I recently left my job and relocated to a new city. During recession this was a bold move. I came upon the book, ‘Before You Quit Your Job’ by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter at my cousin’s place. Though this is a book which might inspire entrepreneurs more, there are quite a few lessons for any professional in it. I will put just some of them here.
Negative people are not the same as brutally honest people. It is necessary for someone to know all the hard and difficult facts about one’s situation.
There’s a difference between help and a crutch. Since arrogance leads to ignorance, it’s necessary to ask someone about something you don’t know but do not ask for too much.
Mentors are important to keep one in tract. You may not know your mentor personally as a book and also a role model can serve as a mentor figure.
The best answers are found in the heart and not in the head.
Many a time people are not as successful as they would like to be is ‘fear’. This fear is the fear of failing. This fear also prevents one to take risks and wait for the perfect situations.
What was effective ten months ago may not be effective for the current context. It’s essential to upgrade yourself and change might not be so much unsettling after all.
You do not need to be the first to win. How you market yourself or safeguard your findings and find the right people to promote it determines your position.
Just knowing what to do does not mean you know how to do it. Many times it is observed that top students at school do not perform in an outstanding way in life.
The book is written in clear and concise language and is nicely segmented for good understanding. It is a must for anyone having a hidden entrepreneur inside. Good examples from real life experiences are drawn to explain certain ideas.
Showing posts with label Corporate training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Corporate training. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Monday, November 17, 2008
Tips for Becoming a Gentlemanly/womanly Executive
I read a very nice article which I am copy pasting here. It is on gentlemanly or gentlewomanly manners. I agree 100% with the author and yes I give a lot of importance to quality flirting.
In a recent article in the London Times, William Drew asks, “Is the gentleman a dying breed?”In the piece, Drew quotes Yann Debelle de Montby, brand director at Alfred Dunhill, the tony men’s outfitter. “Being a true gentleman,” he says, “means being gallant and generous. One can be gentle but remain firm, determined and retain a great sense of humour.”
But does the gentleman have a place in today’s go-go, go get-’em business world? Drew thinks yes. “Old-fashioned good manners — holding open doors, standing up when someone enters the room, asking questions of others rather than talking about yourself, ensuring that you compliment your host generously and so on — are an entry point for respectful behavior,” he notes. “But it’s more about your overall manner towards others: how one conducts oneself not only socially, but also in business, in relationships and in public.”
But being a modern-day gentlemen in business is about more than just being nice for nice’s sake, especially when the chips are down. Says luxury goods retailer, Trevor Pickett: “When your back’s against the wall in any industry you fall back on the relationships that you have built with people. You can’t do that if you’ve just screwed them on price, for example. That’s just not the way we do things.”
Drew offers 10 tips for the aspiring modern-day gentlemen (which go equally well for the modern-day gentlewoman):
1. Some things don’t change: say please and thank you and ask questions about other people rather than talk about yourself. I would like to add that, also have the guts to say sorry sincerely if you really are at fault.
2.Be punctual. Tardiness does not make you look important, it turns you into an arrogant incompetent who thinks that his time is more important than other people’s. Avoid giving excuses when you are late, apologise.
3.The modern gentleman cares about the planet. Be environmentally aware (but not obnoxious about it).
4.Open doors for people and stand up when they enter a room, but do this for men as well as women. The modern gentleman doesn’t treat women like porcelain.
5.Be modest. Bragging is distinctly ungentlemanly. Talk about your achievements when required like in interviews.
6.Be a good father. Nothing is less charming than a man who leaves childcare to women. Be a good mother too, office can't be more important than your child.
7.Be honest about wherever you have come from in life. Pretension is spineless.
8.Flirt — with everyone. Good flirting is a form of politeness. Pay compliments and put your companion at ease.
9.Do not phone/text/check your BlackBerry incessantly.
10.Dress tidily. Whatever style you are going for, scruffiness just isn’t in. Also make sure you smell good.
I, for one, shall be doing my level best to flirt with everyone much more often.
In a recent article in the London Times, William Drew asks, “Is the gentleman a dying breed?”In the piece, Drew quotes Yann Debelle de Montby, brand director at Alfred Dunhill, the tony men’s outfitter. “Being a true gentleman,” he says, “means being gallant and generous. One can be gentle but remain firm, determined and retain a great sense of humour.”
But does the gentleman have a place in today’s go-go, go get-’em business world? Drew thinks yes. “Old-fashioned good manners — holding open doors, standing up when someone enters the room, asking questions of others rather than talking about yourself, ensuring that you compliment your host generously and so on — are an entry point for respectful behavior,” he notes. “But it’s more about your overall manner towards others: how one conducts oneself not only socially, but also in business, in relationships and in public.”
But being a modern-day gentlemen in business is about more than just being nice for nice’s sake, especially when the chips are down. Says luxury goods retailer, Trevor Pickett: “When your back’s against the wall in any industry you fall back on the relationships that you have built with people. You can’t do that if you’ve just screwed them on price, for example. That’s just not the way we do things.”
Drew offers 10 tips for the aspiring modern-day gentlemen (which go equally well for the modern-day gentlewoman):
1. Some things don’t change: say please and thank you and ask questions about other people rather than talk about yourself. I would like to add that, also have the guts to say sorry sincerely if you really are at fault.
2.Be punctual. Tardiness does not make you look important, it turns you into an arrogant incompetent who thinks that his time is more important than other people’s. Avoid giving excuses when you are late, apologise.
3.The modern gentleman cares about the planet. Be environmentally aware (but not obnoxious about it).
4.Open doors for people and stand up when they enter a room, but do this for men as well as women. The modern gentleman doesn’t treat women like porcelain.
5.Be modest. Bragging is distinctly ungentlemanly. Talk about your achievements when required like in interviews.
6.Be a good father. Nothing is less charming than a man who leaves childcare to women. Be a good mother too, office can't be more important than your child.
7.Be honest about wherever you have come from in life. Pretension is spineless.
8.Flirt — with everyone. Good flirting is a form of politeness. Pay compliments and put your companion at ease.
9.Do not phone/text/check your BlackBerry incessantly.
10.Dress tidily. Whatever style you are going for, scruffiness just isn’t in. Also make sure you smell good.
I, for one, shall be doing my level best to flirt with everyone much more often.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Me, myself and Saturday the 9th…
We went on an office outing few days back to Manas Resorts, Pune. I wrote an article on it...and my boss who took the entire training session did not let me take a single pic of hers...very bad!!!
The weather was pleasant with the charismatic breeze blowing all over the water, occasionally becoming strong and gusty. I felt like being on a cruise on a river with the greenery all around fading away into her eyes.
Wake up… wake up you are in the middle of a team building session at Manas resorts. HKPPL is in the growing mode and therefore it is important for the team to realize the dynamics of teamwork and leadership.
It started with the ‘introduce your partner’ session where everyone was provided with a partner and 3 minutes to know about him or her and 1 minute to introduce that person. This was followed by some very interesting games like ‘stepping on the paper’ where it was necessary for a team to move forward and keep their foot on pieces of paper which were very difficult to hold in place.
‘Identify the picture’ again demonstrated the different perceptions scenario. The ‘animal game’ found us all doing ‘bow wow…moo moo, kaa kaa, quack quack’ to identify our team members. Well I was a horse so instead of saying anything I listened to find out that there were only two horse team members including me.
There were two blind- folded games among which one of them required to keep dumb and then how can I forget ‘passing the ball’? The aircraft crash scenario discussion saw us crashing into each other with our opinions.
But we soon settled down to get mesmerized by one of my coworkers playing ‘Zara zara behekta hai’ from ‘Rehna hai tere dil mein’ on the flute.
Soon it was time to leave and we extended our team building sessions to boat paddling and go-karting. Though I missed her presence, she had left lasting memories of a day conducted so well with perfect time management.
The importance of the day and the significance of the training session will stay deeply etched in my memories as I aspire to follow whatever I have learnt which I can pass to others. And yes I have taken a lot of pictures, but then you don’t always need a camera for it.
The weather was pleasant with the charismatic breeze blowing all over the water, occasionally becoming strong and gusty. I felt like being on a cruise on a river with the greenery all around fading away into her eyes.
Wake up… wake up you are in the middle of a team building session at Manas resorts. HKPPL is in the growing mode and therefore it is important for the team to realize the dynamics of teamwork and leadership.
It started with the ‘introduce your partner’ session where everyone was provided with a partner and 3 minutes to know about him or her and 1 minute to introduce that person. This was followed by some very interesting games like ‘stepping on the paper’ where it was necessary for a team to move forward and keep their foot on pieces of paper which were very difficult to hold in place.
‘Identify the picture’ again demonstrated the different perceptions scenario. The ‘animal game’ found us all doing ‘bow wow…moo moo, kaa kaa, quack quack’ to identify our team members. Well I was a horse so instead of saying anything I listened to find out that there were only two horse team members including me.
There were two blind- folded games among which one of them required to keep dumb and then how can I forget ‘passing the ball’? The aircraft crash scenario discussion saw us crashing into each other with our opinions.
But we soon settled down to get mesmerized by one of my coworkers playing ‘Zara zara behekta hai’ from ‘Rehna hai tere dil mein’ on the flute.
Soon it was time to leave and we extended our team building sessions to boat paddling and go-karting. Though I missed her presence, she had left lasting memories of a day conducted so well with perfect time management.
The importance of the day and the significance of the training session will stay deeply etched in my memories as I aspire to follow whatever I have learnt which I can pass to others. And yes I have taken a lot of pictures, but then you don’t always need a camera for it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)