17 Monday Sep 2012
Posted in Books and Authors, Executive Effectiveness
At a time when there are ever so many books which tell you how to be a better manager jostling the bookshelves, here’s one that comes as a refreshing change. Judith Leary-Joyce is the CEO of Great Companies Consulting and she uses all the experience she has gained in presenting a succint and very readable book titled ” Inspirational Manager”.
03 Wednesday Dec 2008
Posted in A Step A Day
Even if I say so myself, I am honestly amazed and quite gratified to see that “A Step A Day” has completed one year. Yes, there have been 365 posts in this series which was kicked off with the first being posted on November 27, 2007.
15 Saturday Nov 2008
Posted in Uncategorized
Many attend learning events, say they enjoyed them a lot but later wonder what they gained from them. They are part of a large number of people who do not make and implement action plans. To my mind, action planning is by far the best way to effectively transfer learnings from a learning event or training program, to where it matters the most-back on the job. This is a weak area for most simply because they don’t take responsibility for this process. They forget an important learning principle: “If it is for me, it has to be by me”. Here are my 7 Steps for Action Planning:
11 Saturday Oct 2008
Posted in A Step A Day
Many clamoring for success in the competitive world- where resources are scarce and chased by too many- wish they could be more self-assured, self-confident and well, simply more assertive. Typical statements one hears include:
Assertiveness is defined as aggressive self-assurance and the ability to make bold assertions. Impressions of you are created- not by what you think, but by what you say and what you do. This includes other’s perception of how assertive or not you are in their eyes.
24 Thursday Jul 2008
Posted in A Step A Day
One of the best books I have read in recent times has been Rajesh Setty’s “Beyond Code“. A little over 115 pages and an easy read. Written in a simple yet effective style, the book delivers what it seeks to do: Give the reader ideas to “learn to distinugish youreself in 9 simple steps.”
14 Monday Jul 2008
Posted in A Step A Day
Everyone wants to get ahead in life and to do this everyone wants to develop. Here are a few aspirations I have commonly come across in my work as an executive coach and facilitator:
Others may want to retire at 45, start their own business venture or simply have a “better quality of life”.
07 Thursday Feb 2008
Posted in A Step A Day
The series called “A Step A Day” was started with this objective: To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.
One of the points of interest for me in writing “A Step A Day” is to come up with a different theme each day. There are advantages and disadvantages of following a single theme. For instance, if I were writing about “Effective Meetings “and did a series of 5 posts on this, I recognize it might be easier for the reader to digest. However, wouldn’t it be rather monotonous for the reader?
The current practice enables me to write about topics which cover a wide spectrum of issues. A quick look at the posts indicate that the last 5 were on:
I feel the present practice makes for more interesting reading. What are your views?
As far as the content is concerned, I try to achieve a balance of anecdotal incidents based on my own experience as well as general information through links to websites that provide good information on the topic. I recognize that readers are busy people so providing links helps them see material in greater depth at their convenience.
Length of the post is another issue. I have tried to keep the posts within 500 words, if not less. Too short a post makes it difficult to give detail. Too long a post loses reader attention. This is a tough one with perhaps no right answer. I would say it largely depends on the individual reader.
The objective of this post is to get feedback on the “A Step A Day” series. Your views and suggestions for improvement are most welcome.
You can subscribe to the A-Step-A-Day series using RSS at https://bprao.wordpress.com/category/a-step-a-day/feed
22 Tuesday Jan 2008
Posted in A Step A Day
In case you have not noticed, let me say that today is a minor landmark, “A Step A Day” reaches 50 – half a century for us cricket lovers!
I quote from my first post in this series on November 27, 2007:
“The objective: provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues – big and small- crucial for executive success.
I hope this will be useful to many at my client companies.. At this stage of my life and career, my personal goal is: To Help People Grow.”
Everything you experience today, writes Jack Canfield, is the result of choices you have made in the past. He gives the example of an event – you are given a $400 bonus. If your response is to blow it up, the outcome is that you no longer have the $ 400.
For the same event, if your response was to invest it in a mutual fund, the outcome would have been an increase in your net worth.
We have no control over many things in life. But as Jack writes, we have control over 3 things:
You have to bring about positive changes in the way you look at things and act on them. I hope this series will provoke people to think and act differently. Too think and act for the better.
“If you keep on doing what you have always done, you’ll keep on getting what you have always got” !
You can subscribe to the A-Step-A-Day series using RSS at https://bprao.wordpress.com/category/a-step-a-day/feed
13 Sunday Jan 2008
Posted in A Step A Day
“His organization looks after him very well” said Thomas, speaking of his batch-mate from business school. ” They have given him an executive coach. They are spending a bomb on him”.
I reflected on what he said being an executive coach myself. The way Thomas spoke, he made it sound almost like an executive perk. Was it yet another executive perk like Club membership and stock options? Was the executive coach the latest toy ? Did the executive understand how much it was costing his organization in terms of time, direct and indirect efforts and associated costs?
In my experience, there are two kinds of people. Those who have gained immensely from the coaching relationship and those who have not. Management psychologist Don Grayson and consultant Kerry Larson have summarised 6 common pitfalls that prevent the executive from making the best of the coaching investment.
To my mind, the most important is the need to commit. The person being coached has to understand that the initiative largely has to be driven by himself. He has to change, not the coach. Commitment brings about higher priority and greater involvement. Understand what the coaching will and will not do. Be realistic in your expectations. Some are defensive as they perceive the fact that they are being coached as being an affront to their capabilities. Be honest. There are reasons why you have been chosen to be coached. Question those reasons by all means but be committed once you are satisfied.
Coaching involves change and changed behaviours. You can’t get the benefits of change without taking initiative. Like wise take a few risks to gain confidence. Involve relevant others in your journey towards self-improvement. Your supervisor, trusted colleagues or family members can be of great value in putting things in the right perspective or sharing the joys and woes of self-development.
As we say: “Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan”.
You can subscribe to the A-Step-A-Day series using RSS at https://bprao.wordpress.com/category/a-step-a-day/feed
04 Wednesday Apr 2007
Posted in Careers
“What you do every day should contribute to giving your life meaning. If it doesn’t, why are you doing it?” – Don Hutcheson
When did you last set for yourself-learning goals? Many of us have become complacent with success that we forget that we need to constantly learn to remain current and competitive.
Ask yourself: What did I learn new today? What did I learn new last week? What did I learn new last month? What did I learn new last quarter?
If the answer is nothing, you are as good as dead. Not literally, of course, but swamped in a fiercely competitive environment which has no time or place for mediocrity.
Learnings need not be restricted to your field of specialization or expertise. Indeed it is a good idea to have learning goals in related areas. For example, it makes eminent sense for a Project/Program Manager to learn more about business and profitability apart from the essentials of Project/Program Management.
As the American author, Napoleon Hill tells us” Procrastination is the bad habit of putting of until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday”.
Don’t procrastinate on this one!
