Conversation Series

It’s easy to communicate topics we support or even like. But how do you deliver messages that you don’t support or agree with?...
We wire ourselves along with our brains and thoughts in the context of conversation where we are well aligned to the context and the perspectives we wish to share and converse with others.
But at times we face situations where we are to deliver messages we do  not agree with . What do we do? What do you do?
My Take:

• Avoid Avoiding the perspective
• Speak Out
• Listen with empathy what the other person is saying
• Hold your instant impulses : listen
• Choose your words carefully when you preempt
• Be emphatic and firm in your perspective
• Support your point of view with lot of logical /analytical data
• Last but not the least : differentiate between the objective of communicating and the Communicator : Do not personalize point of views with individual and mar relationships

It is important to give  and have your own space while communicating : ONE CAN AGREE TO DISAGREE BUT NOT CLIP THE RELATIONSHIP...If that happens we fail to build bridges to reach out to the other..!!

My Fav list of readings : GOOD TO GREAT : A peak into moving from SMART goals to BHAG ...

Moving from SMART goals to BHAG is like going from good to great..Today especially in the market place it is not enough to be the good..one has to be the best..An organization must play to win and not play to play.

Chapter 1: Good is the Enemy of GreatThe first chapter of the book lays out the criteria that Collins and his research team used in selecting the companies that served as the basis of the meta-analysis that provided the findings set forth in the book. The most important factor in the selection process was a period of growth and sustained success that far outpaced the market or industry average. Based on the stated criteria, the companies that were selected for inclusion were Abbott, Fannie Mae, Circuit City, Gillette, Kimberly-Clark, Kroger, Nucor, Philip Morris, Pitney Bowes,Walgreens, and Wells Fargo.Collins also offers a few of the most significant findings gleaned from the study. Of particular note are the many indications that factors such as CEO compensation, technology, mergers and acquisitions, and change management initiatives played relatively minor roles in fostering the Good to Great process. Instead, Collins found that successes in three main areas, which he terms disciplined people, disciplined thought, and disciplined action, were likely the most significant factors in determining a company’s ability to achieve greatness.
 Chapter 2: Level 5 LeadershipIn this chapter, Collins begins the process of identifying and further explicating the unique factors and variables that differentiate good and great companies. One of the most significant differences, he asserts, is the quality and nature of leadership in the firm. Collins goes on to identify "Level 5 leadership" as a common characteristic of the great companies assessed in the study. This type of leadership forms the top level of a 5-level hierarchy that ranges from merely competent supervision to strategic executive decision-making.By further studying the behaviors and attitudes of so-called Level 5 leaders, Collins found that many of those classified in this group displayed an unusual mix of intense determination and profound humility. These leaders often have a long-term personal sense of investment in the company and its success, often cultivated through a career-spanning climb up the company’s ranks. The personal ego and individual financial gain are not as important as the long-term benefit of the team and the company to true Level 5 leaders. As such, Collins asserts that the much-touted trend of bringing in a celebrity CEO to turn around a flailing firm is usually not conducive to fostering the transition from Good to Great.
 Chapter 3: First Who, Then WhatThe next factor that Collins identifies as part of the Good to Great process is the nature of the leadership team. Specifically, Collins advances the concept that the process of securing high-quality, high-talent individuals with Level 5 leadership abilities must be undertaken before an overarching strategy can be developed. With the right people in the right positions, Collins contends that many of the management problems that plague companies and sap valuable resources will automatically dissipate. As such, he argues, firms seeking to make the Good to Great transition may find it worthwhile to expend extra energy and time on personnel searches and decision-making.
Collins also underscores the importance of maintaining rigorousness in all personnel decisions. He recommends moving potentially failing employees and managers to new positions, but not hesitating to remove personnel who are not actively contributing. He also recommends that hiring should be delayed until an absolutely suitable candidate has been identified. Hewing to both of these guidelines, Collins claims, will likely save time, effort, and resources in the long-term. Chapter 4: Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith)Another key element of some companies’ unique ability to make the transition from Good to Great is the willingness to identify and assess defining facts in the company and in the larger business environment. In today’s market, trends in consumer preferences are constantly changing, and the inability to keep apace with these changes often results in company failure. Using the example of an extended comparative analysis of Kroger and A & P, Collins observes that Kroger recognized the trend towards modernization in the grocery industry and adjusted its business model accordingly, although doing so required a complete transformation of the company and its stores. A & P, on the other hand, resisted large-scale change, and thus guaranteed its own demise.
Collins outlines a four-step process to promote awareness of emerging trends and potential problems: 1) Lead with questions, not answers; 2) Engage in dialogue and debate, not coercion; 3) Conduct autopsies without blame; and 4) Build red flag mechanisms that turn information into information that cannot be ignored.Chapter 5: The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity Within the Three Circles)In this chapter, Collins uses the metaphor of the hedgehog to illustrate the seemingly contradictory principle that simplicity can sometimes lead to greatness. When confronted by predators, the hedgehog’s simple but surprisingly effective response is to roll up into a ball. While other predators, such as the fox, may be impressively clever, few can devise a strategy that is effective enough to overcome the hedgehog’s simple, repetitive response.Similarly, Collins asserts, the way to make the transformation from Good to Great is often not doing many things well, but instead, doing one thing better than anyone else in the world. It may take time to identify the single function that will be a particular firm’s "hedgehog concept," but those who do successfully identify it are often rewarded with singular success. In order to help expedite this process, Collins suggests using the following three criteria: 1) Determine what you can be best in the world at and what you cannot be best in the world at; 2) Determine what drives your economic engine; and 3) Determine what you are deeply passionate about.
 Chapter 6: A Culture of DisciplineAnother defining characteristic of the companies that Collins defined as great in his study was an overarching organizational culture of discipline. He is quick to point out that a culture of discipline is not to be confused with a strict authoritarian environment; instead, Collins is referring to an organization in which each manager and staff member is driven by an unrelenting inner sense of determination. In this type of organization, each individual functions as an entrepreneur, with a deeply rooted personal investment in both their own work and the company’s success.Although this discipline will manifest itself in a high standard of quality in the work that is produced by managers and employees alike, its most significant outcome will be an almost fanatical devotion to the objectives outlined in the "hedgehog concept" exercises. Disciplined workers will be better equipped to hew to these goals with a single-minded intensity that, according to Collins, will foster the transformation from merely Good to Great. In addition, the author asserts, it is important that within this overarching culture of discipline, every team member is afforded the degree of personal empowerment and latitude that is necessary to ensure that they will be able to go to unheard-of extremes to bring the firm’s envisioned objectives into existence.
 Chapter 7: Technology AcceleratorsToday, many businesses have come to depend upon technology to increase efficiency, reduce overhead, and maximize competitive advantage. However, Collins cautions that technology should not be regarded as a potential panacea for all that ails a company. The folly of this kind of thinking was revealed in the aftermath of the crash of the tech bubble in the early 2000s. The market correction threw into sharp relief the differences between sustainable uses of the Internet to extend established businesses and ill-planned, unviable online start-ups.Collins contends that the good-to-great companies approach the prospect of new and emerging technologies with the same prudence and careful deliberation that characterizes all of their other business decisions. Further, these companies tend to apply technology in a manner that is reflective of their "hedgehog concepts" -- typically by selecting and focusing solely upon the development of a few technologies that are fundamentally compatible with their established strengths and objectives. Collins characterizes the ideal approach to technology with the following cycle: "Pause -- Think -- Crawl -- Walk -- Run." Chapter 8: The Flywheel and the Doom LoopIn this chapter, Collins describes two cycles that demonstrate the way that business decisions tend to accumulate incrementally in either an advantageous or a disadvantageous manner. Both, the author emphasizes, accrue over time. Despite the popular misperception that business success or failure often occurs suddenly, Collins asserts that it more typically occurs over the course of years, and that both only transpire after sufficient positive or negative momentum has been accrued.Collins describes the advantageous business cycle that, in some cases, can foster the transition from Good to Great as "the flywheel effect." By making decisions and taking actions that reinforce and affirm the company’s "hedgehog" competencies, executives initiate positive momentum. This, in turn, results in the accumulation of tangible positive outcomes, which serve to energize and earn the investment and loyalty of the staff. This revitalization of the team serves to further build momentum. If the cycle continues to repeat in this manner, the transition from Good to Great is likely to transpire. In contrast, the doom loop is characterized by reactive decision-making, an overextension into too many diverse areas of concentration, following short-lived trends, frequent changes in leadership and personnel, loss of morale, and disappointing results.
 Chapter 9: From Good to Great to Built to LastIn the concluding chapter of Good to Great, Collins makes a connection between this book and his previous work, Built to Last, which represented the findings of a six-year study into the factors that determined whether a new company would survive in the long-term. First and foremost, Collins contends that companies need a set of core values in order to achieve the kind of long-term, sustainable success that may lead to greatness. Companies need to exist for a higher purpose than mere profit generation in order to transcend the category of merely good. According to Collins, this purpose does not have to be specific -- even if the shared values that compel the company toward success are as open-ended as being the best at what they do and achieving excellence consistently, that may be sufficient as long as the team members are equally dedicated to the same set of values.
Although many of the conclusions of both of the books overlap, Collins notes that Good to Great should not be seen as the follow-up to Built to Last, which focuses on sustaining success in the long-term. Instead, Good to Great actually functions as the prequel to Built to Last. First, a company should focus on developing the foundation that is necessary to work toward greatness. Then, they can begin to apply the principles of longevity that are set forth in Built to Last.
 Source : http://www.wikisummaries.org/

My Mornings : Self Management is the key to further development

Mornings matter the most to me...How I begin my mornings decides my day..Mornings are a time and space in life when the hurricanes of tasks are not allowed to enter...It is MY time to pause and reflect..
The rising sun, the chirruping birds make it so beautiful..

At times to maintain that blessedness as the day passes is difficult but not impossible. It is my core belief that the state of my mind is reflective of my thoughts and gets articulated through my actions..Being with with L & D, I align my approach  through my CHINTAN series..
My Day begins with CHINTAN : Self Management is the key to further development

Self Management is really life management, is learning how to accept total RESPONSIBILITY for our self, have healthy RELATIONSHIPS, play the right ROLE and use the RESOURCES we have in the most effective ways. Responsibility - No person or situation is responsible for our happiness; we are the creator of ALL our thoughts, feelings and actions. Relationships - It's not what others say that hurts us, it's what we do - with what they say that hurts us, let’s stop emotionally abusing ourselves. Roles - We are the creators of every scene in our life and hence have the power to play the right role, in the right scene, in the right way, at the right time. Resources - How we use our resources - physical, mental and spiritual.

http://awakening.in/series

@ Positivity at work... And the feedback one shares with the other while communicating matters :the Ways and the Hows of saying matters...!

@ Positivity at work...

Having conversations is a good idea to connect. And the feedback one shares with the other while communicating should be directional and constructive. The way we say and how we say matters...!

Rina was distressed..While interacting she broke down a few time unable to contain her tears...tears of humiliation..And she shared that it was a normal interaction with her manager at work..The manager Mohan had been very rude and insensitive ..not even wiling to listen to what she had to share her say..

Mohan had called for a meeting of her team along with her set of reportees..

His words were: You don't have a sense of Business Rina...What have you been doing till date..Why should I have you in the team!! Do one thing , relook at the plans,at the goals and talk to me. I want to see you do that. Rina was aghast at this sudden spurt of observations and allegations and before she could share her perspective, there came another directive from him...Better go and learn something from others in your team..Why are you standing here ..Go get going!!!

 Rina was dumb, numbed by this sudden spat of words...

And in the afternoon while Mohan was having tea with one of DRs shared that : I think Rina will be a very good performer, she will scale up even more..I have shared with her what she can do further to enhance her performance to the next level..she is a HIPO performer no doubt....

After two weeks , Mohan is now aghast. There was a mail from Rina..The mail read: Thank you for the opportunity given to be associated with the esteemed  organization. I would want to be relieved form my responsibilities and please consider 21st Jan as my last day of work....

 This is a typical case in example where the intent of communication and the  manner in which it is communicated. 

Feedback matters!! In the above context we find that Mohan had hos best intention to motivate Rina ..but somewhere that was snot communicated properly.. 

Feedback sharing is an art and every Manager in the organization must be well equipped with this..As it is correctly said employees do not ;eave organizations..the leave because of managers...

Here is my Take :

A good and effective Feedback is to be the is a balanced one with both dimensions of being positive and constructive..

And the way we say and how we say matters..

Context : Setting the context of the communication is always beneficial for both the employee and the manager. It also means that there some preparation by both the parties to make it more effective fruitful.

Respect : a feedback i a feedback is a feedback. Respect matters!!! No one has the right to hurt the other person : be it the manager or the reportee.

The Emotional Frame : Emotions play a very integral part in nay communication event. Our responses are based on the way we perceive the events around and that includes the way in which the feedback is conveyed by the manager/sender of the message. One needs to be careful about the tone and the  non verbal dimensions of oneself while communicating. In the above example, the Manager should have been cautious not to spill acid in his communication before the entire team which had the reportees of Rina as well!! A Manager is a role model for his/her team!!! Mohan should have motivated Rina and her team and should have shown the path to accomplish what he desired and not pull down Rina..

Words are the guiding path : Choose your words carefully..it matters!! Rina was feeling miserable post the conversation with Mohan. Mohan had blown away herself image, had destroyed her self esteem ...It was a very experience for Rina as herself worth was undervalued!!! Be clear on what you say.

Redirection : As a manager I need to redirect . Redirection means

Both AHA and You could do better approach to be adopted : it is always highlighted, first appreciate and then move to the areas of development. Effective feedback is one which is directional and constructive...it motivates you to move a head and not one to give  a heartbreak!!! Patience matters

Last but not the least : Feed is always One to One 

What is your take on this..write back to me panda.ellora@gmail.com