Reality Bytes - Wired Perspectives #AnandKumarPadmanaban

Happy new year 2010. The thought for today's blog came from my experience standing in a queue of a fairly respected retail chain. The queues were long and the number of check out counters were minimal as usual ;=) ( I think a lesson in queuing theory is warranted for all retail chain outlets I think ;=) ), anyways, the line moves on and suddenly stops .. I enquire and they say that there is a system problem, I nod my head and wait on, after some time its my turn at the check out counter and the sales clerk gets a phone call ( presumably from a friend as she was smiling and talking) while I the customer was waiting ... finally I got my good paid for and went up and met the store manager who was standing there and indicated as to why he did not open more counters ... he started moaning about the workers he had and about his manager and that nobody pays attention etc etc etc and I quickly exited from the store. That got me thinking how many of us encourage our teams to come to us with...

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 !!