Visit blogadda.com to discover Indian blogs DISCREET ENVISAGEMENT: May 2011

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Put the WHIRLING MIND at rest!!


Lately I have been thinking of the lifestyle I am leading owing to my commitment towards job and my family. I always feel that there is so much to do and so little time for that.
Was just having a morning "over the cup of tea" talk with my wife discussing how one should spend the whole day doing something or the other and should have some hobbies & passions to follow..

But then it just hit me my mind that am I clear about what I feel about these things?? About living a full life?? Do I actually know the meaning of all that I just said??
I guess I had such a life in the past and all my talks were based on the past experience.

However, my present is not the same.. Nowadays my Mind is always occupied with work, some pending electric repair work at home, cleaning my office drawer of the trash, cutting a DVD of movies, downloading a rip software for digital frame I just got although I have enough DVD players and computes at home!! My mind is never at rest and its continuously spinning!!!

Even when I am lying in the bed trying to fall asleep, my mind keeps spinning with all the things I need to do and the thoughts just keep ticking? (I even wake up in the middle of the night to scribble things on my pad.. phew!!)

I realize that we (I believe all of us) wind ourselves up like a motor when we pile on more things than can possibly get done in the time frame have. When we rush to meetings, speed in the car and make it to places "just in time", it's no wonder some of us can have a tough settling in for the night. Or settling in for the day! 

Wondering how can we keep our mind from whirling? I just tried to figure out as to why do we face these situations:

Matter of Life and Death:
Most of what is keeping our minds whirling isn't as serious as we make it out to be. Fetching the can of milk for home, getting something for the kids or trying to make it to the movie show is not life or death. Most of the time if things don't get done when we think they should get done, life stills goes on. Just think, when you are sick and down, does the world stop revolving?? But we forget this because we like to stay busy and experience the adrenaline rush.

I don't have time for myself!!:
Sounds familiar??? Yes, it is so important to have the time when nothing is planned; no meetings, no
reunion with friends, no taking-the-kid-out. Maybe its the time to get some pampering done, like a massage. Or go for a drive all alone with your favourite music playing.. no phone calls, no grocery list in your pocket and no "From -To" schedule in your mind... Its really important to let yourself loose at times..

Review your TO-DO list:
Its very likely that there is a lot going on in our lives at the same time.. and its always logical to have a TO-DO list maintained for all those activities.. But did it ever occur to you that you should probably revise the TO-DO list to drop something from it?? 
Just give it a thought: 
Is it that you actually have to fix that leaking faucet in your kitchen yourself or can you simply hire a plumber?? 
Have you accepted an invite for a half day conference on "How to save the planet?" on the other side of the city, which you don't want to attend?? 
Have you actually denied the "Home pick-up" service for your car and decided to go all by yourself to the service station to get the car serviced?
We need to get rid of the TO-DOs that take up time but do not add to the quality to our life!!

Keep the Evening Subtle:
Usually the times I have trouble sleeping are when I have worked too late on the computer or have been watching an action packed movie right before bed. The computer screen and the quick-paced movie are too stimulating late at night. Though I realised that turning off the computer or TV at least an hour before bed really helps... I actually feel relaxed with some soft music or a book instead.

Work Life - Personal Life Balance:
We often talk about that at those social gatherings and at evening tea-time chats.. A few people boast of striking perfect balance between work and personal life.. I somehow have never been that lucky.. and am friends with people who are more like me (and I guess 90% of the people out there are my friends)..
There are people who feel extremely guilty when they are at work because they aren't spending time with their family. Then, when they go home they feel guilty that they aren't working. They feel miserable most of the time....
Its up to us to enjoy work when we are at work and enjoy with our family when we are at home. Living in the moment helps to be happier. 

As you can see, how just a few simple changes can bring us closer to a calmer and more peaceful mind. Hope we all strike that balance and have a peaceful and joyful life..

Cheers!!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

TECHLAND TYRANTS - A perspective on those who made BIG


Read an intresting publishing in todays newspaper where the Leadership style of 2 of the most powerful leaders of 2 of the most successful companies was discussed.
Steve Jobs - APPLE & Bill Gates - MICROSOFT.

Just have a read..

TECHLAND TYRANTS 
compiled by Harsh Vora, published in PUNE MIRROR dated 18th May 2011

You think your boss is finicky the world’s most-popular nerds Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are known for their unforgiving autocratic management style. Here’s a look

STEVE JOBS

FROM IPADS TO CAFETERIA FOOD, IT’S HIS CALL
In his mid-blue Levis and black turtleneck tee, Steve Jobs looks almost harmless. It’s easy to picture him at the Apple Campus in California the Wonkas chocolate factory of the tech world working on the next wonder device and politely marshaling his engineers.This, however, may be far from the reality.

A recent article by Fortune magazine, details how one of the most successful and secretive companies operates. It reveals that the Apple CEO and enigmatic tech visionary is a corporate dictator, who doesn’t settle for anything less than perfection. Failures are anathema to him. Here are some insights into his autocratic management style.

I AM THE CAPTAIN, DAMN IT
Jobs, the article by Adam Lashinsky says, makes every critical decision at Apple and oodles of seemingly non-critical ones, too.From the design of buses that ferry staff members to and from San Francisco to the kind of food served in the cafeteria it’s his call. He makes sure that his approach to product design is shared by staff.

DUDS OUT, NOW
In 2008, Apple launched the first version of its iPhone that worked on 3G networks. It also introduced e-mail system MobileMe, which proved to be a disappointment.

When negative reviews started pouring in, Jobs summoned the MobileMe team and asked a simple question; Can anyone tell me what MobileMe is supposed to do After receiving an answer, he thundered : So why the f** k doesn’t it do that... You should hate each other for having let each other down. He then quickly named a new executive to run the group.

ARE YOU V-P OR JANITOR
He tells employees who are made vice-presidents that there is no acceptable excuse for not getting a job done. He draws a comparison between an executive and a janitor, illustrating that if the garbage in his office is not cleared and he questions the janitor, the latter could give an excuse that he didn’t have office key.

When you’re the janitor, reasons matter. Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering, says Jobs, adding that Rubicon is crossed when you become a VP.

HUDDLE UP PEOPLE
At Apple, there is an employee’s group Top 100, which is not formed on the basis of rank. Each year, the group meets Jobs for a three-day strategy session at a secret location. Jobs preference for the venue: good food and no golf course.

 

BILL GATES

DONT DISAGREE WITH BILL, THE BULLY
A memoir released by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen last month portrays Bill Gates as a sarcastic bully who hates disagreements. In Idea Man: A Memoir by the Co-founder of Microsoft, he describes the software mogul who these days spends a significant amount of time and wealth on charity as a person who thrived on conflict and wasn’t shy about instigating it. Childhood friends Allen and Gates founded Microsoft in the 1970s.Here are some points made by Allen that show his former partner and pal in unflattering light.

A TALENT FOR TAUNTS
Many consider Gates management style as a key reason behind Microsoft’s initial success. Allen, who left the company in 1983, disagrees. He says Gates demanding and confrontational style destroyed their friendship and ability to work together. He claims the Microsoft chairman was unable to settle arguments rationally and publicly belittled co-workers with his favorite insult: that’s the stupidest f** king thing I’ve ever heard. A few of us cringed at the way he’d demean people and force them to defend their positions, Allen says. He writes of having fights with Gates that lasted hours.

HARD TASK MASTER
Allen claims Gates jeered at colleagues who sought time off. Once, he seemed baffled by a programmers request to take a day off after working 81 hours in four days.

He would apparently ridicule coworkers’ efforts with put-downs like I could code that in a weekend. According a report on the memoir by The Guardian, Gates would prowl the company car park to see who came to work on the weekend.

BLIND AMBITION
Allen recounts meeting Gates in the 1960s.At 13, Bill asked me: What do you think it’s like to run a Fortune 500 company I said I had no idea. Bill said: Maybe we’ll have our own someday. Allen accuses his former friend of mercenary opportunism. He claims that Gates wanted to reduce his share in the company when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease in 1982.

I’d thought that our partnership was based on fairness, but now I saw that Bills self-interest overrode all other considerations... My partner was out to grab as much of the pie as possible and hold on to it, and that was something I could not accept, he writes. 

Can't stop thinking if I also should start working on changing my management style to the kinds elaborated above.. It really takes THAT to make it big; I guess.. :)

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Guide to succeed with a new BOSS!!


We all know it's true: Managing up is as important as managing down. That's especially true when you are starting a relationship with a new boss. 
When I switched my first job, I was apprehensive about the new person I was going to assist in next company. Then I came across this piece of writing where HBS Professor Michael Watkins discussed the importance of clearly defining goals with your superior.
It helped me.. hope it helps you too.. 

Working with your new boss
Your new boss will have more impact than anyone else over whether you succeed or fail. Your boss establishes benchmarks for your success, interprets your actions for other key players, and controls resources you need. Building a productive working relationship with him or her while you establish your mandate and negotiate for resources is a clear early priority.
 
Defining your goals
When you think about working with your new boss, keep the following goals in mind:
 
Clarify mutual expectations early. Begin managing expectations right away. You are in trouble if your boss expects you to fix things fast when you know that the business has serious structural problems. So it is wise to get bad news on the table early and to lower unrealistic expectations. Be careful to assess your new organization's capacity for change before making ironclad commitments to your new boss.
 
Secure commitments for the resources you need. In conjunction with establishing goals, begin to negotiate for the key resources - people, funding, and knowledge; you need to succeed. Don't commit to goals without getting corresponding commitments on resources. Otherwise you won't have much bargaining power.
 
Aim for early wins in areas important to the boss. Whatever your own priorities, identify what the boss cares about most and pursue results in those areas. That way, your boss will feel some ownership of your success. But don't make the mistake of doing things you consider misguided or trivial. In part, your job is to shape your boss's perceptions of what can and should be achieved.
 
Aim for good marks from those whose opinions your boss respects. This is an aspect of building supportive internal coalitions. Your boss may have pre-existing relationships with people who are now your subordinates. If so, their assessments of you will take on additional importance.
 
Establishing how you will work together
It's essential to figure out how you and your boss will work together. Your preferences may differ, such as over how much information the boss wants (and you want to give) and how involved the boss wants to be (and you want him or her to be) in the details of what you are doing. Rather than allowing misunderstandings to complicate your relationship, spend some time at the start discussing how you will work together. Even if you don't develop a close personal bond, doing so will help you create a productive working relationship.
 
Matching your requests for support to your situation
The type of support you need from your boss will vary depending on the business situation you are facing. The role of the boss in a startup is very different than in turnaround, realignment, or sustaining success situations. So you need to gain consensus on the type of situation. Then you have to think carefully about what role you would like your new boss to play and what kinds of support you will ask for.
 
Living by the golden rule
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. You will almost certainly hire new people as your subordinates. Just as you need to develop a productive relationship with your new boss, they need to work effectively with you. In the past, have you done a good job of helping subordinates make their own transitions? What might you do differently this time?
 
Planning for five conversations
Your relationship with your new boss will be built through a series of conversations. These conversations begin before you accept the new position and continue through the time before entry and on into your transition. It is critically important that you cover certain fundamental subjects in these conversations. In fact, it is worth planning for five distinct conversations with your new boss.
 
The situational diagnosis conversation 
In this conversation you seek to understand how your new boss sees the business situation. Is it a turnaround or a startup or a realignment or a sustaining success situation? How did the organization get to this point? What are the relevant factors; both soft and hard that make this a challenge? What resources within the organization do you have to draw upon? Naturally your view may be different than your boss's, but it is essential that you understand how he or she sees the situation.
 
The expectations conversation
In this conversation you seek to understand and negotiate expectations. What are the few key things that your new boss needs you to accomplish in the short term and medium term? What will constitute success? When? How will it be measured? Here again, you may come to believe that your boss's expectations are unrealistic and have to work to reset them. Also you should take care, as part of your broader effort to secure early wins, to under-promise and over-deliver.
 
The style conversation 
In this conversation you work to understand how you and your new boss can best interact on an ongoing basis. How does she prefer to be communicated with? Face to face? in writing? By voice mail or e-mail? How often? What kinds of decisions does he want to be involved in and where can you make the call on your own? How do your styles differ and what are the implications for how you should interact?
 
The resources conversation
In this conversation you negotiate for critical responses. What is it that you need to be successful? What do you need your boss to do? The resources in question need not be funding or personnel. In a realignment situation, for example, your boss can play a critical role in helping you get the organization to confront the need for change.
 
The personal development conversation
Finally, you need to discuss how your time in this job will contribute to your personal development. Are there projects or special assignments that you could get involved in (without sacrificing focus)? Are there courses or programs that would strengthen your capabilities?
 
In practice, these five conversations are interwoven and take place over time. But there is a sequential logic. Early conversations should focus on situational diagnosis, expectations, and style. As you learn more, you can move to resources, revisiting situation and expectations as necessary. When you feel the relationship is reasonably well established, you can begin the personal development conversation.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Jumping Jobs??

You're tired all the time; you don't want to get out of bed in the morning; you can't concentrate at work anymore. Guess what, you could be one of millions of people that need to consider a job or career change.
If you even think you are starting to feel 'burned out' or uninterested in what you are doing make some time for a real conversation with yourself - starting with the question. 

"What do I really want to do with the rest of my life?" 

Most people consider themselves lucky to have a job. But it may be time to start asking just how happy you are with it. Gone are the days when you could expect to work for the same company all your life and then receive a pension that paid income for life. 
As against older people who are at the end of their careers and are comfortable in their existing set-up, younger people get most frustrated in the same organisation after a couple of years. 
Also the same comfort level can be termed stagnation. Hence they are even ready to take risks and move to a different industry. So if you are ready for the switch, first do intense personal assessment and consider the following tips: 

Find reasons
You need to pinpoint why you are looking for a change and whether you have the right reasons. It is better compensation or benefits or is it dissatisfaction with career potential? 
If you are ambivalent about leaving, career consultants say there are a number of red flags that signal unhappiness at work. 
The root of your discontent could be linked to anything from dysfunctional relationships at work to a personal clash with the organisation's values. It could be lack of close relationships, either with colleagues or your boss that could be disheartening. 
A simple change can often be the remedy to your workplace woes. When contemplating a change, think about classes you took in college and even high school that appealed to you and left you inspired.

What's the way you like it? 
You needn't change the organization. Maybe what you do is not what you like. The solution could be as simple as moving to a different department. Voice your commitment to the organisation and express how much you'd like to stay.
Then ask about other positions that might suit you better. When considering a professional makeover, don't think in terms of job titles. 
Those can be limiting and can feed people's fears that they're pigeonholing themselves into doing one thing for the rest of their lives. Don't feel pressured to stick to one job. There are options beyond those that we can visualise. We just need to seek them out.

How does the industry look at you?
There is no rule as such, but put yourself in the position of a potential interviewer and think how you would react to your own CV. 
While your current job may not be right for you in the long term, it is in your own interest to develop your role and responsibility as much as you can before you move on. Interviewers will naturally want to know what you have achieved and what has made you decide to change jobs. 
Your application will be much more attractive if you can show evidence of your ability to manage your own personal and career development. Most important of all, you can use this experience to ensure that your second job is a better fit. You should be much clearer on what is important to you and what you have got to offer. 

Consider your finances
If you're unemployed and bills are stacking up, you might take the first offer that comes along, even if it isn't perfect. But if you are considering a job change, make sure you aren't loading yourself up with debt. 
Too much debt causes you to be more vulnerable during a job transition. Therefore, get your financial picture in order and give yourself a cushion of about six months. But you should know what you are worth on the open market. 

Get connected 
Stay up-to-date on technology, industry trends, customer needs and any other factors that are important to your personal and professional self-development. Upgrade your knowledge and skills in ways that are consistent with your own future interests and career development. 
Find out what's happening within your industry. Those who struggle the most are just in tune with their own little circle. You may also consider contacting a head hunter, and make sure the headhunter is working in your best interest.