25 HOURS AND THREE BALLS ppt

Learn Email Basics First: Pass The Test Wave Your Company’s Flag; Be Its SpokespersonMake Your Boss Shine Like A Star Part 2 – Accelerate Progress Treat All People As Special.. Super sal

25 HOURS AND THREE BALLS

byRajesh SoundararajanSMASHWORDS EDITION

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PUBLISHED BYRajesh Soundararajan on Smashwords

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25 HOURS AND THREE BALLSCopyright © 2011 by Rajesh Soundararajan

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SMASHWORDS EDITION LICENSE NOTES

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with

If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy Thank you for

respecting the author's work

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DEDICATED TO

Lavanya, Vimala and TG Soundararajan

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It has been my long time wish to help people be more

successful I have seen through career that people have the skills, competencies and experiences and yet they

underestimate their own potential Often times, they are looking for simple new tricks to make them successful

I maintain a blog aspire2be that urges you to ‘dare to dream’ For dreams define your aspirations and aspirations sculpt your character Character determines the person you are and the person you will be

Happy reading!

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CONTENTSPart 1 – Getting To The Top 8

Start Your Own Firm

Get Your Dream Job, Not Any Job

Always Take The Job That Offers The Most Money

Be A Profit Centre, Avoid Staff Jobs

Get Closer To Your Customer Be A Salesman

Do Not Be A Paper Pusher, Push Ideas

Give Zest To Your Hello

One Nasty Email Can Seal Your Career

Learn Email Basics First: Pass The Test

Wave Your Company’s Flag; Be Its SpokespersonMake Your Boss Shine Like A Star

Part 2 – Accelerate Progress

Treat All People As Special

Temper Your Temper

Overpay Your People

Don’t Build Empires And Fiefdoms

Follow The Footsteps Of Your Boss!

Avoid Office Politics

Avoid Travelling With Your Bosses!

Add Fuel To The Fire!

Don’t Hide The Elephant

Learn Differentiated Decision Making

Manage By Moving Away

Part 3 – Staying There

For Your Life’s Sake, Have A Goal

Learn To Juggle The Three Balls

Only Bet On Yourself!

Be An Active Listener

Always Take Vacations.

Do Something Hard And LonelyMaster The Rules Of Time

Realize Your Dream – In Three StepsMake Your Life A Masterpiece

PART 1 – GETTING TO THE TOP

START YOUR OWN FIRM

To many this thought might unsettle a bit Others may ponder

a bit and give it a thought And for those who wish to continue working the rest of the articles will continue to help

A formal employment gives, or at least is supposed to give three things:

Job security: The very fact of closure of Lehman and lay-offs

by GM, Microsoft and IBM in 2008 only questions the very hypothesis of job security as it exists in salaried jobs today Identity: a business card and title does give one a sense of social status Why would you not achieve the same if you start your own company and become the CEO or consultant? You

have just given yourself a title and a job scope, which you have always wanted

The other aspect of identity is a "company brand" or

"revenues" of the company Think about it – these top Wall Street banks just crumbled General Motors and Chryslers reported pathetic performance, they just could not get a single act right You sure are better than those CEOs At least you did not depreciate public money In your personal evaluation, your worth needs to be better than what you think by being an appendage to someone else's

Monthly cash flow is clearly the most rational reasoning and has a practical impact One needs money, to run their homes,

to eat, to pay mortgage and pay for children's education If one were to calculate these with a level of practicality – just go back and check your current bank reserves and re-prioritize Most people in middle and senior management should be well off In most cases, I have seen we can live well, without a job for 5-10 years, with fairly good quality of life style Does that give you some confidence? You are richer than you think and you are far more capable than you think

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GET YOUR DREAM JOB, NOT ANY JOB

A CV with a ‘for everyone’ cover letter = junk mail; A CV

without a cover letter = waste paper

Imagine the fate of hundreds of direct mailers that you pick from the mailbox Do they ever get into your door? They hit the trash somewhere between the mailboxes to the door

99% of CVs go straight from Inbox to Trash Some companies auto-generate a nice sounding rejection letter before moving to trash Most CVs are ignored

Imagine this –Would you have ever bought a dime of

insurance from someone who just barged into your office or home without an appointment? Cold calling has extremely low success rates

You are the product and your CV is your brochure Super sales people never send a brochure before meeting with a prospective customer Super sales people send brochure after the first meeting or bring it with them on follow-up calls If the brochure is not completely customized to the customer’s needs, the sales person highlights the product benefits that will have the highest chance of solving the customer’s problems

Super sales people create interest in their products and use the brochures to re-affirm and to leave a lasting impression of the product or the meeting

Just follow what super sales people do and make your CV stick That happens only after customer reads it after talking to you, hearing about you, or meeting you This is particularly true if you have interviewed or spoken to the hiring manager Your CV will be able to deliver to the ‘needs’

Turn junk mail into an offer letter Do not send a CV without proper preparation If possible, deliver your CV in person

Present your CV Follow-up with your CV that meets the

needs

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ALWAYS TAKE THE JOB THAT OFFERS THE MOST

MONEY

Yes! You heard it right

Remember Robert Kiyosaki in Rich - “Money is not the cause

of all evil, lack of it is” Well if you believe in that, read on.After you have chosen your profession whether it is banking, advertising, manufacturing, software, or something else – go and work for the company that offers you the most money If you have not figured it out on what career or industry is for you, better still, take the job that offers you the most money If you are already in the organization, always take the transfer,

or assignment that pays the most money (How disgusting can

we get, we have used money four times in this paragraph) There are five key reasons why you must go for the money

1. All your benefits, bonuses and subsequent raises will be based on your salary Companies usually give extra

compensation as percentages Hence, a 10% rise on a

$120,000 @ $120, better than the same raise on a

$100,000 salary

2. The higher paid you are, the more visible to top

management you will be (They will want to keep tabs on that super-duper guy who is taking away so much of company money)

3. The more money you are paid, the more contribution will

be expected of you (Whoever said, there was free lunch) This means you will be given more responsibility, bigger tasks and tougher problems to solve And hence - more chance to perform which in itself is an invitation to success

If there are two candidates vying for a promotion to a job that pays $150,000 and one makes $100,000 while the other $120,000, the higher paid person gets the job

regardless of talent contribution or anything else

Corporations take the easy way out and it is easier to promote the higher paid than the lower paid (Promoting the higher paid employee is the path of least resistance in most situations Someone else has already approved the higher paid’s compensation That means he must be really good Others just concurred In fact the sponsors of the higher paid are themselves even higher paid Promoting the higher paid endorses the wisdom of the upper

management Whoever said, it was fair!)

4. Finally, in business money is the denominator The more you make the better you are doing Simple

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BE A PROFIT CENTRE, AVOID STAFF JOBS

Why do we say that?

Well for starters, let us see the difference between Line jobs and Staff jobs

Line jobs make money for your organization In some places they are also called profit centres Line jobs bring in money and have direct relationship with profit and loss They impact the business and bottom line directly They are the reason for your organization’s existence

Staff jobs, also called as cost centres in organizations include lawyers, planners, data processing people, research and development, scientists and administrators of all types Some justifiable staff jobs indirectly get and keep customers Jobs that don’t get and keep customers are redundant

In today’s organization structures the distinction between line jobs and staff jobs is sometimes blurred It is still easy to identify them - line jobs are where the action is Period

Line jobs include sales people, sales managers, product managers, plant managers, marketing directors, foremen and general managers – generally revenue generating functions.

In many companies, majority of the people are either doing administration or field sales Administrative people are not bad

or untalented But the organizations do not usually view them

as cutting edge The company does not depend on them They are increasingly being replaced by automated computer

systems and application software that can manage the routine

In other cases, these people are replaceable by people from other industries with minimal training and tolerable impact to business

Take a staff job only if it is purely temporary, a stepping stone and if it pays more money

Be sure what the line and staff jobs in your company are Be sure to get the right one You do not want to be a cost centre

Do you?

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GET CLOSER TO YOUR CUSTOMER BE A SALESMAN

Is it a coincidence that majority of corporate Presidents started

as a salesman or were sales people at some point in their career?

Selling is a super critical function Selling possibly is the only function that gets up close and personal to your customer A sales person starts to understanding customer’s likes, dislikes and idiosyncrasies They get to know the precise reason why a product or company clicks or why it ticks

And as the salesperson grows in the organization to increased responsibilities, they start shaping products, teams and

organization structures to address their customer’s need They have first-hand experience and the conviction required to fix things that generates revenue for the company Over time and not surprisingly, the successful salesman becomes a star within the company He is well recognized, for the sales man knows their customers the best

When management wants to hire for a position on the

management team, whom do you think would be on their A-list – A star salesman?

Secondly, since organizations exist because of their

customers, management would prefer someone who has been with the customers for senior positions

Thirdly, in all probability the current CEO and the executive team were salespersons themselves in the career It is only natural for biases towards star salespersons

Whatever is the case if you are a salesman you are in good hands? You have the inherent advantage to get to the top If not, get a role in sales to fill up that gaping hole in your

otherwise impeccable record

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DO NOT BE A PAPER PUSHER, PUSH IDEAS

As modern corporations grow to become global businesses, there is an increasing need for ‘replicable models’ and

Corporations are afraid of internal entrepreneurs They cannot handle personalities that build businesses Most managers cannot deal with informal, anti-policy, anti-procedure style, idea people and business builders They want monthly reports, detailed expense accounts, and personal reviews on paper, quarterly reports, year-end reports, stock reports, one hundred page business plans and many more Do not get paper-

strapped Papers are means to an end

Do not get paper trapped Do not accept those handcuffs The zillion reports, if they do not help in decision making – do not prepare them If some report has to be done and you know no one looks at it, avoid it at all costs If it is unavoidable,

delegate it to the junior-most level staff Just do not do

anything that does not improve your company’s performance PS: At the same time please do document the statutory things that are important for your company existence

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GIVE ZEST TO YOUR HELLO

Always answer the phone with enthusiasm in your voice and show your appreciation for the caller In today’s times where telephonic conversation is over mobile phones and VOIPs are

a norm, this aspect has become even more crucial in creating the first impression

We all are very perceptive when the person at the other end is just not listening to us in the conference call or he is just bored

How many times have you got disappointed with the apathetic approach with a call centre? How would you react when you call 900 and the person at the other end answers with lethargy and disinterest?

Yes, these are extreme examples Good phone manners are essential

To convey authority on the line, stand up This will instil further confidence in your voice

To convey empathy, get closer to the phone – switch off the speaker phone - and pick up the receiver

To convey friendliness, smile The other party can sure hear your smile

Practice this for a week and you will see the difference in the way people react to you

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ONE NASTY EMAIL CAN SEAL YOUR CAREER

Well, wise men said it in the past and it is true even today –

“before you utter something, count to 10, take a deep breath and then speak” “What you have not said, you can always say later What you have said, you can never take it back”

• Never write a note that criticises, hurts or belittles or humiliates a colleague

• Do not write a condescending note or a note that is unkind, sexist or does not respect the individual

• Never send out an email that is written in anger or frustration

• We live in a small world People get promoted, change companies, jobs, roles

• They have influential friends Companies merge, acquired or get acquired

• Your self-made enemy may show up anywhere Never give a company rival a smoking gun

• Spend your energy in positive things

Makes sense? Common sense?

Suggesting Reading: Try “Manipulative Memos” by Arthur D Rosenberg

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LEARN EMAIL BASICS FIRST: PASS THE TEST

Why would we want to focus on writing an email, something as simple and common?

Because, the US economy loses over $900 billion annually in lost productivity and up to 28 present of workers' time due to information overload because of email The impact is severe - not enough strategic thinking time, lack of work/life balance, and workflow breakdowns

The common problems are usually - compulsively checking mail, loosely constructing e-mails, holding thousands of e-mail messages in the inbox

e-If you want to get control of e-mail, you must first re-examine these approaches, recognize that they may not be working, and replace them with behaviours to manage e-mail more effectively, as individuals first, then as teams and

organizations

Ask yourself these four questions while composing e-mails that are lengthy and take more than two minutes to write

P - What's the Purpose of your communication and does it

relate to a Meaningful Objective? (If it doesn't relate back to your Meaningful Objectives consider renegotiating or

disengaging

A - What Action is involved and does it have a due date? (Be

clear about what you want the recipient to do: take physical action, respond only, read only, or simply review as an FYI When using time lines be discerning and make sure they mean something and hold people accountable to your

timeliness )

S - What Supporting documentation do you need to include?

(Identifying the supporting information that the recipient needs

in order to complete the requested action successfully This will reduce the likelihood of your message coming back to you with questions )

S - Have you effectively summarized your communication in

the Subject Line? (Follow three elements to a good Subject

Line: clarify the meaningful objectives or projects that the mail message relates to, clearly indicate the action requested, and identify a due date, if there is one

e-So the next time you write an email, let people talk about your ability to ‘pass’ the test

WAVE YOUR COMPANY’S FLAG; BE ITS

SPOKESPERSON

Let me twist this the other way round –

How would you feel if the President of your company is cynical about your organization, its products, its people and its

processes? Would you work for that President?

If you want to head this company someday, would it not be fair that you commit yourself totally to its people, products and services You must understand the company’s mission and its values You must live the company culture You must do this

as your second nature You must at all times be worthy of being a representative of the company that you work for

• Use its products If possible promote them tirelessly to all, especially family and friends

• Buy your company’s stock, if available (and affordable)

• Talk about the great people you work with Be proud about them as your colleagues and friends

We have all seen this often times that

• Customers do not buy from salesmen who do not believe in their product

• Candidates do not join companies where HR does not believe in their own company’s values

• Employees do not want to work for managers who do not believe in the company

• prospective employers shun candidates who talk ill of their previous organizations

If you do not believe in your company’s products, values, services or vision – Do not work for that company There is no point in having you go through the dissonance each day, personally and with people around you If you do not believe in smoking or explosives or that addictive video game, don’t work for such companies

Cynicism about one’s own company, its people and products

is hallmark of a loser, not its future President

PS: I am not suggesting that you must blindly advocate the wrong, if the company does one If something is amiss,

critique it constructively, offer to help and share with your superiors on the disconnect and how you plan to fix them Do all it takes to fix it Or, maybe there is a reason for the way

things are that you may not know By all means avoid the gossips and cynicism.

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MAKE YOUR BOSS SHINE LIKE A STAR AND YOUR

SUPER BOSS A POLE STAR!

Q: How do you rise up in the organization?

A: Take your boss’s job faster than others

Having said that, your Boss cannot vacate his job, unless he has a better job! So essentially it means two things

1 Make your Boss look good so that he is promotable

2 Make yourself promotable by making your Boss’s Boss look better

Why am I talking of your super Boss here – because you must look good to your Boss’s Boss as well Because in many cases, Boss’s Boss still is influential and is a key player in your growth He may not proactively push your case But if he does not see worthy of the job, he will stall your case

How does one make these happen? I am not talk of sucking

up or sycophancy here!

You make people look good by these eight steps Simple…

1. Anticipate their needs

2 Do that extra work to solve their problems

3. Keep them informed By far, this is where most people fail.

4. Always finish work ahead of schedule

5. Do a little bit more than expected

6 See your job and actions through their eyes

7 See their job through their eyes

8. Don’t let them make a mistake

Hmm… get cracking today!

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PART 2 – ACCELERATE PROGRESS

TREAT ALL PEOPLE AS SPECIAL

People are people

They are more than people They are mothers, fathers, friends, coaches, teachers, volunteers, photographers, charity workers and contributors They can do a lot of things if they are appreciated and they can do it better if they are motivated and thanked

Successful managers make people feel special People who work with excellent mangers feel that they

• are needed not used…

• are contributors, not costs…

• are workers not worked…

• are instrumental, not instruments

• are sold on what to do, not tell…

• are people, not personnel…

• are measured, not monitored…

• are asked, not questioned

• are well paid, not underpaid

Suggested reading - Whale Done! : The Power of Positive Relationships by Kenneth Blanchard, Thad Lacinak, Chuck Tompkins, and Jim Ballard

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TEMPER YOUR TEMPER

Temper tantrums, sulking, finger-pointing are all signs of panic More corporate heads have rolled because of the above than any other single display of emotion

When managers panic, they lose their temper and behave in what would go down in history as the ‘best regrettable

moment’ Good CEOs do not panic Nor lose their temper They are confident and in-control in adverse situations That earns them the respect

If a colleague makes an unkind comment to you, do not

respond It is OK to smile Your supporters will be as offended

as you Your detractors will sense your control Anybody else will see you above the fray Do not get angry Even when anger is justified, observers are put off by the angry person This can be a cultivated habit and its importance cannot be underemphasized Calm down Tell yourself to say calm If you have ten seconds to make a decision, think for nine

Let me illustrate with a story, I heard not so long ago

In the course of making fine wine, one of the crucial periods is the crush The crush is those few weeks when grape is

selected for harvest, tested for quality, chosen or rejected and crushed to release the juice that will eventually become wine Mistakes or misjudgements during the crus can adversely impact the entire vintage resulting in damaged reputation and reduced prices and profits

Some years ago, in the midst of a crush at a famous winery, the president received a frantic call from his managers The winemaker has resigned The president immediately knew the damage potential but he stayed calm and thought for a few moments and then asked, “What would you do if the

winemaker died instead of resigned?” The managers said they would make so-and-so the winemaker “So be it”, said the president and the new winemaker carried the winery tradition for fifteen more years

Go ahead! Start taking control of your temper before it controls you

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OVERPAY YOUR PEOPLE

Contrarian? Not really!

If a person needs to be paid $5,000 a month, he will know You pay him $4750, he will know and he will feel cheated He will not go that extra mile or work that extra hour Somehow,

he will find a way to punish you – mentally, physically or

financially – for paying him unfairly It is a matter of time till he just jumps sides at the first available option – you lose all your efforts of training them Worse still, he will go to a competitor

If someone needs to be paid $5,000 pays him $5,750 You will get much more than what it costs you This person will now stretch and justify the confidence

Myopic Managers seldom understand this trick They are cutting costs and feel proud of having shaved that few hundred dollars Little do they realise that a motivated and charged up employee contributes 25%-100% more than a normal

employee In fact, the ration may go up in multiples, compared

to a morose employee who comes to work each day feeling cheated and spends his mental energies looking for better opportunities

People are an investment, not costs I would have a fewer people who work at 120% efficiency than a bunch of blokes working at 70% efficiency

The old adage – “if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys” – still holds true In fact if a manager prides about paying the lowest salaries, they better be sacked After all they are doing

disservice to the company and killing the innovation and larger game plan by saving a few bucks

PS:

A higher pay, does well to a man’s ego and confidence

Anything that does that is a sure shot way to get phenomenally better result

Better still, they become unemployable as most players in the market cannot afford to pay her that

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DON’T BUILD EMPIRES AND FIEFDOMS

Another big myth from practicing managers is that they think that the biggest budget and the most people reporting to them

is a guarantee to get them to the top This probably was true in the days of kings not in today’s flat world Today, it is all (only) about doing more with less

Do more – Grow revenue, profits, market share – with less people, money and resources

A few cardinal rules

never complain that you are expected to do more than what your budget enables

do not be that manager who is constantly hiring people

never use lack of resource as an excuse

Forget the empire Power and promotions go to people who can do more with less Efficient producers not resource hungry administrators

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