1. You never drag your feet but ready to run in pace with your goals.
2. You are ready to attack the job each Monday after a refreshing and peaceful weekend where you had gotten great time to spend with family and friends.
3. You don’t focus on in and out time at the office whenever you think you need to get a specific task accomplished, you just do it and never look at the clock.
4. You are happy to help your colleagues – always just because it gives you sense of accomplishment. You’re in a good mood.
5. You think that your workdays are short.
6. Many of your good friends are at your workplace – you often love to organize gathering programs with your office colleagues.
7. You care. About almost all the things related to your work.
8. Things generally don’t bug you.
9. You see little to zero bad corporate politics in the organization.
10. You don’t know when did you last use Sick leaves even when you weren’t sick!

See Also:

1. 15 Things That Employees Want In Order To Feel Motivated
2. Do You Manage Your Offshore Software Solutions Business This Way?
3. Workplace I Love As A Power-Performer (and you would too!)
4. Are You Measured By Results Produced Or The Time Spent In The Office
5. Distinction Between Issues And Problems And How To Deal With Them

1. 15 Things That Employees Want In Order To Feel Motivated
2. Do You Manage Your Offshore Software Solutions Business This Way?
3. Workplace I Love As A Power-Performer (and you would too!)
4. Are You Measured By Results Produced Or The Time Spent In The Office
5. Distinction Between Issues And Problems And How To Deal With Them

If you have few years of experience in project management, most likely you have come across agile practices. You are conducting periodical retrospectives at the end of each iteration or release. For agile practices, such retrospectives act like a compass which guides you towards true north.

Photo Credit: gothick_matt's Flickr photostream

In retrospectives, essentially you are inspecting what is expected in the specific iteration or a release. You learn through your mistakes and focus on what you can do better in the next iteration.

And, since your focus is on constant improvement, you see consistent improvements in the project. Isn’t it?

The opportunity here is to apply the same “improving by retrospection” principle in your personal life as well.  It can be applied to measure your personal performance. If we consider our life as a film, you are playing various characters in your life. Some examples of such characters are: Son, father, spouse, student, musician, friend, etc.  You can perform at your best given you have defined set of measurable goals attached with each of such characters.

So the question is how you can measure your personal performance in each of the characters you are playing?

Here is an agile mechanism to handle this:

1. At the start of every week define a set of measurable goals for each of the characters you are going to play in that week.
2. As the week passes by, record your activities in a journal.
3. In the weekend, pick a character at a time and perform a retrospective:
   • What went well?
   • What did not go well?
   • What can be improved and taken to the next level?
4. While starting the next week, align yourself with the answers you found for the above questions.

Such retrospectives enable you to align your actions and help you in going to the next level.  All you need is willingness to go to the next level and a pen and a paper!  Worth trying.

See Also:

1. Attributes of Agile Project Management
2. Twelve Traits of Dependable Project Managers
3. Your Fundamental Goal
4. How To Inaugurate Effectiveness In Your Project Team
5. Directness, A Deviant Act That Is More Than Worth In Agile Project Management

1. Attributes of Agile Project Management
2. Twelve Traits of Dependable Project Managers
3. Your Fundamental Goal
4. How To Inaugurate Effectiveness In Your Project Team
5. Directness, A Deviant Act That Is More Than Worth In Agile Project Management

You are considered an expert in your field and you have recently changed your employer for a good package.

To produce great output in your expertise area, you need to spend only a few hours a day – you don’t need to come at a fixed time and go at a fixed time but your output are just excellent.

The other persons in your organization with similar experience level and position spend the whole day (and sometime nights also) to produce almost the same (may be inferior) results. They come before the office time starts and normally go hours after the office time is over.

Now there are 2 types of organization cultures.

1. Type – A: Organizations who measure your work by results.
2. Type – B: Organizations who measure your work by the time you spend at the office.

Wonderful if your organization culture falls in Type-A, annoying otherwise.

Such annoyance may lead you to do the efforts of changing organization culture – trying to convert it to Type-A.

In your career, it would be a very costly mistake. Organization Cultures are like countries – they seldom change!

Better decision would be to find a culture where you will be valued by the results you produce.

See Also:

1. Absolute Productivity Killer – Thousand Strict Regulations And Low Trust
2. 10 Signs You Are Happy At Work
3. Are There Failures Or Just The Growth Opportunities?
4. Do You Manage Your Offshore Software Solutions Business This Way?
5. Workplace I Love As A Power-Performer (and you would too!)

1. Absolute Productivity Killer – Thousand Strict Regulations And Low Trust
2. 10 Signs You Are Happy At Work
3. Are There Failures Or Just The Growth Opportunities?
4. Do You Manage Your Offshore Software Solutions Business This Way?
5. Workplace I Love As A Power-Performer (and you would too!)

In my decennium long experience journey, I have seen organizations which have a great vision – a vision to become a world class company which is super-positive. 100% win-win for all the entities involved, performance centric, employee and society friendly, ultimate customer delight centric… the best!

But with very little actions.

Little actions lead to fewer results and thus little experience to count on.  But they have great measurability of the results.

Measurability is the lens of their vision.

The other type of organizations is “Action” centric. They do not have any permanent vision to stick with. For them “crafting vision” is an overhead. They are in fascination of actions.

High actions lead to more results and more experience to count on.  But they lack the essential – measurability.

And, anything which cannot be measured cannot be repeated with 100% surity, no matter if it is success or failure.

Actions are in harmony only when they are measured, chaos otherwise.

See Also:

1. Are You Measured By Results Produced Or The Time Spent In The Office
2. 9 Tips for Successful Outsourcing Business
3. Eleven Causes Of Superior Execution
4. Are There Failures Or Just The Growth Opportunities?
5. Absolute Productivity Killer – Thousand Strict Regulations And Low Trust

1. Are You Measured By Results Produced Or The Time Spent In The Office
2. 9 Tips for Successful Outsourcing Business
3. Eleven Causes Of Superior Execution
4. Are There Failures Or Just The Growth Opportunities?
5. Absolute Productivity Killer – Thousand Strict Regulations And Low Trust

Better if software services organizations have only a few simple and strong regulations for their people.

Regulations are substitutes for faith…faith in your people’s goodwill, faith in their competence and faith in their commitment. The more the organizations doubt their people, the more rules and regulations they impose.

Some organizations treat their software engineers like illiterate laborers of 1970 and impose pointless regulations which greatly influence them to be unproductive. For example:

• The software engineers should sit on their seat for the whole day and do work, work and work – what the heck is ‘thinking’.
• If they go out to for refreshment or a tea break more than once a day, it is not tolerated.
• If they are 30 minutes late from their regular day in-time, their half-day salary would be deducted – it won’t be considered that yesterday night the same engineer had spent 3 additional hours  to support an important client.
• Etc.

Such regulations do nothing better for the organization’s growth but make employees de-motivated and managers annoyed.

Ability to produce great results never comes from imposing a thousand strict regulations on your people. It comes from trimming out the complexities from your systems and replacing it with creative freedom and self-possession.

As an organization, do you have a mission…a long term goal that is based on specific values? Do you believe in your people? Or do you want to hide behind the list of regulations?

See Also:

1. Are You Measured By Results Produced Or The Time Spent In The Office
2. Everyday Status Meeting – An Absolute Project Killer
3. Eleven Qualities to Hunt for While Interviewing a Potential Manager
4. Are There Failures Or Just The Growth Opportunities?
5. What Can Be Termed As A “World Class” Organization?

1. Are You Measured By Results Produced Or The Time Spent In The Office
2. Everyday Status Meeting – An Absolute Project Killer
3. Eleven Qualities to Hunt for While Interviewing a Potential Manager
4. Are There Failures Or Just The Growth Opportunities?
5. What Can Be Termed As A “World Class” Organization?

3 Idiots is one of the most enjoyable Indian movies of this decade. The directorRajkumar Hirani has shown us a bollywoodified yet marvelous view of the masterpiece – Five Point Someonefrom Chetan Bhagat.

Here are nine rock solid thoughts you may love to revisit from the movie’s perspective.

1. Knowledge is just a dead thing without its timely application. (Salt water is good conductor of electricity)
2. Do whatever gives you utmost enjoyment . Do what you can do effortlessly – if you don’t enjoy whatever you are doing right now; it’s the time to revisit your goals. (Farhan with a passion for photography drops engineering and opts in for assisting a world renowned wild life photographer)
3. You need to know what you are doing. Doing without knowing leads to disasters.(Chatur’s Chamatkar speech)
4. Common sense is so uncommon.  (Definition of ‘machine’ and ‘book’ in the classroom)
5. Thinking outside the box is not common but if applied properly it can lead to new innovations. (Baby’s delivery using vaccum cleaner)
6. Don’t run after success; chase the excellence in whatever you are doing… and success will follow.(Phunsuk Wangadu!)
7. Even if you win the rat race, you end up being a rat. (Virus’ encounter with Rancho)
8. Degrees earned just by rote memorization are not valuable in real life but actual learning is.(400 patents by Phunsuk Wangadu compared to Chatur’s position)
9. Keep your heart as your foolest friend. Tell him that ‘All izz well’ and things would start becoming well…in your perceived world at least!  (many instances throughout the movie)

The best thing about 3 Idiot is, it feels like a real team effort than just to be an Aamir Khan centric movie. If you take out any character (even the character of millimeter!) and the effect would be dimmed. Watching 3 Idiots (again and again) is a rattling experience to learn how to live life powerfully and add some “meaning” to it.

See Also:

1. Eight Usual Behaviors of High-Achievers
2. Movie Review: Love Aaj Kal
3. How To Be ‘Cool’ Even In The Situations Full Of Stress
4. Five Better Communication Thoughts To Get The Success You Always Wanted

1. Eight Usual Behaviors of High-Achievers
2. Movie Review: Love Aaj Kal
3. How To Be ‘Cool’ Even In The Situations Full Of Stress
4. Five Better Communication Thoughts To Get The Success You Always Wanted

1. Domineering leadership: Leadership does not accept disagreements out of anxiety or haughtiness. “Yes mans” are climbing the wall of quick success here. High employee turnover ratio in senior management.
2. Poor evaluation systems: Inefficient feedback and evaluation systems incapable of providing correct leadership and management performance evaluation data to the top management.
3. Hidden agendas: Existence of invisible profit centres by cutting employee benefits. Hiring and promotions are based on political agendas. Hiring from personal references or relatives to pocket personal loyalty at the cost of other really qualified employees and/or organization needs.
4. Biased rewards: Promotions, salaries, perks and bonuses are unfairly linked with performance.
5. Wasteful use of resources: Resources are allocated based on favouritism and on personal agendas rather than real business needs.
6. Departments are like internal kingdoms: Department heads believe that more people they manage and employ department specific processes, they will become more powerful. This results in intense influence battles around operations and strategies.
7. Asymmetrical work distribution: One department is over-utilized while other are weighed down. Managers twist work distribution activities to satisfy their personal egos and play the push and pull game to their benefit.
8. Over management: Deep hierarchies and many management layers are in the organization which encumbers communication and results in slower execution and wide-ranging red tapes.
9. Disjointed organization efforts: Operating in own silos and turf wars between rival managers are normal which decreases transparency. Such silos almost always result in fragmented projects and budgets.
10. More talk and less work: Talks regarding ‘What Should Be Done’ and ‘What Could Have Been Done’ are in the air. Individual Image building and management is more important than work.
11. Uncontrolled and inefficient meetings: Heated cross-departments meetings with debates and focusing on scoring points rather than sharing responsibility and collaborating to solve the problems which generally end without conclusions or clear action items.
12. Controversies in unity and unity in controversy: Every person thinks of the self. Low sense of unity and teamwork.  The chief decision making criteria is “What is in there for me to take benefit?”
13. Consistent chaos: Management allows continuous chaos in place. They spend most of the time in building strategies to keep consistent pressure on execution teams and blame them for not completing the tasks.
14. Moral decline: Muted level of pledge and enthusiasm by the teams. Little or zero celebration due to internal negative competition.
15. Bad-mouthing: Bad-mouthing among the executives and managers becomes common and sometimes even public.
16. Extremely stressful workplace: Unclarity of work. Extended work hours. High rate of absenteeism and high employee turnover.

See Also:

1. What Can Be Termed As A “World Class” Organization?
2. Workplace I Love As A Power-Performer (and you would too!)
3. Disaster-Prone Business Organizations 30
4. 15 Things That Employees Want In Order To Feel Motivated
5. Five Random Thoughts On Organizational Leadership

1. What Can Be Termed As A “World Class” Organization?
2. Workplace I Love As A Power-Performer (and you would too!)
3. Disaster-Prone Business Organizations 30
4. 15 Things That Employees Want In Order To Feel Motivated
5. Five Random Thoughts On Organizational Leadership

1. Winners are smart workers: They know when to push and when to pull.  When to be at the right place at the right time. They believe in smart work rather than in hard work. They just outperform.
2. The road to the winning is usually rocky: Winners are those who have fallen many times. They have simply refused to lose. Overnight wins are generally enjoyed by those who have many years of experience in failing.
3. Winners are not born encouraged: To ignite the fire within takes everyday-commitment. Winners are those who are awake when the world is sleeping… to deliver their best when the right time calls. It is said that encouragement doesn’t last. Well, neither does your shaving! You need to get a doze of encouragement every day.
4. Three excellence of winning: A winning consists of a smart blend of the following three excellence’s. Excellent people, Excellent processes and Excellent technology.
5. Laser focus: Winners are those who have the ability to keep sharp laser focus on select areas. Excellence marries to whom who focus on only a few select goals.

See Also:

1. Excellence 21
2. 12 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary (As Per A Distinct #Author Who Can @UpbeatNow, You!)
3. Five Random Thoughts On Organizational Leadership

1. Excellence 21
2. 12 Words You Should Eliminate From Your Vocabulary (As Per A Distinct #Author Who Can @UpbeatNow, You!)
3. Five Random Thoughts On Organizational Leadership

1. Habitually express that they are important to you, to the project and to the organization.
2. Laugh together on small accomplishments…and failures too to learn something from them and move on.
3. Compliment them in public for the special qualities they have. Be as specific as you can.
4. Give them necessary comfort when they really need it.
5. Speak respectfully, don’t put them down or hurt their feelings.
6. Give them some space to do whatever they like to – within the allowable boundaries of-course.
7. Be enthusiastic over things that they’re excited about and share their excitement.
8. Do something you think they want done before they ask.
9. Discuss changes with them first before you apply them.
10. Show interest in the things they love.
11. Learn something from them without being defensive.
12. Let go of the small stuff.
13. Be a good listener and value what they say.
14. Associate with them even unofficially. A weekend trip is a great idea.
15. Gift a bottle of the wine of their choice as a surprise.
16. Set specific targets to achieve together.
17. Let them feel that they are an integral part of the team. Great if it resembles a real-life family.
18. Don’t take them for granted, always be polite.
19. Don’t feel shy while admitting your mistakes, and ask for forgiveness.
20. Defend them to others, especially to other cross functional teams.
21. Don’t diminish their acumen.
22. Be especially helpful when they are not feeling well.
23. Share small details of your routines with them and ask them to do so – this establishes and maintains trust
24. Don’t embarrass them in front of others.
25. Make eye contact when you are talking.
26. Give them your full attention whenever possible.
27. Do not forget to wish important dates of their lives. At least birthdays and anniversaries.
28. Let them know when you know you are going to be late in the meetings.
29. Give them your undivided attention when they’re talking.
30. Never compare them unfavourably with others.
31. Take care of yourself, It shows you care!
32. Be supportive. Help them to achieve her goals.
33. Run errands without complaining.
34. Explicitly mention their names when you make plans.
35. Do things that make them feel cherished.
36. Build trust into your relationship.
37. Be kinder to them than you are to strangers.
38. Make sure they feel valued above everyone else.
39. Show affection for them in front of other colleagues.
40. Mentally support them when they are discouraged or hurt.
41. Surprise them with an unexpected gift.
42. Honour them and support their dignity.
43. Arrange surprise dinner for them sometimes.
44. Be sympathetic when they are feeling down.
45. Don’t ignore the small things that bother them.
46. Tell them and show them that you value them every day.
47. When you’re away keep in touch via call or email often.
48. Don’t promise something you cannot keep later.
49. Ask them what you can do to have better communication in place. And work upon their answer.
50. Accept them the way they are and the way they are not… and do something about it.
51. Don’t just do the above things just for the sake of doing it. Mean it.

Technorati Tags: team management

See Also:

1. How To Inaugurate Effectiveness In Your Project Team
2. Zen of Team Handling for Software Projects
3. 25 Ways to Motivate Your People Without Giving Financial Rewards!
4. Tips To Empower Your People 20
5. How Team Relationships Are Affecting Your Ongoing Projects?

1. How To Inaugurate Effectiveness In Your Project Team
2. Zen of Team Handling for Software Projects
3. 25 Ways to Motivate Your People Without Giving Financial Rewards!
4. Tips To Empower Your People 20
5. How Team Relationships Are Affecting Your Ongoing Projects?

It’s not so hard to beat your execution team for the failures they have caused.  So many organizations live in the past rather than getting the best from the present and building a luminous future. Some organizations stuck for years over something they did or a failure they’ve experienced.  Gloomy.  A business is a terrible thing to waste on such things.

Here’s the critical question:  “Is there really such thing as a failure?”

Does anybody try to fail or muddle things up? Especially when you’ve hired them after competitive interview rounds and trained them to perform at their best?

Every so called “failure” is essentially a affluent source of learning… an opportunity to put together more responsiveness and understanding… converting the causes of failure into something which the organization can benefit from at its next encounter…an experience that will help the organization do, feel and be even better.

So aren’t such failures just the growth lessons and the organization that experiences the most stay successful in the long run?

Technorati Tags: Project Failures, winning

See Also:

1. Open Secret Of The Marriage Between Vision and Action
2. Informal Learning At Workplace 7
3. Are You Measured By Results Produced Or The Time Spent In The Office
4. Five Steps To Turn An Organization Into A Learning Machine
5. What Can Be Termed As A “World Class” Organization?

1. Open Secret Of The Marriage Between Vision and Action
2. Informal Learning At Workplace 7
3. Are You Measured By Results Produced Or The Time Spent In The Office
4. Five Steps To Turn An Organization Into A Learning Machine
5. What Can Be Termed As A “World Class” Organization?