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Posts Tagged ‘Book’

Excuses

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , on May 5, 2017| 1 Comment »

How many times can you kill your mother-in-law to avail leave?! Excuses for being late to work and for excessive leaves are a sign of weakness of will power and character.

Offering excuses for a fouled up job is just not done. Be bold, accept your share of the blame, and make amends.

To help your team to grow and zoom, get out of your ivory tower, try to redress their difficulties, and demonstrate your leadership qualities.

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’, which covers more than hundred topics of interest to managers of all hues, shapes and sizes)

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Ethics and Values

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , , , on April 28, 2017| 7 Comments »

ethics and values

We do not necessarily need a degree from Harvard to realize the difference between right and wrong. The Moral Compass within us is capable of telling us if we are on the right path.

Human values form the inner core of our personalities. These keep nudging us to be good human beings.

If ‘Values’ are the cause, ‘Ethics’ are the effect. If our value system is in place, our outward behaviour and conduct shall be ethical. Same is true of organizations, where the underlying culture determines the response of its key managers to tough business situations.

A company which believes in human values would handle a separation differently. When ramping down a business, good performers could get helped to secure career opportunities elsewhere. A star performer who has made up her mind to leave would get treated with great respect, thereby making her a valuable brand ambassador for the company.

In the Mahabharata, this is how Yudhishtira responds to queries by Yaksha:

Yaksha:

Which enemy of man cannot be conquered?

                  What is man’s persistent frailty?

                  Which man can be called moral?

Yudhishtira:

Anger is the unconquered enemy of man.

                  Greed is the persistent frailty.

                  That man is moral who seeks the good of all.

Values and ethics happen to be a crucial component of our Spiritual Quotient.

(Source: The Mahabharata of Vyasa, Transcreation by P Lal)

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’, which covers more than hundred topics of interest to managers of all hues, shapes and sizes)

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Designations

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , on April 21, 2017| 3 Comments »

Designations are not important in cases where the external exposure of the employee is minimal. They form the psychological part of an employee’s compensation package.

For those whose role demands an external exposure, a higher sounding designation would improve the canvas of opportunities, enabling a faster realization of the company’s goals.

For employees who have outlived their core utility in companies which believe in firing people only when there is a disaster of a nuclear nature, an improvement in designation would be an invaluable tool in the company’s Human Resources arsenal.

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’, which covers more than hundred topics of interest to managers of all hues, shapes and sizes)

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Conflicts, Resolving

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , , , on April 13, 2017| 1 Comment »

conflict

An executive fighting his boss

– when he feels the top dog is wrong – is a good sign.

Executives fighting between themselves in the boss’ presence is also the sure sign of a healthy work culture.

Seniors airing their difference of opinion or berating their colleagues is an unhealthy sign.

We all remember the fable of a monkey which mediated between two warring cats and gobbled up the entire piece of cheese at hand.

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’)

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Complacency

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , , on April 7, 2017| 1 Comment »

This is a malaise every workplace is stricken with. You may have a set of intelligent, obedient and relevant people working for you. But it is quite likely that half of them would have fallen into the trap of complacency. They would have become critical of the company/department, would be working in a comfort zone, and would be displaying a singular lack of initiative. They would no longer have the shine in their eyes and would surely not be operating on all four cylinders.

Your Human Resources honchos would be neglecting this lot at the company’s long-term peril. An antidote package could comprise a sustained program of employee engagement, elaborate mentorship, job rotation, sponsorships for advanced educational courses (either online or in the distance mode), and recreational breaks. Simply spicing up their work life would also help.

At the individual level, keep watching for signs of falling into the trap of complacency. Analyse, introspect, and then speak to your seniors the moment you notice the zeal gone. Or, become a rolling stone and gather no moss!

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’)

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Bosses – Meet them halfway through

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , on March 31, 2017| 1 Comment »

Amongst other things, you also get paid for keeping your boss’ blood pressure under check. Pity the poor over-stressed guy and update him before he thinks of any project assigned to you. In other words, meet him halfway through.

If it is getting delayed, or worse, not getting done at all, make him an accomplice to murder by keeping him informed in advance. In case you are likely to meet your target, present him with a draft report/outcome much before the deadline.

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’)

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Bell Curve and Performance Appraisals

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , on March 25, 2017| 3 Comments »

bellcurveThe pre-dominance of the Bell Curve in performance appraisals has never been in doubt. It recognizes the fact that all people are not identical, the tasks assigned to them are different, and the environment they operate in need not be homogeneous. All organizations have their share of high performers, free riders, under-performers, and downright deadwood.

A well understood Bell Curve principle is about building meritocracy and practising a differentiated rewards strategy. It has its own limitations, especially in highly innovative outfits. However, it keeps the bar high, thereby helping an organization to scale greater heights.

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’)

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Advertising

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , on March 15, 2017| 1 Comment »

Advertising

As a Chief Executive Officer, if you hire lions like Pablo Picasso or MF Hussain to create a corporate emblem for your company, would there be any point in getting a bunch of giraffe Vice Presidents and General Managers to meddle with his final work? Define a target and a budget, and let the agency have a free hand.

As a trainee cub, join an ad agency if you love irregular working hours, midnight escapades and hobnobbing with the hoi polloi of creative geniuses whose king (or, queen) size egos need to be managed at all times, with clients’ deadlines looming large over your work horizon. Depending on your skill set, you may gravitate towards copywriting, production, media planning, or client servicing. In all cases, creativity under pressure should be the motto of your life.

(Excerpt from my book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’)

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The book: Como Sobreviver Na Selva Empresarial – Guia prático 1.0

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 4, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Celebrating the first anniversary of having launched a book in Portuguese in March 2016.

English version to follow soon….!

ashokbhatia's avatarashokbhatia

Surviving in the Corporate Jungle

BookFrontCover

This is a short introduction to a book by yours truly, the Portugese version of which is getting launched in Portugal shortly. The launch event  in Porto is planned on the 2nd of March, along with a talk on “Work Life Harmony” at the  Catolica Porto Business School  of  Universidade Catolica do Porto. The launch event in Lisbon is planned at Universidade Europeia on the 3rd of March, 2016, as part of an event titled ‘Passport to India.’

How this book happened

Forty years back, the School of Business at a prestigious university in India made a big mistake. They awarded me a degree in Business Management. They were so very happy to see me off the campus that they even awarded a silver medal to me.

I owe this book to my professors – some of whom taught so well that I learnt a…

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Advertising (PUBLICIDADE)

Posted in Management Lessons, tagged , on April 27, 2016| Leave a Comment »

AdvertisingAs a Chief Executive Officer, if you hire lions like Pablo Picasso or MF Hussain to create a corporate emblem for your company, would there be any point in getting a bunch of giraffe Vice Presidents and General Managers to meddle with his final work? Define a target and a budget, and let the agency have a free hand.

As a trainee cub, join an ad agency if you love irregular working hours, midnight escapades and hobnobbing with the hoi polloi of creative geniuses whose king (or, queen) size egos need to be managed at all times, with clients’ deadlines looming large over your work horizon. Depending on your skill set, you may gravitate towards copywriting, production, media planning, or client servicing. In all cases, creativity under pressure should be the motto of your life.

(An excerpt from the book ‘Surviving in the Corporate Jungle’, published in Portuguese recently)

BookFrontCover

Se fosse um diretor-geral, e contratasse um leão da estirpe do Pablo Picasso ou do Andy Warhol para criar a imagem da sua empresa, faria algum sentido ter uma manada de girafas vice-presidentes e quadros intermédios a meterem o bedelho no trabalho final dele? Defina um objetivo e um orçamento e deixe a agência fazer o seu trabalho à vontade.

Enquanto ‘cria’ estagiária, vá para uma agência de publicidade se adora ter um horário de trabalho irregular, ficar no escritório até altas horas e misturar-se com uma turba de génios criativos cujos egos gigantescos têm de ser constantemente bajulados, e com os prazos dos clientes a ensombrarem ameaçadoramente o seu horizonte de trabalho. Consoante as suas competências, poderá optar pelo departamento criativo, de produção, de planeamento de media ou de gestão de clientes. Seja como for, a criatividade
sob pressão será o seu lema de vida.

(This is where you can lay your hands on the book:
(Related Post:

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