Category: Productivity

  • Best Ways to Developing an Executive Presence

    Best Ways to Developing an Executive Presence

    Executive presence? what exactly is it?

    If you are in the corporate world and you are being considered for that next level leadership or seniority position is called executive presence.

    You may have heard your manager or boss hint you something that you need to develop for yourself, something that they are looking to see in you.

    In the corporate world there you do some leadership work as well as you work with corporate professionals. 

    People who are rising to more-senior levels have yet to hear a manager’s description of this executive presence.

    Executive presence in such a way that it makes it tangible, accessible and clear to the individual who needs to go out and develop this.

    WHAT’S IN IT

    Interpretation

    We are going to demystify the executive presence term for you today because if you are moving up you’re going to need to express and develop this and it’s going to be very handy.

    Suppose you considered for that next level role in your job you are good at what you do. No doubt about it hence the fact that you are being considered you are going to take on some leadership responsibilities in this new role. 

    Whether it is managing people influencing bigger decision having a deeper level of impact whatever the case may be this is leadership and leadership comes as a responsibility you want to grow into that responsibility and own it like it’s yours

    Role of Executive presence

    Role of Executive presence

    The term executive presence is synonymous with leadership now how do we make it tangible for you. 

    Executive presence is the perception of others on how you show up so it is a perception of upper management of your peers. 

    The people who are around you whom you interact with maybe even customers and partners depending on your organization set up.

    It is called the perception of how they see you as a leader, as an influencer, as a communicator.

    so executive presence is the sum of your leadership skills and it’s something that can be felt and seen and observed by your environment.

    How you show up as a leader

    You show up in so many different ways you communicate, you communicate verbally, written via voice, voicemail phone via meeting. 

    Whether they are web conferencing or in-person you communicate one-on-one in a private setting and in the group you may present

    So all the way that you communicate is how you show up think about that situation and ask yourself what is one word that people are most likely to use to describe you when they think about your presence. 

    In those situations, for example, what is one word that your boss would describe when they think about how you show up in a weekly meeting is it confident.

    You are always in a rush, is it’s shy and quiet and then ask yourself the obvious question what is that your boss wants to see in you.

    Those meeting to promote you to that next level and check off that executive presence box confidence in one that comes to mind and you can be confident and still express your concern and have a good laugh and all of that but confidence is essential

    Level of Influence

    executive presence Influence

    So how do you show up in those situations and express influence in the business decision, influence in conversation and the direction of that conversation, influenced by expressing your expertise

    So think about the way your express your thoughts and your opinions are you being heard are people respectfully listening to you,

    Are you listening to them? Are you savvy at how you communicate as a leader? That is another skill that is synonymous with your executive presence you show up with energy. We are energetic beings we show up with energy if it’s enough.

    If you want to simplify this ask yourself. What is the energy you carry with yourself? is it the energy of confidence and approachability, is it the energy of frustration is it the energy of impatience.

    This is a question where you need to be honest with yourself. If you don’t know the answer you need to ask someone. Tthat you can trust someone who is observing you in the workplace.

    Someone who would be willing to tell you the truth and maybe you can pick up a couple of people. Collect some real true feedback.

    If people give you consistent feedback that you are always in a hurry. That maybe you don’t take the time to listen that you interrupt all the time.

    You are late to meeting maybe two minutes is not a big deal to you but it is to others. Think about how you need to change that show as someone that people look up to like you.

    Think about this you no doubt have some ideas how you might be changing your ways. These are the things you need to think about when you want to develop that executive presence

    Building executive presence with body language

    body language

    The body is like a house. People make judgments from the outside when they look at the house. The same is true with nonverbal communication.

    People see us and they assess us right away. People make that assessment in left than one blink of an eye.

    When we are in their presence that does not give us a whole lot of time to do. Well in our communication you don’t have to do a lot of public speaking.

    You do need to buy into the idea. By improving your hand gesture, your facial expression, your eye contact that you are going to have a great impact on your audience.

    Tip

    Never ask your boss how to develop an executive presence that already implies you. Do not understand the concept and you need help developing it.

    As a result, ironically pushes you further away from that next level promotion and leadership opportunity.

    To find out, develop yourself other way work with a coach. This is part of the work that I do when people.

    Move up to the leadership role working with a mentor at your company take a course whatever you need to do but don’t imply that you don’t understand.

    This term this is the most common mistakes that people do

    Conclusion

    Executive presence is all about how you show up and you show up in many different ways

    Think about how you can take that to the next level. So you always show up as a powerful and confident leader.

    Also read our blog on The job description of Executive Assistant (EA)

    FAQ’s

  • Motivating Good Manager – Improving Morale & Engagement

    Motivating Good Manager – Improving Morale & Engagement

    Why do some employees stay in a good mood & are actually happy to go & work daily in their organization?

    On the other hand, why do some employees never look happy while they’re working?

    The reason is a good manager who knows how to inspire and motivate employees.

    Behind this is their morale. Employee’s morale can give you ideas of how they feel emotionally & how much satisfaction they have towards their job & working environment as well.

    And it’s the responsibility of good managers of the organization to uplift the morale of all employees.

    The way your employees feel & perceive their working environment will impact their level of productivity.

    A person who has high morale will be happy & they’ll enjoy their work. On the other hand, those who have low morale will seem dissatisfied & their approach towards their work will also be negative.

    Employees who have high morale are always motivated to do their job & they also uplift the other members of the organizations. They spread positivity around the working environment & they also maintain a positive & healthy relationship with the other workers. 

    Employees who have low morale are the exact opposite of those who have high morale. They couldn’t be able to work with their full concentration & have a negative mindset all the time despite the fact they are fully capable of doing great in their work.

    This results in their poor performance & ultimately impacts the whole organization’s performance.

    Motivating Good Manager

    Now I’m sharing some ways to improve your employee’s morale & engagement in your organization, below are the measures on how to motivate your employee in the workplace-

    WHAT’S IN IT

    Communicate with every employee

    good manager Communication skills

    I know by reading the heading many managers get frightened & talk to themselves that I don’t have that much time to talk with every employee.

    But trust me, having one on one sessions with every employee would uplift the immense morale of your employees & makes you a good manager as well.

    It may seem very time consuming but if you let your employees express themselves without any pressure about the work culture it will bring positivity within them.

    By asking questions like- You’re happy with the working culture?

    Are the team members & your team leader supportive or not?

    Are you happy with the work which was assigned to you? Will give a sense of importance & worth to each & every employee.

    After this, their morale will also be uplifted & productivity level will also be increased.

    Keep updated your employees

    a good manager is updating an employee

    Have a meeting with the management staff of employees give them an update about any company’s information which could affect the work of some employees, like- change in due dates, an increase in workload, changes in the work which they are doing, etc.

    Interaction like this with manager and employee is very crucial for your organization to operate smoothly.

    But just giving updates is not enough, you have to check whether everyone understood what you said. This is how good managers motivate employees in the workplace.

    Like if you have given an update work change for a particular group of employees, then you must stop by whenever possible to check their update if everything is running smoothly or not. 

    By checking on your employee’s they will feel they are important in their workplace & they will work more efficiently.

    Develop a Happy & Productive work environment

    how to motivate employees and make happy work environment

    Try to create an environment in which if any employee enters they just couldn’t feel like they are important & no one should feel like they are being sidelined, they must feel like they’re a part of the family. That’s what a good manager’s role is.

    And the environment has to be created by the leaders of the organization’s managers, supervisor & staff how they behave with each other and how to motivate employees in the workplace.

    Like- How they respond to any crisis which comes on the company, how they support & celebrate each other’s success & how they support each other in the bad times to each other.

    And one of the most important factors of an ideal working environment is “Teamwork”. Each & every member of the company knows their part of jobs & their ultimate goal is to take their company to the next level by manager and employee working together.

    Become an Unbiased Mangers

    Let’s face it everyone has their favorite employee in their organization. But if you show biases towards one employee then other’s morale will go down & with that their productivity level also, this is not how to motivate employees in the workplace

    So from the next time, you must treat each & every employee equally & unbiased like a good manager.

    Give Appreciation

    Good Managers Give Appreciation

    Not just in the workplace but in general nobody likes to do something more than once if they won’t get the credit which they deserve for their work. 

    According to business.com, many employers assume that money is the main reason why employees quit, but only 12% of the workers leave a company because they want a raise or could earn more elsewhere. 

    In fact, according to a survey of 2285 U.S professionals, 9 out of 10 said they were willing to earn less money if it meant the work was more meaningful.

    So by giving appreciation to your employees it’ll not only boost their morale, but they will feel more motivated to do better in the future, this is one of the best examples of how to motivate employees in the workplace.

    Doesn’t matter if the milestone of their success in the workplace is small or huge, always appreciate their work & they will help your company to rise even further by their work.

    Set an Example

    Whatever results, discipline, the behavior you expect from your employee, make sure you also do the same in the process of how good managers motivate employees in the workplace.

    Like-be on time at the office, always ready to help others, solve the problems with little fuss. If you expect something from the employees & you’re living on to your words, your respect in their eyes will increase & they will do what you’ve said.

    Show you Care

    Good managers Show you Care

    You don’t have to follow Steve Jobs to lead your employees. By being supportive & caring you can achieve the desired result which you want from the employees.

    To care about your employee makes you a good manager that not just wants to extract work from employees. But who knows how to connect on an individual term with every employee which is the key to know how to motivate employees at work.

    Celebrating your employee’s birthday, giving a present for their performance, wishing for their anniversary, gives a feeling of importance to your employees. 

    And this will impact on their morale positively & they will give their best in their work. And you will gain respect & loyal employees, due to simple acts of kindness.

    Take their Feedback

    Have a monthly feedback session in which you encourage each & every employee to give their feedback related to work or anything related to their organization. 

    Make sure everyone has a say, especially shy ones they don’t open up easily, so make them comfortable & make them share their feedback, in the process of how to motivate employees at work.

    Inspire your Employees

    how to motivate and inspire employees

    Managers know how to motivate employees at work, it’s the prime task of their job. Whenever your employees working with low morale or some crisis came into your organization.

    That’s when a good manager needs to step up to uplift the morale of the whole working environment. You have to inspire them with your speech, sharing your story of how you have dealt with this kind of situation or lighten up the mood of your employees by cracking jokes.

    Let them try New Ideas

    how to motivate employees

    Let your employees show their creativity, this enhances the process of how to motivate employees at work. First, listen to their ideas of how they are going to work differently if you think let’s give it a shot then let them do it.

    If something went wrong then don’t blame them for trying something, instead, try to understand with your employee what went wrong & fix it.

    Give them freedom

    If you give your employee a chance to take responsibility for a specific portion of the project. Then it will give them a sense of control in their job, they will feel empowered, freedom.

    This will increase the level of productivity within them & it will also increase their morale too.

    Treat them as a team member

    team members of a good manager

    If you work together & everyone on the same page then it’s become easier to achieve the organization’s goals.

    Let your employees be involved in decision making, planning & let them have their say in the project, this is how to motivate employees as a manager.

    If your employees feel involved in projects it will definitely increase their morale, confidence, awareness about the work, decision-making skills.

    When you work together you all have a single focus to achieve specific goals & this creates a healthy relationship between manager and employee of the team.

    Make them come out from their comfort zone

    Don’t let your employees settle in their comfort zones. They have untapped potential which they themselves don’t even know. 

    Give them new roles or responsibilities to fulfil & this will help them to develop new skills.

    Change your way to criticize

    Not every employee can give a great performance, sometimes their performance could take a dip. 

    So instead of mocking them in front of everyone for their poor performance, talk privately. Ask them what went wrong? & try to find why his performance is not up to the mark? & motivate him/her to do a good job in the future.

    Make Incentive & Salary looks attractive

    Good manager Make Incentive & Salary looks attractive

    If your situation in organizations allows you to set the salary higher compared to your competition in the market, then you should. Because for many of the employees, money is their motivation to work for. 

    And always show your appreciation to your employees those who are working hard by giving them incentives.

    Conclusion

    If you’re expecting a high-level performance from every employee in your organization, then you must keep a track of their morale. 

    If you connect with every employee on a human level then they’ll get a sense of importance, their morale will get higher, they will get more confident. And this will eventually lead to a good performance from every employee.

    Also read our blog on Building A Happier, More Satisfied Team

    FAQ‘s

  • Integrity- How to Preserve it?

    Integrity- How to Preserve it?

    Integrity is a term that means being honest or being consistent with ethical principle and values. There are 5 essential behaviors that can help you to preserve integrity as a leader.

    Every time we look at all the successful leaders or entrepreneurs, the one thing which defines or we can say that making a difference is Integrity. If they don’t have Integrity, then you can say that their career ends too early.

    WHAT’S IN IT

    What is Integrity?

    Integrity is speaking truth

    Integrity means being honest or being consistent with strong ethical principle and values. You can not develop integrity in yourself overnight, it already exactly.

    Honesty is also true to yourself in whatever the situation.

    It always seen and also written by great peoples if you live your life with Integrity you can achieve anything in life and also face challenges confidently. 

    But adopting Integrity is not so easy because sometimes you may feel comfortable doing things that are better for you or sometimes not.

    Be always hones becausen with selfish nature you are not goanna anywhere, and at last, you always have to show Integrity to others so why you can’t show it in begining.

    Example of Integrity

    So let’s understand Integrity with an example, assume that you are an employee of a multinational e-commerce company.

    Every day you work hard and give your blood and sweat for one thing, which is customer satisfaction.

    In the company, every time lots of orders place by the customers and lots of delivery is also processed through the warehouse. 

    After the warehouse, the product is directly hand over to a shipping company that was tied up to the company. 

    One day your boss calls you in their office. And after reaching in the office you come to know that there was a small issue is going on. 

    Your boss tells you that there is a costly and imported product of a customer is slightly broken by our warehouse peoples, but don’t worry we blame this whole to the shipping company that they don’t take care of the product during the delivery and we are safe.

    At that time, you also try to tell the boss that it is wrong that we are playing to the emotions of the customers.

    And suddenly your boss scolds you and told just shut up, there is not a massive loss for the customers and also the damage is too small to acknowledge, and also the customers never get any quality issue, so why you think so much.

    Don’t worry if the customer complains we take of the product by claiming the damage is through the shipping company. 

    This is the whole story which is happening daily in different parts of our country.

    So, after understanding the example let’s start to know in details that what is Integrity and how to preserve them?

    Why Is Integrity Important?

    Importancy of Integrity

    There are main reasons for that which shows why is Integrity important. If we apply and develop Integrity in our day to day life, then it helps to save our energy and time which are always spend on thinking and questioning ourselves what is right and what is wrong. 

    After developing this art, we always start to listen to our heart in every complicated situation and ultimately our life becomes easy and smooth also helps in not to do hide anyone and always confident in every task of life.

    Integrity helps us with success in life. If we do our day to day work with Integrity, it shows our honesty which allows you to get promotion and growth.

    After applying integrity concepts, you are going to be more ethical and humbler toward others, and every organisation always wants someone trustworthy in their senior management positions, which also deals with the problem with ease and patience. 

    Integrity also helps you to become role models of others because of your nature of humble, ethics, and also trustworthiness.

    How to Develop and Preserve Integrity

    There are specific steps which we have to follow to develop as well as to preserve Integrity in a long time. If you have taken a single wrong step in your life, then your whole Integrity is goanna be at stake. So, let’s start to know the steps which help us to preserve and develops Integrity are-

    Always try to define your values

    From your childhood everywhere lots of values are given to you, but some benefits which are good and some are not that important.

    So always try to make a note of all values which you want to take and believe, and does not going to change in the future or comprise it whatever the situation comes to you.

    Always try to analyze what is right and bad choices You Make-

    In this particular step, I want to add somethings like whenever we feel no one looking at us we take wrong decisions, which pay us a lot afterwards.

    So always take your choices seriously, it doesn’t matter if anyone is looking at you or not. Decide with so much faith and honest, that after making a decision, you are not going to regret your choice whether your success or failure.

    Whenever you have to make choices analyze all the thoughts that are coming into your mind and examine weather they are good or not. Also ask yourself that what will be the consequences after making your decision.

    Here I want you to tell that Integrity is seen by many people with their behaviour. They have lots of collective action like all are humble, self-confident, their self-esteem is also high and so on.

    These characters are essential in day to day life because sometimes you are also in an intense pressure situation, where everyone feels the heat but you calm and compose to take the right decision after understanding it.

    Always try to develop this character within yourself, so that you gain lots of confidence and self-esteem. And also spend some time with yourself, to know better of yourself and also becomes better every day.

     Always try to be the great version of yours.

    What are those 5 Essential Behaviours You Need to Maintain Your Integrity as a Leader?

    If you see in an organisation, a leader is always a person who is more honest and trustworthy for the company. His behaviours should also be useful to other fellow employees.

    But it is also seen frequently that the leader does not take any of this, and he suffers a lot. So due to this, I want to give you five behaviours which should take care of by a leader.

    1. Always try to Keeping your word correctly

    It means if you tell or give a promise at a particular time, do that on time. Do not procrastinate.

    2. Try to Make fair decisions.

    It indicates that don’t be in a hurry to making decisions, always take your time and analyse it, and then give it.

    3. Always try to Practicing non-judgment

     It means do not be a bold leader. Try to be a soft one who listens to everyone and have some sympathy towards their employee. Don’t take a decision directly, take some time and know the problem.

    4. Try to Give credits

    Here it only means don’t be a selfish leader, try to give the credits to your team members where needed.

    5. Always try to Communicate honestly

    With honesty, everything looks good and pure.

    Try to adopt this quality in the company and make everyone feel good and makes the office environment suitable, and also efficiency increases.

    5 essential behaviours to preserve integrity

    Conclusion

    Integrity is known as Adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character, honesty. Integrity is a state of being whole, entire or undiminished. Integrity is also called a sound, unimpaired or perfect condition.

    If you see this definition which is told by random house looks very fancy. But as compare to our day to day life, it is quite different and complex.

    Also read blog on Herrmann’s Whole Brain Model – Maximizing Your Thinking Power

    FAQ’s

  • INTRAPRENEURSHIP – The New Definition of an Entrepreneur

    INTRAPRENEURSHIP – The New Definition of an Entrepreneur

    Do you know what Intrapreneurship is? Yes, you know Intrapreneurship. It is the system in the organization in which an employee acts as an Entrepreneur. Do you know how an employee can become an intrapreneur?

    An employee can become an intrapreneur by understanding his company, building leadership qualities, always think about the growth of the company, ownership & experimental initiative, the employee has to be a contributor & producer, and he should be proactive & self-start.

    The word Intrapreneurship was introduced by GIFFORD PINOT in 1980.

    So in this blog, I will discuss all the things about Intrapreneurship that will teach you many lessons that you can implement in your life.

     WHAT’S IN IT

    Characteristic of Intrapreneurship

    There are 5 characteristics of Intrapreneurship which we will discuss below-

    Adaptive 

    According to the situation, the employee must change himself so that he can survive in the worst situation.

    Creative

    Creative Intrapreneurship

    The employee as an Intrapreneur must be flexible so that he can bring new creativity in the organization according to the environment or according to the situation, and he can bring new creative ideas to the organization.

    Goes Against The Grain

    He, as an Intrapreneur, he must not always run behind the profit of the company it is understandable that profit is important for the company but not always for long terms.

    With the profit, there are many more things that are important for the organization, which should be inside the INTRAPRENEUR.

    Visionary

    Visionary INtrapreneurship

    He, as an Intrapreneur, must know and everything about the market that what he can do, how he can do it when he can do it.

    And put the assumption according to the market situation that is going on in the market to improve the profits and revenues of the organization.

    Restoration concept

    He, as an Intrapreneur, must improve and add valuation to the company by improving the quality of the product, services, and method of the company. 

    Process of Intrapreneurship

    There are six steps in the process of Intrapreneurship-

    • In the first step, the organization forced the employees to put their views and new ideas in front of the authority.
    • After that, in the second step, the authority analyzes the idea of the employee with the company’s needs, objective, vision, consumer demand, etc.
    • So, in the third step, they analyzed the employee idea deeply and from different perspectives.
    • After that, in the fourth step, the new ideas getting approval from all the investors, team, association, customers.
    • In the fifth step, the new project is tested by SWOT mean strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
    • After that, the sixth step, which is the last step of the Intrapreneurship process in which the new idea is design in such a way that it can be made workable in the organization.

    Models of Intrapreneurship

    There are four types of Models of Intrepreneurship-

    Opportunist

    Opportunist Intrapreneur

    In this model, the employees have limited resources and limited ownership in the organization.

    They get the innovative idea after that authority analyzes the idea, and if the idea is good, then only the resources are provided to them to work on their idea, but ownership is still diffused. 

    Enabler

    In this model, the employees have more resources so that they can work easily but have limited ownership in the organization.

    They are dedicated to their work so that company can achieve a good position.

    Advocate

    In this model, the employees have limited resources but have high ownership in the organization.

    They are focused on their work and get new ideas so that company can achieve a good position.

    Producer

    In this model, the employees have high resources and also have high ownership in the organization.

    So, they are dedicated and focused on only a single project, and only one or two employees have ownership.

    Types of Intrapreneurship

    There are three types of Intrapreneurship Creators, Doers, and Implementers-

    Creators

    Creator Intrapreneur

    These are those employees who believe in doing things in better ways. They always get new ideas for the betterment and development of the company.

    So, they do not like to waste time and always focus on bigger things.

    Doers

    They are those employees who believe in achieving results and working on the taste which is given to them.

    So, they only want to finish their task as soon as possible. They have effective communicators and take responsibilities.

    Implementers

    These are those employees who make sure that the existing plan is executed properly.

    They always motivate other employees so that the goal should be achieved properly and make everything happen.  

    Advantages of Intrapreneurship

    • The employee as an Intrapreneur gives new ideas to the organization by analyzing the company’s needs, objectives, vision, consumer demand, etc. So that organizations can grow, developed, and profitable.
    • He changes or adapted himself in each and every situation so that he can survive in the worst situation.
    • Also, he is flexible so that he can bring new creativity in the organization according to the environment or according to the situation, and he can bring new creative ideas to the organization.
    • So, he improves and adds valuation in the company by improving the quality of the product, services, and method of the company.   

    Disadvantages of Intrapreneurship

    • The employee, as an Intrapreneur, does not get support in the organization when there is more than one CEO.
    • Many of them have cultural issues. So, they do not take Intrapreneurship seriously and run away from practising this.
    • The human resource department has a very difficult task to identify the employee with intrapreneurship qualities.
    • So, many times he leaves the organization.
    • The organization many times, is not able to identify Intrapreneurship quality while appointing new employees.

    Importance of Intrapreneurship

    Importance of Intrapreneurship
    • The employee, as an Intrapreneur, gives new ideas to the organization by analyzing the company’s needs, objectives, vision, consumer demand, etc. So that organizations can grow, developed, and profitable.
    • He changes or adapted himself in each and every situation so that he can survive in the worst situation.
    • Also, he is flexible so that he can bring new creativity in the organization according to the environment or according to the situation, and he can bring new creative ideas to the organization.
    • He improves and adds valuation in the company by improving the quality of the product, services, and method of the company.   
    • They make sure that all the resources are used most efficiently, and there must be no wastages of resources.

    Example

    In McDonald’s, Dick Brams, as a manager of the brand at St. Louis, is the live example of Intrapreneurship.

    He gave the idea of Happy Meal for kids in 1977 to the management, so management was inspired by his idea and instantly taken into consideration.

    So the HAPPY MEAL BOX introduced in 1979 and become a successful idea, which gives McDonald’s great success.

    Difference between Intrapreneurship & Entrepreneurship

    BasicIntrapreneurshipEntrepreneurship
    MeaningHe is the employee, who is an Entrepreneur within the Company.He is the owner of the Company who started his own Business.
    RiskHere, Risk is less.Risk is High.
    CapitalDoes not bring by him.Rose by him.
    ResourcesResources are given by Company.Own Resources are used.
    DecisionDo not have the full right to make decisions.Have full Right to Take decisions.
    StatusAn employee in the Company.Owner of the Company.
    FormPaid by the Company.Self Actualized Benefits.

    Conclusion

    In my opinion, every employee must have a spirit of Intrapreneurship inside him. It is very difficult to find intrapreneurship employees for the organization.

    The employees who are problem solvers, self-starter, leadership, growth drivers, innovators, doers, creators, implementer qualities inside them are called INTRAPRENEURS.

    If you want to hire Intrapreneurs for your company, then please follow the characteristics of Intrapreneurship, and I assure you that you will get employees with intrapreneurship quality.  

    Also read blog on How to Build Trust inside your Team

    FAQ’s

  • SWOT Analysis for Finding Your Talent and Opportunities

    SWOT Analysis for Finding Your Talent and Opportunities

    SWOT Analysis is a simple and useful method that allows us to group and find strengths, weaknesses and to identify potential threats and new opportunities in the market. In this blog, we are gonna teach you about this Analysis and also give some examples.

    WHAT’S IN IT

    What is SWOT Analysis?

    SWOT analysis plays a significant role in any business. The full form of SWOT is Strength, Weakness Opportunity & Threats. Strengths and weaknesses considered are internal factors because they exist within the company whereas opportunities and threats are considered external factors because they exist outside the company.

    We use SWOT analysis to gather information about any industry, company, products, or even people.

    It is a simple but useful method that allows us to group and find strengths and weaknesses and to identify potential threats and new opportunities that exist in the external environment.

    Also, the SWOT framework could be useful when you want to understand the areas in which your firm performs well and the ones that need improvement.

    A SWOT diagram analyzes a product or business by focusing on each of the four factors. It typically consists of four boxes one of each area and the details of the analysis are written in the corresponding box.

    Strength

    strength for competitive advantage

    The very first thing is Strength. These are the critical success factors of your business that are strong and give you an advantage over other competitors.

    To make your business most profitable, you have to figure out how to build more products that become your strengths. A SWOT analysis helps you to figure out the parts of your business that are doing well.

    The Strength area includes the core products or provisions where the business excels and has a big competitive advantage over competitors.

    By knowing your assets, you will be able to continue at a high level. But you will need to find ways to create more strength to grow your business.

    Weakness

    Weakness For Swot Analysis

    The next thing is Weaknesses. These are areas that need improvement. Such vulnerabilities place their company at a disadvantage when they competing against other firms.

    You have to figure out your weaknesses and improve or rectify them before they hurt your business badly. Usually, the disadvantages resulting from other companies having a competitive advantage.

    This stage requires a detailed and brainstorm analysis by your partners or others’ heads to know what is going wrong within your organization.

    Opportunity

    Opportunity for SWOT

    After identifying or knowing your strengths and weaknesses, you’ll try to identify the best opportunities available for your business as fast as possible before your competitor takes the lead.

    Opportunities can be seen as favourable factors existing in a company’s external environment. Taking advantage of opportunities depends on how skilled a company’s top management is.

    The top management team must be able to know, recognize, or even predict the opportunities and then take action when the time is right.

    To identify opportunities, try to pinpoint openings in the marketplace that you can take advantage of to help your business grow.

    Opportunities are generally caused by external factors such as price fluctuations or even new trends in the market. But before grabbing any opportunity, you must consider your strengths and weaknesses or they will become your biggest failure.

    Threats

    Fighting from Threats

    Next, try to find out how to respond to threats to your business. Market fluctuations, government policies or public interferences are all external factors that may badly affect your business. To ensure success, you must identify these threats and find ways to eliminate them.

    Just like when figuring out opportunities, you need to consider your strengths and weaknesses, the same when assessing threats.

    It’s important to note that strength for one part of your organization might be a weakness for another.

    For example, the old fashioned brand image and hundred-year-old history of a company might benefit the farm equipment division but it might not be such a boon for the new tech division.

    For this reason, you might want to perform a different SWOT analysis for each product or part of your business, rather than performing the analysis for the business as a whole. It gives you an unclear analysis.

    Precautions while making SWOT Analysis

    • Try to keep your SWOT diagram brief to the point.
    • Include the most pertinent details but keep in mind that don’t bog it down with too much explanation within the diagram.
    • You can go into greater detail during meetings or in reports.
    • Be sure to utilize employees from several areas of your company.
    • Consider feedback from your partners and customers as it a variety of perspectives will result in a more thorough analysis.
    • Keep the core objectives of your company‘s business plan in mind while performing your SWOT analysis.
    • Keep updating your analysis regularly.
    • You may also prefer to revise the analysis quarterly or yearly.

    Advantages of SWOT Analysis

    • It shows the reasons why people are unable to get success.
    • By knowing your weakness, one can overcome and escape threats.
    • Its framework makes you unique by showing your real talents.
    • By knowing your strengths, one has the potential to turn into a quality person.
    • It requires no extensive training or skills to be used.
    • It discloses opportunities that you need to be utilized.
    • A SWOT Analysis can be used for Brainstorm meetings.
    • It can enhance the quality of an organization’s strategic planning.
    • It helps you to study and research your competitor.
    • SWOT Analysis can be used for proper planning and product evaluation.
    • You can use SWOT Analysis on various people to get an idea about them.

    Limitations of SWOT Analysis

    Limitations of SWOT Analysis
    • This model depends too much on subjective intuitions.
    • It’s disordered and lacks the predictive power to be successful.
    • SWOT analysis will rely on the level of expertise and objectiveness of people doing them.
    • If not monitored, strength can become weaknesses while opportunities, if not capitalized and when seized by competitors, can become threats.
    • This model does not provide actual answers to what strategies should be implemented.
    • Sometimes, it can be quite difficult to categorize the four factors.

    Example of SWOT Analysis

    Enough learning, let’s try to perform SWOT Analysis on a company like Apple.

    SWOT Analysis of Apple

    Strengths of Apple

    1. Most Valuable Brand in the world
    2. Most Reliable Company
    3. Availability of Top Technologies
    4. Top Innovations
    5. Most Loyal Customers

    Weaknesses of Apple

    1. High Priced Products
    2. Incompatibility with Other Software
    3. Less Variety in Designs
    4. Limited Distribution Network
    5. Narrow Product Line

    Opportunities of Apple

    1. More Customer Base
    2. Expansion of Distribution Networks
    3. Artificial Intelligence
    4. High- tech Gadgets
    5. Creating More Products and Technology

    Threats of Apple

    1. Corona Virus Pandemic
    2. Competition by other Tech Giants
    3. Increased Tariffs on Countries
    4. Duplicity of their Products
    5. Potential Market of Android

    Similarly, let’s find out the SWOT Analysis of Google

    Strengths of Google

    1. Globally Trusted Brand
    2. Simplified Approach to Every Product
    3. Most Trusted Search Engine
    4. Most Used Operating System
    5. Broad Product Line (OS, Music, Payment System, Web browser, etc.)

    Weaknesses of Google

    1. Most Income comes from Advertisement
    2. No Social Media Platform
    3. Gmail and YouTube Channel Hacks

    Opportunities of Google

    1. Android Market
    2. Worldwide Internet Growth
    3. Strategic Acquisitions
    4. Artificial Intelligence
    5. Self- Driving Cars

    Threats of Google

    1. Increase of iOS users
    2. Competition from Bing in the Search Engine
    3. Chinese Bans
    4. Competition from Amazon in the Cloud Computing

    Conclusion

    Let’s conclude the blog by summarizing the above information in a table

    FactorsStrengthWeaknessOpportunityThreat
    MeaningThings that your company excels in.Things that your company lacks. Any circumstances in the market that you can take advantage of. Things that may affect your business in a negative way
    ExampleMarketing, Management Team, etc.Resource limitations, unskilled staff, etcGovernment programs, New Technologies, etc. Emerging Competitor, Changing Market Need, etc.

    Also read our blog SWOT Analysis क्या है? SWOT Analysis कैसे करते है? Complete Guide

     FAQ’s

  • IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY – Best Techniques

    IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY – Best Techniques

    In Today’s world retaining memory is a challenging part and every day to day routine work need memory to perform the task. I would like to share some tips that will improve your memory and get rid of forgetfulness.

    WHAT’S IN IT

    The issue of poor memory and forgetfulness

    poor memory and forgetfulness

    Quite times, dealing with problems related to weak memory is not a major issue and can be considered normal. But if this problem is getting deeper, then you should not take it lightly, and start looking for the reasons for this forgetfulness, and also look for some memory improvement techniques.

    Not only for people dealing with the issue of forgetfulness, but strong memory is something which everyone should look forward to opting for. And when you can strengthen-up your memory with simple techniques, you should follow those habits so that you don’t have to deal with weak memory problems in the future.

    In this blog, I’ll be sharing with you some of the most common reasons which ultimately leads to cause the issue of poor memory. Along with this, I’ll also share some of the memory improvement techniques that you can follow to strengthen and improve your memory power.

    Common Reasons for Declining Memory Power

    Forgetfulness is not an uncommon thing nowadays. Although it exists from many years back, if we look a decade back, the problem of forgetfulness or low memory is something that starts getting triggered concerning age. And if we talk about today’s scenario, then many people, even not much aged, have experienced this problem.

    Talking at a level of the whole, several factors play a role in the problem of memory loss. Some of the most common reasons in today’s time causing this problem are as given below:

    1. Lack of Sleep

    Lack of Sleep improve your memory

    Not taking enough amount of sound sleep is the most common reason because of which many people start feeling inactive at both physical as well as mental level. Such mental inactiveness also results in weakening the memory power of an individual.

    2. Taking more Stress and Workload

    If the workload is not managed in the way it should be, then it’ll become the sign of a poor mental state of an individual. Taking too much workload causes stress and anxiety, and both of these are among the reasons for low memory power.

    3. Improper Medications

    Several medications affect your memory in a bad manner. Such medicinal drugs affect your brain in a way that restricts your mental horizons. If you also think that your medicines are causing some kind of memory issues to you, you must consult your doctor or physicist about it.

    4. Alcohol

    Among several ill-effects of Alcohol, one very common is that it leads to weak memory and poor ability of concentration. Alcohol and other drugs hit your brain hard. It makes you feel pleasurable for some time, but ultimately leave a very bad impact on your mind. An overdose of it is even more harmful to your mind.

    5. Depression

    forgetfulness needs to improve your memory

    In today’s world, experiencing light depressions is not a big thing. People get busy in their day to day work lives. The pressure and load of work make a person feel like anxiety and depressed. Most people ignore such things, but actually, these things have a direct impact on your mind in a negative manner.

    Now when you’re quite aware of the main reasons that cause problems regarding memory, in the same vein, you should also read forward to know the ways to improve your memory. Have a look!

    Ways and Techniques to Improve your Memory

    Some of you might be thinking that “Is it possible for someone to improve your memory?” Upon this, I would like to tell you that Yes, it is possible to improve your memory by following some research-backed proven techniques.

    Several factors played their roles in affecting your memory. Some of those factors like age and genetics are beyond the control of an individual. But many of those factors are controllable and because of this, such factors should be avoided to make your memory stronger.

    Here, I’m sharing with you some of the proven techniques and ways which you should follow. These memory improvement techniques will benefit you in strengthening your memory power and also in improving your mental state. It will also enhance your recall and retention time.

    Move up with Regular Exercise

    The human body needs exercise to work in a proper systematic manner. Regular exercise makes your body fresh and active, which also makes our mind active and fills it with positive energy. Our body is like a motor. If we do not regularly warm and use it, then this will make our body unusable after some time. So, exercise is a very effective way to maintain your good physical health, as it will also improve your mental health.

    Take enough Sound sleep

    Giving enough rest both to your mind as well as to your body is very essential. Improper sleep has various negative impacts on one’s mental health. As per the researches, 7-9 hours of deep and sound sleep is required for an individual to relax properly. So, try to manage your work in such a manner so that you will get enough time to take a full night’s rest. This will relax your mind so that it will boost your concentration, and ultimately improve your memory.

    Lower your Alcohol Intake

    Reduce alchol Intake to improve your memory

    Alcohol is harmful both for your physical as well as mental health and negatively impacts your memory. It causes many minutes or even severe problems including mental illness and forgetfulness. It is highly recommended for you to drink less alcohol so that you can take care of your mental health, which will strengthen your brain and ultimately your memory power. Taking one or two drinks a week is okay, but you must also look for its limits so that it’ll not harm your body or mind.

    Know What you are Eating

    When you have a problem, only you have to work for its remedies. So, you should pay attention to what you should eat and what things you have to avoid. You should try to reduce your processed sugar intake. You can also avoid high-calorie diets as it will also improve your memory. One more effective and even tasty technique is that you can start eating dark chocolate. Dark chocolate and cocoa are very good for your brain and is a delicious and nutritious way that benefits your mental health.

    Indulge in Brain Training exercises

    There is no better way to sharpen your memory than to warm up and stretch your brain muscles by indulging in several brain training exercises. Same as workouts for your physical health, mental workouts are challenging and hence effective for the health of your brain. Start playing such games that will enhance and improve your memory and concentration. If not for much longer, do such exercises for just 15-20 minutes every day. These games and exercises will increase your memory power and also reduces the risk of several mental health-related problems.

    Free up yourself to Meditate

    Regularly taking up some time from your busy schedule for Meditation is a great technique to be followed. Not only for the ones experiencing any kind of memory lapses but for everyone, Meditation is something that seems to be very effective concerning your overall health, including both your physical well as mental health.

    Conclusion

    What are the main causes of the problem of memory lapses, either minute or severe. Ways and techniques that you should follow to get your things done right and improve your memory. The memory improvement techniques that I’ve mentioned and explained are scientific research-backed and also proven. So in the end, while winding things up, I also want to say that not only for those who are dealing with forgetfulness and other memory problems but these techniques are beneficial to everyone in maintain and improving his/her mental health.

    You can also read Managing Team Emotions

    FAQ’s

  • Planning a training session- Organizing key concepts for learning

    Planning a training session- Organizing key concepts for learning

    Every institution arranges a training session and programs to achieve its goals because every company or institution needs its colleagues to enhance their professional skills, confidence in the work, knowledge, etc. So, let us understand what it is.

    WHAT’S IN IT

    What is a training session? 

    training programs

    Training sessions are the program arranged for the people to provide the various education values. It may be corporate training and team skill training etc. These sessions are great for enhancing knowledge, professional skills, boosting morale, re-focusing on the team, etc. These sessions can maybe be done through lectures, evaluations, or discussions and demonstrations. 

    These training meetings are done to increase the employees’ productivity and enhance their confidence and trust in the company. These events can also help improve the relationship between colleagues and provide a friendly and happy environment to work. 

    As an organizer, your goal is likely to organize the session effectively and maximize the training experience and valuable knowledge of the attendees or your team. 

    Let’s discuss some of the effecting tips to plan such a useful and valuable training event. 

    These tips will help ensure that the training programs will prove beneficial for your business and accelerate team performance and hit vital targets. 

    How to conduct an effective training session?

    To develop a strength training program plan, it requires time. However, taking more time will help in building an effective strategy. As you start planning, you visualize every step of the session. It results in presenting each information in a logical order, and you will also be able to prepare for the painful points, which takes time to understand.

     Let’s see the crucial tips needed to keep in mind during the makeup session. 

    1. Test the employees before the session 

    Perform a test to help you structure your training course. As a result, it helps establish the company’s needs by up-skill the team and achieving the business goals. You will understand what the trainees need to learn, and likewise, you can organize your session. 

    2. Keep adult learning principles 

    adult learning principles for training session

    While organizing a session, adult learning is a critical principle that needs to be kept in mind. It mainly focuses on a few main principles such as- 

    a) Self-concepts- As the person learns more and more, they will likely to mature in the process. Then they move towards becoming a self- improving human being. 

    b) Readiness to learn more- As the person matures, their 

    curiosity increases, Which results in an increase in their willingness to learn more becomes oriented and to enhance the developmental tasks of their social roles. 

    c) Orientation to learning- As the person matures, their perspective changes, and they become more focused on the problems and how they can be solved. 

    d) Motivation to learn- As the person becomes mature, learning more and more is internalized. It will be a great idea if your focus also revolves around these adult learning principles. This will optimize the training as a valuable experience for the attendees. 

    3. Develop learning objectives 

    Learning objectives are the basics of the training session. These will highlight the knowledge, professional skills, etc. that the team will gain by attending the session. Above all, These learning objectives should be derived from the test assessments we previously took. 

    These goals will improve the impacts of sessions on people and help them maximize their potential and set the expectations and topics covered in the course to be ensured through the feedback they provide. Working without learning objectives can affect the training session outcome, and your convention may not be successful. So creating meaningful learning objectives is an important step.

    4. Structural planning 

    The structure of training meetings should be planned after establishing the learning objectives and with a strong focus on the adult learning principle. 

    The structure provides a proper timeline to follow and will indicate the clarity of how well you can solve the problems of the team members. 

    5. Training material 

    training meeting

    It is a crucial step for running a proper training session. It can be categorized into two categories- 

    a) Training materials for the trainers 

    b) Training materials for the attendees. 

    As an organizer, the material acts as a goal. They should support your thoughts, and they should prompt you and keep you organized. To learn, attendees must make a context list of experiences that helps them understand and develop new skills. As an organizer and trainer, emphasize the relevant goals for this session. 

    6. Digestible and clear presentations 

    The presentation should be simple and clear to understand the goals you want to train your attendees with. This will guide the whole session as an organizer as well as for attendees. One idea per slide should be included. Not more than a maximum of six bullet points and each bullet should contain no more than six words.

    7. Make session fun to learn 

    The session might contain tens of people, and few may not be familiar with each other. As the interaction with colleagues is vital for teamwork, This is where games come in. 

    Try to organize such activities that help establish the common traits in people, which will result in bonding, leading to a more relaxed and friendly environment.

    8. Time management 

    TIme management for training session

    Being an organizer means being an all-time manager. Try creating a schedule and follow it to ensure that you have enough time to fit in all aspects of the training session outcomes. Consider some concepts or skills that need more time than usual. You need to keep in mind about those concepts and make the schedule accordingly.

    Remember using the test assessment and in-person feedback from the group for this. Also, try including breaks in between. This will help attendees to be fresh and Concentrate easily for a longer period. 

    9. A conductive event venue 

    The venue of the event is the heart of the session. Your place depends on the size of your event and event brands. If you have a large, company-wide training meeting, probably a conference venue will be suitable. And if there is a small group, perhaps a meeting room will work. 

    10. Evaluate 

    Training evaluation is the key to develop your skills and experience. And this also helps you to know whether you met the training session or not. Also, taking into account getting to know whether your attendees have learned something or not is essential. Feedback is daunting, but it’s necessary for your development as a trainer. 

    Conclusion 

    Training programs plan necessary so that the trainer can meet the needs and requirements of the attendees. The planning will help you keep an arranged session and will provide a valuable and knowledgeable course. 

    To create an active session plan, there are few tips which are needed to follow such as assessing, Perfect adult learning principles, Developing objectives, structural planning, training material, creating a digestible and simple presentation, making fun sessions, time management, perfect event venue, and at last evaluating the whole course through feedbacks.

    You can also read Performance Planning – Planning to Manage Performance Stress

    FAQ‘s

  • 9 Tips to Remember Names- How to Remember People’s Names

    9 Tips to Remember Names- How to Remember People’s Names

    Remember people’s names is very important. If you forget people’s names easily, can’t remember names or during conversations. You tell the wrong name. Then say sorry for that so if you’re having this habit then it’s a bad habit. In this blog, I’ll discuss the tips to learn names easily.

    WHAT’S IN IT

    If you’re in business then you’ve to remember clients’ names. If you’re in a job then you’ve to remember some senior names, subordinates. But if you forget their names then they will think that this person doesn’t remember my name. Then how he/she can do my work well.

    There are two types of memory in our brain

    1. Short term Memory

    2. Long term Memory

    Long term memory

    Long term memory for remember names

    If someone asks you that in this particular year on which places you’ve visited on vacation. You’ll easily answer it quickly and you will tell on which places you’ve visited. What were your experiences at all? As this was stored in your long term memory so it can’t be filtered out.

    Short term Memory

    The things or the information which you’ll remember for only a short period. That’s why this memory is called short term memory and it can be filtered out.

    Tips to Remember People’s Names

    Know your Motivation

    Your relationship with the other person will only be good. If you remember their name so for having a better relationship you have to remember people’s name. If you have a better relationship with that person then that person is benefiting you something or not that should be very clear in your mind. Be genuinely interested in a person.

    Listen to Name Carefully

    When you’re meeting for the first time with someone and that person is telling you the name so listen carefully to their name. Sometimes we are in a hurry to tell about ourselves while introducing ourselves and we don’t listen carefully to the name of the other person so we ask about their name and it gives a bad impression.

    Repeat

    When someone is telling you their name then you should repeat their name during the conversation so you’ll remember it easily. Try to mention the name in the conversation as much as possible.

    Use the person’s name immediately after they give it to you, you want to use it so once they give it to you. Hi ! my name is Joe say nice to meet you, Joe how was your day.

    You know that type of thing so you throw it back at them just to get accustomed to the name even if it’s a complex or confusing name throw it out there. Try even if you’re going to mispronounce it. They’ll correct you put it out there.

    While ending the conversation you should repeat their name, for example, Nice to meet you Alex

    Relate the People’s Name

    There are many common names. Let’s say you’re having a conversation with Alex for the first time then say to him that Hey Alex I have a friend whose name is also Alex and he’s a very kind person so whenever I hear the name Alex I relate it with that.

    Highlight Features

    Try to identify some feature whoever you’re interacting with. Try to identify some extraordinary features, it can be hair, nose, ears, Eyebrows, Forehead, or anything. When you identify some features of the person then it will be easier for you to remember their name.

    Review

    When you back home and you relax so at that time think about the person you’ve to meet for the first time on that day. Try to think about that person and you’ll permanently remember their name.

    If you’ll review it once before the end of the day. Whenever you’ll meet them for the next time and if you’ve remembered their name then it will create a great impression. They will trust you and show interest in you. 

    Focus

    Focus for remember names

    Many people forget names because they don’t pay attention to the other person. If your mind is not focused during the conversation then you will easily forget the name.

    There are so many things happening around you that you will forget the name so pay attention to the name. Go in every day or every social situation knowing that that’s going to be the most important.

    Ask

    Whenever you get to know someone’s name then you should ask them some questions related to their name. For example, If you’re facing difficulties in pronouncing their name then you can ask them to pronounce their name. You should cross-check whether you’ve listened to their name right or not. Example: You said your name is Anna, right?

    Associate

    Associating it with someone famous with the same name so someone introduces themselves to me as Michael. I’ll say in my head Michael Jordan or Michael Jackson if someone says my name is Leo I’ll say Leonardo da Vinci if someone says Jessica I’ll say Jessica Rabbit associating it with someone in pop culture helps you to remember the name.

    Associate it with a positive experience and positive feelings so you tend to remember the name a lot easier.

    Why Is It Important to Remember People’s Names 

    Importance of remember names

    Remembering a name is very important when you’re trying to meet people and trying to connect with people and you’re trying to build your social circle of friends and anybody you should always remember the name. 

    The reason why it is important. Because whenever you remember someone’s name they feel valued, they feel like you listen, they felt that you gave a crap about what they had to say. You know it shows a sign of respect, it shows a sign that you valued their information when they’re talking to you. 

    Usually, our brain is trained and developed through the years to only remember all the stuff that affects us. So if you guys want to do for example if you guys have a business or you guys are trying to raise the capital for business or meeting with a client or even a girl that you met them the night before.

    You guys are going to remember the name because it’s important to you. You know and that’s how should it be when you meet anybody you should always remember the name.

    Dale Carnegie said that “the sweetest language to a person is hearing them say your name”. You know there are a couple of qualities that come with that the reason why is that they’re one they feel valued to, they know that you’ve listened to what they had to say. 

    They know that they made a good impression on you because you bothered to remember their name and you know who they are. But if you don’t remember people’s name they do get offended because they think that you didn’t pay attention. 

    If you guys were to go out and meet a girl that you guys are interested in you guys will remember her name regardless of what is because you’re interested so any or interaction that you guys make just make it interesting,

    They’re giving you their time so you can get to know them especially you know when you meet them the second time you’re like oh hey dan how are you or hey Mary it’s great to see you again.

    Don’t just say hey girl or hey man! how’s it going you know so start calling people by their name because it has a lot of potential power when you do that a lot of people are gonna be like Oh actually you do know my name.

    Conclusion

    You’ll be going to interact with many new people’s so you have to master the habit of remembering names. By following the above tips and applying them practically then you will be good at remembering names.

    Also read our blog Understanding People’s Emotions

    FAQ’s

  • Servant Leadership and their 9 Characteristics

    You might have heard about servant leadership. If you are listening to this word the first time you may find it weird or strange but we explore this word in an incoming blog.

    So, this word can consist of two words one is servant and one is leadership. What kind of words comes to your mind when you hear servants? It may be followership, it may be taking the command or it may be understanding the command.

    When we talk about leadership what kind of words are coming into your mind. There will be many things like good communication skills, good listening skills, motivation, inspiration, clear goals, and decision making.

    There’s been a lot of studies over the years on servant leadership. We’ll talk a little bit about History who’s studied the philosophy of a servant leader.

    WHAT’S IN IT

    History Of Servant Leadership

    History Of Servant Leadership

    Over the past decade, this style of leadership has gotten a lot of attention in the 1970s.

    Greenleaf was most famous for helping us understand what a servant leader is. I want to read a quote that says servant leadership begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve and to serve first.

    Then conscious choice begins to bring one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant.

    So I love that quote from Greenleaf. I mean it epitomizes the fact that leaders actions help get significant results. So that kind of is what we call the litmus test if you think your leader.

    You recognise who you’re serving, Are they benefiting? Are they ending up better than before you engage in your leadership activities so something to think about?

    Characteristic of servant leadership

    Spears took the philosophy of servant leadership and identified 10 characteristics. I want to share those with you as I love these characteristics.

    Double-dog dares you to try to punch a hole in any of these because I think that these qualities of a leader help move the organization forward from a leader who helps one person at a time.

    So, the first thing on Spears’s list is that

    Listening

    Listening Servant Leadership

    It is an important characteristic. It’s about acknowledging the viewpoints of followers and validating those perspectives. you know it’s not making people wrong.

    It’s really about listening and helping recognize that everybody has wisdom. So listening is how Speers recommends that servant leaders are effective.

    Empathy

    You know standing in the shoes of another person and attempting to see the world from that person point of view.

    So it’s about feeling what other people feel and that piece of empathy is in the success literature everywhere

    Healing

    Healing is helping followers become whole servant leaders are themselves healed so we all have the gift to be able to influence other people’s way of being and taking time to heal other people as a leader is help us get direct results you know we all can make a difference in people’s lives if we choose to do it but going above and beyond being a manager and being a healer in people’s lives help us have more Influence and help us grow too.

    Awareness

    Understanding oneself and the impact one has on another so when we talk about emotional intelligence we need to recognize that our actions affect other people and so having awareness is an important characteristic of being a servant leader.

    Awareness of Servant Leadership

    Persuade

    Every leader needs to be able to persuade people and servant leader do it through gentle non-judgemental arguments so being persuasive is not about arguing being persuasive. It is about being gentle being non-judgemental allowing people to decide on their own but helping them see things differently

    Conceptualization

    The ability to be a visionary for the organization. You know leaders need to be thinking ahead and when they can help make the organisation stronger through recognizing. What needs to be done to meet future outcomes, that’s a skill that not everybody has but is required to be an effective leader.

    Foresight

    The ability to project what is coming up based on what is occurring in the present and also what happened in the past. So very important to have foresight.

    Stewardship

    Carefully managing the people and organizations that need to be let you know holding the organization and trust for the greater good of society. So being a steward is important. You know taking responsibility and making sure that you are managing people most effectively.

    The growth of people is important to help your people to be very good so that they can recognize their unique talents and strengths and help them continue to grow and in those strengths, that’s what helps make your organization stronger.

    Building community

    Building community

    I often talk about building your network but recognizing that the more that you are allowed followers to identify with the organization and see themselves as adding value to that organization. That’s when you know that a great leader is effective. So really building community helps people recognize their strength and how what they do makes a positive difference.

    So there are lots of other characteristics that over the last couple of decades we have been studying that we’ve been connecting with characteristics of servant leaders in the late 1990s.

    We recognize the developing people sharing leadership displaying authenticity truly valuing people providing leadership and building community are great characteristics of servant leaders empowering people giving trust of having humility. /You know brotherly love, vision, altruistic leadership, you know heeling people emotionally, being stewards of the organisation and giving wisdom is an important characteristic.

    So forgiving people have courage. you know having accountability you know making sure that you’re stepping back and allowing other people to lead when they have things that they can contribute.

    You know and being responsible in the most moral way is important and empowering people to give their very best when they have something to give you. These are great characteristics of what great servant leaders do.

    Context and culture of servant leadership

    All organizations have their own culture and subculture that we need to be aware of our leader attribute. We also need to recognize that to be leaders we have to have followers.

    So they need to be receptive to our leadership. we need to empower people at the right time.

    You know the great value at all-time healing people emotionally one-minute help followers grow and succeed. Make sure that everyone including ourselves as leaders are behaving ethically.

    The result of doing so is that people want to perform, they want to go with the organization and are seen as a leader in their field.

    When they are performing as individuals in the organization and make the organization stronger and above all else, the organization is making an impact positively on society.

    So this philosophy of being a servant leader is so important. You know we have to recognize where we want the organization to go. We need to help people get there. People can do this and no matter how hard the job description is.

    We can do this no matter what our title is but it’s really about doing the right thing the right way and that’s called being ethical.

    It’s about making good decisions and helping people make good decisions. Finding ways to support people is absolutely a key attribute of the most effective leaders.

    So I know that I have given you a lot but essentially we need to recognize that servant leadership is about altruism.

    It’s about really helping make the organization stronger by serving followers recognizing that kind of support makes the organization stronger.

    Conclusion

    No matter what level of the organization that a leader leads in he or she can affect other people in a way that makes the organization stronger but that’s a huge responsibility.

    It takes a little bit of humility to take aside your title and be able to recognize that you gain strength as a leader and have more influence when you’re bringing people up.

    So, serving people helps get better results and recognizing even the body of the organization can and wants to be a positive contributor. 

    It takes a wise leader to know how to serve people the right way.

    Also read our blog on Six Ways to build communication skills

    FAQ’s

  • Mindfulness in the Workplace – Focusing the Mind by Staying Present

    Mindfulness in the Workplace – Focusing the Mind by Staying Present

    Mindfulness, apart from being a buzzword, is a solution to a problem which not only the corporate world is facing, but can dramatically positively impact our daily lives. So, let’s see what is the problem we are talking about being mindful. 

    WHAT’S IN IT

    In today’s fast-paced world at times we find ourselves dwelling in the past. Thinking about how you could have said that thing or done that thing. Carrying on the regret with us the whole time even though there is nothing we can do about it or it’s affecting us now in any shape or form.

     “Worried about my future”, now this has become kind of a catchphrase for every other human being. Now I am not saying that one should not think about the future but there is a limit to it.

    One thing you will notice is that all this thinking we are doing is at the expense of our present. Now in addition to these two issues the emails, meetings, calls etc has started significantly affecting our productivity.

    The scenario is so much so that such a stressful environment has become the new normal. If nothing is done to prevent such an environment then in no time the corporate world would face some serious consequences. 

     The answer to all these problems is only one and that is Mindfulness. Fortunately, the world has recognized this solution, especially the corporate world has incorporated it. 

    What is Mindfulness in the Workplace

    Mindful focus in the Workplace
    Mindful calm bearded young man practices yoga, breathes deeply, enjoys peaceful meditation, keeps eyes closed, wears orange t shirt, isolated on green background. Zen concept. Time for yoga.

     As per the American Psychological Association (APA.org, 2012), Mindfulness is

     “moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment. In this sense, mindfulness is a state and not a trait.

    To be a multi-tasker in today’s world is viewed as a good trait and up to some extent that might be true, but have you ever evaluated the outcome of the multiple tasks you do. Take an example- 

    How to practice Mindfulness

    Meditation 

    Meditation in Mindfulness
    Portrait of calm woman sitting in pose of lotus in natural environment

    Most when they hear the word mindfulness relate it to mediation. Moreover, this is quite true up to a certain extent. Like most of the steps, we practice in meditation also involves the basic principle of mindfulness. Just find a quiet and open place, maybe a hall or a park whatever suits you.

    Then sit with your legs folded and back straight.  Close your eyes and start exhaling/inhaling. Forget about your past and future, only focus on your breath and present.

    Many organizations now have rooms specially allocated to meditate and they organize such activities from time to time There are plenty of beginner-friendly resourceful videos available on the internet. A simple search will get you there

    Minimize Multitasking

    Contrarily what most believe to be an essential skill set in today’s world I ask you to go in the opposite direction. While multitasking most of you might think that you are being more productive and getting more done, but if you evaluate and measure your performance chances are you’ll find this act to be inefficient.

     When you multitask you’re not doing all these tasks at the same time, actually you “switch” between these tasks. This switch reduces attention and hence rises the chances of mistakes. 

    Slow Down

    Yes sometimes you gotta slow down so that you can speed up. There are times when things get messy at our workplace. You might also have to take the client’s call, go to a meeting or give a presentation on the same day. This high-pressure situation might disrupt your peaceful state of mind. 

     So, you start panicking and rushing, we all know that most of the time these two things don’t bring any good. So just turn it down a notch and relax.

    Stay Consciously Present

    In a nutshell, mindfulness is nothing but to be consciously present. At work, keep yourself inattentive mode, listen to the message your leader is conveying to you.

    Focus on the task at hand i.e. if you’re on your computer doing some task, try to focus on that task only instead of thinking about what your co-worker said or what you’re going to have for lunch.

     There would be times in a day when you’ll have time to think about such leisure activities. So allocate your focus and attention where it is supposed to be. 

    The Benefits of Mindfulness at the workplace

    Traditionally most of the work involved mostly the physical strength of the human body, but given the current age of knowledge and information now it’s the brain that has to do most of the work.

    You must have noticed that many big corporations have created meditation rooms and from time to time organize such activities to achieve Mindfulness. 

     This has not only benefited the corporation but the employees too. Let’s now have a look at some of the benefits of having mindfulness.

    Improved Relationships

    Improved Relationships in mindfulness
    Cute couple in a city. Lady in a white dress. Pair sitting on a cafe

    When employees practise mindfulness they can interact and get along with their coworkers in a much better way. As they are completely present mindfully while interacting with colleagues, they can absorb the ideas shared without much conflict and better understanding.

    Enhanced Performance

    When you can put more focus on your thought process regarding a particular task it helps you to generate more innovative ideas. You might have seen people taking long breaths before meetings or presentations to calm down and focus on nothing but the task at hand.  

    Work Stress

    Stress” it’s something which has become a part of everyone’s life. Mostly we relate this word with our jobs. You might have heard this statement “ I have a stressful job” now and then. The issue has become such a threat because to cope up with Stress the employees have started consuming unhealthy amounts of alcohol and cigarettes. 

     There are offices which have special smoking rooms also. Furthermore, studies have found out that Mindfulness helps in reducing cortisol (stress hormone). Practising a mindful state we are so focused on the task at hand, that we do not get the time to worry about our past or future or indulge in negative self-talk.

    Improve Memory

    Mindfulness also helps in improving the short-term or “working memory”. Do you often forget where you kept your keys or maybe you kept it in your pocket and forgot?

    This is a normal occurrence nowadays and the reason behind this is that we already have enough going on in our minds that not we do not give enough attention to such a minuscule task. 

     In a recent study conducted between two groups which was the mindfulness group. In the study they found out that people in the mindfulness group, the better people performed on the memory task, the more their hippocampus volume increased, too. 

     Source: Greater Good Magazine (By UC Berkely).

    Work-Life Balance

    learn to Balance Work Life with mindfulness
    3d business men briefcase balance on seesaw

    It’s one of the biggest issues today’s with the working population no matter the domain they are working in. This has not only placed a strain on the individual, but it has affected the entire home

     One important aspect of life is our relationship with our loved ones, but when you are not in the right state of mind it’s hard to enjoy quality time.

    Having mindfulness greatly helps in coping up with this, as it increases the level of efficiency in your work. Also, it affects a much clearer thought process, simply put “you do not bring your work home”.

    Conclusion

    Mindfulness is undoubtedly the need of the hour. Apart from the workplace, it helps a person to grow positively on an individual level. The best part is that it’s easy to practice and doesn’t require prior knowledge or some sort of skill. 

    Also you can read our blog on Stay Calm During Crises

    FAQ’s