Author: Rdadmin

Why Organizational Change Fails?

In order to survive and cope up with new challenges in the market place, almost every business goes through a very tedious task of organizational change under various names like restructuring, rightsizing, re-engineering, turnarounds etc. Only those businesses which were able to change and evolve as per the market realities have been successful. While others have failed miserably even though they were pioneers in their fields at some point. Nokia, Toshiba and Kodak were top ranked companies and dominated their respective markets. However they failed to embrace the evolving market realities and change the way they worked. And it just took a couple of years to become obsolete and none of them is in business. The only thing that is constant is ‘Change’ and there’s no denying it- change is tough. When an organization decides it needs to change certain processes/ systems, it is very common for the employees to feel uncomfortable or even intimidated. According to Rick Maruer, author of the book ‘Beyond the Walls of Resistance’ 70% of the attempts to change organizations fail. Such a high failure rate does not only lead to many missed opportunities but also waste so many scarce resources which if used well could change the fortune of the organization. Below, I share some insights   why organizations fail to implement change and what could be done to bring a successful change. Organizational change can fail due to following reasons: 1. It’s not compelling: Usually the organizational change is interpreted as more work and more stress for the same pay. Change needs a strong reason. Employees can’t be pushed to change until they are not convinced of the urgency. Employees will not  commit to change if they will not find it compelling. 2. It’s not deemed as required: Change can’t be an option. Change is a requirement. Sometimes leaders fail to understand the need of the change. They try solutions which are familiar but not appropriate to bring any change. Lack of conviction on part of the leadership leads to abandonment of change. 3. Lack of proper communication: Sometimes it is not the message but the way it is communicated that does all the harm as the leadership may find it difficult to deliver a tough message and the employees may find the message inconsistent and may interpret it differently. Consequently employees do not embrace the change and hamper the very idea of organizational change. 4. Differing Agendas: Sometimes hearing about a change many employees assess the implications for their jobs/positions and resist the change due to their ego and self interests. 5. Lack of Leadership: Though the change strategy is formulated by the senior management but it is the people at lowest level who make the change happen. Sometimes people at lower levels don’t trust their higher ups and hence don’t participate in the change management process. Due to which the intended effect becomes very difficult to achieve. And a number of times change fails for a simple reason that leaders do not know what not to do. 6. Lack of performance measures: Organizational change is all about improvement. There has to be clear set of performance measures to check whether the organization is on track. Without the performance indicators managing and sustaining change will be practically impossible. 7. Lack or poor allocation of resources: Organizational change is a long term process and it requires a long term investment to sustain. Change can fail if there is a lack of resources. Sometimes leader find it very challenging to allocate proper resources to all the areas of change and they tend to allocate more resources to certain area of change which they find more compelling while compromising other areas. – See more at: http://sankarshan.in/why-organizational-change-fails/#sthash.8cEhdX97.dpuf

How to Develop the Habit of Book Reading?

Let me begin with the fact that I have been a reader in the past and then I was just busy like all of us and then I renewed by friendship with books again. On a serious note, I am aware how habit of book reading adds perspective and meaning to our lives but I also have an experience to share, which I am sure will help you in developing habit of book reading for all great reasons like self development, career growth, career switch and even the young parents can read and seek help for positive parenting and develop habit of book reading in the kids. During my MBA I had read 114 books, apart from my subject books! Those included self-help, business management and non fictional. I met with an accident on 4th April’03 and I was in coma for some time. I spent more than a year recovering from the accident. A lot of things changed due to accident and I missed two which were very close to me. First, driving, and the other, book reading. I recovered gradually and started my life as a normal person and started my career with Indian Express and also started driving. I was happy as my life was back on track and I was doing well in my career. But still I missed reading and my favorite seat at my B- School library. Though I was reading a lot on my mobile, laptop etc. but I was not reading books the way I was used to. I asked two of my friends, Mohit Pawar and Jimmy Jain, who themselves are voracious readers, to help me get back to the reading habit and they helped me with some simple but very effective tips which I found are of great help if anyone wants to develop this habit. I am back to the rhythm and my own small library is flourishing again. This blog is for my friends who want to develop book reading habit. Quick tips to develop habit of book reading: 1. Always carry a book: As they say out of sight is out of mind. Always carry a book and whenever you get time try and read during the day. You can read while traveling or waiting for someone in a restaurant or a cab, a train station – wherever you have free time. A lot many people listen to audio books while driving but I don’t recommend that as when you are driving you should focus on driving and listening audio book needs concentration and then you will not be able to concentrate on driving. 2. Make a reading list: Keep your hobbies/ interests in mind while deciding what kind of books you enjoy reading and make a list of the books. And if you come to know about a good book you can add the book to your list. I keep my reading list on my email and I email myself if someone recommends me a good book which is not there in my reading list. 3. Go to a used bookstore: In the beginning one may find books he wants to read to be expensive. The used bookstore can be of great help as it will help you save a lot of money and you will be able to buy more books and read more. 4. Minimize TV Time and Social Media Time: TV and Social Media consume a lot of our productive time and as per some medical reports they have a bad effect on our brain and health. Reducing our TV and Social Media time will be little challenging at first but once you make concentrated efforts you will be amazed how much free time you have for book reading. 5. Go to library: You can find those expensive and rare books, which are not there in used bookstore, in library. The memberships are quite affordable and helpful for the starters. 6. Set a Goal: To start with set a goal of reading at least 25 pages or two chapters of a book in a day and once you have finished a book now set another goal on how many books you will read in a year. 7. Have a reading time: Assign a time for book reading in your daily schedule and unless you will not schedule it you will not find time in your busy schedule. Assign even if you have 15 minutes in entire day and stick to it no matter what happens. 8. Buy Books don’t Borrow: I prefer to buy book and not to borrow as I can re read it after some time and I do it quite often. Though there are some expensive and rare books which are difficult to purchase. For all such books use library and make notes after reading which can be helpful for future references. 9. Know when to give up: To start with find books which are fun and compelling and keep you going. If you are reading a book and you find the first 50 pages as boring then give up. The idea here is to cultivate a habit. Once you have cultivated reading habit you can always pick up the same book and read. 10. Reward yourself: Make your reading time pleasurable. Have some tea/coffee when you read. And treat yourself with pizza/chocolate/ice cream after finishing the book. I hope this helps you and if you are trying and still find it difficult to develop habit of book reading, let us connect and I might help you with some recommendations and preferences. You can write to me on rjdhir@gmail.com Happy reading 🙂

Govardhan Puja: Thanks Giving Day to our Parents- Lessons from our Puranas

Today’s the fourth day of Diwali festival and Hindus across the world celebrate this day by performing Govardhan Puja. Govardhan Puja reminds me of stories I had learned during my childhood. In this post I’ll share those two stories and lessons from our Puranas. Story 1: Krishna was playing with his friends when he saw villagers of Varindavan carrying eatables for a Yaga to please Indra, the God of Rains. Krishna asked them why do they pray a God who’s so distant and instead they should pray Mount Govardhan which actually brings rains and provide food and shelter to so many creatures. He initiated a festival that paid respect to Mount Govardhan by offering food and many other things. Krishna then assumed the form of mountain and accepted the offerings of the villagers. Indra got very angry upon seeing shift in the devotion of villagers towards Krishna and Mount Govardhan. To teach villagers a lesson he directed lightning storm and heavy downpour upon Varindavan. To protect the villagers from the calamity, Krishna lifted the Mount Govardhan on his little finger and the entire village came under Mount Govardhan to take shelter from storm. Indra after causing such heavy downpour for seven days ultimately gave up and bowed to Krishna’s superiority. Click here to watch the story. Story 2: Once Maharishi Narad gave a divine fruit to Lord Shiv and Mata Parvati and told them that whosoever will eat this fruit will get supreme knowledge and immortality. Kartikey and Ganesha, sons of Lord Shiv and Mata Parvati, both wanted to eat that fruit and both requested their parents to give the fruit to them. Now the situation was tricky as whom to give the fruit. So Lord Shiv told them whoever will circle the entire world seven times and come back first will get the fruit. Listening this Kartikey took his vehicle, Peacock, and started his journey around the world. On the other hand Ganesha’s vehicle was mouse and he thought he can’t defeat his elder brother by riding mouse. So he thought what does the world mean to him and who’s his world. Ganesha loved his parents and whoever we love, becomes center of our lives and all our life energy goes into it. So Ganesha circled his parents, who were his world, seven times and got the blessings of his parents. Ganesha was adjudged the winner of the race. Hence he was given the divine fruit. Click here to watch the story. These two stories, and lessons from our Puranas, remind us that our parents are our Mount Govardhan and our world. All their lives they try and protect us from all the evils and difficulties. They provide nothing but the best of means to grow and help us excel in our lives. When the whole world is performing Govardhan Puja today by circling Mount Govardhan, let’s all Thank our Parents for all the sacrifices they have made and all they have done to ensure our well being and make us what we are today. May God Bless everyone’s Parents!

How to Choose your Training Partner and Plan for an Out Bound Training Program?

When was your last out bound training program? Did you have fun? Remember the take away of your out bound training program? I am really happy if you do but after having met and spoken to several connections in the industry, I am afraid that we do not remember much of the take away. Reason, is simple – the industry is facing a price war, a competition with the event companies that are slowly moving towards corporate companies to tap parts of their employee events. Corporate companies welcome these companies largely for two reasons – Price and Relationships. I must say, some of the ‘team building companies’ are very good as the people behind them are experienced, come from training industry and launched themselves right on the identified gap by the event industry. Training Companies are going through a robust change, at 2 levels some are adding value in delivery mode though right training simulations and content expertise. Others are cashing on low budgets and have found their space between team building activities and employee retreats. There are few who have created a perfect amalgamation of team activities & retreats and have labeled the product offering as ‘corporate retreats’. The idea here is, to understand the thin line between Outbound Training Programs are corporate picnics, which are being framed as a popular jargon ‘corporate retreats’. Here are few pointers, which you as an HR must understand to plan an Out Bound Training Program: Know Your Audience As the training organizer or coordinators, it is important to streamline the audience. You cannot plan an event for all in entirety. Understand the purpose of Program The most significant aspect of having a program is to work on the design & delivery of the program which is only done by a trainer who understand the competency model of the program. This is equally important in context to the previous point, you need to understand the audience. When we design programs, develop content – the primary facet of the same to understand the audience, competency mapping of the audience and then developing the program for them. Use Science & Technology to its Best The very purpose of a training program is – adding value to your team, your employees and to upgrade their professional capabilities. Training Industry is upgrading to simulations, it is about the science of training largely designed on the basis of neurosciences and how effective they could be in adult learning techniques. Differentiate between OBTs and Retreats Once you have understood the above requisites of an upcoming program, you need to clearly demand the training partners- they need t differentiate between an OBT and a retreat program. Retreats are good for team rejuvenation but OBTs are different and need to be focused and result oriented. OBTs should cover the following: Audience Orientation aligned with the KRAs. Outdoor activities should be about Positive Challenges to your team, mental as well as physical. Team Games is not all an OBT needs, there has to be a defined cause & effect for each training element. Action in an OBT needs to be completely allied with the learning objectives which a training partner should design with Reporting Managers of the audience or the HR. OBT Objectives for the Trainer As a trainer, I believe little bit of customization and tweaking is required as per the industry, the audience, their job profiles and KRAs. Some of the standard objectives however will be, Structure the training program based on brief of HR, Employee roles and program design. Make your participants comfortable and be appealing throughout the program. Align the learning objectives with the OBT activities. Aptitude & Ability to understand the profiles, and interact with them to understand the problem areas. Deliver lessons sensitively but keeping the OBT environment light & candid Firstly, you need to understand the need for certain training program, plan it in a structured way, define goals for a program, explain it to the team and bring the training content in sync with the client requirements, follow & inculcate the above trends and now you are good to go. In case you need any further help on choosing  your Training Partner and plan for an Out Bound Training Program, feel free to write to me on, rjdhir@gmail.com.

Developing Ownership

Business Ownership is a looked upon personality trait for leaders, team builders and those who are managing people. Taking ownership about things is a human trait. But taking ownership of situations, circumstances and people doesn’t comes easy. A number of business managers complaint about the lack of ownership among the team members. Developing ownership amongst employees is the challenge a number of leaders come across. I was finishing up a TNA – Training Need Analysis at a Company in BFSI industry and somewhere during the process – felt that all a company lacks these days is the – Employees with ownership & belongingness as a trait. This post is been due since three weeks and the idea was to share and ponder with you my readers – on what companies can do to develop ownership among it employees? Following are few tips I could streamline, please feel free to share your take and ideas on the same: 1. Delegate Smartly: Usually employees don’t take decisions or take ownership as they are afraid of taking a decision which will not be supported by the management. This problem can be solved by delegating effectively. You need to clearly communicate the responsibility of decision making as well as responsibility of the results. When you assign any responsibility to someone you also need to give him freedom to make necessary (at least routine) decisions required to executive the assignment. For any strategic decisions regarding the project you need to take your employees in confidence. Delegation requires a lot of will, time and energy to communicate your expectations but once done properly it helps developing ownership. 2. Have a Plan: Align your team with the vision of the company and help them understand where do they fit in the picture. Once people have understanding of the key objectives, the ownership comes in automatically. As a leader you also need to ensure your team is engaged properly with the broader goals and if you help them succeed and grow, you may be surprised to see what they achieve. 3. Let Employees Speak Out: Employees feel more empowered when they are allowed to speak and contribute ideas and solutions to the problems. Their voice will define the value they bring to the organization. 4. Allow for Mistakes: As a project manager one may have to make a number of decisions in a day and there are many project managers who keep on delaying decisions as they are afraid of taking a wrong decision which may hamper their growth in the company. Allowing people to make mistakes plays a very important part in building a sense of ownership. Mistakes help people learn new lessons and broaden their horizon. 5. Create United Sense of Purpose: When you collaborate on goals and decisions with your employees and connect them to the bigger picture, they develop a united sense of purpose and they tend to be more participative and look beyond their role. The united sense of purpose that employee ownership delivers helps attract and retain the best talent. 6. Build in Daily Reminders of Your Mission: For the first time when I visited Shoppers Stop to conduct a training program, I encountered an amazing but incredibly simple way of reminding all its employees of its mission. At 10:45 am all the Shoppers Stop employees across all the stores PAN India, including their corporate office staff at Mumbai, will stand up and everyone will sing their anthem. Shoppers Stop anthem has a wonderful lyrics and reminds their company mission to their employees. I found it as a very powerful daily reminder of the company mission. Due to such inbuilt daily reminder no doubts Shoppers Stop is amongst most admired retail brands in India. 7. Reward Employees: Who Go Beyond the Norms: Nothing can quell desire to give extra than not feeling recognized. Rewarding employees who go beyond the norms helps in developing ownership amongst employees. I remember a store manager of a retail store in Mumbai opening the store very late in the night to help a customer. The customer was to get engaged the next morning but had lost her luggage in the flight. Though opening a retail store in the absence of the security staff posed a big risk but to help his customer the store manager went beyond the norms. And he was recognized for going beyond the norms and helping the customer by his company. Nothing motivates an employee more than recognizing his contribution to the company goals.   These are the 7 tips which I could think of as a practice for developing ownership among the employees. I am sure these are helpful not only for big corporates but also for SMEs, which mostly work on resource restrictions. The above pointers are also some of the reasons why some of the startups have excelled quickly.

The Little Things Which Make Me Happy

Have you ever wondered what those little things which make you happy are? Following is list of those little things which make me happy Waking Up Early Without Alarm: You know you have more time to finish things. Cuddling In The Bed: It feels great to cuddle in the bed waiting for the bed tea. Going for a Walk: You enjoy the beauty of the nature. Watching the sun rise and watching the birds going out of their nests fills you with joy. Deep Breathing: A 5-10 minutes of deep breathing fills you with positive energy. Touching the Feet of Parents: It’s a way of thank your parents for raising you well. Their blessings can make miracles happen. Smile by a Stranger: Smile breaks the barriers and you may get a friend for life. Give one and you may one. Playing with Kids: Reminds us of those golden days when we were kids. Aaloo Prantha with White Butter and Lassi: Nothing can be more delicious than Aaloo Prantha with white butter and a glass of lassi. Mouth watering and keeps you going for the day. Listening Stories From Elders: Elders love to tell their stories and these stories are full with their life experiences and can help you understand life easily. A Tight Hug From Your Little Ones: That’s what I call, “Unconditional Love.” To See Kids Smiling While Sleeping: What else could be happiness than watching kids smiling while they are sleeping? A Small Change in Your Routine: Makes you more exciting and try something new. Less Traffic on Roads: Heavenly feeling if you are a Delhite. And if you get all signal lights green then.. (No words can describe that feeling) Reaching Office Early: That head start which counts at the last. Storytelling To Kids: Ensures you are spending time with your kids and pass on the knowledge you received from your parents. Reading Your Favorite Book: Helps you understand so many things. Meeting Old Friends On The Go: Who else can remind of all those mischief and blunders? Finding Money in Old Jeans: May be that’s what we call magic! Food Cooked By Mother: Divine! Hugging Your Parents: Telling them whatever you are today and wherever you have reached, it’s only because of their hard work. To Listen Parents Childhood Stories From Their Friends: It’ll make you rolling over the floor laughing. And tell you how naughty/humorous they were at their young age. Spending Time With Old Buddies: Connect to your past. Spending Time Following Your Passion: For me it’s bird photography and playing Alghoza. It helps overcome anxiety and there are a number of lessons I have learnt from bird watching. Click here to learn lessons from bird watching. A Joke From Little Ones: Helps forget the tensions and enjoy life. Visiting Your School/College: Gives a chance to return whatever you have learned to the future generations. Watching Full Moon: That wow feeling!! Experimenting While Cooking and Letting Your Wife Know About The New Recipe: An off from kitchen keeps wife happy. Season’s First Rain: That cool breeze and smell of freshness. Langar Sewa In A Gurudwara: Heavenly feeling! A Break From Your Routine: Gives you an opportunity to rejuvenate yourself. Music You Love: Takes you to the other world, away from your sorrows. And if you can sing along that’s the icing on the cake. Going On a Long Drive: Helps exploring new areas. Dew Drops On Petals Of A Flower: Makes you enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature. Watching/ Listening The Birds Chirping/ Singing: It could be mesmerizing. Massage: Relives from exertion. An Extended Weekend: One can’t ask for more these days than an extended weekend. It gives you enough time to finish all your pending work and go to some distant place away from noise and pollution and rejuvenate yourself with new energy. Your Status Message/ Tweet Getting Viral: Something everyone wants these days. Hand Written Letter: A rare feat these days as people prefer emails and other short messaging services. . Extending A Helping Hand: Sometimes your little help occupy the biggest part of their hearts. Let Your Spouse Pursue his/her Dreams: Makes the bond stronger and makes you proud of his/her achievements. These are some of the little things I could figure out which make me happy. There could be many other things which can be added to the list. Make your list of little things which make you happy.

How to Conduct an Effective Training Need Analysis?

A number of Sales Managers complain that their sales teams don’t meet their monthly sales targets and this issue can be addressed by conducting a product training or a selling skills workshop. And they want this training program to be conducted as soon as possible so that their teams start performing and achieving their targets. Most of Training professionals come across such demands of quick training sessions which will address all the worries of sales managers and transform their teams into super performers. A number of Trainers do think the same and fall in this trap that training is an answer to all performance issues. First they need to understand till the time the real problem is not identified; proposing a training solution or an intervention can be very expensive and fruitless. Now question arises that how can we know what kind of training programs do we need to address the performance issues and what could be other interventions to address the issues? In this post I will explain how can an effective Training Need Analysis help to identify the real training issues in a systematic way and going forward linking training interventions to the overall organizational objectives? Training Need Analysis: TNA is the process of determining and ordering training goals, measuring training needs and deciding on priorities for training action. Training can’t fill all the performance gaps, but a TNA will identify any gaps that can be filled by training. Following are reasons for conducting the TNA: To determine what training is relevant to your employee’s job To determine the required level of skill/knowledge and the current level of skill/knowledge To determine if the training will make a difference To identify the most appropriate training to bridge the gap. Effective training starts with good diagnose. To measure and assess the benefits of the training. To prioritize the training to fill the performance gaps. Role of Training Need Analysis in the Training Cycle: Training Need Analysis directly influences the other steps of the training cycle. Analysis: The systematic process to analyze the training requirements in relations to issues affecting the business performance. Design: The design phase deals with defining the learning objectives, delivery formats, assessment tools, content, activities, subject matter analysis, and lesson planning. Development: The development phase deals with creation of the course materials based on Design phase. Implementation: During implementation the plan is put into action. Training with course content is delivered/ distributed to the trainees and trainee’s understanding is checked. The Evaluation forms are collected from the trainees to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program. Evaluation: Evaluating the employee/team performance before and after training as without evaluation we will not know whether the training has had the desired results. The training cycle may go haywire if the first step (i.e. Analysis) of the training cycle is not done properly as the other steps of the learning process are dependent upon the outcomes of the analysis. While we conduct a TNA, the gathered information plays an important role in determining the training design & development, implementation and evaluation process. Improper information leads to ill designed training to address the performance issues. An effective Training Need Analysis requires following 3 different types of analysis: Organizational Analysis: It’s done to align the training with business strategy and to ensure that all the stakeholder in the organization are supportive and are on board with training initiative and adequate resources (training budget etc.) are available. The data required to conduct the organizational analysis is gathered mainly from senior and mid level managers as they are responsible for strategic planning decisions and budget allocations. Organizational analysis also tells if there is low support for training then we can have some other intervention to address the performance issue. Task Analysis: A task analysis is a four step process and it answers the question: “What does good performance look like?” It involves gathering data on specific tasks an employee must perform to finish his job and his current level of Knowledge, Skills, Behaviors and Abilities (KSBAs) required for the specific job. Understanding what employees need to accomplish in their jobs is important to understand how training can address the performance issues. The following are four steps to conduct a Task Analysis: Selecting the job to be analyzed. Preparing the list of the tasks to be performed. Validating the tasks by asking the following questions from SMEs, line managers and employee: Performance Measures: How well it must be performed? Frequency: How often is the task performed (Hourly, Daily, Weekly, etc.)? Importance: How worthy is it to the overall job? What place of importance is this task as compared to performer’s other tasks? Level of difficulty: Use a standard scale such as one to ten to capture: How hard is it? Steps: What are logical steps for performing the task? Identifying the KSBAs that should be trained to address the performance gaps. Learner Analysis: You have all heard this phrase: “Know your audience!”. It is one of those truths in life which crosses over many disciplines. If you are selling a product you are taught to know the needs of the customer, similarly if you are designing a training program you need to know your learner. Learner Analysis helps us to understand whether the performance deficiencies are due to lack of KSBAs or due to lack of motivation or due to work design problem. The following are the steps to conduct learner analysis For each identified target audience, select a sample of learners. The most common technique for gathering information from the learners is structured interviews. Observations and performance testing can also be used. While you interview learners take careful notes of the responses without any biasness. Gather any existing data which is available for the each of the learner. It may be their educational back ground, their experience, employment statistics, their KRA’s & KPI’s, performance appraisals etc. I am sure this post will help you to conduct an effective Training Need Analysis to know… Continue reading How to Conduct an Effective Training Need Analysis?

Life Lessons from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

It was around 7:40 pm when my wife told me about demise of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. I thought she must have seen the picture circulating on various social media wherein Jharkahnd Education Minister paid floral tribute to Dr. Kalam thinking he’s no more and I ignored the news. I was having dinner when I switched on to TimesNow news channels and was shocked to know whatever my wife had told was true and Dr. Kalam was no more. It was very sad news as Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was such a big role model and inspiration for millions of people for his simplicity, humbleness and dedication towards our nation and its people. There are following life lessons we can learn from Dr. Kalam: Give Back to the Society: If you have achieved something in your lives, give something back to the society as not everyone is as blessed as you are. You need not to have a lot of money to be able to give donations to the NGOs. You can give back to the society by raising your kids well, by volunteer to help children, by providing food and shlter to someone in need and by suing your skills and teaching other. Children provide us the best opportunity to give back to the society. Learn to Manage Failure: Dr. Dhawan was the chairman of ISRO and Dr. Kalam was the project Director for Rohini Satellite Launch in August 1979. The satellite was launched but the launch rocket fell in the Bay of Bengal after few seconds of its launch and it was a major setback to Indian Space Program. The press conference was supposed to be attended by Dr. Kalam but Prof. Dhawan took the responsibility of the failure and gave assurance to the media personnel that the mission will be completed next year. Next year, in 1980, after launching the satellite successfully into the orbit, Prof. Dhawan asked Dr. Kalam to face the media and conduct the press conference. When failure occurs a leader owns the failure and when success comes a leader gives it his team. A leader should learn how to manage failure and should take full responsibility of the failure. Have a Vision/ Dream: He once said, “Dreams are not what you see in sleep, dream is the thing which does not let you sleep”. The single most important factor to drive the human civilization ahead is our Dream. If you have a dream, nurture it with hard work and whatever circumstances never let your dreams die. People with dream move far ahead than people with none. In one of his speeches at India Parliament he recited his poem, “The Vision”: I climbed and climbed Where’s the peak, my Lord? I ploughed and ploughed Where is the knowledge treasure, my Lord? I sailed and sailed Where is the island of the peace, my Lord? Almighty bless my nation With vision and sweat resulting into happiness. Humility & Modesty: Though Dr. Kalam was awarded the highest civil award of India, the Bharat Ratna, he never liked being called Bharat Ratna Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. He even sent circular across DRDO, India’s premier research agency, to not to refer him Bharat Ratna. For a leader the ambition should be greatness of work and people rather than the leader himself. A leader should always be humble and down to earth and should keep a low profile. Follow Your Passion: Whatever you do in your lives do with passion and the success will follow. Passion is powerful feeling of enthusiasm inside us. If you are enthusiastic and passionate about your work you will overcome many obstacles and move up in your lives. Your passion helps you to improve and get better in your lives. Don’t be victim of your situations. Find something you love to do so much you can’t wait for sun to rise to do it all again. RIP Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

How to Wake Up Early?

I am an early riser and a number of friends ask me how to wake up early? In this post I’ll share the benefits of waking up early and some  very simple nut powerful way which will help you in waking up early in the morning. There’s one common trait found in all successful people world over- they all are early risers and they start their day when most of others are still sleeping in their beds. Waking up early is amongst the most important lessons I learnt from my parents (Click here to read). We are living in an era where people love to watch TV and surf internet till late and these days there are not many early risers. I am not saying people who are not early risers are not successful but there are a number of benefits on early risers can avail. Following are the benefits for early risers: Exercise: Mornings are the best time to exercise in fresh air. A brisk morning walk of 45-50 minutes is considered one of the best exercises for human beings. Regular exercise improves fitness, provides energy for the whole day, boosts mood and helps with deep sleep cycles. Explore Nature’s Beauty: Watching rising sun and birds flying in large numbers is amongst the best feasts of the nature. There’s nothing more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise. Breakfast: A number of daily commuters on Delhi roads can be seen having their breakfasts in their cars as they don’t get time for most important work of the day i.e. to have breakfast. And if their mothers/wives/cooks too wake up late they leave for office without having breakfast after fasting for whole night. People who wake up early get ample time to have a healthy breakfast which will supply sufficient energy to work whole day Develop a Positive Mental Attitude: Osho once said, “Morning is the best time to meditate. After the whole night’s rest you are very close to the center of your being. It is easier to move into the center consciously early in the morning than at any other time — because for the whole night you have been there at the center, you have just left it. Deep sleep rejuvenates because, although unconsciously, you enter into the core of your being — but you still enter. All the tiredness of the outside world is taken away, and all the wounds are healed, and all the dust disappears. You have taken a bath; you have dived deep into your own being. So in the morning when you have just awakened and you are very close to the center… Soon the periphery will take you, will possess you; you will have to go into the world of occupations. Before you go into that external journey, have a look, so that consciously you can see who you are. This is what meditation is all about. Hence, down the ages, the morning, early morning, when the earth is awakening and the trees are awakening and the birds are awakening and the sun is awakening, when the whole atmosphere is full of awakening, you can use this situation. You can ride on this tide of awakening and you can enter into your own being, awake, alert, aware. And your whole life will be transformed. And your whole day will be transformed because then you will have a different orientation. Then you can go into the marketplace and still you will remain in contact with your inner core.” Waking up early helps you develop a positive mental attitude as you can prepare for the challenges ahead in the day. Take Advantage of Extra Time: If you wake up just one hour earlier each morning you would gain 15 days in a year and that extra one hour can make all the difference to your lives. You will commute in less congested roads and reach their offices on or before time if you start your day early. One of my colleagues, Mr. Sachit Jain at Bharti AXA, was used to reach office before time so that he can finish important work without being interrupted by anyone and leave on time in the evening. Better Family Life: You can finish your work on time by starting early and you can leave office on time and you can spend quality time with your family without worrying about any pending work. Various studies has described that early risers are more optimistic and have better family lives than night owls. It’s not very difficult to become an early riser. It’s just a matter of taking action with discipline and motivation. Following are some quick tips which can help you develop a habit to get up early in the morning and plan your day in a better way: Put Your Alarm Away From Your Bed: Don’t keep alarm near your bed as you will either shut it up or put it on snooze. If the alarm is far from your bed you will have to leave your bed to shut it. You are up now and all you need to do is stay up. Don’t Fall in 5 Minute Trap: Once you are up better jump out of the bed and go out of your bedroom. Don’t fall in 5 minute more trap as once people start snoozing usually they keep on snoozing again and again. Remember you lose when you snooze. It’s very easy to wake up at first attempt. If 6-8 hours of sleep is not sufficient then 5 more minutes are not sufficient either. People who fall in 5 minute trap usually end up waking up guilty for not waking up at the first attempt. Start With Decremental Timing: Don’t be rigid about waking up early. If u want to start waking up at 5am from your daily routine of 7am, don’t start waking up at 5am next day onwards. It should be decremental say by 15 minutes every 4th day. Your… Continue reading How to Wake Up Early?