Reality Bytes - Wired Perspectives #AnandKumarPadmanaban

I was ruminating about some discussions I have been having with some friends of mine around what are the chances of companies holding onto their star employees till they retire ? If the question was pondered on in the 70's or the 80's or the early 90's I would have said the chances are near 100 % but nowadays I would say that it is a lost endeavor ... The funny aspect of this is that I still find companies trying their hardest to keep their star employees when all they need to do is realize that they cannot hold onto their stars forever. Let me explain ...the real goal for leaders and organizations should be to have great people working with you, even after they have stopped working with you .... confused ... let me explain further ... Some of the best companies in the world actually celebrate their star employees leaving ... why ? because they are clear that they attract the best and the brightest to come and work for them and these people are hard to hold onto ..the com

What does commitment mean ? It is a word which has been much abused by individuals ... recently the issue around David Letterman - the talk show host of CBS has been the latest to abuse the word commitment .... commitment means devoting yourself to someone or something and honoring that choice ( however tough the obstacles maybe). Examples include committing yourself to a relationship with somebody , committing yourself to a cause etc ... I think it is really conviction which drives commitment. When we commit to something and when we are convinced about what we are committing to, then problems around not meeting the commitment etc do not arise ... I once met a friend who has been incredibly successful although he was not the smartest nor the best at what he did ... the one reason he shared that he was successful was that he never reneged on his commitment to others ... whatever he committed to, he delivered ... that is a BIG deal and it is one sure fire way to be successful .... Take

Have you ever wondered why some of your team members are extremely good at customer service while others are below par ? Motivation, Skills and Experience play a large part in this ...Motivated and de-motivated employees often do their own thing, it's their manager who either encourages great service or does not. If the manager rewards those who go out of their way to serve customers, others will see the benchmark of the level of service expected, unfortunately the converse holds true as well. It is inconsequential whether you have internal or external customers, there is always room for improvement. Even some of the most luxurious hotels in the world - Waldorf Astoria's and the Burj al Arab in Dubai, require their staff to go through rigorous training each year where behaviors are studied and feedback provided for betterment of customer service. What are you doing as a manager to ensure all of your staff are improving? Are you having discussions about customer service at each

Do do you lead by example? There was a colleague of mine who used to tell everyone on his team to stay late, and then leave promptly at 5:30 p.m. There is also the typical manager who criticizes everyone for spending time on the Internet, but is discovered shopping online during working hours. We also may have come across finance teams who advise austerity but then splurge on something else Do you know any of these people? One of the worst aspects for sagging company morale are leaders who practice the "I dont walk the talk" approach. When this happens, you can almost see the loss of enthusiasm and goodwill among the teams and being replaced by cynicism No matter what the situation is, double standards - witnessing people say one thing, and then doing another - always are big let downs. If this ever happened to you, you can probably remember that sense of disappointment and letdown. If you're in a leadership position, then you know that you have a responsibility to your t

How many of us think that we have been treated unfairly at sometime or the other ? Do we also think if we have been fair in the process of judging or understanding the situation or issue ? Unfortunately, there are many of us in the world. This has become a culture in fact. Looking at it deeper, I believe this came about because of the rampant mistrust among people. We live in a time where all kinds of people are on the loose in society. This I believe has spawned a shield around people that automatically goes off in the presence of individuals we dont know well. This in turn has created more misunderstandings and stirred fear in our hearts. Now I wonder if the world will ever be healed of this fear and distrust that makes us judge others unfairly. It takes a lot of effort from us but it surely must be done if we want our society to thrive in peace and care which in turn can foster love. What I realized from my experience is that I have to heal myself too before I could confidently say

Introspect on what you want clearly. The power of intention is one of the most important barometers for judging yourself, your colleagues and your organization. Make sure you approach situations with transparency so that your intentions are clear to your colleagues and your organization. once other stakeholders understand your intent, they will be more open to your approach and your intent for collaboration. This way you are leveraging your power of intention. examples - there are many ... read the wonderful book ... by dr.wayne dyer titled the power of intention ... so instead of focusing on others, why dont we for a change make sure our intention is clear ? Have a good day !!

Laugh at your shortcomings is something you may have heard many times over ..from friends and from colleagues but how many of us have the gumption to laugh at ourselves ? dont we pretend to be always correct and prim and proper even when we make some ludicrous decisions ? the leader is somebody who is the first to admit that he/she is wrong and quickly make amends and move on ... examples - we have many .. what about new york times's owner rupert murdoch www.nytimes.com apologizing for a supposedly racist cartoon ... now new york times is such a reputed newspaper that they need not have done that .. what about Barack Obama (www.barackobama.com)  apologizing for a remark about mrs. ronald reagan around seances ? we have to appreciate the ability of leaders to be self deprecating ... so here's to humor ... laugh at yourself and the world will appreciate your ability to be human 

I have been taking a break to think ( as my favorite author - Robin Sharma says - thinking is very important to growth and development). I am sure all of us have been watching the satyam fiasco and a thought comes to mind. Your days define your life ( from the greatness guide) by robin. I have started believing this ... the words you speak, the actions you take, the responses you make all define your life - one step at a time.  I encourage you to think about this. The next time you have a chance to be rude, ignore the thought, the next time you have a chance to play boss and ridiciule somebody, dont do it .. just remember - your days define your life .... have a happy new year ....