Leader

We as a whole know representatives really must figure out their organization’s vision. That is the means by which they get adjusted and drawn in, know how their work fits in to the master plan, and settle on better choices with less management.

But, a regular issue with the Chiefs is that disappointment — that their representatives say they don’t figure out the vision, while they accept they articulate the vision constantly.

What’s happening?

YOU Believe YOU’RE CONVEYING THE VISION, However YOU’RE NOT

You might be shocked to hear that your workers aren’t hearing the vision from you, yet the principal thing to consider is that they might be correct.

At the point when you’re a pioneer, you convey a great deal of setting in your mind. You contemplate the organization a ton, and that implies that the vision and other more significant level subjects may be so clear in your mind that you basically neglect to express them. Thus, the main thing you ought to check is whether the words that you believe you’re saying really emerge from your mouth.

Maybe you know beyond all doubt that you discuss the vision. You should check assuming you’re doing that oftentimes enough and in the right scenes. A large portion of them pass the vision on again and again.

Recollect that, for individuals to truly take in what you’re talking about, they need to get it from you in enormous gatherings, in little gatherings, in one to ones, and recorded as a hard copy. Also, they need to hear your authority group around you articulating similar focuses. That is the way individuals will truly ingest it.

THEY DON’T HAVE CLEAR Objectives OR Grasp THEIR Jobs

At times, individuals experience difficulty articulating what’s going on. They get down on the vision as the issue, when they basically don’t have the foggiest idea what their job is, or the way that their work squeezes into the master plan. Essentially, they’re recently confounded, and on second thought of accomplishing the work to sort out what’s irritating them, they knot their grievance into not figuring out the vision.

Your representatives’ disarray about their jobs as a rule comes from a couple of reasons. They might not have clear objectives or ways of knowing how to characterize progress in their job. This is frequently connected to directors who don’t accomplish crafted by assisting them with making measurements and afterward accomplish them, and afterward assist them with perceiving how their objectives bind to the master plan.

As the pioneer, your responsibility is to ensure your chiefs realize that a vital piece of their job is ensuring their understand what they’re going for and how it connects with the north star of the organization.

A few inquiries you can utilize and urge your chiefs to ask their representatives are

Do you have any idea where we’re going as an organization?

Do you have at least some idea what your reasonable objectives are for this quarter/year?

Do you perceive how your objectives tie into the master plan. Is there anything hindering you?

Might it be said that you are getting sufficient course from me or your director?

THEY DON’T Have the foggiest idea HOW THE Organization WILL Arrive

As the CEO or significant level pioneer, you could think an optimistic vision will assist with inspiring your representatives. Yet, this explosions when it appears up to this point arriving at that they have no clue about how you’ll arrive as an organization. For this situation, they might comprehend their objectives and they might see the value in the vision, yet they have no clue about how they’ll connect from here to there.

The representatives love the organization culture and what they were attempting to do, which was genuinely groundbreaking. In any case, the vision proclamation was at such a grand level that workers were passed on to their own creative mind to sort out how it connected with them. Most representatives would have rather not accomplished this work, and the individuals who did arrived on various understandings, and that implies instead of adjusting the group it kept them unpretentiously somewhat off.

You can determine this by ensuring you and your group ponder how each collective endeavors’ convert into gaining ground toward the vision. You could request that your chiefs concoct an infectious expression that exhibits their groups’ commitments to the master plan. Then, at that point, ensure they’re utilizing these expressions with their groups and working with them to make an interpretation of those slogans into much more limited pieces so individuals comprehend how to contribute their thoughts and activities towards the vision.

The vision of an organization should be a grand explanation about contacting lives, and they did this through their concurrences with different accomplices. Each gathering took that vision and procedure and associated it to their groups with a motto, so that even groups without direct client contact felt engaged with the master plan. The innovation group, for instance, lifted up “consistent association” and the money group combine on “make it simple for accomplices after they say OK.” These slogans assisted everybody with being associated with the organization’s general north star while directing them in their everyday.

THERE’S SOMETHING Different WRONG

It’s disturbing to hear that your representatives don’t figure out the vision, until you dig further and figure out that what they truly mean is a more regrettable thing: like your way of life is harmful, or they’re angry at you or the initiative group by and by. At the point when individuals are battling, and they don’t have a real sense of reassurance to discuss double-crossing, terrible administration, or different issues in a useless culture that is harmful; they might go to a more secure grumbling of not grasping the vision. Yet, a large portion of the times the leaders are unyielding that they don’t grasp the vision. It is then truly confusing what’s happening, so it’s best for a retreat to get everybody in total agreement about the vision.

The issue is the CEO. They will be irate that he is so outer confronting and hadn’t requested that anybody manage functional issues. They will be annoyed about his absence of the board of the chief group. Furthermore, the rundown of their complaints continued endlessly. They got the vision, however they had no alternate method for communicating their disappointment — until you make a place of refuge in your worked with meeting.

THEY LIKE TO Grumble

It’s not possible to satisfy each individuals constantly. Furthermore, a portion of individuals you can’t at any point please. They’d just prefer grumble as opposed to accomplish the difficult work of really going about their responsibilities.

Many years ago, had the opportunity to run an organization. Excited about the possibilities ahead of us and the goals we could realize. However, instead of receiving unanimous enthusiasm for what thought was an exciting vision, some team members found fault with ideas and judged personally. They said agenda was too ambitious and self-serving. Some may think that you weren’t listening to what my constituents wanted.

Even though three-quarters of the team supported vision, fixated on the quarter that did not. You knew you was generally well-liked because you spent a large portion of time and energy on pleasing others. The thought that some people didn’t like you felt like a punch in the gut. You lost sleep, couldn’t concentrate, and lost five pounds in one week. You started to consider how you could give in to what the naysayers wanted, even though it wasn’t the right thing for the organization.

Eventually, after a lot of hard work, you figured out how to be resilient when being criticized. This enabled you to stand your ground and take actions that benefited the organization, not just your self-worth. Here are the lessons you learned from that experience:

Be prepared; don’t freeze.

Criticism is inevitable, especially if we invite diverse perspectives and boldly lay out a big vision. Unfortunately, our response to the disapproval of others may not be entirely within our control. Feeling “attacked” may trigger an involuntary fight-flight-or-freeze response in the amygdala. We may capitulate, cry, or lash out — actions we’ll probably regret later. We’ll probably also think of the perfect response but only after the fact. Instead of being caught off guard, prepare a list of three to five ways to respond to critics in the moment. Have these responses handy on your phone or a sticky note in case your brain draws a blank. For example, you might paraphrase what you heard to ensure you correctly understood what was said and demonstrate to the other person that you’re listening. Or you could say something like, “This is a new perspective. I appreciate your willingness to share a different point of view. I’d like to give this genuine consideration and get back to you.”

Calibrate; don’t catastrophize.

If it’s very important to you that people like you and your ideas, you may be particularly sensitive to any form of censure. But try to keep things in perspective. For example, in a meeting, small gestures from the team such as throat clearing or focusing on a phone during your presentation may be the result of an allergy or distraction not negativity toward your ideas. Instead of jumping to conclusions, ask what’s going on. You might say, “I notice you’re frowning. Is it related to what we’ve been discussing?” If the person expresses a concern, make sure you understand the degree of intensity, importance, or urgency of their disapproval. You might say, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how frustrated are you about this?” or “How important is this to you?”

Accumulate; don’t react.

If it’s the first time you’ve heard a certain judgment, become curious about the broader picture. Are you hearing this because this person is the canary in the proverbial coal mine and is the first to say something? Or is this a single instance, best set aside until you hear similar comments from others?

Apply the criticism to your role, not yourself.

We often mistake our role for ourselves. We take things personally that are not personal at all; they are a condition of the job we’re in. For example, the head of sales might find fault with the head of products — no matter who occupies that position. Instead of conflating yourself and your role, determine whether the criticism is about you or the issues and tensions your role naturally evokes.

Connect with your personal board of directors;

don’t isolate yourself. When we’re reeling from criticism, we tend to withdraw from others. Instead, reach out. Cultivate a diverse group of six to 12 people who are invested in your success and who will tell you the truth. Contact the members of this personal board of directors, share how the negative comments affected you, and seek their perspective and advice.

Take care of yourself; don’t try to push through.

If your colleagues’ comments are particularly painful, it might take a psychological and physiological toll.

You may find it hard to sleep or eat well. During these times, carve out more time for yourself. Identify two to three small rituals or practices that help renew your energy. It’s important that these actions are fairly simple so that you actually do them.

Some examples might be taking a three-minute walk outdoors to get some fresh air, connecting with a friend on your drive home, journaling for five minutes at night, or waking up each morning and thinking about one person you’re grateful for in your life. (Bonus points if you then send that person a note expressing your gratitude.)

After many long walks, you will realize that even though you spent most of your life trying to be likeable, it was an illusion to believe that you would be universally beloved.

To move forward as a successful executive, you had to develop a stomach for criticism — even if it meant a bruised ego. In the end, you talked to the people in your organization and acknowledged their various opinions. Then you will clearly be stated what the plan would be going forward and told the group that you hoped they would join you in working wholeheartedly toward the goals you had presented. Most of them did. Over time, you increased your resilience by following the steps above. You have learned to face the realities and benefits of diverse opinions and to value the parts of yourself that others may criticize.

As a leader, are you seeing similar trends? What’s missing? What are you doing to prepare yourself and your organization to succeed during the next four years?

1. Leaders must pay attention to trends and predictions.

As the rate of change accelerates, if you take a “wait and see” stance, you will be caught unprepared. The intersection of volatility, changes in technology and global interconnection means there are threats and opportunities on all fronts and a large pool of organizations poised to leverage both. Speed continues to matter.

2. Leaders and their organizations are becoming agiler.

A survey of more than 2,500 organizations of different sizes, specialties and regions reported that “37 percent of respondents said their organizations are carrying out company-wide agile transformations, and another 4 percent said their companies have fully implemented such transformations.

The shift is driven by proof that small, multidisciplinary teams of agile organizations can respond swiftly and promptly to rapidly changing market opportunities and customer demands.”

As leaders, it’s important to adopt a nimble mindset and culture. Being nimble means paying attention to trends and identifying small “experiments” you can run to keep up with or even ahead of the changes happening around you. Once you are clear about what will work for you and how it will work, pilot that change. Truly agile companies are always experimenting.

3. Organizations and their people must accelerate their pace of learning.

With an increase in agility, people and organizations will need to accelerate learning. In 1978, Harvard Business School Professor Emeritus Chris Argyris wrote Organizational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective. This work continues to evolve and increase in importance, as learning provides a competitive advantage.

Take, for example, how organizations are automating more work. Employees who continue to learn and update their skills will be able to find new roles, while others who are not continually learning will be left unemployed or underemployed as their roles diminish.

4. Age range in the workforce will continue to expand.

As life expectancy continues to increase, many people will want to and need to work longer. Organizations will need to find ways to attract and engage older workers. They will also need to address the dynamics created when multiple generations of employees are working together on the same team.

With the decrease of age-based seniority, leadership will be taken by the best person for the role and will likely shift frequently in an agile environment. Organizations need to be creative in promoting engagement and teamwork across multiple generations.

5. Leaders need to identify and build talent at an increasing rate.

As technology evolves and organizations change more quickly, employees need to learn faster, and organizations need to identify workers to fill changing talent needs. Some of these needs will fall in the technology space, but not all.
We referenced older employees remaining in the workforce and returning.

We also need to find ways to engage talent who have been previously overlooked. This could mean people leaving incarceration, people with disabilities who would, in fact, be great fits for certain roles, or adults who work from home because they are caregivers to their children or parents, to name a few.

6. Employee engagement will continue to be important in volatile times.

The importance of human interaction will continue to increase even as more of the workforce is working remotely – many rarely, if ever, meeting their colleagues. Leaders and organizations need to focus on soft skills such as emotional intelligence that have a strong impact on engagement and the effort employees put into communicating.

7. Communities must come together to solve quality-of-life and economic issues.

With the level of change, segments of the economy can easily be excluded from the workforce. The gap between economic haves (those with education, access and resources) and have-nots can increase, and the cost can be significant for the individuals, families and businesses impacted by a worker shortage.

Successful regions create organizations to tackle these challenges. This means organizations that traditionally compete for resources and clients also need to work together to solve challenges that impact them.

8. Effective leaders are conscious of their impact across a broad range of factors and stakeholders.

As we talk about conscious capitalism, the main idea is that “conscious” organizations tend to the health of a broad range of stakeholders. It becomes increasingly important to pay attention to the needs of competing stakeholders and balance these demands. Conscious capitalism is one mechanism that helps leaders explore the broader range of stakeholders and understand their drivers.

Business is getting more complicated and requires leaders to continually update their skills as well as their mindset and focus. This article summarizes some of my key learnings.

The distribution of work between humans and machines will experience a significant shift between today and 2022. Up until now, around 71% of all work in such industries as aviation, financial services, automotive, and energy utilities has been performed by humans.

However, by 2022, this number is expected to drop to 58%, with 42% of tasks being performed by machines. The question then is the following: What are the skills you need to develop to be prepared for this economic storm and all the digitalization-related trends?

The current state of affairs in the global labor market to see which kinds of skills are facing a decline in demand and which are experiencing an increase.

As you can see in the table below, truly human skills like analytical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, leadership, and emotional intelligence (together with technical fluency) will be in high demand in 2022.
The demand for such human skills as innovation, leadership, analytical thinking, and creativity will only continue rising.

What is a Personal Brand?

A personal brand is, in many ways, similar to a corporate brand, Gresh explains. It is who you are, what you stand for, the values you embrace, and the way in which you express those values. Just as a company’s brand helps to communicate its value to customers and stand out from the competition, a personal brand does the same for individuals, helping to communicate a unique identity and clear value to potential employers or clients.

That story can play an important role in establishing or boosting your career. In fact, an overwhelming 85 percent of hiring managers report that a job candidate’s personal brand influences their hiring decisions. Your personal brand should highlight your strengths, establish a reputation, build trust, and communicate the unique attributes that you bring to your current (or desired) industry. Cultivated well, your personal brand will signal to employers whether or not you’ll be the right fit for an open role.

Tips for building your personal brand

Developing a personal brand might sound challenging, but there are incremental steps you can take to build credibility in your field. Here are ten tips to help you create an authentic personal brand—and amplify your career in the process.

Ten Tips for Developing Your Personal Brand

1. Figure out who you are.

In order to build a personal brand that accurately reflects your personal and professional identity, you first need to know who you are. Be introspective, and create a list of your personal strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself:
• In which areas of work do I excel?
• What motivates me?
• What characteristics have others complimented me on?
• Which projects have others had to help me with repeatedly?
• Which roles seem to drain my energy?
• Which projects can I spend hours on without feeling overwhelmed or tired?
If you’re struggling to answer these questions, ask friends, family, and co-workers how they would describe you. Once you’re more aware of the different facets of your personality, you can decide how best to brand them.
Keep in mind that many people struggle to choose a specific niche because they don’t want to limit themselves. Realize that your personal brand, like many corporate brands, will change as your career grows. The best strategy is to choose a particular area you’d like to focus on and let it evolve over time.

2. Determine what you want to be known for.

Your personal brand is more than a reflection of who you are today; it’s a roadmap of where you to go. In addition to understanding your existing skills and competencies, Gresh suggests assessing your strengths and weaknesses as they relate to whichever industry or career you want to break into next.
By doing this, you’ll uncover the skills and traits that make you distinct, as well as the areas where you need to improve or gain new knowledge in order to advance. Forecasting where you want to be in five or 10 years—and the attributes you want to be known for—can help you better determine what steps you need to take in order to get there.

3. Define your audience.

Before you start crafting your personal brand, you also need to determine who you’re trying to reach. Is it other industry thought leaders? An individual at a particular company? Recruiters? The sooner you define the audience, the easier it will be to craft your story, because you’ll better understand the type of story you need to tell (and where you need to tell it.)

For example, if your goal is to reach hiring managers and recruiters, you might start by creating or updating your LinkedIn profile. Why? Because 92 percent of recruiters leverage social media to find high-quality candidates and, of those, 87 percent use LinkedIn.

On the other hand, if you are a graphic designer trying to impress existing clientele and attract new customers, you might choose to tell your story via a personal website or portfolio, where you can better express your wide range of talents.

4. Research your desired industry and follow the experts.

As you start mapping out the careers you want, Gresh recommends compiling research on experts in those roles.

“Find out who the thought leaders are in whatever field you’re interested in, and don’t just follow them,” he says. “Go online and find out if they have blogs, or where they contribute their thinking. Look for people who are successful and examine what they’re doing. Imitate them, and then do one better.”

In building a personal brand, your goal is to stand out—but you can’t rise to the top without taking inventory of who’s already there.

5. Ask for informational interviews.

As you start forming a list of companies you aspire to work for and industry leaders you admire, consider reaching out to these professionals to ask for an informational interview.

“They take 20 minutes, but are of high value,” Gresh says. “Don’t be afraid to ask anyone you’re interested in learning more from. You’d be surprised by how genuine and generous people are.”

When you meet with these individuals, ask questions that can help you garner new insights about your desired field, such as:

• How did you break into the industry?
• What steps would you take if you were to make the transition all over again?
• How do you see the industry evolving?
• How do you stay up-to-date with industry trends?
• Are there any professional or trade associations I should join?

According to Gresh, informational interviews come with an added benefit: “You’re learning about what it takes to get into the profession, but you’re also sharing in the course of this dialogue a little bit about yourself. What you’re doing is building your brand.”

Although there might not be a job on the line in one of these interviews, one day there could be—and you want that employer to think of you when he or she is envisioning the ideal candidate.

6. Prepare an elevator pitch.

As you begin to conceptualize your personal brand, spend some time crafting an elevator pitch—a 30- to 60-second story about who you are. Whether you’re attending a networking event or an informal party, having an elevator pitch prepared makes it easy to describe succinctly what you do and where you’re going (or would like to go) in your career.

“You need to come up with very short, concise things to say—stories to tell—that frame your attributes in the right light,”

Keep your elevator pitch brief by focusing on a few key points you want to emphasize. This could include that you’re looking for a new position, have strengths in a particular niche, or recently increased the value of your current department or company.

7. Embrace networking.

As you cultivate your ideal personal brand, it’s important to network regularly (and effectively) to grow your professional circle. Connect with peers and industry thought-leaders by going to formal and informal networking events.
The more connections you make—and the more value you can provide in your interactions—the more likely it is your personal brand will be recognized. And, considering 85 percent of all jobs are filled through networking, regularly attending these events will help you not only build your brand, but potentially advance your career, too.

At these events, don’t be shy about asking fellow attendees to meet again for an informational interview or a casual coffee chat. And remember, if you don’t get a chance to connect at the event, reach out via email or LinkedIn to spark a conversation.

8. Ask for recommendations.

Having current and former colleagues and managers endorse you is one of the easiest and most effective ways to define your personal brand, allowing others to communicate your value for you. Just as a business might cultivate customer reviews and testimonials for use in sales and marketing collateral, you too should cultivate your own reviews in the form of recommendations.

LinkedIn is a great place to ask for endorsements because these recommendations will likely catch the eye of future hiring managers. But don’t forget to ask the people endorsing you to act as an actual reference during your job search, being sure they’re willing to speak with a potential employer or write a bonafide letter of recommendation if needed.

Not sure who to ask? Former managers who mentored you closely are ideal, but other connections can also craft effective recommendations, including professors and leaders of organizations you belong to.

9. Grow your online presence.

One of the most important aspects of personal branding is making sure your online presence is engaging to hiring managers, co-workers, and others—even if you’re not on the job hunt.

With so many different social media tools available today, your online presence will likely look different depending on the medium you choose. While your story should match across all platforms, once you know where your targeted audience is most likely to turn, you can redouble your efforts in telling your best story there.

Additionally, if you want one of your sites or profiles to be exclusively for friends and family, adjust your privacy settings to ensure that potential employers don’t stumble upon any information that could potentially harm your chances of landing a job. Here are some platform-specific tips to help you effectively craft your personal brand online.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn serves as a professional social media tool and is the ultimate site for defining your brand. The best way to use this network is to participate in groups, make introductions with people who interest you, and ask for (and give) recommendations. Some other tips for effectively telling your story through LinkedIn include:

• Focus on key industry skills: Recruiters will often search for keywords that relate to the role they’re trying to fill, so it’s important to feature industry terms in your profile—whether in your headline, summary, or job description—and explicitly state your skills. For example, if you’re pursuing a communications role, zero in on your area of interest and key qualifications, such as public relations, social media, or crisis communication.

• Quantify your accomplishments: Saying you’re “results-oriented” isn’t nearly as effective as your actual results. Quantify your accomplishments when possible, whether it’s the number of articles you’ve written, dollars you’ve raised, or deals you’ve closed.

• Complete your profile: While this might sound obvious, it’s not uncommon for users to leave sections of their LinkedIn profile blank. Recruiters want to see what work experience you have, your educational background, and a detailed list of accomplishments, so make sure you’re showing the full picture. Convince them you’re the person they should hire.

• Use a professional photo: LinkedIn users with a professional headshot receive 14 times more profile views than those without. Upload a current photo that’s closely cropped to your face. Remember, you should be the focal point, so avoid any busy backgrounds—and smile. The more welcoming you look, the more likely recruiters are to contact you
Twitter
Leverage this platform to highlight and build upon your industry expertise. Try to incorporate your personal brand into your Twitter bio by using hashtags to focus on your niche, following leaders in your field, and retweeting top industry stories. Don’t forget: what you tweet is still a part of your online image.

Personal website or portfolio
If you’re in a marketing or design field, it’s especially important to have a personal website or portfolio that provides essential information about who you are and helps visually highlight your work. You can create your own site using Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress, among others. Small brands and business owners can also take advantage of helpful design resources like Canva and Venngage’s logo templates to get started creating brand-specific content.

10. Remember that your personal brand isn’t just online.
Your brand is more than just an online persona; it’s how you carry yourself at home, in the office, and even on your daily commute.
“Your reputation is everything. Those who frustrate or annoy others—that will come back to haunt them. The more opportunities you have to work with others, volunteer for projects, and assert yourself as a leader, take them. That’s part of your brand.”

Leadership isn’t reserved for C-suite executives. Strong leaders exist at every level of the organization.

“Leadership comes from how you behave, how you act, and how you inherently interact with people.

That story you tell, combined with those everyday interactions, ultimately define your personal brand.

Reinvent Your Personal Brand As You Grow
As the digital ecosystem changes and your career evolves, so will your personal brand. Adjust your persona accordingly as you meet different people, find new networking opportunities, and grow in your career. As long as it reflects your professional life, don’t hesitate to create a brand that lets you shine.

As of today, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has over 33,000 research articles in its COVID-19 data resource library.

As medical research around the world continues its effort to understand and overcome the challenges presented by this novel virus, new information will continue to be made public on a daily basis thereby perpetually shifting our understanding and perception of what tomorrow will look like. But there’s one thing we know for certain about our future – things will be different.

The current state of transition to a “New Normal” is reflected in our world of sales, marketing and customer experience development. While the health and well-being of our communities will always be the priority, changes in consumer behavior is still something brands must consider as they adjust their strategic positioning to fit within the “New Normal” competitive marketplace.

So, what’s the best way to approach strategic brand positioning in a world that continues to change?

The answer is found in being proactive and searching for what CAN be done. Every organization exists within its own reality based on pre-existing variables. Some brands have more resources than others. Some brands have a long-standing market presence while some are new to the scene. The good news is, regardless of where you stand today, there are plenty of ways to build a solid foundation for continued growth moving forward.

Now, it’s important for proactivity to be harnessed within a strategic framework to guide decision making. Both under-reacting and over-reacting as market conditions change are equally dangerous because maintaining customer confidence and trust is vital during times of market volatility. Somewhere between doing nothing and doing too much is the sweet-spot; taking strategic action aligned with the changing wants and needs of customers to establish oneself as an industry leader.

In other words, don’t sit back and wait for the “New Normal” to take shape. Work together with customers and build it for yourselves.

To get things started, clarify your objective. While your team’s overall goal may appear straight forward, it’s vital to boil down generalized goals into quantifiable points of focus. If your overall research question has underlying sub-questions, then you need to keep drilling down to the core of the matter. That way, measuring success will have an initial benchmark and you’ll establish the steps needed to get where you’re going.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be digging deep into what it means to be proactive during times of uncertainty and approaching this crisis-turned-opportunity with strategic purpose and authenticity.

Economies and Business Leaders cannot erect a firewall against intensifying global competition, energy constraints, climate change, political instability and a pandemic like Covid-19 and therefore cannot isolate themselves from changes. Different Leadership Behaviours and Practices are required to help us win in uncertain times. Post pandemic, the canvas is vast, and opportunities are unlimited.

Trust, Courage and Quality of Decisions:
Making quality decisions can be challenging with limited time and information. Being totally correct all the time is no longer a realistic goal. Instead, it is about being correct enough on the decision to move ahead and execute.

Courage means being a champion of an idea or a course of action. It sometimes means staking out a tough and lonely position.Leaders who build trust will get more productivity – whether it is with your suppliers, vendors or your own employees.

Being Tech Savvy and Leading towards a Contactless World:
Disruptive technologies are entering the market at breakneck speed. We need to focus on the right skill mix with fit for purpose rather than acquire everything in the race towards digitization. As we move towards a contactless way of working, digitalisation as we know it will undergo a major shift, and leaders need to be ready to embrace and adapt to it.

Managing Risk and Complexity with Ambiguity:
Leaders face two competing demands: One, they must take risks in order to meet today’s challenges and the other, they must adapt to what and how things get done in order to thrive in Covid-19 world.

Solving problems and getting things done in this volatile context means adjusting your approach – to both problem and people – to match changing conditions. Leaders need to have a mindset geared to view uncertainty as the new normal and be better prepared to view that unknown as an opportunity to capitalize on.

Leading with a Transformation Mindset v/s Change Mindset:
We are in times of transformation, not just change. It creates a new context which is futuristic and orients us towards being agile. Transformation calls for looking at businesses with a different lens – whether it is skills, roles, costs, structures or strategies. Transformation comes from within and ensures that you are always two steps ahead of the curve.

Driving the Best-Cost Mindset through Innovation:

Leaders are likely to face challenges in maintaining the financial health of their organisations. A successful leader does not only understand finance, but also knows how to incorporate a financial thinking lens into every major decision. At this point it is important to enable employees to have a mindset of ‘my money’ and drive the best-cost culture rather than just top down management actions.

Leadership Practices

Leading the shift from work-life balance to work-life blend and its future fall out:
In the last few months itself, the way we work has undergone a seismic shift. Right from the way our offices and homes are structured, to the benefits we can avail of are changing.

As work from home becomes the new normal, there is a blend of work-life – with timings, policies, infrastructure, ergonomics etc all contributing to this change. It is now normal to have your kids accidentally walk into your zoom meetings and to meet your colleagues’ spouses in the background when an important negotiation is going on! And it is here to stay. Those who can adapt quickly, practise planning, prioritization and proactiveness will succeed at this new work-life blend.

Equal Opportunities and Hope for an Ignored Demographic:
With different business models and opportunities, a new demographic will now get a level-playing field in the workforce. Housewives, people with disabilities, retired talent from Class B&C Towns etc, who were not centre-stage earlier, will no longer be ‘disqualified’ and will now enter mainstream employment. They will contribute to building a competitive edge for organisations and as leaders, we need to be ready to tap this talent and give them the right opportunities to help businesses succeed.

HR Leading Inevitable Actions:
In the Covid-19 situation, some tough actions are inevitable for the HR leaders across industries. Many of themare considering lay-offs, reduction of permanent workforce, salary freeze, across the board salary cuts, differentiated salary cuts, curtailing benefits, reducing PF contributions, more of variable and incentives, leveraging paid and unpaid leaves, hiring freeze, delayed joining, reduced work hours etc. Tough times call for tough, and inevitable measures.

Managing Fear and Anxiety in Uncertain Times:
With a rising sense of fear and anxiety amongst employees, organisations will have to adopt different methods to create a positive and healthy ecosystem where employees can thrive. Openness and frequency of different communication platforms, access to employee assistance programmes, renewed focus on health and wellness initiatives – they all create a support system for employees to rely on.

While organisations and leaders across the world are striving to create a new normal, and bring life back to normalcy, one element will be still out of their reach – the dilemmas faced by employees who are constantly battling tough choices between family safety and commitment to their organisation.

Each day in this rapidly uncertain situation brings with it a new set of choices. And during these testing times, leaders and especially HR leaders can help employees bring out the best in them, earn long-term trust and establish organisational credibility.

Leadership is the scarcest resource in our world today. To be better leaders, we need to focus on the purpose and values of the organizations we lead. These are the antidotes to our world we face today. We want to develop the organization we lead to be high performance.

This requires the organization have a single leadership model, which is pervasive in the organization, becomes a part of the culture and vocabulary of the organization.
Any successful CEO will tell you that the people you hire can make or break your company. So what are the top traits hiring managers need to look for, and how do they spot them in a candidate?

According to Elon Musk, it’s not about what school you went to or your level of education. “There’s no need even to have a college degree at all, or even high school,” the Tesla CEO said during a 2014 interview with Auto Bild.
Instead, Musk looks for “evidence of exceptional ability” when it comes to hiring. “If there’s a track record of exceptional achievement, then it’s likely that that will continue into the future,” he said
The problem is that anyone can say they’re the best at what they do, but it can be hard — and at times impossible — to know whether they’re telling the truth.
How Elon Musk finds a Liar?

Luckily, Musk revealed his solution at the World Government Leader Summit in 2017. He asks each candidate he interviews the same question: “Tell me about some of the most difficult problems you worked on and how you solved them.”
Because “the people who really solved the problem know exactly how they solved it,” he said. “They know and can describe the little details.”

Musk’s method hinges on the idea that someone making a false claim will lack the ability to back it up convincingly, so he wants to hear them talk about how they worked through a thorny issue, step by step.

Musk’s strategy is effective
A study published in the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition last year in December uncovered several approaches to spotting liars based on a job interviewing technique that, funnily enough, backs up the effectiveness of what Musk has been doing for years.

One such technique, called “Asymmetric Information Management” (AIM), is designed to provide an interviewee with a clear means to demonstrate their innocence or guilt to the investigator by providing detailed information.
“Small details are the lifeblood of forensic investigations and can provide investigators with facts to check and witnesses to question,” Cody Porter, one of the study’s authors and a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Portsmouth, wrote in an article for The Conversation.

Specifically, she added, interviewers should give clear instructions to interviewees that “if they provide longer, more detailed statements about the event of interest, then the investigator will be better able to detect if they are telling the truth or lying.”
Porter and her team of researchers found that “truth-tellers” typically seek to demonstrate their innocence and commonly provide more detailed information in response to such instructions.
“In contrast, liars wish to conceal their guilt,” Porter explained. “This means they are more likely to strategically withhold information in response to the AIM method. Their assumption here is that providing more information will make it easier for the investigator to detect their lie, so instead, they provide less information.”

If you want the job tell the truth and be detailed
The study also found that using the AIM method can increase the likelihood of detecting liars by nearly 70%. That’s good news for Musk — and other hiring managers who adopt this science-backed strategy.

As Musk said in the interview with Auto Bild, what he really wants to know is whether a candidate truly solved the problem they claimed to have solved.
“And of course you want to make sure if there was some significant accomplishment, were they really responsible, or was someone else more responsible?” Musk added. “Usually, someone who really had to struggle with a problem, they really understand [the details], and they don’t forget.”
After all, no one wants to hire someone who is all talk and no action. So if you want the job, don’t skimp on the details.

When it comes to motivation, it can be a little tough as a solopreneur. We don’t have a team of colleagues behind us pushing us forward, or a manager we need to impress. What tends to happen is that our focus wanders, leaving our goals unmet and our to-do list untouched.

What’s a solopreneur to do? Well, there is a productivity “tool” you can use called an ‘Accountability Partner’ which is designed to improve concentration and help solopreneurs like you stay on track.

What is Accountability?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of what an accountability partner is, let’s look at what we mean exactly by the term accountability and why it’s so important.
Let’s break that down in basic Layman’s terms. There are three main aspects of accountability:

1. Being aware of what you have to do.
2. Telling someone (or yourself) that you’ll do it.
3. Being open and honest about your progress…and whether you actually did what you said you were going to!

Why is Accountability Important?

You may be a solopreneur, but no man (or woman) is an island! Your business relies on good business relationships with clients, customers, and/or freelancers and accountability builds trust.

When you say you’re going to deliver work and don’t do it, that trust is broken and it’s hard to repair! Being accountable means taking action and being responsible. If your clients see that in your work ethic, they will have confidence in you and your business.

So, What is an Accountability Partner?

An accountability partner is a person with whom you share your work goals and give them feedback later. As the title suggests, it’s a partnership, so you will also listen to their business goals and receive updates as to how they have progressed as well.

It’s a mutually beneficial relationship where you both provide motivation and support as you each tackle your daily tasks and business growth. The aim of the game here is to help each other to succeed.

How does it work?
Sometimes, we can have the best intentions. We tell ourselves that today is the day, we’re definitely going to do that mammoth task that we’ve been putting off. Then… we don’t. We make excuses for ourselves.

We tell ourselves it’s not that urgent. No one knows. No harm done. Right?
With an accountability partner, there is no place to hide!

It puts our intentions out there and if we don’t follow through then we look bad. We are social animals who aim to please and keep our promises. By telling another person we put pressure on ourselves and we are more likely to carry out the tasks we said we’d do.

It’s the most positive form of peer-pressure! In the same way as having a gym-buddy helps to motivate you to actually GO to the gym, having an accountability partner pushes you to actually DO the work.

Who Makes the Best Accountability Partners?
The best accountability partners are people you don’t know personally. A family member or friend might be great at the cheerleading part but will they be tough enough when you procrastinate all day rather than touch that to-do list?

Another plus point for partnering with someone we don’t know is that sometimes we fear the opinions of strangers more than the people we know well. Our natural urge to impress or please acts as an added incentive to do what we said we’d do!

It also helps if the person we partner with is a peer in the same or similar field of work as they are more likely to understand our goals and may even have some great ideas and feedback.

Where to Find an Accountability Partner
You can try topic related forums or social media platforms. Facebook groups in your particular business niche are a good place to start. If you prefer a face-to-face partnership, check out local Meet Ups in your area.

But the easiest way to find an accountability partner is through one of the dedicated websites.

There are many benefits of an accountability partner. For starters, it’s like having your own personal business coach! Being connected to another professional who has also committed to being accountable can really change the way you work. It can banish distractions, increases focus, and help you tackle those most important or the most hated tasks!

Once you’re sold on the benefit of having an accountability partner and working together to improve your respective businesses, how do find one? Running a business can be lonely after all, and if you don’t have the time to network, you may not have a ready list of contacts to which you can pitch a partnership.

It partially depends on what type of relationship you want to have. Some business owners rely on family and friends to provide feedback. These are people you can trust who are almost always available. There is an inherent risk to doing this, though. It can be challenging to maintain a professional relationship with someone you already know and love, and you never quite know if their advice is honest. Your parents, siblings, and closest friends want to see you succeed, but they don’t want to give the bad news that you’re making mistakes.

For those who’d prefer a purely professional relationship, consider the following options:
• Coworkers or Ex-Colleagues – Whether you still have a day job or not, the people you work with or once worked with are a great starting point, offering an existing professional relationship to build on.
• Digital Relationships – You likely have a substantial social network online of clients, colleagues, people you’ve met at conferences at more. A digital-first partnership can be a great way to start.
• Existing Group Relationships – Your church, local volunteer groups, the PTA – whatever groups you are already a member of can be a great place to meet people who have similar goals and would be interested in working together.
• Dedicated Websites – There are several dedicated websites designed to help people connect with accountability partners. They typically charge a small fee but can be a great way to push yourself to act.

Three Steps to an Effective Accountability Partnership

So how do you find someone who can truly make a difference for your business and with whom you can work effectively? Here are three things to keep in mind.

1. Have goals already in place and know what you want to accomplish. Your accountability partner won’t tell you what to achieve. If you’re unsure of your next step, you may need a business coach or consultant more than a partner to help track goals. Be ready to define what matters and why it matters.

2. Create a system to manage and track your goals. Beyond setting goals, have a system in place to support your accountability efforts. This includes daily and weekly worksheets, quarterly reviews, short and long term goal management, and a regular cadence of meetings in which you can discuss each other’s goals.

3. This needs to be a priority. Personal and professional development often falls to the bottom of the list for entrepreneurs that already wear a dozen hats. Accountability needs to be at the top of that list no matter how busy you get.

Meetings should be a priority, and you should be ready to discuss not only your issues and concerns but those of your accountability partner.

The goal of such a partnership is to provide a sounding board for progress against your goals. If you’re successfully meeting your targets (or trying your hardest to do so), you’ll be excited to attend these meetings and eager to share what you’ve accomplished. If you haven’t, it will be tempting to “be too busy” for them, but it’s those moments in particular that can have the biggest impact.

Most people recognize a good leader when they see one – especially if they motivate teams to exceed company goals and create a culture of accomplishment. Performance measurements and outcomes aside, are there routines that make someone more likely to be successful?

What are the habits of effective leaders?

The world is awash with buzz-worthy tips for creating good habits in one’s personal life, but creating the long-term foundations for success in the office isn’t often as prominent.

What habits do good leaders follow daily that separate them from lesser leaders? How important is each one to your overall career success?

Habits vs. traits

Remember, effective leadership habits are not the same as the traits of a good leader.
While traits are often natural qualities of an individual, habits are usually made with considerable effort. It can require many tries to commit a habit to your daily routine. Only after you’ve become accustomed to doing something regularly can it be considered a habit.

Since it can take discipline, focus and (sometimes) a bit of stretching outside your comfort zone, building healthy work habits should be managed one at a time. Only after you’ve mastered your primary habit, should you then move on to the next one on your list.

Avoid buying into fad-based leadership myths, and start with these five habits of effective leaders that are making a difference in today’s workplaces.

1. Plan the night before
Effective leaders have set goals that are both short-term and long-term. Being organized is an essential part of leading others, but it’s not enough to simply have a plan for tackling the year or even month ahead.
Your weekly calendar may have meetings and must-dos planned, but revisiting the steps to getting these done takes these goals from a plan to a reality.
To make this activity a habit, set aside a block of time to plan and adjust your schedule and goals to set yourself up for success in the morning. Then consistently do it each day. This could mean that you look over your planner for the next day right before you leave the office. Or it might mean planning your upcoming day the night before.

The key is to find time that fits your schedule and stick to it.
Successful leaders also take time out of the week to think about medium- and long-term goals and the steps needed to achieve them.
Doing this while outside of the workplace has benefits, as it is often easier to prioritize to-dos without the constant pull of office demands.
Ask questions that clarify your next week’s goals, such as:
• On what things do I need to focus?
• What do I need to accomplish in the week ahead?
• Is there anything that no longer makes sense to pursue?
• What additional resources, if any, should I look to procure before the week begins?

Rather than letting the current office situation dictate what’s important, take a moment on the weekend before the workweek begins to analyze what’s of highest priority.
Whether you reflect in a café or while lounging in your home, use this time to set the tone for when you return to the office.

2. Get to work early
There are many anecdotal reasons why coming to work early works, but it’s strategically a good move for leaders who want to own their time and get command of their day before the rest of the workplace comes alive with activity.

Take a few precious minutes to double-check your schedule, fill up that coffee mug and set up your workspace. It has immense psychological benefits.
It also shows those you manage that you take your role as a leader seriously. This time in the morning allows you to check your emails and voice messages to get on top of any developments in your staff, such as sick leave requests or family emergencies.

Some managers use it to approve budget issues, sign off on paperwork and review employee surveys or feedback. The time alone is free from distraction and is perfect for churning through short, menial tasks.
Making a habit out of showing up early is one of the best ways to inspire others to start doing it, as well.

3. Move when possible
Leaders in every industry have touted exercise as a way to live healthier, but its role in the workplace has been more visible in recent years. With the embrace of standing desks, bike desks and corporate gyms, leaders now have permission to incorporate movement into their workday.

Make a habit of parking further from the front door or taking the stairs.
Better yet, hold one-on-ones with your workers while on a walk around the building. Many of the casual discussions we hold in a conference room could easily be done outdoors. Change in environment can boost creativity and innovation. It’s a win-win.

Combine light exercise with business in a productive way to reap the benefits of overcoming a sedentary lifestyle while still hitting your management goals.

4. Tackle the hard projects first
Handle the most challenging tasks early in the day, while patience, focus and energy are at their peak.

Procrastination of the things that are least appealing, on the other hand, can add to stress and preoccupy your attention until they are finally resolved.
Since you already have your day’s to-do list handy and familiar, prioritize those monster projects, and stop carrying them over to the next day – or even week.
Accomplishing these larger tasks first is a habit that rewards leaders. It builds momentum to tackle everything the day will throw at them and creates a culture of wins that others in the organization can see and be inspired to imitate.

This method is also known as “eating the frog” due to the concept that you get the big, ugly things out of the way before handling more pleasant tasks.

5. Learn daily
Good leaders love to learn and make a daily habit of picking up knowledge wherever they can.
Snagging the latest best-selling book or watching a TED Talk are popular and effective ways to add to your knowledge bank. Interpersonal relationships, however, offer a wider range of opportunities and take nothing from the training and development budget.

Gleaning wisdom and skills from your team can be as simple as making sure every stakeholder at the table has a few minutes to add their input. Or, it can also come in the form of mentorships where you aim to get as much from your protégé as they do from you.

Listening, taking notes and asking probing questions of teams gives you practice in empathy and emotional intelligence (EQ) skills (highly valuable traits for leaders). Making a habit of doing this daily also grows your exposure to those new ideas that you can use to solve everyday problems and recognize the future leaders in your business.

Why good leadership really matters
The importance of effective leadership cannot be overemphasized. Costly employee turnover can usually be mitigated by decisions that managers are directly responsible for making.

Whether employees leave over lack of opportunity, conflict with leadership or other interpersonal issues, effective leaders can change the outcome and keep good employees from leaving.

Right now one thing is abundantly clear: The world could use a little more peace, love, and understanding. There is suffering to be eased; there are wrongs to be righted. If you read the daily headlines and wish someone could just step in and make things better, we have good news: Someone can—and you already know just the woman for the job.

Inside you there’s a mighty activist, even if you’ve never owned a bullhorn or chained yourself to an oil rig. To be an activist, all you have to do is exercise your power to, yes, act. You can be a force for good whether you’re helping a neighbor, raising your voice, or calling attention to a problem in need of a solution.

Every person can make a difference, and no deed is too small to matter. Consider the Jewish concept of tikkun olam, which is commonly used to refer to acts of kindness or the pursuit of social justice. The Hebrew phrase translates to “repair the world”—not revolutionizing or reinventing, just repairing: putting the world back together a little at a time, each of us, every single day.

Helping repair the world is your mission, should you choose to accept it. And we know you will.

Compliment Friends and Strangers
Try praising a new person each day for a month.

Spend Wisely
Whether you’re in the market for an oil change or a bottle of Merlot, think about where you’re directing your dollars. Can you find a woman- or minority-owned retailer? Or can you opt for a small business over a chain? Challenge yourself to do all your shopping this way for a week—or a month.

Talk Politics Productively
The initiative , founded by Bay Area friends Justine Lee and Tria Chang in the wake of the 2016 elections, encourages citizens with different viewpoints to sit down and respectfully listen to one another’s opinions over a nice lasagna. For details on hosting an evening of your own, download the instruction guidance.

Keep Your Kids’ Vaccinations Up-to-Date
Friends don’t give friends whooping cough.

Browse for Worthy Causes
Download a charitable web browser extension like , which uses ad revenue to donate to a partner nonprofit of your choice every time you open a new tab.

Switch to Tubeless Toilet Paper
Unless you’re super crafty, you won’t miss those cardboard cylinders—and neither will the planet.

Support Your Local Women’s Shelter
Donate new bras, which are always in short supply. Menstrual products are another high-demand item (for every box of its tampons you buy, will donate a box of pads to a homeless shelter), as are hair products suitable for different textures. And don’t forget books and board games for the kids.

Know Your Neighbors
Only about 20 percent of the population do—down from nearly 30 percent since the 1970s—and research has linked social connection with decreased depression and even a longer life.

Be Prepared
Someone has to have a bandage, a pain reliever, a safety pin, floss—why not you? The Pinch Provisions Minimergency Kit contains all of these, plus double-sided tape, nail polish remover, and more must-haves.

Eat Your Leftovers
It’s estimated throw away 15 percent of the food they buy each year—enough to feed millions of people. Plus, all that trash produces loads of greenhouse gases. Not sure when it’s time to toss? tells you how long to safely keep thousands of products.

Plant an Herb, Vegetable, or Flower Garden
Everyone wins: The plants produce environmentally beneficial oxygen, you reap the meditative rewards of gardening, and you can savor the fruits of your labor—or gift them to friends and family.

Give Away Your Unwanted Stuff
Put your goods on ad-posting sites and apps for free, so someone who actually needs them can have them at no charge.

Become an Organ Donor
About 95 percent of adults are in favor of organ donation, but only 48 percent are registered. You can sign up right now without leaving your couch, at and potentially save eight lives—the number of vital organs you likely have to offer.

Turn off the lights, turn off the water. Unplug your devices when not in use.
Admittedly, this is one still in the process of learning , but in a world where we are running out of resources almost as fast as we can identify them, unplugging our appliances at night saves an incredible amount of power (phantom power accounts for 10 percent of all household energy outputs). If you turn your shower off while you’re shaving, or letting your conditioner set, you can save a lot of water. Think about what that can add up to.

Adopt a rescue.
If you’re ready to get a pet, and have thought about all the variables, please consider adopting from a rescue agency. Don’t forget that rescue agencies often have different kinds of animals other than cats and dogs, (like rabbits, or hamsters, or lizards) which can be even more difficult to find homes for. If the time is right, consider directly saving a life.

Reconsider your consumption.
Like meat? Don’t want to give it up? Can you give it up for just a day? Just a day per week without meat has been shown to be of great benefit, in terms of animal lives saved, and the environmental toll it can take.
Eating them sometimes as often as three times a week—they were my ideal comfort food. While chose the organic, humanely-raised options; our society’s demand for meat just isn’t environmentally sound.

Share a meal.
Making a meal for, and breaking bread with someone, is an intimate way of getting to know people, and it fosters a deep-running sense of community. Can you invite a friend over for dinner? Host a monthly potluck?

Clean our space.
We are all a part of this world. Our bedrooms were a reflection of our mental space, several years away. Cleaning our spaces helps us feel that much lighter. See what you are able to do from that refreshed space. Honor yourself and your own surroundings just as you would someone else’s.

Get involved.
It’s hard if we’re working a full time job and have kids, or are struggling through the depths of winter, or have just dealt with a scarring break-up, but the world asks us to participate. Stay open to the cues and see what we might have to offer the world. If we think something needs to be changed, write a letter, start a petition, do more direct activism—whatever we can do can help.

Give alms.
This one is a bit loaded, understand. Most of us can’t quite understand what it’s like to be living on the street, unsure of where our next meal or shelter is going to come from, and in urban centres the rate of homelessness is rising. It can be difficult and hard to resist a place of judgement when every third or fourth person we encounter in your walk to work asks us for change, but that is why we must resist judgement. If you feel uncomfortable giving money, consider buying food, or in winter, donating or giving your extra or mismatched winter clothing away.

Travel wisely.
If you need to/want to get away and your only option is a resort, there are more environmentally friendly ones out there. Find ones which are transparent about their environmental practices, and support those. If you don’t “do” resort vacations, consider how your mode of travel impacts the environment and try to mitigate that. We know of someone who plants a tree whenever they take an airplane, but if we all try and do what we can to offset our carbon footprint, it can only be of benefit.

Check your community.
Does your social network include lots of different people? Elders? People of different ethnicities? People who identify as trans* or with different sexualities? Friends and the people see on a regular basis are all of age group. State this not to “tokenize” any group at all, but simply to state that the more varied our communities are, the more we are able to understand and communicate with each other.

Plant a (bee-friendly) garden.
Some choices of bee-friendly plants that you barely need to pay attention to? Lavender, sage, some roses. Bees are in trouble and they could use any help you can give, in offering “pollination stops.” Even if you don’t want to help pollinate plants, your own garden can give you vegetables, herbs, and fruit to eat and is just a good alternative to buying from a supermarket. If you don’t have the space for a garden, yet this idea interests you, you could try community garden or plot sharing.

Give a Compliment
Tell someone that you care about them by complimenting them. It can be a big compliment or a small one. The point is that you share what good you see in them. That will help them develop confidence and a stronger sense of self.

Volunteer
There’re many reasons why doing voluntary work is good for you. Find a good cause you care about and give your time to it. Serve in some way. Volunteering transforms your hard work into other people’s happiness. This is one of the most common acts of kindness that you can do.
Tibetan spiritual leader Dali Lama described the new generation as the generation of the 21st century and his own generation as belonging to the 20th century “You are the generation of the 21st century.”

He said that the generation of the 20th century had been witness to immense violence. “We can say that it was a century of violence. But the violence failed to create a better world.”

He called upon the new generation to aspire to make the world a better place, more peaceful and clean. “Such a world may not materialize in my lifetime but there is a possibility that it can be brought about if you actually resolve to do so,” he said.

“I do not see it and others of my generation may also not, but I will watch you either from heaven or hell to see what you have made of this world,” he told.
“I am confident that things can be improved greatly as most of the problems are man-made and can be reduced if man wants to reduce them,” he added.
He recalled his days in Dehradun and Mussoorie in 1959 when he was staying at Mussoorie for a year after he came from Tibet as a refugee.
“After facing a lot of difficulties in the beginning of refugee life, I enjoyed my stay in Mussoorie -I was very happy there. But in 1960, not out of my own choice, I had to shift to Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh which was very isolated in those days.”
“We preferred Mussoorie, but the Government of India said that Mussoorie was only a temporary arrangement.”

He said that what impressed him greatly when he came to India was the tradition of non-violence and religious tolerance and harmony.

“I felt that I should propagate this tradition and highlight the concept of Ahimsa. In today’s world, destruction of your neighbor would mean your own destruction, considering the global economy.”

Talking about the need for keeping one’s mind calm, he said that a calm mind leads to good physical health. Greed, ambition and worry all transform into anger. A healthy mind is a key factor for physical health. I want to show you my own face, I am almost 77 years old but am quite healthy,” he said with a beaming smile.

“Anger is blind energy and destroys one’s judgement. Buddhism and Hinduism both talk a lot about mind control and we should try to practice this,” the Dalai Lama said.

We always want a guarantee.

We want to know for sure that if we tried to do something, we would like it; if we devoted our limited time to it, we would end up somewhere good.
We had no idea what we wanted to do with our life, and we felt certain this was a phenomenal failing—because if you don’t know right now what you need to do to make your life count, life will pass you by before you’ve ever had a chance to do something meaningful or valuable. At least, that’s what you thought back then.

So we must sit around thinking, analyzing, trying to identify something big enough or good enough, terrified that maybe we would spend the rest of our days feeling purposeless, useless, on the fringe; doing the same thing in our professional life as we would always do in our personal life: feeling like we were on the outside looking in.

When you’re sitting amid a vast expanse of possibilities, in the pressure cooker of expectations and impatience, it can feel almost paralyzing.

What step do you take when you have a hunch but no solid sense of direction? If it’s only a hunch, then maybe it’s the wrong direction.

And what if you go in the wrong direction? Then you will have wasted time, and time is finite. And everyone else is so far ahead. Everyone else seems happy and successful. Everyone else is climbing the ladder, earning more money, making a difference, mattering.

What if you never matter? What if you never do anything important? And worst of all, what if you never have more than a hunch about what’s important to you?
What if you never feel a spark, a purpose, that elusive “why” that so many people write about?

What if you never care about anything so strongly that it becomes the bliss you have to follow?

Sitting in a café over a decade ago, searching Craigslist for jobs and gigs, you must have felt a sense of panic and urgency. You needed to figure it out, and fast.

You are blinded by the fear of never finding what you are looking for, and that made the looking awfully ineffective.

You thought there was something wrong with you for being so uncertain, so resistant, so unable to identify and commit to any path.
In retrospect, you see there was nothing wrong with you, or where you are in life. And there was nothing wrong with living in the maybe, looking for new possibilities.

You weren’t ineffective because you didn’t yet feel a strong internal pull. You were ineffective because you consistently marinated your brain in anxious, self-judging thoughts.

Your biggest obstacle wasn’t that you felt lost; it was that you felt you shouldn’t be. You felt you should have known, right then, not only what you wanted to do but also how you were going to do it.

Because without knowing those two things, you felt adrift and incredibly out of control. How can you let yourself ease into the moment if you can’t be sure it’s leading to a better one?

If someone were to walk into that café and approach their younger self, she would probably ignore immersed as she was in her frantic searching.
But if you somehow had the power to command her attention, you would tell her a few things that maybe, just maybe, could relieve her constant worrying and provide both peace of mind and focus.

You’ll never be effective if you’re convinced tomorrow needs to be better than today, because this belief stems from resistance to the present—and the present is where your power lies.

If you’re looking for purpose from a place of inadequacy, you will likely be too overwhelmed by the need to do something big, that matters to the world at large, to identify what matters to you personally and start taking tiny steps toward it.

Instead of looking for a guarantee that tomorrow will be valuable, know that today is valuable—that you’re not wasting time because you don’t yet feel a sense of purpose. You’re using time well by starting (or continuing) the process of discovering it.

There’s simply no shortcut to “figuring things out”—for anyone. Instead of being hard on yourself for not having clarity, be proud of yourself for moving forward on a foggy road when you could easily find a cloudless, well-beaten path to follow…to certain dissatisfaction.

There’s no set timeframe for doing anything.

You truly can do things in your own time without having to worry about being “behind.” Sometimes it’s the things we do that feel like “stalling” or “getting off track” that end up being the most helpful for our growth.

And besides, what story will be more interesting to flash before your eyes in the end: one that unfolded in ways you never expected, with unique twists and turns; or, one that followed a specific, predetermined timeline with predictable steps from milestone to milestone?

The best way to find direction is to trust your instincts instead of forcing yourself to do things because you think you “should.”

Your intuition is a powerful compass, and even if you think you aren’t making progress, if you’re following your instincts, you are.

There are always going to be opportunities that look good on paper, and that little, scared voice within may tell you that your life will only matter if you take them.

Other people may also tell you this, if not directly, indirectly; or, you may assume they’re thinking this, when really, they’re too immersed in their own confusing journey to pass judgment on yours for long.

But sometimes the best opportunities are the ones you don’t take, leaving yourself open for choices that better align with your own values and priorities.
I know this may sound as impossible as growing another lung, but try not to worry so much about what other people might think. They may have expectations, but they aren’t living inside your mind, or feeling your instincts.
The only one who can make wise decisions for you is you. And even if it makes you feel anxious at times, you will eventually thank yourself for being brave enough to follow your heart, not someone else’s head.

When it comes to creating purpose, there truly is no “wrong” decision.
You may think you only have one purpose and that you need to push yourself to find it. And you can continue thinking this, if you’re okay with feeling chronically pressured and scared.

Or, instead of aiming to discover the one thing you’re supposed to do with your life, you could focus on discovering the one thing you want to try right now, knowing that you can change direction any time. And that changing direction won’t be something to be ashamed of; it won’t mean you failed at discovering your purpose before. It will mean you had one purpose then, and now your purpose has evolved.
It will mean you are brave enough to let yourself evolve, repeatedly undertaking the sometimes terrifying process of discovering what else you can do.
Maybe that in itself can be a purpose—to live life in that vulnerable, uncertain place where you’re not boxed into one way of being; unencumbered by the need to define yourself and your place in the world; free to roam when it would feel much safer to tether yourself to one role.

Ten years ago you thought you were a failure because you hadn’t done anything that felt important. You now know it was all important, and not just because it brought you to this site.

All those steps were important because those steps were your life. And your life is valuable and worth enjoying regardless of what you do professionally.
Ironically, adopting this mind-set makes it so much easier to create meaning in life, because suddenly it’s not about what you have to do. It’s about what you want to do. It’s about where your heart’s pulling you in this moment.

And that’s what it means to find direction—to follow those pulls, without a guarantee, knowing that the goal isn’t to end up somewhere good but to learn to recognize the good in this very moment.

This moment isn’t merely the bridge to where you want to be. This moment—this crucial part of the process—is a destination in itself, and now is your only opportunity to appreciate it, and appreciate yourself for living it.

A leader is a person who influences the attributes and behaviour of people. A person is said to have an influence over others when they are willing to carry out wishes and accept his guidance. A leader guides and directs the efforts of people towards certain objectives.

Leaders- Born Or Made?

There is a controversy regarding how leaders emerge. Some people believe that leaders are born while others believe that leaders can be produced. Let us examine both the  viewpoints.

Leaders are born: According to this view, leaders in general and great leaders in particular are born, not made. Leaderships qualities are inborn and passed on from one generation to another. It is argued that leadership skills are God-gifted and inherited. It is true to some extent that a person inherits some qualities of his parents. So according to this, leaders are born.

Leaders are made: According to this opinion, a person can acquire leadership qualities through formal education, training and experience. Situations and environments create leaders are created.

Both the views are correct. To some extent leadership qualities are inborn but they can be created and sharpened through education, training and experience.

Qualities of a good leader:

A good leader must possess the following qualities. Let us read them.

1. Sound physique: A good leader must have a good health and a physical fitness. He requires tremendous stamina and vigour for hard work.
2. Communication skills: A good leader should be able to communicate clearly and precisely. This is necessary for persuading and convincing people. The skill to listen patiently and understand is also necessary.
3. Sense of responsibility: A leader should be trustworthy so that subordinates can depend on him. He should be willing to assume responsibility for results. He needs a strong to accomplish the goals.
4. Open mind: A leader should be willing to listen to others and to absorb new ideas. He should be able to look at problems from all angles. He should be objective and free from bias or prejudice.
5. Self-confidence: A good leader must have self-confidence and a strong will power. He can inspire others when he himself is dedicated to the cause. He should remain enthusiastic and cheerful in face of obstacles, otherwise he cannot enjoy the trust of his subordinates.
6. Human relations attitude: A good leader must be able to win the confidence and loyalty of people. He should have the capacity to create team spirit among his followers. He should understand and respect the feelings and aspiration of his subordinates. A good leader should have empathy, that is the ability to look at things from others’ point of view.
7. Maturity: A leader should have emotional stability and cool temperament. He should have a high degree of tolerance. He requires logical bent mind and mature outlook.

Some of these qualities can be inborn and others can be acquired through education, training and experience. Therefore we can say that leaders are born as well as made.

A strong leader can be a weak manger just as a strong manager may be weak leader. A leader need not to be a manager but a good manger must have the qualities of an effective leader.