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

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

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

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

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"

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

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

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.