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IT Voice August 2015

Published on

[book id=’76’/]

 

Three Corporate Time Traps

 

I always love to be on time, whether it’s an appointment or a meeting. Recently a friend of mine asked me an interesting question, ” Can we manage time? “. My answer was simple, ” No, we can’t manage time, but we can manage ourselves “. The 86,400 seconds in a day may sound like a lot, but they go fast. No matter how quickly time seems to fly for us, even the most skilled time manager’s hours, minutes, and seconds tick by at exactly the same rate.

The questions is, Why do some people manage their time so effortlessly, while others are always behind? How can we stay on top of dead-lines when obstacles crop up right and left?

I believe, skillful management of our time is not superficial but fundamental. Instead of aimlessly allowing external events and pressures control us, it’s time for us to make deliberate choices about our use of time.

Let me share an interesting topic today from the corporate perspective.

The Telephone, Computers & Internet were supposed to make life easier; instead, all of us are busier than ever. We conduct meetings at office for better planning & implementation of things but now a days we are always busy with meetings. I fear, we all got into three major corporate time traps – E-mail Distractions, Phone Interruptions & Poorly Run Meetings!

Can we avoid, E-mail distractions, Manage our Telephone calls & Meetings ? I am sure this can save us lot of time to do things we love at work & home. Here are some tips for creating a little more time in your life each day:

1) Avoiding E-mail Distractions

> Delete junk E-mails right away

> Don’t read every E-mail right away. Read the ones which needs immediate action

> Designate a specific time of the day to read E-mails

> Respond to E-mails promptly

> Don’t let E-mails accumulate & clutter

2) Managing Telephone Calls

> Plan your telephone strategy in advance

> Don’t answer the telephone until you’re ready to

> Return the telephone calls at a pre-designated time of the day

> Ask callers politely to get to the point

> Write out your talking points before you call

3) Managing Meetings

> Don’t call a meeting unless you have a good idea of what you want to achieve

> Consider carefully who should be invited to the meeting

> Cancel the meeting if key decision makers can’t be present

> Don’t plan the agenda at the beginning of meeting; prepare & distribute it in advance so people arrive

focussed.

> Start the meetings on time

> Don’t wait for latecomers to begin the meeting

> Do keep a track of time and ensure all items in the agenda are discussed

> Do end the meeting on time

” Time is the substance of our lives,” It goes with out saying, managing our time will positively affect our daily output, our career, financial goals, and, ultimately, our success.

 Tarun Taunk
Editor-In-Chief

 

IT Voice July 2015

Published on

[book id=’75’ /]

Tracking Your Time

The only way to improve your time management skills is to learn from and understand your current time management habits. This process simply involves carrying around a notepad, and jotting down what you are doing every 15 minutes.

After one week, you should have a thorough understanding where you are spending your time and where you are wasting it. Do not move onto any other time management strategies until you successfully undertake this step. After one week, analyze your time logs and determine where you feel you could be more productive.

Set SMART Goals

Once you have a clear understanding of your time management habits, you are now ready to outline the bigger picture by setting and writing down smart goals.

S…pecific : Your goals must be very specific in terms of what you would like to accomplish.

M…easurable : Your goals must have a time measure, or in other words a date of when they will be accomplished.

A…chievable : Your goals must be achievable given the resources you have on hand.

R…ealistic :Your goals must be realistic given the time frame you have laid out to accomplish them.

T…imed : Your goals must be timed, meaning that they must be broken down into smaller short-term objectives that lead to medium and long-term goals. With an understanding of the bigger picture you are working towards, you will be better equipped to more effectively manage your time.

Whenever goals are set, a plan of action must immediately follow. Create a quick writeup and general action plan of how you will go about achieving these goals.

Now take your plan of action and convert it into a master to do list of all the things that you must do in order to achieve this bigger picture.

Now that you have your master to do list written out, the next step is to create a daily to do list where you write down and specify six key important tasks that you will accomplish today. As a general rule of thumb you should be spending your time on important rather than urgent tasks.

Many of us spend so much time during the day trying to put out fires. We deal with so many low priority yet urgent tasks and activities that keep us busy and moving, and at the end of the day we wonder how in the world we accomplished so little. Step out of this habit trap today and begin focusing on just the important tasks before they become urgent and potentially stress inducing.

By grouping your tasks into similar categories of activities you will become far more productive and time efficient. For instance, make all your telephone calls within a one block hour, and respond to all your emails during only specific times of the day. You can also group stationary activities (when you are at your desk) together with other activities that don’t require you to move around your office. Once your chunk-time is over, simply move onto something else, without making any further telephone calls or writing up emails.

The 80/20 Rule states that 80% of your efforts will bring about only 20% of the results. On the flip-side, 20% of your efforts will bring about 80% of your results. Knowing this, identify the highest value activities that will have the largest impact on your success at the end of the day, week, month and year. Focus on accomplishing these tasks and activities first, before moving onto the 80% of activities that will only bring about 20% of the result.

Finally, establish a daily, weekly and monthly routine schedule that will keep you moving forward and focusing on your most important goals, tasks and activities. Routines are excellent ways of forming new and empowering habits that will help you become an effective time manager. However, be sure that at all costs you keep your routine balanced personally and professionally.

Tarun Taunk

Editor-In-Chief

IT Voice May Premium 2015

Published on

[book id=’72’/]

Leadership- Lead by Example, Not by Extortion

” If your actions inspire others to dream more,  learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” This is the famous quote from former American President, John Quincy Adams. What a simple way of defining a “leader “! When we zoom in, it takes us to an interesting topic, ” leading by example “.

As leaders, we have a choice either to lead by example or by extortion. Leadership by its nature bestows us with powers and many of us lead by enforcing the powers and influence we have. But we forget the fact that leadership by extortion don’t make people to follow us but probably chase them away from us. When we set a good example through values, we illustrate the behavior we expect from others as they interact with each other and conduct their business.

We all have read the saying, “practice what you preach, do not preach what you do not practice”. The statement explains it all when it comes to effectively leading by example. If we want to be efficient leaders, we need to “walk the talk” and not only “talk the talk”. Interestingly, there are two types of leaders: Those that lead by their words, and those who lead by their actions. The ones who lead by their actions are leaders who lead by example, or getting people to follow them based on what they do, and not what they tell others to do.

The question is, how do we most effectively lead by example? No doubt, leading by example boosts morale, and it helps us gain a sense of control over those we are managing. When we are willing to get our hands dirty to show others what has to be done, we are not only making people respect us, but we are helping others learn skills that they will need to be better employees as well.

Let me take you through some simple tips which can help us to lead by example.

1) Think before we talk : Think before we speak or act. As a leader, our words and actions will be looked upon and criticized or emulated by others. People want to believe in their leaders.

2) Believe in ourselves : Believe in what we do and do what we love. If we don’t believe in our goals, then convincing others that they should work towards them will be very hard.

3) Be fair & honest : Treat others as we would like them to treat us. If we treat others fairly and justly, we can expect that they will treat us the same. If we treat them unjustly, expect that they will treat us unfavorably. A good leader is honest and respectful.

4) Be pro-active : Create chances and be pro-active. Don’t wait for opportunities to come to us. Being pro-active instead of reactive enables us to be ready for difficult situations and take advantage of positive circumstances.

5) Give our ears : Listen to others. Listening is a key communication tool. Showing others that we are interested in what they have to stay will help gain their respect. If they don’t respect us, they won’t want to follow our lead.

6) Decision making : Stay firm in our decisions. If we aren’t committed to our decisions, we can’t expect others to be committed to theirs.

7) Be a team player : Stand behind our team. If a team member makes a mistake, take the blame for the mistake. Don’t point fingers. Figure out why the mistake was made and how it could be prevented in the future.

8) Be a role model : We have to speak the part, dress the part, act the part, smile, be appropriate and do not complain. Sounds difficult, but we have to build up our reputation as a strong and well balanced leader that others will want to emulate.

9) Be Positive : Be consistent and do so with a positive attitude. Being fair with everyone and if someone needs to be corrected for something then do so in private.

10) Take care of ourselves : Of course to be productive as a leader, we must take care of ourselves and find a healthy balance. That balance differs from one person to the next, so finding our own will be up to us. Take care of our mind, body and soul to create a positive person.

It is said that, great leadership takes strength of character and a firm commitment to do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason. Which means, doing what we say, when we say it. If our team can’t trust us, we’ll probably never lead them to greatness.

 Tarun Taunk

 Editor-In-Cheif

IT Voice May 2015

Published on

[book id=’71’ /]

 

Time Management-Prioritization

Do you ever experience this situation in life?  When you step into office, the desk is filled with memos and papers, suddenly you hear the phone ringing, and the door open all at the same time! Remember the ‘frozen feeling’ that comes over you? Have you ever thought about why you experience this frozen feeling?

To know this, you should know why animal trainers carry a stool when they go into a cage of lions. Of course they have their whips and pistols but invariably they also carry a stool. Mind it, it is the most important tool of the trainer! He holds the stool by the back and thrusts the legs toward the face of the wild animal. The animal then tries to focus on all four legs at once. In that attempt to focus on all four, a kind of paralysis overwhelms the animal, and it becomes tame, weak, and disabled because its attention is fragmented. The same can happen to us, TOO MANY PRIORITIES CAN PARALYZE US!

But in our complex business world, you can’t wait until you have reached one long-term goal before neatly moving on to the next. Or any given day, you will be working on short-term tasks associated with multiple goals and objectives. So how do you decide which task to be completed first, second and so forth? Well the answer is Prioritization – The key to your Time Management.

The first step in Prioritization is to have a clear understanding on what’s involved in each task by asking the following questions – Who, What, When, Why and How. WHO? Who needs this to be done? Who will benefit from this? WHAT? Exactly what are you required to do? Just the benefit of doing the job does it justify the investment of your time, energy and resources? WHEN? By what date you need to complete your task? Do I have time to accommodate this task? WHY? Why have you been asked to complete this task? Why is it necessary in the context of long-term goals? HOW? How should you complete the task? How will your completed task be measured or evaluated?

Remember, all the above questions have a huge effect on time management decisions and on the quality and cost of task. Once these questions are answered, the best way to begin is to make a list. I know you’ve heard this advice a thousand times: ‘write things down’. Don’t take it lightly; writing down things has a surprising benefit beyond merely helping you remember important information. After writing down what has to be done, you’re more likely to experience a sudden ‘aha’ moment about the best way to accomplish things done. The truth is, this list will make you feel in control of your time! Having made this list you need to the following:

1)  Prioritize what is most urgent, second most urgent, and so on. Rather arrange tasks in order of their importance and urgency.

2) Rewrite your list as priorities change or fluctuate.

3)  Tackle your list by completing the first item on it, then moving on to the next one.

4)  Clean up and rewrite your to-do list every day before you leave the office.

5) Take an upbeat attitude toward your tasks so that each one seems worthy of your time.

6) Don’t allow the tasks you don’t complete to accumulate.

7)  Don’t procrastinate, focus on how good it feels to accomplish tasks and dig in.

Unfinished weekly objectives muddy the waters of your goals to be reached. Executing the immediate tasks at hand sets the stage for executing your objectives and long-term goals. The only way to achieve goals and manage your time effectively is one small step at a time. You must address these small steps in the moment. That makes the ‘now’ priority number one. Use it or lose it!

Have you noticed; time deadlines and emergencies force us to prioritize. Just take an example, If you have only one letter to write, it will take all day to do it. If you have twenty letters to write, you’ll get them done in one day! Like Brian Tracy says, one of the most important rules of personal effectiveness is 10/90 Rule. This rule says that the first 10 percent of time that you spend planning and organizing your work before you begin will save you as much as 90 percent of the time in getting the job done once you gets started.

Time management is really taking control of the sequence of events. And you are always free to choose the task that you will do next. Your ability to choose between the most important and unimportant is the key determinant to your success in life and work. So what’s your call, to prioritize or get Paralyzed?

 

Tarun Taunk
Editor-In-Cheif

IT Voice April S-1 2015

Published on

[book id=’70’ /]

Team Building & Leadership Lessons from Geese birds

Team building skills are critical for our effectiveness as a Manager or Entrepreneur. People in every workplace talk about building the team, working as a team, but few understand how to create the experience of team work or how to develop an effective team. Belonging to a team, in the broadest sense, is a result of feeling part of something larger than you.

We do have some lessons from Geese which provide a perfect example of the importance of team work and how it can have a profound and powerful effect on any form of personal or business endeavour. Geese take full advantage of the power of their group, sharing leadership responsibilities and flying in a structure that enables the flock to leverage the strength and power of its individual members, sometimes numbering in to thousands. It is said that the Geese can make an annual round trip journey of more than 5,000 miles at a speed of 50 mph or more!

 The Importance of Achieving Goals : As each goose flaps its wings it creates”UPLIFT” for the birds that follow. By flying in a ‘V’ formation the whole flock adds 71 percent extra to the flying range.

When we have a sense of community and focus, we create trust and can help each other to achieve our goals.
The Importance of Team Work : When a goose falls out of formation it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back to take advantage of the lifting power of the birds in front.
If we had as much sense as geese we would stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.
The Importance of Sharing : When a goose tires of flying up front it drops back into formation and another goose flies to the point position.
It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks. We should respect and protect each other’s unique arrangement of skills, capabilities, talents and resources.
The Importance of Empathy and Understanding : When a goose gets sick, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to the ground to help and protect it.
If we have as much sense as geese we will stand by each other in difficult times, as well as when we are strong.
The Importance of Encouragement : Geese flying in formation ‘HONK’ to encourage those up front to keep up with their speed.
We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups and teams where there is encouragement, productivity is much greater. ‘Individual empowerment results from quality honking’.

Finally, the geese teach us that someone has to take the lead and someone has to honk from behind. Each team member brings different skills and abilities to accomplish the goals.

So, the next time you see geese flying above, take a moment to remind yourself just how smart they are, and what we can learn from them. The geese teach us to work as a team, work together in unity, share the hard jobs when it comes to leading, and honk from behind to encourage others.

Tarun Taunk
Editor-In-Cheif

IT Voice April 2015

Published on

[book id=’69’ /]

Major Mistakes of Management and Leadership

It’s often said that mistakes provide great learning opportunities. However, it’s much better not to make mistakes in the first place!
In this article, we’re looking at 10 of the most common leadership and management errors, and highlighting what you can do to avoid them. If you can learn about these here, rather than through experience, you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble!
1. Not Making Time for Your Team : When you’re a manager or leader, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in your own workload that you don’t make yourself available to your team.
Yes, you have projects that you need to deliver. But your people must come first – without you being available when they need you, your people won’t know what to do, and they won’t have the support and guidance that they need to meet their objectives.
Avoid this mistake by blocking out time in your schedule specifically for your people, and by learning how to listen actively to your team. Develop your emotional intelligence so that you can be more aware of your team and their needs, and have a regular time when “your door is always open”, so that your people know when they can get your help. You can also use Management By Walking Around , which is an effective way to stay in touch with your team.
Once you’re in a leadership or management role, your team should always come first – this is, at heart, what good leadership is all about!
2. Being Too “Hands-Off” : One of your team has just completed an important project. The problem is that he misunderstood the project’s specification, and you didn’t stay in touch with him as he was working on it. Now, he’s completed the project in the wrong way, and you’re faced with explaining this to an angry client.
Many leaders want to avoid micromanagement . But going to the opposite extreme (with a hand-offs management style) isn’t a good idea either – you need to get the balance right.
3. Being Too Friendly : Most of us want to be seen as friendly and approachable to people in our team. After all, people are happier working for a manager that they get on with. However, you’ll sometimes have to make tough decisions regarding people in your team, and some people will be tempted to take advantage of your relationship if you’re too friendly with them.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t socialize with your people. But, you do need to get the balance right between being a friend and being the boss.
Learn how to do avoid this mistake with our article, Now You’re the Boss . Also, make sure that you set clear boundaries , so that team members aren’t tempted to take advantage of you.
4. Failing to Define Goals : When your people don’t have clear goals, they muddle through their day. They can’t be productive if they have no idea what they’re working for, or what their work means. They also can’t prioritize their workload effectively, meaning that projects and tasks get completed in the wrong order.
Avoid this mistake by learning how to set SMART goals for your team. Use a Team Charter to specify where your team is going, and detail the resources it can draw upon. Also, use principles from Management by Objectives to align your team’s goals to the mission of the organization.
5. Misunderstanding Motivation : Do you know what truly motivates your team? Here’s a hint: chances are, it’s not just money!
Many leaders make the mistake of assuming that their team is only working for monetary reward. However, it’s unlikely that this will be the only thing that motivates them.
6. Hurrying Recruitment : When your team has a large workload, it’s important to have enough people “on board” to cope with it. But filling a vacant role too quickly can be a disastrous mistake.
Hurrying recruitment can lead to recruiting the wrong people for your team: people who are uncooperative, ineffective or unproductive. They might also require additional training, and slow down others on your team. With the wrong person, you’ll have wasted valuable time and resources if things don’t work out and they leave. What’s worse, other team members will be stressed and frustrated by having to “carry” the under-performer.
You can avoid this mistake by learning how to recruit effectively , and by being particularly picky about the people you bring into your team.

Tarun Taunk
Editor-In-Cheif

IT Voice March S-1 2015

Published on

[book id=’67’ /]

4 Habits You Need to Be Successful

The most successful people in this world maintain and master good habits. They realize what they do on a daily basis and where they direct their energy deeply matters when it comes to reaching their goals.

The habits you have picked up over the past couple of years is a reflection of where you are right this moment.

The sad news is that most people don’t have very good habits. The great news is if you are unhappy where you are at in your life you can gradually change the trajectory by altering what you do daily. To achieve high levels of success, you must start to develop the habits of the highly successful.

Below you will find four habits that will help you maximize the results you have been producing and live the life of your dreams.

1. Focus your energy. Learning how to direct your energy towards your most rewarding tasks is crucial for achieving high levels of success. One of the biggest mistakes that many people make is directing their energy towards low-valued tasks. Take a look at everything you have going on right now in your life.  Pay close attention and ask yourself what the high-valued tasks are — the ones that have the potential to bring the most reward to you and your business.

2.  Ability to prioritize. Think of what is your most important goal right this moment. If you had to pick one goal that would make everything else in your life tick, this is it. High achievers never lose sight of what their major goal is. Every day, do something that will inch you closer to the achievement of your main goal.

3. Can project and complete tasks. Being able to start something and follow through until it’s completed is a key to long-term success.

Picture yourself completely finishing your projects and tasks. Take note of how you feel visualizing yourself getting the job done. The more you can picture yourself following through and completing important tasks, the more determined you will be to actually do so.

4. Having a PMA. To be successful, you need to have a positive mental attitude, or PMA. If you do nothing about negative thoughts, chances are you will be settling for average. Instead, you need to continually feed your mind with positive thoughts.

A great percentage of successful people have all experienced some sort of setback or failure. They could have just stopped their journey right there and called it quits. Instead, they had a positive mental attitude about themselves and their abilities, which gave them the power needed to continue along and reach their goals. Creating this sort of attitude could be one of your most important habits that you end up incorporating on a daily basis.

No matter where you are in life, there is always more to reach for.  When you constantly strive to become a better person, refine your skill set and invest in your future daily, you become more as an individual. When you become more as an individual, your value increases.  The more your value increases, the more successful you will become — and it all starts with your habits.

Tarun Taunk
Editor-In-Cheif

IT Voice March 2015

Published on

[book id=’66’/]

Care Your People – “Achieve Amazing Results”!

Another year has passed by. While looking back, I am glad that I could deliver lot of lectures and do training for several corporates, small businesses, nonprofit institutions, social organizations, service clubs, schools & colleges.
When I reflect these experiences, one of the things that strikes me is the amount of confusion that surrounds the act of caring about others. While most people quickly admit that caring about others is a good thing to do, they fail to appreciate two very important aspects of caring : how huge the return is that comes back to us from caring and how quickly our personal and professional lives can change for the better once we start.
I believe our success depends on the support of other people. The only hurdle between us and what we want to be is the support of others. A person is not pulled up to a higher level job. Rather he or she is lifted up. We are lifted to higher levels by those who know us as likeable, personable individuals.
If caring can energize us and our work place, let me share with you some simple steps that will show us how to maximize the return that comes back to us from caring.
1. Master your Emotions : Even the best leaders have personal problems at one time or another. In those situations, the most effective leaders reach down inside themselves to find the strength to keep their emotions in check, especially at work.
2. Listen to your Inner Voice : When you share your dreams and goals with those close to you- a change of career, starting a new business, going back to school- you’re very likely to hear a negative response. Don’t let others rain on your parade- instead, go for it!
3. Engage with Attitude : Have you ever heard the phrase, “Attitude is everything”? Take it to heart, for there’s no such thing as an effective leader with a bad attitude. The best way to engage people is with your attitude, enthusiasm, and excitement.
4. The Power of Positive Action : Don’t be nice to people just because you want something from them. Be positive just to be positive, and watch how your life changes for better.
5. Sincere Appreciation gets Results : One of the deepest needs of our human existence is the need to be appreciated. Each and every one of us absolutely loves to be appreciated for who we are and what we do.
6. Get others to go Extra Mile : To really energize those around you, you need to not only take a sincere interest in them and what they do, but also blow them away by doing something incredible and unexpected
7. Excitement is Contagious : So is passion. If you’re fired up about what you do, chances are that those around you will be, too!
8. Engage People by Involving Everyone : The key is making sure that everyone has a voice in making suggestions on how things can be improved.
9. Leave a Trail of Gratitude : When people really hit one out of the part for you, or even if they do something simple but well –meaning, find a sincere way to express your appreciation.
10. Give Credit to Others : The best leaders are confident enough to give credit to others when things go right-and to take the blame when things go wrong.
11. Turn Enemies into Allies : The workplace is too small a place for you to have enemies. They can only sidetrack you from important things. If someone seems to have an axe to grind, find a way to engage that individual informally to find out the problem.
12. Celebrate your Success : When you achieve something that is important to you, make sure you don’t let the moment pass without celebrating. It recharges your batteries!

Caring energizes everyone around us. When we open up and really care about people, we make them feel really good about themselves. This releases the reservoir of positive energy that resides in all of us. Let me assure you, if we can put the above universal principles into practice, our success at work will immediately begin to skyrocket and our personal life will thrive as never before.

Ready to energize every one ? Let me warn you, it may cause extreme enthusiasm and lead to real result in the workplace !!!

Tarun Taunk
Editor-In-Cheif

IT Voice February S-1 2015

Published on

[book id=’63’ /]

The good side of Recession

It seems like everyone around us is obsessed by recession talk these days.
” Economic Recession, Global Meltdown, Tough Economy, Economic Crisis, Stock Market Crash…” all these terms which used to be economic jargons once has become common words for us today!
Everywhere we look, people want to know if we’re in a recession. Turn on the nightly news or read the news paper, we get scary economic statistics one after another. Without doubt the main topic dominating the news is the current economic crisis, and it appears certain that it may be going to get even worse.
Anyways, What is this Recession?
Our Economists and Financial Guru’s says, ” it is a state of economic decline; a widespread decline in the GDP, employment and trade lasting from six months to a year “. To make it more understandable, it is when hundreds of people gets laid off from their jobs, prices of commodities are shooting up, and everybody is short on cash. Holy Cow! Quite a disaster isn’t it?
We could say “There is nothing that we can do about this recession; it is out of our hands” . To some extent this is true, there is nothing that we as individuals can do about the recession. How long it will last or how deep it is, is simply out of our control.
I read in one of the leading Financial News Paper recently, “Recession is primarily caused by the actions taken to control the money supply in the economy. The Government is responsible for maintaining an ideal balance between money supply, interest rates, and inflation. When the Government loses balance in this equation, the economy can spiral out of control, forcing it to correct itself.” bla..bla..bla..it goes on !
In short, we can blame the Government for everything that’s happening right now. But, is that what we should be doing right now? Or can we talk about something better? As always, in every situation there are those that comes out victorious, so don’t dwell on the negative effects of economic recession because that won’t help us and take us anywhere.
Instead, what if we think of the different ways to beat economic recession ?
Great! That’s one good side of it. It makes us think! Remember, in every situation we can come out victorious if we choose to. You must be laughing thinking what good side can economic meltdown offer. Well, tighten your seat belts, let me take you through that.
The Good Side of Economic Recession
1 : It Makes Us Wiser : You’ll be surprised how people start to lecture you about spending wisely, saving for the future, tighten your belts etc.! Seriously, in this world where consumerism is highly encouraged, the situation right now has made everybody wiser than before. I don’t see people spending a lot of money like they used to. Don’t you feel that’s really good?
2 : It Makes Us Think Out Of The Box : As I’ve said earlier, economic recession makes us think, which is the greatest thing. What different way have we thought of today that will earn us some extra cash? The beauty of it is that, the more we think of it, the more creative ideas we get. And that is our first step towards success.
3 : It Creates a Decision Maker Out Of Us : Knowing that we have to act fast, it forces us to make quick decisions. It doesn’t matter if we make a mistake, what matters is that we are doing something. Procrastination will get us no where, and that is what recession is saving us from.
4 : It Makes Us Appreciate What We Have : A friend of mine used to always complain about the car that he drives, he wanted something new, a brand new Honda to be specific. But now I’m hearing him say how thankful he is to still be driving a car. How about rest of us? Do we still hate the car we drive? Do we think our house is too small? Don’t you think recession really makes us appreciate what we have?
5 : It Forces Change : This goes together with all the other benefits of economic recession. Change is a constant thing but recession accelerates that, it makes everybody adaptable. If we were used to eating at Five Star Hotels and Fine Dining Restaurants, I bet some of us might be at least thinking or started having it at a Fast Food Joint or even just eat at home!
6 : Other Benefits of Recession : Economists say, during recession Interest rates which will come down which is good for Borrowers and Inflation rates will drop which is good for Savers. Sometimes difficult times can force us to reevaluate our financial situation. It can make us look for new business avenues and new ways to cut costs and spending. Although it may be temporarily unpleasant, the important thing is not to panic but try to make the best of any situation we find ourselves in.
I can probably list 10 or 20 more good sides of economic recession but I think you got the message what I am trying to explain and I will be extremely happy if reading this article made you to look at recession in a different perspective.
Anyways, Its for sure that, we can’t control what happens to the economy, not even U.S President Obama can do that (or maybe he can, whatever!), but ” we can control our own economy ” !
In the changing world there will be opportunities, and we should be looking for them. By doing so and becoming established now, we will have a distinct advantage when things start to recover. We need to research and develop our strategies for the future, and acquire the skills that will help us to succeed.
I am sure that those amongst us who survive or even prosper through this recession will do so because of the positive attitude, flexibility and willingness to explore new ideas. Another thing that we all need from time to time is inspiration. Like the old saying “Necessity is the Mother of All Invention”.
Lets be appreciative on what we have, ambitious on what we want, avoid negativity and recharge ourselves with positive energy during this recession. While businesses are folding right and left and people are filled with panic and fear, can we make a positive affirmation and boldly say ” I refuse to participate in this recession ” !!!
Don’t you think that’s refreshing? A positive mantra surging through your veins? If so, joining with you to beat this recession.

Editor-In-Chief

Tarun Taunk

IT Voice February 2015

Published on

[book id=’62’ /]

Working Together Hand in Glove

Working with others, whether as an individual or as a leader of an Organization, is an essential part of every individual, manager’s and entrepreneur’s remit. Team working is rapidly becoming the preferred practice in many organizations as traditional corporate hierarchies give way to flat, multi skilled working methods.
Whether we are Entrepreneur’s, CEO’s, Manager’s or something else, there’s a pretty good chance we’ll interact with other people along the way. Unless our plan is to work in a vacuum and be unknown to anyone ever, we’ll have to factor these people into our equation of success – partners, patrons, investors, bosses, colleagues, clients, customers, and / or critics. Depending on our goal, working with others may be a big factor or a little factor, but it almost certainly counts.
The famous quote by Ryunosuke Satoro, ” Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean ” reminds me of a good Chinese story which tells us the importance of working together.
In ancient China, during the period of the South-North Dynasty, there was a kingdom called Tuguhun, which was established by the Xianbei ethnicity at the Northwestern border region. The legend Acai was the emperor of this kingdom.
Acai had twenty sons, each one of whom was strong and skilled at fighting. Each had his unique expertise. When Acai was very ill, he called all of his sons together and asked each one of them to give him one arrow. He then said to his younger brother, Mu Liyan, “Please take one arrow here and break it.” Mu Liyan easily broke the arrow. Acai then said, “Please take nineteen arrows here and break them.” Mu Liyan could no longer break the bundle of arrows. Acai said, “Now do you understand? One arrow is very easily broken, while a bundle of arrows is hard to break. As long as all of you work together with one heart, our kingdom will be stable.”
Acai’s words, “One arrow is easily broken, while a bundle of arrows is hard to break,” tells us the same thing that has been said by the ancient people, “When people’s hearts are joined together as one, even a Mountain can be moved,”. The story points out the importance of people working together with one heart.
In his best seller book ” Success “, J.Pincott talks about how we can successfully work with others. Let me share with you these simple tips which can help us in effectively working with others :
1 : Realize that we need others : No matter how independent we are as individuals, we depend on others to define ourselves and create purpose in our lives.
2 : Get them to identify with us : Finding out how successful people get others to work with them or for them is always interesting. The bottom line is that we need to make an effort to identify with others and to get others to identify with us.
3 : Don’t worry so much about getting credit : We may need to work with others as partners or in teams, or working under another person or within a company. Our job, always, is to make that person above us look good at the same time that we get what we need from the job. Actually, the better job we do, the better it is for the person above us. Don’t worry about the boss getting credit for what we do.
4 : Earn the respect of others : Respect is a strong motivator for success. But it’s not easy to achieve the kind of success and respect we wanted. It requires a consistency of behavior that is truly impressive. It requires that we treat others in a honest and caring way.
5 : Watch our words : To successful people, working with others means knowing what to say – and what not to say.
6 : Handle difficult people with care : Some jobs require better social skills than others. From those who must constantly interact with others, there’s a good chance we’ll encounter difficult people. Sometimes people say unkind or thoughtless things, and when they do, it is best to be a little hard of hearing – to tune out and not snap back in anger or impatience.
7 : Have a healthy skepticism of authority : Like Buddha says, ” Do not believe in anything simply because we have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. But after observation and analysis, when we find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. “
8 : Don’t be afraid to depend on others : Don’t be afraid to ask for help; our success might depend on it. There is a magic that results when a person invests in us. He becomes a big-time investor in our success, a stockholder in our dreams. Because, when we ask someone for help, we are implicitly asking him to place a bet on us. The more people we get to bet on us, the larger our network of investors and the shorter the odds.
It goes without saying, the basic principle of working together with our team should underpin how we operate. Managing people doesn’t just mean acting as a watch dog but it to see that they get their work done satisfactorily. It also means involving people throughout in a creative role, to ensure that together we are all able to succeed.
When we involve people on broad issues, it will motivate them. Let’s not underestimate our people and always remember, their views can enhance everything: methods, standards, processes and overall effectiveness. The managers are not paid to have all the ideas that are necessary to keep their section working well in a changing world, but they are paid to make sure that there are enough ideas to make things work and go on working. Let’s use our people and make it clear to them that we want and value their contributions.
Like Henry Ford said, ” Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. What are we waiting for, ” Let’s come together, keep together and work together to be successful in personal and professional life.

Editor-In-Chief

Tarun Taunk
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