Monday, September 27, 2010

Workplace Wellness – World Heart Day 2010


The theme for Word Heart Day this year is something that is needed the year round: Workplace Wellness. We bring home an ailing heart form our workplaces where pressures, intensity of work, bullying by bosses and intrigues by colleagues make people sick, morose and pulled down. The depressive tendencies finally take a toll of our heart and add to lifelong miseries. The theme of 2010 thus aimed at promoting better behaviours at our workplaces to prevent or at least reduce chances of a stroke or depression that may lead to a stroke.

It is our collective responsibility to ensure that we provide congenial work environment to our colleagues and subordinates. And if one happens to be the CEO, then his responsibility to enforce a healthy work framework in his organization so that subordinates do not take a heavy heart back home. As a sick workplace not only affects the overall working environment of the organization but the productivity as well. It also affects the families back home and ultimately adds to an unhealthy society.

We need to help each other, providing a helping hand whenever we can. We need to reach out to people finding it difficult to cope with the intensity of work and try helping them in carrying on. Smiles at workplace enhance healthy environment, specially when schedules are tight and everyone is glued to the seats rather than finding a break.

We must also bring physical activity to our workplace. Take stairs rather than elevators, go for a walk during breaks and encourage others as well. Physical active people are not only active, but also are able to take stresses more than those who are inactive. Take files to others rather than others coming to you to collect their share. This will not only induce personal touch but would also allow you a break from your seat.

Also encourage stress free moments. Instead of having a snack at your desk during breaks, go out, take a stroll while munching. A fresh air breathing would ensure filling in fresh air into your lungs and airing out that stuffy and cramped air of enclosed offices.

Be happy yourself and make others happy around you – it will keep your heart smiling!!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Are you generally angry?

Most of the crimes committed around the world are generally because of anger rather than bitter animosities. Even most of the divorces accrue out of an angry debate which fails to affix any blame on the other and out of frustration, one stamps out and files a divorce suit or even pronounce divorce there and then. It is only after the anger has subsided that one realize the grave error one has committed, but by then the harm had been done.

This seemingly uncontrollable emotional outburst is today the root cause of many a murder, killing of innocent people in sheer frustrated anger and divorces. Anger also leads to domestic and street violence. The recent incident of lynching of two brothers in Sialkot was nothing but a show of extreme anger and frustration. One could see devil in the guise of humans beating the two brothers in a heartless emotional outburst. Anger also leaves many housewives and domestic servants bruised, with broken bones or sometimes even burnt by throwing kerosene oil and setting the victim ablaze.

Why we get angry anyway? Well to my reckoning, there are many causes and reasons for this. Some which I can think of are appended in following lines.

Social injustice perhaps is the major cause of hate and anger. Those deprived of what others have usually feel frustrated when they are unable to fulfill the basic needs of their families. Poverty may be acceptable, but when it is accrued out of injustice, it causes extreme emotional outbursts. Lack of job opportunities to qualified but the poor is one of the biggest social injustices prevailing in our society. When one is rejected interviews after interviews, but sees unqualified candidates getting the jobs due to “safarish” really frustrates the jobless, and results in anger. And when one is unable to control one’s emotional outburst, one resorts to violence.

Coupled with social injustice is poverty. Every other day we hear news of men committing suicide or even murdering the entire family before ending their own life. Innocent people when find no avenues to feed their families get frustrated and then either harm someone else in a bid to steal something or harm their families and self for finding no way when frustrations gives rise to uncontrollable anger.

Although alcoholism is not the chief root cause of anger related violence in our country, but around the world, this also results into uncontrollable emotional state.

Although may not be proven, anger can be genetic. One inherits hate and anger from one’s ancestors. This may be due to some wrong doings by someone to one’s ancestors which gets into genetics and transformed into the others. There are examples of some people more prone to quick temperatures as compared to others.


Sometimes we get angry on petty things. Like for instance a person honking at your back or flashing lights to overtake knowing full well that traffic ahead is blocked or moving slow. We express our anger if someone crosses the red light while we are abiding by the law and have stopped. We even mutter a few angry words if a lady violates a queue and approaches the window or desk directly. And many such small things that are irritating, but obviously not to induce a temperature increase.

No matter whatever is the root cause of this negative emotional state, being angry most of the time is not a healthy behaviour. Since being angry has a cumulative effect not on one’s own self and health, but people around as well. One can lose relationships, friends and dear ones, rather makes enemies from just an emotional state that can be harnessed, managed and controlled. But this depends on the person whether he/she is really cognizant of the negative impact of anger and whether he/she is really willing to get rid of it. Uncontrollable anger may even lead to diseases like hypertension, escalated blood pressure and even heart related diseases as well.

Being angry or having uncontrollable emotions is something that can ruin your business or lose your job. As businessmen or managers managing a business, a hyper emotional state may ward off clients and call off business deals. Managers and supervisors with hyper moods can demoralize workers and thus affect their efficiency and productivity, causing financial losses and stakes of the company.

So what to do? How to control one’s anger? I often ask myself as I also fall in the category of those needing a thermometer more often than not to check their mercury level. Well nothing is impossible; it needs will and determination, if nothing else.

I will deliberate on the measures or response in my next post. So wait patiently and don’t get agitated if my next post takes a little long to appear.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Extraordinary Times Call For "Outside-In" Thinking

This changing world is in a time of crisis, but shifting priorities mean that it is also a time of new opportunities. It requires us to reset our dials, to rethink our business, and open our eyes to the new business world, to the New Normality.

This is called “outside-in” thinking. It enables us to make sense of change, and seize the best insights and ideas to drive innovation and profitable growth.

Here are the ten “outside-in” principles that will help you to thrive in the new business world normality.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Managers should be Effective not just look Busy

Some people are of the view that “look busy do nothing” approach is best for one’s career. Yes it is good for those uninspiring, unwilling and status quo managers who get the managements wrath everyday till the get fired one day. But those who see a future for themselves in their job, d it otherwise. They prefer to be effective. Being effective means working more not for the sake of looking busy but working to be productive. Adding to the organization they work for every minute and second they are in. This is the work style of the most successful managers around the world.

Those who look busy can be identified instantly. Their tables full of files, untidy office layout and a very tired facemask. They would complain of lack of time and would envy those who have nothing on their tables and yet are liked by the bosses. Sometime back I read “guidelines for successful managers” which included piles of files on the table to impress the management of the pains they are taking, open collars with a loosened necktie, ashtray full of cigarette buds and the wastepaper will of crumpled papers. This could impress the management of olden times when looking busy meant efficiency. But such outlook today is taken as a negative impression as anyone who cannot clear up one’s office work in time and clear off files, is taken to be inefficient and a mis-manager. Such managers must learn emerging skills and techniques for being effective. One cannot continue to repeat the same lessons one learnt years ago in today’s corporate environment and yet expecting same results of yester years.

One must carryout one’s self appraisal at the end of each day or when achieving or missing a goalpost. Questions like "Would the things am I doing right now take me to my goalposts " should be frequently self addressed. And if the answer comes as a big NO, then it is time for changing one’s work methodology. Remember, those who are efficient and effective are the people who have the ability and will to reshape their work strategy. You can do it too, provided your self-appraisal is not to please you but to hit you so hard that you feel the pinch and take an aspirin to subside the pain. I hope you get what I mean.

And one last thing: things don't change unless you change things. So start changing things from now on. That is the only way to be effective, efficient and successful.

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More

 
Powered by Blogger