"WHERE KNOWLEDGE IS WEALTH"

Friday, June 25, 2010

“Quality of Work Life” – Prof.M.S.Rao

“The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” - Vincent Lombardi


When you look at companies like Google India Pvt. Ltd, MakeMyTrip (India) Pvt. Ltd, Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd, Marriott Hotels India Pvt. Ltd, NetApp India Pvt. Ltd, American Express, India, NTPC Ltd, PayPal India Pvt. Ltd, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces and Whirlpool Of India, it becomes very clear that they are all the top good companies in India to work for where there is quality of work life is ensured.

As every employer wants a good employee, every employee wants a good employer. Then how do we assess whether the employer is good or bad? One of the yardsticks is to find out the quality of work life the company is offering to their employees. In fact, it is the quality of work life that differentiates good companies from poor companies. In this regard, let us briefly know what is all about quality of work life.

Quality of work life is all about the conducive and congenial environment created at the work place as it is one of the main reasons for better performance and productivity. Only when the right ambience is provided to the employees they will be able to deliver their goods effectively and efficiently. Let us succinctly look at the ways and means to ensure the quality of work life in this regard.

Ensuring Better Quality of Work Life:

The quality of work life of an organization can be ensured through few factors such as fair treatment, equality of all employees, building trust and confidence, providing professional support, displaying integrity and ensuring all levels of communication open, encouraging ‘we’ rather ‘I’ attitude and respecting human dignity. In brief, below are the parameters that ensure better quality of work life.
• Provide just and fair compensation to the employees
• Ensure hygiene work place environment.
• Honor the rights of employees.
• Ensure effective grievance handling mechanism.
• Make the work place free from organizational politics.
• Provide opportunities for career growth to employees.

Advantages of Quality Work Life:

Better quality of work life leads to increased employee morale. It minimizes attrition and checks labor turnover and absenteeism. There will be better communication and understanding among all employees leading to cordial relations. It enhances the brand image for the company as that, in turn, encourages entry of new talent into the company.

Strategies:

There is need to roll out the seamless succession planning as it keeps the employees ready for taking up higher positions as well as for facing organizational challenges. Always champion the concept of ‘employee first and customer second’. Only the satisfied employees keep their clients satisfied and that leads to strong bottom lines and more returns to shareholder. When we look at companies like Google and Virgin Group they emphasize on their employees first and it has paid them huge dividends.

Conclusion:

All over the world, people are craving for their human dignity and respect. Besides their aspirations and expectations are rising along with rapid changes in times and technologies. There is growing significance attached to human resources. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure quality work life for all-round peace and prosperity.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

“Global Human Resources Management (GHRM)” – Prof.M.S.Rao

With the changing times and technologies the businesses are endeavoring to adopt policies and practices of their human resources activities and operations as per the changing global business environment. As a result, there is growing emphasis on global human resources management these days. In this regard, let us briefly look at what is all about global human resources management.

What is Global HRM?

Global Human Resources Management is all about aligning the policies and procedures, rules and regulations pay and perks, trends and practices and benchmarking the standards of the home country on par with the global standards with a global mindset. In addition, it involves managing the diversified workforce globally. Succinctly Global HRM is all about blending the HR activities as per the global business environment by dreaming globally but acting locally.

Merits and Demerits:

There are number of advantages along with GHRM as there is more room for growth and expansion. The businesses can think of growing into several uncharted areas capitalizing on the current globalization. The world has become a small village integrating all people as one with the rapid growth of technology. When different people come under one roof and work, it leads to diversity which is the hallmark of GHRM. People learn to appreciate the similarities ignoring the cultural, ethnic, religious and regional differences. It is platform for growth and expansion and diversification.

However, when we look at the disadvantages, there will be cultural conflicts leading to differences among the people. There is lack of mobility of the people as well in some cases. There are several other complications and implications involved in GHRM.

Conclusion:

Keeping the prevailing current business environment in view, it is essential to adopt what is best as per global conditions without compromising the needs at the local level. The companies must think globally and act locally to eat the cake and have it too. Therefore, global human resources management is the need for the hour for businesses to leverage the opportunities for ensuring their organizational effectiveness and excellence.

To conclude, GHRM is here to stay. People must mould themselves with global mindset. Companies must evolve their human resources policies as per global standards for availing the opportunities.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

“How To Identify And Manage Manipulative People?” – Prof.M.S.Rao

“You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.” – Abraham Lincoln

It is often difficult to find out the fake and genuine people in daily life. However there are certain observations that can make easier to identify the genuine person from manipulative person. First of all, we shall know the characteristics of manipulators.

Characteristics of Manipulators:

It is rightly said that below average individuals talk about individuals, average individuals talk about issues and above average individuals talk about ideas. The manipulators often talk about individuals and issues but not ideas. They exploit the weaknesses of others and leverage their strengths. They are diplomatic and are Machiavellians. They emphasize on means not ends.

They are negative people with negative energies. They blackmail you emotionally and sentimentally. They can go to any extent to get their tasks executed and leave others in the lurch once the task is over. They boss over others and make others as scapegoats. They cannot excel as leaders. If you allow them they will bend you. If bend them they get bent.
There is no consistency between the oral and body language of manipulators as orally they speak something and their body cues demonstrate some other message.

These people start conversation in a sympathetic manner and take foothold and start manipulating others. They often beat around the bush. They never hit straight. They are often jealous with negative attitude. They are the people with double standards and double speak. For them, manipulation is a game. If they win they are excited. If they fail they try again to succeed. That means, they don’t give up manipulating others.

How to Spot Manipulators?

It is tough to spot manipulators. But based on their experiences when people encounter and burn their fingers in real life they get to know about them. There is no fixed yardstick to measure manipulators and no fixed formula to spot them. However, through experience you can track these people and stay away from being trapped with their tricks.

You must know the tricks and traps of these people to safeguard yourself and your interests. They approach you only when they have necessity with you. At times, they talk so politely to get their task done. They are highly selfish people with task orientation and rarely care for relations.

They often seek help and when the need is over they will not be available. They are thankless people. They often use jargon such as ‘honesty speaking’, ‘frankly speaking’ , ‘trust me’ and ‘believe me’. They are emotional blackmailers. They bend others for their vested interests. They think that they are smart by nature. But one fine day they would realize that they are in abyss. They are energy vampires. Finally they will not have any friends but foes. Below are few more cues to spot manipulators.

Check for their conversation. Do they beat around the bush when questioned? Do they avoid direct response? If you find that they are moving their head here and there without maintaining eye contact, there is a possibility of telling a lie or manipulating the information. Or it could be due to lack of confidence as well. Here one needs to draw the line between confidence and manipulation. It comes by experience alone.

When question is posed they don’t respond directly. In contrast, they beat around the bush with lot of cock and bull stories. They never hit the matter straight.

Check whether they are maintaining positive body language and especially eye contact. However, don’t confuse with cultural issues.

Managing Manipulators:

• As prevention is better than cure, it is vital to stay away from manipulators as far as possible.
• Try to maintain distance from them. Create excuses to be away from them. If required, project yourself as a bully. Don’t be hasty to talk with them. Be cool with them.
• Don’t get into arguments. They deliberately interfere into your personal activities.
• Be strong, intelligent and confident. Above all, be assertive to checkmate them.

People, in general, manipulate others for the sake of survival. But what level and magnitude their behaviour has on others is important to note.

Handling Manipulators at Workplace:

At the workplace, when you are convinced that the other person is a manipulator, it is safer to stay away as far as possible. Always be transparent. Don’t provide any room for manipulation. Keep them under constant scanner. Keep the workplace instructions in black and white as far as possible to avoid distortion. Whenever you handle these people keep third person as a witness to safeguard yourself from these people.

Conclusion:

What has been mentioned are only the guidelines that may not be taken to be accurate as individuals are different in nature and styles based on their social, cultural and economic factors. However, one thing is clear; for the sake of survival people should not get their hands dirty.

What counts at the end of the day is your ethics and etiquette. Truth alone triumphs at the end. Manipulative people may have temporary survival but have permanent failure at the end. Therefore, stick to basic ethics and etiquette. Build good relations everywhere through trust and confidence. And excel as a role model in all walks of your life.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

“What Does A Woman Want From Man?” - Prof.M.S.Rao

“Despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, I have not been able to answer... the great question that has never been answered: what does a woman want?” - Sigmund Freud

What does a woman want from man is a mystery since history. Several psychologists, philosophers, poets and intellectuals tried to find out but failed miserably. Why a woman is so different from man? What makes her unique and different? Is it because God created all women to be beautiful? Let us find out the same.


What Does A Woman Want?

“A woman asks little of love: only that she be able to feel like a heroine.” - Mignon McLaughlin

Woman likes the man who perseveres. She wants her man to groom well and smell well. She may not expect her man to be too handsome but would be comfortable if he is average good looking. She wants him to be energetic and enthusiastic. She is more possessive about her man. She searches for a man who can handhold throughout her life. She wants her man to be honest and above board. She wants him to be witty and intelligent and with good memory. She wants him to be confidential. She does not care for the age gap. What she wants is that she wants to be constantly cared, loved, cuddled, praised and admired. She wants her man to be loyal forever.


Facts About Women:

“Women are always beautiful.” - Ville Valo

• When a man looks at a woman he literally look at her physical appearance and beauty. However, when a woman looks at a man she searches for his emotions, egos, feelings and sincerity. That makes the greatest difference between man and woman.
• Every woman, at heart, wants to be attracted by men.
• Every woman wants her partner to be strong in the bed. In fact, lady likes the man who is strong in the bed. However, she appreciates him to be tender for rest of the time. In a nutshell, she wants him to be hard at bed and tender at heart.
• Women love to be surprised with gifts.
• No woman can forget the first sexual encounter with man and no man can forget the first kiss from a woman.
• Women are more loyal to men than the other way round.
• Women love to be constantly cared and praised.
• Woman does not like to share her man with others.
• She appreciates the loyalty and sincerity in a man. She expects and appreciates good behaviour of her man.
• She doesn’t want to be compared with other women as she feels that she is the most beautiful woman in the earth.


Myths and Truths About Women:

“Through sources, we have obtained the following alien assessment of the human species: The male wants to be valued for what he pretends to be. The female wants to be overvalued for what she truly is.” - Robert Brault

There is a myth that woman craves for money and materialistic things. The truth is that woman craves for constant care and love but not money.

Men are attracted by physical appearances of women. However women are attracted by the emotional cues of men.

Women get erotic only when they touch opposite sex physically. In contrast, men get erotic by the physical appearance of women.

Woman gets lot of pleasure when man runs behind her. Her ego gets pleased.

Although a woman is close to another woman due to gender affinity, she does not share certain secrets that are close to her heart about man.

Men think that women are complex category although it is true to some extent. Woman wants petty things but not pretty things from man such as remembering her birthday and other important events of her life. However, man by nature is busy with his bread-winning and doesn’t focus such things resulting into trivial tiffs.


How To Please Your Woman?

“To get to a woman's heart, a man must first use his own.” - Mike Dobbertin

Often tell her that you love her, hug her and pour her with kisses and cuddle her to make her happy. She must get an impression that you constantly think about her and care her. Once the confidence is built in the mind of a woman, the rest is easy to please and proceed smoothly in life.

When she cooks food good, express her same. When she dresses differently praise her. Please her ego at any cost and by any means to touch her emotionally. Women are emotional creatures.

Regularly spend sometime with her. Make her feel important. Make her comfortable. Persuade that you are with her throughout. Never betray her trust.

Provide her constant security. Care her. Love her. Appreciate her strengths. Downplay her weaknesses. Say often ‘I love you, darling!’ Say that ‘you are everything to me’.

Succinctly, love her, respect her, care her and find out her passions so that you can win her trust and heart forever.

Here is a caution for men! Playing with a woman is like playing with fire. Never betray her trust. Never let down her. Never insult her in front of others. Never play with her sentiments. If you provoke her, you are finished forever.


Conclusion:

“Even God doesn’t know when the luck of a man and mind of a woman will change.”

What has been written is a general perception about an average woman about her aspirations and expectations. However, the wants and needs of a woman changes from country to country based on socio-economic and cultural factors and her upbringing.

To conclude, an average woman wants constant care and attention, love and affection from her spouse and dignity and respect. She wants to be the boss. She wants to be queen of her home and above all, she wants to be on the top of the world.

Friday, June 4, 2010

"As long as you love and learn, you are young. The day you stop loving and learning, you become old." - Prof.M.S.Rao, MSR Leadership Consultants

Quote of the Day:

"As long as you love and learn, you are young. The day you stop loving and learning, you become old." - Prof.M.S.Rao, Chief Consultant, MSR Leadership Consultants, India

Book Review by Prof.M.S.Rao – “The Greatest Secret In The World” Authored By Og Mandino

Recently I have read the book titled “The Greatest Secret in the World” authored by Og Mandino. The book unveils the ways and means to shed bad habits and wed good habits. It provides success recorders and appointments and achievements for the forty fifth weeks. It reveals reflections for each week.

The author rolls out roadmap for achieving all-round success. He provides the readers with a blueprint, a comp0ass, a recorder and a reminder. He illustrates with examples of leaders like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin who replaced their early bad habits by good habits. George Washington was quick tempered and replaced it by self-control, calmness and coolness through good habits and became the first President of America. Benjamin Franklin crafted 13 virtues and strictly followed and became patriot, scientist, author, diplomat, inventor, printer and philosopher.

What Does The Author Say?

The author says, “In truth, the only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in the difference of their habits. Good habits are the key to all success. Bad habits are the unlocked door to failure. Thus, the first law I will obey, which precedeth all others is – I will form good habits and become their slaves.”

“I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools.”

“I have unlimited potential. Only a small portion of my brain do I employ; only a paltry amount of my muscles do I flex. A hundredfold or more can I increase my accomplishments of yesterday and this I will do, beginning today.”

“I am not on this earth by chance. I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.”

“I will live this day as if it is my last.”

“The duties of today I shall fulfill today. Today I shall fondle my children my children while they are young; tomorrow they will be gone, and so will I. Today I shall embrace my woman with sweet kisses; tomorrow she will be gone, and so will I. Today I shall lift up a friend in need; tomorrow he will no longer cry for help, nor will I hear his cries. Today I shall give myself in sacrifice and work; tomorrow I will have nothing to give, and there will be none to receive.”

“Stand on any busy corner and look at faces. How many are smiling? How many even seem pleased, or happy? We are becoming a nation of frowning robots, rushing like blind ants from place to place, worrying about, well, you name it. I wish we had some statistics on smiles and laughter for I wonder that percentage of us, on any particular day, never laugh or even smile, from the time we rise to the time we retire.”

“I am liken to a grain of wheat with one difference. The wheat cannot choose whether it be fed to swine, ground for bread, or planted to multiply. I have a choice and I will not let my life be fed to swine nor will I let it be ground under the rocks of failure and despair to be broken open and devoured by the will of others.”

“To grow and multiply it is necessary to plant the wheat grain in the darkness of the earth and my failures, my despairs, my ignorance, and my inabilities are the darkness in which I have been planted in order to ripen.”

“Only a worm is free from the worry of stumbling. I am not a worm. I am not an onion plant. I am not a sheep. I am a man. Let others build a cave with their clay. I will build a castle with mine.”

“If a business day is a social success, it has been a business failure.”

“There are days when you’d like to crawl into a hole and just hide from the world. Everything you touch turns to sawdust.”

“Success will not wait. If I delay she will become betrothed to another and lost to me forever.”

“Failure will never overtake you if your determination to succeed is strong enough.”

The author lists out twelve greatest self-help books that are worth reading. He forearms the readers to defend themselves from the critics of all self-help literature. The private life of Horatio Alger is gleefully exposed, Benjamin Franklin is painted as a snob with a phony “homespun” exterior, Andrew Carnegie with a schizo-type personality, Norman Vincent Peale as a materialistic businessman masquerading as a preacher, Orison Swett Marden as a bumbling editor, and Dale Carnegie as a seducer of man’s ego.

The author reveals the greatest secret in the world as to acquire the right habits and attitudes for achieving all-round success. He concludes the book in the words of Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr, “Nothing that is worth doing can be accomplished in your lifetime; therefore you will have to be saved by hope. Nothing that is beautiful will make sense in the immediate instance; therefore, you must be saved by faith. Nothing that is worth doing can be done alone, but has to be done with others; therefore you must be saved by love.”

Conclusion:

“Failure will never overtake thee if thy determination to succeed is strong enough.”

It is an inspiring and motivational book for successful living. It stirs and stimulates your mind, it tugs and warms yourheart. It contains thought provoking ideas and insights. It contains excellent metaphors that relate the content effectively to real life events and examples. The takeaways are punchy. The book motivates the readers and especially the downhearted. Although some of the ideas are known to many people they rarely realize when confronted with challenges in life. The book energizes the readers with motivational doses and quotes. The book is worth investing your time. It is useful to those who want to improve their personality.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

“Myths and Truths About Soft Skills” – Prof.M.S.Rao

“Soft skills are the traits and abilities of attitude and behaviour rather than of knowledge or technical aptitude” - Tobin

There are several myths about soft skills among many people. It is the time to bust the myths with truths. We shall look at the same.

1. People equate soft skills with English speaking skills. It is a myth. The fact is that soft skills have no connection with a specific language. Soft skills deal with how you speak but not in which language you speak.

2. People often use communication skills as soft skills. It is another myth. The truth is that the communication skills deal with speaking and writing skills and how effectively one is good at. In fact, communication skills are subset of soft skills. Soft skills are broader in nature and much beyond communication skills. Soft skills focus on how one speaks. For instance, ‘don’t smoke’ is what comes under normal communication. However, if you say, ‘thanks for not smoking’ it demonstrates soft skills. In a nut shell, soft skills emphasize on how one speaks pleasingly and politely.

3. People with soft skills can succeed anywhere and everywhere. It is another myth. With soft skills people can survive but not succeed. Here is the thin line that separates survival and success. That fact is that people, by blending soft skills with hard skills, can succeed in any sphere. Hard skills mean the core skills. These are also known as technical skills and domain skills. In the corporate world, a few people think just because they are good at soft skills they can achieve anything and everything. Without having technical expertise and command no professional will succeed at the workplace. Therefore, both soft and hard skills are essential for people to excel professionally.

4. People with soft skills are soft in nature. It is a myth again. The truth is that people with soft skills are assertive in nature. They are neither submissive nor aggressive. They protect their rights without offending the rights of others. They know the art of saying ‘no’ firmly but politely.

By the way, what are soft skills? These are the collection of skills and abilities such as communication skills, time management skills, negotiation skills, team building skills, interpersonal skills, trouble-shooting skills, corporate etiquette, emotional intelligence and other smart skills. In fact, the list is very lengthy. These soft skills are referred with different names such as people skills, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills in various parts of the world.

These are both intrapersonal and interpersonal skills that determine a person’s ability to gel well with others and excel at the corporate world. It is often difficult to quantify soft skills unlike hard skills.

Soft skills enhance your success rate in all walks of your life - be in personal, professional and social life. It is one of the integral parts of leadership. As Daniel Goleman emphasized on emotional intelligence for effective leadership, the soft skills also make an individual as a successful and effective leader.

To sum up, soft skills are the skills and abilities about personality, attitude and behavior. When people demonstrate right personality, positive attitude and flexible behavior we can say that they possess soft skills.