Sahil's Planet not only a HR Planet

Clients and their COMMENTS

2008-04-08T02:18:00.000-07:00

" I don't know. Just get it done! "

" We love your work, but we have a budget of only $100."

" Can you please fix my code and make it work. It should be easy for you! "

" Superb! Great work! Its beautiful. Please marry me "

" Don't worry about the first point, just do the third and second one.I am
planning to give you bulk work can you give discount? "

" Look I donot know what I want..I just know, this is not it "

" I need a 5 page website by tomorrow. That won't be a problem, will it? "

" Well, I like it but my wife thinks it should be magenta"

" I understand its the 10th Mockup, but its still not what I am looking for "

" I needed this done like yesterday. "

" I am okai with the quote, but I need to discuss it with my partner"

Good Client Vs Bad Client

2008-04-08T01:44:00.000-07:00

Everyone of us has experienced the Hell of working with a Bad Client. My company has been around for 3+ years and we had our share of bad clients. We have been lucky to have faced more good clients than bad ones. But one bad one washes away the happiness which 100 good clients give you.

Many successful business heads say that "Don't hire Bad Clients!" . However, being a small company, we need to embrace everyone who comes our way. Hence, we end up having bad clients on the go most of the time so we can hit targets and pay salaries. Not to mention that the knock on effect makes it harder to meet the targets for the next few months as you deal with the nightmare... and the vicious cycle continues.

Secondly, even if I decide to not hire bad clients, how do you know its one? Almost all the times everything adds up in the beginning, but then somewhere along the line, suddenly and drastically everything changes?

Here I am putting together from my experience identifiers of a bad client and good client.

GOOD CLIENT - A good client is one who ---

Knows what he wants.Is focused on the big picture
Fills the web project questionnaire in clear and detailed manner
Provides an RFP, or clear outline of the scopeof project
Understands the Web development process
Gives final sign-off and approvalIs in agreement on deliverables,schedule and budget
Is responsive to email and phone callsProvides content on time
Provides feedback and approval promptly.

BAD CLIENT - To be aware of has ---

"Need it right now" attitude, unrealistic project delivery requests
Has no clue of what the content of the website should be, but wants it to“look awesome”
Cannot give final approval on anything.Doesn’t have time to fill out the website questionnaire
Has Small budget but needs faster turnaround time
Non-responsive, cannot make decisions, does not email or call back in a timely manner
Indecisive, changes mind frequently
You provide the client with the 10th website mockup, and they still feel its not what they are looking for.
Four weeks ago you were working with James who quit, last week you were working with Andre who was fired, and now you’re working with Jeremy who doesn’t know what the hell is going on, but gives feedback that we have done a bad job.
Always threatening to sue you for some reason or another.

Please feel free to add-on to this list.

Unleash the Power of Enthusiasm

2008-03-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

If you are not fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm in every aspect of our life, every moment of our life is a must. Enthusiasm makes the simple mundane tasks special and rewarding.

Enthusiasm at work motivates employees to go that extra mile to accomplish their tasks and shoulder more responsibilities without feeling the stress. But still one finds that enthusiasm is so scarce and rare to find.

To get people around you to be more enthusiastic, we need to be enthusiastic and active ourselves. Results always come in proportion to the enthusiasm applied. Enthusiasm is contagious, so be a carrier.

Below are 5 tips to unleash the power of enthusiasm within you

To become enthusiastic, start by learning more about the things you are not enthusiastic about. Study deeply about the things that don't interest you but are a part of you life. Knowledge about the thing will create interest in it.
Pep it up: Add life, vigor in to everything you do. When you shake hands with anyone, just do it with a big smile and say "Good to see you". You will make his day more brighter for sure.
Do not hang out with unenthusiastic and negative people. Unenthusiasm is also contagious, stay away from it.
Don't just like what you do, love it. Add that extra bit of care, affection and personal touch in everything you do.
Be in the company of enthusiastic people. Participate in

Happiness at work is my responsibility !

2008-03-24T08:53:00.000-07:00

Happiness in work place is not something which you feel when you are getting paid well or you have a posh office, its a matter of choice. You need to choose to be happy at work. When you are happy at work, the same happiness radiates ion to your family and social life. The impact of happiness at work is more, because we spend most of our waking hours at work.

So from today lets repeat the below everyday till it becomes our nature -

I choose to be happy at work
Will spread happiness: I will be the carrier of happiness and infect others. Unhappiness is also infectious, but I choose not to spread that virus.
I will create happiness today: Not tomorrow, Not next week or next month. Its Now.
I will learn to say "NO"
Letting my BOSS know what makes me happy at work is my responsibility.
Letting my colleagues know what makes me happy at work is my responsibility.
Happiness at work makes me more healthy, happier and completely stress free.
I understand its OK to have a BAD WORK DAY.
I will share my knowledge with others and appreciate others work as well.
I am my BEST when I am Happy! Happiness makes me be creative, productive and successful.

Lets pledge from today at the start of the waking hour that- I choose to be HAPPY AT WORK !

Implementing Simplicity in daily life, not easy at all!

2008-03-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

Implementing simplicity in life is not an easy task.

Today evening, I saw a beautiful, mesmerizing, necklace which I wanted to own badly and flaunt it at a family ceremony. The price tag was a little steep, but subconsciously I made it worth peanuts to me. I booked the piece of temptation with a small advance and fixed the timing to pay the balance & collect it after a day.

At home, I shared my new purchase wish with my hubby. He asked me "why do you want to buy it more for - because you liked it or you want to flaunt it?". Hmmm..., now this was surely a bouncer, I replied for both reasons. I went to look for jewelry in the first place, because, I wanted to flaunt it.

He promptly replied,what happened about your Simplicity band wagon, did the bubble burst in just a week.

My speeding dreamy car came to an abrupt halt. He was right! I felt so ashamed of my behavior. It took me an hour to realize my folly, but I thank God that he brought me back on track.

Its really very easy to get deviated and get entangled in to the clutter. Its very easy to be a part of the maddening race to look good and show-off something which you are not.

Now, I am damn sure, I will be more happy and more free without it. I will live for myself, and enhance my inner beauty with accessories which will be with me till eternity than exterior diminishing ones.

Today, was a very important milestone for me.

Hidden cost of Workplace Complexity

2008-03-15T00:38:00.000-07:00

Real problem is not more volume but extra complexity.

When we have more work volume from existing customers, we have to adapt to increase in volume which in turn adds to the resource cost. However, when the customer is new, their is recruiting cost and since their needs are different from the existing customers, the complexity and cost increases.

Even though the new customer is only slightly different than the existing customer, costs go up because the small change also breaks the routine and requires the manager intervention to handle the new requirements.

Stopping the work and starting it again incurs cost. Communication and miscommunication between extra people incurs time drain and hence cost. The gap and cost increases further when the work is put aside for someone else's instructions or for more clarity on customer feedback. All these costs are steep and shocking because most of the time they go unaccounted.

If this communication is across departments, offices and timezones, the result is unimaginably bad.

Increase in work volume, leads to marginal new customers and profit, but add significantly to the managerial complexity.

Management and managers both get a high from increased complexity as it interests and challenges their intellect. Hence, management and managers keep managing and encouraging complexity till it becomes unmanageable and goes completely out of control.

Alas, the cost of complexity is far more than the benefits of increased volume.

Business Volume is not all bad

2008-03-15T00:11:00.001-07:00

Business volume and market share are important and valuable. Extra volume also helps us to spread the fixed costs. Volume also helps us in making a good sales pitch and creates confidence to approach big customers.

Business volume changes the way the world perceives your business. There is more acceptance and feel good environment. More people are hired to handle the extra volume. And the moral of the existing employees is high to see the company in the growing gear. You become a part of the preferred employer list for a lot of good talent, who earlier wouldn't even consider you worth sending their profile.

Its a feel-good environment everywhere, till the balance sheet is presented.

The bottom line still doesn't change why does high volume fail to translate in to high profits.

Why do businesses have to pay the price of shrinking margins when targeting more business volume or market share.

What can be the cause of increasing costs? More business should be more profits and the cost to profit ratio should remain the same, ideally. Converse is true though.

Real problem is not more volume but extra complexity.

Sweating the small stuff

2008-03-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

The simple week was anything away from being simple. As one of the steps, I decided to investigate the roots of the unending list of unfinished, incomplete things. With a little push from my better half, I decided to look at the last 6 months sales reports and what was revealed was no less than a jolt for me.

The analysis put forth an alarming fact that 80% of our sales were coming from 30% of our projects. The remaining 70% of our projects were bringing the 20% sales.

70% of our projects were significantly small in revenue. They helped us gain a long list of customers and enhance our portfolio, but they were also a big time drain. They expected and received the same service like our big project customers.

Our service to our cream customers (80% sales) always suffered owing to the chaos created by the huge number of small customers.

The chaos which was result of the pressure put by huge number of small customers was building frustration with the team members, management and customers equally. At the end of a hard day, uncompleted work, annoyed customers was nothing than a nail in the coffin.

We kept on adding people to complete the unfinished work and ease the pressures, but they inturn ate our profit margins by inflating our cost. Their was no change in the situation of customer satisfaction or growth in sales , only a dry pocket.

It is high time to rethink our strategy towards sales.

Simple Week

2008-03-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

Last entire week, I focussed on bringing clarity to each and every facet of my work life. Believe me, it was a long hard week, with very little to brag about.

In the pursuit of simplifying the environment of my office, I have focussed my attention this week on various areas:

Simplifying the work allocation to team members. Seeing to it that my managers do not keep shuffling their duties based on management and customer pressure. Simplifying the instructions and duties assigned to my designers and developers. Bring more clarity in making them understand our and customers' expectations from them.
Working with my marketing team to simplify and reduce the long list of pending quotations. Leads get generated and keep piling each day in the inbox of my marketing team as they do not get cleared the same day. Training sessions were scheduled with them on how to attend to leads and send initial quotes to their requests.
Studying the last 6 months sales data to assess the trend of business. More on this in the next post.
Working with the each individual and helping and making him focus on his work and make him use the free time to sharpen his/her skill. Average age of my team is 24-25, making them to focus and realize the importance of enhancing their skill requires sheer persistence.

Wake Up Call ! Embrace Simplicity

2008-03-09T05:35:00.001-07:00

Lets assume that Work Complexity is wasting about 2 hrs per day per person. With a team size of 25, I am already losing 50 valuable hours a day, i.e; around 250 hrs a week. Whow!

This is a huge cost for not paying attention to simplicity. We cannot afford this for sure!!

Embracing simplicity is the only ultimate development opportunity, we have in our hands to keep the growth happening, to survive and face this chaotic world of information overdose.

So, to fight the demon of "CONFUSION", which is making such catastrophic damage, I need to get the Angel "SIMPLICITY" in to my work floor.

My first step towards, bringing "SIMPLICITY" to my floor would be to think how to stop time abuse of everyone in this organization including mine.

Choice overload is creating an opposing force. Every customer, every project, every task, every request is bartering for time and attention of me and my team members. Resulting in project delays, flawed work, unhappy clients, frustrated and drained team members.

I plan to begin using the 5 building blocks before starting any project. 5 building blocks which will be the first step towards simplicity.

The 5 Building Blocks:

KNOW - Identify the most important things of the project. Understand the project.
FEEL - Understanding what the team feels about the project. Clarify how I want them to feel about the project.
USE - Are the tools and training required for the project present.
DO - Each team member should know clearly what is expected out of him. Expectation list of project should be clear and simple.
SUCCEED - Clearly list the milestones, project completion expectation, benefits to the company and team on project success.

Photo courtesy mackz

Simplicity - need of today's world.

2008-03-09T00:28:00.000-08:00

Everything around us is changing at a fast pace. Continuously demanding from us more, faster and better actions/reactions/results.

What's needed to survive and prosper in a chaos world in which reason no longer applies, in which you must focus on outcome, not process.

However, taxing it becomes, we cannot run away from the infinite choices thrown at us in this information age. Neither can we overlook it. Then how can we deal with this chaos around us with insufficient time at hand. There is never enough TIME to do everything. However fast you run, you still will be far behind the finish line; you will always end up having too much to cope with, too much to cover.

In our company, our worst competitor is the day-to-day confusion. Every individual takes so much time to figure out what to do and what not to do. Whose orders to follow and whose not. However, detailed we become, it only adds up to the chaos and at the end of the day we are confused about why things are not done as scheduled or as expected.Nothing works like it is supposed to, and at the end of the day makes all of us hunger for simplicity to some degree.

Its the time for all of us belonging to the age of information overload, to stop and think about our APPROACH.

Focusing on what matters most and not waste time on the rest. Simplifying Everything around us.

SIMPLICITY is a complex topic that has no single, simple answer.

In wikipedia, Simplicity is defined as the property, condition, or quality of being simple or un-combined. It often denotes beauty, purity or clarity. Simple things are usually easier to explain and understand than complicated ones. Simplicity can mean freedom from hardship, effort or confusion.

By being not clear enough, we are actually abusing others as well as our own time. We need to kill the demon of "CONFUSION" to bring "SIMPLICITY" in our lives.

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Do we really need a Goal ??????

2007-11-17T01:55:00.000-08:00

What is your goal in life?... You need a goal in life!....You don't have a goal in life?....these and many other similar questions are thrown by goalcholics at me every now and then.

Goalcholics according to me are people who constantly just worry about the fact that they do not have a goal in life. Do not enjoy the present as they are too busy in search of a goal.

But my question is whats wrong in not having one. Is it the end of the world?Does it mean that one without a goal cannot be happy. Look at me... I am so happy! I love life. I enjoy everyday. I feel thankful everyday that so far I have so many wonderful memories from my past. And each passing day adds more.

I feel I am blessed. Isn't it a wonderful feeling? Whatever, the world may say I am happy and would like to believe that this is the best way to lead life.

I do believe in planning, but I do not believe in living with the constant pressure of having a goal.
Not enjoying the present because you haven't set a goal or you have not yet figured out the goal in life. I am sorry but I am happy without THE GOAL in life.

Now, this again does not mean, I do not have any goals..i do have small goals..like I want to lose weight, I want to have a baby soon, I want to see my company grown from 25 to 200.

But I want to remember the process too of reaching there. And i don't want to over analyze whether these are goals or just wishes...

All I want to say is, I do not want to get bogged down by the argument of goal setting.

I would rather get out of the way then get walked on.

Photo courtsey Incase Designs

Lack of Motivation to Learn and Improve

2007-04-21T05:40:00.000-07:00

Every IT related business has to deal with Change daily. "Keep up with the Change or get replaced" - has become the nature's law in today's corporate world.

Continuous learning and improving ones skills, has never been such a necessity. One cannot think of surviving at all in the current workplace without continuously learning. Since the advent of Internet, the Generation X , has been left with little choice. Even the baby boomer's are served with the same fate.

Everyone who wants to survive has to accept it and embrace it. We never get to decide when change happens, and hence we can only learn to manage it. Self motivation is the only tool which will help employees cope with Change and make progress in today's workplace.

However, its easier said then done. Lack of Motivation to learn and improve among employees is a common problem in workplaces today. Its not only eating up the profit margins of the companies but also damaging their competitive advantage. HR managers all over the world are working out solutions to increase the motivation in employees to embrace change, with little success.

Photo courtesy leighblackall

Today's Managers & Micromanagement

2004-12-11T03:18:00.000-08:00

Today's managers must understand that they must constantly assess and improve their workplace processes and mechanisms. They need to understand that accountability is much more than putting in time and swiping the attendance card. They shoould not insist on telling their employees how to do something because often the employee knows more about what they are doing than the manager. Todays managers must realise that employees can not only solve workplace problems but also can create and innovate. Beacause the employees that create and innovate do not appreciate being treated like the assembly line workers of the past,they feel micromanagers do not appreciate their contributions.

Micromanaging was a process that worked reasonably well when the work was simple. The bottom line was there. With the increase in complexity of work, micromanaging has lost its effectiveness. In today's workplace, micromanaging affects adversely. Micromanagement has led to bad bottom lines, poor performances and bankruptcies.

In today's fast-paced, highly competitive business environment micromangers are faced with fewer options. And even though micromanagers work harder and harder the brutal marketplace will continue to erode their bottom lines.

So micro guys wake up!!

Photo courtesy cote

Micro management

2004-12-10T03:16:00.000-08:00

Micromanaging is a hot buzzword. Almost everyone in the corporate cirlcle seems to be using it or should I say opposing it. But I feel its time to define and understand the concept in a more better way.

Micromanaging is usually synonymous with the 'old way of doing things'. 'Dinosaur' managers use the micromanagement approach. The term essentially means to supervise every small step in the workflow process -- hence 'micro.' This method worked fairly well in the 'old' production days when,
* Factory workers were uneducated and unskilled.
* Workers normally did one routine step and that was it.
* They made few or no decisions.
* They had a minimum production quota.
* Their breaks were monitored, their lunches were monitored and of course the time clock was the tracker.
* Time was viewed as what was 'bought' by the company.
*Close supervision or micromanaging ensured that production levels were met.

Management literally had to tell employees what to do and watch them to make sure they did it.

This system worked well when workflow was simple. As the business world became more complex, micromanaging became less effective. Time was not what the company bought and the worker sold. Productivity became the key. As processes became more complex, workers were required to gain greater skills. Skilled workers became more in demand and could go elsewhere if they were not treated properly. Skilled workers eventually found micromanagers offensive and crude.

In the '80's and 90's
The companies became more results oriented.
* Time became a very less of a factor in the results equation.
* Motivation and innovation began to be understood as real forces in production results.
* Workers became employees and then associates and today team members.
* Employees began to be viewed as assets and not just expenses.
* Employers began to understand that employees could provide the greatest competitive advantage as well as the number one management headache.

In short, employees could make or break the company.

Emergence of a new management Style:
Managers began to understand that good management meant maximizing employee productivity. And that this can no longer be accomplished by micromanaging. Managers began to understand that knowing their people and helping them do their best was the best way to reach superior production levels. Instead of being an obstacle, managers began to understand it was their job to remove obstacles. Time constraint was one of the last obstacles to fall.

Photo courtesy Paul Worthington

The "I" in the "Team"

2004-12-01T03:08:00.000-08:00

Till yesterday, if you would have ever asked me, I would have emphasized the word “we” while discussing group or team performance. I used to so strongly say,"There is no 'I' in the word "Team”. I had a great contempt for the “I did this” and “I did that" statements and the ones who referred others as "my people".
Because such egotistical statements till now, always conflicted directly with my belief -- that it is the teamwork, that helps organizations realize their goals.

It’s true that the amount of useful change organizations can bring about depends upon the contributions of two or groups of hundreds and thousands. But a meaningful change can be accomplished only by individuals taking responsibility for their own competency and own character. That’s why it proves that I was wrong till date, and that there is an "I" in the word “Team".
In fact, the "I" in the team, the individual and the amount of responsibility he takes for personal & organizational progress is the single most important factor.

I strongly feel, that more important for a company, is to maximize its "I"s, establish a foundation on which the ”I"s can work together, promote synergy & built a practical & useful process for managing change.

Integrating the individuals’ needs with organizations needs is the key. It will encourage each of us to focus on ourselves objectively. When we trust & respect each other we promote empowerment & leadership that in turn helps us fulfill our individual vision, thus creating a successful future for the organization too.

Its the special breed of “I”s who never settle for anything less than the best will make the whole difference.

Photo courtesy zebrastripes

STOP setting Goals

2004-11-29T23:07:00.000-08:00

Steven Covey's article in yesterdays paper woke me hard from my dream. I was happily basking in the warmth of the goals I had set for myself. I had suddenly started taking everything easy...rather lazily.

Covey says," Setting goals doesn't work. Goals are pure fantasy unless you have a specific plan to achieve them. And of course, nothing unexpected and weird gets in the way. Like a war or a tornado that levels your plant. Simply announcing or wishing sales to be higher doesn't make it so. Worse, it may have the reverse effect if the team thinks the goal is unrealistic."

And i realised how true it is.... without a disciplined road map, our goals are worthless. Just writing down goals doesn't mean a thing until we realise that the goal is only the destination. We do not pay much thought to the journey towards our goal.When I sat to plan the journey to my goal, i realised, its not going to be easy at all. And the distance i had to cover from where I am today to my goal though not very long, is full of potholes and obstacles.

Covey further in his article, gives few helpful tips to prepare the roadmap.
He says,
"How much thought have you given to the journey? Your answer should be 'lots'. You'll need to fill in a lot of holes between where you are now and where you want to go. A lot of work, huh? Well, each step has to be mapped out if you want to be able to check your position and stay on the right path. Mapping also shows you how far you are from your goal and what route to take next.

What goals have you written down? Where are they now? Can you be more specific about the steps in between now and your ultimate goal? If so, fill in the blanks and start checking off your list. Make a Plan B and C. You may never need them but it's nice to have them on hand in an emergency. Periodically check your list, see where you are, and try not to get distracted.
And if your plan doesn't work, it may be flawed. Switch gears, try something else. Finally, don't let fear keep you from charging ahead. Regret is far more traumatising than fear. "

Think Win-Win

2004-11-24T00:06:00.000-08:00

A new day. But the incidents of the earlier day have left a mark on me. I am still not able to leave them behind. Yesterday one of my colleagues felt that I am trying to capture and rule his area of work.Now I am thinking how do I tell him that I believe so strongly in Covey's "Think Win-Win" funda.

Steven Covey in his book "7 habits of highly effective people" describes the fourth habit as "Think win win". According to him, Thinking Win-Win means believing that there is more than enough to go around for everybody and that the purpose of the game is to find ways that everybody involved gets as much as they can. It means actively looking for ways to genuinely help others succeed, ways which are fun, profitable and beneficial to all.

I strongly believe that, to genuinely feel good about other people attaining their dreams and having good things happen to them is a good habit to cultivate in the long run.

Since the time I trained myself in practicing the "Think Win/Win" habit ,I have been able to be a winner in most of my transactions. I intend to use this habit of mine to help others to succeed and make them feel better about themselves. Because at the same time it also makes me feel a lot good about myself.

And today I guess its time again, to make my colleague understand my funda of life. And that my intentions are not to make him lose, but to see to it that both of us win,infact all of us win.

The Real Challenge of HR !

2004-11-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

From last few days my interaction with the HR dept. has increased. These interactions as always have left me a little nostalgic.

I was remembering the earlier days of my career----the time when I was first appointed as the Team leader. During those days, I always found myself being thrown into situations that were completely out of my expertise area. And then, each time I used to succeed, I developed an innate confidence. I learned and accquired the ability to figure out what the core mission is and work from there.

I feel that if you provide proper tools and technology to your subordinates or teams, they will approach their work with a new enthusiasm. Prior to this we need to understand and measure their frustration levels, which are creating a drag on the process/company.

From my experience, I know that at first there is always a lot of fear and mistrust when the level of their accountability is increased. But slowly when they themselves get this comparative data on their performance, the acceptance reaches new heights. Because they now have a tool to measure themselves. They can see themselves as compared to their peers. Those struggling start looking at successful peers for guidance.

The next step is to hone our ability to identify the ones with the most potential and get them onto an appropriate career path so they’ll be ready to take on the role as Team Leader or manager.

The human resource department I feel should always be about--- much more than just bringing in new employees, it should be a central player of the whole organization. It should be able to make all the employees love their work, and feel good about what they do.

According to me this is the real challenge of HR. But worth it, if one achieves it.!!

Never lose Grace under Stress

2004-11-22T20:02:00.000-08:00

I was so stressed out today becoz of the things going around me. I was almost on the verge of blasting out on my colleagues atleast 2 or 3 times today.But something helped me keep my cool.I was constantly reminded of words once told to me by our CEO "Never Lose Grace under Stress". The words had made a big impact on me.And I am happy that they helped me today when I needed it.

This experience made quiet a few things clear to me.When we get angry, we don't just lose our temper we lose our point too. We must remember that we are actually trying to win an agreement and not an argument.

We should properly analyse the impact of our demands.Because at any given time, we need to remember that the ability to separate fact from opinion is the mark of a clear mind and it also refects ones intellectual integrity.

I know its not at all easy. But then if you want to standout, you gotcha make it possible.

So, from today I will acknowledge with grace and dignity the significance of others' comments or statements of fact.

Emotional factor in Leadership

2004-11-18T22:01:00.000-08:00

Leadership qualities can very well be gauged by the emotional competence of the person. A leader's role is to get others to do their jobs effectively. Goleman very aptly puts, --- Interpersonal ineptitude in leaders lowers the performance of all in the team. It leads to wastage of time, creates acrimony, corrodes motivation and commitment, builds animosity and apathy.

A study of top executives who had failed to be good leaders, showed two common traits in each of them:
1. Rigidity: they were unable to adapt themselves to the organizational culture, to accept or respond to feedback about traits they needed to change or improve. They couldn’t learn or listen.
2. Poor Relationships: they were harshly critical, insensitive, demanding and indifferent to their colleagues.

In contrast to the above the successful leaders had agility, the ability to work with people from all levels in the organization in different styles.They showed empathy and self management skills.

Emotional Intelligence: A new name for women's Intuition

2004-11-17T14:53:00.000-08:00

As long as the history goes,the talent/ability to sense what's really going on in a situation, to assess people's thoughts and feelings accurately, to express empathy, to respond appropriately - has been labeled as "women's intuition".
But now, thanks to psychologist and best-selling author Daniel Goleman (Working with Emotional Intelligence),this talent (never exclusively female) has a new name -- emotional intelligence - with a scientific explanation.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the silent partner of rational intelligence -- equal in importance, yet often overlooked and rarely schooled or tested.

In today's corporate world,downsizing or rightsizing - has put added pressure on front-line managers and supervisors.Productivity is still the name of the game. To add to it,Shareholders demand that companies be profitable in the short term but be ahead of the curve for the long term. In order to achieve this, the only way out for management is to get more out of less.

Today the majority of people entering the work force for the first time are determined to strike a balance between work and home life. Their dilema is-- "Career is important, but at what cost? Do we work to live, or live to work?".
Most workers today are choosing not to embrace the world of their parents but instead, hope to create a world of their own.
We as managers and supervisors need to understand this new focus in our drive for more productive employees.

And as managers, we will be successful in achieving our goals, only if we manage our people. As Goleman defines in his book,this people management skill is nothing but emotional Intelligence.
People Management = Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence: The Missing Priority

2004-11-16T02:50:00.000-08:00

You don't compete with products alone anymore, but how you use your people.

EQ the new corporate mantra

2004-11-12T00:45:00.000-08:00

It was a lovely relaxed morning.While sipping a cup of my favorite "caramel" complan, I picked up this book by Daniel Goleman, "Working with Emotional Intelligence" which was lying on the coffee table from last couple of days.

I wondered, reading the title "EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE" whatzzzz this now? But as i flipped through the pages , what came across was a fact, if we all in the corporate world want to be or remain successful,we need to understand EQ.Increase our EQ. Its EQ and not just IQ any more.Most Fortune 500 & 1000 companies have already realized that IQ gets a second position to Emotional Intelligenc(EQ is the quotient to measure Emotional Intelligence)in determining the outstanding performance.

EI is all about people and the relationships with them.Emotional Intelligence is not about merely "being nice",at strategic moments it may mean not "being nice". It means managing feelings so that they are expressed appropriately and effectively, enabling people to work together smoothly toward their common goals.