Just say it Folks

Glad that my internet problem is fixed now and I can be in touch with the world again. 10 days ago, I was on a pilgrimage trip by road. On the way back, our driver stopped by a tiny puncture shop on the highway to check if there was enough air in the tyres. As we kept chatting away in the car, my mother spotted something different there - a chair spun out of tubes (Cycle tubes).

I immediately commented "That's intelligent" while the rest in the car nodded and continued on with the conversation. My mom goes one step further - she gets down from the car, calls the old man in charge of that shop and tells him "That's a good Job" pointing at the chair. You should have seen the cheer on his face as he thanked her saying -Nandri amma. He continued proudly how comfortable and cushion like it feels when you sit in that chair. That was enough - another lesson to learn.

When you feel someone has done something worth appreciating, JUST SAY IT FOLKS - not to yourself, but to the person directly. Do it even with people you don't know - see the joy that you get looking at the happiness and pride in them.

Being able to recognize is an important quality one should develop as a leader or manager. This does not happen naturally at work unless you are able to appreciate the good things you see happening around you outside work.

Recognition in my opinion is the best way to engage people, retain talent and improve performance at work. Here are some of my favorites from the book "Carrot Principle' authored by Adrain Gostick and Chester Elton:

1. You have to remember, remember, remember to recognize. At the beginning of each day, put three coins in your right pocket. Transfer one to the left each time you reward an employee for a behaviour that is critical to your goals, your customers, your employees and your company. By the end of the day, the 3 coins should be in your left pocket.

2. Send out one hand written thank you note a day to someone who has helped you. You will be surprised to find you never run out of people to thank.

3. The next time one of your folks make a mistake in an effort to move forward in an unfamiliar territory, reward it. By rewarding courage to try something new, you create a trusting environment where innovation can, and will, occur.

4. Post letters of praise from clients (this happens) and colleagues (think about this) on a bulletin board in a high profile location.

Delight yourself first to delight people around you. Most importantly make your choice NOW!

Meet me at: www.gettingtodelight.com

HP v/s MP

Couple of days ago, I was invited to join a team that was celebrating its NY sales success. Location was serene on the backwaters with coconut trees all around, a distance of about 2 hours drive from the city. We crossed the backwaters in a little ferry to reach a private coconut garden and the scene was just perfect for a great party.

As I took a deep breath to enjoy mother nature, people were already on the dance floor - Hip shakes and zig zag leg twists to the tunes of the DJ. The quiet ones were content sitting down with their rocks glass or Hi-ball glass as the rest devoured on the delicious barbecued prawns and more food cooked at site. Awesome - there was choice for everyone.

As it got a bit dark, I decided to bid farewell to the group and leave early. We had to drive up a little sand hill and rather unfortunately the MD's 4-wheel drive which was in front got stuck in the sand and refused to climb. We knew now that there was work to do.

The following half an hour of action that I witnessed was a beautiful lesson about "TEAM WORK". Here's what I observed;

1. In the beginning, there were some individuals trying to be "Stars" - getting into the vehicle and using the horse power to its best. Higher the HP, more faster the wheels turned as the tyres plunged deeper into the sand. Soon, the individuals knew they were embarrassing themselves.

2. Now, it was everyone's turn to give ideas. With people shouting over each other's voices, someone who was senior in the hierarchy insisted that the vehicle be pushed back and drive it up a new route. Once gain, the idea did not work. Not enough HP :(

3. A handful of people were already drawing conclusions " An Impossible task - We neeed a Tow truck" and were giving up.

4. Those who believed and continued with their efforts knew 2 things:

(a) They needed one good idea to work this out.

(b) Together Everyone Achieves More and they needed to keep everyone motivated.

5. Eventually, they got it by lining up cocunut tree branches and leaves under the wheels, the vehicle's Horsepower (HP), combined Manpower (MP) and a slight deviation in route where the surface looked slightly harder.

When the vehicle was back up on road, I could hear screams of Joy, Pride and a Sense of achievement in the faces. For a moment, I felt there was more excitement and Happiness in the team than when they were on the dance floor. It's amazing what happens to us when we accomplish something, even better feel when in a TEAM.

Don't forget to celebrate when your team achieves something. No matter how simple you thought the task was - Just like the boys jumped up in joy when they pushed the car up the sand hill without a tow a truck.

Delight yourself first to delight people around you. Most importantly, make your choice NOW!

Meet me at: www.gettingtodelight.com

In Search of Excellence

I chose this blog title for 2 reasons:

1. A brilliant forward that I received a few months ago (The Sculptor story that you will get to read below).

2. The title is also the name of a fascinating business book written many years ago by the Management Guru, Tom Peters.

Organizations, teams or individuals - The ultimate word for all of them is "Success" and people are madly in pursuit of this word. No doubts, we are on the right track when have a clearly defined goal, have a written plan of action and do interim evaluations during the journey. After doing all that some of us still don't get there and keep wondering where the hell did I / We go wrong?.

We all know that Usain Bolt holds the world record in 100m athletics clocking 9.58 Sec at the Berlin World Championships in August 2009. If I were to ask you who came second in that race, not many of us can remember. Who cares anyway? Thats how Success gets defined in this world - "Position 1". Most people who don't make it are really in pursuit of this No.1 spot and thats's precisely why they don't get there.

Usain Bolt, Roger Federer, Sachin Tendulkar, A.R. Rahman, Bill gates or Steve Jobs - Listen to them speak. None of them had an obsession to Numero Uno. Every one of them followed their Passion, searched for Excellence in their chosen field and Success came towards them. I thought there is no better way to explain excellence than share this little story:

A German once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do u need two statues of the same idol?". "No", said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first got damaged in the final stage". The visitor examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?", he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol" said the sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install the idol?".

The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar 20 feet high. "If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?", the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the visitor, smiled and said, "I will know it".

Remember, Excellence is a drive from inside, not outside. Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency.

Delight yourself first to delight people around you. Most importantly, make your choice NOW!

Meet me at: www.gettingtodelight.com

AAL IZZ WELL

How many of you believe in doing specific things on 1st January that will make things happen the way you want it to be - the rest of the year? I ask this question coz as I was leaving home from one of my client's (a popular star hotel) last evening, a junior member of the HR team asked me if I wasn't going to stay for the New years Party. I was quick with my response to say that I need to wake up early on the first day of the Year. He smiled and asked, "Do you actually believe in such sentiments?". I had to think before I answered that question.

I took a little test recently (a mail forward - so I dont know how authentic it is) according to which I use my right brain more often than the left. Apparently that means I go more by "beliefs, imagination and feelings" than "Knowing, facts and logic". Most people that are known to me either end up partying until 6AM or go for a Midnight Mass / get up early for a temple visit on 1st of January.But my reason for waking early was totally different. I was getting up to watch a movie in a theatre at 7AM - Can you believe it? Am I sentimental? Perhaps yes, coz I have done that with my sister and BIL for 3 consecutive years now. In my opinion people don't prefer a sentimental tag to their name for the simple reason of getting branded as Non-rationalistic. I aint any different folks and I thought I'd rather explain to him how it helps when people do specific things on such occasions. Its all about the mind - What experts call as Law of attraction. Let me explain:

My simple philosophy to life is happiness & delight. So, here's what I decide to do on the very 1st day of the year - Wake up early, after a quick breakfast head straight out for a movie that is a 3 hour laugh riot (Guaranteed by raving online reviews). To make it better it also carried a message - When everything goes crazy or out of control just tell your heart "AAL IZZ WELL". No spelling mistakes, thats how the guys say it and its damn funny. My mind is ready and trained to think positive from the very beginning - 2010, a Happy and fun filled year. Well, its the first step and its so easy right?. If a little sentiment can add value to your life's philosophy or achieving a goal, whats'wrong - Just do it and say "AAL IZZ WELL".

Delight yourself first to delight people around you. Most importantly, make your choice NOW!

Meet me at: www.gettingtodelight.com