Leadership | Make a difference

Tips for getting the most out of Meetings

Posted by Haja in Goals, Leadership, Personal Effectiveness

How many times have we walked out of a long meeting with these feelings-

It was so absurd! It went all over
Too long- we could have done this in a shorter period
The organizer was not prepared..and was talking extempore
It was SO unnecessary – it could have been done without going through this pain!

In most cases, it is so true… and so easy to overcome it.

In the interest of simplicity – I am listing 3 things that I think we could follow to make meetings work!

1. Write down the participants and your key objectives

List out the people you are inviting, and list out the reasons and what you want to get from the meeting. Write down all the objectives and see whether the objectives are relevant from the participants point of view as well.

You take away the key challenge of –

not having a clear objective and
ensuring objectives match the people in the room/call – in one single shot.

Identify the top 3 objectives you want to achieve – and list them out in the meeting request!

2. Prepare & share meeting objective & any reading material – before the meeting

This is not about one-upmanship. The more you share, the more you get out of the meeting. Just don’t overdo it Winking smile

Just the enough material for reading/ homework (as less as possible) with very clear objectives & things to do, will set the tone for the meeting- and possibly make the participants happier at being able to get this completed quickly and move on to other things they do in their day to day lives!

3. Keep it short! Serious. 15 min is good!

Just because your calendering facility looks at meetings in lumps of 30 minutes or the norm is 1 hour, does not mean you need so much time for every meeting.

Try setting 15 min – 30 min and push the agenda in that time. Almost 80% of the meetings can be completed in that time if people are aware of the objectives, understand their roles, and things they need to provide- you will get more done in shorter time.

Try this out. You will save so much from your day – and use that time for other useful pursuits!

Aug.17

Freedom of Choice!

Posted by Haja in Books, Leadership, Management, Personal Effectiveness

Many companies & many people in their personal life, end up in a situation where they qualify it to be a No-Win situation. Many of them move into a shell & start being upset about their situation – and in many cases, lose heart – and in the bargain- lose the battle.

Recently, I was reading this book – Boom!. It gave me kind of refresher on changing my attitude, that I have started using this extensively….

Whilst the book has a number of other elements to talk about- one aspect that stood out (to me) was – the matter of Choice!

· The difference between ordinary people and extraordinary people is CHOICE.

· The freedom to choose may be the most power attribute and precious resource you have in your life.

· The Freedom to choose is yours alone to leverage or not. No one can grant it to you, and no one can take it away from you.

In your personal as well professional life- we just have to make that one choice – to work differently & look for Solutions (these are few) rather than problems (there are many). But the choice is OURS to make – and I choose to look for solutions- and the opportunities rather than the problems.

In the current situation, there are a number of things we cannot influence. However, we should actively look for areas that we can influence. What do we choose to be today?

Choose to be a PLAYER- not a BYSTANDER. We all have a choice to be a player- someone who is not standing idly on the ground, while a match is going on – but actively engaging with the other players in the team, and working towards a common goal of winning in this game.

Players chose to focus on what they can control.

· You can control your attitude towards your boss and senior leaders & the business.

· You can control your ability to perform, to become a guru, a thought-leader, a go-to-person who is seen as adding value.

· You can control your approach when interacting with your boss and other leaders.

What can we do as a Star Team? – we may not be able to single-handedly change our company’s culture, but we can….

· Create a small pocket of success in your own area of influence that inspires others to take notice and behave differently towards us, and our team. Share it with the rest of the team. Let us celebrate all our success together. Every small success will add a brick to our goal of being the OEM team in the world! (Why stop there – why not the best team in MS).

· Bring the right attitude. (Solutions – not problems)

· Avoid people who are tuned out and actively disengaged.

Another key element to becoming a very successful team is when EVERY member thinks like the OWNER of the company! Instead of being (and behaving like an employee), start behaving like an "Employer/ Owner" . Why would this be required? (this was truly an eye-opener- and I believe each of should adopt this as our mantra).

Why Owners? –

· Owners step out from behind titles and job descriptions to act on behalf of the customer , partners and the company.

· They never say "This is not my job" or "this is too big for me".

· Owners cater to the organization mission, vision and values. Non-owners cater to bosses.

· Owners focus on the business results of their actions

· Owners have the guts to ask the tough questions. They understand the consequences of complacency- and they aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo with the mantra "How can we make it better"

· Owners disregard functional boundaries to consider what’s goodf or the company as a whole.

· Owners pay attention to detail

Be the change you wish to see in the world – MK Gandhi

If you have stuck by till now – here is a quick homework for you.

Identify 3 activities you will take up immediately- take a pen & write it down- which will set you in the right direction. Think about your personal or professional life- and where you think you are not playing the role of a PLAYER- list it out- and start making a move to change that! Things will be different.

May.16

Building the Brand “You” – Part 1

Posted by Haja in Career, Personal Branding, Personal Effectiveness

“We all know distinction is key, and yet in the last 20 years, we have created a plethora of ho-hum products and services”

Barry Gibbons, Former CEO, Burger King

With the recessionary clouds falling back, opportunities have started opening up in the market.

So, have you started getting calls from various head-hunters?

And have you noticed that a few in your company seem to get the “cream jobs” and are the ones that make the most of any opportunity that are coming up.

People who get off the blocks first are those who are well-known in the market. They have a “Brand” that is powerful & calls out for attention. In most cases, it is because of one reason- they nurture their Brand effectively and position it for the plum positions to the people who matter.

The follow matrix gives a good sense of the 4 quadrants most employees fall into. This is based on the value they add to their customers and organizations as well as the visibility of what they do, to the people who matter. (customers, headhunters, Management etc.). Find out where you fall into.

Your sustained success in your organization is the ability to offer “value” to your customers. It is the skills you have picked up on the way & are able to offer it in a professional way to your customers.

In any organization, (and most of you can relate to this:)) there are numerous “shooting stars” – people who come & shine very brightly. They talk glibly, present fancy slides, are able to articulate so effectively that Management invariably believes in them- and they tend to grow rapidly. And in most cases, these Shooting stars disappear within a span of 2-3 years (or lesser if it is a demanding organization).

The backbone of any company – the faces that the customers see, rely on and trust, are typically those, who are unsung heroes in their own organization. Why? Because they lack the ability to highlight what they do effectively to the people who matter. And these are the people who are the indispensable lot- and whose movement invariably affects the organizational ability in some way. Leaders do their best to keep such people with promises of growth & continue supporting the “shooting stars”.

And there are those who neither add value to the customers or the organization and are also invisible within the organization. These are the employees who typically get the “pink slip” when the going gets tough! If you are one of these, or know people like these, it is a good time to start ramping up on skill sets very quickly. It will set you up well for a better career and a possibility of becoming a star down the line if you do the right things.

So, why is this relevant for the Brand “You” discussion?

This is the first step to building your Brand. It is important to know where you stand! If you are one of those who offer no skills- and are all on hype, you should be prepared to put a strategy that helps you to create a short term impact and then eject as quickly and move on to other organizations. It is not a sustainable model,and I strong recommend, you spend time to build your skills sets and add significant value from TODAY to your organization, the teams & the customers- failing which you should have your eject button on all the time.

Things to do- Sit down and take some time to do a detailed self-analysis. Answer these questions to get an idea of where you fit in-

What am I known for? List out all the items that you think people look at you for.
What Projects am I working on? How challenging is this? How do people perceive it? How important or critical is it for the organization?
What are the new stuff that I have learnt and used over the last few months?
What is the impact that I have created for my organization or my customers?
Have I presented, written or published anything in the recent past that helps me get “visibility” in the market.
Have I got awards either within or outside the organization? Have I been able to get jobs within the company based on what image I have created internally?

Ask others for feedback to make it even more detailed. Where do you position yourself.

More inputs on how to build the “Brand You” in the coming days.

What do you think are areas that are important to build your brand? Write to me at hajas@hajasheriff.com or write your comments below.

Mar.22

SIMPLIFY- The Art of being succinct

Posted by Haja in Career, Leadership, Management, Personal Effectiveness

So you have a “killer idea”! Great.

Imagine a situation, while you are in the lift, and your MD walks into the lift.

“What’s up?” he says.

“Well, I am doing this…….” and you start on your monologue, and by the time you come to the interesting part, the lift stops, and he gets off…

“Good to see you again”, he says and disappears!

You wonder, “What happened just now?” as you see his retreating back and the door of the lift closes.

You just lost a great opportunity to share your biggest project and an to share your plans with a senior leader – and possibly get some feedback.

This is one of the most important aspects of what your professional life- and most of us miss the opportunity time and again, to create the impact, that we are setting out to do.

So how do you go about it? Here is a quick snapshot of how you could possibly go about it –

1. Create a complete docket of your project. It is important to have the entire end to end details of the program in 1 place (this is yet another issue with most of us, but that is another topic).

2. Create 1 page summary of your project

What is the project all about
What is the problem being solved
What is it that you are doing
What is the outcome you expect from this project
What is the investment that is required/ being made
Who are the people involved in this.

Identify the hook that you will use to get people’s attention.

3. Create a 1 min- elevator pitch based on the above.

Write down the key points based on above.
Practice it a few times with people around you – friends, family etc.
Focus on the outcome & what it will do the people it is targeted at.

4. For your email communication or any other form of written communication, try and do this (courtesy –Faycal).

Write an Executive summary with the “hooks” and a gist of what you are doing. It could be 4-5 bullet points from the 1 page summary you have created.
Enclosed a more detailed note as an attachment.
For people who find this relevant and interesting, they can open the attachment and read through the document.

Try this in every communication you have, with your peers or with your manager (or their managers)- make it less verbose- and improve the quality of content- You will find people listening to you and giving you feedback, recognition and other things that will make you feel good plus more importantly grow in your role and your company.

Fast Forward-

You in the lift again, and your GM walks in.

This time he is careful and says, “Hello.. how are you?” (He remembers your rambling even now and is extra careful).

You say, “I am well. I am just finalizing the program that will help us get us grow our business in XYZ segment by 240% in the next 3 months , all by spending less than $5K”.

He looks at you with interest and says, “Why don’t you come and have a tea with me and tell me more”!

Mission accomplished.

Try it out.

Mar.16

Becoming a Motivational Leader

Posted by Haja in Leadership, Management

Gone are the days of leaders & followers. In today’s world, more is expected from fewer people, and to wait for a leader to give directions is futile. Every one of us should take the onus on ourselves to elevate ourselves as leaders & do things that a true leader will do. By being a leader in every aspect of what you do, we set ourselves to think and behave like a motivational leader that in turn will help the ecosystem that you work in – the company, your manager, your co-workers- and most of all yourself.

This is a great article by Brian Tracy- which captures the essence of what a Motivational leader should do!

Becoming a Motivational Leader
By: Brian Tracy

Create a Big Vision
To become a motivational leader, you start with motivating yourself. You motivate yourself with a big vision, and as you move progressively toward its realization, you motivate and enthuse others to work with you to fulfill that vision.

Set High Standards
You exhibit absolute honesty and integrity with everyone in everything you do. You are the kind of person others admire and respect and want to be like. You set a standard that others aspire to. You live in truth with yourself and others so that they feel confident giving you their support and their commitment.

Face Your Fears
You demonstrate courage in everything you do by facing doubts and uncertainties and moving forward regardless. You put up a good front even when you feel anxious about the outcome. You don’t burden others with your fears and misgivings. You keep them to yourself. You constantly push yourself out of your comfort zone and in the direction of your goals. And no matter how bleak the situation might appear, you keep on keeping on with a smile.

Be Realistic About Your Situation
You are intensely realistic. You refuse to engage in mental games or self-delusion. You encourage others to be realistic and objective about their situations as well. You encourage them to realize and appreciate that there is a price to pay for everything they want. They have weaknesses that they will have to overcome, and they have standards that they will have to meet, if they want to survive and thrive in a competitive market.

Accept Responsibility
You accept complete responsibility for results. You refuse to make excuses or blame others or hold grudges against people who you feel may have wronged you. You say, "If it’s to be, it’s up to me." You repeat over and over the words, "I am responsible. I am responsible. I am responsible."

Take Vigorous Action
Finally, you take action. You know that all mental preparation and character building is merely a prelude to action. It’s not what you say but what you do that counts. The mark of the true leader is that he or she leads the action. He or she is willing to go first. He or she sets the example and acts as the role model. He or she does what he or she expects others to do.

Strive For Excellence
You become a motivational leader by motivating yourself. And you motivate yourself by striving toward excellence, by committing yourself to becoming everything you are capable of becoming. You motivate yourself by throwing your whole heart into doing your job in an excellent fashion. You motivate yourself and others by continually looking for ways to help others to improve their lives and achieve their goals. You become a motivational leader by becoming the kind of person others want to get behind and support in every way.
Your main job is to take complete control of your personal evolution and become a leader in every area of your life. You could ask for nothing more, and you should settle for nothing less.

Action Exercises

1) Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, see yourself as an outstanding person, parent, coworker and leader in everything you do. Pattern your behavior after the very best people you know. Set high standards and refuse to compromise them.
2)Second, be clear about your goals and priorities and then take action continually forward. Develop a sense of urgency. Keep moving forward and you’ll automatically keep yourself and others motivated.

Mar.07