Managing our own career

“The sad news is, nobody owes you a career. Your career is literally your business. You own it as a sole proprietor.

You have one employee: yourself. You are in competition with millions of similar businesses: millions of other employees all over the world. You need to accept ownership of your career and your skills. It is your responsibility to protect this personal business of yours. Nobody else can do that for you. You are where you are because of what you are”

I personally think that this is an exceptional piece of advice from a brilliant man. If we all managed ourselves as a business, I think we would surely have better careers. With globalization, there will be good news and bad news in relation to careers. The good news is that the employment market will become much, much bigger meaning lots of career opportunities all over the world. The bad news is that the competition will also become greater as people from all over the world will vie for the same jobs. Even if the job is in Malaysia, you may have to compete with professionals from Thailand, India or even France. Big multi-nationals like Microsoft, Google and GE will recruit the best, irrespective of their country of origin. Adrian Wooldridge (The Economist's Washington Correspondent) in the Economist magazine dated Oct 7 2006, says, “Talent has become the worlds’ most sought after commodity. This shortage is causing serious problems”.

Here, I wish to augment the advice from Andy grove with the following three simple things:

a. Be good at what you are doing. This is a simple but very profound piece of advice. David Blaine is where he is today because he is exceptionally good at what he does i.e. performing magic! If magicians were needed in corporations, he would be tops in everyone’s list. If you are good at what you are doing, opportunities will come because all organizations are looking for good and competent professionals all the time. Being good also means that you will have to keep up with the changes occurring in your profession. The best dentist in the world will be ‘obsolete’ if his knowledge of dentistry is outdated even by a few years. In the process of developing yourself, do not only concentrate on your technical skills; improve your behavioral skills too.

b. Market yourself. This may sound strange, but it is something you will have to do to get the best out of your career. Ask yourself this question: what have I done to tell the world (in particular search consultants, other corporations etc) that I am very good at my job and am available? If you say, nothing, then that’s why you are still at your present job, in spite of you thinking that you deserve a better job elsewhere. Please remember that coca cola is a product that only consists of water, syrup, carbonated gas and sugar and yet billions of dollars are spent annually by consumers on it. Why? Because it has been marketed brilliantly! Being good at your job is important; letting the world know about this may be equally if not more important! So go write that article for publication, go to the right forums to network, participate in activities organized by institutes in your industry: this will most certainly raise your profile and importantly, tell people that this very talented professional exists! Better jobs will most certainly follow.

c. Package yourself well: you are the product!! The best product badly packaged may create a perception that it is mediocre. Hence dress well and appropriately as it creates a very positive first and lasting impression among people you meet, which will prove to be crucial. We take a lot of effort in our dress when we go for interviews for example, because we want to make a good first impression.

The question is, why can’t we dress like we are going for interviews everyday! I assure you that it is certainly worth it as it may pay back many thousands of times over!

Imagine It

Imagine that you're full of energy and enthusiasm, excited and positive about the day ahead.

Imagine that you're highly effective, able to achieve whatever you set out to do with confidence and ease.

In your mind's eye, see yourself working with discipline and focus, quickly and easily making the decisions that move your world forward. Visualize yourself as always knowing what to say and do in every situation.

Imagine yourself being the person you've always wanted to be. Imagine living the life you've always dreamed of living.

See it all in rich and colorful detail. Allow yourself to dream, and know, with absolute certainty, that you can have it, you can do it and you can be it.

Make your image of yourself and your life a positive one, and you'll program yourself for real, sustained success. Imagine yourself at your very best, and hold that image firmly in your mind, day after day, moment by moment.

What you're able to imagine, you're able to create and experience. Dare to imagine, and then put your precious time to good use by bringing your imagination to life.

Making the most of opportunities

Gather the small opportunities

Quick success is nice when it comes. However, slow and steady success is even better, because it is repeatable, robust and sustainable.

Overnight success almost never happens. And in the rare event when it does happen, there's a dreadful fear that it will disappear as quickly as it appeared.

Slow success is confident, lasting success. Success earned over time is success that you can genuinely enjoy, appreciate and continue to build upon.

Instant success depends upon being at exactly the right place at precisely the right time. Slow success, on the other hand, makes a small yet significant opportunity out of each moment and every situation.

Instead of wishing for immediate results, work patiently for the more realistic, reliable and valuable results that can only come with time and commitment. Steadily spread your success over time, and it will always be yours.

Every minute of every day there is a way to be slowly and steadily successful. Gather the small opportunities as they come, and the rewards will be great indeed.

8 common mistakes in giving instructions

The ability to give instructions in delegating tasks to subordinates is essentially important. Unfortunately, there is always a gap between the instructions given and the jobs get done.

Among the most common reasons for these discrepancies are

Using ambiguous words in instructions, such as, “Get this report done as soon as you can.” If you want it to be ready by three o'clock, then say so.

Assuming that instruction given to your subordinate is crystal clear without taking extra effort to clarify it.

Failing to motivate your subordinate by taking some time to brief him on why he is being asked to perform this task.

Giving too many details to the experienced subordinate or too few to the inexperienced one. The first will be insulted whilst the second will be stressful.

Not tailoring an instruction to the subordinate. Some require a direct instruction; others perform better if the instruction is a request.

Choosing inappropriate timing for issuing instruction to your subordinate, for instance at the end of a workday.

Giving multiple instructions to your subordinate at one time. If you try to cover too much in one session, you risk ending up with nothing carried out correctly.

Putting a distance between yourself and your subordinate. If you issue your instruction in writing, you are eliminating the possibility of questioning.

You are worth it !

You are worth the trouble and effort required to make your life the best it can possibly be.

There is so very much you have to express, to give, to experience and to contribute to the magnificent fabric of life.

You are worth the discomfort and frustration that you'll regularly need to get through. You are worth the pain that the world will sometimes offer.

For within you is the capacity for great joy and astounding achievement. Within you are beautiful and worthy dreams that long to be fulfilled.

You are one of a kind and you are filled with a driving purpose. You are worth whatever it takes to give that special purpose a lasting and meaningful expression.

Yes, the disappointments, inconveniences, pains, problems and annoyances will surely and steadily come. Yet they are indeed quite trivial compared to the precious possibilities that live within you.

Make whatever efforts necessary, endure whatever setbacks you must, move forward through whatever challenges may come along. For there is no question that you are worth it.

Opportunities ..

Fresh opportunities to be

Appreciate your shortcomings for where they have brought you. Then release them and be free to rise above the limitations.

Savor the disappointments one last time and remember all you have learned from them. Then let them go and eagerly look forward to new and fruitful experiences.

Sincerely and completely forgive those who have brought you pain, including yourself. And feel the healing that immediately takes hold.

Be truly thankful for having been through so much. Then get busy creating the best of what can be.
Let go of the useless drama that is already over. Hold on to the positive value that you've gained from it all.

Always there are new possibilities to explore, new ways to grow, and new worlds to experience. With each new now, the world is filled with fresh opportunities to be.

-- Ralph Marston

Joy of Life

Run joyfully toward life

Run joyfully toward life and embrace it with open arms. Each day brings its own treasure in the flavors, aromas, sights, sounds, situations, experiences and interactions that come your way.

Don't get bogged down attempting to resist or deny what has already happened. Put your energy into using what you have to make life better than ever.

Embrace the beauty, the joy, the wonder and the abundance of life. At the same time, embrace the challenges, the setbacks, the disappointments and the difficulties.

Be genuinely thankful for every moment, whatever it may contain. For in each moment is your opportunity to fully live, to grow, to learn, to experience, to share and to create unique, lasting value.

Welcome the ever-changing richness of life as it dances before your eyes in ways you've never seen before. Join passionately in that dance and be a part of the richness.

Follow the winding path as it moves up, down, over and around through the steadily increasing abundance and fulfillment of your life. Know more fully, as each moment passes, the profound joy of being.

-- Ralph Marston

Pressure ...It all for GOOD !

"No pressure, no diamonds."Thomas Carlyle

This personalized power source, which each and every one of us possesses within, can turn down the pressure while turning on our creative genius. Instead of wasting your time reacting to problems, you can effectively use your energy and talent to respond to the issues presented.

Hey, dealing with pressure is never a walk in the park. I’m certain that there’s at least a thousand things you’d rather do than go toe to toe with life’s big time pressures. But go through them you must, right through them, if you're ever going to achieve your destiny on earth.

Please remember this: you have more than enough strength to power through anything life tosses your way. And never forget that its pressure that turns a lump of coal into a diamond and it can do the same for you. Just keep working on your ‘response' ability and everything else will take care of itself.

The Bottom Line: By conditioning yourself to respond the minute you start feeling the heat, you’ll take the steam out of life’s biggest pressures.

Meetings Bloody Meetings !!

The Ineffective Use of the Meeting Function

In a survey done by MCI, one of the leading telecommunications company in America, these were the following findings about meetings in Corporate America.

Approximately 11 million meetings occur in the U.S. each day.
Most professionals attend a total of 61.8 meetings per month and research indicates that over 50 percent of this meeting time is wasted. This comes to approximately four work days in a month.
Most professionals who go to meetings on a regular basis admit to daydreaming (91%) and 39% say they have dozed off during meetings.
I am most certain that the above would be true in most corporate organizations.

Reasons for Unproductive Meetings

a. Ritual Meetings

How many of us walk off to a meeting on Monday morning because we have to attend this ritualized ‘manager’s meeting’. Sometimes we do not even know what is going to be discussed and sometimes we do not even care. Worse still, there is nothing serious to discuss, but since everyone is around, trivial matters are discussed to justify the forum, to everybody’s frustration.

b. Weak Chairman

I have many a time been at meetings where the main objective is aimed at discussing the format of a new performance management system, but however ends up discussing the need for extra car parks for employees! More time is spent on this issue as lots of personal interests come into play then the latter subject. And all because of a weak chairman, who is not able to control the meeting.

c. Meeting culture

Anytime there is a problem in organizations, the easiest solution seems to be to ‘call for a meeting’. For example, when something goes wrong at the Marketing dept, the usual habit is to call for a meeting of all department heads. The HR manager then goes for the meeting, stays quiet for three hours i.e. the duration of the meeting and then leaves without having made any contribution as he lacks knowledge of the issue being discussed.
Some Measures to Ensure Effective Meetings

a. Is a meeting necessary?

One of the first things we must do before calling a meeting is to ask whether ‘there is a need for a meeting in the first place.’ Can the matter be solved in another way? Can it be solved by just having a telephone discussion for example? Never call for a meeting instinctively!

b. Set a Time Limit and stick to it.

Time limits are important as it creates pressure on the chairman and the members of the meeting to have quality discussions. Many management gurus’ invoke the rule that meetings should last no longer than 90 minutes.

c. Get only the right and necessary people

It is better to have a meeting with three people who can contribute rather than 20 people who are there for the sake of being there.

Bad meetings are probably one of the most pervasive yet underestimated problems in organizations. Lots of time, effort and importantly money is wasted every time there is a meeting. Importantly, it saps a lot of energy and lowers morale!