Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Just something

"letting go is easy Moving on is painful..so sometimes we fight it..tryin keep things d same..at some point u jus hav to let go..move on..Cuz no matter hw painful it is it's the only way we grow"

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Lateral thinking

Try it out..!
Wat do d following mean....?
1)
/r/e/a/d/i/n/g/
A: (readin between the lines)

2)
death...... Life
A: (Life after death)

3)
stand
------
    i
A: (I understand)

4)
le/
/vel
A: (Split level)

5)
Knee
-----
Light
A: (Neon light)

6)
raeg
A: (Reverse gear)

7)
t
o
u
c
h
A: (Touchdown)

8)
O
----
M.D
Ph.D
A: (Two degrees below zero)

9)
THINK
A: (Think big)..;-)

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Leadership Training - All You Need To Know About It

Leadership training is of paramount importance to those who aspire to be good leaders and stand tall among others. Leadership training improves communication skills and other qualities that are key to becoming a successful and confident leader.

Effective leadership training also entails helping individuals form an enterprising and immensely focused group. The leadership qualities assist an individual in making sure that members of the group function jointly in an efficient and constructive manner. Leadership training helps a leader to imbibe a sense of optimism in the group to which he belongs. The group’s members are guided by the leadership virtues of the key man.

The introduction of a successful leader into a management team is a good investment for any organization. Leaders visualize plans, inspire subordinates and plan the required course. Leadership skills comprise of various qualities such as optimism, commitment and the ability to use power effectively.

Leadership training is significant, not only in the world of business, but even in the worlds of sports and medicine. Leadership training is essential for the social and economical set-up of any business. Leadership skills in managers are important ingredients in company's expansion. These skills are best acquired with the help leadership training. Democratic, autocratic and laissez-faire are the different approaches to leadership training. Each of these is unique and inculcates leadership skills based upon distinct operational patterns

A majority of times it has been observed that, despite possessing leadership skills, a person cannot flourish. This inability to come out in flying colors stems from the fact that the person is not conversant with the subtle techniques that help bring out the leader in him.

Individuals aspiring to be successful leaders may at times find that their efforts are undermined despite their best efforts. This is due to the fact that the individual lacks the motivation to overcome his obstacles. A proper and suitable training in leadership skills often helps one to overcome these barriers.

Training programs are tools that help in the application of leadership skills at work. These skills could have been acquired at leadership skills classes, seminars or read. Individuals as well as organizations specialize in offering leadership training in various fields. There are many organizations that offer online leadership training also. Some of these organizations are even willing to reimburse the money paid for a leadership seminar, if the result is not satisfactory. Leadership training programs are expected to use core and widely agreed upon features of leadership, to bring out the best in people. Leadership involves vision and the ability to influence people and motivate them to work towards it.

Leadership training can be profitable to businesses in a number of ways. It helps to educate the employees, improves their performances and reduces staff attrition. This is beneficial to organizations, as it reduces the cost involved in constantly hiring new employees. It also helps in developing high performance teams. The participants gain a sense of power, which is, the power to guide others and the organization in the right direction, successfully.

Leadership Skills: Managing Meetings

Analyze Strategic Level Meeting Needs, by: considering the strategic direction and objectives, and senior level operational objectives; identifying an appropriate structure of meetings to satisfy the communication and decision making needs in these areas. Evaluate The Current Meetings Structure, by: analyzing the current structure and format of senior level meetings: identifying and evaluating the frequency, format, attendance, and outcomes of current meetings; comparing these findings with the needs identified in the previous stage. These two stages are critical. In all areas, and at all levels, leaders of organizations must not allow the status quo to remain in place without regular and rigorous evaluation against current and forecast objectives. The same is true of senior level meetings. The attendance, format, frequency, and outcomes must be regularly evaluated to ensure that they meet the needs of the current strategic direction and objectives.

Establish Agreed Meetings Structure, by: informing and discussing proposed changes with all senior level stakeholders; agreeing and implementing the revised or new structure; providing training for new roles and approaches, where necessary. Changing the existing framework and format of senior level meetings will inevitably cause some disruption and possibly some conflict. However, it is essential that the organization has structures and processes in place, at all levels, and in all areas of activity, that support and contribute to the strategic direction taken by the organization. Meetings are a key part of the communication, information management, and decision making processes, and must therefore be shaped and managed to meet the needs of these functions. Any difficulties that change in this area brings, must be dealt with and overcome.

Planning for meetings for the leader, by: discussing and agreeing with colleagues, when appropriate, the purpose of the meeting; deciding on the purpose of the meeting; setting clear and precise objectives, as outcomes of the meeting; deciding on who should attend, though this might be a by-default list it is still necessary to review this regularly; set an appropriate date, time, and place for the meeting, again a default may apply, but should be reviewed regularly; issue an agenda to all participants and to all other stakeholders; issue supporting information in time for participants to become familiar with it; arrange pre-meeting discussions where necessary; ensure that necessary administrative arrangements will be made; complete personal participation preparation. Planning for meetings for the participants, by: ensuring that all participants are made aware of their obligations to prepare professionally for the meeting; ensuring that participants are provided with all necessary information to enable them to contribute to the meeting effectively; arranging for pre-meeting discussions with participants with particular concerns or needs regarding the meeting; adjusting the agenda to take into account legitimate specific needs of individual participants. In ensuring that each individual meeting is effective, planning is the most important stage. As with all key activities, appropriate preparation is the key to success. Even regularly scheduled meetings should be prepared for in the manner described above. The most common reason for regular meetings losing their credibility and influence is that each meeting is not given sufficient individual attention. The purpose, the desired outcomes, attendees, format, frequency, timing, location, should all be reviewed regularly. The leader must ensure that each meeting is managed professionally and that its purpose is not diluted by lack of preparation, not on the part of the leader, or chairperson, nor on the part of any of the attendees.

Chairing Meetings Effectively, by: being fully prepared, as described above; arriving in advance to oversee final preparations; welcoming participants as they arrive; starting the meeting at the agreed time; introducing new participants; summarizing the format of the meeting; reiterating the purpose of the meeting; reiterating the agenda; shaping and controlling the nature and direction of discussion on each agenda item; ensuring that each participant is encouraged to contribute appropriately; remaining as objective as possible; summarizing progress and decisions, at appropriate intervals; managing the time spent on each agenda item and overall; reviewing key discussion points and decisions made; confirming individual and collective follow-up actions; thanking participants for their contributions; reminding participants of the next scheduled meeting; formally close the meeting. When taking the role of Chair, the leader is highly visible, and the way in which they manage the meeting will be judged by the participants and add to or detract from their opinion of the leader’s capabilities. For this reason, the leader must ensure that when they personally chair meetings, they do this in a professional, firm but fair manner. Although some would argue that the Chair of a meeting should remain unbiased and act purely as a facilitator, this is not possible when the Chair is also the leader, or one of the leaders, of the organization. Nevertheless, when acting as Chair, the leader should make every effort to facilitate effectively, whilst also presenting their own views when appropriate. A difficult role, but one that must be carried out well.

Follow Up Effectively, by: ensuring that all key discussion points, issues raised, decisions made, actions agreed, are recorded accurately; distributing the minutes of the meetings to participants; requesting action plans from participants who have agreed to take follow up actions; monitoring the progress on follow up actions; obtaining feedback from participants on their view of the effectiveness of the meeting; adjusting the approach to future meetings as necessary.

In Summary: although managing meetings at a senior level can appear to be technically straightforward, these meetings play a critical role in the strategic level communication process, and if ineffective will seriously damage the quality of this activity. In addition, poorly managed meetings can damage relationships between the leader(s) and the team and between team members. The objective of senior management meetings are to inform, discuss, make and confirm support for decisions, and agree continuing support for, or changes to, the strategic direction of the organization. The role of the leader is to ensure that these meetings are planned and managed effectively, are productive in terms of outcomes, and contribute to maintaining the quality of communications at the senior level.

Successful Leadership Strategies

Ensuring Successful Analysis, by: analyzing the operating environments on a regular basis, and additionally when major changes occur; using legal and ethical means to gather information; using experienced specialists to gather and analyze the information; using an appropriate range of information gathering tools and techniques; gathering information from an appropriate range of sources; ensuring that forecasts, trends, predictions, are supported by sufficient evidence. The objective is to carry out an analysis that provides the organization with a clear picture of the current environment in which it operates, and a forecast of impending changes. This will enable the leaders of the organization to make changes to existing operational objectives in response to the findings on the current situation, and to longer term plans in preparation for the predicted changes. A thorough analysis should be carried out at least annually, with quarterly reviews. This will ensure that the leaders of the organization are fully informed at all times, and are equipped with information that will enable them to respond appropriately to any changes which impact on the organization.

Analyzing The External Environment, by: identifying the components and the boundaries of the external environment in which the organization operates; considering the current political, economic, social, technological, and environmental situation; gathering appropriate, sufficient, reliable, and valid information; identifying and evaluating trends; evaluating the impact of current influences on the organization; forecasting the impact of potential changes on the organization. The objective here is to gather information which highlights or predicts changes in the world in which the organization operates. There are many thousands of local and international influences and forces which impact on the organization. Indicative examples include demographic changes, cultural changes, and social behaviour changes, all of which can lead to changes in customer markets and buying patterns. Another example is a potential or forecast change in a technology which could end demand for certain products or services. For almost any organization, of any size, and in any sector, gathering and analyzing this type of information is critical.

Evaluating Competitor Behaviour,by: identifying current and potential competitor organizations; gathering appropriate information on current and forecast competitor activity; evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of individual current competitors; considering the potential impact of new entrants or changes in competitor behaviour. The purpose of this is straightforward. Competitors are, by default, competing for the same customers, and if they are worthy competitors, they will be carrying out the same type of analytical activity, and responding to their findings. Competitor activity can be a vital component of the information gathered, as it indicates how similar organizations are responding to current and forecast changes.

Considering The Needs Of Stakeholders, by: identifying all stakeholders, within and outside the organization; evaluating the importance of support from each stakeholder group; consulting with stakeholders to identify and understand their needs; explaining to stakeholders the organization’s strategies and values; resolving conflicts and misunderstandings through discussion. The aim of this activity is to ensure that the needs of the stakeholders are known, and their views taken into consideration. Stakeholders can include operational staff, managers, trade unions, shareholders, suppliers, customers, clients, sponsors, funding organizations, partner organizations, local government departments, and local or national media. There can also be sector-specific stakeholders, such as relatives of patients, in the hospital sector, local residents affected by major construction projects, or parents of schoolchildren.

Evaluate The Internal Condition Of The Organization, by: analyzing the organization’s current internal condition; carrying out a review of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The aim is to build a detailed picture of the current condition of the organization, in terms of its internal health. This should be comprehensive, looking at all internal aspects of the organization, including for example, the physical location(s) in which it operates, condition of buildings, equipment, vehicles, plant, funding, operational performance, recruitment, retention, training and development, policies, procedures, products, services and so on.

Adjusting Current Strategies, by: considering the findings of the analysis activities, and then evaluating current strategies and direction against these; consulting with specialists and key stakeholders about the proposed changes; adjusting current strategies and strategic objectives or replacing them with new ones; implementing a management system that will monitor, control, and adjust where necessary, the new strategies. The objective here is clear. To survive, the organization must have in place appropriate strategies. Unless strategic direction, specific strategies, and their related objectives, are regularly evaluated, maintained and adjusted, the ability to compete will deteriorate and eventually the organization will fail.

Adjusting Systems and Structures, by: evaluating the appropriateness of the current systems and structures in meeting the demands of the new strategies; consulting with all affected stakeholders on proposed changes; planning and implementing changes to operational, quality, and cultural systems, policies, procedures, and structures; implementing procedures to monitor, control, and adjust these as necessary. The purpose of this is to put in place an appropriate infrastructure that will support the new strategic and operational objectives. Unless this infrastructure is compatible with, and supports the achievement of, these objectives, the strategies will run into difficulties and almost certainly fail.

Adjusting Current Operational Objectives, by: adjusting operational objectives and activity in response to the changes in strategic direction; implementing an appropriate quality assurance management system to maintain operational quality standards; implementing procedures to monitor, control, and adjust operational activity and objectives as necessary. Operational activity must support and help achieve the strategic objectives. It is extremely damaging, if not fatal, to allow operational activity to continue unchanged, when the strategic direction and objectives of the organization have changed.

Adjusting Personnel Capabilities, by: comparing the current and potential performance capability of key individuals and teams against the forecast performance requirements; improving personnel capability by re-training and development where appropriate; replacing individuals and teams where necessary; implementing an individual and team appraisal and development system. The aim of this activity is to ensure that, at all levels, the best possible individuals and teams are in place to support and help achieve the organization’s goals. Without the right people the strategies will fail.

In Summary: analyzing the environment in which the organization operates is the most critically important activity that the organization’s leaders undertake. It represents the sole purpose of the leaders, that is to ensure that the organization is taking the most appropriate strategic direction and is equipped with the optimum resources needed to be successful in achieving its objectives. High quality information is critical to the success of the organization, and information about the changes and challenges facing the organization in the future is the most valuable of all.

Leadership

Why Leadership Is So Important To Your Business Success

In our competitive world today, leadership skills are crucial to any successful business. What is leadership?Leadership is commonly used to refer to activities such as conducting, guiding, or directing people; initiating activity. However, leadership is also used to refer to someone who is a leader. How can leadership be applied in so many ways and what constitutes a leader in all of these situations?The answer is contained in the realization that perhaps the most fundamental characteristic of leadership, and therefore of leaders, is personal leadership.

Some individuals are born leaders while others have to procure the skill and talent to successfully make their mark as a leader. It is obvious that some individuals have the confidence and the charisma to make themselves role models for others to follow. These individuals do not require much guidance in nurturing their inherent talent.

But there are scores of others for whom developing leadership qualities is key to their success. Leadership skill training is of immense significance in the present day corporate world. Leadership skill training is imparted to concerned individuals to help them derive the maximum benefit as far as acquiring leadership skill is concerned.

At times it is not very easy for new leaders to change their role from a contributor to a leader. Leadership skill training empowers an individual to have faith in others and also assists him in utilizing his time fruitfully with others by grooming people with the aid of guidance, help, and training.

These skills may be tough to acquire, so the switchover to the status of leadership can be very demanding and at times unthinkable in the absence of effective guidance and help.

What is personal leadership?It is the ability to lead others and yourself in the direction you want your life to take. The ability to define what you want out of life and how you are going to get there is the first step in developing leadership. It is only the beginning because personal leadership means, leading, directing, and taking action. It means living each day to the fullest. It means developing goals that you want so badly that you live each day with enthusiastic ardor for your goals, yourself, and all who are close to you. Knowing what you want out of life; knowing what success is to you; knowing what your goals are; knowing that you are going to achieve those goals regardless of what other people think, say, or do, is the essence of personal leadership.

Personal leadership also means accountability;. It means that you have decided to use the talents that are unique to you and will develop them further to reach your goals. It means that you realize that you have the potential to develop further. It means that you have determined the course of your destiny & you are the master of your life.

Leadership training also helps leaders who have the inherent talent in them to advance their ability and sense of judgment to transform themselves into leaders of great repute.

Simple Leadership Basics

A great cloud of jargon, debate, and junk theory surrounds the idea of leadership, what it is, who does it, and how to do it well. But if you have just been promoted, and you're responsible for a group for the first time, there are only a few things you really need to know about leadership.

When you get promoted and become responsible for the performance of a group you become a leader. But you don't undergo some magical change. In fact, it will probably take you over a year to completely adjust to your new role.

You're a leader because the people in your group treat you like one. The only choice you have is what kind of job you'll do.

When you become a leader your power actually goes down. As an individual contributor, you just have to decide to work harder, longer or smarter to improve performance. When you're responsible for the performance of a group, the group is your destiny. They choose whether to act or not.

When you become a leader, your influence goes up. The people who work for you pay attention to what you say and do. They adjust their behavior accordingly.

The result is that you use your behavior (what you say and do) to influence the behavior of the people who work for you to achieve a defined objective.

Achieving the objective is part of your job as a leader. The other part is caring for your people.

It may be possible to achieve good short term results without caring for your people. But you can't achieve long term success for you or your company without the willing cooperation of the best folks you can find.

At the end of the day, you can measure your leadership based on those two standards. Did we accomplish the mission?Are the members of my group better off today than yesterday?

You can find out more about all of this and learn it almost effortlessly from my book, Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership