The power of your smile... In People/Team Management – Unlock the potential.

 

In our day-to-day life we meet many new people, both in our personal and professional lives. Few of them are people in our neighborhood, at our work place or when we are out on a journey etc.

When we have a journey ahead, we plan extensively and work out many things to make our journey a pleasant and memorable one. We don’t leave things to chance. Also, we plan the journey ourselves, nobody else plans on our behalf.

We do not get to choose people who travel with us, yet we are hopeful and look forward to the opportunity of having good company along. It all depends mostly on how we establish a great connection.

How different is our life then? If we relate our life as a journey, it would only make sense to put efforts into making it a pleasant one; by establishing good connections with the people, we meet. We meet some of them just for a few times and some form a good connection over a period of time. The onus is however on us to make great connections along the way. The guidelines for making a journey a pleasant one or a life a meaningful one is pretty much the same. The tips to build great connections are simple and a few of them are follows:

•         Your powerful smile and a few good words to go with it: People underestimate the power of their own smile. I am sure that people who use this attribute will know the benefits that follow, it will have a magical effect on the connections you make. People identify you with your smile and remember you for your gesture. It is not about pleasing everybody. It is in fact expressing your genuineness. 

•         People enjoy and appreciate this virtue in you: It is the same with us too, right? It is not at all an exaggeration to say that people will go out of their way (in their own capacity) to return the gesture back. People start missing you and look forward to your company. 

•         Being engaged, sensitive and sympathetic in conversations: Expressing happiness or sorrow when they share their emotions; even if it doesn’t matter to us in any way. Once you start meeting people this way, people reciprocate in a similar way. It is only natural that people will want and cherish your company.

This is a very easy method that you can start using right away, if you aren’t doing it already.  It will have a phenomenal improvement to your own quality of life. It doesn’t matter if it fails to get a desired result in some cases. It only matters that you do it each and every time you meet people, especially new ones. It won’t be long before you notice the benefits of this virtue. Also, you will be surprised to see a noticeable difference in how people react.

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate your time reading this post. I hope you enjoy reading the posts and find them helpful. I request you to share the learning as much as possible so that many more benefit from it. I would be glad to know your input both For or Against. Please feel free to post, share or like if you find it useful.

Happy Learning! and Happy Sharing!

Leading by example… In People/Team Management – Touching people’s lives.

 

The world is a busy place forever. In this busy schedule, it is only natural that we are busy ourselves too, so much so that we take people and sometimes situations for granted. We tend to think that with people associated with us, simply following a routine and following procedures will continue to give the desired outcomes always.

In our day-to-day life there are several opportunities, for us to lead by example. A critical leadership virtue is where you exhibit the behavior that sets you apart from the rest. People notice this behavioral trait in you and get influenced by it. It is not a surprise that such continued behavior will prompt people to choose you as their role model. This set of people can be at your workplace or in your personal life.

Once we make it a habit to look for such opportunities of leading by example, we not only provide value addition to others but to ourselves too. Once practiced to perfection this habit becomes second nature. This expertise will touch people’s lives in many ways. Touching someone’s life means making a positive change in someone’s life. The following tips will guide in establishing such a path.

•          Doing the right thing always: Sometimes we tend to falter from doing the right thing or make some adjustments or making some compromises, for personal benefit or to favor others. As leaders we should be aware that we are being observed all the time. 

•          Never to think less of someone or wish bad for someone: It is very important that we practice this particular virtue to such an extent that it becomes our second nature.  It is important that we stay away from the temptation of judging others.

•          Standing up for the right thing: It is critical that you stand up for the right thing; even if you are the only person standing. 

Practicing these virtues is easier said than done. However, it is not impossible.  Handling situations and taking decisions based on the above guidelines is a good way to start. Initially, little effort is needed to get used to this shift in the thought pattern. This paradigm shift in your behavior will not go unnoticed and phenomenally impact you connect with people for good. As a result, over time you will notice that people’s way of looking at you will change and they too will start reciprocating in the same manner.

As they say: Write something that is worth reading about or do something that is worth writing about.

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate your time reading this post. I hope you enjoy reading the posts and find them helpful. I request you to share the learning as much as possible so that many more benefit from it. I would be glad to know your input both For or Against. Please feel free to post, share or like if you find it useful.

Happy Learning! and Happy Sharing!

The problem of problems… In People/Team Management – Understanding and resolving.

 

Problems as we are aware of come in all shapes and sizes. The causes are mostly self-made and sometimes it may occur due to external factors that we don’t control; not to mention the worries and tensions that are associated with it

The problems that we are referring to in this post are non-technical in nature. It’s not like we are trying to address a major civil engineering calculation error in the construction of a dam or something like that. We are discussing people's general problems and the softer aspects of it. The general day-to-day problems caused and faced by people in their professional and personal lives.

The reason most of the problems are self-made is not because we simply enjoy being stuck with a problem. It is our miscalculation, misinterpretation, misjudgment, over expectation etc. The list is exhaustive. Irrespective of whether the problem is self-made or due to external factors, the only option left to us is that we face the problem that lies in front of us.

In this post we will discuss the basic problems of a problem. In other words, why is it sometimes so difficult to resolve an issue? It is important to understand these factors before we actually go about solving complex problems that we face. These tips are helpful to clearly define an issue we are facing and the way to go about resolving it. They are as follows:

·       Defining the problem: Many times, we don’t define the issue at hand and hence fail to find a solution to it. For example, are we facing similar issues with other people or is it with this one particular person? If it is with one particular person, then the methodology of resolution differs from facing the issue with multiple people.

 

·       Identifying the root cause: This is a critical step. Unless we identify the root cause of a problem and address it, it is more likely that we will continue to face similar issues in the future. Methods like ‘5 Why Technique’ are quite helpful in identifying the root cause. In general, asking ourselves the reason’ Why’ 5 times will help dig deep and help us locate at the exact reason of an issue. Each time we get an answer to the previous ‘Why’, the same exercise needs to be followed until we reach the root cause.

 

·       Identifying the emotion involved: Surprisingly a majority of issues we face are results of Egos involved; ego of our self or the other person involved. If we are serious about resolving the issue, open communication setting aside the ego is the only way forward.

 

The problem that we face tends to create a roadblock and blur our mind seeing through the resolution to it. It is always recommended to take expert advice or a third-party perspective to a situation when we fail to see the real issue in clarity. These tips will not only help resolve our present issues, but over time will build as a rich experience. These methods may not take away all the problems in life but are certain to create substantial improvement to the overall quality of life.

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate your time reading this post. I hope you enjoy reading the posts and find them helpful. I request you to share the learning as much as possible so that many more benefit from it. I would be glad to know your input both For or Against. Please feel free to post, share or like if you find it useful.

Happy Learning! and Happy Sharing!