Seven Surefire ways to Communicate!

1. Demonstrate enthusiasm - everytime “Inspiring leaders have an abundance of passion for what they do. You cannot inspire unless you’re inspired yourself. Period. Passion is something I can’t teach. You either have passion for your message or you don’t. Once you discover your passion, make sure it’s apparent to everyone within your professional circle.”
2. Tell clearly a compelling course of action. “Inspiring leaders craft and deliver a specific, consistent, and memorable vision. A goal such as "we intend to double our sales by this time next year," is not inspiring. Neither is a long, convoluted mission statement destined to be tucked away and forgotten in a desk somewhere. A vision is a short (usually 10 words or less), vivid description of what the world will look like if your product or service succeeds.”
3. Make sure people understand the benefit. “Always remember, it’s not about you, it’s about them. In my first class at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, I was taught to answer the question, "Why should my readers care?" That’s the same thing you need to ask yourself constantly throughout a presentation, meeting, pitch, or any situation where persuasion takes place. Your listeners are asking themselves, what’s in this for me? Answer it. Don’t make them guess.”
4. Give more examples till people understand. “Inspiring leaders tell memorable stories. Few business leaders appreciate the power of stories to connect with their audiences… No amount of data can replace that story… Stories connect with people on an emotional level. Tell more of them.”
5. Make sure people ask more questions. “Inspiring leaders bring employees, customers, and colleagues into the process of building the company or service. This is especially important when trying to motivate young people. The command and control way of managing is over. Instead, today’s managers solicit input, listen for feedback, and actively incorporate what they hear. Employees want more than a paycheck. They want to know that their work is adding up to something meaningful.”
6. Always believe it would work. “Inspiring leaders speak of a better future… Extraordinary leaders throughout history have been more optimistic than the average person. Winston Churchill exuded hope and confidence in the darkest days of World War II. Colin Powell said that optimism was the secret behind Ronald Reagan’s charisma. Powell also said that optimism is a force multiplier, meaning it has a ripple effect throughout an organization. Speak in positive, optimistic language. Be a beacon of hope.”
7. Thanks and Good Wishes for people helps. “Inspiring leaders praise people and invest in them emotionally. Richard Branson has said that when you praise people they flourish; criticize them and they shrivel up. Praise is the easiest way to connect with people. When people receive genuine praise, their doubt diminishes and their spirits soar. Encourage people and they’ll walk through walls for you.”

Baggage and some points on Project Activities

All project activities don't have baggage and no challenges that you may face in your project.... :-)) Here are some really stupid, incomprehensible and unintelligent suggestions!

• Managing change in project, scope-creeping and changes that are not handled in a systematic fashion. Hah...
  
• Non-constructive work environments, racial abuse included (like Indians getting abused in USA, but still they work 'coz Money dude!)
• Not getting right balance between when to make decisions stupidly and simply make the decision yourself, by each guy in team! Duh!
  
• Get good metrics fudged for project success which is an all roudn effort!
• Getting BAD customer requirements, balancing cost of project expectation, poor quality and time. This usually centers on the client requirements communicated but the usual issue is what he has not communicated.
• Poor motivation of the team, is a problem but when it becomes an issue, projects may miss their deadlines and you are out of business.
• Communication issues – Email, Talk, Documents and Heresay(!)
• Indecent behaviour with team members, with lots of smirks around owing to hygiene, food habits (cut that Garlic dude!) etc.
• :-)) Dont ask, if you dont succeed. Start a company called Enron!

21 ways to assure quality in everything you do (50th Post!)

Doing everything with quality increases your chances for success, enhances your reputation and saves you time in the long run. People typically equate quality with skill, but quality is a by product of time, thoughts and systems.

Here are 21 ways to assure quality in everything you do. See where you can apply a couple of these rules to your life. In a few weeks, review the impact.

Review

* Review Everything
Review everything you touch before you hand it off. Proof read your documents one last time, double check that package to make sure everything is included, triple check your bullet points on your presentation.

* Review Help: Enlist a 2nd set of eyes
Even after you look things over, you may miss some glaring mistakes because you are used to your work. Having someone else look it over will give you a new perspective on your work and may even lead to new, better solutions.

* Review Other's Contributions
Don't take it for granted that others can do the job well or even that they know what they're doing. Trust but verify. Remember the saying, "Don't expect what you don't inspect."

* Review your mistakes
Sometimes you make mistakes. Learn from them and move on.

* Review Accomplishments
A lot can be learned from your past accomplishments. Take the the time to go over your past work and look objectively at what you did well and didn't do so well. There are many lessons to learn.

Control

* Control Your Task List- Don't Drop Anything
Keep track of your commitments. If you don't know what you need to do, you can't do it well.

* Control Your Commitments: Just Say No
With a heavy workload, it may be hard to get everything done right. This may mean saying no to new projects.

* Control Your Understanding
Find out deadlines and requirements. Ask questions. Make sure you know what's expected. If you don't know what you're shooting for you can't succeed.

* Control Expectations
Provide feedback at the beginning of a project of what you will be delivering. Set the scope of the project early so there aren't any misunderstandings.

* Control Yourself
Don't try to do everything yourself at one time. Break projects apart and succeed through layering one success on top of another. This will enable you provide progress and ensure you are on the right track.

Learn

* Learn From Others
The people around you may be doing some tasks better than you. How are they doing it? Look at colleagues, bosses and definitely don't neglect learning from subordinates.

* Learn Through Research
Look at industry groups, books and blogs- all may have some good tips on helping you do better.

* Learn Through Education
Are there ways to enhance your skills? Take an extra course? How can you learn more?

* Relearn
If you frequently do a task but it isn't consistently perfect, take some time to analyze the steps you should be doing. Start the process from scratch. Consciously do one step at a time making sure you're doing it right.

Think

* Commit to Quality
Decide that with anything you do, you'll do it the right way. Just committing to quality will cause you to reconsider sending out a half-baked project and increase your quality.

* Brainstorm
Think of ways you can do it better. Think of ways to put systems around your tasks.

* Envision Success
Ask yourself "What would perfect execution look like for this task?" Now go do it.

* Be Proud of Your Quality
If you take pride in your quality, you won't release non-quality items.

* Solve the Problem, Not the Request
Sometimes a "simple" request is not so simple. Find out what the requester really wants, then give it to him.

* Think big picture
Don't just solve the problem by applying a quick fix. See how it fits in the big picture and determine if you san solve a big problem with just a little more effort.

* Don't Wait for Deadlines
It's inevitable that people rush to finish a task at the deadline. This only leads to more problems. The solution is simple- start early and plan your schedule so that you finish early. Which leads to:

* Exceed expectations
You've understood the expectations and you've set expectations- now do your best to exceed them. Everyone loves good surprises!

You're not going to be able to implement this in one day but refer to this list often to ensure you're always thinking of quality. With good quality, work doesn't need to be reworked and problems are minimized.You can remember these using the mnemonic Review-TLC (TLC= Think, Learn, Control).

Six Attributes of Leadership

Does leadership have an effect on success? Is there a difference between management and leadership? Can leadership be learned? The answer to all these questions is yes. In this article, I will look at six attributes of project/program leadership. This is certainly not a complete list, just a start - one that I believe can help leaders achieve success.

1. Lateral thinking

The first attribute, lateral thinking, covers a variety of methods to get us out of the usual line of thought. It is this kind of thinking that cuts across the instilled and predetermined patterns we all too often employ when working on a problem. With this type of thinking we try different perceptions, different concepts and different points of view, as well as consider multiple possibilities and approaches. This does not mean that we automatically forget the way things have been; it means that we make sure we consider all options: the simple to the complex, the direct and indirect, and the straight and the circular path, leaving no stone unturned. Many problems we face as project and program managers and leaders require different perspectives to solve them successfully.

2. Empowerment

Often, there is little or no recognition for people who spend time on elementary problems - it's the big problems that receive all the attention. Yet, big problems usually start as minor problems. Because of personal and interpersonal attitudes of the leader, participants may develop the habit of ignoring problems until they explode, at which time they become big problems. Then, leaders want to go on record for being a problem solver. Heroics like this not only tend to be self centered, they can take away from the work of members. Empowered project teams correct this attitude. They focus on getting the job done while solving or preventing problems while they are still minor.

The ultimate paradox of leadership power is that to be an effective leader, one must turn all team members into leaders. In this way, relationships and the issues of leadership and empowerment become important. Successful leaders are able to motivate, to energize and to empower others by giving the team the authority, responsibility, tools and resources it needs. When people are excited and empowered, it affects both their task initiation and task persistence. That is, empowered people get more involved, take on more difficult situations, deal with issues as soon as possible and act more confidently. Empowered people expend more effort on a given task and are more persistent in their efforts.

3. Optimism

The third attribute is optimism. Leaders are optimistic. They think positively. They extend this attitude from the present to the future. Positive thinking is more than just avoiding negative emotions; there are actions and forethought involved. It is an attitude, a view to life, an orientation. It manifests in the successful leader's words, actions, relationships and values. When negative events happen, excellent leaders purposefully look for something positive. Instead of feeling that they can't do something, they look at the problem as an opportunity for their and the team's development and growth.

4. Demand better

On-going self-assessment and self-evaluation are critical for ensuring growth for an individual and the team. It helps the leader and the team to meet objectives and have a positive impact. Demanding better is actually a simple idea; all one has to do is ask, "What are we doing now and what can we do even better?" Humans actually need to grow, it is vital to life! The process is based on feedback, self-awareness, openness and trust. Essentially, that's all there is to it. Asking the question over and over again focuses leaders on challenging themselves and team members. Further, it sets into motion an on-going self-evaluation and a focus on the development process of achievement. In return, this focus on the process brings positive results and eventually becomes a normal part of everyday life.

5. Encourage delegation

Delegation is one of the most important roles of a leader's job; the excellent leader's job isn't 'to do,' it is to gain or accomplish things through team members. The leader's time should be spent on such things as visioning, motivating, controlling and goal setting, and not on trivial jobs such as fighting fires or responding to interruptions and correcting errors.

Delegating relieves time-pressures, it provides the time to vision and create. It provides team members with an opportunity to expand their own skills in decision making and problem solving and encourages their creativity and initiative; it gives them the necessary ingredients for growth. At the same time, it motivates them to become what they are capable of being.

It forces the leader to spend time with team members, thus developing interpersonal relationships and skills. The feedback and attention will encourage team members on to greater things. It helps set performance standards based on member's accomplishments or results rather than purely on their activity and helps to increase results by releasing the leader from some day-to-day activities. Delegating allows the leader to step back and take a look at the bigger picture rather than get caught-up in the internal activities of the organization. The leader will then be able to think outwards for the better of the organization and not lose sight of the real goals.

6. Reside in the future

To meet future challenges, leaders must reside in the future. Only then can leaders set a vision with reasonable goals and promote the process of developing effective strategies to achieve them. Considering the future enables leaders to think constructively about it and, along with team members, do the things that contribute to achieving visions. Proactive future-oriented thinking can lead to greater team and organizational success. The future will happen, no matter what we do. If one wants a successful future, one needs to work at it.

A successful organization has a successful leader who demonstrates these traits:

• Lateral thinking
• Empowerment
• Are optimistic
• Demand better
• Encourage delegation
• Reside in the future

A Good Product Manager

Here is nice article you should read!

http://www.goodproductmanager.com/2008/09/25/lack-of-complaints-does-not-equal-success/

Interesting!

Dont come back to me saying that the article wasnt good. It was my view! :-))

Shiv Khera : Fire of Motivation

Fire of Motivation

I believe in two premises:

(i) most people are good people, but can do better; and
(ii) most people already know what to do, so why aren't they doing it?

What is missing is the spark--motivation. Some self help books adopt
the approach of teaching what to do; we take a different approach. We
ask, "Why don't you do it?" If you ask people on the street what
should be done, they will give you all the correct answers. But ask
them whether they are doing it and the answer will be no. What is
lacking is motivation.

The greatest motivation comes from a person's belief system. That means he
needs to believe in what he does and accept responsibility. That is
where motivation becomes important. When people accept responsibility
for their behavior and actions, their attitude toward life becomes
positive. They become more productive, personally and professionally.
Their relationships improve both at home and at work. Life becomes
more meaningful and fulfilled.

After a person's basic physical needs are met, emotional needs become
a bigger motivator. Every behavior comes out of the "pain or gain"
principle. If the gain is greater than the pain, that is the
motivator. If the pain is greater than the gain, then that is a
deterrent.

Gains can be tangible, such as: monetary rewards, vacations, and
gifts. They can be intangible, such as: recognition, appreciation,
sense of achievement, promotion, growth, responsibility, sense of
fulfillment, self worth, accomplishment, and belief.

Inspiration is changing thinking; motivation is changing action.

Motivation is like fire unless you keep adding fuel to it, it dies.
Just like exercise and food don't last long, neither does motivation.
However, if the source of motivation is belief in inner values, it
becomes long--lasting.

- Shiv Khera

(He has started a Political party to save some big barons money ....
Black to White? What is the Fire of Motivation?)

Welcome!

Let me talk more on the Software Development....