May 19, 2011 · 10:06 am

Leaders or Misleaders?


In a recent Leadership Training that I had conducted for the Insurance Sector, I opened the session by posing the “usual” question- “Who is a Leader?” to my well groomed, seemingly well informed multi cultural crowd.

And I got the “Usual” answer- “Anyone who takes people towards the realization of a common goal”. Probably they had learnt this clichéd response in school. Out of genuine curiosity, I enquired- “Any Goal, or should it be a Good one ? ”

And pandemonium broke loose.

“Good?. What is Good for someone is bad for someone else. It’s very subjective. So let’s leave “Good” out of the equation”- they chorused unanimously.


I was in a dilemma now. “Good ”and “Bad” are not subjective concepts. They are based on age old universally accepted principles. Well, some people do tend to mince their views about the two extremes of the continuum and convince themselves that Gray is acceptable. But deep inside our souls, we all know the difference between White and Black.

Lying, Stealing, Cheating, Oppressing, Being Unfair, hurting and killing unarmed/helpless/innocents……. These are bad things

Helping others, Being honest, fighting for a good cause, working with integrity…. These are good things

Someone takes people towards the realization of common “Bad Goals”. Does that make him a Bad Leader?. Does that make him a Leader at all?. What do you mean by “Ethical Leadership ?”. Can there be unethical Leadership?

After a lot of deliberating, I felt that there should be only two classifications- Leaders or Misleaders. When I aired my views, my trainees disagreed. Adolf Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, George Bush….. they came up with a long list of infamous names. Didn’t people follow them?. Weren’t they inspiring? – they challenged me vociferously.


Let’s take the case of the late Mr. Osama Bin Laden. I have never met him or spoken to him. All my paradigms are based on Media reports. And I am not 100% sure (to say the least) that the media is unprejudiced and fair. But since we don’t have alternatives, let us accept blindly what Fox News has to say.

Bin Laden couldn’t tolerate the state of affairs of the people in Palestine. He felt that America is the reason for their troubles. He decided to punish Americans for this. He rallied people to fly commercial airliners into the world trade centre. Many innocents died. He inspired people to do similar acts in different parts of the world.(Courtesy Fox News and their fans)

If we go by the standard definition of “Leader”, We will have to agree that he was indeed one. Got People to follow and achieved his goals through them…didn’t he ? But didn’t he also go against many age old values that we all accept, respect and try our best to comply?

Lying– He used the concept of Jihad to rally people around. Islam unequivocally denounces violence against innocents. Permission is given to fight only against those who dole out injustice and tyranny. And there are clearly laid out rules regarding the nature and extent of response. The Who, Where, When, What and How are inscribed on stone. He broke most of them. His battle was anything but Jihad.

Wrong Targets– He didn’t attack those who were responsible for his grievances. Hundreds of innocent men women and children lost their lives in the attacks

Though his intentions may be justified (standing up for the oppressed), his reactions were flawed, the outcomes of his reactions were disastrous and the means employed to achieve his goals were based on an excess of false rhetoric.

Even if a section of the world do consider him as a Leader, they will realize their folly the day they allow their logical adult brains to win over their blinded animal brains. Sharing the pain of the oppressed will not for ever go along with condoning the insane crimes of the so called Avengers. So let all of us who can think clearly shelve this concept of “Bad Leader” and go by the new dichotomies- Leaders or Misleaders.

To be fair,the same holds good and even better to all the so called celebrated Leaders around- George Bush, Gaddafi, Netanyahu, Tony Blair, So and So and …………No wonder *&^%! and OSAMA spells almost the same.

Unless their goals and means align with the age old principles and values treasured by our consciences, let us not dare to affix the title of “Leader” to anyone.

And let us all search hard all around to find someone who really deserves this title. Let us choose someone who the unforgiving tommorows will revere. And if we can’t find one… let’s try our best to be one. This world really needs some Leading.

Have a nice Weekend.

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May 18, 2011 · 12:22 pm

What our Children need to know: To be Champions


Had the opportunity recently to take part in a forum on the above subject. The session solicited areas that are not usually taught in schools. Got some fantastic responses. I have consolidated the answers. It will be useful for parents, teachers, trainers and students themselves. Feel Free to add your own ideas to the list. Each point can be developed into projects that can make the new generature Future Proof…..


Learning
Curiosity, to know all the answers
Understanding ones predominant Intelligence (from the 7 different intelligences) and ones predominant learning style (from the 3)
How to adapt ones Learning Method to one’s Learning Style and Intelligence
Memory Techniques
Speed Reading
Apt Foreign Language (Could be Arabic in the Middle East)
The ability to research and seek out information
Writing Skills
History…and how to avoid mistakes
The value of lifelong learning


Self-Awareness
what makes them inspired
what provokes them
what gives them joy
What makes them sad
What are their strengths and weaknesses
Understanding their personality and communication styles


Social Skills
How to have positive relationships with others
Anger Management
How to seek feedback and clarify to avoid misunderstandings
How to handle criticism
How to refrain from mind reading and avoid biases from influencing them
Effective communication
Common courtesy and Good Manners
Reading and Managing emotions in self and others


Moral Compass
Spirituality
Ethical Behavior
Integrity
To be thankful for what they have
The Value of Service and Giving
Respect for others
Compassion and Empathy
Respect and to value the cultural diversity in our world


Traits
Self-confidence
Personal accountability
Commitment to seeing a project through
Taking responsibility for our own actions
Problem-solving
Initiative
Decision making
Creative thinking
Confidence to explore new ideas
Ambition, Goal Setting and Goal management
Survival-how to get over with any situation and persistence
How to handle failure and pressure
Overcoming obstacles to any goal
Influencing Skills, to make others follow
Presentation skills, to convince a group
Collaboration, how to work well in a team
Drive for continous self improvement


Life Skills
Value of Time and Money
How the working world works
what people like and dislike about their job
what does a typical day consist of
what would they change if could go back and start again
Basic banking
Insurance
Liability
Credit card responsibility
Balancing a budget
Technology skills to be faster and more efficient

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May 14, 2011 · 1:46 pm

Fostering Positive Behavior Change


The other day, a good friend of mine called on me at my office. During the customary small talk, he shared with me a not so great experience that he had at one of our branches. Pushing the liberties that he enjoyed with me to the very extreme, he spat out-“Ibrahim, your customer service %&^%&”. Though I immediately got into the offensive and started a hugely unconvincing lecture on the topic “100 reasons why we are better than the rest of the world”, his comment pushed me into a reflective Self introspective mood later on. Even with all those Trainings, Incentive programs and Morale boosting events, why were we unsuccessful in getting our customer facing staff to behave professionally?

Being a huge fan and an ardent user of LinkedIn, I posted my predicament on a couple of busy forums and voila!!!! A plethora of simple, easy to implement, yet effective suggestions started pouring in. And as I delved into each of them, I realized that with a little bit of creative thinking, they can be implemented in every area where one is facing gaps in performance. From improving the behavior of children, spouses, colleagues, Bosses and your own esteemed self. With a million thanks to all those wise online friends who cared to share, let me reproduce their ideas here.

Inspire their hearts- Give them the big picture. Create a Vision statement that paints a motivating mental picture of their department getting the award from the CEO for the best department in the organization. Fill the Vision statements with adjectives that they want to hear about themselves. Make them see this statement every day.

Make expectations crystal clear every day– Have pre shift and post shift meetings. People have really short memories

Give Feedback and constructive criticism assertively

Ensure availability of guidelines, support and resources- Help them do the job better

Prepare behavior standards like “I will always greet the customer before the customer greets me” and make staff evaluate each other.

Speak to the staff, understand their issues and get their suggestions

Make them aware that they are constantly watched… through mystery shoppers and similar approaches

Get them together regularly and let them reflect and come out with creative ways to improve service

Change Roles– Get them to experience the service that they provide. Let them feel the pain

Use Pleasure and Pain– Measure performance regularly and align it with incentive and punitive measures

Get them to brainstorm and come out with 7 Customer Service values, like “Make the customer feel respected”. Give them ways to live each of these values. Share with them real case studies (which involve them) about each of these values. Make story- telling and appreciation a regular feature of every team briefing.

Use Positive change agents to observe and coach associates

Encourage staff to go out and about, into other branches and retail outlets to observe customer service

Coach the Leaders who coach and manage the front line staff

Make sure that every department supports the front liners in the best possible ways through approaches like Service level Agreements

Put together a video recording of a few customers who speak about what has delighted them and what has pained them in their interactions with the organization, and show it to staff members

Arrange monthly ‘Welcome to Work days’ where employees were given a warm welcome, a cup of coffee & pastry (by a different dept every month) on arrival at the staff entrance similar to the welcome that a hotel guest would receive

Facilitate Customer Service incentives – bingo cards with various customer (or sales) orientated tasks….the teams worked out the prizes themselves i.e. the winner gets coffee made for them for a week or gets to choose his/her quota for a week

Wall of Fame – photos and achievements to be posted on a wall in the staff room

Have a “Get to Know You Day“? Everyone spends sometime getting to know a little more about each other

Implement an awards program recognizing both individual and team performance regarding customer service

Treat your staff the way you want them to treat your customers

Allow each branch to share the best practices that they have implemented to improve service

Interview staff that have consistently fared well and share their ways of thinking and feeling with all staff

I am sure that this list will help you a lot. Please feel free to share your own thoughts. Once again, let me express my gratitude to all my online friends who helped me to put this list together.

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May 12, 2011 · 4:19 pm

Dazebook Perils


How much are you obsessed with Face book, say on a scale from 1 to 10?

If your score reads 8 or more, then please do read through this post. Otherwise you can close this page and navigate back to Dazebook. Oh no!! How can I be so obsolete?. You don’t have to open any browser anymore. You can just click that fancy looking widget in your smart phone and enter that virtual wonderland which is quickly becoming the world’s most populated community (Beating even China)

What do I (Imagine, Ibrahim against Mark Zucky and his die hard millions) have against Face book? Let me very humbly put up a list of perils.

Puts you in a Cocoon: When people are on Face book, they forget their surroundings completely. Ringing doorbells, crying babies, calls for help, squeals of delight……..all gets filtered out as one does the all so important task of commenting “So cuteeee……..” “Koochi Kooo”, or clicking the “I Like” icon or forwarding some “Much seen and better avoided” pics or video links.

No friends in the Real world: Visits to the neighbors, Social get togethers… where you meet real people are slowly dwindling away, as one gets more and more addicted to reading just updated status messages and coming up with posts for yourself. Where will you get time to smile when you are busy uploading pictures of your cat, kitchen, laundry bag etc , for the entertainment of all those “People you may know”. Speaking about addiction, I have seen people rushing back to this daze world every other minute to play one of the hundreds of games available, even at the dead of the night.

No time to learn and develop: 2 hours on face book every day- that’s 12.5% of the time that you are awake. If you live up to 65, you would have spent almost 9 years socializing. Just imagine the opportunity costs involved. What benefits would you have gained if you had used this time to learn and develop?

Unwanted Exposure: Congrats!!! you have made yourself completely exposed to the world. Anyone who wants to find out anything about you will be able to do so now. If you have people in your life who want to stalk you or intimidate you, it will be a cake walk for them . Maybe you have some old friends who you don’t want to talk to anymore or someone you owe money to. Thanks to Dazebook, you are just a click away. Please make sure to provide your age, birth date, address, location, occupation, and other personal information. It will make it easier for Identity thieves to take advantage of you. And yes- Simple things like a picture that has your car’s license plate in it or posting a status message saying that you’ll be on vacation for the next week is better than sending a direct invitation for burglars to rob your house.

Possibility of Conflict: Even with all your maturity and patience, you may not be able to put up with the actions of those cool dudes who create stupid status messages, upload embarrassing picture and many other ridiculous actions. Dazebook thus opens up a million chances for you to lose your cool.

No hierarchies: When I was small, I wouldn’t dare to enter my Grandfathers room. Now my son and his great uncle appear simultaneously on pages adorned with sick jokes and vulgar comments. The other day, my 10 year old was caught opining “I want to get in touch with my 3rd grade teacher again. I want to ask her whether she is on Face book”

Socializing or flirting ?: I don’t want to elaborate. But I personally know of more than a dozen divorces that happened due to face book and scores of parents have come to us seeking help. “My 9 year old daughter is flirting with a much senior man ….HELP !!!!!”

Thank god!!! I have managed to evade this addiction till now. To all those who tell me to also look at the positive side of things and to give credit to Face book for its benefits… I would like to quote Islam’s take on alcohol. “It has good sides and bad sides and the bad sides heavily outweigh the good ones”. So go ahead…. Take a calculated risk if you want… if you think that you can handle it.

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May 8, 2011 · 11:44 am

I dont know Sweetheart

My wife came to me as I was cozily drifting into my Saturday slumber, drawn out on the comfortable living room sofa. She had the list of the Top news stories of the 21st century complied by the Global Language Monitor. The curious lady had questions about every one of them to her well informed and authoritatively opinionated better half.

Fortunately I had answers for every single question- the same one…

News item number 1: The Rise of China

Question: “How can someone be a communist and hyper-capitalist at the same time. Aren’t they mutually exclusive?”

News item number 2: Election of Barack Obama

Question: “How could the whole world (even you ) be foolish enough to unanimously dream that any president would actually bring changes to US policies?”

News item number 3: Death of Osama Bin Laden

Question: “How could some Muslims support Osama Bin Laden when he is said to have killed innocent men, women and children?”

Another one on the same item

Question: “They said that Saddam Hussein was captured in December. But as he was being dragged out of the fox hole, we could see date palms laden with ripe fruit (which ripens only in summer) in the background. And then you have the WMD story. They have lost their credibility. So how can we trust the same guys now?”

News item number 4: Wiki leaks

Question: “The Swedish Prosecution Authority had dropped the warrant for Assange a few hours after his previous arrest. Then why was he arrested again. That too after his site was taken off from one server after the other on instructions given by the US Government?”

News item number 5: British Royal Wedding

Question: “Why is the world going Gaga over the wedding of a man from a tiny island whose Great Grand Father once brutally ruled most of the world ?”

News item number 6: Death of Michael Jackson

Question: “All the child molestation charges against him were dropped because he gave the parents truckloads of money. Does this make him guilty or innocent ?”

News item number 7: Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the United States

Question: “Who really did this?”

News item number 8: Japanese Tsunami

Question: “Even after all these years of scientific progress, are we so helpless against the forces of nature ?”

News item number 9: Arab Spring uprisings

Question: “Don’t these leaders who used brutal force against their own people fear god and the judgment day ?”

News item number 10: Global economic meltdown

Question: “Will you get your bonus this year ?”

My consistent answer was “I don’t know, sweetheart”.

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April 19, 2011 · 12:00 pm

Are you a Thalassemia carrier?


Thanks to our Organization, I had the god given opportunity to attend a session on Thalassemia today. Though it lasted only a few minutes, it was indeed life changing.

I know now that……

Even though one could have 2 or 3 healthy children (thanks to the almighty), their next child could be Thalassemic (god forbid) since both the parents could be silent carriers of this killer disease. Carriers show absolutely no symptoms and the presence of this treacherous gene can be detected only through a blood test. Good news is that the test is available at all medical centers and is covered by most insurance companies.

Being from this part of the world makes us more vulnerable to this disease as majority of the patients hail from Asia, Middle east and the Mediterranean. In the UAE, you have an estimated number of 1 million carriers, which is almost 12% of the population.

What happens if your child has Thalassemia?

Well, you start noticing it when the baby starts showing symptoms of anemia and also disinterest towards being fed. If he or she is diagnosed with the disease, then the child will have to be given blood transfusions every two weeks for the rest of his life. He will also have to be given injections daily to offset the excess iron that enters the body due to the transfusions. The only way to cure the child is to get a bone marrow transplant. The chances of finding a matching donor are very bleak and the costs associated with this process are phenomenal and prohibitive. So 99% of the patients choose to continue with the painful and frustrating ordeal of needles and pain.

What should you do if you do a test and find that you are indeed a carrier?

Test your spouse as well and if he/she is also tested positive, think a million times before planning for a baby. Yes!!! your baby might turn out to be unaffected though the chances of the same are very little. Note that there are no other ways to prevent this disease. If either of you are carriers, you should also test your children. If they are above 2, they may have been spared of this disease. But it is better to be aware early in order to take extra precautions, when they plan to marry and start a family.

What can all of us do?

Spread the awareness. UAE has a Thalassemia center which offers free treatment and counseling to patients and parents. Today Dr. Essam from this centre shared with us some heart wrenching stories about these children and their plight. Some of them were even deserted by their parents since they couldn’t endure the prospect of living with this challenge. In so many other countries of this world, kids die every day because they don’t either receive treatment or blood. So in addition to spreading awareness, you can…

Click Here to be inspired

Organize a group and Call 04-2193794 and they will send their bus to you. Increase the longevity of at least one innocent child by sharing a few drops of your blood.

Donate money to the centre in the UAE or in your respective countries. Delay the purchase of that new phone by a few weeks. Cut down a few days from your holiday package and you will gift some innocent souls precious extra hours, days or even years…. Make your money matter.

Go ahead….. do something………Here is a chance for you to make a difference!!!!!

You can contact mapinto@dohms.gov.ae for more details.

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April 14, 2011 · 4:44 am

Interview with an oppressed woman


While browsing through the plethora of articles and the accompanying comments of the often partisan and abusive readers about the veil ban recently enforced by the French Government, one word that repeatedly came up in every post was “Oppressed”. Through the print and electronic and social media, the whole world was unanimously lauding the righteous decision of the French Government to oppose the very obvious symbol of oppression- the act of forcing hapless women to cover their faces- an inhuman custom owing its origin to the oh so chauvinistic values of a medieval religion.

Let me be honest. I personally respect women who wear veils. Maybe it is simply because these women have the courage to withstand all the cynicism, condescension and sometimes patronizing sympathy that comes along with every packet of naqab. And I deeply respect people who follow their hearts, who like the lighthouse that stood defiantly before the honking warship choose to stay steadfast even when whirlwinds of negative energy swirl around them all the time. And it also shows another face (pun intended) of women hood. Search for “French first lady” in Google and you will see the other end of the continuum. If my own son wasn’t a reader of my blog, I would have posted a picture of that epitome of women’s liberation right here. These words wouldn’t satiate his curiosity. We have the safe search feature turned on in every search engine (Thank god).

I have nothing against the French Government. But I badly wanted to validate the word “oppressed”. So I decided to meet up with and interview a colleague of mine who wore the veil…proudly that too.

Since I didn’t want my own prejudices and preconceived biases to lead to a pathetically one sided interview, I called up a Modern, generation Z friend of mine and requested him to give me a few questions. The fact that he was one of the most vociferous supporters of the veil ban automatically ensured that the interview maintained a sense of balance.


Here we went…

Q: Who forced you to wear this veil and when?
A: No one ever forced me. I decided to wear it myself. One fine day while I was at the university, I just decided to go to the shop and buy one. And I have been wearing one ever since.

Q: Where you studying at a religious seminary or something?
A: No. I was pursuing technical education in one of the prestigious institutions in the region. The University had students from every nook and corner of the world and the faculty members were mostly European.

Q: What do you feel when you look at yourself in the mirror?
A: I feel proud of myself. I am happy that I am able to stand by my principles and stick to my decisions.

Q: Don’t you feel that you are demeaning yourself by putting a shroud like cloth all around you?
A: On the contrary, I feel very very valuable. If you go to branded Jewelry shops, you find that the most precious diamonds are kept carefully under multiple protective wraps. They are handled delicately only by people who have the skills, luck and who have earned the right to handle them. On the other hand you find cheap stones sold even on the pavements where every passerby can pick them up, try them on and toss them back into the box.

Q: Did this sudden conversion to veil hood during studenthood affect your social life?
A: Not at all. I continued getting awards for making the best presentations and projects. My grades improved. I made more friends over time and we had all the fun and frolic that students of that age indulged in. It has also made me a better and more careful person. A man sporting a beard and a cap wouldn’t be able to drink in public. Similarly I have over the years become more patient, more generous and helpful since I am subconsciously reminded of the fact that I am a striking ambassador of a great religion.

Q: If you are transported to a part of the planet where no one knows you…away from your culture and its rituals, will you still wear the veil?
A: when my husband and I went to Thailand (of all places), he posed the same proposition to me. He was trying to lure me to take it off, stating that no one knew me in that foreign land. I told him that this attire was part of me akin to my own skin and would stay with me wherever I went.

Q: Has the veil affected your career prospects?
A: I am aware of the fact that many organizations don’t recruit women who wear the naqab. I have been refused a few jobs because of the same reason. But opportunities, jobs and careers aren’t decided by humans. I will get what is destined for me through hard work and prayer because it is the creator and not his creations that make decisions. Moreover I would be happier to work in a role where my competencies and commitment are valued more than my facial features.

Q: What would you do if your own daughter refuses to wear the Veil?
A: Well I will ensure that she wears the Hijab for sure. Regarding the veil, through her reading and reflections she will one day realize that there is a huge difference between a CEO and a Manager and I am sure that she will also adopt this symbol of freedom loved and cherished by millions of believing women the world over. A symbol that says that a woman’s beauty is not something to be exploited and exhibited on billboards and silver screens to sell cheap wares or to rake in money.

After the interview, this colleague of mine moved on……. And soon got immersed into the many challenging projects that she was leading. Interacting confidently with her colleagues from both genders, fighting assertively for her team’s rights over some issue, and negotiating ardently with her boss over some complicated proposal. Soon the day would end and she would drive off home , smoothly making the transition from an effective executive to a loving home maker.

By the way, the dictionary meaning of oppressed is “To keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority: a people who were oppressed by tyranny”.

I think we are the ones who are oppressed, by our own prejudices and inabilities to understand, respect and celebrate differences.

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April 11, 2011 · 9:46 am

The Speedometer

Great news!!!!!

So you are cruising ahead in full steam with occasional cursory glances at your compass (Read the previous post), just to make sure that the tracks envisaged and negotiated are one and the same. Lets now take the second travel aid from the kit- The Speedometer.

How do you know that you have spent the erstwhile hours effectively eating up the miles that lie between you and your goals? Before setting out, had you clearly defined targets in terms of Milestones that you aim to conquer, then it’s simply a YES, NO, or ALMOST question. So have clear Milestones marked on your map. You could have Financial, Spiritual, Career, Relationship , Achievement and Health Markers. Make sure that you force yourself to make the targets challenging. Let them sit there and tease you, mock at you till you drain out every drop of gas into your engines…. And let the exhilarating feeling of having beaten the targets wash you over…. Making you feel alive over and over again.

You want an example?. Here is one – “I shall have 2 million dollars saved up for a project by 4.00 P.M on the 22nd of December 2012”. Also sure that you break it down into smaller chunks that make them seem manageable.

You tried your best. Stayed on course and revved the engines till they groaned in agony. Still you missed that all important Milestone. That elusive target is still waiting for you with a sarcastic grin miles away. What do you do?

This is where Sincere and unshakeable Faith comes in handy. As true believers, we believe the following….

If god has ordained something for you, no power on earth and in the universe can stop you from getting there.

If god has ordained otherwise, no power can take you there either.

Anything bad that happens to a believer is a substitute for something worse that could have happened.

So if you cross that milestone, Thank the almighty lord and drive on. If you missed it, thank him nevertheless, tell yourself that it is for good. Be patient , pray for success and try harder. You may hit a bypass that can bring your target closer to you than you ever imagined.

And as you stare through the windshield with your hands firmly on the wheel , keep a keen lookout for god given opportunities that may give yourself turbo boosts. Some unknown wayfarer stranded in the middle of nowhere….looking out for directions. Some hapless brother caught in the suburbs of life seeking a lift to the next junction. Don’t let the speedometer distract you and stop you from pulling over. Let not the enticing milestones make you forget your true destination.

Success in this world is important. Let us seek it desperately and win it by all means. But let us also have the faith to abandon it on the waysides of time, for the sake of our true goals.


It is said that Prophet Ibrahim (who was called by the name- friend of allah) used to own hundreds of goats. His goats would fill up the valleys and the mountains while they grazed. The Angels in heaven went up to the almighty and posed the question- “Why do you love Ibrahim so much? All he is interested is in his goats”. God almighty challenged the angels to test Ibrahim. One of them went up to him disguised as a man and recited a beautiful verse praising god. Ibrahim stood mesmerized for a minute and then pleaded to him to repeat the verse. The angel asked for something in return. Ibrahim gave him half of his goats. Even after hearing the verse once more, Ibrahim wasn’t satisfied. He requested again, offering the other half of his goats in return. But even after relishing it twice, he wasn’t satisfied. He requested again. The angel scoffed- “You have nothing in this world to offer me now. Why should I oblige? ”. Ibrahim, who had all the wealth in the world just minutes before pleaded thus –“You will need a shepherd to take care of your goats. I will be your servant all your life. Just recite that verse once more”

So let us by all means focus on everything that this world has to offer and gun for it. But let us also have the faith to attach the apt value for all our conquests and misses….

As I said in the previous post… may the great guide lead us forward on the right path, at the right speed.

Just around the corner is the RADAR KIT. Till then………………….

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April 9, 2011 · 7:24 am

Three Must Have Travel Aids

As you drag yourself and crawl through the crowded by lanes and frustrating junctions of life, dying to ease into that free way where you can finally press hard on the gas pedal and zoom to your dream destination, you need to have three tools in your travel kit. Never ever venture out without them. Or else you will end up getting stuck in the dusty suburbs of depravity, miles away from the dream retreats of success.

They are…A Compass, A Speedometer and A Radar kit.

The first one tells you whether you are on or off course. Even a one degree deviation over time can take you miles away from your destined disembarkation gate.

Some of the good compass brands available are…..

A Great set of values
A Sincere friend

The first one is a simple list of unambiguous resolutions like… I will never lie, I will never cheat, and I will always help my fellow wayfarers all the way and so on. These statements must be posted on the notice boards of your heart and whenever you get stuck at any of the cross roads of life, they will guide you to the routes that you should take and also strictly forbid you from even venturing inches on to the tracks that you should never take.

Akin to the two roads mentioned in Surah Fatihah… The path of those who have been blessed by the Almighty or the path of the ones who have earned his wrath. This compass will lead you to the right path and as the famous poem goes… Two roads divulged into the woods and I took the one that was less travelled by…. And that has made all the difference….. between reaching and getting stranded.

After all, what is the point traveling for ages and reaching tired and way worn at some place where you never ever wanted to be in the first place?

Instead of buying a compass, you can even try making one yourself. Write down 5 sentences starting with “I will always……..” and 5 more with “I will never……””. Now think about the journey that you are about to undertake and complete these sentences with actions that you will either always do or refrain from doing at all costs. Even if you have a cocked gun held against your head or a mountain of gold offered to lure you instead. Think about the inspiring words of our leader who said “Even if you give me the sun in my left hand and the moon in my right I will continue on my journey till either the will of god prevails or I perish on the way”


The other brand of compass is a Sincere believing friend. As the hadith says-A believer is a mirror for another. So share your travel plans and routes with him regularly and take his advice even if it contradicts your own decisions. When sincere brothers give you feedback, you have three options. Disregard it and move on…. Hit back at them and argue or simply follow. But make the choice only after ensuring that you so have a trust worthy compass with you – one whose arms always steadfastly point to the one and only true direction…anywhere…anytime.

If you a compass that meets the above conditions, then you are one of the lucky ones indeed. If you dont, seek and find one as soon as possible. And lets also hope that at least one person in this planet considers us as their own treasured compass.

Work on your Internal Compass during this week end and put it up at a place where it can remind the traveller’s soul every day. Call up that external compass and have a long heart to heart talk. Listen… Understand…..Accept…..and if required change your route map.

Do that… and I will come back to you with the Speedometer and the RADAR KIT soon…. Insha allah

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April 1, 2011 · 9:55 am

Give yourself a Turbo Boost…..


Let me share with you a few simple steps that can accelerate your growth in your current role manifold. If you have been getting those elusive promotions only once in 3 years (or even less often), you can gift yourselves these careers lifts in at least half the time if you simply follow these steps. There are just 5 of them. Like the 5 gears of a racing car. Each can serve as the turbo rockets that can thrust you onto the victory laps instantly.

Step 1: Find at least 2 people in this planet who are doing your same role exceedingly well. They could be from other departments or even from different Organizations. But make sure that it is from the same industry and the organization has a similar scale of operation. If you are the head of software development at the neighborhood computer one stop shop, don’t have the name of the person adorning the same role in Microsoft in your list. All those who are working in learning and development, please feel free to put my name…Ha Ha

Got them down? Now contact them, follow them, haunt them, solicit and get an appointment. Nowadays Social networking sites are bringing down Governments, so reaching that role model shouldn’t be very tough. Hope you read the sarcasm in the sentence correctly. No excuses. Meet them.

After the pleasantries, ask him two straightforward questions.

Name three projects/incidents where you performed exceedingly well?
Name three projects/incidents where you failed?

For both these questions, get more details by probing further. Who were involved? Who said what? Who did what? Why did you do that? When? What results did you get? How did you know what to do?List them down religiously in a journal. Make sure that you drain them out.

Congratulate and thank them. Go make their day/week/whatever……..

Go back home and analyze the differences between the two sets of answers. What you now have is what we call Competencies. These are behaviors that empower star performers to get the results that make them successful.

Good Positive start. Let’s go ahead…

Post this list on your notice board.
Step 2:

Write down three or four of the major objectives that your Organization want you to deliver this year or in the coming two three years. If you don’t have them yet, contact your boss and demand them. Ideally these should have been cascaded down from Organizational and Departmental objectives.

Now break these objectives down to three of four major roles


If your objective is to Increase sales of product A by 30%, Roles could be

A: Finding new Organizations who would buy your product
B: Selling more of your product to existing customers
C: Enlisting new business partners

Now break these roles further into tasks. Don’t get bored and log off…. We are closer to the finish line now.

A1: Creating prospect list
A2: Locating and contacting the apt stakeholder
A3: Presenting your product
A4: Negotiating and procuring the contract

Break B and C into tasks along similar lines

Now that you have the list of tasks

Write down the list of Competencies (behaviors) that you need to achieve these objectives. Make sure that you have aspects of Knowledge, skills and Attitudes in your list. Examples could be….

Knowledge

Knowledge of products to explain benefits to customers
Knowledge of competing products to address objections and present benefits
Knowledge of market to reach potential customers

Skills

Presentation Skills to persuade the customer
Negotiation Skills to get your expectations
Proposal making skills to prepare influencing proposals

Attitudes

Self Confidence to make cold calls and meet stakeholders
Interpersonal Skills to develop rapport
Persistence to stay put even if customer says No

I don’t claim the above list to be perfect. It could vary from case to case. Now validate this list by referring to the ones that you got from the role models. Bring in Knowledge Skill and Attitude components that were on their list even if you don’t have any of these competencies currently.

What you have in front of you now, is your road map to success. If you score yourself high in each of these competencies, you will be a superhero in your organization… for having over achieved all objectives assigned to you, since Competency along with Commitment lead to success.

What to do next……. Steps 3, 4 and 5….

What are these steps, How to go about them………I will continue in the next post provided I get at least two replies from any of my favorite readers with the list of competencies that they have come up with.
Please send them to sangeethibrahim@yahoo.com

I am waiting……

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