God : Hello. Did you call me?
Me: Called you? No.. who is this?
God : This is GOD. I heard your prayers. So I thought I will chat.
Me: I do pray. Just makes me feel good. I am actually busy now. I am in the midst of something.
God : What are you busy at? Ants are busy too.
Me: Don't know. But I cant find free time. Life has become hectic. It's rush hour all the time.
God : Sure. Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you results. Activity consumes time. Productivity frees it.
Me: I understand. But I still can't figure out. By the way, I was not expecting YOU to buzz me on instant messaging chat.
God : Well I wanted to resolve your! fight for time, by giving you some clarity. In this net era, I wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with.
Me: Tell me, why has life become complicated now?
God : Stop analyzing life. Just live it. Analysis is what makes it complicated.
Me: why are we then constantly unhappy?
God : Your today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday.You are worrying because you are analyzing. Worrying has become your habit. That's why you are not happy.
Me: But how can we not worry when there is so much uncertainty?
God : Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is optional.
Me: But then, there is so much pain due to uncertainty..
God : Pain is inevit! able, but suffering is optional.
Me: If suffering is optional, why do good people always suffer?
God : Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don't suffer. With that experience their life become better not bitter.
Me: You mean to say such experience is useful?
God : Yes. In every terms, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards.
Me: But still, why should we go through such tests? Why cant we be free from problems?
God : Problems are Purposeful Roadblocks Offering Beneficial Lessons (to) Enhance Mental Strength. Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance, not when you! are free from problems.
Me: Frankly in the midst of so many problems, we don't know where we are heading..
God : If you look outside you will not know where you are heading.Look inside. Looking outside, you dream. Looking inside, you awaken. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides insight.
Me: Sometimes not succeeding fast seems to hurt more than moving in the right direction. What should I do?
God : Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you. Knowing the road ahead is more satisfying than knowing you rode ahead. You work with the compass. Let others work with the clock.
Me: In tough times, how do you stay motivated?
God : Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing.
Me: What surprises you about people?
God : when they suffer they ask, "why me?" When they prosper, they never ask "Why me" Everyone wishes to have truth on their side, but few want to be on the side of the truth.
Me: Sometimes I ask, who am I, why am I here. I cant get the answer.
God : Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as to why you are here. Create it. Life is not a process of discovery but a process of creation.
Me: How can I get the best out of life?
God : Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.
Me: One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.
God : There are no unanswered prayers. At times the answer is NO.
Me: Thank you for this wonderful chat.
God : Well. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Don't believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs. Life is a mystery to solve not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live. "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that took our breath away!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
10 Tips for Engaging Your Team
Hi Folks, yesterday I was analyzing BlessingWhites 2008 Global Employee Engagement Report, Following are the few findings from the report. I will keep you posted on the further study as well.
Like a catalyst that enables two chemicals in a beaker to combine this would not otherwise mix, good manager-employee relationships smooth the way for mutually beneficial connections between individual employees (on their very personal paths for great “work”) and their employers (with ambitious strategies that need execution).
As a manager, you are a critical ingredient in successful employee engagement.
1. Reflect and recharge: Where are you on the engagement spectrum? You can’t help your team if you’re spinning out of control as a Crash & Burner. If you are in the apex of engagement, how can you stay there — and “infect” others?
2. Hire engage-able team members: Jeanie Donovan, employee engagement director, Customer Experience, of a Fortune 500 financial services firm explains, “Our number one problem was lack of fit. We needed to hire people who could be successful. Instead of training square pegs to fit the round hole, we now try to hire round pegs.”
3. Earn trust every day: Trust provides the essential foundation for your effectiveness as a manager, whether we’re talking about engagement, innovation, or high performance. To build it, you need to reveal who you are as a person. Your title and accomplishments aren’t enough. Carmen Ward, Senior Manager of Fraud Prevention at Yahoo! Search Marketing, offers this additional advice on personal character to build trust: “I lead by example and I don’t take credit for their work. I speak candidly and keep my word. What I preach, I do in return.”
4. Stress employee ownership: You can’t create an engaged team if your employees don’t have clear visions of personal success. Make sure they know that you’re available to provide guidance, remove barriers, and help them find fulfilling work. However, they are ultimately the ones responsible for their success.
5. Find out where the bus is going — and remind people of your destination: If you’re not clear on your organization’s strategy, find someone who can give you some answers. Once you are clear, help your team members understand their role and prioritize the myriad tasks they face each day to achieve meaningful results.
6. Remember that feedback is a gift: Employees want feedback. They deserve information that can help them achieve their goals and the organization’s. Let them know what they do well so they can keep doing those things with confidence. Suggest course corrections to help them use their time and effort most efficiently.
7. Talk and listen more: Communication (especially in today’s email-driven workplace) is often one-way. Conversation, on the other hand, is about dialogue between two or more people. Conversation drives clarity. It is by far the most effective vehicle for providing performance feedback. It is the only way to efficiently generate new ideas for increasing business results and personal job satisfaction. It helps prevent misunderstandings. It builds trust. One example: A claims operations manager at an insurance company makes time to connect with each team member at least once a week for “personal face time.” He has monthly one-on-ones with staff, and tries to keep his door open.
8. Match projects, passion, and proficiency: Every person comes to work with a different combination of personal values, talents, and goals, which they are looking to satisfy on the job. They don’t necessarily want a lofty title, a higher salary, or your job. If you can help them connect what’s important to them with what’s important to the organization, you can make a positive impact on their job satisfaction, commitment, and contribution.
9. Get to know your team members: You don’t need to be their friend. You do need to know what makes them tick. Who shows signs of being a Crash & Burner? Do you know what motivates your Engaged or Almost Engaged employees? Pay attention. Ask questions.
10. Tailor your coaching strategies:
-Invest in your Almost Engaged team members, providing feedback, more resources when possible, and continuous opportunities to excel.
-Get your Hamsters on the right track if they are lost or spur them into action if they’re coasting or R.I.P. (retired in place).
- Help the Honeymooners understand their top priorities and discuss what they need to do to be successful on the job.
- Take a timeout with the Crash & Burners to take stock of how they’re feeling and clarify what personal success looks like to them. Provide more resources if you can, development opportunities, feedback, and perspective when competing priorities loom large.
- Size up your Disengaged. You may need to coach some out of the organization for their own good and yours. Spell out expectations with the rest, take stock of their interests and talents, and try to provide opportunities for them to do work that matters.
- Finally don’t take the Engaged for granted. Full engagement is hard to sustain on one’s own. Nurture them, recognize them, stretch them, develop them.
Like a catalyst that enables two chemicals in a beaker to combine this would not otherwise mix, good manager-employee relationships smooth the way for mutually beneficial connections between individual employees (on their very personal paths for great “work”) and their employers (with ambitious strategies that need execution).
As a manager, you are a critical ingredient in successful employee engagement.
1. Reflect and recharge: Where are you on the engagement spectrum? You can’t help your team if you’re spinning out of control as a Crash & Burner. If you are in the apex of engagement, how can you stay there — and “infect” others?
2. Hire engage-able team members: Jeanie Donovan, employee engagement director, Customer Experience, of a Fortune 500 financial services firm explains, “Our number one problem was lack of fit. We needed to hire people who could be successful. Instead of training square pegs to fit the round hole, we now try to hire round pegs.”
3. Earn trust every day: Trust provides the essential foundation for your effectiveness as a manager, whether we’re talking about engagement, innovation, or high performance. To build it, you need to reveal who you are as a person. Your title and accomplishments aren’t enough. Carmen Ward, Senior Manager of Fraud Prevention at Yahoo! Search Marketing, offers this additional advice on personal character to build trust: “I lead by example and I don’t take credit for their work. I speak candidly and keep my word. What I preach, I do in return.”
4. Stress employee ownership: You can’t create an engaged team if your employees don’t have clear visions of personal success. Make sure they know that you’re available to provide guidance, remove barriers, and help them find fulfilling work. However, they are ultimately the ones responsible for their success.
5. Find out where the bus is going — and remind people of your destination: If you’re not clear on your organization’s strategy, find someone who can give you some answers. Once you are clear, help your team members understand their role and prioritize the myriad tasks they face each day to achieve meaningful results.
6. Remember that feedback is a gift: Employees want feedback. They deserve information that can help them achieve their goals and the organization’s. Let them know what they do well so they can keep doing those things with confidence. Suggest course corrections to help them use their time and effort most efficiently.
7. Talk and listen more: Communication (especially in today’s email-driven workplace) is often one-way. Conversation, on the other hand, is about dialogue between two or more people. Conversation drives clarity. It is by far the most effective vehicle for providing performance feedback. It is the only way to efficiently generate new ideas for increasing business results and personal job satisfaction. It helps prevent misunderstandings. It builds trust. One example: A claims operations manager at an insurance company makes time to connect with each team member at least once a week for “personal face time.” He has monthly one-on-ones with staff, and tries to keep his door open.
8. Match projects, passion, and proficiency: Every person comes to work with a different combination of personal values, talents, and goals, which they are looking to satisfy on the job. They don’t necessarily want a lofty title, a higher salary, or your job. If you can help them connect what’s important to them with what’s important to the organization, you can make a positive impact on their job satisfaction, commitment, and contribution.
9. Get to know your team members: You don’t need to be their friend. You do need to know what makes them tick. Who shows signs of being a Crash & Burner? Do you know what motivates your Engaged or Almost Engaged employees? Pay attention. Ask questions.
10. Tailor your coaching strategies:
-Invest in your Almost Engaged team members, providing feedback, more resources when possible, and continuous opportunities to excel.
-Get your Hamsters on the right track if they are lost or spur them into action if they’re coasting or R.I.P. (retired in place).
- Help the Honeymooners understand their top priorities and discuss what they need to do to be successful on the job.
- Take a timeout with the Crash & Burners to take stock of how they’re feeling and clarify what personal success looks like to them. Provide more resources if you can, development opportunities, feedback, and perspective when competing priorities loom large.
- Size up your Disengaged. You may need to coach some out of the organization for their own good and yours. Spell out expectations with the rest, take stock of their interests and talents, and try to provide opportunities for them to do work that matters.
- Finally don’t take the Engaged for granted. Full engagement is hard to sustain on one’s own. Nurture them, recognize them, stretch them, develop them.
Great Learning
It was a sports stadium.
Eight Children were standing on the track to participate in the running event.
* Ready! * Steady! * Bang!!!
With the sound of Toy pistol, all eight girls started running.
Hardly have they covered ten to fifteen steps, one of the smaller girls slipped and fell down, due to bruises and pain she started crying. When other seven girls heard this sound, stopped running, stood for a while and turned back, they all ran back to the place where the girl fell down.
One among them bent, picked and kissed the girl gently and enquired.
Now pain must have reduced. All seven girls lifted the fallen girl, pacified her, two of them held the girl firmly and they all seven joined hands together and walked together and reached the winning post.
Officials were shocked. Clapping of thousands of spectators filled the stadium.
Many eyes were filled with tears and perhaps it had reached the GOD even!
YES. This happened in Hyderabad [INDIA], recently!
The sport was conducted by National Institute of Mental Health.
All these special girls had come to participate in this event and they are pastic children.
Yes, they were mentally retarded Challenged.
What did they teach this world?
Team work?
Humanity?
Equality among all?????
Successful people help others who are slow in learning so that they are not felt far behind. This is really a great message... spread it!
We cant do this ever because we have brains!!!!!!!!!
Eight Children were standing on the track to participate in the running event.
* Ready! * Steady! * Bang!!!
With the sound of Toy pistol, all eight girls started running.
Hardly have they covered ten to fifteen steps, one of the smaller girls slipped and fell down, due to bruises and pain she started crying. When other seven girls heard this sound, stopped running, stood for a while and turned back, they all ran back to the place where the girl fell down.
One among them bent, picked and kissed the girl gently and enquired.
Now pain must have reduced. All seven girls lifted the fallen girl, pacified her, two of them held the girl firmly and they all seven joined hands together and walked together and reached the winning post.
Officials were shocked. Clapping of thousands of spectators filled the stadium.
Many eyes were filled with tears and perhaps it had reached the GOD even!
YES. This happened in Hyderabad [INDIA], recently!
The sport was conducted by National Institute of Mental Health.
All these special girls had come to participate in this event and they are pastic children.
Yes, they were mentally retarded Challenged.
What did they teach this world?
Team work?
Humanity?
Equality among all?????
Successful people help others who are slow in learning so that they are not felt far behind. This is really a great message... spread it!
We cant do this ever because we have brains!!!!!!!!!
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