Happiness as a key to success...in team/people management. – both personally and professionally.

Happiness as a key to success

I am sure most of you are aware that happiness is synonymous with success. We are happy about our success and we celebrate it. This is a general course of action as we have experienced happiness from an event. It is an expression of happiness on a random occurrence. However, there is another aspect of happiness. Happiness as a state of mind – one that develops as your personality, the way you react and respond to the events and circumstances in your life. The point is if you practice this “state of happiness” always in any relationship or with your team, the result will be phenomenal. The same applies both in your professional and personal life as well. I would like to share with you a wonderful collection of articles related to “state of happiness” by Jayaram V a great author. I am sure the read will provide an insight into the nature and psychology of happiness. Please find below the links to pursue happiness as a key to success.

·         What Makes You Happy?

·         How to Be Happy With Meaning and Purpose.

·         How to Deal With Unpleasant Situations.

·         Finding Happiness In The Simple Pleasures ofLife.

·         A Simple Key to Happiness.

Few remarkable quotes about happiness:

·         If you want to be happy, look at how you make yourself unhappy. – DR. Gail Brenner.

·         Happiness breeds more happiness. – DR. Gail Brenner.

·         Happiness is a word that refers to a state that can’t be defined in words. – DR. Gail Brenner.

·         If you consider happiness is as essential as breathing your each moment would be so much happier.

I hope that you find the above posts and the insights informative and helpful. 

Happy Reading!

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate your time reading this post. I would be glad to know your inputs both For or Against. Please feel free to post,share or like if you find it useful.

The A-Z of Anger Management...in team/people management. - An excellent learning.

Anger Management

Anger is one of the most common and frequent emotions we experience. I am sure you are all aware of the damage that it does - sometimes temporary and mostly permanent. It could mean some small time differences with people around us; or some life changing consequences with our relationships. In any case we need to understand that our anger is our own enemy and it usually does us more harm than we can imagine. 

It is important that we understand the causes for this emotion, its signs, the drivers of it  and finally the techniques and solutions to overcome. I think we will be a a great advantage, should we understand this dangerous trait of ours in depth. 

I stumbled upon a great treasure of collection of essays from various renowned Authors, that I wanted to share with you. Please find below the links to different aspects of anger management.

• Anger Causes and Management
• Anger Signs and Anger Management
• Fear the real cause of Anger
• Myths of Anger Management
• A Technique to Control Anger
• Anger Problems and Solutions
• Positive way to deal with your Anger and Frustration
• Stop Blaming Others
• How to Respond to Anger and Angry People
• Dealing with your emotions
• How to get rid of Negative Emotions
• Emotions and Stock Trading

The reason I call this a 'treasure' is that if we take out time and read at least few of the essays and put efforts to practice the techniques mentioned, I think we will make a phenomenal contribution to our own personality and spread happiness among our surroundings. Happy Reading!

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate your time reading this post. I would be glad to know your inputs both For or Against. Please feel free to post,share or like if you find it useful.

A tribute to a great Leader – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam - ‘The People’s President’

The People's President

This post is a tribute to a great leader, a visionary who through his works earned a name ‘The People’s President’. Rising from humble beginnings, an Indian scientist and administrator, Abdul Kalam served as the 11th President of India from 2002 until 2007. One amongst the most respected people of the country, Abdul Kalam contributed immensely both as a scientist and as a president. He was honored with great laurels and awards for his work by both the Government of India and other countries. After completing his term as President, Abdul Kalam served as a visiting professor in various esteemed institutes and universities of India.

Through this post, I would like to share few of his thoughts concerning the attributes of a leader. Here are few inspiring quotes from the visionary:

 “It is very easy to defeat someone, but it is very hard to win someone.”

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough”.

“Man needs difficulties in life because they are necessary to enjoy the success.”

“If you want to shine like a sun. First burn like a sun.”

“All of us do not have equal talent. But, all of us have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.”

 “Thinking should become your capital asset, no matter whatever ups and downs you come across in your life.”

“Without your involvement you can’t succeed. With your involvement you can’t fail. “

Of the many great words from him, few thoughts that have personally inspired me the most are:

·         You have to dream before your dreams can come true.

·         That a leader should be willing to travel on unexplored paths.

·         A leader should know how to manage success and failure. (When the success came he gave it to the team; and when there was failure he owned the failure)

There is a great meaning and depth to these thoughts, how we relate, apply and practice it in our day to day events define the quality of leadership. In any organization, leaders who explore its potential bring success and cheer to people around them. Organizations that have leaders like this thrive; and a nation that has leaders aligned to these thoughts flourishes.

Making wonderful friends within colleagues...in People/Team management. - Reap the benefits.

Making a great friend out of a colleague is certainly nothing short of a challenge; yet comes with a host of benefits. Most of you must have observed at some point or the other, that a group of people who gel with each other have certain advantage at completing a task when compared to random individuals grouped for the same task. It’s a known preposition, in fact a no brainer. Yet why do we never encourage the practice? Or why don’t we seek to make great friends or become one at our work place.

The fundamental reason may be the choice; we make wonderful friends because we get to choose them from a group of people. We make such choices for various reasons. Colleagues on the other hand are different; we do not get to choose them. We have to invariably work with them. We may have good rapport with some or have to make adjustments or sacrifices with others. It becomes a very delicate situation when we have differences among our colleagues. In some cases, it might get to a point where we cannot work with a particular individual to an extent that we choose to opt for a transfer or even quit the job. The person in question may also be a difficult boss. The worst part is these circumstances are becoming more and more common. It results in an unpleasant and an unhappy work place for us and others. What can we do to ensure such situations do not crop up?

Now let’s understand the process of making wonderful friends outside our work place. Few things that we do in order to establish such great relationships may be:

·         We are honest to them and trust them to be honest too.

·         We communicate a lot; and welcome their feedback and work on it constructively. Also, we explain to them the benefits of implementing and working on our feedback.

·         We gladly make some sacrifices in order to entertain them.

·         We enjoy each others’ company.

·         We establish a strong bond with the other person; signifying that we will be there for the other person when needed no matter what and vice versa.

The list thus is exhaustive and may differ from person to person. However, the above mentioned points are fundamental in establishing amazing relationships for a real long time. These efforts from us go a long way and are certain to yield the following benefits:

·         Bring in more confidence; thereby improving performance and the ability to focus.

·         Better communication with an uninterrupted flow of positive feedback.

·         Proactive approach in providing critical comments in difficult situations.

How would it be to convert your colleagues into your friends? I am sure you will agree that you will provide and be a part of a great fun filled work environment; one that everyone will long to be in. This will help create a perfect workplace, facilitate one and all contribute to work effortlessly and effectively.

The perfect recipe for a mess…in People/Team management – Nipping it in the bud.

Let us first understand the difference between the terms issue, problem and mess in detail. Though they all seem synonymous, there is a significant difference between them. They vary with the degree of intensity. It is essential to understand this difference clearly, so that we may address it accordingly. An issue in general is an isolated occurrence; though it is sure to cause some discomfort, it may have a solution, an alternative readily available. The impact is usually restricted to the person in question. This should be considered as a budding stage. Issues neglected continuously transforms into a problem sooner or later.

Problems on the other hand are more complex in nature and can be perceived as a situation a person that needs to be corrected in order to arrive at a desired outcome. In this phase the impact is felt on some or a greater part of the group. It may take a while to surface and does not get resolved automatically. Solution can only be arrived at with a forethought and discussion with the impacted group.

Multiple problems left unattended over a period of time result in a mess. This stage is very complex in nature and may seem to have little or no hope for a resolution in sight. At this level, any wrong step taken by any individual of the group only complicates and deteriorates the situation even further. Though it may seem perfectly normal on the surface, be assured that underneath is an active volcano roaring to erupt. All it needs now is a slight tap to the breaking point.

Now that we understand the perfect recipe for a mess, it seems only normal to act on the isolated issue - at the budding stage. But surprisingly, we tend to ignore it at this level. Also, shockingly we tend to live with the next phase too, till it comes to a grinding halt. Few reasons that this occurs may be:

·         We may be too lazy to address the issue at the budding stage.

·         We do not believe it may develop into a serious issue and have major effects.

·         Unclear communication (one that doesn't stress the seriousness enough) also is a major contributor.

·         Small tiffs between individuals/groups ignored at the nascent stage.

·         Fail to prioritize this issue as we may feel that there is far more important stuff.

·         Bias towards a particular individual/group is a very frequent and a strong reason too.

·         Hostility due to personal grudge between two individuals/groups is the strongest and the most deadly one. 

Whatever the case, issues and problems neglected are sure to come back more complicated than ever. In messier situations the person or the group may completely shut the communication channel with you (they may be listening to you but are not willing to understand or participate in the resolution process). 

Please understand for a great leader like you there is nothing more important than addressing the issue at its first stage “always”. This way you set precedence. Same goes with your manager too. If you notice anything not in accordance to the regular flow and is troubling you, it is recommended that you have a discussion immediately to seek clarification and resolve at the first instance. Do not wait for it to develop into a nasty surprise and surface when you are least prepared. Please refer my previous post: “The art of identifying the problem cycle in its budding stage...” for an in depth understanding of how to identify and resolve a problem at its budding stage. 

Positive communication and a powerful mind…wonderful tools in People/Team management – Master it.

Image courtesy : www.agingcare.com

Communication here can be simply described as an exchange of information or ideas with a purpose. Unlike other species on the planet, human beings are blessed with the ability to communicate with each other effectively. We can express very clearly when we are happy; though we do it very assuredly when we are not. We frequently communicate with ourselves too. Few examples are: when thinking how we need to get a resolution for a particular situation or the thoughts that go through when we need to take a decision, or make a choice. While preparing for an interview, counsel, motivate people. In fact the quality of communication in this process has a direct impact on our decisions and choices we make, both for us as well as others. Hence it is very important, that we keep this entire process simple, fair and a positive one.  

I would like to share an interesting excerpt from an anonymous speaker, which I stumbled on:

 The quality of our communication with the world outside determines our success. The quality of our communication with ourselves determines our happiness. It is not enough to just improve the quality of our communication, with the world outside. It is more important that we improve the quality of our communication with ourselves. It is not what happens to you, it is how you interpret what happens to you that make the difference.

It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

-  J K Rowling

Communication - the human connection - is the key to personal and career success.

-  Paul J. Meyer

Once you improve the quality of communication devoid of any perception (for in depth understanding of how perception forms a barrier to positive communication, please refer to my earlier post: “Breaking our perception barrier to work with people effectively”) it is important that we express the thoughts to get results. Some subtle ways of expressing positive communication are:

·         Creating a receptive atmosphere.

·         Crystal clear communication with no room for ambiguity.

·         Smiling generously.

·         Not missing out an opportunity to appreciate.

·         Using appropriate body language/posture/appearance.

Also remember, our mind is a vault that stores all of our abilities, memories, learning and almost everything else. In other words, it is kind of a giant super space that is available to us. This resource is readily available to us at any given time. It is helpful to gather all the great experiences that we encounter, as a direct result of our positive communication. It is important that we develop our mind as a repository of these positive thoughts for future situations and opportunities. Hence the famous quote:

When MIND is weak, situation is a PROBLEM, When MIND is balanced, situation is a CHALLENGE, when MIND is strong situation becomes an OPPORTUNITY.

A strong mind filled with positive thoughts, is therefore essential while approaching impending challenges, which is perceived as a problem by many. Also, it forms a powerful tool with an ability to detect hidden opportunities while advancing such challenges. 

The art of gaining control over others…in People/Team management – Practicing it to perfection.

In an ever evolving complex world, challenges in life are getting more complicated day by day. Few of those challenges may be represented as getting a task done with a group of people. The tasks may vary; it could be working to exceed a set target or preparing the team for a competition ahead. It could be getting the team to work as one or even attempting to correct a behavior. Whatever, the impending task might be, achieving success, is difficult unless we have certain control over the people. Well there certainly are more than few ways and means, to gain control and accomplish. We can be task masters or try intimidation showing authority. We may emphasize the need and dictate terms to attain. This approach may even bring results every now and then. I am sure we have all come across similar situations and adopted these methods at some point or the other in the past. All these methods seem great till the time we are at the receiving end of it.

The charm of gaining control over others however, is the most effective when the other person willingly lets you to guide and gain control. Does it sound stupid? Or does it even seem possible? Why would anyone willingly let you control or guide them?

The answer to that is most likely the person in question believes your abilities to guide. The person entrusts you with the responsibility to do the best for him/her in that situation. Above everything else, the person simply trusts you.

Now this trust doesn’t happen just like that, you have worked so hard to establish it. In the past whatever you said or did was in the best interest and one which was inclined towards development of the person. You may also have helped the person through difficult situations. This strong bond is formed as this person for sure knows that you are a well wisher. Hence, it is even more important now that you ensure that bond remains strong always.  A famous quote that I wanted to share here:

“Trust is earned, respect is given, and loyalty is demonstrated. Betrayal of any one of those is to lose all three.”  - Ziad Abdelnour.

Few pointers that help you build such a strong bond are:

·         Taking genuine interest in the well-being of people.

·         Being a good listener and sensitive to their situations.

·         Offering help when they are in difficult situations.

·         Willing to work with them and support them through difficult times.

Well you now see having a way with people is not entirely that difficult, it just requires that we are interested in it. And it’s never too late to begin. We probably are on the path and already doing it, then let’s just practice it to perfection.