Right Attitudes

Inspirational Quotations #454

December 16, 2012 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

To know oneself, one should assert oneself. Psychology is action, not thinking about oneself. We continue to shape our personality all our life. If we knew ourselves perfectly, we should die.
—Albert Camus (Algerian-born French Philosopher)

Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it when it runs by.
—Carl Sandburg (American Children’s Books Writer)

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (Indian Hindu Political leader)

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.
—Unknown

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
—Mark Twain (American Humorist)

The great epochs of our life come when we gain the courage to rechristen our evil as what is best in us.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (German Philosopher, Scholar)

Truth is mighty and will prevail. There is nothing the matter with this, except that it ain’t so.
—Mark Twain (American Humorist)

There is a healthful hardiness about real dignity that never dreads contact and communion with others, however humble.
—Washington Irving (American Author)

Begin—to begin is half the work, let half still remain; again begin this and thou wilt have finished.
—Ausonius (Latin Poet)

Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.
—Voltaire (French Philosopher)

Stressed, Lonely, or Depressed? Could a Pet Help?

December 11, 2012 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Getting a pet may be just what a doctor might order to help overcome stress, loneliness, and depression.

For reasons not completely understood, we need animals as much as they need us.

Scientific studies have confirmed anecdotal evidence that pets can play a role in taming physical responses to stress. Blood pressure is shown to drop sharply when people merely rub a cat or a dog. The presence of a loved pet can have a calming influence on blood pressure and heart rate, especially when performing a task that might induce physical and mental stress. Even watching fish in an aquarium can reduce anxiety in dental patients waiting for oral surgeries.
Pets can be great buffers against everyday stress, thereby improving long-term physical and mental health. After a hard day at work, playing with a pet can be an effective way of unwinding and reducing stress. Around the world, more delighted frenzies are welcoming people at the end of their hard days at work. An estimated 63% of American, 43% of British, 20% of Japanese, and 60% of Australian households have pets. The proportion of households with pets is growing in India, China, and other developing countries as the burgeoning middle-classes have greater disposable incomes.

Pets can be a great source of nurturance for children. Pets can provide children with many formative experiences in caring for others, including, possibly, the first glimpse of death and the chance to cope with the loss of a loved one.
Pets are non-judgmental and accept their owners without qualification. They provide unconditional love and companionship. Having dogs encourages their owners to get out often, exercise, and meet more people. One study showed that people in wheelchairs got much friendlier responses in public places when they brought along their dogs.
Pet ownership can be a gratifying surrogate for human companionship, especially for people with limited social support systems. People with pets cope better with the impacts of adverse life events. At nursing homes, visiting therapy dogs lift the spirits of elders who tend to be sad or withdrawn.
The mere presence of somebody—even a pet—that one can care about can bring about a sense of purpose and great joy. [Look at this touching chronicle of an 87-year old grandmother in Japan and her beloved cat.]

Idea for Impact: Consider adopting a pet

Plenty of cats and dogs at humane shelters may die if not adopted. Choose a pet that fits your lifestyle. Understand that owning a pet is not for everyone; pets involve additional responsibility, which can be added-on stress. If your circumstances do not allow you to own a pet, offer to walk a friend’s dog regularly, babysit a vacationer’s cats, or volunteer at an animal shelter, clinic, or pet store.

Inspirational Quotations #453

December 9, 2012 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

He knows the universe and does not know himself.
—Jean de La Fontaine (French Poet)

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
—Carl Sandburg (American Children’s Books Writer)

One life – a little gleam of Time between two Eternities.
—Thomas Carlyle (Scottish Writer)

Integrity simply means a willingness not to violate one’s identity.
—Erich Fromm (German Psychologist)

Generosity is not giving me that which I need more than you do, but it is giving me that which you need more than I do.
—Khalil Gibran (Lebanese-born American Philosopher)

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
—Winston Churchill (British Head of State)

The more wary you are of danger, the more likely you are to meet it.
—Jean de La Fontaine (French Poet)

The beauty of the world, which is so soon to perish, has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder.
—Virginia Woolf (English Novelist)

Often the surest way to convey misinformation is to tell the strict truth.
—Mark Twain (American Humorist)

Is a task worth doing worth doing poorly? [Two-Minute Mentor #4]

December 4, 2012 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

You’ve likely encountered career books or motivational speakers who urge you to work hard and give ‘it’ everything you can. While throwing yourself into work on every project and shooting for perfection is admirable, there are several downsides. Before long, you may find yourself forfeiting time with family, friends, or on hobbies as you feel increasingly pressed for time.

In actuality, you don’t have to give 110% or even 100% to everything you do.

Successful people are very selective about when they push themselves to the max—they do so only when the stakes are big enough and when it’s entirely justified.

Not everything you produce has to be perfect. Many of the results that matter can be less imperfect than allowable, but relevant enough.

Imperfection is often a satisfactory outcome. A 110% effort might not move you any closer to your goals than an 80% or a 90% effort.

Your time, energy, and other resources are in short supply. Constantly weigh your efforts against the expected benefits. Consider output-to-input efficiency. Be aware of the point of diminishing returns and don’t contribute more effort than is necessary. Make prudent compromises between reasonable effort and perfection.

Inspirational Quotations #452

December 2, 2012 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Whatever you do, if you do it hard enough you’ll enjoy it. The important thing is to work and work hard.
—David Rockefeller (American Philanthropist)

When you give of your possessions, you give but little; it is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
—Khalil Gibran (Lebanese-born American Philosopher)

Riches ennoble a man’s circumstances, but not himself.
—Immanuel Kant (Prussian German Philosopher)

We do not know what to do with this short life, but we want another that will be eternal.
—Anatole France (French Novelist)

Without devotion, knowledge is tasteless. Without knowledge, devotion is mere empty idol worship.
—Swami Chinmayananda (Indian Hindu Teacher)

Nothing impresses the mind with a deeper feeling of loneliness than to tread the silent and deserted scene of former flow and pageant.
—Washington Irving (American Author)

How easy it is for one benevolent being to diffuse pleasure around him; and how truly is a kind heart a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity to freshen into smiles!
—Washington Irving (American Author)

Death never takes the wise man by surprise; he is always ready to go.
—Jean de La Fontaine (French Poet)

Performance Appraisal Systems “Don’t Meet Expectations”

November 26, 2012 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Across the corporate world, the annual performance appraisal system has been reduced to a perfunctory exercise to “do what HR needs and check-the-box,” and produce paperwork to weed out the laggards and reduce liability against discrimination lawsuits. So much so that one company I know recently distributed copies of the book “Perfect Phrases for Performance Reviews” to hundreds of its managers to help “use relevant phrases and standardize the vocabulary” and “ease the whole process.”

Empirical evidence suggests that, taken as a whole, the annual performance appraisal system has failed to “meet expectations.” It produces no durable improvements in employee behavior and seldom assists the employees meaningfully with career development. Nor does it have a discernible impact on organizational development. Thanks to a system that is highly subjective and easy to game, this annual ritual has become a stressful exercise for managers and employees alike.

At many companies, performance appraisals center too much on filling out forms. The actual performance appraisal meetings tend to be uncomfortable encounters for both managers and employees. Much time during these meetings is devoted to disputing the self-evaluations of employees, summoning up their failings, and defending the employee rankings previously determined by a “consensus” process administered by HR. Besides, during the ranking process, managers tend to overstate the accomplishments of their own employees and put down other employees—after all, managers do not want to incriminate themselves and admit failure in managing employees as successfully as their managerial peers might assert.

Core to this problem is that most managers fail to understand that employee performance management is about establishing relationships and ensuring effective communication about how employees, managers, teams, and organizations can succeed and create enduring value.

Performance management should not be limited to just once a year during the annual performance appraisal. Helping employees to reflect on their performance and learn from their mistakes, and coaching them should be part of the everyday interactions between employees and their managers. This way, the employees can solicit feedback promptly, know where they stand, and make small ongoing improvements. The managers do not have to wait until the appraisal time and then make an extraordinary attempt to convince their employees to correct themselves. The constant communication can eliminate any surprises for both the manager and the employee during the formal performance appraisal exercise.

As part of this informal practice, the managers can keep a diary on employee performance. Recording significant and relevant examples of an employee’s performance (achievements and shortcomings) can help the managers write objective performance summaries. In addition to diminishing the recency bias, the awareness that a manager might write up opinions may persuade an employee to pay attention.

For now, HR can develop a “Performance Improvement Plan” to overhaul the performance appraisal system and truly help improve individual and organizational performance.

More Ideas for Career Success

Inspirational Quotations #451

November 25, 2012 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Self-respect is the fruit of discipline, the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.
—Abraham Joshua Heschel (American Jewish Rabbi)

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
—Isaac Asimov (Russian-born American Children’s Books Writer)

Man must be disciplined, for he is by nature raw and wild.
—Immanuel Kant (Prussian German Philosopher)

So act that your principle of action might safely be made a law for the whole world.
—Immanuel Kant (Prussian German Philosopher)

To be able to look back upon one’s past life with satisfaction is to live twice.
—Martial (Ancient Roman Latin Poet)

Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before. He is full of murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by their ignorance the hard way.
—Kurt Vonnegut (American Novelist)

The duty of literature is to note what counts, and to light up what is suited to the light. If it ceases to choose and to love, it becomes like a woman who gives herself without preference.
—Anatole France (French Novelist)

The mind can assert anything and pretend it has proved it. My beliefs I test on my body, on my intuitional consciousness, and when I get a response there, then I accept.
—D. H. Lawrence (English Novelist)

Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.
—Albert Schweitzer (French Theologian)

Defend in Public, Reprimand in Private [Two-Minute Mentor #3]

November 19, 2012 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

When Richard Branson, founder and chairperson of the Virgin Group, was seven years old, he took some 50 pence in loose change from his father’s table and walked over to a candy store. The shopkeeper suspected Richard and wanted to call his mischief. The shopkeeper called Richard Branson’s father and asked him to come down to the store. The shopkeeper told the dad, “I assume your son has taken this, that you didn’t give it to him?” Richard Branson’s dad seemed irritated at this suggestion. He retorted back to the shopkeeper, “How dare you accuse him of stealing!” Although the senior Branson knew Richard had taken the 50 pence, he avoided humiliating his son in the open. Back home, Richard Branson admitted he had taken the coins from his dad and swore never to take money again without permission.

Idea for Impact

Most people are conscientious enough to recognize their mistakes. They do not want to be humiliated or shamed in the presence of peers and team members. Nor do not need their managers, parents, or other authority figures to ram mistakes down their throats.

When you think you can nail someone’s mistake in the open, take a breather and give a face-saving opportunity for the other. Avoid the temptation to put them down in public. In the privacy of one-on-one meetings, listen to their points of view, describe the impact of their ideas and behaviors, encourage them to reflect on their mistakes, and correct themselves.

Inspirational Quotations #450

November 18, 2012 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.
—Mark Twain (American Humorist)

Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.
—Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Buddhist Religious Leader)

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
—Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Buddhist Religious Leader)

Nothing endures but personal qualities.
—Walt Whitman (American Poet)

Unclaimed promises are like uncashed cheques; they will keep us from bankruptcy, but not from want.
—Frances Ridley Havergal (English Anglican Poet)

Doubt indulged soon becomes doubt realized.
—Frances Ridley Havergal (English Anglican Poet)

The future is no more uncertain than the present.
—Walt Whitman (American Poet)

Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.
—Swami Vivekananda (Indian Hindu Mystic)

Life is so largely controlled by chance that its conduct can be but a perpetual improvisation.
—W. Somerset Maugham (French Playwright)

When an Employee Threatens to Quit

November 12, 2012 By Nagesh Belludi 5 Comments

If an employee decides to use the threat of quitting to coerce your organization into fulfilling their demands, it’s time to take action.

Of course, it’s always important to listen to and consider employee requests, but when these requests escalate into persistent threats, it’s time to communicate firmly with the employee. Let them know that this type of behavior is unacceptable, and if they cannot accept the organization’s decision, they are free to leave.

Documentation is key in these situations to protect the organization from potential wrongful termination claims. It’s important to have a clear record of the events that led to the employee’s departure, including any attempts made to resolve the situation.

While a valuable employee may seem irreplaceable, it’s important to remember that no one is indispensable in an organization. That’s why succession plans are crucial to ensure that continuity and stability are maintained even in the face of employee turnover.

Giving in to an employee’s threats sets a dangerous precedent that can erode organizational control and encourage further bad behavior. It’s important to stand firm and reinforce the organization’s position, making it clear that threats and coercion will not be tolerated as means of achieving goals.

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