Tag Archives: work

Worth Sharing : The 50 New Rules of Work @ Robin Sharma

3 Replies

The 50 New Rules of Work

  1. You are not just paid to work. You are paid to be uncomfortable – and to pursue projects that scare you.
  2. Take care of your relationships and the money will take care of itself.
  3. Lead you first. You can’t help others reach for their highest potential until you’re in the process of reaching for yours.
  4. To double your income, triple your rate of learning.
  5. While victims condemn change, leaders grow inspired by change.
  6. Small daily improvements over time create stunning results.
  7. Surround yourself with people courageous enough to speak truthfully about what’s best for your organization and the customers you serve.
  8. Don’t fall in love with your press releases.
  9. Every moment in front of a customer is a moment of truth (to either show you live by the values you profess – or you don’t).
  10. Copying what your competition is doing just leads to being second best.
  11. Become obsessed with the user experience such that every touchpoint of doing business with you leaves people speechless. No, breathless.
  12. If you’re in business, you’re in show business. The moment you get to work, you’re on stage. Give us the performance of your life.
  13. Be a Master of Your Craft. And practice + practice + practice.
  14. Get fit like Madonna.
  15. Read magazines you don’t usually read. Talk to people who you don’t usually speak to. Go to places you don’t commonly visit. Disrupt your thinking so it stays fresh + hungry + brilliant.
  16. Remember that what makes a great business – in part – are the seemingly insignificant details. Obsess over them.
  17. Good enough just isn’t good enough.
  18. Brilliant things happen when you go the extra mile for every single customer.
  19. An addiction to distraction is the death of creative production. Enough said.
  20. If you’re not failing regularly, you’re definitely not making much progress.
  21. Lift your teammates up versus tear your teammates down. Anyone can be a critic. What takes guts is to see the best in people.
  22. Remember that a critic is a dreamer gone scared.
  23. Leadership’s no longer about position. Now, it’s about passion. And having an impact through the genius-level work that you do.
  24. The bigger the dream, the more important the team.
  25. If you’re not thinking for yourself, you’re following – not leading.
  26. Work hard. But build an exceptional family life. What’s the point of reaching the mountaintop but getting there alone.
  27. The job of the leader is to develop more leaders.
  28. The antidote to deep change is daily learning. Investing in your professional and personal development is the smartest investment you can make. Period.
  29. Smile. It makes a difference.
  30. Say “please” and “thank you”. It makes a difference.
  31. Shift from doing mindless toil to doing valuable work.
  32. Remember that a job is only just a job if all you see it as is a job.
  33. Don’t do your best work for the applause it generates but for the personal pride it delivers.
  34. The only standard worth reaching for is BIW (Best in World).
  35. In the new world of business, everyone works in Human Resources.
  36. In the new world of business, everyone’s part of the leadership team.
  37. Words can inspire. And words can destroy. Choose yours well.
  38. You become your excuses.
  39. You’ll get your game-changing ideas away from the office versus in the middle of work. Make time for solitude. Creativity needs the space to present itself.
  40. The people who gossip about others when they are not around are the people who will gossip about you when you’re not around.
  41. It could take you 30 years to build a great reputation and 30 seconds of bad judgment to lose it.
  42. The client is always watching.
  43. The way you do one thing defines the way you’ll do everything. Every act matters.
  44. To be radically optimistic isn’t soft. It’s hard. Crankiness is easy.
  45. People want to be inspired to pursue a vision. It’s your job to give it to them.
  46. Every visionary was initially called crazy.
  47. The purpose of work is to help people. The other rewards are inevitable by-products of this singular focus.
  48. Remember that the things that get scheduled are the things that get done.
  49. Keep promises and be impeccable with your word. People buy more than just your products and services. They invest in your credibility.
  50. Lead Without a Title.

From Robin Sharma’s Blog

Waiting

Leave a reply
Bridgestone Potenza F1 Front Tire and BBS Whee...
Image via Wikipedia

Its been a period of waits the past few months..

Waiting for my Whitefeather to come back from the service center.. the accident happened on Oct 2010. Today Whitefeather went for its first test drive and the very sound of the engine was like smooth scotch.. I could imagine it smiling to say hello when I heard this.. Atta Boy !! I am so eagerly waiting for you.. Come back  soon..

Now we have to get the Chassis number from the RTO which would have happened in a day if we coughed up 10,000/-  as bribe but we decided not to do this.. So the wait again..Its difficult to get things done without bribery.

Also Mahindra has been helpful and is also replacing our brakes with some modified brakes.. because of the escalation Rocks took up..So we are now satisfied with the customer service.. and the quick response :)

And we have got  Bridgestone Tyres as replacement to the damaged tyres finally. Apollo sucks.. :( Planning to change the other two tyres as well.. later..

So now we wait… car is ready.. but we have to wait till RTO deigns it ok to give us our number.. Sigh.. so near yet so far..

Enhanced by Zemanta

Women : Empower yourselves.. :)

1 Reply

Was very glad to be partcipating in the Grace Hopper Conference, 2010 at Bangalore today which brought in women and technology together.

I love being in sessions like this and hearing achievers share their experiences and show us some direction..

Some topics like which showcased how to ask for what you want in your professional life was very interesting and how can we make ourselves heard, was another topic which set me thinking.. not that I lack being heard… but it gave me a different perspective to work with the women I manage. Are they asking for what they want ? Do they know what they want ? Are they being heard.

As a leader, how can I ensure that this works for the women in my team.. I have strong women who are very technical and know where they are going, I have women who have just stepped into their family life and I can see them trying to manage their work life aspect.. and as a bystander… more than a manager, I cannot appreciate the fact that they do it very well.. that would not be a problem.

The focus is how do we set a direction for ourselves..

At first, as a leader, its important that we set a direction for ourselves, if we are clear about our goals and objectives, we know where and how to lead the team.. of men and women..

I was humbled and overjoyed to see so many successful women doing so many things.. and I felt like I am not alone in striving to be a wholesome individual… who has a satisfying career and yes  a very happy and contented personal life as well.. sometimes, in the thick of things, we tend to lose our objectives.. and well its good to keep equal focus on both.

Women : Empower yourselves… not because you are a woman but you are someone with substance.. I would say that about men as well. If you are someone who continously pursue excellence and continously prove without effort that you are THE resource to do the work.. and deliver well… you will go ahead no matter what.. again, I would agree with one of the speakers that this depends on where you are.. in a metropolitian city or in the suburbs.. ( there the story would be very different, I am sure)

But at the risk of being myopic, let me talk about what I can do today,as a leader..

  • I can bring in a right direction to the team
  • I can motivate the women in my team to always be the best despite their dependencies ( family, babies, husbands inlaws.
  • I can set an example by being unbiased and not getting emotional about stuff.. :)
  • I can also show the team that we are doing pretty good in comparison to our competitors and be proud and satisfied about it.
  • I would also show that if you water the grass on your side, it will always be greener on your side.. :)
  • I can create enough opportunities for the women to get going.. and they are already there..

There are so many ways to empower oneself… we just have to look inside.. what do we need to do to make ourselves happy at work and at home..

Do you have activities which lets you explore your passions / hobbies ? If not make one.. I am looking forward to learning sketching and painting.. and pottery when I have the time.. besides drooling over riding long miles in a Harley Davidson ( when its affordable)

Have you checked with yourself to see if you are only giving.. I keep reiterating specially with my women friends and I learnt this by observing my mother.. that its not enough to just give..

Be gracious enough to receive help and care when its shown to you.. rather than shaking that off and behaving like a superwoman and being perceived as one..

Be proud of contributing towards your family and your professional self…

And last but not the least, I liked the idea which one of the women said : MARRY RIGHT :) Buahahah !!!

Well, I guess thats it.. for now.. looking forward to tomorrow’s sessions.. :)

Enhanced by Zemanta

Old wine in a new bottle..

Leave a reply

And thats how I would look at changing jobs.. almost everything remains the same but just the packaging is different. And most of the time, whether one admits or not, the package is what we are looking at from a very materialistically..

But if you strip the package, the essential is what matters… the culture, the people, the processes, and though I do not have any illusions, I do think this is a place which has some rich lessons for me.

I have been used to so much pampering with my previous org that it took me a while, very little while to function optimally using my full capabilities and I also realised that what I took for granted.. actually, I did not need it and yes.. though in my previous state, it made life very comfortable but now I see that I am equally comfortable with exactly what I need.

The key point is that the first thing that this new organization has taught me is to eliminate excess which leaves so much room to innovate.

So taking this lesson to my daily life.. I have started looking at activities where I can minimalise consciously.. avoid redundancy.. and bring in the new..

  • It could be removing clutter in all aspects of my living..
  • It could be taking stock and appreciating what I have..
  • It could be appreciating quality time with family without any meetings in the evenin
  • It could be just reading a book or having some time for my reflections..
  • It could be just a smile inside myself as I punch my time out, knowing that I am  free for the evening..

Every step I take, I keep thinking, what can I do to utilise this opportunity in an effective manner.

And funnily this is how I started.. and in the process of pursuing the “better standards of life”, I kind of lost the value of being one with self and at work.. but heck, I am glad I had all the experiences… makes me appreciate what I have now, all the more..

And I am grateful… just for the fact that I can smile contentedly when I come back home.. just that… goes a long way….in bringing me peace..from moment to moment to moment..

The Bong Geek Torture

1 Reply

Recently we had a new joinee  who has been allocated the seat, an open cube which is perpendicular to my cube..

Currently there has been a lot migration of bong geeks from Kolkatta.

Which is all good. More power to the Bongs and for a change it is nice to hear a language which I love to speak and I love to be.  In all its glory of food, human discomforts and general bong advice.

So it was all nice to here a familiar tone talking familiar subjects.  But slowly it started to really get on to my nerves.

I like to think I am a ok kind of tolerant soul unless my trigger is set off right from the start. At least as I am growing in years the tolerant quota is slowly but surely increasing.

I repeat. I like to think that about myself.  It could totally be an illusion. :)

I think its been about 3 odd months or less and my level of patience is in the process of drying up.

I tried venting it out by posting in Facebook and Twitter thinking that my frustration would get over.

Phone call 1 : ( assuming he is talking to his wife)

Almost everyday as we start work.. this has got to be a trend…

hello : ki korcho. Pujo shesh. Appel ta kheye niyo. ( what are you doing ? Puja over ?? Have that apple)

This continues to when he will have lunch and when he will be back.

Phone call 2 : ( Tata Sky )

Getting all excited, his house got a tata sky, he calls his wife and tells her over the phone what to say to the Tata sky guy.

Amake khali Bangla channel lage. oke bolo this and that and this.. ( I want only Bangla channel and tell him this and that)

and the conversation goes on loudly for some time.

Phone call to his friends : This individual has got decent amount of friends who he regularly calls. Methinks that his group are all migrating from Kolkatta.

So he calls and talks to one of his friend. Telling him about himself and how he is settling down. Then he asks, where he got the job. The friend answers. And then he does not stop at that.

Accha bol to, tor salary koto. ( tell me how much salary are you getting ?? )

The friends hmms and hawwwss.. ( I am assuming)

Now our pal is not satisfied. He goes on asking about his salary.. I think he asks about 4 to 5 times.  Till he gets an answer and typically says..

Eito !! if you would have asked me before negotiating, I would have given you a higher figure. You have to bargain for it.

And on and on and on..

Recently, one of his friend is leaving his job I think… and our pal goes on and on convincing him why he should not leave and since he is married, he should think about both of them..

Blah blah blah !!!!!

Phone call on Vomit : ( yes that is there too)

One morning he picks up the phone and tells in a weak voice that he cannot go to lunch with him that day since he has vomitted some number of times. Goes on to relay when he puked.. and how many times.

And how he had some food over the weekend and it went haywire..

and thats why he says he will have to be careful

Phone call on ticket cancellation : ( this is a funny one)

Now this is what happens when we do too much of “Jugad”. Dont know the word in Bengali. This bugger calls up a friend to cancel  one of his tickets or some of his tickets via train to Kolkatta.  He sits in a no worry mode where things will be taken care of.

Then he gets a call that  the job is done and ALL the tickets have been canceled.

He is shocked and does not know what to say. Keeps soclding the fellow and immediately calls his wife to relay this new turn of events. And he keeps bemoaning this fact on and on.

Finally he decides to book plane ticket..

I could not help but giggle silently while on the other hand being frustrated at yet again having been privy to this conversation.

Phone call on his breakfast : ( “deem shidho” – boiled eggs)

One day he went on and on about his food and boiled eggs and fish and boiled eggs and fish and boiled eggs and fish

I was like hungry just listening to him talk so much and me is not very happy when hungry and there is no food.

Buhahahah !!! :) :):)

When does this bugger work ?? If he talks from morning to afternoon to evening..

So after listening to his private ins and out and his so called meanderings between friends, family and his food habits.. and his loving concern for the “aappel” that his wife has to have everyday..I talked to another Bong Manager who is a good pal as well and sits on the other side of the cube and told him to help me out.. by telling him to keep it down and to take a conference room…

Seriously I really dont need to hear or form an opinion about someone’s personal life and their doings..

I am ok with bits and pieces of phone conversation which we all have during the day. It does not invade..

But to go on and on and on and on .. after a while, it takes me away from my work and the mind gets stuck into that which is no business of mine.. :)

FINALLY today !!! there is quiet and limited quiet conversation.

Thank you Bangali Babu.. !!

Appreciate it  !! I can work in peace..