Moving from managing to coaching

One of the lesson or habit we need to learn when we grow either in personal or professional life is listening to others and allowing others to take a decision on their own.

Since we have grown up in an environment where obeying to senior’s instruction as perceived as discipline, the same mentality we are bringing in when we become an adult. We expect ourselves to give a bunch of advice to others and expect them to own. 

The real maturity of growth lies in when we move from managing to coaching. Everyone has to go through the path from managing to coaching.
For example, as a parent, we need to manage child as long as they are in childhood by giving advice on do’s and don’ts, getting into nitty gritty of all activities and decisions. That is fine as they are in childhood.When  they become an adult, the best way to manage them is to give the perspectives of pro’s and con’s of any decision and let them own the decision and consequence.

Similarly, when you are managing the people at a functional level, it is ok by giving advice and owning the result. When you move up the ladder into senior level, it is expected to make the people own the decision and your role is just to guide with possible approaches and their likely consequences.

When we continue to manage, stress crops in a relationship, ownership missing on the results from others. Just be aware of your level and role as manager or coach.

Redefining your life success with right metrics

In today’s world, everyone is madly rushing behind money and positional status and in this process, we are too much stressed out.This causes disruption in physical and relationship.One of the reason could be unconsciously we had defined the life success as money and power. That is the only metrics by which we are measuring our success.Some study suggests that if we change or add one more metrics in our definition of life success, it will change our perception of life and our actions. That metric is "THRIVING".

Thriving can be defined as prosperous or flourishing or growing in all aspects of well-being.This metric is beyond survival and 360 degrees winning in all aspects of life.

The overall of well-being (Thriving) can be attained by 

1.Nurturing yourself physically and mentally
2.Keep learning
3.Spending time yourself to listen to your inner voice
4.Giving to others
5.Distance yourself from digital noises
6.Exploring new location and people 
7.curiosity like child
8.Get enough sleeping as it improves health

In reality, coming out of survival to thriving mode requires a lot of internal perspective change about life and real growth!

How successful people look at failure ?

Jeff bezos, Founder, and CEO of Amazon has said in one of the interviews that if his people have a one in 10 chance of making a 100 x return on an investment, he wants them to experiment every time. This message has a profound on the way he looks at failures. His message implicit that he is willing to tolerate failing nine of out 10 times because his chance of making one big success is high.

This is a very hard concept for us to believe as we had come from an environment where we measure individual or organizational worthiness only with materialistic values. We think that failing is something as a personal failure and with that mindset, we achieve or lead a life what we can do in the safe environment.

The point is when we take the failure as normal in business or in a personal endeavor and then there is a high possibility to make the breakthrough result as we are open to much experimentation. This is purely mindset issues and needs to be challenged with awareness. This is how highly successful people look at failure and moves on!!

Am I leading my life the way I want ?

One of the lingering questions a few of us will have at some point in time is “Am I leading my life the way I want?" .Particularly, this question come to those who had fulfilled the basic need of the survival. This question comes when there is a conflict of interest in what we are doing now and what we like to do.Some people label it as passion.

As I witnessed that  some people answered the question, led a path rightly and some people struggle to find the right answer themselves.

This calls for structured process as follows

1.First, accept this disturbance as such.You are disturbed by this question because you are destined for something else, that is good. 

2.Allow some time  for settling down as  any quick emotional decision  may  affect  the quality of life

3.Spend time privately for reflection  both on logical and emotional  outcome  of  any decision you take 

4.Seek  the help from genuine coaches who can work with you without bias  on your values/beliefs and guide you  to choose the right decision  by yourselves  

5.Experiment your passion without giving up your current path as reality will give a clarity whether your passion is sustainable or not. Based on the experience, you can decide your path.

Finally, you are the master of your life, own any decision what may come and enjoy the process!!

Being happy to be successful

  

 One day a successful businessman was called to address the gathering on the topic being happy in life.The speaker also was happily sharing his experience. On completion upon his speech, one person from the audience approached the speaker and said, “You are successful in your business that is why you are happy. You do not know how much effort I am putting to be successful, how can I be happy “

The speaker stopped him and said, “I am happy not because I am successful, it is another way round, and I am successful because I am always happy”.

This statement is profound.Being happy is a state of mind irrespective of environment or status. When the mind is happy, it can think through the ways to be successful in any Endeavour.

In reality, most of the time, we tend to be happy only and if some favorable conditions are met. There should not be any reason to be happy.It just requires awareness.

Be happy and makes other happy with your presence!

Why do we trust some people as leader?

In a professional environment, we come across a lot of people either as colleagues, subordinates, boss.Only a few people, we admire as a leader and have trust.With this belief, we sometimes even adopt them as our role model, mentor, guide, coach, and well-wisher.

What makes difference between others and leaders? Only two factors make us believe that they are our leader. One is CHARACTER and second is COMPETENCY.

The character could be boldness, firmness, approachable, attitude towards helping others and so on as we see as the positive soft factors.
Competency could be their functional and managerial skills like technical mastery, problem-solving skill, decision making, thought process and communication capabilities as we see as positive hard factors.

When either character or competence lacks with reference to their position, we start to disregard them as leaders and lose trust. Now, relate this to any personalities from your professional, media, politics or in sports background and you find that those who trusted as leader once upon a time lost their shine when they missed character or competency in line with their positional status!!!

The point is, in professional or business environment, if you like to scale up your career from individual performer to leader/role model, you need to continuously enhance your character and competency.This character and competency building is a lifelong effort as any professional growth demands.

How to change bad impression in workplace ?

In the workplace, others form a perception about us and the interactions are all based on the perception. If the perception about us is good, then it is ok, what if the impression is bad? Is it easy to change? 

Our mind does not want to spend energy frequently to change the stored information. For instance, we register some brands are trusted for quality and will never change the perception even a small disturbance happened to the brands like in the case of  Cadbury, TATA , and Nestle etc.

If this way our mind works, how do we change the bad impression of others about us? For example, as an individual, others formed the perception that you are a latecomer to the office. How would you change that perception? Only by showing repeated evidence of coming to office on time, then only others change their perception about you. 

Similarly, as an organization, if your customer has the impression that you are not sensitive to quality service, it is difficult to change unless you repeatedly show evidence with your improved customer service. 

The point is 

1. We are allowing others to form perception about us through our behavior and action
2. Once it is formed, it is difficult to change 
3. To change the perception, consistent, repetitive evidence to be shown to others to change 

It is better to take responsibility to give the positive impression at first instance and in worst case take responsibility to change with repeated efforts.In reality, perception plays a major role in professional and business success!!!

What should do when you feel low ?

        

 Sometimes we are skeptical about the future and feel low about business growth or financial status or even professional improvements or quality of life.During those moments,“Possibilities thinking” may be useful to get confidence or overcoming the skeptic mindset.
        For example, observe any successful people from business, sports, media, politics, etc., You may realize that their background was ordinary or much worse than yours. How they became successful is that due to their self-belief.But before they believe themselves, they thought the possibilities of becoming successful or achieving something great.They believed in the possibilities of better tomorrow than today.That possibility thinking only made them successful.
        Similarly, look at the developments in all the fields like connectivity of the world through the internet, mobile communication, affordability of transportation modes, education, healthcare inventions, etc which was not imaginable a few decades ago. Today it has become reality as someone was thinking about the possibilities of changing from better to best.
         In essence, what was not possible yesterday becomes reality today and it is the result of possibilities thinking of humanity. Hence, when you feel low, think about new possibilities in your life either business turnaround, personal transformation or improving the quality of life, it will become reality with right actions!  

Corporate Chanakya

Recently happened to read this book and one of the best management books from Indian origin. Even though there are many books available on management, most of the books are western orientation. In this book, the author simplified the Kautilya’s Arthashastra, which was written by Chanakya, who lived in 4th century in then India. He was then considered as leadership guru and he documented his ideas of leadership and management to govern the country in the form of 6000 sutras. To put simply, this land had a genius with great wisdom on management.

This book brings back ancient Indian management wisdom in modern, contemporary format.

Must read book for business heads or the people aspiring for leading others. Recommend this book to get a new perspective about leadership and management.


link is given below


goo.gl/P0uLsQ

Embrace the sharks

    

 Many years ago, Japanese fishers had a business challenge with the fishes they were delivering to their customers. After capturing the fish in the sea and by the time they reach the land shore, the fish died and lost their taste. The fishermen tried different processes to keep the fishes fresh till entering the land, but could not succeed. Finally, they came with the idea to put the captured fishes in a small tank along with a small shark.

     During the travel from deep sea to land, shark used to eat a few fishes. The rest of the fishes who fought with the shark to save the life looked fresh, energetic once they reach the land shore. What made the fishes energetic and fresh? The challenges those faced through shark made them fresh and dynamic.

     In our life also, either in business or personal life, we need more challenges like going beyond comfort, trying something new which we have not done earlier, surpassing our own limitations etc.The challenges make us more engaged and active.If we get challenges only from the survival perspective, life would be miserable. If the challenges are bringing more out of us, then it would be positive pressure.

The problems and challenges are meant to bring a new personality of you. Let us embrace the real challenges or shark in our life