ever felt like not being properly heard by your spouse, your colleagues, your children, your friends? In the midst of that serious discussion with your husband, haven’t you said to yourself “God! Why isn’t he listening to me?” When you had a cold war with your mother-in-law, haven’t you realized that she didn’t listen to the narration given by you for not bringing her medicine and is just going by what her “morning walk friends’ have told her? And just remember that meeting where you went with the first ever presentation of yours, bubbling with energy. After a few minutes of the presentation, haven’t you felt like you had wasted your time preparing for that presentation and here was the ‘intellectual crowd’ making most of their time munching cookies and enjoying the cool atmosphere of the conference hall.

Yes, we all crave for ears to listen to our words. These were the situations where you were the speaker. Just think of those moments when you were on the other end, listening to someone- in class, at home, in a training session, in a discussion, in meeting. Were you not behaving like the listeners in the above paragraph?

"We were given two ears but only one mouth, because listening is twice as hard as talking." Did you know that our brain uses as much energy in an hour of careful listening as is used by our body during a long race?

Listening is one of the most important skills one can have. How well we listen has a major impact on our job effectiveness and on the quality of our relationships with others. Active, effective listening is a habit which can be developed through practice. It is the foundation of effective communication. It is a way of listening and responding to other person that improves mutual understanding.

What is ‘Active Listening’