Professional 'You'

Is it all about being professional at office? Believe it isn't. They say – ‘You can never make friends in the professional world. You make friends at school/college and they stay with you forever’. Is this norm correct? Don’t people work at the corporate? Are they super-humans you can’t be friends with? Or is it that your thoughts are confined? They further say – ‘Complete your tasks & deliver the same in time. This should be your ultimate goal at the end of the day. Focus on what you do & forget about others’. Believe we were taught not to be selfish during schooldays. Are we not acting selfish NOW?

The Answers to the above questions are – Hey you, humans work in the corporate. Feel free to interact and make friends in there. The corporate world is meant not just for ‘Networking’ but to make long lasting friends. The world is full of crazy ones – bunch of crazy one’s with your kinda habits are stuffed everywhere. So, don’t worry, you won’t feel apart.

You have to fulfill your KRAs but thats not what your job is limited to. Gel up with people – share thoughts, ideas & you never know – you’d come across a billion dollar thought that changes your world. Sometimes you meet dynamic people at workplace. You get a lot to learn from them – both at personal & professional level. I don’t say – make friends with the entire organisation; however a bunch of geeks is worth it.

Be it friendship of this incredible duo – one who’s age is around 58 & the other approx 85. The differences in their thought processes is approx 2 decades (as per age). So, does that mean – they shouldn't be friends? I’m referring to Bill Gates & Warren Buffett. They are recognized as symbols of professional togetherness. Their companies come from varied industries; however, they identified a common knot – ‘Philanthropy’ and that built  a strong bond.

To become professional – firstly you need to be human. Don’t be selfish. Don’t judge others. Bet you are no better. Build an impression, carry positive attitude that people adore & love to interact with you. And thats what will make you professional.

Time to give a thought and have a look at the following check-list. Just say Yes/No to the following. Be true to yourself.

- The moment I enter the office, I share a  smile with everyone.

- I help others if they get stuck in work.

- I never envy others.

- I never take credit of other people’s work.

- I gift others (atleast my team) on their birthdays.

- I sympathize if they are sad & try to revive their moods.

If all your answers are YES – believe you’re doing great. And carry on with the same. If you have Nos – believe you need to work on them. Nobody in this world is perfect. Its never late to start learning.

‘     Professional You’ – is a collaboration of work with happiness. Its all about how you treat others. Life is all about giving & sharing happiness. Be You & Be Professional.

Full & Final Settlement – Last Visit to the company

The feeling is strange. The organisation you've been a part of, worked for sometime, contributed in the expansion/sales/operations/finance/HR/IT and there comes a day you visit the company for the very last time i.e. for FULL & FINAL SETTLEMENT.

It certainly is strange, out of the blue and awkward – you are asked to sit in the reception and wait for the HR to come. You have a look at the floor – same place where you walked day-in & day-out in formals and there you are – waiting for the Full & Final.

At the reception, you realize that nothing has actually changed. The reception is the same place you came some time back for an interview – waiting for your chance, scared about the questions to be faced, result to be announced and there you are – Last day at the company.

The organisation never feels your absence. People are working & the organisation continues growth. You see similar faces saying ‘Goodbyes’ & ‘Wishing luck’ who at some point in time sat on the same floor. At this point in time, you think about the contributions you did, nights you worked, and friends you made. You may as well think – Did I take the right decision of leaving the job?

Hey – you’ve taken the right decision. Never regret about the decisions you've taken. Your decision to leave a particular organisation is based on some aspects/incidents & there’s no reason for you to regret. There is no point to work for people/company you don’t feel good about. It’s time that you explore & grow with some other organisation or build yours own.

HR arrives and hands over an envelope which contains the cheque & letter of experience. And that completes the circle – Signing of the appointment letter to receiving the experience letter. You’re asked to sign on the papers that your account has been settled & you’re relieved from the company. One signature makes the difference.

There are certain key learnings you should keep in mind:

- Never get emotionally attached with the company. The company doesn't feel the same for you.

- Believe in yourself & your decision. You are the best – the very best.

- Never regret. No point thinking on What? Where? Why? When? It was your decision – respect it.

- The future is brighter and radiant than you think.

And finally, HR greets & says ‘Good Bye’. This is when your journey with this organisation comes to an end. I’m sure you had great times to learn. There’d be times you’d be angry/happy about. Your boss appreciating/criticizing your performance. Attending parties, making fun of/criticizing colleagues/boss, competing to prove yourself and what not. Overall, you eventually say – Hey, that was a great experience.

And there you are – pull the glass door, and wish all the best to the company. And you don’t look back. Walking through the corridor, for the very last time – you smile & say, “I’m now ON to something really big. A great decision. Time to build the future”.

Keys to Stay Organized

Hey You! Do you plan before taking action? Do you manage your calendar? Do you prioritize your priorities? If not, better start doing it now. The battle begins as the alarm rings. Time to prove and get ready for the day. Difficult, isn't it? It actually isn't; however, we believe it so. These are some secret keys to stay organized:

1. Prioritize your priorities: Most successful people prioritize tasks to be done that day. A to-do list is the best way to manage your day’s activities. Believe you have priorities; however, it is important to prioritize your priorities. Tasks with greater degree of relevance should be completed first.

2. Manage your desk: Hey, never leave your desk dirty. Don’t flourish it with useless papers, files, and other things. Understand it is difficult to organize the desk on top of important meetings, work, priorities, etc. Take an hour every week to organize your desk. The investment to stay organized is one great way to deal with emergency situations – makes it easier to get data, papers and files resulting in saving time.

3. Set aside 20 minutes to evaluate the entire day: Make sure you keep 20 minutes to evaluate & analyse how the day passed. These 20 minutes will help you prepare for the coming days. Prepare a list of do’s and don’ts – learn and try improving yourself. Also go through the remaining work – assignments to juniors, respond to voice-mails & emails, file things you need, and clean up the rest.

4. Maintain a Calendar always: Prepare a calendar – organize your activities. Maintaining a calendar either on your smartphone or sticky notes makes sense. This will keep you updated for the meetings, tasks to be done.

5. Set goals & stay focused on them: Your target should always be to hit the ‘Bulls Eye’. Remind yourself of the goal day-in and day-out. This will help achieve the success you dream of. Your goals should be realistic & encouraging.

And yes, never forget to add the ingredient of ‘optimism’ whilst preparing the dish. Optimism, hard work coupled with being organised will surely help you achieve success. A little investment of time, develop a system to keep a track of key things will assist in creating a personalized road to productivity.

Stay focused, Stay optimistic and STAY ORGANIZED.

Identify the WRONG you want to RIGHT - Steve Jobs

A tyrant, hippy - billion names to the guy who revolutionized the globe through his dream company ‘Apple’. The one who believed in himself, passionate about the job and dedicated to change the world - yes, I’m referring to the Big Daddy of the Technology Age, ‘Steve Jobs’.

Steve never believed in competing. His idea was always to build a product creatively - differently. A healthy coupling of hardware with the software. The man who gave birth to revolutionary products like Apple II, iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. His fundamentals were clear. He loved what he did. The dots did connect for Steve Jobs - Founder of Apple -> Removed from Apple -> Built Next & Animation company Pixar -> Joined Apple as CEO.

The creation of iPod, as Steve says, was because of the failure of Japanese companies building battery-sized Walkman players. It was the wrong that he identified and built a handy device that could sync with the PC and store more than 100 songs. A wrong that defined building blocks for the success story of Apple. I’d like to share certain leadership lessons of Steve Jobs:

- On his return to Apple & making sweeping changes, he began taking his ‘top 100’ employees on retreats year on year. Posing a simple question - ‘What are the 10 best things Apple should focus on’, he’d get a bundle of suggestions from the team. He used to list the best 10. He would slash the bottom seven and say - we can do only three.

- Leapfrog strategy comes at place when you feel you are far behind competition. Steve Jobs identified the wrongs in the iMac. Instead of making changes in the product, he created an integrated system that transformed the music industry - iTunes, iTunes Store & the iPod. Once the iPod became a hit, Steve designed the same into the iPhone, keeping the track sales with Apple.

- Steve Jobs focus was to make products that were ‘insanely great’. John Sculley, who drove Apple from 1983 to 1993, focused on maximizing profits than product design. And Apple gradually declined. When Steve returned - he shifted the focus back to making innovative products. Wrong -> RIGHT

There is so much that can be learnt from Steve who was thrown from the company he created. It was his insane passion to create great products that made him successful. A company which was about to reach bankruptcy in early 90’s became the most valuable company in the world in 2012.

Steve Jobs, while giving a speech at Stanford in 2005, emphasized on being optimist in life. He stressed upon identifying what you love - for both work & personal life. He also enlightened the fact that you’d face tough times in life - don’t lose faith.

You need to follow your heart. Follow your dreams. Continue doing what you believe is great work. And that is the pathway to success.

To conclude - There are not many people left in the world like Steve Jobs. But, the globe needs individuals who are insanely passionate about creating something beneficial for humanity. It needs people who work beyond the processes set and build companies like APPLE, leaders like Steve Jobs. Last but not the least - ‘STAY HUNGRY, STAY FOOLISH’.