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Ideas for Impact

Nagesh Belludi

Inspirational Quotations #243

October 19, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Teach children to use SPICE – and use it yourself.|S-Skill building.|P-Problem solving.|I-Imagination.|C-Communication.|E-Ego building.
—Unknown

The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult.
—Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamrond, marquise du Deffand (French Socialite)

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself—and be lenient to everybody else.
—Henry Ward Beecher (American Protestant Clergyman)

On a long journey of human life, faith is the best of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey; and it is the greatest property.
—Buddhist Teaching

It would be a blessing if each person could be blind and deaf for a few days during his adult life. It makes him appreciate sight and the joy of sound.
—Helen Keller (American Author)

The difference between getting somewhere and nowhere is the courage to make an early start. The fellow who sits still and does just what he is told will never be told to do big things.
—Charles M. Schwab (American Businessperson)

I don’t like to lose, and that isn’t so much because it is just a football game, but because defeat means the failure to reach your objective. I don’t want a football player who doesn’t take defeat to heart, who laughs it off with the thought, Oh, well, there’s another Saturday.” The trouble in American life today, in business as well as in sports, is that too many people are afraid of competition. The result is that in some circles people have come to sneer at success if it costs hard work and training and sacrifice.”
—Knute Rockne

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

How to Make Your Weekends Feel Longer

October 17, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

During the weekdays, we engage in routine life and long for two blissful days during the weekends. Habitually, we tend to over-plan for the weekends and underachieve. By Sunday evenings, we tend to feel that our weekends just fizzle out.

We feel that our weekends are short-lived—that they are inadequate to accomplish everything that we want to. We wish we had relaxed more, completed more errands and spent more time with family and friends.

This article presents five habits that you could consider to make the most out of each weekend and feel more refreshed for a new week ahead.

Habit 1: Wake-up Early, Seize your Mornings

Try to avoid sleeping-in. When you wake-up late on Saturday and Sunday mornings, you tend to feel that almost half of these days are over. Moreover, sleeping-in during the weekends puts your sleep out of the weekday-rhythm and makes it difficult to wake-up promptly on Monday mornings.

Maintain your weekday wake-up times on Saturday and Sunday mornings as well. If you desire to “catch-up with sleep,” consider getting to bed earlier on Friday and Saturday nights or taking small naps on Saturday and Sunday mid-mornings. Try not to indulge yourself in a Sunday afternoon siesta—you will be able to go to bed early on Sunday night and prevent drowsiness on Monday afternoon.

Wake up early and seize the mornings. Spend some quiet time alone or with your family. Laze around, go for a brisk walk, visit the Farmers’ Market, sit in your porch with coffee and newspaper, and enjoy the serenity of the morning.

Habit 2: Shift Chores and Errands to Weekdays

Instead of spending your precious weekend on home projects—laundry, sorting, redecorating, cleaning—and errands, consider redistributing chores and errands among the weekdays. Say, for instance, you tend to spend two hours every weekend on chores, consider spending half an hour each weekday completing these tasks. Set your weekend aside for pleasure.

If you must work on particular home projects and run errands during the weekend, complete them on Saturday. This will enable you to unwind on Sunday. Instead, if you relax on Saturday, you will realize on Sunday morning that you will need to complete various household tasks by Sunday night—you will then hurry through Sunday and exhaust yourself by Sunday night.

Focus on a stress-free, relaxed, fun-filled Sunday with family and friends.

Habit 3: Plan and Prepare; Do Not Over-plan

Consult your family and friends and prepare an outline for your weekend in advance. Do not wait until the weekend to organize the weekend. On or before Thursday, go out shopping and collect all the resources necessary. By preparing in advance, you will be able to execute your plan as soon as your weekend starts instead of spending time wondering what to do.

Avoid any activity, e.g., catching up with work email, that is part of the weekday routine. Do consider, however, spending time working on important matters e.g., planning your investments, that you have been postponing. Vary your activities each week and avoid establishing a routine for your weekends—routines are for weekdays.

Habit 4: Improvise and Engage in Life’s Little Pleasures

“The happiness of too many days is often destroyed by trying to accomplish too much in one day. We would do well to follow a common rule for our daily lives – Do Less and Do It Better.”
— Dale E. Turner

As you plan your activities for the weekend, be realistic in what you can achieve. Do not over-plan. Try to prioritize your activities. Rushing around can easily exhaust you.

Allow for spontaneity and improvise your weekends. Engage in life’s little pleasures: spend time outdoors, go for a walk, hike, take a bicycle ride, or tend to your garden. Talk to friends and family you have not been in touch for a while, read magazines and books, or look at old pictures. Or, pursue a hobby, go to the beach, visit a museum, attend a concert, or do anything else that is fun for you and your loved ones.

Habit 5: Reflect and Appreciate

On Sunday evenings, reflect on everything you did during the weekend and appreciate having a good time with family and friends.

Do not fret if you did not complete everything you had planned. There is always another weekend coming-up.

Concluding Thoughts

The key to making your weekend feel longer and having a relaxing time is to reorganize your plans and freeing-up time for your favourite, pleasurable activities during the weekend. By prioritizing, improvising and staying on top of things you can arrive at the end of your weekend contented and full of energy for the fresh week ahead.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. Seven Habits to Beat Monday Morning Blues
  2. How to Avoid the Sunday Night Blues
  3. How to (Finally!) Stop Procrastinating, Just Do It
  4. The Art of Taking Action: Use The Two Minute “Do-it-Now” Rule
  5. 5 Minutes to Greater Productivity [Two-Minute Mentor #11]

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

Inspirational Quotations #242

October 12, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
—Margaret Mead (American Anthropologist)

The time which we have at our disposal every day is elastic; the passions that we feel expand it, those that we inspire contract it; and habit fills up what remains.
—Marcel Proust (French Novelist)

The truth is more important than the facts.
—Frank Lloyd Wright (American Architect)

No life can be barren which hears the whisper of the wind in the branches, or the voice of the sea as it breaks upon the shore; and no soul can lack happiness looking up to the midnight stars.
—William Winter

The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
—Albert Einstein (German-born Theoretical Physicist)

Professional success requires more than talent. Among other things, it requires drive, initiative, commitment, involvement, and–above all–enthusiasm.
—Tom Peters (American Management Consultant)

Groups become great only when everyone in them, leaders and members alike, is free to do his or her absolute best.
—Warren Bennis (American Scholar)

A good rule for going through life is to keep the heart a little softer than the head.
—Anonymous

You are neither right nor wrong because the crowd disagrees with you. You are right because your data and reasoning are right.
—Benjamin Graham (American Investor)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

[Podcast #1] The Importance of Understanding Perspective

October 9, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

“Understand breadth, depth, and context. The most important thing I’ve learned since becoming CEO is context. It’s how your company fits in with the world and how you respond to it.”
* Jeffrey Immelt, Chairman and CEO of General Electric

'Ideas for Impact' Podcasts One of the characteristics of top performers is that they understand the broader picture of their jobs. They excel at understanding the purpose of their projects in the context of their organisation’s objectives. They identify how their projects help customers and recognize opportunities for further involvement.

In this first ‘Ideas for Impact’ podcast, we will discuss the importance of perspective using the Indian parable of the blind men and an elephant. We will conclude with specific questions you can ask to understand the big-picture details on your jobs.

Download the MP3 file here [8:11 minutes, 3.74 MB]

Filed Under: Career Development, Podcasts

[Presentation Skills #5] Effective Fonts for Presentations

October 6, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi 1 Comment

Serif and Sans-Serif Fonts

Font families are classified according to their appearance: serif fonts, sans-serif fonts, monospace fonts, cursive fonts, fantasy fonts, etc.

Effective Fonts for Presentations

Characters in serif fonts have little projections or ‘tails’ (serif = tail in French) at the end of strokes and line widths that thin out on curves. The serifs guide a reader’s eyes to flow across lines of text. Conventionally, serif fonts are used for smaller text such as blocks of texts in newspapers. Serif fonts are harder to read from a distance. Examples of serif fonts are Times New Roman, Times Roman, Garamond and Palatino.

Characters in sans-serif fonts have more consistent line widths and do not have tails (sans = without in French.) Sans-serif fonts appear clear, fresh and balanced in shape and form. Conventionally, sans-serif fonts are used for larger text such as headlines or text in posters. Sans-serif fonts are the most popular choice for on-screen (TV, computer, etc.) text because of their clarity in display. Examples of sans-serif fonts are Helvetica, Arial, Futura and Verdana.

Fonts for Presentations

  • Sans-serif fonts are perhaps the best choice for presentation design because sans-serif fonts are more legible than serif fonts when projected.
  • With serif fonts, given the limited resolution of projectors, some of the thinner strokes tend to break-up or disappear when projected, especially at smaller sizes.
  • Characters in monospace fonts (e.g., Courier New and Monaco) each occupy the same amount of space. Use monospace fonts for tabulated information or computer console output only.
  • Cursive or decorative fonts easily distract the eye and make a presentation look unprofessional. Use such fonts sparingly in presentations.
  • Avoid using more than two fonts in a presentation; too many fonts lead to inconsistency in visual design.

Font Sizes: Larger the Better

Font size is measured in points. A point represents 1/72 of an inch; text in 72 points prints to text of one-inch height.

The choice of font sizes is dictated by the size of the room in which you will present. Choose a font-size that will make all of your text readable to everyone in the audience. Use font sizes of 32-48 points for slide titles and headings and font sizes of 24-32 points for the rest of the content.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. Serve the ‘Lazy Grapefruit’
  2. Lessons from the Japanese Decision-Making Process
  3. The Rule of Three
  4. Presentations are Corrupting per Edward Tufte’s “The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint”
  5. Jargon Has Its Place in Business Communication

Filed Under: Effective Communication Tagged With: Presentations

Inspirational Quotations #241

October 5, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Personal leadership is the process of keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to be congruent with them.
—Stephen Covey (American Management Consultant)

Everybody pities the weak; jealousy you have to earn.
—Arnold Schwarzenegger (Austrian-born American Actor)

His labour is a chant,|His idleness a tune;|Oh, for a bee’s experience|Of clovers and of noon.
—Emily Dickinson (American Poet)

The country needs and, unless I mistake its temper, the country demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it; if it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. The millions who are in want will not stand by silently forever while the things to satisfy their needs are within easy reach.
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (American Head of State)

Hold a true friend with both hands.
—African Proverb

Whate’er’s begun in anger ends in shame.
—Benjamin Franklin (American Political leader)

If a man be gracious to strangers, it shows that he is a citizen of the world, and his heart is no island, cut off from other islands, but a continent that joins them.
—Francis Bacon (English Philosopher)

Whate’er’s begun in anger ends in shame.
—Benjamin Franklin (American Political leader)

Rarely do we find men who willingly to engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
—Martin Luther King, Jr. (American Civil Rights Leader)

Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.
—Unknown

Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation or social standards never can bring about reform. Those who are really in earnest are willing to be anything or nothing in the world’s estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathies with despised ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences.
—Susan B. Anthony (American Civil Rights Leader)

There is not one wise man in twenty that will praise himself.
—William Shakespeare (British Playwright)

When I tell the truth, it is not for the sake of convincing those who do not know it, but for the sake of defending those that do.
—William Blake (English Poet)

If you think about disaster, you will get it. Brood about death and you hasten your demise. Think positively and masterfully, with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience.
—Eddie Rickenbacker (American Military Leader)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Albert Mehrabian’s 7-38-55 Rule of Personal Communication

October 4, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi

7-38-55 Rule of Personal Communication

In communication, a speaker’s words are only a fraction of his efforts. The pitch and tone of his voice, the speed and rhythm of the spoken word, and the pauses between those words may express more than what is being communicated by words alone. Further, his gestures, posture, pose and expressions usually convey a variety of subtle signals. These non-verbal elements can present a listener with important clues to the speaker’s thoughts and feelings and thus substantiate or contradict the speaker’s words.

The most commonly and casually cited study on the relative importance of verbal and nonverbal messages in personal communication is one by Prof. Albert Mehrabian of the University of California in Los Angeles. In the 1970s, his studies suggested that we overwhelmingly deduce our feelings, attitudes, and beliefs about what someone says not by the actual words spoken, but by the speaker’s body language and tone of voice.

In fact, Prof. Mehrabian quantified this tendency: words, tone of voice, and body language respectively account for 7%, 38%, and 55% of personal communication.

The non-verbal elements are particularly important for communicating feelings and attitude, especially when they are incongruent: if words and body language disagree, one tends to believe the body language.

Pre-Wiring Presentations: Preventing Surprise Reactions If a speaker’s words and body language differ, listeners are more likely to believe the nonverbal communication of the speaker, not his words. For example, if a person states, “I don’t have a problem with you!” while avoiding eye-contact, looking anxious, and maintaining a closed body language, the listener will probably trust the predominant form of communication, which according to Prof. Mehrabian’s findings is non-verbal (38% + 55%), rather than the literal meaning of the words (7%.)

I have two arguments against the oversimplified interpretation of the “7-38-55 Rule.” In the first place, it is very difficult to quantify the impact of tone of voice and body language on the effectiveness of communication. Secondly, such quantifications are very subjective and cannot be applied as a rule to all contexts. Prof. Mehrabian himself has cautioned,

“Total Liking = 7% Verbal Liking + 38% Vocal Liking + 55% Facial Liking. Please note that this and other equations regarding relative importance of verbal and nonverbal messages were derived from experiments dealing with communications of feelings and attitudes (i.e., like—dislike). Unless a communicator is talking about their feelings or attitudes, these equations are not applicable.”

This study is a convenient—if not accurate—reminder that nonverbal cues can be more valuable and telling than verbal ones. Therefore, to be effective and persuasive in our verbal communication—in presentations, public speaking, or personal communication—it is essential to complement our words with the right tone and voice and the appropriate body language.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. Never Give a Boring Presentation Again
  2. Silence is Consent
  3. Why Group Brainstorming Falls Short on Creativity and How to Improve It
  4. Avoid the Lectern in Presentations
  5. A Little-Known Public-Speaking Tip

Filed Under: Effective Communication Tagged With: Meetings, Presentations, Social Skills, Writing

Inspirational Quotations #240

September 28, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Love is always bestowed as a gift—freely, willingly and without expectation. We don’t love to be loved; we love to love.
—Leo Buscaglia (American Motivational Speaker)

Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
—Moshe Arens

A single kind word keeps one warm for three winters.
—Chinese Proverb

When we are chafed and fretted by small cares, a look at the stars will show us the littleness of our own interests.
—Maria Mitchell

The time which we have at our disposal every day is elastic; the passions that we feel expand it, those that we inspire contract it; and habit fills up what remains.
—Marcel Proust (French Novelist)

The dream is the small hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul, which opens to that primeval cosmic night that was soul long before there was conscious ego and will be soul far beyond what a conscious ego could ever reach.
—Carl Jung (Swiss Psychologist)

A man may be outwardly successful all his life long, and die hollow and worthless as a puff-ball; and he may be externally defeated all his life long, and die in the royalty of a kingdom established within him.—A man’s true estate of power and riches, is to be in himself; not in his dwelling, or position, or external relations, but in his own essential character.—That is the realm, in which he is to live, if he is to live as a Christian man.
—Henry Ward Beecher (American Protestant Clergyman)

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
—John Watson (Ian Maclaren)

We didn’t lose the game; we just ran out of time.
—Vince Lombardi (American Sportsperson)

Intelligence is not to make no mistakes, but quickly to see how to make them good.
—Bertrand A. Russell (British Philosopher)

The delight we inspire in others, has this enchanting peculiarity. That, unlike any other reflection, returns to us more radiant than ever.
—Victor Hugo (French Novelist)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Be Proactive and Seek Feedback from Your Manager

September 26, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Feedback is a critical component of our work. We need to understand whether our performance aligns with what is expected of us. We need to know what we are doing well, what we need to change and how we could improve. We need help to discover opportunities to advance our careers.

One of the common grievances of professionals is that their managers rarely give them adequate feedback. These feelings are not totally unfounded. Managers tend to be busy and deliver feedback only during cursory performance reviews. And, instinctively, managers fear confrontation: they assume that their employees may respond to even the slightest criticism with anger, defensiveness and alienation. Employees, for their part, resent feedback because they dislike being criticized.

This article suggests what you can do to effectively secure feedback from your manager. I have shared this process with several professionals who have successfully adopted it to further develop relationships with their managers.

Soliciting Feedback

  • Set up regular meetings with your manager to seek feedback. Do not wait for the quarterly or annual performance reviews to solicit it.
  • Prepare and send an agenda to your manager at least one day prior to your meeting. Use the questions in the following section to guide your discussions and agenda. Tailor the questions to suit your unique projects and goals. Cover all the broader, important topics on a regular basis.
  • Assure your manager that her opinions and suggestions matter and that you will listen to and act on them. You need not necessarily agree with every assessment, but remain open—do not grow defensive or angry. If you must disagree, do so politely. Offer your opinions using phrases such as “Could it be because …,” “how about …,” or “perhaps, another way to look at this is ….”
  • Ask for specific examples. Take down notes. Conclude the meeting by thanking your manager. Affirm that you will develop and share with her a plan of action.
  • Review your notes from the meeting. Look for patterns in her comments and suggestions. In a day or two, follow up with your action plan.

Ten Questions to Ask to Solicit Feedback from Your Manager

  • “How am I doing on project or goal X? What can I do differently to be more effective?
  • “My most important projects or goals are X, Y and Z. Do you think I have the priorities right?
  • “Am I meeting your expectations in keeping you updated on my progress / project X? How can I organize information better to help you understand my projects and our achievements?
  • “What goals do you see for me on project X (or over the next N months?) How will you measure me against these goals?
  • “What strengths do I bring to your team? What personal skills will enable me to grow and contribute better?
  • “How do you see my career developing in this organization over the long-term? What suggestions do you have to prepare me for such opportunities?
  • “What steps do you suggest I take to broaden my exposure to our functional area and build my skills? What specific steps can I take to widen my perspective in our functional area? What key challenges will I face?
  • “What can I do to expand my role? May I assume any additional responsibilities?
  • “What are your goals for the immediate future? What are your team’s most important projects and initiatives? How can I best support your goals?
  • “How do you think our organization and customers will change in the future? What opportunities do you see? What challenges will we face? How will our roles evolve? How can we prepare? What is our management’s perspective on the future?”

Concluding Thoughts

This article suggests an informal and practical process to solicit feedback from your manager. By exercising initiative, asking the right questions and proactively soliciting feedback, you can recognize and adapt to your manager’s and the organization’s expectations of you and discover prospects for larger responsibilities and promotions.

Your manager will appreciate your eagerness to openly communicate, improve, adapt, and contribute further. She will be more forthcoming in her assessment of your work and more likely to offer suggestions for improvement.

By understanding your manager’s expectations and priorities, you can secure the support and resources you need to achieve your goals. Keeping your manager informed helps foster dependability and build a stronger, mutually beneficial working relationship that helps you, your manager and the organization.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. How to Improve Your Career Prospects During the COVID-19 Crisis
  2. Never Skip Those 1-1 Meetings
  3. Learning from Bad Managers
  4. Sucking up Isn’t a Requirement for Success
  5. Bad Customers Are Bad for Your Business

Filed Under: Career Development, Managing People Tagged With: Feedback, Managing the Boss

Inspirational Quotations #239

September 21, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

We can chart our future clearly and wisely only when we know the path which has led to the present.
—Adlai Stevenson (American Diplomat)

I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying.
—Michael Jordan (American Sportsperson)

No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.
—Andrew Carnegie (Scottish-American Industrialist, Philanthropist)

Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery (French Novelist, Aviator)

A human thought is an actual existence, and a force and power, capable of acting upon and controlling matter as well as mind.
—Albert Pike (American Military Leader)

We are more than what we do… much more than what we accomplish… far more than what we possess.
—William Arthur Ward (American Author)

As you grow older, you stand for more and fall for less.
—Anonymous

The tree may be cut back, but it grows again.|The moon may wane, but it shines anew.|Good men go on despite calamities.
—Indian Proverb

People have a way of becoming what you encourage them to be—not what you nag them to be.
—Scudder Parker (American Minister)

I do not deny that many appear to have succeeded in a material way by cutting corners and by manipulating associates, both in their professional and in their personal lives. But material success is possible in this world and far more satisfying when it comes without exploiting others.
—Alan Greenspan (American Economist)

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!