Sage Speak

8/11/2019 Sage Speak

1/41

Sage Speak

A research based measurement tool.................................................................1Keep Quiet! Listen!...................................................................................................... 4Shocking News!............................................................................................................. 6

A motive to motivate.................................................................................................. 7

Deciding Dynamically...............................................................................................10Black ater rossing! "obbing internationally..........................................12An #nterview without a $iew!..............................................................................16An #nterview without a $iew!..............................................................................19%elling &em about yoursel'...................................................................................22#nstant Speech.............................................................................................................23Shot in the arm or in the head(..........................................................................26So't )ptions.................................................................................................................. . 29*+ 'or hom(...............................................................................................................31A leg,up to go up! Dressing up to go up!......................................................34-oals! .And how to score them!/.......................................................................37

orkplace ar............................................................................................................. 40

A research based measurement tool

IN TODAY'S intensely competitive market place, businesses must beconcerned not just wit te price, product and positionin!, but also witpeople wo are crucial to te success o" teir or!anisation#

Tat was wat $allup India %vt &td empasised in a worksop on (

Strate!ies "or Sustainable $rowt or!anised recently by te NationalNetwork, )ocin )apter at *runakulam# Te worksop was centered ontalent based irin!, uman Si!ma +wic is te trademark o" $allup andmana!in! di""erences#

Te resource persons "or te worksop were Dr (ajes Srinivasan and -sSita .asudevan# Dr (ajes Srinivasan is te Director (esearc / )onsultin!and -s Sita .asudevan, a )onsultant on work place practices# -r S ( Nair,%resident o" 0erala -ana!ement Association, inau!urated te worksop#

*iring talent

Attractin! te best people is ardly a novel idea# Te !reatest !enerals,coaces and sales mana!ers seem to instinctively understand te importanceo" attractin! te best possible recruits#

1ut "or many or!anisations, irin! te best people seems easier said tandone# No company or mana!er deliberately sets out to ire people wo willper"orm poorly# Yet, in many o" te companies one "inds tat one 2 tird o"teir sales representatives are under per"ormin!#

1


2/41

Accordin! to $allup, mana!ers essentially evaluate candidates based on teirr3sum3s# Tey look care"ully at eac candidate's previous e4perience, teirtrack record, teir educational back!round, and eac candidate's5cemistry5# $allup as evaluated undreds o" tousands o" sales candidates,and tey ave "ound tat tou! tese "actors sould be considered in teirin! process, tey ave little value in predictin! weter a sales candidatewill succeed#

Instead $allup care"ully evaluated te best per"ormers witin an e4istin!sales "orce and culled a series o" i!ly predictable 6uestions 2 6uestions tatte most productive representatives answer di""erently tan te leastproductive members o" te sales "orce#

Ten te new candidate's answers to tese very same 6uestions areevaluated# 1ased on ow closely a candidate's answers matc te answers"rom te best per"ormin! reps, one can predict a candidate's success rateand provide tis in"ormation to te irin! mana!er to assist in irin!

decisions#

7at are te implications o" tese results8 Altou! most mana!ersreco!nise tat irin! te best people is important, tey do not ave toolsavailable to elp tem make e""ective coices# Instead, tey rely ontraditional criteria tat ave little predictive value# In"ormation collecteddurin! a traditional irin! process as little relevance to success on te job#1ad irin! mana!ers make decisions based on bad or irrelevant in"ormation#

2


3/41


4/41

Keep Quiet! Listen!

IT'S :NNY, te more intelli!ent we are, te more we talk, and tat, "riends,is te dumbest tin! we can do9 To be truly intelli!ent and land ourselves teplum puddin!, te juicy job te best tin! we can do is not to talk but to

listen9 Doin! tis is an art tat most o" us ave "or!otten and to relearn issometimes a little di""icult once we've lost te abit9

Switch )n!

earin! is one tin! listenin! is anoter# earin! is wat one does to noise,listenin! is wen we pay attention#

I" it's a meetin!, an interview, or just a tte2E2tte, prepare yoursel" byarmin! yoursel" wit te "acts tat is !oin! to be talked about so tatresponses "rom you, i" re6uired, will be pat and to te point#

I" you do your omework, te cances are tat you won't be cau!t o""!uard# At meetin!s you need to be alert or sometin! tat will a""ect you willpass you by witout notice9 You can't make up your mind to start listenin!"rom te word !o9 It comes wit practice and plenty o" e""ort9

Switch )''!

I" you make a noise ow can you ear let alone listen8 Switc o"" your laryn4"or a wile and absorb wat's appenin! around you#

You must o" course add to te conversation but make sure you don't add to

te noise9 I" you say less tan oters, wat you do say will be listened towit !reater attention#

1aralla2 $iew

ocus is wat you must ave# Its like lookin! trou! te view"inder o" acamera and lookin! only at wat you want to capture# 7en activelylistenin!, you must block out everytin! else#

)oncentrate and !ive te speaker te idea tat you are listenin! intently# Fustas you can make out wen te people you talk to be!in to lose interest, so

can people wo talk to you#

I" you need to ask a 6uestion at tis time, note it down rater tan ask itstrai!t away because te speaker may answer it in te very ne4t sentence#%eople sould "eel tat you are and ave been listenin!# Sometimes peoplewill say tin!s tat we would otly callen!e#

4


5/41

Stop9 Don't do tis because te ability to process te input will be blocked byyour de"ensive posture9 &isten, let tem ave teir say, smile in anunderstandin! manner and ten reply, avin! considered your answercare"ully, so tat your answer or rebuttal as more credibility#

$icarious Living!

Your interlocutor may be te last person you want to please, but te bestway to disarm is to listen wit an understandin! o" were e is comin! "rom#I" you can see tat, you will, at least, be able to listen and process tein"ormation#

I" you start tinkin! o" your pet peeve a!ainst im you'll start tunin! out andyou'll miss wat e may inadvertently let "all# Similarly, i" you are in aninterview and te interviewer is sayin! sometin!, don't tink o" te 6uestionyou just answered wron!ly and concentrate on te 6uestion#

Try and put yoursel" in is position and see wat answer you would like temost and ten open your mout and say it wit verve9

)pening 3our 0nd

To listen well, you may sometimes ave to ask leadin! 6uestions# Teysould not be lon!2winded 6uestions, but sort ones tat will "orce elaborateanswers#

Answers tat reveal te contents o" te person's mind# ;uestions tat askwy or ow !enerally re6uire lon! answers# Te lon!er an answer te more

te speaker reveals and tat is wat you need to levera!e wen it all comestumblin! out9 Open2ended 6uestions "orces te respondent to talk more andreveal more tan e intended to#

Newspersons do tis all te time# Once a person's verbal "lood!ates areopen, all you ave to do is listen !lee"ully#

In an interview, o"ten i" you let te interviewer talk more by keepin!absolutely silent, te answer e is seekin! is o"ten revealed in te 6uestionitsel"# I" you look su""iciently serious and intent, te interviewer will try toelaborate and in doin! so will, unknowin!ly let slip te answer9 Tis as

appened so o"ten to me tat I know you'll be seriously advanta!ed i" you tryit9Now, s9 &isten to me9

A1I-ANY: A)A(YA

5


6/41

Shocking News!

I A.* eard so muc o" our people !oin! abroad and psycin! out tat I"elt tat sometin! on tis subject would be appropriate# Tere are two typeso" peopleG one, te adventurous and te oter, te pressured# Te "ormer

!enerally ave no problem werever tey !o, te latter, bein! te sensitive,unpusy, type o"ten "all, saken and stirred by te wayside in catatoniccollapse# Actually it's all about a prase tat's "ar more disturbin! tan teactual malaise# Te term )ulture Sock is actually a rater alarmin!misnomer# It re"ers to a sensation o" stran!eness tat assails people wentey encounter an environment or a beaviour to wic tey cannot instantlyadapt# Some people are disoriented by tis inability "or all kinds o" reasons,some o" tem because o" teir own lack o" e4posure and knowled!e# Tereare some people wo sail trou! teir lives witout encounterin! anyproblems, but it could be because tey ave never been to a place witwic tey were not "amiliar9 It is tis stran!eness, tis discom"ort tat weneed to understand#

%he -enesis

&ike most psycolo!ical processes, culture sock !oes trou! a pro!ressivepase, wic is not !enerally discernible at te start until, one day, 7am9 Itits you amidsips, below te waterline9

Dalliance and lirtationH It's like a stran!e appy world o" discovery and youtend to write even te rou! spots down to e4perience and enjoyment,rater like "allin! in love9

.olcanoH Te !round be!ins to sake, several tin!s you "ind yoursel" upa!ainst are irritatin!, seem pointless and you notice te intolerance o" tepeople you iterto tou!t were tolerant

SubsidenceH Tin!s be!in to "all into place, you start to understand watmakes te people tick, you accept teir "aults as readily as you accept teirplusses

SettlementH Te smoke clears and you "ind tat te people are 6uite likeablereally, once you !et to know teir opes "ears and motivations

%he telltale signs

So ow do you know you ave been socked8 7ell, tere are clear si!ns,wic may be all or some o" tose belowH

An overwelmin! "eelin! o" patriotism "or one's own country and its culture

6


7/41

A desire to be aloo" "rom te people wo work wit you i" tey are not "romyour own back!round or culture

An ine4plicable tiredness wit te work tat you ad "ound interestin! earlierbut are now "indin! tiresome

Nostal!ia "or all tin!s "rom ome, missin! te "ood, te people, yourrelatives and even your least "avourite person back ome

7en you !et to!eter wit oters "rom your own community you tend tomake unpleasant remarks and comments about your environment and tepeople

You "ind it di""icult to concentrate since intrusive tou!ts o" ome "lood yourmind

Tere is less to lau! about and you are abstracted

You are listless and unappy tou! you will not admit to yoursel" wy youare so

You are appiest wen you "all sick and can't make it to te o""ice

A stron! desire to punis yoursel" "or ima!ined mistakes

%he only way

To snap out o" tis state o" a""airs is to !o o""2planetary mode and look down

at yoursel" and te way you are andlin! tin!s#

ow are your collea!ues +or oters reactin! to all your symptoms8 I" teycontinue to be "riendly, do you respond8

Are oter compatriots any di""erent in teir andlin! o" te situation8

I" tey are okay, wat are tey doin! ri!t8

A1I-ANY: A)A(YA

A motive to motivate

I 7AS asked tis week i" I could talk to a !roup o" senior mana!ers on owto !et tem to motivate a jaded, tired and can!e2proo" bunc o"subordinates# Tall order wen it was pointed out tat "irin! any member wasnot and could not be an option9

7


8/41

7ell, te way I set about it was to see i" tey were pullin! teir wei!t at alland i" tey were, ow best to !et tem to pull just a little better9

I be!an###

1y talkin! about motivation, wat it was, and wat it couldn't do9 It isn't, "orinstance a switc tat you can trow to can!e people in a pu"" o" smoke#

*very one could see te di""erence between sel"2!enerated motivation andmotivation "rom te outside#

7at tey adn't realised tat te one "rom inside was te one tat madete eart move, te ones "rom outside merely were te bells and wistles'9

To !et people to do sometin! you want tem to is to !et people to want to9Te correct conditions must be created "or tem to desire te same outcomeas you do#

#s it the moolah mate(

Apparently not# It does, it is true apply te "irst jab o" te spur, but researcas revealed tat it isn't te number one tin!# Once te "our s6uares, teT., te "rid!e and te scooterJbike as been taken care o"G money "ades intote also2ran cate!ory# 7at it does do terea"ter tou! is to encoura!epeople to be just about !ood enou! to keep earnin! it# At best, I told tem,it en!enders competence, not e4cellence9 Sometimes tou!, an incentive inmoney terms as been known to elp, but tat's really only wen people arestrapped "or cas# A wind"all is always welcome#

+odent racing

$ettin! people to compete mutually is sometin! tat people say works#Nope, says I9 It may appear to do so at "irst, but once someone as be!un to!et te incentive or te lead more tan once, te reverse appens and teybe!in to "eel tat tey can't reac te !oal#

Tis is especially true in places were tere are people wo are rater moreaccomplised tan oters# 7en te winners see te lack o" competition,teir levels drop, and el2lo, te productivity drops too9 In te be!innin!,

tere is a desire to per"orm, a"ter a wile te ennui sets in# %eople mi!twork "or te incentive, not "or te joy o" te job itsel", and once tey seetey can't aspire to incentive, tey lose interest9

1raise be unto them!

%ats on te back and suc unobjectionable places are all very well andactually do work at te start# Its nice to be told tat one as done a !ood

8


9/41

job, but ow o"ten and "or wat8 I" it's "or a job tat is reasonably simple anduncomplicated by deadlines and mind2bendin! callistenics, ten te6uality' and 6uantity' e""ect kicks in# 7y, one wonders, is te praise "or asimple job so incredibly e""usive8 7at, one wonders, does te person want8In sort, suc reco!nition becomes suspect# It is like bein! con!ratulated "orbreatin!9 Suc motivation sould be sparin! to ave te motivatin! e""ect9

hecking account

Fust as layin! it on tick wit a trowel is counter2productive, constantlyceckin! people "or wron! doin! or providin! "eedback tat is not entirelypalatable is similarly de2motivatin!# 7en people are made to "eelinade6uate, tey resent it# Te answer is to make tem introspect a little and!et ten to see te error o" teir ways by temselves# ey, you ired temanyway, so tey can't possibly be as dumb as you make tem out to be9Tey will catc onG so don't rub it in9 (emember its not te person tat is toblame, it's te issue tat needs to be sorted out and tat can be done

witout underminin! te con"idence o" te employee# An employee witoutis convictions intact, is a seriously de2motivated one9

So what does one do(

7it all te traditional motivators debunked above, wat can anyone do8 $etem on te inside, said I9 irst, wen you ask "or a spreadseet, make surete employee as *4cel or some suc pro!ramme loaded9 In sort provideim wit te e6uipment e needs9

Fust as you wouldn't ask your !ardener to di! a ole witout !ivin! im a

spade, provide your man wit te werewital to do te job you aveentrusted to im#

Oterwise e'll spend most o" is time tryin! to !et old o" te time, leavin!very little time to !et te work done9 See tat te environment is ri!t# I" itstoo ot or too cold or i" you tink it's a !ood plan to "eed tem ri!t, do watis necessary to keep tem appy wit te workplace9 7alk a mile in teirsoes# You can only solve teir problems i" you know wat tey are and owtey view tem# $rouse unts are !ood#

Tese are meetin!s like cats were tere is only one bi!wi! and e listens

to te problems 2 and keeps it con"idential9 Tat way te employeee4ternalises is !rouses and a solution can be worked out# Tis sould bein"ormal and in te redressal, no i!er up knows te name o" te proposer9

Allow people to brain out a problem# Tis is also a tink2tank strate!y# &etpeople into te projects you ave and su!!est ways tey "eel tey can makeit appen# Allow tem to allocate responsibility and own up to teir domainareas# Once tey do, te motivation is i! to !et te work done as planned9Only, o" course set te time limits yoursel" so tat tey do deliver on time9

9


10/41

4ill &em 'ull!

One o" te reasons wy people "eel de2motivated is because tey "eel as i"tey aven't acieved wat tey envisa!ed wen tey joined# Tey e4pectedan opportunity "or !rowt, yes, money peraps and its not come out tat

way# It's wen teir personal value system is at variance wit tose o" teor!anisation tat dissonance sets in# Te answer ere is simple, spend someener!y ali!nin! te mission and objectives o" te individual wit tose o" tecompany#

Action stations

Te best way to motivate new employees is to ave old employees talkpositively about te company# To do tis, old employees need to "eel needed9

*very employee needs to know is use"ulness to te or!anisation, and its!ood to be able to tell tem too# (emind tem every now and a!ain9 Instil in

tem te idea tat te company wants to elp tem realise teir aspirations,ask tem ow tey want to do it and ali!n tat wit te company's mission9Once tey see ow tey contribute, you're ome and "ree9

Its important tat tey don't e4pect a twist in te tail9 1e up"ront and wenyou come up a!ainst a brick wall, tell tem9 Tey'd like to know#

As in everytin!, onesty is always te best policy# 7en tin!s don't !o asplanned, appropriate communication will keep soulders to te weel#

Oterwise, once tey "ind out tat prevarication is te mana!ement's

response, ennui will "ollow9 Now i" tat wasn't a motive to motivate, I aveno idea wat it is9

A1I-ANY: A)A(YA

Deciding Dynamically

7* DO IT all te time9 I" we don't, you'll "ind a bunc o" namby2pambywimps wo couldn't, individually or collectively say, 51oo95 to a !oose9 1utte trut is tat we are all makes o" decisions weter it is in te bi! tin!s+suc as career, marria!e or ealt# or te small tin!s +wic movie to see,

wat to make "or dinner, were to cross te road Te point is tat tere aretimes wen makin! decisions is critical and its at times like tese tat no onecan a""ord to be wron!9 *ven in a small' tin!, like crossin! te road, youcan come to a rater pain"ul and abrupt end i" your decision were to bewron!9 -akin! te correct decision is tere"ore sometin! wic we must allmaster, and its important tat we !et it ri!t every time# I call tis DynamicDecisionin!#

10


11/41

Tis system as elped countless millions !et it ri!t every time, muc toteir satis"action and bene"it# 7ell, i" tey can, so can you9

0lucidation5 irst de"ine wy te decision is necessary# Tere must be aproblem or an issue tat needs resolution#

Articulate it, 6uanti"y it, de"ine it and investi!ate it# Once you know wat it isand ow it was caused, you can be!in te analysis o" ow to deal wit it#

-oal de'inition5 Discover wat te immediate !oal is and te lon!2term !oaltat is desired# avin! done tat, work tem out in teir component parts#

Try and "ocus on wat will acieve tese !oals# Te idea is to simpli"y teissues involved so tat tey are reduced to bite2siCed pieces# A"ter all, teonly way to eat an elepant is to take one bite at a time9

6ethodical madness5 7ork on te ows# Te success o" tin!s dependsmost o"ten on ow you work tem out#

Develop a metodolo!y tat addresses all issues and leads to te desiredsort2 and lon!2term !oals tat you ave set out# )eck out te "acts o" teissue, te bencmarks tat you need to see tat everytin! is !oin! as perplanG work in several timeJreality cecks to monitor te pro!ress so tat youcan provide solutions wen tey are needed#

+esearch and analysis5 )ollect all te "acts you need as above, andor!anise tem so tat an in"ormed decision can be made to address te issueat and#

ind out everytin! you can about wat appened on te way to te creationo" te issue, ow it became one, te e""ect it is avin! on te concernedparties# Once you ave tese "acts, analyse tem to see weter te answerto te problem is contained witin te issue itsel" +it o"ten is#

Try and discover a predictable pattern in te pro!ress o" te issue becausemost solutions are "ound in te nature o" te pattern o" pro!ress# In teresearc and analysis process, te use o" automation as been seen to bevery si!ni"icant#

It certainly will slice several ours o"" your time2to2resolution9

(emember plan 515 and 5)5H -urpy's law states tat, I" sometin! can !owron!G it will#' To counter tis, it is wise to ave a second and tird plan tatcan kick in wen te "irst iteration does not work# No sin!le plan can work,o"ten because te assumptions made in te be!innin! will be "ound to beerroneous# Also it is wise to accept te truism tat notin! is constant e4ceptcan!e, and it is wise to assume tat since conditions are likely to can!e,

11


12/41

te ori!inal plan may need some tweakin! or considerable can!e to "it tecan!ed circumstances#

ail2sa"e plannin! always leads to !ood decisions#So wy plan 5A5 at all8 %lan5A5 sould be te best plan o" all because you will ave worked in te result

o" all te researc analysis you will ave done#

It is te ideal plan !iven te prevailin! circumstances and all "uture iterationsare only developments o" te base plan# Te only reason you will can!e it isi" te circumstances can!e# A plan is teory# It becomes workable i" youimplement it9 So plan 5A5 sould be detailed, complete, down to te identityo" te implementers, te bene"iciaries and te bencmarkin!#

7ait, watc and ceck pro!ressH To make any decision dynamic, te pro!resso" any plan must be constantly monitored to see i" it's on track and weterall te ceckpoints ave been passed success"ully#

1encmarks are important to measure te "ruition o" any decision and aconstant stream o" "eedback sould be encoura!ed so tat any !litces canbe addressed instantly# A"ter all, "or decisions to be ri!t te "inal prasesould beH %roblem8 No problem9

A1I-ANY: A)A(YA

Black ater rossing! "obbing internationally

*.*(Y time I write about a career destination, I !et upwards o" severaltousand responses "rom pro"essionals youn! and old wantin! to !o to tat

destination# 7ile opportunities in India abound, te lure o" lucre coupledwit te lust "or te international li"estyle seduces even te most blas3 mind9Once upon a time tousands o" Indians were e4ported en masse to SoutA"rica and te )aribbean as indentured labour, ten "or a wile our nationad all its e4it routes stoppered#

Since te mid2si4ties tou!, a trickle increased to a "lood and now,everywere one looks tere are not one or two but several undred Indianssinin! like beacons on te "irmament o" international commerce# Tere areso many &ittle Indias' in so many cities tat I wouldn't be surprised to ear,in te "ullness o" time te country tat started te e4odus bein! called India

&ittle' wit most o" its population abroad and itsel" only a peace"ul aven "orte retired returnee9

Tere ave been so many successes by Indians abroad tat te "ailures anddisasters are o"t lost in te wind o" acclaim# I try tellin! most o" te peoplewo write in to me tat tey would be "ar better o"" in te land o" teir birtrater tan be san!aied back to our sores by an unwelcomin!destination9 Te majority wo return so i!nominiously are tose wo went

12


13/41

te wron! way because tey were be!uiled by te macinations o" peoplewo promised tem te *art but delivered tem into a morass o" misery# Tobe certain tat you don't "all into te same mire make sure tat youH

+esearch right!

Is te irm, "irm8A torou! researc into te solidity o" te "irm will pay youuntold dividends# or one tin! it will save you acres o" eartburn i" te "irmis as ollow as your eart will be wen you "ind out it is9 Durin! te dotcomboom, our people went out in droves taken in by te tall claims o" tesecompanies, discoverin! only on arrival tat tey were mere cleaners' in a!ara!e operation tat "olded up days a"ter tey joined9 Today primaryresearc is done on te web#

1ut remember tat everybody as a website, even annibal, te cannibal9You need to institute a secondary researc pattern by askin! "riends,relatives and peraps even investi!ative a!encies to ceck out te bona"ides

be"ore you spend any more money9 -ark Antony said tat te evil tat mendo lives on a"ter tem, and so is it wit or!anisations tat are bademployers# Tere will be several dis!runtled "ormer employees wo will beappy to talk about teir un"ortunate e4periences# I" you can meet one, orave an online cat wit one, !ood# You sould be able to place somereliance on someone wom you jud!e to be a !ood resource#

0nowin! te $ood "rom te 1ad and :!ly-any cases are reported everydayo" ope"ul job seekers bein! tricked out o" money by unscrupulouscompanies# Tese are te ones bein! reported# -any more are not reportedbecause te sums involved are not spectacular# Tese cases appen because

some a!ents ask "or a capital to o""set teir processin!' car!es in !ettin!te contact to meet te representative' "rom te irin! company# Tis isactually ille!al i" te representative is not properly accredited, and amountsto obtainin! money under "alse pretences# On te oter and, tere aresome companies tat issue receipts, sare in"ormation willin!ly, aretransparent in teir dealin!s, and associate temselves wit te actual irin!company a"ter "irst avin! cecked teir credentials# -ake sure tat tepaperwork is in order# Te -inistry o" *4ternal A""airs rater "rowns on peopleapplyin! "or passports "or oter people, and so i" you are asked to sell out aransom to !et your passport, tink care"ully be"ore you indul!e in tisunlaw"ul activity# I" you ave a passport to be!in wit, don't !i"t it away toany provider wo asks "or it# (emember tat visas can be and are "or!edroutinely and tou! you may not be able to see te di""erence, teimmi!ration autorities at your destination will, and you will be eld indurance vile till te ne4t plane returns9

ine %rint and ollow2upsI" you do !et a job tou! an a!ent, make sure youave your contract vetted by your pet lawyer 2 pre"erably someone woknows some law o" te country tat you'll be !oin! to# It may be a littlee4pensive, but tink o" wat you'll save i" te contract is non2committal#

13


14/41

)as in on )as outs1i! bucks are te lure but several million Yuan may nottranslate to muc9 %eraps you are acceptin! a job in a country tat re6uiresyou to weel your money about in a barrow wile keepin! a pocket "ree "orwat you can buy wit it9 In wic case make sure you know ow you will berecompensed "or your services9 Is te currency "reely convertible8 7at is itse4can!e value a!ainst te :SK or te *uro8 )an you repatriate it or do youave to spend it all tere8 I" your company is a !ood one, tey will !enerallyprovide you wit all tis in"ormation, includin! details on wat you wouldneed to bud!et "or wen you arrive#

I" everytin! draws a blank, don't immediately toss te o""er onto te scrap2eap, ask te *mbassy o" te destination country "or in"ormation# Typically,ost countries do not like to nurture bad companies and i" tere is anytin!you want to know, tey will !enerally be appy to tell you# Tey can alsoprovide accurate in"ormation on costs o" livin! and te proper documentationyou would need "rom a prospective employer#

Banana +epublics have slippery skins!

:nstable stables Is te destination o" your dreams one tat as openin!s "orpeople like Indiana Fones8 7at appens i" you aren't te swasbucklin!type8 Its not muc "un dod!in! bullets on your way to work, and i" you areirritated by o""icialdom breatin! down your neck and tellin! you ow tobreate, you mi!t like to avoid te odd police state9 It's also not wollyenjoyable not to be able to enjoy your leisure time te way you want to, andte country you coose as a work destination may not enjoy your enjoyment9You need to researc te papers to "ind out i" te place is stable or i" it'sreally like a roller coaster ride in ell9

1one up on te mores&earn about te place you are !oin! to, "ind out watclotes you need to wear, ow muc were and weter you will "ind yoursel"in embarrassin! situations because you ave no clue about teir culture91ecome "amiliar wit te laws tat apply to "orei!ners and see ow you willcon"orm to tem9 I" you can't, don't !o9 Some countries restrict employmentopportunities "or womenG so i" you are one, make sure tat your employerknows be"oreand9 Also make sure you can !et te "ood you like9

(easonable care is propylactic and you won't "ind yoursel" on te dawnpacket back ome i" you ave botered to per"orm tese cecks# 1etter sa"etan sorry9 7e used to ave, several decades a!o, a problem to cross te1lack 7aters, but tat was because researc was limited and in"ormationwas sketcy, today, we !o abroad wit reckless abandon, peraps we'd beappier i" we just tested te water be"ore we set sail or take win! over it9

A1I-ANY: A)A(YA

14


15/41

An #nterview without a $iew!

%he omprehensive -uide to %ele,interviews

7IT %&A)*S on te oter side o" te world appearin! on our T. screensand air2mail rele!ated to te realm o" myt, overtaken as it as been by te

ubi6uitous e2mail, te incidence o" appearin! to!!ed, wi!!ed and sod "or aninterview as slipped into te istory books to a lar!e e4tent# In my timetere were twenty applicants "or eac job in a lar!e or!aniCationG today tereare several tousands# )allin! tem all "or a personal interview is ase4pensive as it is tirin!, and certainly it will take a very lon! time9 Teanswer to tis is te tele2interview, or a conversation wit te candidate overte telepone to !au!e i" te candidate could be sort2listed "or a morepersonal interview# So to !et to tat all2important "ace2to2"ace interaction, itas become increasin!ly common to be asked 6uestions by a disembodiedvoice to wic we cannot put a "ace# No problem tereG but ow do we makeout i" our responses are !oin! down well8 7e don't9 1ut i" we understandwy tey ave suc odd ways, we are al"way to makin! it to tat tete2a2tete9

Actually all tey want to know is te answer to a "ew preliminary 6uerieswic is easier +and 6uicker to ask over te pone tan to !et into involvedcorrespondence tat also takes time9 Tey want to know i" you are seriouslyconsiderin! a career wit tem, weter you ave actually botered to "indout everytin! you can about teir company, or weter you've just bun!edin your ). on te o"" cance9 Tey want to know i" you are articulate, andcan present yoursel" +and in conse6uence te company wit panace# Teyare also, ri!tly, concerned about wy, i" you are workin! somewere, youwant to 6uit in te "irst place9

#' they have the time you better have the #nclination!

It is usual in te case o" "ace2to2"acers to be clear about wen, were andow# 7it a tele2interview tis is not !enerally te case# O"ten a personal"way around te planet decides to talk to you at = in te mornin!# Tat's a!ood time to tell im tat you are oterwise occupied, unless, tat is you area ni!t bird ready to respond sensibly to is 6uestions9 O" course, mentionte time were you are# orei!n recruiters are now !ettin! a little moresensible about te di""erence in time Cones, and do !enerally scedulemeetin!s be"oreand# I" you can return a call, li"e becomes a little easier "or

you because you ave more control over te situation, and you can !ear up"or te 6uestions tat you could e4pect# $earin! up means !ettin! to!eter apen, a pad, peraps "urbisin! yoursel" a bit and even combin! one's unrulyair9 7y8 %sycolo!ically it !ets your mind attuned to te !ravity o" tesituation9

(emember9 Te "irst tin! tat te tele2interviewer wants to know is yourability to talk and present yoursel"# *ven tou! te entire journey o"

15


16/41

discovery is over te pone, were e won't be able to see you +and you,im9 te "act remains tat e would like to know weter its wortarran!in! a tete2a2tete wit you or not9 Tat's wy I mentioned earlier tatit's a !ood idea to take control by callin! back wen you are appropriatelydressed, !roomed and prepared# You will sound competent, con"ident andsmart i" you know you look it9 I" you stumble over words and seem at a loss"or a simple answer to a 6uestion tat you sould know about, you can becertain tat wile is ri!t and is oldin! te pone to is ear is le"t andis "eedin! your ). into te sredder9 (emember tat i" te call is "romabroad, tere will be a sli!t delay by te time your voice reaces im andvice versa# Do not try and say sometin! durin! te time la!9 Tere is verylittle I can tell you in improvin! your voice# I" it is a i!2pitced s6ueak,tere is little anyone can do about it# owever a s6ueak sounds less s6ueakyi" you speak slowly, pausin! occasionally to let wat you are sayin! percolatetrou! to your caller# Do not be in a urry to leap in wit your answer# Takeyour time to consider your answer# -ake te "act tat your caller is notpresent an advanta!e# Fot down a point or two and mention tem casually#

Sentences tat be!inH 5Its interestin! you sould ask me tat### #5 $enerallyare very "avourably received# Oters tat !oG 57en I was researcin! yourcompany, a couple o" matters impressed me### 5 are also welcome since itindicates your interest in te position advertised#

Qui7 0rat Demonstrandum!

Tere are several 6uestions you may be asked but obviously, tey are not!oin! to be too tecnical# You'll be asked personal 6uestions about wat youave been doin! in te past and i" you already are employed, te terms o"your employment + ow soon you can disen!a!e etc# 7at your aspirations

are, your skill2sets, your "amily and back!round, and probably sometin!tat you ave done in te past# Te answer to te last could be te crucialone tat !ets you called "or te real' interview9 A mention o" te masterlyway you resolved a con"lict at your workplace or "ound a money2earnin!solution tat !enerated considerable revenues are !ood ones to use9%rovided, o" course you ave done tem9

Do not maunder on and on about te al" te planet and teir broter# $et tote point pronto and speak clearly9 Te yoursel"' 6uestion mi!t be atemptation to bore on relentlessly# (esist it9 Talk about stu"" you aven'tmentioned in your ). mention a couple o" stren!ts and some non2ne!ativeweaknesses9 I" you are returnin! teir call, you mi!t like to keep teanswers sort oterwise your bill will claim a year's salary in te company9 I"tey call, tey'll keep it to anytin! between tirty seconds to tirty minutesdependin! on ow !ood you are9

Your voice sould be modulated and ave a !ood tonal 6uality# Try talkin! outloud wen you ave a bat, te acoustics in tere lend temselves to !reatmodulation practice9 1e amusin! i" you can, but do not lau! outuncontrollably even i" tere is sometin! amusin!9 A smile on your "ace can

16


17/41

be eard9 (emember tat9 *ntusiam will sine trou! and its winnin!9Sometimes, especially in calls "rom abroad "or senior positions, tere arecon"erence calls were you ave to be able to distin!uis te di""erent voices#Tis could be tricky, but you'll soon !et te and o" it# andle eac voicedi""erently but wit e6ual respect and de"erence# In case it is a con"erencecall, tey will introduce temselves# :se tat pen and pad9 7rite it down9(emember tem, and wenever possible, use tem9 You can't ima!ine wata it it will be9

One 6uestion will be wy you want to leave your present employment# Tebest answer to tis is tat you ave !rown all you can tere and tat you arelookin! "or "urter !rowt# Try never to say anytin! bad about your presentemployer even i" tey are a cross between 1luebeard te %irate and $en!is0an9

(emember tat tele2interviews are a bad occasion to ask about salary9Notin! can be !uaranteed better to stop you in your tracks more e""ectively9

I" you ad any ope o" bein! called "or a live interview, peris tat tou!t9

0eep your ). and application andyG you may need to re"er to it9 Also all tein"ormation you may ave collected about te or!anisation# And i" te ouseis "ull o" s6uallin! kids, and te local brass band practisin! in te livin! room,peraps cloro"orm all o" tem so tat you are not botered wit weepin!,wailin! and !nasin! o" teet9

Your intention at te end o" a tele2interview sould be a "eelin! tat you willbe called "or a real live interview, not to be ired strai!taway, but i" you do!et ired strai!t o"", (ejoice, you must ave done sometin! ri!t9

A1I-ANY: A)A(YA

17


18/41

An #nterview without a $iew!

%he omprehensive -uide to %ele,interviews

7IT %&A)*S on te oter side o" te world appearin! on our T. screens

and air2mail rele!ated to te realm o" myt, overtaken as it as been by teubi6uitous e2mail, te incidence o" appearin! to!!ed, wi!!ed and sod "or aninterview as slipped into te istory books to a lar!e e4tent# In my timetere were twenty applicants "or eac job in a lar!e or!aniCationG today tereare several tousands# )allin! tem all "or a personal interview is ase4pensive as it is tirin!, and certainly it will take a very lon! time9 Teanswer to tis is te tele2interview, or a conversation wit te candidate overte telepone to !au!e i" te candidate could be sort2listed "or a morepersonal interview# So to !et to tat all2important "ace2to2"ace interaction, itas become increasin!ly common to be asked 6uestions by a disembodiedvoice to wic we cannot put a "ace# No problem tereG but ow do we makeout i" our responses are !oin! down well8 7e don't9 1ut i" we understandwy tey ave suc odd ways, we are al"way to makin! it to tat tete2a2tete9

Actually all tey want to know is te answer to a "ew preliminary 6uerieswic is easier +and 6uicker to ask over te pone tan to !et into involvedcorrespondence tat also takes time9 Tey want to know i" you are seriouslyconsiderin! a career wit tem, weter you ave actually botered to "indout everytin! you can about teir company, or weter you've just bun!edin your ). on te o"" cance9 Tey want to know i" you are articulate, andcan present yoursel" +and in conse6uence te company wit panace# Teyare also, ri!tly, concerned about wy, i" you are workin! somewere, you

want to 6uit in te "irst place9

#' they have the time you better have the #nclination!

It is usual in te case o" "ace2to2"acers to be clear about wen, were andow# 7it a tele2interview tis is not !enerally te case# O"ten a personal"way around te planet decides to talk to you at = in te mornin!# Tat's a!ood time to tell im tat you are oterwise occupied, unless, tat is you area ni!t bird ready to respond sensibly to is 6uestions9 O" course, mentionte time were you are# orei!n recruiters are now !ettin! a little moresensible about te di""erence in time Cones, and do !enerally scedule

meetin!s be"oreand# I" you can return a call, li"e becomes a little easier "oryou because you ave more control over te situation, and you can !ear up"or te 6uestions tat you could e4pect# $earin! up means !ettin! to!eter apen, a pad, peraps "urbisin! yoursel" a bit and even combin! one's unrulyair9 7y8 %sycolo!ically it !ets your mind attuned to te !ravity o" tesituation9

18


19/41

(emember9 Te "irst tin! tat te tele2interviewer wants to know is yourability to talk and present yoursel"# *ven tou! te entire journey o"discovery is over te pone, were e won't be able to see you +and you,im9 te "act remains tat e would like to know weter its wortarran!in! a tete2a2tete wit you or not9 Tat's wy I mentioned earlier tatit's a !ood idea to take control by callin! back wen you are appropriatelydressed, !roomed and prepared# You will sound competent, con"ident andsmart i" you know you look it9 I" you stumble over words and seem at a loss"or a simple answer to a 6uestion tat you sould know about, you can becertain tat wile is ri!t and is oldin! te pone to is ear is le"t andis "eedin! your ). into te sredder9 (emember tat i" te call is "romabroad, tere will be a sli!t delay by te time your voice reaces im andvice versa# Do not try and say sometin! durin! te time la!9 Tere is verylittle I can tell you in improvin! your voice# I" it is a i!2pitced s6ueak,tere is little anyone can do about it# owever a s6ueak sounds less s6ueakyi" you speak slowly, pausin! occasionally to let wat you are sayin! percolatetrou! to your caller# Do not be in a urry to leap in wit your answer# Take

your time to consider your answer# -ake te "act tat your caller is notpresent an advanta!e# Fot down a point or two and mention tem casually#Sentences tat be!inH 5Its interestin! you sould ask me tat### #5 $enerallyare very "avourably received# Oters tat !oG 57en I was researcin! yourcompany, a couple o" matters impressed me### 5 are also welcome since itindicates your interest in te position advertised#

Qui7 0rat Demonstrandum!

Tere are several 6uestions you may be asked but obviously, tey are not!oin! to be too tecnical# You'll be asked personal 6uestions about wat you

ave been doin! in te past and i" you already are employed, te terms o"your employment + ow soon you can disen!a!e etc# 7at your aspirationsare, your skill2sets, your "amily and back!round, and probably sometin!tat you ave done in te past# Te answer to te last could be te crucialone tat !ets you called "or te real' interview9 A mention o" te masterlyway you resolved a con"lict at your workplace or "ound a money2earnin!solution tat !enerated considerable revenues are !ood ones to use9%rovided, o" course you ave done tem9

Do not maunder on and on about te al" te planet and teir broter# $et tote point pronto and speak clearly9 Te yoursel"' 6uestion mi!t be atemptation to bore on relentlessly# (esist it9 Talk about stu"" you aven'tmentioned in your ). mention a couple o" stren!ts and some non2ne!ativeweaknesses9 I" you are returnin! teir call, you mi!t like to keep teanswers sort oterwise your bill will claim a year's salary in te company9 I"tey call, tey'll keep it to anytin! between tirty seconds to tirty minutesdependin! on ow !ood you are9

Your voice sould be modulated and ave a !ood tonal 6uality# Try talkin! outloud wen you ave a bat, te acoustics in tere lend temselves to !reat

19


20/41

modulation practice9 1e amusin! i" you can, but do not lau! outuncontrollably even i" tere is sometin! amusin!9 A smile on your "ace canbe eard9 (emember tat9 *ntusiam will sine trou! and its winnin!9Sometimes, especially in calls "rom abroad "or senior positions, tere arecon"erence calls were you ave to be able to distin!uis te di""erent voices#Tis could be tricky, but you'll soon !et te and o" it# andle eac voicedi""erently but wit e6ual respect and de"erence# In case it is a con"erencecall, tey will introduce temselves# :se tat pen and pad9 7rite it down9(emember tem, and wenever possible, use tem9 You can't ima!ine wata it it will be9

One 6uestion will be wy you want to leave your present employment# Tebest answer to tis is tat you ave !rown all you can tere and tat you arelookin! "or "urter !rowt# Try never to say anytin! bad about your presentemployer even i" tey are a cross between 1luebeard te %irate and $en!is0an9

(emember tat tele2interviews are a bad occasion to ask about salary9Notin! can be !uaranteed better to stop you in your tracks more e""ectively9I" you ad any ope o" bein! called "or a live interview, peris tat tou!t9

0eep your ). and application andyG you may need to re"er to it9 Also all tein"ormation you may ave collected about te or!anisation# And i" te ouseis "ull o" s6uallin! kids, and te local brass band practisin! in te livin! room,peraps cloro"orm all o" tem so tat you are not botered wit weepin!,wailin! and !nasin! o" teet9

Your intention at te end o" a tele2interview sould be a "eelin! tat you will

be called "or a real live interview, not to be ired strai!taway, but i" you do!et ired strai!t o"", (ejoice, you must ave done sometin! ri!t9

A1I-ANY: A)A(YA

20


21/41

%elling &em about yoursel'

A *7 weeks a!o I ad written a mono!rap on so"t skills, wic inundatedme wit mail tat as, "inally, slowed down to a mana!eable trickle#

Te majority o" te si4 undred and "orty two +at last count respondents,wile appreciatin! te inside story, also asked one common 6uestion tat I"elt I could sare wit te several oters wo did not write in# Namely, teall2important answer to te 6uestionH 5 Tell us about yoursel"#5

Tis 6uestion is almost invariably asked in te majority o" interviews, andjust as invariably answered dismally9 7at does one say and wy do wealways seem so "lustered by te 6uestion8 1ecause we ave always beentau!t by our parents and respected elders not to boast or talk aboutourselves9

7it a cildood "ull o" suc repressive advice, its not surprisin! tat temajority o" us be!in te answer wit a stammer and a blus, almost instantlycan!in! "rom "las to "oolis and ruinin! our cances o" employment9

So wat do we say8 rankly, just answer te 6uestion as it comes# -ostdisconcerted candidates dread tis 6uestion and be!in wit a silly 51asically,my name is### 5 7y don't we realise tat our ). is tere ri!t in "ront o" teinterviewer, and e knows tis already#

1y repeatin! te stu"" tat "ills our )., we just demonstrate tat we ave noima!ination and tat we are an in2te2bo4' kind o" person, wit little i" any

skill in innovation and presentation# Actually, a 6uestion o" tis kind is anideal way to plu! in everytin! we would like to say about ourselves tat wead to leave out o" te ).9 I" you ave attended a premier institution, saytat te institution tau!t you muc more tan te diploma it awarded you,mention people wo in"luenced you, talk about te books you like readin!,your obbies and your oter interests#

I" you ave a pet, mention it, peraps an anecdote about a lesson learned"rom your pet +an instance o" "ait"ul patience is !reat9 Talk about yourstren!tsG peraps mention an instance wen you used your con"lictresolution skills or sellin! skills or watever# 1ut make certain tat it does notsound like blowin! your trumpet# -ention tese instances as learnin!#

Talk about your weaknesses, but make sure tat tey are positive'weaknesses9 or instance you could say tat you sometimes pay moreattention to detail tan is warranted# You can openly con"ess a tendency tobe impatient wit team members wo cannot carry teir own wei!t, or wocannot contribute su""iciently#

21


22/41

You can say tat you are intolerant o" people wo do not deliver on time ortose wo do not live up to teir commitments# You can say tat tetendency tat people ave to be unpunctual is anatematic to you and tatyou are not too appy wit prevarication#

ow do you start8 7ell, you could be!in by statin!, 5)omin! as I do "rom apro!ressive "amily, I ave always "elt tat education as !iven me a specialadvanta!e over many oters#

7ile many people were busy in te pursuit o" wealt, my parents decided toinvest in my education, and as a result, I "ind mysel" in te appy position o"bein! able to old my own wit te best te world as to o""er### 5 Tis kindo" be!innin! sets te tone and pace "or te rest o" your interview# 7en you"ollow tis up by mentionin! te points talked about earlier, te e""ect isei!tened# Sound openG mention ow embarrassed you !ot once wen youmade a mistake, but remember to mention ow you !ot out o" it9

Tis underlines your ability to tink on your "eet9 -ention ow you once !ot a"riend out o" trouble# Tis empasises your problem solvin! skill# inallymention ow you mana!ed to di""use a potentially volatile situation and be!intis by sayin!, 57at I am proudest about is### ##5 Tis will indicate yourcon"lict resolution ability and your !eneral people skills# (ound o"" tisopportunity by brusin! all tat you ave said aside and say, 5I daresay Iave made several mistakes in my li"e, but one tin! tat !ives me intensesatis"action is te "act tat I ave many more "riends tan I ave enemies95

1ut "irst, tink today wat you want to say and practice9 Say it to a taperecorder and play it back till you are word per"ect# $et someone to listen and

!ive you "eedback9 Incorporate it and ten !et ready "or te sow#

(emember, i" you esitate about yoursel", your interviewers will doubtweter you "it teir bill o" re6uirements# A"ter all, i" you don't know aboutyou, wo does8

S# (A-AN:FA)A(YA

#nstant Speech

T* :-AN brain is a wonder"ul tin!9 It "ills wit 6uestions and works out

solutions to virtually every problem we "ace and it pursues 6uestions tatave ba""led us since te dawn o" time# 1ut all o" it evaporates wen we areasked to stand up and talk in "ront o" an audience9 Te terror o" talkin! to anaudience is a nameless "ear tat as been measured to be !reater tan te"ear o" deat itsel"9 Anytin!, people say, is better tan bein! made to speakto a bunc o" leerin! and disbelievin! "aces9

22


23/41

4ear is the Key! , Actually "ear is a !ood tin!9 You can only "eel "ear i" youare alive9 So tat's one bi! !ain9 Its natural to every livin! animal and ittri!!ers responses tat elp us to enjoy li"e tat little e4tra bit more tan wewould ave witout it9 7y do you tink people !o to orror and scarymovies8 7y do cildren look at scary sows on T. trou! parted "in!ersover teir eyes8 1ecause tey enjoy it9 Te rus o" adrenaline is wattri!!ers te joy "actor# 1ut# Te "ear o" speakin! in public does not ave tisappy outcome# 7y8 1ecause it's irrational# Tere is no real reason "or tis"ear and its actually panic tat blanks you out and wen te brain stops"unctionin!, its best to close down9 Tat's wy some people "aint on sta!e91i! deal, so wy boter wit public speakin! anyway8 I mean millionsG evenbillions, o" people !et by wit ever once torturin! temselves in tis way sowy sould we boter8 1ecause i" we don't, we lose te best opportunity wecan ever ave o" projectin! our personalities so tat we can be distin!uised"rom te teemin! billions o" course9 &eadersip roles, success, acievementand !ettin! to te top are on te cards "or people wo ave ambition andpotential# Tey must be able to demonstrate wo and wat tey are by

tellin! te world so# I remember as a cild watcin! one o" te country's topcartoonists at a "unction we ad in scool# e spent te time o" is speecnervously unbuttonin! and buttonin! up is sirt "rom top to bottom#Needless to say tis is all I, and several undred oter scoolmates canremember about im9 e may ave been very talented but to si4 undredand "i"ty si4 o" us e was wat e produced, a cartoon, never to be takenseriously or as a role model9

$ettin! over tis kind o" "ear is one o" te most important steps to successand con"idence# I" you know wat's !oin! wron!, you can put it ri!t#

Blundering Boo,boos8 , You are allowed to blunder "rom time to time, only,don't make a abit o" it9 7e all do it# *ven I may ave9 +ow's tat "orceek8 1ut wen I used to do tem 2 and I did it 6uite a bit 2 it all dependedon ow I andled it# or one tin!, I never !ot "lustered or arried#(emember tat talkin! in public is about L>? visual and about


24/41


25/41

I" you min!le wit tem and talk o" tis and tat and !enerally make"riends' it elps to rela4 you "ar more tan anytin! else# 7alk on to testa!e i" you land up early enou! and look at te seats, at te tecniciansand at te arassed ost tryin! to !et or!anised and look a"ter you at tesame time# Above all, don't pretend to be anytin! you aren't9 1ecause everynow a!ain te mask will slip and wat's underneat will come trou!, andtere will be a mismatc9

#t9s -ood to be 4unny *oney!, Tere's notin! better tan umour toancor speeces in te minds o" audience# A lau! rela4es an audience and arela4ed audience rela4es you9 ear and nervousness will become a tin! o"te past and you coast your way to com"ort and eventual success9 %eopleremember "unny, tey like to "or!et borin!, so be appropriately "unny# 1orin!is never appropriate9It may not be natural to stress yoursel" to speak in "ronto" an audience, but remember i" you are nervous, it's natural and it's !ood9 Asecret8 I !et nervous too and I'm tou!t to be a !ood speaker# I've "oundtat a twin!e o" nervousness elps me to stay on my toes and not take te

audience, any audience, "or !ranted# Tey are te customers and tey, are0in!s9 Tey !et to clap and trow rotten tomatoes9 $ive tem a !ood time,and tey'll !ive you one in return9

Never sy away "rom an opportunity to speak in "ront o" an audience# It's a!reat way to advertise yoursel" and it speaks volumes o" your capability tote wole world# -ake te most o" it9

S#(A-AN:FA)A(YA

Shot in the arm or in the head(

.*(Y o"ten desperate mana!ements call me in to try interventions witteams to improve and boost morale and add Cip to "la!!in! spirits# I amsuccess"ul# Sometimes# 1ut mostly I ave to stru!!le very ard because temalaise as been too lon! ne!lected and te dispiritedness as settled like asroud over teir Combie2like e4istences# Success, as in te case o" li"etreatenin! disease comes "rom appropriate treatment administered well intime# And so, dia!nosis sould be e""ective and swi"t so tat te malady canbe cau!t in time#

Signs o' the times

Te "irst si!ns are wen people start comin! a "ew minutes late to te o""iceeveryday and askin! to leave a little early# Now tis could be "or severalle!itimate, reasons# 1ut mostly tis is a way o" tele!rapin! ennui# I" temana!er or supervisor a!rees witout 6uibblin!, te reaction is o"ten one o"disappointment, not o" relie" or !rate"ulness9 You see, tis minor act o"kindness by a tolerant supervisor is perceived as not carin!9 On te oterand i" it is re"used on te !rounds tat te employee came in late, te same

25


26/41

"eelin! o" ill2usa!e is "elt, and a!ain te mana!er is branded as uncarin!9 Alose2lose situation9 So te correct and oped2"or reaction8 A kind en6uiry i"tere is a domestic crisis and weter te late entry in te mornin! adanytin! to do wit it# In tis way, te supervisor is si!nallin! tat e isaware o" te late comin! but is concerned more "or te employee tan "orte rules# One brownie point# Ten en6uire about any problems at work andweter te employee as everytin! e needs "or te conduct o" is work#Tis indicates tat you ave noticed a mild "all in productivity and tat youare not concerned so muc "or te work, but in your support and teemployee's state o" motivation# Second brownie point, tis time in spades9inally seekin! te opinion o" te employee on any o""ice related matter winsyou te last trick# $rand Slam, %i6ue, (epi6ued and capotted, call it wat youwill but you ave nipped te demon o" insur!ence and despair in te bud#

O"ten notin! "urter needs to be done# )eck by noticin! te in and outtimes "or te ne4t week# No late comin!, no worry9

%he missed bus syndrome

I", on te oter and you ave le"t it a little too late ten do not esitate tocall in te cavalry# Not little blue2uni"ormed puppets on "air!round ponies buttat ubi6uitous breed o" men and women called te e4ternal e4perts9 7y8 I"matters ave !ot a little out o" and, your people are not !oin! to talk to youwit te same candour tat tey used to# In "act, you will ave become oneo" tem', meanin! te !uys on top and not one o" te team anymore# Youave become te representative o" te enemy' and not teir ambassadorplenipotentiary wit te mana!ement# Tey are, tere"ore not !oin! to trustyou muc and you will not be able to "ind out wat teir speci"ic problem is

anymore# Te e4ternal resource on te oter and is an unknown 6uantity,and just as people talk to total stran!ers on trains, sarin! intimate detailsabout your personal pilosopy, so will employees open up to te e4ternale4pert# Tey are, a"ter all wantin! to tell someone wo will listen to tem#Anyone e4cept te person tey tink is to blameG you9 And i" tey areassured tat in"ormation tey sare will not be identi"iably attributable, youwill !et all you need to know to di""use te situation be"ore it !ets any worse9

0ars to the ground

Its important to keep one's ears to te !round and not pinned back to one'sead9 Tere is always a perceptible !roundswell and i" you can sense itcomin! te better you'll be able to deal wit it e""ectively# -any mana!ementtypes tink tat comin! on te stron! and strict taskmaster will serve temwell# %eraps it will# It will certainly au!ur early retirement9 Once upon atime, employees e4pected to be downtrodden and suppressed# Not anymore9Today its all about openness and transparency and te ma!ic *' word,empowerment9 I" tere's any treadin! to be done, tey'll do it 2 on temana!ement9 Fackbooted tyranny doesn't work any more and will prove veryprejudicial to any or!anisation's interest9 $ettin! people to work "or you is

26


27/41

about sowin! tat you can do it wit tem and tat you are tere "ortem### always# Tat's it9 Availability9 $ood and e""ective mana!ers o"motivated teams are sinin! e4amples o" people wo are always tere "orteir people# I o"ten twist te sayin! 5Don't just sit tere 2 do sometin!95 toa more appropriate, 5Don't just do sometin! 2 sit tere95 Tat's wat peoplewant# Tey want someone wo can be depended upon, someone wo'salways tere "or advice, succour, com"ort and a 6uick sot in te arm9

Language: language!

Anoter !ood way to spread deli!t and motivation on te or!anisationalslice o" bread is a 6uick can!e o" vocabulary# $oin! to one's team andsayin!, 5$uys, we ave a problem, two days to do a week's work95 may workonce, peraps even twice but a"ter a wile tey are !oin! to tink, 5Tis !uyonly seems to !raduate "rom problem to problem95 and tey'll all mentally!roan wen you eave to on teir oriCon9 On te oter and a 6uick retoucto te old vocabulary will !et you an entusiastic response every time# I"

your were to reprase toG 5$entlemen9 7e ave a !reat e4citin! project to doand it re6uires your brains and my brawn9 &ets sow em tat we can breakrecords wit tis one95 Its likely tat te motivated team will rise to tecallen!e and actually do te project +te same tin! you called a problem,remember8 in !ood time to make te late sow9

Be calm to becalm

One tin! tat ener!ises teams is te "act tat you, teir supervisor isun"lappable# I" you stay cool and collected no matter wat te provocation,it's very likely tat your team will "ind workin! wit you a cinc# Tey will

actually boast tat tey ave no pressure despite te deadlines you ave set"or tem9 And tis is because it does not seem to be a deadline to tem9 I"you treat it as just anoter tin! to do, tey will too, and te pressure willseldom build up# 7en it does, all it takes "or you to do is to !o up to teirworkstation and apply a little o" your pressure relie" tactics# A joke or a sa"tor two o" lateral tou!t will steady te rockin! boat a!ain#

-otivation is sometin! tat comes wit practice, and by watcin! anaccomplised mana!er andlin! is super2team# No scool teaces you teseskills, but e4perience and abit will make you into a leader people like"ollowin!9

S# (A-AN:FA)A(YA

27


28/41

So't )ptions

-OST recruiters already know wat you want to say about yoursel" since, i"tey are reasonably dili!ent, tey will ave passed a scrutinisin!, i" not!imlet eye over your curriculum vitae# Te reason tey aul you in "or aninterview is because tey need to know several tin!s about you tat +aperaps you don't know about yoursel", +b you don't want anybody to knowabout you and +c weter you will "it in wit teir attitudinal and socialre6uirements# Not everybody wit te ri!t 6uali"ications and !ood marksmay "ind temselves a slot, not because o" a lacuna in teir knowled!e butpossibly because o" a blanked out so"t' side#

Tey want to know i" you are someone wo can "it in wit teir re6uirementso" bein! able to contribute e""ectively to your team, your bosses and teor!anisation in !eneral# Tey want to know i" your innovative and creativeskills are wat tey want and weter you can vibe' wit te people wo

populate te or!anisation# -erely sayin! tat you are a !ood communicatoris ardly convincin!# You ave to sound it and peraps even look it9 And tiscan be discovered only wen tey ave you on te ot seat in "ront o" tem#

%alk rite

You mi!t ave been te wiC2ban! in scool and colle!e, and perapsyou're wei!ed down under te wei!t o" te !old medals you received "oracademic per"ormance# All tat will not !et you te jobG tat !ets you only as"ar as te interview9 7at you need to demonstrate is tat you can tellpeople wat's on your !old2medalled, diamond bejewelled mind9 )an you tell

people e""ectively and e""iciently wat you know and better still can you writeit down so tat oters can understand it8 I" you can, !ood# I" you can't learn9;uickly9 Oterwise you'll swell te ranks o" unemployed# )an you talk inpublic8 No8 Attend a course or sometin!, but watever it is, i" you avesometin! wortwile in your mind, be prepared to sare it wit te wolecompany, and i" tat sends you up te spout, make sure you !et over teterror soon and are able to mana!e it 6uickly# %ublic speakin! is like yeast, itelps you rise9 One or two tin!s tat you can do on your day in te ot seatis to be able to !ive a !ood, oiled, and slick description o" yoursel" in twominutes "lat# Don't start, as millions o" oters be"ore you ave wit,51asically, my name is### #5 Or, 1asically, I come "rom### #5 Tey don't want toknow tose basicsG it basically sows tat you ave poor communicationskills9 Take it easy, talk slowly, measured tones are in, breatless uskin!isn't9 Do not !et nervous, and tink be"ore you say anytin!# Sow tat youare tinkin! even i" you are in a "lat spin# Your ability to be cool in adversityis bein! noted9

1eer 1leasure

28


29/41

You need to display tat you can !et alon! wit people# 1ecause tis mattersto every or!anisation +e4cept peraps te &i!touse Autority9 ow youdeal wit people will be wat !ets you ired# You need to display obviousleadersip 6ualities, even i" you aren't lookin! at a leadersip position as yet#Te objective is to sow potential# %eraps you could talk o" sometin! youdid in scool or colle!e, wic sows tese 6ualities# %eraps you were apre"ect, or te secretary o" a society or peraps you were involved in settin!up a colle!e event#

All tese tin!s sow ow e""ective you can be in a leadersip role9 ave youever poured oil on troubled waters in te past, even i" it was amon! "riends8It wasn't a waste o" time9 Tis is a !ood time to use it to !et yoursel" ired9)on"lict mana!ement is a ot subject wit recruiters#

Tey don't want troublemakers, tey want trouble2breakers9 7it all tose!old medals you mi!t ave been on scoolJcolle!e committees, it's a nicetime to mention it9

29


30/41

%rouble Scooter

I" you ave ever worked out tricky solutions to worryin! problems in colle!eor even i" you are !ood at crossword puCCles, you mi!t be able to levera!e

tat skill too# )ompanies love to be tou!t o" avin! creative' andinnovative' people workin! "or tem, because someow teir clients seemto always want creative and innovative services# *r!o, i" you are tese, youwill be te "lavour o" te year# Try and develop your innate skills in innovationand creativity# Tis is not sometin! tat you attend classes to learnG it's askill tat you develop by e4ercise# I don't mean by doin! a si4teen2kilometre

jo! and tree undred pus2ups# You ave to use your mind to solve lo!icpuCCles# Its not pysical trainin! but mind trainin! tat you need# &ateraltinkin! is wat will provide you wit tis, and te best is tat you candevelop tis by sittin! at ome and readin!# (ead about di""erent ways toapproac problems and di""erent ways o" lookin! at tin!s# 1e"ore lon! you'llave te skill to bust open any problem by latcin! on to te cru4 o" te

matter and comin! up wit te ri!t answer 2 every time9 ave somee4amples to tell te recruiter ow you solved a particularly tricky problem#

Do,all Always!

Always be ready to do watever is !iven to you and never mind i" it's not inyour particular "ield o" e4pertise9 Sow tat you ave varied skills# Do youknow tat one o" te success indicators o" 0nowled!e -ana!ementimplementation in an or!anisation is te reduction o" subordinate sta""8 Tatmeans tat everybody sould be able to do virtually everybody else's work9Not only tat, its essential "or everybody to do several tin!s at once9 .ery

"ew o" te senior people in or!anisations ave secretaries# Tey avee4ecutive assistants, and tese luminaries are supposed to do everytin!,wit a "in!er in every pie9 Actually its all about your bein! able to do severaltin!s at once, wic you must ave done sometime in your li"e, andrecruiters are dyin! to know about it# Tell tem9 And !et ired9

S#(A-AN:FA)A(YA

*+ 'or hom(

:-AN (esource -ana!ement is an area tat most people can't be in

because it is, ne4t to "inance, considered to be te "ustiest, dreariest place tobe in a company#

Tose people wo look to a career in tis "ield, te brave ones, must be sureo" askin! temselves wy tey want to be in tis "ield at all9

Once upon a time (- consisted o" te wel"are o" te employees witin asystem# eads o" tis department laboured teir way trou! te

30


31/41

administrative and "acilitative part o" te or!anisation to te post were teywere re6uired to tell people like tem wo were administerin! and "acilitatin!ow to administer and "acilitate9

Tis is te picture many o" us ave o" tis department# It's very di""erent

now9 Today's ( pro"essional is a purpose2trained, people2"riendly, bottom2line conscious person wit a carm o" manner tat is te envy o" te salesdepartment, and a strate!ic vision tat many )*Os could do wit9

I" people aim to aspire to tese impressive 6ualities, tey need to be suretey ave te potential#

31


32/41

*ow %o

$ettin! into te department is not easy, but it's te natural coice "orpro"essionally 6uali"ied !raduates o" business scools#

owever, one can't really learn all tere is to learn on te subject in aclassroom, and certainly lectures and books ardly e4pose us to a realisticpicture o" uman nature#

7at is an absolute must is practical e4perience and tat comes "romworkin! in an environment tat as te slew o" e4periences essential to te( pro"essional#

To do tis summer trainin! and e4perience is an absolute necessity# Tereare loads o" companies ready to o""er a temporary +read as unpaidplacement to 12scool students so tat tey can !ain on2te2job e4perienceneeded to make tem employable#

$ettin! suc jobs is not an onerous task, and o"ten notin! more strenuoustan a walk2in is re6uired# 1ut to make te e4perience wortwile, its wellwort te e""ort to "ind a company you would like to eventually work in, talktem into o""erin! you an internsip, even "or a very small stipend, +or noneat all9 and !et to know te culture and te people wit wom you may workwit later9

(emember, tat companies will be better pleased to ire a "ace tey aveseen around, and wit wom a !reat deal o" adjustment will not be

necessary#

*specially in te people business, !ettin! to know people is a task tat isdi""icult and a ead start will always be an advanta!e9

6%s or 0mpties(

All tose companies tat need ( e4ecutives !enerally are on te lookout "ortwo kinds o" pro"essionals, salesJmarketin! and (#

:sually, te "ormer tend to leap"ro! around and "ind alternate employment

and so vacancies always occur#

( is valued because "indin! an ideal ( pro"essional is an event to dreamabout "or most institutions#

)ompanies ave "inally acknowled!ed tat te appy employee translates to!reater productivity and conse6uently, appier bottom lines9

32


33/41


34/41

I" you are soberly dressed, tendin! to conventional over te "lasy discocolours and desi!ns te cances are tat you will "it teir bill9 Try to be smartand clean at all times# 7en people drop in at ome, don't look toodisevelled, presentin! te best possible picture o" yoursel" rater tanlookin! as i" you stepped out o" te !arba!e dump9

+ising with the sun will help rising at work!

$ettin! up early is sometin! tat our moters tell us to do all te time#7en you be!in to work, you mi!t like to listen to tat9 $et to work be"oreevery body else and "ill in te time by prioritisin! your plan2"or2te2day#)ate!orise tin!s into important and ur!ent', ur!ent' and important'#Tese are tin!s you need to !et trou! te same day in te same order#Oter stu"", wic is easier to do, can be eld over "or a time wen you avete leisure to do tem# I" you ave to carry over sometin! tat's importantbut not ur!ent to te ne4t day, remember to re2cate!orise it to importantand ur!ent'# In te evenin! stay a"ter te o""icial closin! time# It's important

tat your supervisor be!ins to depend on te "act tat you abitually come inearly and !o back late# It sends a subtle messa!e about your commitment tote people wo matter# I" tere are any administrative issues about yourstayin! on a"ter ours, tell your supervisor tat you're always on call# O""erto put in some e4tra work sould any be available, and say tat you'll beappy to be tat e4tra soulder to te weel# $reat advice, but don't make itseem too obvious# I" tey say tey'll let you know, don't re"er to it till tey!et back to you9 (emember tat patience is anoter virtue tey look "or9

34


35/41

Let your &;ing9 give you &;ip9

I" you are competent, it is likely you'll be !ood at your job# 1ut competencyis wat is e4pected "rom everybody# 7at makes "or promotion is e4cellence9

You can only be e4cellent i" you enjoy doin! wat you do, not i" you "ind it adead bore9 You ave to make your job interestin! and you ave to let otersknow wat it is tat entuses you about wat you do so tat people areencoura!ed to !ive you work tat you will do better tan tey would# 7enpeople know you do a certain tin! well, tey will tend to look on you as tee4pert' in tat "ield, and, e4perts !et promoted9

Do more to get more!

Never !rud!e any e4tra work tat is !iven to you# .olunteer "or tin!s tatyou "eel will ave a tellin! e""ect on te company# Accept responsibility "ortin!s to do and, avin! understood it well, do it as best you can, ceckin!

wit your supervisor i" your e""ort is !oin! te way e planned# )redit soulddevolve on im too9

-eet wit your supervisor at least once a week alone to !et "eedback on owyou are meetin! is e4pectations# 7en interviewin!, ask openly i" you canave e4clusive access to your supervisor "or personal "eedback "or al" anour once a week# 7en you do ask, accept te !ood wit te bad, makin!notes in te areas you "eel you can improve# At te ne4t meetin! mentionow "ar you ave come9

*oning your skills

Any e4ecutive trainin! pro!ramme in te or!anisation sould be sometin!to wic you must aspire9 Ask your supervisor and !et im to a!ree bysowin! ow te trainin! will bene"it te team and add to its productivity#-ake a spirited attempt to !et sponsored "or e4ternal pro!rammes too and i"you are too junior to be nominated, try and attend worksops a"ter o""iceours set up by te local mana!ement associations# 7o do you tink will!et promotion, te one wo stays at ome watcin! 1aywatc or te onewo as all te trainin! re6uired to do te job8

6ake like a delivery boy!

7at's so special about deliverymen8 Tey deliver9 And tat's wat you needto do all te time too9 7atever you say, every boss looks at te bottom lineand i" you consistently add to it, you'll be amon! te "ew tat's doin! it ri!t9A bit o" advice# Never say you're !oin! to !et sometin! done wen youcan't9 Its "atal i" you do tat9 Te mantra ere is under2promiseG over2deliver9 Ne!otiate to do less tan you intend and ten make certain you !ive

35


36/41

tem wat tey ori!inally wanted# Tat way you'll be better valued9 And watappens to valued employees8 Tey !et promoted9

A touch o' 1+

)eck te past year's -IS records and i" you "ind tat your per"ormance asmade a di""erence to te company, create a record a balanced scorecard i"you like and !ive it to your supervisor# )redit will be yours, but it will be is"or avin! mana!ed you so well, so a pat on is back or a promotion "or imwill become one "or you too9 Sow ow youH

Improved te bottom line by savin! money

Improved income by bein! more e""ective in sellin!

Actually serviced more clients compared to te same period last year+provided tat your present supervisor was not te last incumbent9

Te actual metrical 6uantum o" your work compared to te correspondin!period last year

"ust in case

In te event tat "or some weel2witin2weel reason you don't !et tepromotion you e4pect +and deserve it may be a !ood idea to look elsewere#*ven your own company may ave opportunities in oter departments#

*4plore tem# *ven i" your own supervisor as wantonly overlooked your

talents, oters in autority may not ave9 Ask around, and wo knows youmay !et wat you want9 I" notin! does work out continue doin! your work,!ive in notice and leave wit di!nity#

Its always nice to ave "riends wen you leaveG you never know wen you'llmeet tem a!ain### or were9

S#(A-AN:FA)A(YA

-oals! .And how to score them!/

*.*(Y1ODY, everywere wants results and tey all want tem in te "irst "iveminutes o" play9 At te workplace too supervisors and eads o" departmentconstantly breate down apless necks#

It all comes down to te relentless pursuit o" tar!ets, wic are also o"tencalled !oals# &ike any motivated coac, seein! ow many o" is team canscore obsesses every mana!er and eats away at is soul until is !oal isscored9

36


37/41

1ein! success"ul in scorin! is te appy dream o" a !ood mana!er leadin! asuccess"ul team, and tere is no doubt tat te e""ort, individual or team,translates into a departmental campionsip9

*very second tome in a mana!ement library talks about settin! up and

scorin! !oals and !ood practice seems to "ocus almost e4clusively on sortterm !oals, lon! term !oals, individual !oals, team !oals, etc#, etc#

1ut times ave can!ed, environments ave can!ed, so te settin! up o"!oals must ave can!ed too# 7at as can!ed and wat remains te sameare all critical points, wic be! an answer#

Since te intention o" scorin! as many as one would like, would mean tedi""erence between just anoter player or a David 1eckam wo !ets bou!tby (eal -adrid "or = million9 7o will buy you8 And "or ow muc8 Andwill your 'team' "i!t to keep you as teir top scorer8

In point o" "act, settin! up a !oal is several times trickier tan scorin! one9Scorin! is te easy part, and e""ective !oal settin! is te absolute essential inte mana!ement o" sel" in te can!ed playin! "ield o" today9

&ead ups to te settin! up o" a scorin! opportunity involves notin! wat youtink your team o""ers "or your personal a!enda, in terms o" your individual!rowt and your makin! it to te bi! lea!ue9 4 Te ne4t issue is, tat i" youset it up and someone else converts it into a !oal will you sare te credit8Ten e4amine ow muc o" an e""ect your !oal will ave on teor!anisation's objectives# 7ill pro"its roll in8

7ill te bettin! ave i!er stakes8 -ake certain tat your !oal is notpurposeless# It must make a di""erence "or it to be remembered, and bein!remembered "or scorin! will last you "ar lon!er tan you can ima!ine9

A !oal tat anyone can score is never appreciatedG strive tere"ore to becertain tat your !oal is one tat involves a de!ree o" di""iculty tat becomeste envy o" oter scorers9

Te !oal avin! been set, and your commitment "ocused on it, you need tosee tat you can convert it into a scored !oal9 Doin! tis re6uires te skill o"a sur!eon, a copywriter, a %( wiC and a master blaster all rolled in one9 SoG

)learly enunciate te plan providin! points alon! te way were metrics canbe taken and matced wit time"rames#

-ention ow your !oal will improve te score, and ow uni6uely it will dotat# It could improve te score by savin! money and earnin! some more#Te result could be a picture o" wat te company was like be"ore and a"teryour !oal9

37


38/41

(emember tat you mi!t set up te !oal and you mi!t convert te attemptyoursel" and te score will be directly attributed to you, but unless te woleteam is involved, te victory will be ollow# (emember, you need everybody'selp to acieve your success# Tere are oter players in te "ield, teopponents wo will try and stop you "rom scorin! and your own teammateswo will be invaluable in markin! te opposin! team members wile youpro!ress to te mout o" te !oal9 I" you e4clude your team, you'll end upscorin! an own2!oal "or wic you'll be derided "or te rest o" your workin!li"e9

-ake certain tat your !oal is a nick2o"2time !ame2winnin! !oal9 It sould bevalued as sometin! tat te company could not do witout9 -ake certain itmakes a di""erence# It sould be realistic and entusiastically supported byeverybody in te 'team'9

7at do you need to make a success"ul sortie on te !oal8 7ose elp willyou need8 ow will you secure teir cooperation8 7at do you need to make

it appen8 Tis list will elp you to prioritise your pursuit9

No point scorin! a !oal wen tere is no !oalie or wen te matc is over9$et it done in te time you've planned "or it# Any later and it will be too lateand not wort te e""ort and te plannin!9

0now your playin! "ield# In te work environment o" today, it will never be alevel playin! "ield# -ostly it will be tilted a!ainst you, so tat te rus to te!oal will be upill all te way# You need to watc were you are !oin! to seete can!es in te "ield so tat you can make course corrections and adaptto can!in! circumstances9 Its all very well to be "i4ated on te !oal, but

unlike Arjuna, wo blotted out everytin! else out o" is vision to it istar!et, remember tat you !oal is not a sittin! duck, it's a movin!, dod!in!tar!et tat can!es wit te market "orces, te players in te "ield and testate o" te economy +o" bot te market and your 'team'

Scorin! !oals as I said is te easy bitG plannin! tem is te tou!ie# 1ut it'ste plannin! tat keeps you "ocused, purpose"ul and dedicated#

A need to acieve te success"ul outcome o" an attempt on te !oal souldprovide you wit a !ame plan o" ow to conduct yoursel" and in watdirection#

I" you do all tis well you'll be te top scorer and peraps, wo knows, wici!2power team will o""er to wean you away and you'll see ow ard yourteam "i!ts to keep you9

S8+A6AN


39/41

orkplace ar

Surviving Anger

ON* OT*N ears o" people stormin! out o" teir boss' rooms and trowin!tin!s about at teir workstations#

7e ear o" people "lin!in! temselves out o" an o""ice window several storiesup# And te worst is tat it's appenin! o"tener and o"tener#

.iolence at te workplace and destruction is already part o" e4pected i" notaccepted uman beaviour# 7e ear o" riots caused by te silliest stimuli ando" arson and lootin! appenin! everywere# In "act it as become, in ourland o" peace and armony, a part o" te culture#

7e strike, !overnments call bands' to protest tis, tat and te oter, andit wasn't !oin! to be lon! be"ore tis endemic swept into te o""ice as well#

Te mis"ortune is tat durin! te "reedom movement, it was deemedappropriate by te leaders o" te day, now al" a century on it as become acultural practice, condemned by te silent majority and condoned by terulin! minority#

Te "act is tat te conse6uence o" tis an!er is re"lected in everytin! wedo, and survivin! it becomes te bi!!est problem o" all# In te work scenariomore o" us "eel active anta!onism tan we used to ten years a!o#

A random survey eld across industries in seven major cities revealed tatpeople in o""ices "elt tey could do pysical violence to a collea!ue orsuperior i" tey ad ad te cance# 7ile actual instances are, tank"ullylow in te workplace, many o" tose wo mentioned a predilection towardssuc beaviour con"essed to bein! violent in teir omes, eiter wit teirspouses or teir cildren, wo tey admit, could not retaliate#

As a result it as become imperative tat te mana!ement o" an!er bepracticed wit speed and e""ectiveness witout "urter ado#

One reason "or te incidence o" tis widespread an!er and subliminalviolence is because people ave certain pre2conceived notions abouttemselves, oters and li"e in !eneral tat causes tem to respond and react

wit ine4plicable annoyance to ardly2meant and o"ten armless stimuli#Suc people are termed as avin! an attitude' wic as very un"ortunately,been !lori"ied trou! e4posure to occidental in"luences and values#

(e!rettably, like everytin! else wile we deli!t in importin! te ill e""ects o"7estern business practice wile commonly overlookin! te correctness andsensitivity tat are also part o" suc cultures#

39


40/41

%eople wo succumb to suc work2ra!e and seete internally and ten returnome to trans"er te ra!e to people, wo cannot retaliate, are not capable o"discernin! te sensitivities o" oters or o" lookin! at occurrences andrelationsips wit an empatic outlook#

Tey value teir own ideas, wic in itsel" is not bad, but tey tend to de2value tose o" oters#

Suc utter unconcern "or te norms o" politeness is naturally reciprocated,and con"lict arises, leadin! to eiter a secret or open war between people andlater, on escalation, to "actions#

-ost beaviour like tis is born out o" a cultural lacuna in an individual andwill continue to "an teir an!er till suc time as tey develop a more rationalworld2view and learn to live li"e in anoter's soes, tereby becomin! ratermore culturally competent# 7en tey do, productivity suddenly improves,and workplace dynamics be!ins once a!ain to make sense# To attain tis

appy state o" a""airs, everybody souldH

Try and understand te oter person's point o" view in e4can!e "or temunderstandin! is own

*4tend open cooperation so tat cooperation is likewise e4tended to onesel"

:nderstand tat everybody as a ri!t to teir opinion and in te e4pressiontereo"

Stop puttin! down "ellow workers and try elpin! tem so tat tey become

te recipients in turn

(espect temselves so tat tey can respect eac oter

None o" te above but te last needs any "urter comment#

It is important tat respectin! onesel" sould not mean takin! a do!maticview o" one's own persona, it means developin! sel"2respect# To enance tee""ect, to respect anoter person's persona and views despite anatematicdi""erences and possible caracter blemises increases te sense o" one'sown wort# Tis does not mean tat one compromises one's values to e4tend

suc support and sow respect, but it means appreciatin! te di""erenceswatever tey mi!t be, unless o" course te di""erences includeobjectionable caracteristics and socially 6uestionable traits#

I" we can lend support and a!ree on even one plat"orm, a case is made "orcooperation, in wic case te tri!!ers "or an!er are removed# Avoidin!workplace war comes "rom bein! tolerant o" "oibles and aberrant beaviourand allowin! people to be te people tey are 2 as lon! as teir attitudes and

40


41/41

demeanour does not obtrude on te lives o" oters# Sould it do so, tendisen!a!ement procedures sould be initiated because te ne!ative e""ect o"tat one person will undermine te productivity o" te entire or!anisation9

S#(A-AN:FA)A(YA

Documents

Sage Speak