UN-FAIR “IT COMPANIES” IN MIDDLE EAST

I have worked with several multinational companies round the globe, in which I have found Middle East IT Companies doesn’t play a fair game always. Some of the key factors that makes employee life miserable

1.       Employers or HR Department bend the law and use, as they wish against the employees whenever they require.

2.       Most of the IT company behave like an “Man Power Controlling Company not consulting company”

3.       Most of the Positions starting from “Project Manager and above” are always occupied by “Theoretical (Arrogant-Egoistic-Idiotic) People”.

4.        You can find very little people who have practical field knowledge, who can understand “People Management” can never be learnt from any kind of “Books or Degree”. Most of the management Hitler thinks “learning some Project Management courses will give them the controlling knowledge to become a successful Project Manager.

5.       Most of the IT consulting companies operating in Middle East do not understand what “Over Time” is.

6.        Again they have never heard about “Personnel Time” (Only when it comes to employees)

7.       Most of the management people don’t think employees are “HUMANS” they see & treat them  as DOGS and PIGS most of the time but with the prefix “HABIBI”

8.       Most of the times I see employees working overtime “NO SORRY” – “EXTRA TIME WITH NIL BENEFIT” and being screwed for in-capable project management of their employer, the sad part is even they don’t realize they are treated badly because of what their in-capable management did.

 

YET WHY DO THEY PROSPER?

Yet still these companies prosper only because of “Closed Market” for international companies. It’s a golden rule through middle east where foreign companies are not allowed to establish their direct roots, only by having a tie up with an local company they can do business in Middle East. This is a good rule obviously to lead the country in the path of development, until the local companies understand they survive and multiply profits because of such generous rules of the government it’s “NOT AT ALL BECAUSE OF THEIR INDEPENDENT PERFORMANCE OF THEIR COMPANY” or “MANAGEMENT CAPABLITY” its common to see these management people praising them self that they were listed as the “TOP COMPANY by so and so survey taken in “MIDDLE EAST”  because of their performance or their companies arrogant rules they have achieved so much.

HERE COMES THE FACT:

Most of the time the Pay in Middle East is good when compared to only “Asia Pacific” market. Hence you can find many Asians coming to take up IT job’s in Middle East (especially Indians). Once you come here and move your family here on your own Risk. People fall in to commitment, this is the trap or called as “FQS – Family Quick Sand” once you get in, getting out is not as simple.  This is one of the key factors which drive the “Arrogant – Don’t Care Attitude towards employees”, the employers they do whatever they want against the employees and still find their employees working for them. They think they do their job in an excellent manner.

Here starts the “Root Cause” for the issue. Most of the management people think it’s only because of their “Arrogant-In-human “behavior their employees are performing well and they never know what’s the real reason behind employees dedicated work. “It’s the family commitments”” that’s prior to most of the Indians that they sacrifice anything in their life including their “SELF-RESPECT”.

The Real Truth is “just to manage and lead a decent life in India, built a house in India, Buy a Car in India, To meet any of the Dad, Mum, Brother, and Sister commitment they digest and subside and lose their self-respect, Ego, Desires and lot more things.

WHY DON’T YOU MOVE THEN?

This is a mysterious question which has some logical reasons

1.       Commitment towards family  (Too many attached strings)

2.       Getting used to on the go (Chopped Off)

3.       Not much better options within the area to switch over

4.       Government Rules are not favorable

These are some of the reasons why they don’t move to another job within the county or outside the country.  What I personally thought! When I was cornered with all the discussed factors was “I did not see one good company what was better than my present employer” to think about a jump. So I decided to be treated bad with few set of people whom I know how to tackle rather than to moving to a different company and starting everything from the scratch.

WHAT COMPANIES HAVE TO LEARN?

This is a golden time for you’re to compete and earn within your market as there are less competitors but more jobs to do. By the way you have an easy atmosphere to survive, at least try! to create the same for your employees, do be so dumb.  

Try to create management leaders form the pool of experienced people you have rather than to hire an arrogant idiotic educated in-human.

Educate your experienced employees and improve their standard in which your returns will be multiplied for sure.

At least once in a month go through different employees of different department to know what they feel about the company and management.

You cannot feed “SHIT” and expect your company grow, if you feed shit as management rules and policy you should expect worse than “Rotten Shit” as the result, not multiplied profits.

First of all, you should have the attitude to know what you feed on.

Make sure any management policy that has something related to employees has got the approval from employees,  if there will be concerns on policy even from an employee try to address and understand the concern and make necessary changes to the policy if required without any ego.

UNDERSTAND THE BASICS “IT CONSULTING COMPANIES” IN MIDDLE EAST!

There can be no IT consulting & Outsourcing company without “employees”.

 “What is the use of the Management Staff or HR Department” if there will be no employees to work for your company.  

IT consulting & outsourcing company that understands to treat their customer as “KING’S” and “EMPLOYEES” as “QUEEN’S” will prosper to great heights un-doubted and there are too many successful examples for this attitude.

One who fails - will fail to proper by all means, if not now, for sure in the near future, by that time everything would have gone out of hands.  

Understand the fact that “It’s your employees who is going to have intimate relationship with your “KING” it’s not your Management Staff or HR Department”, So I believe now you should have a clear understanding over my reference as (KING & QUEEN) .

Just a simple fact “Happy Queen will result in Happy King will result with (Good Brokerage) that you earn to run and have a so called “Company”!

Try to treat your employees better, educate your management staff and HR department about the importance in employee happiness, it’s the at most required essence for an “IT consulting & Outsourcing” company to strive and thrive better.

Please understand the basics!

Thanks & Regards,

S.Grace Paul Regan

Right Questions to find a capable candidate!

Interviewers are looking for the person to answer their questions not for the one who is capable to handle the Job!

Being a Consultant! Attending Interviews will be a part of our profession, now a days I find interviewers from most of the Company are looking for a candidate who can answer to most of their questions irrespective of the fact (Answering questions will not make a person capable to handle a given task efficiently).

Why am I making this as a point here?

 I need interviewers to understand that most of the efficient guys who have real proven experience for more than three years will not have an attitude to prepare for an interview as they did on their initial days.  Instead they would have developed the skills required to tackle any kind of issues that they might face with the product or the client. Hence they don’t want to learn the product field by field to prove their ground - that they are capable. Instead they know the road map to follow when they hit an issue. This is what a consultant should have to perform in his job! Not the talent to answer all the interviewers’ question.

Of course consultant should answer for the interviewer’s question!

But most of the time I see interviewers ask the question that they have learnt in their resent past experience when they have encountered an issue. It doesn’t mean every single person working in that module should have encountered the same issue and should know the answer otherwise I see them asking the question what is the effect of this check box? Or this particular filed in this particular screen?

Or other funny question is!  They might have had a peculiar requirement with their present client, hence they might have provided a custom or standard solution after doing homework for weeks or days but they will ask the same scenario as a question and will expect the candidate to reply immediately or they will fell happy internally that they are the one who knows a solution.  (I call them Bolt Headed)

Then what has to be questioned?

If you really need to find a capable person, ask them to explain about the product and its functionalities, ask them how they will encounter a road block, ask them what is their day to day job and the issues they face and how they rectify the issues, ask them where are the areas they will look for a solution when they need the most. If the interviewer is an experienced guy, by asking all these questions he can easily find a capable candidate rather than irritating the candidates with client centric or interviewer’s knowledge centric questions.

   

Think Practical! Go Practical! to find Practical people!

Thanks & Regards,

S.Grace Paul Regan

00965 - 66382159

Sitting Job Makes You Stupid!

Sitting around all day isn't just making you unhealthy. It might also be making you dumber.Your desk, scientists reported recently, is trying to kill you.

According to the New York Times, scientists discovered that when we sit all day, "electrical activity in the muscles drops… leading to a cascade of harmful metabolic effects," and sadly even getting regular doses of exercise doesn't offset the damage. But now there's new evidence of the harm of sitting. Not only is it making you fatter, it might also be making you dumber.


Sabine Schaefer, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Germany, recently looked at the effect of walking on working memory. Your mother may have warned you not to walk and chew gum at the same time, but when Schaefer compared the performance of both children and young adults on a standard test of working memory when they were sitting with when they were walking, her results contradicted mom's advice. The British Psychological Society's Research Digest sums up the research results:


The headline finding was that the working memory performance of both age groups improved when walking at their chosen speed compared with when sitting or walking at a fixed speed set by the researchers. This was especially the case for more difficult versions of the working memory task, and was more pronounced among the children than the adults. So, this would appear to be clear case of mental performance actually being superior in a dual-task situation.

Or in other words, rather than assume that walking while thinking splits your mental and physical resources, leaving less to devote to each, the scientists actually found "an increase in arousal or activation associated with physical activity… which then can be invested into the cognition," according to the paper reporting the research. Walking increases your resources of energy, which you can then invest in thinking.

Why didn't walking at "fixed speed" have the same effect on working memory as walking at the subjects' preferred pace? The scientists speculate that, "walking at the fixed speed, which was considerably slower than the preferred speed in both age groups, might simply not have been fast enough to increase arousal sufficiently to achieve an effect," or that the need to "pay some attention to adjusting one's walking speed to the speed of the treadmill" interfered with the main memory task.

Of course, not every mental activity can or should be performed while walking, but this new research reinforces anecdotal evidence and other research findings that suggest being too tightly chained to our desks is bad for our minds as well as our physical health. Science shows we often have creative breakthrough when our minds are disengaged from the problem we're wrestling with, hence the common experience of getting great ideas while relaxing in the shower.

Getting up for a walk or a jog is another way to achieve this sort of head space--after all, it worked for Einstein and Charles Darwin. (Beer, apparently, also helps.) Other studies have demonstrated that even five minutes outside in nature can improve your mood and self-esteem.

End of the most relevant research we know for sure "Software Job is a white collared suicide" , you earn much between 25 to 40 years and from 40  till you die you have to spend all you have hard earned in your young energetic days. 

Hence dear friends even tough your job may require sitting most of the time tune your self to take regular breaks of short walks not inside the building just out side your building, it will be a wealthy investment for your healthy life. Realize whats required the most money or health. 

What you can do with the money alone if you cannot enjoy the money with sound health ?

Will your family be happy just only with the money you have earned without you ?

Staying live and healthy is the atmost requirement for all living beings hence take some positive steps to stay healthy. 

Content from: Silicon India 

Thanks & Regards,

S.Grace Paul Regan

Stop Working More Than 40 Hours a Week

You may think you're getting more accomplished by working longer hours. You're probably wrong.

There's been a flurry of recent coverage praising Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, for leaving the office every day at 5:30 p.m. to be with her kids. Apparently she's been doing this for years, but only recently "came out of the closet," as it were.
What's insane is that Sandberg felt the need to hide the fact, since there's a century of research establishing the undeniable fact that working more than 40 hours per week actually decreases productivity.
In the early 1900s, Ford Motor ran dozens of tests to discover the optimum work hours for worker productivity. They discovered that the "sweet spot" is 40 hours a week–and that, while adding another 20 hours provides a minor increase in productivity, that increase only lasts for three to four weeks, and then turns negative.
Anyone who's spent time in a corporate environment knows that what was true of factory workers a hundred years ago is true of office workers today. People who put in a solid 40 hours a week get more done than those who regularly work 60 or more hours.
The workaholics (and their profoundly misguided management) may think they're accomplishing more than the less fanatical worker, but in every case that I've personally observed, the long hours result in work that must be scrapped or redone.

Accounting for Burnout

What's more, people who consistently work long work weeks get burned out and inevitably start having personal problems that get in the way of getting things done.
I remember a guy in one company I worked for who used the number of divorces in his group as a measure of its productivity. Believe it or not, his top management reportedly considered this a valid metric. What's ironic (but not surprising) is that the group itself accomplished next to nothing.
In fact, now that I think about it, that's probably why he had to trot out such an absurd (and, let's face it, evil) metric.
Proponents of long work weeks often point to the even longer average work weeks in countries like Thailand, Korea, and Pakistan–with the implication that the longer work weeks are creating a competitive advantage.

Europe's Ban on 50-Hour Weeks

However, the facts don't bear this out. In six of the top 10 most competitive countries in the world (Sweden, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom), it's illegal to demand more than a 48-hour work week. You simply don't see the 50-, 60-, and 70-hour work weeks that have become de rigeur in some parts of the U.S. business world.
If U.S. managers were smart, they'd end this "if you don't come in on Saturday, don't bother coming to work on Sunday" idiocy. If you want employees (salaried or hourly) to get the most done–in the shortest amount of time and on a consistent basis–40 hours a week is just about right.
In other words, nobody should be apologizing for leaving at work at a reasonable hour like 5:30 p.m. In fact, people should be apologizing if they're working too long each week–because it's probably making the team less effective overall.

Content from: Linkedin
Thanks & Regards,
S.Grace Paul Regan

The Perils of An Early Sign-Off

Show up at the morning meeting in jeans? No biggie.

Tweet about your nasty neighbor from your cubicle? Social networking is part of the job!

Get up to go home before it’s dark out? No way.
Last week Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg stunned the working world by saying she makes a point of leaving the office at 5:30 every day in order to eat dinner at home with her family.

As she told an interviewer on Makers.com: “I walk out of this office every day at 5:30 so I’m home for dinner with my kids at 6:00, and interestingly, I’ve been doing that since I had kids. I did that when I was at Google, I did that here, and I would say it’s not until the last year, two years that I’m brave enough to talk about it publicly. Now I certainly wouldn’t lie, but I wasn’t running around giving speeches on it.”

It’s not surprising that Ms. Sandberg wanted to keep her secret under wraps. In an era of job uncertainty, when most people are too scared to be seen anywhere other than in their cubicles (even if they’re shopping on diapers.com), an early signoff is the ultimate corporate taboo. Leaving early signifies that you don’t care, that you’re not getting the job done—or that you don’t love your work.

Yet we all know that’s silly. When everybody has Blackberrys and cell phones and is essentially always on-call, is it really necessary to keep up appearances—and keep your chair warm for ten straight hours?

Most of us send and receive work emails from the moment we wake up until we can’t keep our eyes open at night. We can read and write and conduct phone calls anytime, anywhere. But it’s still seen as incredibly ballsy to stake a claim to evening family time.

Ever since returning from maternity leave, I’ve left the office at 5:10, so I can be home for my son’s dinner and put him to sleep.

The hour we spend together every evening keeps me going. My heart cramps up a little bit on the rare days when I’m not able to see him before his 7 o’clock bedtime. I am very fortunate to have a boss who understands that my babysitter needs to leave by 6:00 and I need to connect with my baby at the end of the day. I get my job done and I’m reachable should any last-minute questions arise. We both know I get just as much work done now as I did when I had unlimited time in the office.

But I’d be lying if I said that being the first person in my group to head home was entirely easy. There is always the lingering sense that I “should” remain seated, the urge to look at the carpet as I walk toward the elevator.

I’m thrilled that Ms. Sandberg opened up this discussion. But I have a feeling it’s a little bit easier to do things according to your own schedule when you are one of the highest paid executives in Silicon Valley than if you’re a mere mortal in the officeworld, and you’re hoping to get a raise or a promotion.

What is the atmosphere like at your office? What time do you go home? Do you find making it back in time for family dinner realistic or are the consequences too severe?

Content From: blogs.wsj.com
Thanks & Regards,
S.Grace Paul Regan

Micromanaging

Is your boss a micromanager?

These are managers who want to be involved in every step of each assignment they give to their employees. They ask for more frequent reports than are needed, and generally want to exercise as much control as possible over what their subordinates do.

With few exceptions, micromanagement is terrible for the employees as well as the organization.

By controlling everything that an employee does, these managers sap away the confidence of younger employees, who may end up feeling that nothing they can do is right. Older employees may get frustrated if they find their style of working and ideas are not welcome.

While it’s important to guide your team, you should be wary of micromanagement.

“Creativity and discretionary contribution…goes out the window,” says Anuraag Maini, head of human resources and training at Delhi-based DLF Pramerica Life Insurance Co.

Ultimately, the output of the team suffers.

Here are a few tips from human resources experts on how employees can deal with their micromanagers, and a few words of advice for micromanagers.

If you are being micromanaged:

This is a frustrating place to be in, as micromanagers can stymie your growth. Address the reasons why your boss is micromanaging.

Typically, it’s because the manager is insecure or anxious about whether you can do the job right. Of course, he may just be a control freak.

To deal with this, you need to build confidence in your abilities. One approach is to initially give the manager what he or she wants – the control – but on your terms.

“Offer to be micromanaged and then negotiate from a position (where you can) minimize that,” says Manish Sinha, director of human resources at Becton Dickinson India Pvt., a medical technology company in Gurgaon.

For instance, when the manager assigns you a project, ask for a specific deadline and initiate a discussion about how the project will be monitored.

Offer to update the manager at specific intervals, say once a week, or when specific milestones are reached. Give the manager an outline of how you will proceed on the project. Let the manger know that you will come to him or her in case you hit any roadblocks or major problem.

All this will let the manager feel that he or she is very much in control, and thus hopefully get the manager off your back on a day-to-day basis. Hopefully, over time, as you deliver good results on project after project, the manager will trust your ability to do a good job.

“Once you build that confidence, then I think the micromanagement will come down,” says Mrityunjay Srivastava, head of management development group at Wipro Ltd.

Some experts suggest a different approach: Have a frank discussion with the manager explaining that his or her day-to-day interference is hurting your ability to deliver performance. This can be tricky, and may not work if your manager is not open to feedback or has a big ego.

If you decide to try this approach, instead of being angry or aggressive, give the manager a solution. For instance, tell the manager that you need a certain period of time to complete a project, and if the result is not up to the manager’s standards, then you are willing to be reviewed more frequently.

Also, prove to your manager that his or her growth is dependent on how well you do your job.

If you are a micromanager:

In general, you are hurting your team’s growth and ultimately your own career prospects.

To be sure, there are some cases where micromanagement may be warranted. If it’s a high-impact project or an ambiguous situation like crisis-management where the situation changes often, then perhaps you need to be more hands on. Or, if you are dealing with very young or inexperienced employees, they may need a lot of handholding.

Other than that, micromanaging can be suffocating for the employee.

“Suffocation leads to an employee feeling that I’m not trusted or that the manager doesn’t see my capability or my manager is very insecure,” says Mr. Maini of DLF Pramerica.

This affects team morale, output and innovation dries up. That’s a sure way to disaster. In addition, once you’ve built a reputation in the company of being a micromanager, smart employees will not want to work with you.

As soon as you realize that you have been micromanaging, stop. Step back and assess whether everyone in your team needs to be micromanaged. The answer is that they most likely don’t.

If there are employees in whom you don’t have total confidence, start by setting up more frequent progress-review sessions with them for their first few assignments. Maybe team up the inexperienced employee with one that you trust.

With more experienced employees who have done a good job in the past, it’s a good idea to let them know that you plan to be more hands-off. Ask them what resources and help they need from you.

Set up a review mechanism, but at “a frequency which the employee is very comfortable with,” says Mr. Maini of DLF Pramerica.

The review should be of the result or progress, not of each and every thing the employee did to get the results.

Old habits die hard, so watch out for your tendency to check in every so often. If needed, stick a large piece of paper on your notice board as a reminder on this.

Content from:blog.wsj.com
Thanks & Regards,
S.Grace Paul Regan

Extraordinary Bosses

The best managers have a fundamentally different understanding of workplace, company, and team dynamics. what they get right ?

"Best of the Best" bosses tend to share some common principles.

1. Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield.

Average bosses see business as a conflict between companies, departments and groups. They build huge armies of "troops" to order about, demonize competitors as "enemies," and treat customers as "territory" to be conquered.

Extraordinary bosses see business as a symbiosis where the most diverse firm is most likely to survive and thrive. They naturally create teams that adapt easily to new markets and can quickly form partnerships with other companies, customers ... and even competitors.

2. A company is a community, not a machine.

Average bosses consider their company to be a machine with employees as cogs. They create rigid structures with rigid rules and then try to maintain control by "pulling levers" and "steering the ship."

Extraordinary bosses see their company as a collection of individual hopes and dreams, all connected to a higher purpose. They inspire employees to dedicate themselves to the success of their peers and therefore to the community–and company–at large.

3. Management is service, not control.

Average bosses want employees to do exactly what they're told. They're hyper-aware of anything that smacks of insubordination and create environments where individual initiative is squelched by the "wait and see what the boss says" mentality.

Extraordinary bosses set a general direction and then commit themselves to obtaining the resources that their employees need to get the job done. They push decision making downward, allowing teams form their own rules and intervening only in emergencies.

4. My employees are my peers, not my children.

Average bosses see employees as inferior, immature beings who simply can't be trusted if not overseen by a patriarchal management. Employees take their cues from this attitude, expend energy on looking busy and covering their behinds.

Extraordinary bosses treat every employee as if he or she were the most important person in the firm. Excellence is expected everywhere, from the loading dock to the boardroom. As a result, employees at all levels take charge of their own destinies.

5. Motivation comes from vision, not from fear.

Average bosses see fear--of getting fired, of ridicule, of loss of privilege--as a crucial way to motivate people.  As a result, employees and managers alike become paralyzed and unable to make risky decisions.

Extraordinary bosses inspire people to see a better future and how they'll be a part of it.  As a result, employees work harder because they believe in the organization's goals, truly enjoy what they're doing and (of course) know they'll share in the rewards.

6. Change equals growth, not pain.

Average bosses see change as both complicated and threatening, something to be endured only when a firm is in desperate shape. They subconsciously torpedo change ... until it's too late.

Extraordinary bosses see change as an inevitable part of life. While they don't value change for its own sake, they know that success is only possible if employees and organization embrace new ideas and new ways of doing business.

7. Technology offers empowerment, not automation.

Average bosses adhere to the old IT-centric view that technology is primarily a way to strengthen management control and increase predictability. They install centralized computer systems that dehumanize and antagonize employees.

Extraordinary bosses see technology as a way to free human beings to be creative and to build better relationships. They adapt their back-office systems to the tools, like smartphones and tablets, that people actually want to use.

8. Work should be fun, not mere toil.

Average bosses buy into the notion that work is, at best, a necessary evil. They fully expect employees to resent having to work, and therefore tend to subconsciously define themselves as oppressors and their employees as victims. Everyone then behaves accordingly.

Extraordinary bosses see work as something that should be inherently enjoyable–and believe therefore that the most important job of manager is, as far as possible, to put people in jobs that can and will make them truly happy.

Content From : Inc.com
Thanks & Regards,
S.Grace Paul Regan

Good Qualities of Remarkable Boss !

Remarkable bosses aren’t great on paper. Great bosses are remarkable based on their actions.

Results are everything—but not the results you might think.

Consistently do these five things and everything else follows. You and your business benefit greatly.

More importantly, so do your employees.

1. Develop every employee. Sure, you can put your primary focus on reaching targets, achieving results, and accomplishing concrete goals—but do that and you put your leadership cart before your achievement horse.

Without great employees, no amount of focus on goals and targets will ever pay off. Employees can only achieve what they are capable of achieving, so it’s your job to help all your employees be more capable so they—and your business—can achieve more.

It's your job to provide the training, mentoring, and opportunities your employees need and deserve. When you do, you transform the relatively boring process of reviewing results and tracking performance into something a lot more meaningful for your employees: Progress, improvement, and personal achievement.

So don’t worry about reaching performance goals. Spend the bulk of your time developing the skills of your employees and achieving goals will be a natural outcome.

Plus it’s a lot more fun.

2. Deal with problems immediately. Nothing kills team morale more quickly than problems that don't get addressed. Interpersonal squabbles, performance issues, feuds between departments... all negatively impact employee motivation and enthusiasm.

And they're distracting, because small problems never go away. Small problems always fester and grow into bigger problems. Plus, when you ignore a problem your employees immediately lose respect for you, and without respect, you can't lead.

Never hope a problem will magically go away, or that someone else will deal with it. Deal with every issue head-on, no matter how small.

3. Rescue your worst employee. Almost every business has at least one employee who has fallen out of grace: Publicly failed to complete a task, lost his cool in a meeting, or just can’t seem to keep up. Over time that employee comes to be seen by his peers—and by you—as a weak link.

While that employee may desperately want to “rehabilitate” himself, it's almost impossible. The weight of team disapproval is too heavy for one person to move.

But it’s not too heavy for you.

Before you remove your weak link from the chain, put your full effort into trying to rescue that person instead. Say, "John, I know you've been struggling but I also know you're trying. Let's find ways together that can get you where you need to be." Express confidence. Be reassuring. Most of all, tell him you'll be there every step of the way.

Don't relax your standards. Just step up the mentoring and coaching you provide.

If that seems like too much work for too little potential outcome, think of it this way. Your remarkable employees don’t need a lot of your time; they’re remarkable because they already have these qualities. If you’re lucky, you can get a few percentage points of extra performance from them. But a struggling employee has tons of upside; rescue him and you make a tremendous difference.

Granted, sometimes it won't work out. When it doesn't, don't worry about it. The effort is its own reward.

And occasionally an employee will succeed—and you will have made a tremendous difference in a person's professional and personal life.

Can’t beat that.

4. Serve others, not yourself. You can get away with being selfish or self-serving once or twice... but that's it.

Never say or do anything that in any way puts you in the spotlight, however briefly. Never congratulate employees and digress for a few moments to discuss what you did.

If it should go without saying, don't say it. Your glory should always be reflected, never direct.

When employees excel, you and your business excel. When your team succeeds, you and your business succeed. When you rescue a struggling employee and they become remarkable, remember they should be congratulated, not you.

You were just doing your job the way a remarkable boss should.

When you consistently act as if you are less important than your employees—and when you never ask employees to do something you don’t do—everyone knows how important you really are.

5. Always remember where you came from. See an autograph seeker blown off by a famous athlete and you might think, “If I was in a similar position I would never do that.”

Oops. Actually, you do. To some of your employees, especially new employees, you are at least slightly famous. You’re in charge. You’re the boss.

That's why an employee who wants to talk about something that seems inconsequential may just want to spend a few moments with you.

When that happens, you have a choice. You can blow the employee off... or you can see the moment for its true importance: A chance to inspire, reassure, motivate, and even give someone hope for greater things in their life. The higher you rise the greater the impact you can make—and the greater your responsibility to make that impact.

In the eyes of his or her employees, a remarkable boss is a star.

Remember where you came from, and be gracious with your stardom.

Post Shared from : Linked-in
Thanks & Regards,
S.Grace Paul Regan

Criticism – can you do it politely?

At some point, as a manager you will have to tell someone that you don’t think they’ve done a good job – and it’s not always easy. Not only do you need to communicate your dissatisfaction with the way the job has been done, and require it to be improved, but you have to do this while making sure that the other person doesn’t feel personally attacked, embarrassed or humiliated. You need to be able to give effective, understandable criticism while staying polite and professional at all times.

Here are some tips to help:

1. Focus on the issue not the person

Always make your criticism constructive, focusing on the issue not the person, and where possible avoid negative formulae. Remember that you are both trying to achieve the best possible outcome, not exchange accusations or apportion blame. If you’re already feeling annoyed with the person’s attitude or there are other performance issues, try to separate them in your head: do you want to discuss this one unsatisfactory piece of work, or do you really want to have a broader discussion about the quality of their work in general? Whatever the answer, make sure you know what you want the outcome of this conversation to be, and don’t mix issues up. If necessary, schedule another time to have the bigger discussion, rather than confusing it with the work in hand.

2. Show appreciation

People are much more receptive to listening and acting on criticism if they feel you’re on their side. So first of all say something positive to the other person: for example, “Thank you so much for handing this piece of work in on time!” or: “Thanks very much for all your hard work in getting it done!” If they’ve done something you like, tell them so. Your aim is to communicate to them that the criticism you’re about to give relates to a specific issue and is not a criticism of them personally – you don’t want them to feel like a failure, or to get the impression you are angry (even if you are).

3. Don’t give mixed messages

When you say something positive, be very careful not to make them think that this unsatisfactory piece of work is better than it is. Don’t wrap your criticism up in too much praise: it will give a mixed message which will only confuse and frustrate them. For example, don’t say, “This report’s great! There are just one or two small things I’d like to discuss,” if you really want them to do a lot of rewriting. Once you’ve made your positive opening comment, tell them quite directly that you would like to discuss this piece of work with them, as you think it still needs a lot more effort (or whatever is appropriate to the situation). You can say, “I think it’s good but there are a couple of things I’d like changed,” or: “It’s basically fine but it’s not quite there yet.” If you’re very unhappy with the quality of the work, you can say, “I’m afraid that this still needs a lot of work.” Make it clear that what you’d like is to discuss ways in which to improve the situation – so that you both end up pleased with the result.

4. Right time, right place

You need to keep the tone of the conversation polite and calm, and you need to find the right environment to have it. That doesn’t mean standing next to the person at their desk, in a room full of other people, or giving them your feedback five minutes before their lunch hour! Ask if they have some time now to discuss the points you want to make, or arrange to meet later when it’s convenient for both of you. Then find a room or a quiet place where you can sit together without being interrupted.

5. Stay calm, polite and objective throughout

While you’re giving your criticism, look at the other person. Don’t just look at the computer screen or the page in front of you, or their left shoulder; watch their face and keep eye contact, if possible, making sure they understand what you’re saying. Remember that sometimes mistakes are made because people haven’t understood what they were supposed to be doing: maybe the briefing wasn’t good enough. Speak slowly and calmly, and don’t rush the conversation: allow them time to ask questions and make their own points. Above all, don’t let this turn into a blame session, don’t make personal comments about their abilities, and don’t get angry. If you feel you’re losing your cool, remember that it will only make matters worse.

6. Use the word “I” and not “you”

Rather than saying, for example, “You made a lot of mistakes in this section,” say, “I found quite a lot of mistakes in this section. Could you please correct them?”, making it clear you’re criticising the piece of work and not the person. Or, “I found the overall tone of this report rather negative. Could you have another look at it and try to make it more upbeat?” (Again, if it’s really the person you want to criticise, keep that separate. This discussion is about this piece of work.)

7. Make your point and then stop

Once you’ve said what you want to say, stop! Ask if they have understood what you’ve said, and allow them time to answer. Agree that you’ll have a follow-up when the work has been done, and show confidence in their ability to make the improvements themselves. (If you really think they are incapable of producing satisfactory work, then it’s time to have that bigger discussion about the standard of their work in general.) Finally, before you leave the room, show appreciation again for their efforts and end the discussion with a smile.

Learning to give feedback and criticism is crucial to building an effective team. It needs careful thought and sensitivity in order to avoid hurt feelings and a build-up of resentment. But if it’s done right, it can be painless and ultimately lead to stronger teams and higher quality work.

Content from : HP Technology at work
Thanks & Regards,
S.Grace Paul Regan