Are you a brand?

"Brand - Have you thought about it? Why is a Titan revered so much more than, say a certain HMT. Why people go gaga over Nike tees, when probably you can get the same sort of tee at 1/4th the price? Well, the difference lies in creating a brand value. These were mere materials. But these can well apply to professionals as well. Making a brand out of yourself truly matters. No two human beings look alike. But there are 'n' number of professionals who work in similar fashion day in and day out. So, give it a thought. What is it that makes you different from other peers in our experience level? Is there a difference? If there is, then work on it. If there is not, then work on it even more. In the process create a brand out of yourself. You should be known, not by your looks, your mannerisms or by your etiquette. Of course they go a long way in shaping up the brand. But they represent the 'look and feel' of a TITAN. The MAIN differentiating factor has to be in your longing for perfection, in your drive towards excellence, in consistency, in venturing in areas which others are afraid of. Then, my dear friend, you will be able to create a positive difference for yourself as well as the organization."

"Again, it all lies in the basics. Jot down your strong and weak points. Sharpen your strong points. Work on your weak points. Stay focused, committed towards creating value. A great way to stay motivated is to dream, to view yourself as the most successful professional you have ever seen. To create an imagery out for oneself is a big step forward towards really achieving the oh-so-dreamy dream!"

I told myself all of these in the morning today. Knowing what to do is one thing and doing it actually is a separate story altogether. What do you think, friends?

Thorough professionalism?

What does a person do when he feels down and out?

There are probably a hundred things or even more:

• Hum a song
• Listen to music
• Confide in others
• Write a diary
• Start self introspection
• Pretend to be happy and forget everything
• Dance
• Watch television
• Resort to vodka or rum
• Play video games
• Poke nose in others' affairs
• Sleep
• Pretend to sleep
• Immerse in work
• Immerse in a pool
• Go golfing
• Or may be a picnic
• Start a new hobby
• Play cricket
• Think philosophically
• Curse whoever is at sight
• Pat dogs or cats
• Feed birds
• Get involved in photography
• Catch a movie
• etc etc etc....................

What do I do? I simply blog! :D

Yes, today is another day when I am feeling down and out. Trying to cope with it and find out what is the reason behind it. Oh.. forget it! I know, don't I? Pretension is not exactly necessary here. Let life be as it is!

But yes, being morally correct and impartial takes its toll, as it is taking on me at the moment. Being a thorough professional in one's work life is not very easy. There are always a few people who would not like the progress you make and there would be others who had forever been endowed with praise. And they find it difficult to take in when there's a flak waiting for them. Now now, how can one praise someone always! Flaws have to be pointed out. Come on! Everyone has flaws, even I have. So what the heck!

Once I decide I am gonna be impartial and true to my conscience, it hardly matters who is a friend and who is a foe. For a true professional, friendship and professionalism are two separate levels and never should both of these intermingle! Alas! Few people in the industry understand this.

I shall end this post with the following example:

Raju and Mahesh are friends since the school days. As destiny would have it, they find themselves in the same industry as well. By luck or my chance (or Luck by chance), Raju get placed up higher up in the hierarchy and has Mahesh working in his team. Now there is a certain incident that gets escalated and Raju has the tough task of making this clear to Mahesh. He does it, but that results in their friendship getting affected. Now, sample two scenarios here:

Case 1: Mahesh takes it deep in his heart and that affects their friendship. Even Raju feels, it's time to play the tough task master. Here personal and professional standpoints get intermingled and results in a strife.

Case 2: Mahesh understands it from a professional standpoint, but does not let this impact their personal terms. Still, they hang out together in pubs and catch a movie together on weekends. But while at work, Mahesh is now extra cautious, so as not to make the same mistake repeatedly. Even Raju can breathe a sigh of relief, now that everything is in place as before.

Tell me friends, which case do you like more and why?

I would go with Case 2. As they say, "Never mingle professional and personal relations".

Hello! Is someone listening? (or reading this?)

Image courtesy: www.fotosearch.com

The pledge

Standing tall amidst ruins,
Strong amongst the weak,
Island in a sea,
A lone sugar cube in a cup of tea.

I hereby pledge:
Not to turn into a ruin,
Not to become weak,
Not to be submerged by the arrogant waves,
Not to melt in heat or get frozen by cold

Whatever be the adversity,
Whatever be the calamity,
I WILL face everything with a brave heart,
Show the world that living is an art,
Canvas is the same for all,
Colors are the same for all,
Whether I sketch grief or sorrow,
Whether I paint happiness or gratification,
It all depends on me...

Life is a big big party,
Let us all enjoy it before it ends,
Do not stand there in the corner and feel shy,
Come, take the floor, try and fly...
You never know...

Because...

A bird never knows...
...until it tries to fly

Farmer and his donkey

Hey friends,

I got hold of a beautiful story today through an email forward by one of my school mates, Mr Abhijit Ghosh. Read it. It's inspiring, for sure!

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him.
They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to every one's amazement he became quiet. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw.
With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing.
He would shake it off and take a step up.
As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

MORAL :
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

PS. Kudos to the person who originally wrote it!

Meaningful... Isn't it?

No pain, no gain.

Future would be fruitful only when we learn to accept the pain.

=================

Source: Forwarded article from Abhijit Das

The Inspirational Power of Goal-setting

The Inspirational Power of Goal-setting
By Dr Janet Hall
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Allow me to start with some very important questions.
Do you remember how motivated you were to succeed in your career when you were younger?
Did you really want to achieve your maximum potential?

And here's the most important question...
Where is your written list of goals and how would you know how well you have achieved them?

Most people I ask this question are unable to produce the list because they never made one in the first place! Some did make a list but it got lost somewhere in a sea of paper.

It has been documented that the one disciplined habit that separates the top three percent of the population from the rest is that of writing down their goals, believing in them and keeping them as a focus for direction.

There are two essential elements of the goals process:

1. Goal-Setting: choosing goals with a positive attitude, passionate desire and strong belief and self-confidence.
2. Goal-Getting: using that committed attitude to applied action with skills and disciplined strategies.

1. GOAL-SETTING

Goal-setting is inspirational through highlighting the benefits in striving for an outcome.
When you get excited about the rewards at the end of your work, "you get the fire in your belly", you get into action and action is the key to goal-achievement.

2. GOAL-GETTING - Skills and Strategies Necessary for Goal-Achievement

The most important generalized skills and strategies for goal-achievement are:
- Planning
- Managing Time
- Keeping Agreements.

It has been documented repeatedly, that time spent on planning is critical if you want to achieve a goal with least hiccups. Here is an invaluable saying: People who fail to Plan, Plan to fail.

Time management is easy to say and hard to do. The best plans can be interrupted by unseen or unexpected demands - computers break down, people get the flu.

Time managers are really task managers and they do this best by having a focus on one task at a time. They may need to actively arrange uninterrupted time, by managing other people. Agreement keeping is the essential ingredient in goal-getting.

Effective goals management is ten times more important than effective time management. A person with effective weekly goals and weak time management has a better chance of achieving worthwhile results than a person with weak goals and strong time management.

Goal-setting can make all the difference to your bottom line and if your competitors are achieving their goals, you may be left behind!

HOW TO SET GOALS

Goal-setting doesn't have to be a complex process. In fact, the simple is usually the best. You need to make your goals SMART

S - Specific
M - Measurable
A - Achievable
R - Realistic and
T - Time Framed

AND

S - Simple
M - Meaningful
A - As if they are right here, right now
R - Responsible
T - Toward What you want

There is nothing as motivating as an impending event to encourage you to get a task done.

The best way to harness this is to declare your goal to someone you trust, ask them to be your coach and expect that you will achieve the goal as well as expected and by the due date. Your coach can be a professional, someone you love, a work colleague, a respected mentor, or just a good buddy. The primary task of the coach is to remind you that you are committed to achieving your goal. It's fun and sometimes more helpful, if they also encourage you, share your rewards and help celebrate when you achieve your goal

You also need a reliable means of documenting your goalmaking and goal management. There are many tools which can help - diaries, performance planners, electronic mechanisms and software (of course I recommend the GoalMaker software which I co-authored! ). Invest in a good tool and use it consistently and it will give you the edge over your competitors who rely on their fallible memory!

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR GOALMAKING

The goal making process follows logical, sequential behavioural steps. However, a substantial amount of the impact depends on your mental attitude. These guidelines reinforce a positive attitude so that you become unconsciously competent in setting your goals

1. Identify your mission or purpose in life and set your goals to align with this.

2. Decide what you really want and write it in the present tense as if it's already been achieved. Goals must be in writing. An unwritten want is just a wish. If it's in writing, it's a real, substantial commitment.

3. Goals must be concrete and specific - broad desires have no effect. Specify the tasks you will need to achieve each goal and then break each task into manageable "bite-size" bits. (How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.)

4. Goals must be believable. If you don't believe you can reach it, you won't. Eliminate the negatives in your life and focus on positive things. You are responsible for your thoughts, so make them positive ones. Don't listen to people who say, "It will never work. You can't do that. You'll never make it". Remember that Christopher Columbus would never have sailed over the horizon unless he had belief in himself.

5. Goals must be challenging and demand more from you. Be willing to stretch your comfort zone.

6. Act to set your goals in motion. Planning is only the first stage of goal achievement. First set your goals, then act to get your goals.

7. Apply self-discipline. No matter how many people are aware of your goal, the final responsibility rests with you. Remember - the buck stops here. You need to consistently organise yourself and work with determination and commitment if you are to achieve the success you truly deserve.

8. Goals must include your loved ones. Goals must harmonise and be in balance, not conflict with each other.

Goals must have target dates for completion. Set a target date for your goal and share it with someone who will encourage you to meet the deadline. There is nothing as motivating as an "impending event" to get you into action.


===========================================
Author's Bio:
Dr Janet Hall is a Clinical Psychologist, Hypnotist, Author and Professional Speaker. Jan is also the author of seven books and many audiotapes (including Hypnotise Yourself to Sensational Sales Success, Stress-Proof Yourself and Succeed Faster, and Total Confidence Through Relaxation) and co-author of the GoalMaker software program. Jan is regularly consulted by print and electronic media on topical issues. The GoalMaker software is available from http://www.goalmaker.com
===========================================

Golden Rules for Career Success by Richard Moran

Golden Rules for Career Success

Richard Moran

WORKING as a business consultant all over the world, I have discovered some basic career-related rules that everyone should know—but many don’t.

Business is made up of ambiguous victories and nebulous defeats. Claim them all as victories.

Keep track of what you do; someone is sure to ask.

Be comfortable around senior managers, or learn to fake it.

Never bring your boss a problem without some solution. You are getting paid to think, not to whine.

Long hours don’t mean anything; results count, not effort.

Write down ideas; they get lost, like good pens.

Always arrive at work 30 minutes before your boss.

Help other people network for jobs. You never know when your turn will come.

Don’t take days off sick—unless you are.

Assume no one can/will keep a secret.

Know when you do your best—morning, night, under pressure, relaxed; schedule and prioritize your work accordingly.

Treat everyone who works in the organization with respect and dignity, whether it be the cleaner or the managing director. Don’t ever be patronizing.

Never appear stressed in front of a client, a customer or your boss. Take a deep breath and ask yourself: In the course of human events, how important is this?

If you get the entrepreneurial urge, visit someone who has his own business. It may cure you.

Acknowledging someone else’s contribution will repay you doubly.

Career planning is an oxymoron. The most exciting opportunities tend to be unplanned.

Always choose to do what you’ll remember ten years from now.

The size of your office is not as important as the size of your pay cheque.

Understand what finished work looks like and deliver your work only when it is finished.

The person who spends all of his or her time is not hard-working; he or she is boring.

Know how to write business letters—including thank-you notes as well as proposals.

Never confuse a memo with reality. Most memos from the top are political fantasy.

Eliminate guilt. Don’t fiddle expenses, taxes or benefits, and don’t cheat colleagues.

Reorganizations mean that someone will lose his or her job. Get on the committee that will make the recommendations.

Job security does not exist.

Always have an answer to the question, “What would I do if I lost my job tomorrow?”

Go to the company Christmas party.

Don’t get drunk at the company Christmas party.

Avoid working at weekends. Work longer during the week if you have to.

The most successful people in business are interesting.

Sometimes you’ll be on a winning streak and everything will click; take maximum advantage. When the opposite is true, hold steady and wait it out.

Never in your life say, “It’s not my job.”

Be loyal to your career, your interests and yourself.

Understand the skills and abilities that set you apart. Use them whenever you have an opportunity.

People remember the end of the project. As they say in boxing, “Always finish stronger than you start.”