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Nagesh Belludi

Inspirational Quotations #270

May 4, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

You can make your mind recall anything you want, but it can only give back what it was first given.
—Unknown

As the sun that beholds the world is untouched by earthly impurities, so the Spirit that is in all things is untouched by external sufferings.
—The Upanishads

Courage is capacity to confront what cannot be imagined.
—Leo Rosten (Russian-born American Humorist)

Examine what is said, not him who speaks.
—Arabic Proverb

The whole is more than the sum of its parts.
—Aristotle (Ancient Greek Philosopher)

Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.
—Plato (Ancient Greek Philosopher)

The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.
—Michelangelo (Italian Painter)

It is astonishing how short a time it takes for very wonderful things to happen.
—Frances Hodgson Burnett

It is said that when the world ends, even the moutains start moving due to the force of the wind. But even when such a thing happens, the mental state of the brave does not waver since it is very clear. Clarity in thoughts gives you the strength to withstand anything.
—Subhashita Manjari

A year from now you will wish you had started today.
—Karen Lamb

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Warren Buffett’s Rule of Thumb on Personal Integrity

April 30, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi

On occasion, personal integrity and ethical conduct can be challenging. Greed, selfishness, distrust and other inclinations can result in misrepresentations, deliberate omission of facts to throw a positive spin on things, purposeful oversight, misuse of information and self-interested behavior.

Warren Buffett, one of the world’s most successful investors and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, directs that all his employees follow this rule of ethics in every undertaking.

“… I want employees to ask themselves whether they are willing to have any contemplated act appear the next day on the front page of their local paper—to be read by their spouses, children and friends—with the reporting done by an informed and critical reporter.”

The key to personal integrity is to gather all the relevant data, define the “right thing,” exercise prudence and standup for what is right. Good intentions do not necessarily translate to action. Your thoughts and actions define your credibility at work and in the society.

Credit: Warren Buffett’s picture courtesy of user ‘trackrecord’ on flickr.com

Wondering what to read next?

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  4. Shrewd Leaders Sometimes Take Liberties with the Truth to Reach Righteous Goals
  5. Look, Here’s the Deal: Your Insecurity is Masquerading as Authority

Filed Under: Career Development, Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Attitudes, Ethics, Integrity, Leadership

Inspirational Quotations #269

April 27, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through the experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
—Helen Keller (American Author)

The saddest failures in life are those that come from not putting forth the power and will to succeed.
—Edwin Percy Whipple (American Essayist)

Nobody can prevent you from choosing to be exceptional.
—Mark Sanborn

Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop.
—Unknown

You know you’ve achieved perfection in design, not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery (French Novelist, Aviator)

All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.
—Immanuel Kant (Prussian German Philosopher)

To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well.
—John Marshall (American Judge)

Day and night, dawn and dusk, winter and spring, come and depart again and again. Time sports and life ebbs away. And yet, one leaves not the gusts of desires.
—Adi Shankaracharya (Indian Hindu Philosopher)

The one thing we can never get enough of is love. And the one thing we never give enough is love.
—Henry Miller (American Novelist)

One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And, the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.
—Eleanor Roosevelt (American First Lady)

From what we get, we can make a living. What we give, however, makes a life.
—Arthur Ashe (American Sportsperson)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotations #268

April 20, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were and ask why not?”.”
—John F. Kennedy (American Head of State)

Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.
—Ronald Reagan (American Head of State)

Mistakes are not just the spice of life. Mistakes are life. Mistakes are not to be tolerated. They are to be encouraged.
—Tom Peters (American Management Consultant)

The wise should surrender speech in mind, mind in the knowing self, the knowing self in the Spirit of the universe, and the Spirit of the universe in the Spirit of peace.
—The Upanishads

If you want your eggs hatched, sit on them yourself.
—Haitian Proverb

It’s not what happens to you, but what you do about it.
—W. O. Mitchell (Canadian Novelist)

If you realize that you aren’t as wise today as you thought you were yesterday, you’re wiser today.
—Anonymous

I now appreciate all that I have. I am grateful for the smallest things today. I can always find something in my life for which to be grateful. I give thanks for everything that is now coming into my life. I rejoice in the wonders of life.
—Unknown

More are the names of God and infinite are the forms through which He may be approached. In whatever name and form you worship Him, through them you will realise Him.
—Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (Indian Hindu Philosopher)

Happiness is to be found along the way, not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it is too late. Today, this hour, this minute is the day, the hour, the minute for each of us to sense the fact that life is good, with all of its trials and troubles, and perhaps more interesting because of them.
—Robert R. Updegraff

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

People Want Their Thinking to Count

April 16, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Everybody Desires to be Heard

Last week, a manager complained that his boss constantly pushes his ideas with a “here’s what I want you to do” even though the manager is a subject expert. A wife criticized her husband for never asking for her opinions; “every idea, every decision has to be his—not mine, not even ours,” she grumbled.

In coaching people, one of the most common grievances I hear is that people feel they have lost their right to be heard—their spouses, parents, friends, partners, bosses, and significant others do not “listen.” In fact, one of the foremost reasons for job dissatisfaction is that employees believe their bosses do not care for their employees’ opinions. Lack of respect and consideration can strain professional and personal relationships.

People Make Decisions for Their Own Reasons

“I tell you and you forget.
I show you and you remember.
I involve you and you understand.”
* Eric Butterworth

In making decisions and getting things done with people, if you are often unwilling to ask for others’ opinions, it is because you likely think you might seem vulnerable, insecure, or incapable of taking decisions on your own. Or, perhaps, you simply choose to be forceful and assert your influence. Over time, such behaviors can easily hurt others’ feelings and trigger resentment.

Recognize that people make decisions for their own reasons, not yours. They are less likely to be motivated at something that they did not choose. If you try to be forceful, they are less likely to comply.

Four Important Words: “What do you think?”

“The four most important words in business are ‘What do you think?'”
* Jeffrey Immelt, Chairman and CEO, General Electric

Be open and approachable. Develop the habit of asking, “What do you think,” before declaring, “You will do this,” or even, “We will do this.”

Expect differences of opinion; they are natural. Work on reaching decisions by building on the agreements.

People are Inclined to Support What They Help Decide

Quite often, when people realize they have little influence on the decision-making process, they withdraw from active participation. They are usually reluctant to participate actively in a process, idea, or system that they were never consulted on.

People want to support, defend, and enthusiastically work on anything that they help create or decide. Therefore, include people in decision-making at every level in every situation—at home, work and elsewhere.

Develop the indispensable art of persuasion by asking, “What do you think.” By incorporating others’ inputs, you demonstrate a sincere interest in soliciting their opinions. When people feel valued and cared for, you establish an atmosphere of open communication, ownership, and increased commitment.

Related Articles

  • What the deaf can teach us about listening
  • Building consensus
  • Overcoming the temptation to please
  • Accepting compliments gracefully
  • Expressing regret or apologizing

Filed Under: Managing People, Sharpening Your Skills

Seek Hideouts for Interruption-Free Work

April 14, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

The High Cost of Interruptions

Studies suggest that,

  • on average, workers are interrupted once every ten and a half minutes,
  • once interrupted, it takes a worker 23 minutes on average to get back to the task he/she was working on, and,
  • workers can lose up to 28% of their workday handling unnecessary interruptions.

Interruptions derail your train of thought. Thereafter, getting back to what you were doing can be difficult. If you are sitting at your desk at work or home, the odds of being able to focus on a task and work uninterrupted are zero. Too, interruptions abound when working from (or at) home around kids, pets, or others.

Seek Remote / Undisturbed Locations for Work

Richard Nixon, former President of the United States, used the following technique to isolate himself when he wanted to focus on important work.

Richard Nixon was extremely efficient as a time manager. One of his techniques involved the use of a small private office in the Executive Office Building across the street from the White House. Armed with several yellow legal pads, Nixon would walk over to the office to work alone. His aides were under orders not to interrupt him except in the case of an emergency.

To minimize the impact of interruptions on your work, seek a hideout. Find a place where people are not likely to bother you: a vacant conference room, a desk in another office location, or, the study area at your local library. Consider coming in to work before others or work on a weekend morning. Disconnect yourself by turning off cell phones and the internet. Focus to get more things done.

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Filed Under: Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Time Management, Workplace

Save Time by Meeting in Others’ Offices [Effective Meetings]

April 12, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Henry Ford Saved Time by Meeting Others in Their Offices

Here is a productivity technique practiced by Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company and automobile engineering pioneer.

One of his executives noticed that Ford almost always conferred with his managers in their offices instead of his own. Since, as the owner of the company, Ford could easily command them to come to him, the executive was curious about the reason for this practice. “I go to them to save time,” explained Ford. “I’ve found,” he said “that I can leave the other fellow’s office a lot quicker than I can get him to leave mine.”

Takeaway: If you tend to struggle to control the amount of time you spend in attending meetings and handling unwanted interruptions, offer to meet others in their offices. This technique discourages drop-ins and gives you a better handle on your participation: you could leave easily when you are contributing to the meeting.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. How to Stop “Standing” Meetings from Clogging Up Your Time
  2. Don’t Let the Latecomers Ruin Your Meeting
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  5. How to … Deal with Meetings That Get Derailed

Filed Under: Effective Communication, Managing People Tagged With: Meetings, Time Management

Inspirational Quotations #267

April 10, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Knowledge itself is power.
—Francis Bacon (English Philosopher)

We should spend as much time in thanking God for his benefits as we do in asking Him for them.
—Vincent de Paul (French Catholic Saint)

In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.
—Mark Twain (American Humorist)

Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinion at all.
—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (German Scientist)

Business is the art of extracting money from another man’s pocket without resorting to violence.
—Anonymous

Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.
—Francis de Sales (French Catholic Saint)

Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought.
—Unknown

You cannot solve the problem with the same kind of thinking that has created the problem.
—Albert Einstein (German-born Theoretical Physicist)

In the final analysis there is no other solution to man’s progress but the day’s honest work, the day’s honest decisions, the day’s generous utterances and the day’s good deed.
—Clare Boothe Luce (American Playwright)

Men throw themselves on foreign assistances to spare their own, which, after all, are the only certain and sufficient ones.
—Michel de Montaigne (French Philosopher)

I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
—Tim Robbins

Knowledge is power. Rather, knowledge is happiness, because to have knowledge—broad, deep knowledge—is to know true ends from false, and lofty things from low. To know the thoughts and deeds that have marked man’s progress is to feel the great heartthrobs of humanity through the centuries; and if one does not feel in these pulsations a heavenward striving, one must indeed be deaf to the harmonies of life.
—Francis Bacon (English Philosopher)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Meal Manners: Pace Yourself, Start and Finish with Others

April 8, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

When dining together, order the same number of courses as everyone else. This will help pace the dinner appropriately. If you’re just having the main course, and the fellow to your left orders a salad or appetizer in addition to the entrée, order a salad or appetizer, too.

  • As a guest, when your host asks you to order first, ask her for recommendations. This can hint at a price range from which to pick.
  • As a host, urge your guests to order first. Then, try to order as many courses for yourself as your guests to make sure everyone can begin and finish eating at about the same time.
  • At the table, wait until everyone is served. Begin to eat only after the host or the most important guest does. Follow this guideline for each course of the meal. Pace yourself such that you finish at about the same time as everybody else at your table.
  • If you are the most important guest or the host and others are served way before you are, urge the others to begin eating while the food is still hot.
  • Order the same number of courses as everyone else. This will help pace the dinner appropriately. If you intend to order just the main course, and the person to your left orders a salad or appetizer in addition to the entrée, you should order a salad or appetizer, too.
  • At buffet meals, after you get your food and sit down at an open table, wait until two or three others join you at the table before beginning to eat.

Depending on the formality and decorum appropriate to the occasion, try to stick to the above guidelines. More importantly, use common sense and make others around you comfortable.

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  3. The Trouble with Accusing Someone of Virtue Signaling
  4. When Someone Misuses Your Gift
  5. Don’t Be Interesting—Be Interested!

Filed Under: Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Etiquette

Inspirational Quotations #266

April 6, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi 1 Comment

Be fanatics. When it comes to being and doing and dreaming the best, be maniacs.
—A. M. Rosenthal (Canadian-born American Editor)

Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Poet)

Enthusiasm is the best protection in any situation. Wholeheartedness is contagious. Give yourself, if you wish to get others.
—David Seabury

Anything worth doing is worth doing well.
—Anonymous

Don’t waste time calculating your chances of success and failure. Just fix your aim and begin.
—Guanyin

With your arms, I am strong.|With your wisdom, I am a man.|With your love, I know who I am.
—Unknown

If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life, sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (American Poet)

Valor grows by daring, fear by holding back.
—Publilius Syrus (Syrian-born Latin Writer)

Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.
—Booker T. Washington (American Educator)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

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About: Nagesh Belludi [hire] is a St. Petersburg, Florida-based freethinker, investor, and leadership coach. He specializes in helping executives and companies ensure that the overall quality of their decision-making benefits isn’t compromised by a lack of a big-picture understanding.

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Unless otherwise stated in the individual document, the works above are © Nagesh Belludi under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license. You may quote, copy and share them freely, as long as you link back to RightAttitudes.com, don't make money with them, and don't modify the content. Enjoy!