Be clever on Friday to get over Monday blues!

Published on Wednesday, Dec 10, 2008

It’s the classic case of the dreaded Monday morning blues once again. You groan as you get out of bed and then grumble all the way to the office. The most dreadful part of Mondays is that they spell an end of the weekend revelries and leave you on the threshold of another whole week packed with work!

Most people find themselves in a lethargic state and function zombie-like, all the while lamenting, ‘Have to endure five whole days before Saturday!’

Some employees even take Mondays off just to prolong the ‘weekend’. The real problem with Mondays is that people are simply unwilling to let go off the weekend. After two days of no alarm clocks, no harrowing commutes, no looming deadlines and absolutely no boss breathing down your neck, they find themselves facing the same gloomy cloud as every Monday morning rolls around.

Yet, this is not to say that you cannot chase away the so-called ‘blues’. All it takes is a bit of planning and loads of will power. Following are a few helpful tips:

Get your beauty sleep

Monday morning may find you groggy and dazed after some hard partying/late sleeping on Sunday night. Well, you can make up for that by going to bed early on Sunday night.

As sacrilegious as it may sound, it makes sense to forgo that late night show and hit the sack instead. Save the late nights for Friday and Saturday only.

Be up and about

Monday mornings can especially tempt you to linger under the covers as long as possible. Pop up and out of bed as soon as you open your eyes and head for a cold shower that will jolt you out of the lethargy and make you feel fresh and alert. Make an early start to begin the workweek on a relaxed note without having to rush around.

Get the adrenaline going

Do not while away your morning time by lazing around. Go for a walk or jog as the fresh air can lift your gloomy spirits. Even other forms of mild exercise will release those ‘feel-good’ hormones, which will definitely make you feel better.

Have a substantial breakfast

Getting up early will leave you with ample time to have a hearty breakfast instead of gulping something down on the go or worse, totally skipping the meal. Treating yourself to a high-protein breakfast or even some chocolate will give you something to look forward to. And a cup of tea or coffee can drive away the lingering blues.

Look your best possible

It has been scientifically proven that the way you dress affects the way you feel. Choose your favourite outfit or opt for some bright colours instead of a depressing and dull grey, brown or navy blue.

Put the music on

Listen to some soothing music, happy songs or your favourite numbers as you go about getting ready or even on your way to work. This will not only blank out your heaviness, but will also put a much-needed pep in your step!

A bit of pre-planning

What makes Mondays worse is having to frantically rush around preparing for the workday even as you can barely keep awake. Wouldn’t you feel more relaxed if you had ironed and laid out your clothes as well as packed your bag and files on the previous night itself? This will make your Monday morning less hurried and burdensome.

To stretch the logic further, it is always better to finish all possible pending tasks on Friday evening. Organise your work before you leave the office and clean up your desk so that you can make a fresh start after the weekend.Last but not the least; you should always enjoy your work and this passion for work will change your feelings as you have had a refreshing break and are ready to get back to work on Monday.

Even just having an optimistic attitude will help you to put a positive spin on things and be ready to kick start a brand new week.

Yet, even the most fulfilling work can still find you a bit subdued on Monday mornings. But the best part is that the blues are temporary and will most probably disappear once you get into the regular rhythm of work. So, have a very happy Monday, remember the weekend’s just five days away!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Build on strengths to derive bigger gains

Published on Wednesday, Dec 10, 2008

All of us are obsessed with our weaknesses. Pick any self-help book or attend any self-improvement talk, the focus is always on recognising and overcoming your weaknesses.The constant worry is to improve your weak points, try to fix everything that you lack! And in the almost fanatical fixation with vulnerabilities, your strengths lie largely ignored.

Pause and ponder on this for a while. Supposing strong technical skills is your forte and you find yourself a little weak when it comes to communication skills, which issues will you tend to concentrate on? Nine out of ten people are sure to be content with the technical specialty and will enroll themselves for some course on interpersonal skill development!

In direct contrast, is an emergent view that within your strengths lies the ability to correct your weaknesses.

Why strengths?

Let’s take the legendary story of the rabbit that was enrolled in a rabbit school. Like all other rabbits, it could hop very well but could not swim. At the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in hopping but failed in swimming. The parents were concerned. They said, “Forget about hopping. You are anyways good at it. Concentrate on swimming.” They sent the rabbit for tuitions in swimming. And guess what happened? The rabbit forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim?

Therefore, do not mistakenly concentrate on becoming good at everything you do. Being a perfectionist and eliminating your weaknesses will only make you the proverbial ‘Jack of all trades but master of none’.

Instead, move to building on your strengths, as it will produce bigger gains. This will help you to make an impact, move forward and also correct your weaknesses. Only then can you be successful, content and happy.

In fact, experts are beginning to believe that the predominant reason why most people fail is because they do not utilise their strengths to the fullest. Most of the time is spent on worrying about the weaknesses.

Optimising your strengths

Building your strengths begins with identifying what you are good at. Indulge in deep soul-searching to discover what skills you can bank on or what abilities will help you get things done. Do not think that you do not possess any strengths at all. Everyone has some unique and inherent gifts; the difference is that you may not be aware of what you have.

Take the time to reveal your natural abilities by thinking in terms of what you can do well. Are you good at marketing or is organising your strong point? Do you speak confidently and how good are your communication skills? What about your leadership qualities? Also, can you work under pressure or are you quick at solving technical issues?

This will shed light on your unexpressed strengths. You should be proud of your other abilities like strong purpose, self-confidence, indomitable spirit, clear perception, persuasiveness, ability to work hard or quick learning and use them to the hilt. In fact, the best possible way to hone and develop your strengths is to use them. Like it’s always said, ‘Use it or lose it’. So, try to exploit what you are good at by incorporating it in different areas of your work and life. Use your strengths regularly and also find additional ways to put them to constructive use.

Deriving full advantage of your assets will help you to maintain motivation, be effective, get results and achieve your goals. In short, you can successfully pull yourself ahead of the game.

Apart from this, concentrate on what you can do well and try to excel in the said field. This is not to say that you should completely ignore your weaknesses either. Just steer clear of those weak points that do not impact your job or are irrelevant to your goals.

For instance, if you are a good manager, your main goal should be to lead and direct your subordinates in the best way possible. It does not make sense to unnecessarily waste your valuable energies on trying to balance the company checkbook, as you obviously know that it is your limitation. Leaving such tasks to your accounts manager will save you time, stress and frustration. In short, give up trying to be good at everything! You can also leverage your strengths to correct the weak areas that are holding you back or getting in the way of your goals. In other words, concentrate on strengthening your strengths and the weaknesses will take care of themselves.

To sum up in the words of Mr. Azim Premji, “While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must also cherish what is good in us. That is because it is only strengths that can give us the energy to correct our weakness.”

PAYAL CHANANIA

Top traits to cultivate if you want to be hired

Published on Wednesday, Dec 10, 2008

The paramount question that harasses every dejected jobseeker is, ‘What do the employers really want?’ Is it technical knowledge or is it experience? Do they really look for values and what soft skills do they prefer? Is personality and adapting to the company culture really of prime importance?

Facing the challenge of winning the desired job, it is imperative that candidates should be aware of what will impress the prospective employers.

Knowing which critical employability skills employers look for is almost half the battle won.

Here’s a list of some of the common employer requirements when selecting candidates:

Education and experience – It goes without saying that the first priority is a strong educational background and relevant work experience. You should possess the specific occupational expertise, be well qualified and experienced so that you can hit the ground running without any need for extensive training or direction. Especially in the case of new graduates, employers will surely give weightage to credentials, good grades, scholarships, awards and even type of school/college attended.

Computer literacy – Almost all jobs entail a basic level of computer usage. Therefore, you should possess a reasonable understanding of hardware components and be able to use a wide variety of software applications. Knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, Internet and email goes without saying.

Communication skills – This includes the whole gamut of verbal and written communication as well as the vital listening skills. You should be able to speak, converse, write and listen effectively.

Teamwork – Almost no job can be carried out in seclusion; you will be required to interact and spend time with others. So, your capacity to relate to other people, work harmoniously with others and avoid conflicts will be under the scanner. Even collaboration, participation and ability to work well in a team environment will be duly judged.

Leadership – Employers always prefer candidates who display leadership potential like helping, encouraging, coaching and inspiring co-workers or team mates to even taking charge of team projects. You can win brownie points by showing that you seek leadership roles in extra-curricular activities, arrange community fundraisers or plan and lead projects.

Initiative – You should possess enthusiasm for the work and be a self-starter who can get the work done without constantly being told what to do and then reminded of the same. Employers also set high store in the ability to set high standards and then achieve them creatively.

Flexibility – Another important criteria pertains to the willingness to adjust to the company culture as well as adapt to changing conditions, work assignments and new ideas.

Result-oriented – You will be required to be result-oriented and possess organisational abilities. This indicates that you should be able to plan, organise as well as implement anything from tasks and projects to deadlines. Also, be deft at managing different tasks and setting priorities along with effective time management.

Analysis – Good judgement, unbiased reasoning and decision-making are considered essential. This is reflected when you can successfully identify the key issues to be addressed, analyse the situation, seek information from multiple perspectives and then resourcefully solve the problems.

Work ethics – No employer will be willing to compromise on an employee’s personal values like honesty, integrity, punctuality, reliability, commitment and dedication. Be especially careful as the interviewer may try to gain an inkling of your ethical principles by asking various questions and checking your genuineness in a roundabout manner.

Above all, what will stand you in good stead is a genuine love for the job, drive to work hard and ability to achieve results.

You should be an enthusiastic and energetic go-getter who will make optimal efforts to be successful in the job. Having strength of purpose, character and confidence is equally important.

Accordingly, you can build a prominent personal brand by showcasing the desirable qualities in your resume, cover letter and the subsequent interviews. The employer will hire you outright!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Lack of motivation main cause for attrition

Published on Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008

It has been noticed that most managers are good at their work – i.e., they consistently achieve their targets, supervise employees efficiently, assess performance and provide feedback as well as training opportunities.

Yet, alas they are still not able to motivate employees enough to stay with the organisation. Employee turnover is no laughing matter as losing high-performing talent leads to spiralling HR costs of hiring, training and placing candidates. Not to mention productivity losses galore. And the onus falls on the manager, as an old adage goes, “Employees don’t quit their jobs; they quit their bosses!”

Well, the heart of the matter is that only if a manager can engage his staff, will they be motivated to work harder, build commitment and be loyal. In short, they will no longer leave at the drop of the proverbial hat! But, actually motivating employees to stay is a tough proposition. Let’s take a look at some of the key factors that will aid retention:

Hire right – Effective retention begins with proper hiring policies. If you can select the right employees who will fit in with the job and company culture, they are more likely to stay.

Healthy relationship – Building a positive relationship with your subordinates is pivotal. For this, you should be fair, decisive, competent and respectful in your dealings with the staff. Make efforts to support them, solve their problems, build team spirit and earn their trust.

Personal equations - Take the time to sit down and individually talk to your employees. Get to know them by finding out what matters to them, what they like, value, need or lack and provide the same.

Open communication – Employees always want to know what is happening in the organisation and why. You should inform them about the ‘big picture’ visions, goals, strategies and developments. Meet regularly to provide crucial information and answer their questions. Also, be highly visible and accessible always – not just when there is a problem.

On the work front – Make it a point to provide meaningful work, challenging tasks and reachable goals and the employees will be hard-put to leave the job. You should display confidence in the abilities of your staff and delegate important tasks well. Along with this, also empower them with requisite responsibility, authority and autonomy.

Give employees clear direction and lucid reasoning for their work. Explain how their daily tasks are critical to the company’s operations and success. Providing adequate career development and growth opportunities will also make them less likely to leave.

Recognise – An efficient manager is one who takes the time and effort to recognise employees’ activities, efforts and accomplishments. Display consistency in both applauding and rewarding talent. Look for the positives and don’t let the smallest opportunity go by. Only when employees know that their hard work will be noticed and appreciated, will they be motivated enough to stay.

Employee involvement – Employees also want to feel involved in the processes and decisions of the company, especially those that affect their jobs. Soliciting their input and ideas will further involve them in the company activities.

Look within – Employee retention calls for leadership motivation, potential and integrity on your part. You should be able to meet the expectations and aspirations of your staff.

Also, be enthusiastic about your own job, only then will the infectious fervour spread to the employees. Above all, learn to treat your employees well and genuinely care about them. It is bound to show!

Apart from this, you can get employees hooked on to the job with above-average salaries, choice of attractive incentives, flexible work options and promoting work/life balance.

Last but not the least; always remember that different people want different things. Some employees may be motivated by money or benefits, some by recognition and rewards, still others by effective feedback or training opportunities.

The motivation is never the same. The trick is to understand what each individual wants and provide accordingly. If still unsure, the best thing you can do is ask employees outright and they will be more than willing to enlighten you!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Lack of motivation main cause for attrition

Published on Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008

It has been noticed that most managers are good at their work – i.e., they consistently achieve their targets, supervise employees efficiently, assess performance and provide feedback as well as training opportunities.

Yet, alas they are still not able to motivate employees enough to stay with the organisation. Employee turnover is no laughing matter as losing high-performing talent leads to spiralling HR costs of hiring, training and placing candidates. Not to mention productivity losses galore. And the onus falls on the manager, as an old adage goes, “Employees don’t quit their jobs; they quit their bosses!”

Well, the heart of the matter is that only if a manager can engage his staff, will they be motivated to work harder, build commitment and be loyal. In short, they will no longer leave at the drop of the proverbial hat! But, actually motivating employees to stay is a tough proposition. Let’s take a look at some of the key factors that will aid retention:

Hire right – Effective retention begins with proper hiring policies. If you can select the right employees who will fit in with the job and company culture, they are more likely to stay.

Healthy relationship – Building a positive relationship with your subordinates is pivotal. For this, you should be fair, decisive, competent and respectful in your dealings with the staff. Make efforts to support them, solve their problems, build team spirit and earn their trust.

Personal equations - Take the time to sit down and individually talk to your employees. Get to know them by finding out what matters to them, what they like, value, need or lack and provide the same.

Open communication – Employees always want to know what is happening in the organisation and why. You should inform them about the ‘big picture’ visions, goals, strategies and developments. Meet regularly to provide crucial information and answer their questions. Also, be highly visible and accessible always – not just when there is a problem.

On the work front – Make it a point to provide meaningful work, challenging tasks and reachable goals and the employees will be hard-put to leave the job. You should display confidence in the abilities of your staff and delegate important tasks well. Along with this, also empower them with requisite responsibility, authority and autonomy.

Give employees clear direction and lucid reasoning for their work. Explain how their daily tasks are critical to the company’s operations and success. Providing adequate career development and growth opportunities will also make them less likely to leave.

Recognise – An efficient manager is one who takes the time and effort to recognise employees’ activities, efforts and accomplishments. Display consistency in both applauding and rewarding talent. Look for the positives and don’t let the smallest opportunity go by. Only when employees know that their hard work will be noticed and appreciated, will they be motivated enough to stay.

Employee involvement – Employees also want to feel involved in the processes and decisions of the company, especially those that affect their jobs. Soliciting their input and ideas will further involve them in the company activities.

Look within – Employee retention calls for leadership motivation, potential and integrity on your part. You should be able to meet the expectations and aspirations of your staff.

Also, be enthusiastic about your own job, only then will the infectious fervour spread to the employees. Above all, learn to treat your employees well and genuinely care about them. It is bound to show!

Apart from this, you can get employees hooked on to the job with above-average salaries, choice of attractive incentives, flexible work options and promoting work/life balance.

Last but not the least; always remember that different people want different things. Some employees may be motivated by money or benefits, some by recognition and rewards, still others by effective feedback or training opportunities.

The motivation is never the same. The trick is to understand what each individual wants and provide accordingly. If still unsure, the best thing you can do is ask employees outright and they will be more than willing to enlighten you!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Facilitate smooth transition when training your replacement

Published on Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008

More often than not, companies ask departing employees to train their replacement before leaving. The knowledge transfer is a common practice so as to facilitate a seamless transition. Generally, your notice period will overlap with the new employee’s joining. This is the time when you can train him to take over your job.

Handing over the baton

Begin the process with a friendly and pleasant conversation. Ask questions to acquaint yourself with the new employee’s background, expertise and experience. Adopt a courteous and professional attitude as you go about showing him the ropes.

Be helpful and cooperative so that he can operate more effectively and succeed in the new job. Following is a list of the basic things that you should guide your replacement about:

• The company policy, procedures, rules

• Key responsibilities, authority, work standards to be maintained

• Documents to outline tasks that he will need to complete

• Directions on how to proceed with the projects that you were working on

• Employees he should report to, those who can guide him further

• Contact lists of vendors, customers

Apart from this, you should introduce him to co-workers, subordinates and superiors. Try to bring him up to speed by providing inside information that may not be crucial but is still relevant to getting the job done. This could be anything from team dynamics to even a particular manager’s leadership style.

Be patient and considerate as you explain procedures and break him into the job. Customise your training efforts based on his personality, current skill set and experience. Try to stretch his abilities by assigning small, educative tasks and provide feedback. You can even say that he can call you for further assistance or information after you have left the job.

In short, educate him about whatever he needs to know to be successful in the job. Do not hold anything back. As a top consultant highlights, “Employees should pass along everything they perceive as necessary for a ‘base capability’ to do the job. If you are unsure if something is important, it probably is!” Do pass along all possible helpful information, but be careful not to jeopardise your own reputation in the process.

There is a likelihood that you may feel insecure if your replacement is able to do ‘your’ job as well as you, if not better.

Do away with the hard feelings and never try to intentionally make it hard for him. Show that you are genuinely interested in helping him learn the ropes. You will be surprised, but the seemingly tedious process may actually become enjoyable!

On a different note

You may still be enthusiastic about training your replacement if you have been promoted, are voluntarily leaving for a better job or even retiring. Or, at times you may have to train a successor in keeping with the company’s succession plans. This replacement can fill in for you during emergencies and even be primed to assume your responsibilities as you move ahead in your career.

But what if you are leaving under adverse circumstances? Companies have been known to unceremoniously fire employees and then actually have the audacity to ask them to train the new employee. Some even threaten to hold back severance pay and other benefits to browbeat departing employees into acquiescing.

The anger and humiliation may tempt you to inadequately train or even mislead your replacement. But experts advise that it is better to make a clean break and walk away from the job immediately rather than play such petty games.

On the other hand, if you agree to do the needful, do not appear negative or bitter to the new employee. Nor should you taint his opinion by badmouthing the job, company, manager or anything else.

Do a good job of it so that you do not burn your bridges. The management may be impressed by your contribution and give you positive references/recommendations for the new job.

A note of caution- its time to watch your back if your manager asks you to train a replacement out of the blue. It’s a warning sign that you will soon be getting your walking papers!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Self-appraisals must lead to performance development

Published on Wednesday, Nov 5, 2008

Performance management has taken a new turn with self-appraisals. Here, employees evaluate their own performance, which forms the basis for their final assessment.This technique effectively balances out the managerial appraisal, apart from encouraging employee participation and commitment. But, self-reviews are also littered with pitfalls, as the questions do not always generate honest responses. Also, as Harold Fethe, an organisation consultant points out, “When sel f-assessments are compared with either supervisory assessments or peer assessments, research has not shown any straightforward correlations.” Therefore, it is vital to develop structured and consistent self-evaluation questionnaires.

To get reliable input

The first step is to decide the ‘competencies’ or ‘rating factors’ that will be used to evaluate performance. This is based on what the company values and how it decides who is doing a good job. Some sample competencies can range from problem solving, decision-making, teamwork and results, to even something as simple as ‘completes paperwork on time’. This will form the criteria that should be addressed in the appraisal questions. But, do ensure that the standards tie-in with the job description and what the employee actually does on the job!

You can either ask the staff to complete the same form as their managers (probably printed on a different coloured paper). Or, create a customised survey for self-assessment where the employees have to respond to isolated categories.

The questionnaire format will depend on the industry type, organisational structure, company culture and total number of employees. In big companies, you may also need to design separate forms for different clusters of employees based on their hierarchy/skill/education levels or designations/responsibilities.

The form should seek relevant information about:

• Perceived strengths/weaknesses, achievements, areas of greatest development potential

• Areas where the employee went wrong, has problems or requires improvement

• Areas in which greater experience/training/assistance is desired

• Aspects of the work that an employee likes/dislikes

• Additional projects/tasks an employee would like to work on

• Changes or suitable action that would help improve performance

• Immediate goals as well as long-term aspirations

• Other suggestions or recommendations

In addition to the above, self-appraisal forms can also ask about:

• Top job priorities, duties and responsibilities as the employee understands them

• Elements of the job that he finds interesting/difficult

• Factors that impacted his performance

• Tasks or projects that were not successful

• How supervisors/co-workers can help employee

The self-review can have a combination of open-ended questions and Yes/No or multiple-choice answers. Always provide the option of ‘Don’t know’ or ‘Refuse to answer’. It can also ask employees to rank certain factors as say, 1-5 or rate themselves as ‘Exceeds expectations’, ‘Meets expectations’ or ‘Below expectations’.

Supporting statements for various evaluations in the form of concrete illustrations and specific examples can be asked for. This will compel them to think carefully and can also catch out boasts or lies.

Industry experts suggest that the concerned manager should meet with the employee prior to the self-appraisal and guide him on how he should rate himself. They can even go over a sample form together to gain better clarity. This will help the employee to feel comfortable and not threatened by the evaluation.

You can also establish a due date for submitting the self-review, if needed. The methods of evaluation can be factor comparison, forced choice, distribution or weightage.

After asking the employees how they view their own performance and analysing the data, do follow-up by discussing suggestions, setting corresponding goals and working on them. For this you have to be open-minded, receptive and willing to work out a performance development plan.

Watch out

All said and done, managers should still keep in mind that all employees cannot remain objective and a bias is likely to creep in. They may either be unable to unflinchingly point out their mistakes or fear negative action. Then again, while many employees tend to inflate their own ratings, some may even be modest about their achievements or hesitate to take due credit. It is essential to compare employees’ personal perceptions of performance with results of evaluation by a superior.

Therefore, self-reviews have limited functionality and cannot be used as a standalone system of performance assessment. It serves as a starting point, which should be integrated, with other methods to arrive at a balanced evaluation.

PAYAL CHANANIA

Let not intimidation halt your conversation

Published on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008

Conversations happen on a daily basis – at home, in social settings and in the workplace. At work, you may be trying to make a point, share an idea, connect with a colleague, support your boss or educate an employee.

But, some manipulative individuals regularly mouth challenging words and offensive comments that create a tense atmosphere. At times, they even resort to blaming others needlessly or calling them names.

As expected, things go downhill from there. The bullying either intimidates others into agreement or simply shuts down the dialogue mid-way.

Think about it. Doesn’t it often happen that you are trying to communicate something, but you either don’t get heard at all or are constantly marginalised by one or two aggressive people?

It’s a fact that we tend to get defensive in the face of hostile attacks. Just one needling comment like, ‘You never told me that’ or ‘You didn’t give me the information I needed’ and we give in, become silent or simply leave.

But, such dysfunctional manipulations obviously interfere with real conversations and can get stifling after a while. After all, how long can you tolerate feeling stuck or belittled? The underlying resentment will emerge sooner or later, and can even destroy relationships.

Push right buttons

The key to keeping the dialogue moving is to first recognise the sly intentions and tactics. Understand that the aggression is only a calculated ploy to deflect/impede the conversation or to avoid giving a commitment.

You should not play into the manipulator’s hands by reacting as expected. Do not keep quiet or let the conversation shut down without reaching a conclusion. This is possible only when you don’t take the verbal attacks personally and can control your emotions.

Instead of silently backing away, you should undertake a broad and skilful inquiry into the situation. Ask open, meaningful and purposeful questions like:

‘What is your intention?’

‘What do you mean exactly?’

‘If I understand you correctly, you are saying that…’

‘What is the significance of this?’

‘What leads you to conclude that?’

‘What’s important to you about this?’

‘Have you considered…?’

‘What would you rather talk about?’

Or even a direct, ‘Are you trying to shut down the conversation?’

For example, if you make a statement in a discussion and another person responds, “Oh, you are not one of those people, are you?” Take care that you do not fall for the gambit by getting defensive or taking it lying down.

You should avoid the knee-jerk emotional reactions and deal with the situation in a mature manner. You have to play the person at his own game by probing into his viewpoint, priorities and values. As writer, Jamie Walters suggests, “Just how you choose to inquire depends on the particular conversation, and just how deeply you want to move in to dialogue. The more important the stakes, the more beneficial it might be to see the dialogue through to a greater understanding.”

Counter the interruption skilfully so that the manipulator is forced to respond. You should not be critical, condescending or interrogative; just show that you are exploring his underlying motive and what he is actually trying to accomplish.

Caught off-guard, he will have no choice but to admit his bias or real intentions. You should calmly stand back and listen to his needs, fears and logic. Carefully studying his body language will also enable you to understand the unspoken intentions.

Ensure that you have a positive attitude that is open to different perspectives or viewpoints. Only then can you to work towards a workable solution and also, slowly guide the conversation back towards its original purpose.

Thus, an attitude of affirmative inquiry will help you to both lay accountability and maximise effectiveness in meetings, discussions and even general conversations.

This is vital for healthy, productive and successful communication. It eases the tense barriers and facilitates better working relationships.

To sum up, in the words of a top philosopher, “Dialogue is the encounter between men, mediated by the world, in order to name the world!”

Payal Chanania

Diversity-building must be firm objective of hiring managers

Published on Wednesday, Oct 29, 2008

With the hullabaloo surrounding a diverse workforce, many organisations are scrambling to jump on to the ‘diversity’ bandwagon. In the scuttle to have a wide variety of people (ranging from age, gender and religion to race, ethnicity and nationality) on their payrolls, they also incorporate ‘diversity-building’ in their corporate goals and objectives.

Simply wanting to change the composition of the workforce does not actually get hiring managers to recruit diverse candidates. Recruiters are predominantly focussed on hiring the best people for the job and ‘diversity hiring’ becomes just another extra prerequisite on their already overloaded plate of requirements. The hard work and hassles of meeting diversity requirements becomes tough leading to disjointed efforts and little success.

Companies that are genuinely interested in developing a diverse workforce should adopt new managerial strategies:

Educate hiring managers about the true benefits of having a diverse set of employees. Show them that it is not just a ‘politically correct’ stance, but the efforts will actually lead to meaningful results by building a more innovative, productive and healthier work environment.

Provide cross-cultural sensitivity training so that recruiters can combat their prejudicial hiring practices, stereotyped preconceptions and discriminations of any sort. The diversity knowledge will also help them to understand the differences in background and learn how to review the qualifications/requirements of diverse candidates.

Then again, hiring managers tend to hire people like themselves. They should be able to let go of these subconscious biases and adopt a broad view that is flexible and open to change. Only then can they look beyond ‘those like us’ and hire ‘different’ people.

Hiring managers often recruit from the same sources and ask themselves ‘Where are the diverse candidates?’ The management should provide tools and processes for accessing a broader candidate pool, like advertising in publications/media that reach a wider demographic, or inviting foreign applicants.

They can also conduct campus recruitments in different states, target conferences and job fairs and reach out to universities with more diverse student bodies. Or, offer internships and mentoring programmes to multicultural people who can later be absorbed into the workforce.

• Encourage diversity hiring not just for entry-level jobs, but also for middle and upper management levels.

• Make quality hiring a substantial component of assessing recruiters’ performance.

• Tie incentives, recognition and rewards to sustained efforts at hiring for diversity.

While the organisation should establish diversity goals and create a campaign geared towards recruiting diverse employees, the focus should not be merely on ‘hitting the numbers’. Think – can the company afford to hire few women just to balance a completely male staff, take on a few middle-aged employees to offset a predominantly young workforce or recruit foreigners just to mix a few ‘alien’ faces among the locals? Instead, persuade them to hire the best-qualified candidates, but also seek out and be open to recruiting a mixed bag of people.

Companies should make efforts to foster a corporate culture that supports and values diversity, and is open to accepting and respecting differences in an inclusive environment.

Apart from the diversity recruitment objectives, legitimate efforts should be made to assist, mentor, reward, promote and retain the employees. As a top consultant urges, “Employers should adopt a strategic diversity management process that focusses not only on hiring but also fosters an environment that attracts, retains and maximises the productivity and contribution of a diverse workforce!”

PAYAL CHANANIA

Be bold, step out of comfort zone for a rewarding career

Published on Wednesday, Oct 29, 2008

It’s a classic case of the comfort of the known vs. the fear of the unknown and no prizes for guessing what wins the battle hands down.

It is obviously the former which makes us prefer to stay in the same house/area, take the same route to work and do the job in the same way every day.

Who knows - what type of people will be there in a new locality?

How much more traffic will we encounter on the new route ? What if we fail when trying new things on the job?

It is this same sense of security that keeps us from leaving an unsatisfactory job and makes us fall into a rut.

‘Dangerous’ zone

At work it may often happen that you slip into a comfortable routine of doing the same old things in the way that you have always done them. Obviously, there are no risks or threats amidst the soothing familiarity of known people, places, actions, habits and work styles. You are always in control, know what is going to happen next and can even do your work with your eyes closed.

Things cannot continue like this indefinitely. Over time, the mundane chores can trap you into taking your work for granted. Not only is there no scope for career growth, but you will also tend to slack off and performance will slowly decline.

As one writer points out, “Even the most successful habits eventually lose their usefulness as events change the world and fresh responses are called for. Yet we cling on to them long after their benefit has gone. Past strategies are bound to fail sometime. Letting them become automatic habits that take the controls is a sure road to self-inflicted harm.”The boredom and drone of the daily grind is a warning sign that your career has plateaued and that you are becoming habituated to a self-satisfied complacency.

Still surprisingly, you may become so entrenched in the supposedly warm feeling of familiarity that you not only like being in the ‘comfort zone’, you actually crave it!

Breaking out

The only way to achieve your life’s goals, success and ‘real’ satisfaction is to regularly step out of the comfort zone. But, by now the mental conditioning of security may be so ingrained that you panic at the very thought of change.

So, you have to first convince yourself that though the challenge of getting out of your comfort zone is quite forbidding, it can and should be done. It requires great courage and determination to regularly push against the boundaries of familiarity. All it boils down to is a conscious decision to leave and stay out of your comfort zone.

Here are a few tips on the same:

• Build a proactive and open-minded attitude.

• Never ever shy away from change or doing things differently.

• Always look to experiment with new work.

• Try to learn new things, pursue new opportunities and explore uncharted paths.

• Seek out new and creative ideas that will stimulate your interest.

• Be willing to take risks.

• Set new goals that will expand your potential

• Slowly, work yourself towards letting go of ‘tried and tested’ habits and welcoming new responses.

It is possible that as you attempt to venture out of your comfort zone, you will feel quite anxious and helpless. It is true that you are bound to make mistakes and even fail occasionally. But, do not let this abounding fear make you go back into the comfort zone.

Roll up your sleeves and force yourself to let go off your need for security. Strive to take unfamiliar circumstances and behaviours in your stride. As you slowly succeed in facing the anxiety and discomfort head on, you will start feeling empowered, energised and powerful.

This will rekindle the fire in the job and make you feel passionate about your work all over again. So, forge ahead and out of your comfort zone, as there is always room for growth. And, if not, then maybe its time to find a new job, my friend!

To sum up in the words of Bob Parson, America’s celebrated entrepreneur, “The important thing to remember here is that if you are going to accomplish anything of any significance, you absolutely have to take a chance. That means that you have got to get out of your comfort zone!”

PAYAL CHANANIA

To be a good boss, motivate team to perform efficiently

Published on Wednesday, Oct 22, 2008

Ask any manager or executive and he is bound to say that he is the best boss his employees could ever have asked for. But, ask the subordinates, and the odds are that the story will be entirely different.

What’s more, people normally don’t leave their jobs: they leave their bosses! As authors, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman state in their book, First, Break All the Rules, “The talented employee may join a company because of its ch arismatic leaders, its generous benefits and its world-class training programs, but how long that employee stays and how productive he is while he is there is determined by his relationship with his immediate supervisor.”

To be fair to them, bosses are quite an embattled lot – torn as they are between doing things right and playing nice with employees. So, where are they actually going wrong?

How should they tackle the high-pressured job littered with incessant employee demands and conflicts?

Here’s a take on how to become a better boss:

• First and foremost, you should never be autocratic or impose your positional authority. Assert, ‘I am the boss’ and people will never listen to you.

• Instead, adopt an open-ended approach by talking to your employees about their goals, aspirations, motivations, and problems, what they like/dislike about the work and what they want to change. Solicit their suggestions, criticism and concerns and really listen to what they have to say. Such informal talks and one-on-one meetings will show that you are genuinely interested in your staff and ready to help them.

• Building good, healthy relationships will motivate employees and they are more likely to stick with the company even when the going is not as good.

• Communicating your vision, aims and strategies will make employees feel like a part of the team. Also, give them specific and reachable goals so as to motivate them to perform efficiently.

• Keep employees informed of new developments and changes so that they are aware of what is going on in the company. Also, involving them in decisions, especially those that concern them will win loyalty and cooperation.

• According to author, Bob Nelson writing in Economy in Managing for Dummies, “Part of being a good manager and coach is being available to your employees when they need your help”.

• Be friendly and accessible to everyone. But know where to draw the line, as ‘backslapping’ terms are not exactly commendable.

• Adopt an individualised approach where you understand employees’ needs and give them what they require to perform well – some may need constant direction while others crave freedom.

• Delegating important tasks and giving employees responsibility will demonstrate your trust in their strengths and abilities.

• Respond to complaints and address concerns right away. Ignoring or postponing them will only make the problems fester.

• It is imperative that you should lead by example. Check your own work habits like punctuality, decisiveness, procrastination and being able to meet deadlines before expecting it from the subordinates.

• Teach employees to work smart with the accent not on putting in long hours, but on improved performance.

• Mistakes will always happen. It is how you deal with employee errors – in a firm, kind and positive manner - that matters.

• Never hesitate to provide encouragement, support and well-timed recognition of efforts. Publicly acknowledging employee achievements is the best reward that can spur them to higher levels of performance. Proactively affirm the praise with specific and positive comments whenever possible.

• Being a boss also means taking some tough decisions. You cannot shy away from confrontations and giving criticism. Arrange private conversations to share your concerns, reprimand poor performance and provide guidance. At times, you will also have to take suitable action to correct destructive, passive or negative behaviours. If necessary, do not hesitate to fire under-performers who drag down the team and refuse to change.

• Always strive to improve your supervisory and leadership skills by undertaking training workshops and courses.

All said and done, your success as a boss depends on the attitude and performance of your subordinates. So, be game to face the numerous challenges head on as only then can you build an alert, efficient, responsible and high-performing workforce!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Consider all options in keeping with your potential

Published on Wednesday, Oct 15, 2008

Most of us start our working life in an entry-level position at the bottom of the career ladder. While we gradually do claw our way to the mid-level, only a handful make it right to the rarefied upper positions replete with corner offices.

If you are not where you would like to be and are really serious about scaling the highest echelons of your profession, achieving career success is easy as long as you know how to go about it.

A career guru says, “If you want your career to go faster, then accept that you are going to have to put some pace into it”. Here are a few mantras for working your way to the top:

Passion: The ambition and drive to get ahead is what will help you to make things happen. As it has been rightly said, “Getting to the ‘top’ is all about believing that you deserve to be there”. Build the necessary maturity, sensitivity and flexibility so that you are game for everything that life and work can throw your way.

Clear vision: The key to the top is to dream big and then strive at turning the dreams into reality. Write it in your career objectives and chalk out an individual growth plan accordingly. This mission and key goals will keep you going even under the most adverse circumstances. Never give others the power to determine your career destiny. You and you alone are responsible for your career success. Try to consider all the options in keeping with your potential and go out and achieve them for yourself.

Reputation: Success is built on what you have achieved, not what you want to do or could have done. Keep track of what you do and do not shy away from touting your victories. Persevere in building a strong track record of diligent work and achievements. Also, keep looking for other ways to promote yourself professionally.

Network: If you keep your nose stuck to the grindstone, ‘getting to the top’ will only remain a pipe dream. Afterall, who you know is as important as what you know/do. Join professional organisations, participate in industry events and hobnob with the higher-ups in your company in order to build a strong network of trustworthy relationships.

Simply socialising with your contacts can open doors that you otherwise never dreamed possible.

Go the extra mile: Giving your best and then some more is what counts ultimately. Be willing to do more than you are asked to and go out of your way to achieve exemplary results. As a top career guide elaborates, “Many employees finish their task and then go and make personal phone calls or play on the Internet. The ones who move up the career ladder are those who seek more responsibility when they have completed their tasks. You have to have the initiative to work, or to ask for work.”

You still cannot afford to bask in your laurels. There is still much more to do and to learn. Constantly seek to update your skills and expand your knowledge.

PAYAL CHANANIA

Do not let rejection curb your performance

Published on Wednesday, Oct 08, 2008

Rejection is inevitable. It is part and parcel of the game; something that will happen some time or the other. Your ingenious idea is dismissed summarily, a covetous deal falls through or an ambitious project gets turned down. Else, you receive a harsh performance evaluation, get passed up for a promotion or even fail to land a dream job. The list is undoubtedly never-ending!

Such career rejection may come with the territory, but this does not make the ‘personal blow’ any easier to live down.

Needless to say, a rejected mindset is a terrible phase to be in. The trauma of endless hours of hard work being washed away with a callous ‘thumbs down’ is bound to take its toll.

The pain of rejection can leave a person feeling dejected, demoralised and finally devastated. Self-doubt creeps in as he starts seeing himself in an unworthy and unwanted light. This in turn, affects both his self-esteem and performance.

The humiliating sting of ‘being rejected’ can transform into a livid loathing as he rails, ‘How dare they reject me?’ Or, even depress him to the extent of calling it quits!

The sharp swings between self-pity, anger and depression only further prolong the recovery. And all is not over yet. The scars will be always there….

Well, who says life was meant to be easy. You must learn to cope with rejection so that you can snap back all the more faster. Here are a few tips on the same:

What went wrong - You are the best judge of yourself. Evaluate your own performance – was it up to the mark, were you thoroughly prepared. Try to judge where your faults lie and mentally prepare yourself for the negative reality.

Keep it in perspective - Never ever take a rejection personally. It only reflects on your work/performance, not on your value as a person. If you have to berate yourself, use ‘I am disappointed in my performance’ rather than ‘I am disappointed with myself’. Think about what you can gain from the ordeal, not what you have lost.

Indulge yourself - At the other end of the spectrum, always watch out as you can easily slip into a denial mode too. Try to ride out the wave of emotions by first acknowledging what you are feeling, why and when it will end. Vent your frustration, disappointment, anger and bitterness with family, friends or by yourself. Unbelievably, the ranting and raving can be therapeutic and reenergise you to move forward.

Bounce back - If you find yourself unduly wallowing in the negativity or continuously justifying the rejection, seek the support of friends, relatives and colleagues to pull yourself through. Exercising, indulging a hobby and taking good care of yourself can also help you overcome the pain. Worse come worse, there is no harm in seeking professional help also.

Rise like the phoenix - Do not let the rejection get you down or affect your performance and skills negatively. On the contrary, view it as an opportunity to improve. Once the sting subsides, build the inner strength that motivates you to new and better work. Regroup as quickly as possible and start making new plans and goals to prove yourself to everyone.

Learn your lesson - While you have to learn to accept the rejection with grace, do not quietly take it as your fate either. This is an opportunity for continuous improvement, leaning and growth.

Politely inquire the reasons why you were rejected. Also seek advice and guidance on what you should do differently to be more effective. Adopt the learnings and persist in improving yourself until you succeed the next time.

To sum up, you win some, you lose some. Rejection is nothing but one of the many obstacles lacing your career path. Once you develop strategies to take it in your stride, you can soon look back on the hurdles as stepping stones to even better things.

What’s more, you cannot stop taking chances just to avoid the risk of rejection. Get over the dreaded anxiety and resiliently survive the bumpier parts as every rejection brings you closer to ultimate success. All you have to do is accept, learn and move on.

So you got refused, so what! One bad inning does not lose the ball game. In the words of Yogi Berra, “It ain’t over until it’s over!”

PAYAL CHANANIA

Pick right communication strategies to create value

Published on Wednesday, Jul 09, 2008

The crux of any successful organisation is effective internal communication. It is the lifeblood of a company and yet it takes a back seat to other key ‘priorities’ and is often considered a waste of time.
The harsh truth is that strategic internal communications impact an organisation’s effectiveness dramatically. On a macro level, it is essential for maximising performance, achieving results and driving change. By aligning interests and strategies, it advances company objectives and ensures continuity within the organisation.
In a narrower perspective, open lines of communication engage employees at all levels – it enables them to understand company vision, values and culture, connects them to organisational objectives and fosters mission-focused employee behaviour to support corporate goals. Managers can not only make better decisions, but also gain staff buy-in for the same.
Consequently, companies that communicate effectively with employees have a motivated and informed workforce that is more satisfied, feels more involved in the fate of ‘their’ company and ultimately contributes more to success. Profitability, job satisfaction and employee retention are bound to soar.
Leverage the power
Internal communication is nothing but the sharing of information within the organisation. It is the liaison between the organisation and its employees and hence, should represent both the voice of management and employee interest.
The communication channels should be used for everything from announcing events, issues, initiatives, plans, changes, problems and challenges facing the organisation. It should establish formal roles and responsibilities, update employees on the direction in which the company is headed, inform about management decisions and clarify operational processes. Then and only then will it build employee trust and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals.
Especially in times of crisis or shifting of gears - downsizing, altering a customer service strategy, dealing with accelerated growth – employee communications should provide adequate information of the event, what is expected of them and strategies to handle the issue.
In practice
Top management should analyse organisational requirements and build a strategic communication plan based on company vision and mission. It is advisable to employ a professional communications specialist for this task.
To ensure effective communication, carefully create a user-friendly, strategic and business-focussed message. Keep it honest, transparent, timely, clear, concise, credible, informative and independent. Apart from proper content, it should also be well presented and straightforward, devoid of manipulations or ambiguity.
Then again, any communication is in the management’s control only till it is sent to the employees. What is to ensure that the staff will actually read the message and it will not fall on deaf ears?
Not only should the message be compelling enough to grab attention, it should also appeal to the sensibilities of the recipient. So, instead of bombarding everyone with information overload, communications should be targeted to match the varying needs of different groups. What makes a middle manager sit up and pay attention may bore an accountant.
Internal communications should also be two-way by involving employees in issues that affect their working life. It should address staff concerns, clarify their issues and encourage them to provide feedback. Only when management actually listens to what employees have to say, will the participatory communication forge stronger relationships and a sense of community.
Not to mention, internal communication should be ongoing with regular and updated information on company plans, expectations and employee contributions. Also, communicate both the good news and the bad – withholding information from employees is fodder for anxiety and conflict.
Mobilising actionable tools: Organisations can choose from a variety of effective communication channels – oral, written, face-to-face and virtual. Some are interactive, some personal, others not.
• Print materials, message boards, newsletters, videos, magazines, presentations, they function as both a management voice as well as voice of employees by highlighting staff success stories, contributions, grievances and testimonials along with updates on company news, events and strategies. Even eye-catching posters placed in high-visibility areas can create a lasting impact.
• Emails, instant messaging. An inexpensive route to instantly disseminate timely information that notifies aligns and invigorates employees. Even staff can use it to raise concerns or ask questions.
• Intranet website. This is an invaluable resource that hosts email, file transfer and network news. A powerful and dynamic means to integrate information worldwide and achieve collaboration and interaction. It can be used to instantly publish information on changed processes that everyone needs to use.
• Company blogs. It can’t get more informal than this. Even CEOs have taken to blogging for floating new ideas, circulating information, gaining instant feedback and steering conversations in a deliberate direction.
• Conference calls, virtual meetings. These online and participatory tools can literally bring far-flung people ‘under one roof’ to facilitate discussions or brainstorming.
• Casual sessions, meetings. These are get-togethers where employees can listen to or even talk with organisational representatives. Plain old face-to-face conversations are the most effective way to reach out and create personal bonds.
It is essential to choose the right mix of communication strategies that will create value and not stick to just one of them. As its been rightly said, “Even positive change can backfire in a company if its poorly communicated to employees”

PAYAL CHANANIA

Pass on kudos received from boss to team

Published on Wednesday, Sep 10, 2008

Who is a good leader? Evidently, true organisational leadership qualities demand taking more than your share of the blame and less than your share of the credit!This is immortalised in the wise words of the great football coach, Bear Bryant for leadership no matter what kind of team you lead, “There’s just three things I’d ever say: If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes real good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people to win football games for you!” But in the real world the exact opposite holds true.Think again before dismissing this –

• What do you do when you uncover a critical error or even an employee admits a mistake?

• Wouldn’t you eagerly lap up the credit for a major success or breakthrough?

When something goes wrong

At any given lapse or failure, all hell breaks loose with emotional yelling, useless criticism and blame fixing.

Most self-seeking leaders duck their head and conveniently let others take the fall. In fact, many a successful career has been based largely on such strategies of finger pointing and avoidance.

It is quite tempting to skirt or deflect the blame on scapegoats around or beneath you. But as the manager, you are the captain of the ship and should take the hit for the team. The onus is on you to step up and take full responsibility for any wrong decision, missed deadline, failed project, malfunctioning strategy or any other mishap that occurs.

Instead of stepping aside, be willing to take the heat and point the finger at your own chest for the mistakes. Have the nerve to claim, “I take full responsibility. This is my department.”

Always lead from the front, but do not let the culprit go scot-free either. Detractors argue that standing in front of your people and becoming the regular ‘fall-guy’ leaves the door open for repeating mistakes. So, even while sacrificing for the team, make efforts to understand the true cause underlying the issue, examine and resolve the problem.

A consultant rightly observes, “The top leader should periodically assess the company’s operations, decisions and behaviours, and in doing so, prevent the poor decision or performance from ever occurring.” Deal with the person responsible and caution him not to do it again. Assure him that you will back him up and at the same time inspire him to do things right.

When something good happens

The team is more important than you and your aspirations. Rise above petty selfishness like taking all the glory for yourself and always give credit where it is due. Be more than ready to support heroic efforts and publicly recognise, praise and reward a job well done. Else, your employees will end up feeling unrecognised and used.

Magnanimously share credit and make contributors feel that you couldn’t have achieved any success in your endeavours without them. Also, pass on any kudos you receive from higher levels to the deserving individuals. In other words, give more than your share of credit and take less than your share of praise.

Only with such honesty and humility can you step into the shadows and take pride in your team as they bask in the limelight of ‘their’ success.

As you bring everyone to the table and make them feel an important part of achievements with the proverbial ‘fifteen minutes of fame’, the laurels will automatically come back to you. So, as a manager or leader, take the blame for your employees and you will have just won yourself undying loyalty. Give them due credit for success and you will be surprised at how respected you will be. It will foster a mutually beneficial relationship by motivating people towards superior performance and excellence. With the resultant appreciation, trust and accountability, you can get people to do what you want them to do – they will actually prefer to work for you!

Author Jim Collins sums it up best in his best-selling book, Good to Great as ‘the window and the mirror’. He says, “If you are praised look outside the window and say it is because of them. If you are not praised look into the mirror and say it is my fault. That is what leadership is all about!”

PAYAL CHANANIA

Maximise your tele-talk power for daily business

Published on Wednesday, Sep 03, 2008

Without a thought, we can yak away on the telephone with a friend for hours. But most of us are just as reluctant when it comes to picking up the phone and making a business call!

Yet, how long can you put off the so-called ‘ordeal’. We have to make calls regularly for everything from routine inquiries, fishing for a job or prospecting customers to soliciting important information, closing a sale or dealing with com plaints. When your phone is ringing, it may bring just a cold call or something as crucial as a preliminary screening interview.

Needless to say, the way you handle calls reflects on you. Efficient and effective use can mean the difference between simply speaking and ‘tele-connecting’!

Then again, interesting statistics reveal that people develop a perception about you within the first 30 seconds of a phone conversation and their final opinion of you in the last 30 seconds. It is imperative that we consciously project professionalism when both making and receiving calls.

Maximise power

When on the telephone, we cannot see the caller and he cannot see us. In fact, we are limited to using only 30 percent of our available communication skills, which means we must work even harder to make serious contact, let alone build a positive relationship.

Some tips on how to structure and manage phone calls:

How you begin or answer a call is the verbal equivalent of a handshake. So, ensure that you answer a ringing phone promptly. Identify yourself with your name, designation and company. Like, “HR Department, Ritesh speaking. How may I help you?” Providing an enthusiastic opening will make the recipient feel good about the call. Also, when receiving a call, note the caller’s name and use it often.

Never suspend the normal rules of politeness. Be friendly, helpful and courteous at all times, as your treatment of the caller will determine his impression of you and your company.

Your voice is your weapon on the phone. A warm, welcoming and pleasant tone projects a good image. Practice smiling every time you dial or answer a call; it will be ‘heard’ on the phone! Something as simple as standing up when you speak can create a positive engagement, as you sound glad to make or take the call.

The way you speak over the telephone conveys 85 percent of your message. Check your speed, clarity and pitch. The words you use, the tone and even your body language can convey subliminal signals. Give the phone call your undivided attention. Do not try to multitask by checking emails, sipping coffee or talking to someone else. Mistakes and misunderstandings can arise if you are doing something else at the same time. Let the person on the other side say his piece. Listen attentively to elicit the object of the call or ascertain the problem, without interrupting rudely or speaking over him. You can even take notes if needed.

When it’s your turn, respond appropriately by talking with him, not at him. Offer help, provide useful information, take the message, lead him through a solution or try to find someone who can help him, as the case maybe. Whatever you do, use good questioning techniques to control the call, summarise the important points and agree on subsequent action. Even if the call is a difficult or heated one, stay calm, try to be helpful and never slam the phone down.

It is bad manners to place someone on hold. Even if you have to, first ask permission, explain the reason and let him know how long it will take. If it can take indefinitely, ask if he or you can call back. Graciously end calls with a pleasant ‘goodbye’, ‘thank you’ or a response to the other person’s thanks. And always let him hang up first.

To sum up, be nice, approachable and sincere on all incoming and outgoing phone calls so as to build and maintain trust.

Keep communicating with confidence, diplomacy and professionalism to slowly develop your personal style on the phone. Last but not the least, place importance on the caller, not yourself!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Be careful of what you put online, it is there forever

Published on Wednesday, Sep 03, 2008

You don’t even know it, but a lot of your unsavoury personal information is floating around in cyberspace. A simple click of the mouse can open up the proverbial can of worms for all to see.

So even as you read this, someone somewhere in the world may be reading about your escapades or activities. While most casual surfers do no harm, what about the growing trend among recruiters and employers to scour the Internet to check out both poten tial candidates and existing employees?

You will be surprised at what they can unearth – from unprofessional screen names and boasts to provocative photos from lies about qualifications to badmouthing an employer or sharing confidential information.

And needless to say, companies do rule out candidates and even cancel job offers based on what they find online.

In fact, according to a survey by a leading recruiting firm, 78 percent of executive recruiters routinely use search engines to learn more about candidates and 35 percent have eliminated candidates based on the information they found.

This means that your digital dirt can effectively jeopardise potential employment opportunities and derail an otherwise promising job search even before it starts.

So think about it! Can you afford to miss out on the job of your dreams because of a few careless remarks or salacious content?

It’s high time you check what’s posted about you on the web, because rest assured, others definitely will!

Track your online reputation – Indulge in some narcissistic ego-surfing by googling yourself. Simply typing your full name in quotation marks on a search engine will reveal a list of your digital footprints – everything you have ever done online or others have said about you. If there is some shocking old stuff like unprofessional conduct, radical views or insulting replies that you don’t want others to see or yourself to be associated with, contact the site owner and request for it to be removed/modified. But be prepared as he may just refuse to oblige!

Operation: Sanitise – Flamboyant profiles, reckless hobbies, silly brags or unruly exploits can be your undoing as recruiters check social networking sites as well.

It is advisable to take off questionable material, or at least use privacy settings and comment blocks so that only friends can view your information or post comments. Also, check your profile frequently to ensure that it does not display anything that may make you wince later on!

Clean up your act – Exercise prudence in what you say on your own blog or elsewhere. Steer clear of unnecessary rants or objectionable jokes. Sometimes, a seemingly innocent inquiry on an ‘agony aunt’ column about the effects of a long-forgotten indiscretion, violence or illegal behaviour can inadvertently spell an instantaneous death knell on your job search.

Seed it out – If your best efforts fail to erase your cyber skeletons, try to crowd them out with positive information. There are many smart ways to enhance flattering stuff about yourself and displace/suppress negative listings. As writer, Jared Flesher hints, “Search engines typically rank their results based on the number of sites that link to those pages.

The more links, the higher the search ranking. Make sure the pages you want recruiters to see have more links to them than the pages you’d rather keep hidden.”

For instance, use professional networking sites like Linkedin to showcase your skills, expertise and contacts, as they list high on Google results.

Keep tabs – You can also monitor what others are saying about you (on blogs or web groups) and keep yourself abreast of deliberate attempts to misrepresent or malign your character by setting up alerts (like Google Alerts) for anything posted online that is tied to your name.

As one blogger remarks, “Getting regular reports on what people are saying about things related to me is really useful because a lot of times there are errors. You want to make sure you set the record straight.”

Build a good web presence – An online professional identity is very important and you can actually exploit the Internet to your advantage. Starting a web page, blog or forum is a fresh way to get noticed. Use the platform to display your knowledge, passion and skills with intelligent content. Or, post well thought-out comments on industry blogs and message boards to get your name out there.

In a nutshell, you cannot afford to take any chances in this competitive world. Even an ostensibly harmless email can come back to haunt you. So be careful of what you put online; it will be preserved forever!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Work to be recognised, get promoted

Published on Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008

You have worked hard and want and even merit a promotion. But the hard truth is that we often don’t get what we deserve let alone want!

A promotion rarely, if ever, comes knocking. Its not that you cannot get a better deal, but it will not be handed to you on a platter. Even the most competent employees cannot sit back and wait for an advancement to fall in their lap. So, instead of s imply wallowing in resentment, why not step up and make it happen.

An inside look at how promotions happen in most organisations highlights the efforts it takes for skyrocketing your career in-house. Here’s how to take charge of your career and work at getting yourself promoted:

Rise above the pack - Prepare yourself to make the most of any opportunities that come your way to become a helpful and supportive asset to the organisation. Volunteer for difficult projects, conduct extra research and take up work outside your job description. Try to solve important problems, suggest innovative ideas for company progress or even write constructive articles for company newsletters and industry magazines to enhance your image. Going the extra mile by doing things with more creativity will give you an unique advantage over others.

Get attention – It is not only important to do good work, but also attract favourable attention to the same. So, instead of simply keeping your nose to the grindstone, try to get yourself on the radar of people in a position to help you. Shine the light on your achievements, promote your abilities and advertise your goals. Like Donald Trump observed, “If you don’t tell people about your success, they probably won’t know about it.” But, ensure that you subtly weave your accomplishments in casual conversation without blatantly winging for a promotion.

Further ammunition – If you have already set your sights on a position you desire, gather all possible information about the same. Talk to your acquaintances, HR or conduct further research to find out the qualifications needed, inherent responsibilities and key issues. Then, concentrate on preparing yourself accordingly by developing your skills, knowledge and ability to meet the job demands. Join formal training classes and seminars to stand a better chance.

Else, try to identify ‘transition positions’ that open the door to promising advancements beyond them. This will not only offer significant learning opportunities, but also holds credence as the best person to fill a job is someone who has already performed the job.

A finger on the pulse – It pays to talk to people who have moved up to the level you wish to attain. Analyse what they did in order to succeed. Observe their work methods, attitudes, ethics and behaviour. Learn from their successes and failures. Even building a network of contacts beyond your functional area, rendering favours and allying yourself with a successful/well-regarded mentor will enable you to take advantage of promotional opportunities.

In the line – Very often, the powers-that-matter may be blissfully unaware that you are interested in a better job and want to move up. Get an interview with a decision-maker who can help you locate a more rewarding position. Show that you are serious about career advancement by putting forward the skills, talents, attitude and abilities you have to offer. Give him solid reasons why you are worthy of an appropriate promotion. Make the right impression as you sell yourself – sound positive and calmly talk out that you want to become more valuable, responsible and better paid.

Then again, chances are that the boss may utter a categorical ‘no’. In that case, seek advice on where you fall short and what you need to do to be ready for a promotion. Work on it to be recognised, promoted and earn your worth the next time round!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Craft job ‘advertisements’ that attract!

Published on Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008

Every recruitment strategy aims to attract the best. Unfortunately, the good intentions meander even before the hiring process gets off the ground!

Why do most companies overlook the integral role that job descriptions play in hiring and selection decisions? They churn out poorly written job postings and classifieds without expending a single thought towards the content. This creates a generic, o rdinary and unadventurous portrayal of ‘must have’ qualifications and mundane duties hinting at sheer monotony.

People comb and assess job descriptions with an eagle eye, but such meaningless ritual incantations appeal only to those desperate to be hired.

The sloppy description actually chases away exceptional talent who can whiff mediocrity from a mile. The result is no response or worse - a flood of resumes from unqualified candidates. And that definitely is not anyone’s target segment by a long shot!

Little wonder that most hiring mistakes can be attributed to ineffective job descriptions.

Catching the right eyes

Job advert statements are all about making the crucial first impression. It is definitely essential to state the mandatory qualifications and skills required for the job along with the ensuing attributes and responsibilities.

Yet, leaving it at that makes a job seem quite off-putting. Putting some sizzle in the description will turn heads, and the right ones at that! Consider these tips:

• The job title should be compelling enough to make a job seeker want to read the rest of the posting. For example, try substituting a boring title of ‘Marketing Manager’ with a more fun and exciting one like, ‘Launcher of Nifty Office Products’.

• Listing a few positive aspects like career advancement, benefits and company progress can enliven the dreariest of jobs. All it takes to gear up excitement about a job’s prospects is a few choice phrases like ‘on the brink of greatness’ or ‘become a part of the hottest sales team’ interspersed with the otherwise repetitive tasks and mundane requirements.

• Do not portray the candidate as an interchangeable commodity. Employ descriptive ways to paint an innovative picture of the job responsibilities and depict the prerequisites as positive action items. Use examples instead of long-drawn explanations

• Try to incorporate something new and exciting either through the challenges the company has faced or upcoming projects and their impact. Use the job posting to emphasise job challenges, a cutting edge environment, company vision and how an employee can make a difference.

• Top HR consultant and speaker, Lou Adler says, “The job description shouldn’t be this dull, boring, must have this (qualification). Offer an opportunity, not just a job!” Dump traditional job descriptions that focus on a laundry list of skills and duties in favour of describing the work as an attractive opportunity. Step away from the job history and depict what the job will be in keeping with the organisation’s long-term objectives.

• Omit meaningless fluff like ‘industry leader’ and ‘change the world’ when everyone knows it’s not true. Instead, highlight small, unique aspects of the job and company.

• Identify and respond to job seekers’ motivations and desires. Concentrate on what people actually want and mould the job description to highlight what’s in it for them.

• The job description should not diverge from the actual job in an attempt to sound alluring. Top candidates will steer clear of classifieds where the features and conditions are inconsistent with the job title. Also, sugarcoating a job description to mislead candidates is not only unethical but will make gullible employees leave soon after hiring. Therefore, instead of overselling a non-existent glamour, create attractive and credible job advertisements.

Therefore, well-crafted appealing job advertisements will improve hiring the right candidates.

If you are still not convinced, consider this:

‘Support and maintenance of network operations along with short, team-based development projects to existing products….’

Contrast it with:

‘If you are bored, stop worrying right now! We work together on next generation technology. Nurture your passion for development right here….’

Now think about which one makes you want to apply!

PAYAL CHANANIA