Jumbo Combo and Typical South Indian !!!

Anil Kumble is the Indian Test Captain (at least for the Pakistan Series).

Thats a stale news and the amount of fanfare exhibited by the Board in announcing this was so low that I had decided not spend either precious blog space or my time on writing anything about it. But Kumble's interview yesterday with Nishant Arora set me thinking. Because what I heard was not normal, was not very typical of an Indian Cricket Captain, was not very Cricketer like. Thinking back I cannot recollect when did we actually find any of our captains sound so Cerebral, Composed and Intellectual. I know I know its futile, or point blank foolish to do this oft repeated exercise of comparing skippers, yet I ended up doing for just what I heard. I also know that my pre conceived judgements may fall flat on its face if he gets it wrong at Kotla but somehow for the moment I am willing to take the risk and bask in the impressed feeling that I was enveloped with post that chat. Here are some excerpts:

Nishant Arora: And a bowler becoming a captain. How does that sound in India?

Anil Kumble: At the end of it, it's the bowlers who win your Test match. You have to pick up 20 wickets. It does not matter how many runs you score on the board so it will be a bit different that’s probably where my experience as a bowler will help somebody like Dhoni to get a bowler’s perspective of the game. It will be a bit more positive.

Nishant Arora: It is a very interesting time in Indian cricket when we can say that past is merging into future and you will be standing at the mid-point of that ransition. How do you see your role there as someone, who not only has to lead the side but also ensure that when he gives the baton he gives it to the right person?

Anil Kumble: It is a challenge and I think that the transition definitely will be smooth. Again I haven't had the chance to speak with any of the selectors or the board officials so I still have to wait for that. It is too early to say about all that. It is important to me that whenever it happens, it is a smooth transition for me.

Nothing earth shattering there. Neither do we find some yet-to-be-unravelled-captaincy-nuggets, in those talks. They are very professional comments (something that the Bangaloreans are very good at). But its the way, those thoughts came out, that they were reeking of sincerity and statesmanly intentions. Somewhere you get the feeling "In my last leg of my career here's my chance to do something to see that the Transition to the new gen is pucca !!!".

We all know Test match is a bowler's game and in pointing that out there's no big shake yet to point out that in his apprenticeship days this will be a great learning opportunity for Dhoni to hone is understanding from a bowler's perspective is a fresh thought. Whats impressive is the thought or mental make up that he is not just the captain but a facilitator too to upscale Dhoni to be Indian Skipper for a long time to come. I dont think I heard that part of his job description when the selectors announced his name for the post. I presume (and I think thats correct), that this is Kumble's own thought...for the fact that he is quite capable of such thought.

Its not easy to be given a job with Transition being an agenda round the corner. I do understand the Ravi Shastri's much publicised press conference stating Dhoni needs more time to hone up as an accomplished test player (let alone being captain), acted on the minds of the selectors and they did not have the guts to go against a man who is fast becoming one of the most influential figures in the annals of Indian Cricket. So Kumble's decision was just a distant alternative (read stop gap....while I still fail to understand what happenned to Sourav Dada Ganguly in all this mess). Yet the way Kumble has interpreted his opportunity speaks volumes of the man's intellect and personality. That fact that he has patience ...loads of it...is not alien to us. We have seen him taking each and every one of those 565 wickets with lots of guile and tons of patience. Here too he has showed that while waiting in the wings he has developed all that is needed for donning the most coveted job of Indian Cricket and one of the most challenging jobs in the world.

If there was any time that his team mates (especially 3 of the past captains - Sachin, Sourav Rahul) can pay him back for his selfless escapades under their respective tenures, then this is the time. They should go out there and give him piles of runs, so that he can then join hands with his old buddy Venky Prasad and get down to what he does best, polish the opposition.

One thing that Kumble will never fall short of in that dressing room, that is respect. He has earned it. With his bowling and of course with his recent heroics with the bat to emerge as the sole centurion in the entire English tour, he has shown everyone that one thing he is master at ...that is his ability to apply himself and be at till someone forcefully pulls him off. I think some of our so called greats should have borrowed those lessons long back, however, nothings lost if they can borrow that leaf now ...especially before a round the corner tour down under - where its always the case of "Survival of the best Application".

So, Over to you Jumbo !!!! All the best for a smooth transition and a good stint as a captain !!!

Towards the end of that interview something caught my attention ...read it ...

Nishant Arora: I’m sure you must be a great father. What kind of goals have you set for your children?
Anil Kumble: I think, like a typical south Indian, education is very important. It’s too early for me to say anything. I don’t whether my son will become a cricketer or not. It's just that all of them are doing well in their studies. I would like to see and support
them in whatever they do.

The Phrase that made me smile was the tongue in cheek admission "Typical South Indian" value of EDUCATION first. And that set me thinking. In fact I had this prolonged conversation with my better half on this, and in due course realised that its not so bad..this education factor (the the Typical south indian obsession for it). If you see closely Anil Kumble and his exploits (he has plotted some of the most number of dismissals on difficult tracks, and designed the first complete Cricket Software which nowadays is used by all Cricketing nations, an engineer by qualification), Venkatesh Prasad (Player of good repute, Certified Level II Coach, Bowling Coach India, Engineer by Qualification), Javagal Srinath (Great Bowler, First and only International Match Referee, Comentator, Engineer by Qualification)...am sure there are more..but this trinity come ot my mind. Somewhere if you look at their personal lives too you will find they have lived their lives on their own terms and have been a bit offbeat yet happy.

It doesnt harm ..this education bit. Because it brings some of the most precious traits to the human behaviour - Modesty, Cerebral Thinking, Intellect, Level-headed(ness), patience - to name a few. I don't smell money too much when we see and listen to them. But they are successful and how !!! Maybe a pointer to many parents that its good to have that typical south indian value of education first yet pursuing the career of your choice. It does count somewhere in life !!!

So lets fasten our seat belts as its Jumbo territory ahead .... and this Jumbo thinks !!!! Thats a Jumbo Combo !!!

Laugh out Loud

Laughing Together

It's a funny thing (I mean funny-strange, not funny-ha, ha!) about humour; it's a definite necessity to a healthy life at work and at home but we don't always admit it or recognize its power. The daily challenges which contribute to our increasing stress levels continually drain us of energy. Humour binds us together, lightens our burdens and helps us keep everything in perspective.

Women consistently cite, "having a sense of humour" as one of the top three
characteristics they find attractive in men. They feel a comfort and a security
in knowing that they don't have to engage continually in serious conversations.
Laughter lightens the mood of almost all situations.

Dr. Robert R. Provine, a professor of Neurobiology and Psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, has spent numerous years studying laughter. He has eavesdropped on 1,200 bouts of laughter among people in malls and other public places. As a result, he has discovered that most of what we laugh at in life is not particularly funny. It is basically social banter: the kind of everyday conversations which we all share. There is no denying our need to belong to a group.

Take My Job ... Please!

Tom Peters, a business guru who is always one step ahead in business thinking, says this about the importance of humour at work: "The number one premise of business is that it need not be boring or dull. It ought to be fun. If it's not fun, you're wasting your life."
He believes that infusing more humour into the workplace will increase creativity, teamwork and ultimately productivity. The reality is that the best people are attracted to working environments where there is an element of fun. If good people are placed in an environment that is impersonal, cold and unfriendly for an extended period of time, that is how they will eventually behave.

Many businesses are now beginning to realize that the punch line can benefit the bottom line. Robert Half International, an executive recruitment firm, conducted a survey of 1,000 executives and discovered that 84 percent of respondents felt that workers with a sense of humor do a better job. Another survey by Hodge-Cronin & Associates found that of 737 CEOs surveyed, 98 percent preferred job candidates with a sense of humour to those without.
Employers are looking for the same characteristics which are inherent in those people who have a good sense of humour, namely; more creativity and productivity, fewer absentees and sick days, and better decision-making capabilities.

What does this mean for an employee who is not the comedic center of attention at work? Well, before everyone rushes out to enroll in a crash course on how to become another Jay Leno, or David Letterman, it's important to note that a good sense of humour need not include the capacity to tell a funny joke or the ability to fire off witty remarks. The essence of developing a good sense of humour is not taking yourself too seriously and keeping a positive attitude.
The Four Senses of HumourHumour can have many positive or negative effects. Most people have witnessed or have used any one of the following five general types of humour.

• Self-Deprecating Humour - Poking fun of oneself can provide a much needed relief from tense situations. Conversely, an excess of this type of humour may make other people uncomfortable and lead to serious low self-esteem issues.
• Put-Down Humour - This type of humour involves teasing, sarcasm and ridicule and it tends to be a popular form of humour around the water cooler. If aimed at politicians, actors etc. it is harmless and can help to form social bonds, although if aimed at fellow workers, it can become a form of social aggression.
• Bonding Humour - People who exhibit bonding humour are generally fun to be around. They tell funny jokes, lighten the mood and partake in witty banter. Bonding humour can either provide a sense of togetherness or it can isolate individual employees.
• Observational Humour - Observational humour is the healthiest of all of the four types. People who use this type of humour have a unique outlook on life. They are always able to see the bright side of things and they don't take themselves too seriously. This enables them to deal more easily with daily stress in their life at work and at home. Observational humour is the only type of humour which can be enjoyed alone. As a result, studies linking humour with health have tended to concentrate on this type of humour.

Laughter is the Best MedicineThe effects of humour on our body are quite dramatic. Dr. William F. Fry, a psychiatrist at the Stanford University School of Medicine has been studying laughter for more than 40 years. He says that 20 seconds of intense laughter, even if faked, is equivalent to 10 minutes spent rowing.

Humour has the power to do many positive things to our bodies. It's responsible for elevating our mood, breaking up boredom and fatigue and giving us more resilience. It also boosts our immune system, reduces stress, relaxes muscles and lowers our blood pressure. With the increasing age of the Baby Boomers, these benefits are proving to be no laughing matter!

Your humourous personal health also has positive repercussions at work. Because of humours' social nature, those people with a healthy sense of humour are less overwhelmed in tough situations, more cheerful and less rigid. They are also able to use laughter to diffuse hostility and encourage cooperation when working in a team and completing projects. People who laugh well together work well together.

Humour Help is HereOkay, so you're interested in lifting your laugh ability factor, or maybe finding your inner funny. Here are a few tips on how to do this at work.

• Suffocate sarcasm - It has too much potential to be taken the wrong way in a work environment.
• Justify your jokes - Don't just memorize the latest joke making the rounds on email. Tailor your jokes to the individual and keep them clean.
• Be frugally funny - Making a funny comment to diffuse tension during a meeting is a great idea, but don't overdo it.
• Join a friendly neighbourhood - Hang around funny friends. Spend time with those who are upbeat and avoid negative people whenever possible.
• Giggle with the gang - You can be seen as having a great sense of humour without ever telling a joke. Just listen to those around you and share in their laughter.
• Get with it - Remind yourself to have fun everyday. Place humourous cartoons and quotes in your personal workspace.
• Partake in periodic personal putdowns - This can put others at ease and you don't risk offending anyone. Be sure to keep a light mood and don't make it a habit.

Now you're off to make your world a funnier place. Just remember:

"The ultimate test of whether you posses a sense of humour is your reaction when someone tells you you don't."- Frank Tyger.

Handling Terminations: When changing a career is a necessity

I have been reading a lot recently about layoffs in companies, to cut flab. And that set me into this process of introspection through putting myself in the shoes of the managers who have to do this challenging and tough job of asking an employee to search for a job elsewhere. After putting some thought I did realise that if done the right way this job of executing terminations can be less strenuous than what it appears to be now.

Being a firm believer in the importance of choosing the right words in all situations, I often find myself studying the impact of things I hear. I think about how the words make me feel. Then, I try to turn the situation around to where I capture an understanding of the person who said them and what they really meant. Not many people do this. Few invest the time and effort into studying words, even though how you use them dictates nearly everything about life, relationships and business.

When you reach the level of manager, executive or business owner, you really have to watch what you say and how you say it. You now have a group of people whose lifestyles depend on your business. They will always be on the alert for any sign of challenge in the business that could negatively impact them. You must learn to be crystal clear in your communications, yet use words that evoke the emotional impact you desire.

If you must tell your team about changes in the wind, always do so from their perspective. Let them hear the benefit to them of the change first. Then, get into the details once you know they're in a positive frame of mind about it. If you begin talking about change from the company perspective first, it's likely to set off emotional alarms. People will start wondering about how they fit into the new situation, possibly discussing it with someone sitting near them, and not listen intently to the balance of your message.

One of the most common situations top people find themselves in is where someone in the company hasn't done their job well and needs to be removed from the payroll. They need to find employment elsewhere. That's a nice way of saying they're being fired. You would not likely come right out and tell someone they were being fired. The term fired can fire people up and take things to a confrontational mode before you even get the rest of your message across. Termination is another one of those emotionally negative terms. It brings to my mind something a gangster or other bad guy would say. Being terminated can deliver quite a shock to anyone's system.

Both of those words can create a certain amount of stress in the person doing the terminating or firing as well. No one wants to be that bad guy, putting someone out on the street as you've seen in the movies or even on the news.

Ending someone's employment can be even more stressful to the person doing it than it is to the person being let go. First of all, you know about it in advance where the recipient only finds out during your pronouncement. You may be the one making the decision. You have to choose the time and place for delivering the message. And sometimes, there's an awkward waiting period before it's the right time to do it. A waiting period after the decision is made allows time for certain fears to arise, if you let them. There's a fear of confrontation. There's a certain amount of guilt. And, in today's times, a fear of saying just the wrong thing and ending up in a legal dispute about the situation.

Before you ever get to the point of telling someone they must find employment elsewhere, be certain you have documented their performance properly. If you're in a position to do so, have you offered training for them to improve their skills? Have you counseled them to let them know they're not performing up to par and offered advice or assistance? Do they have a goal or quota they must meet? Are they tracking their personal productivity toward the goal? If they've failed at any of the second-chances you've provided, don't be guilty! They knew what was expected of them and they made their choices. Now, they get to handle the consequences of those choices.
Why do we, as managers, terminate? We have to terminate people for a variety of reasons. One of these reasons is if a person has blatantly broken any company policies. The breaking of company policies can often lead to ruining your reputation in the community, lowering the standards of the company, or even leading to decreased morale among the other people who work for you. You cannot allow someone who does those things to negatively influence your reputation or the other fine people working for you—the ones you want to keep.

Termination is also necessary if you have someone who is using unethical business practices. Lying to the public will ruin the growth of the company. Negatively impacting your company's reputation steals opportunities from the rest of your team. The rule of thumb about this goes like this: If someone has a good experience with your company, they're likely to tell three people about it. If they have a bad experience, they'll share it with eleven. You just can't risk bad PR if you want to keep your business stable and allow it room to grow.

So what are the guidelines to terminating when it does need to be done? First of all, don't tell anybody else in the company, other than those who might prepare a final check or other paperwork, that you are going to terminate someone. Even then, only tell them when you need the paperwork done. Don't tell them weeks in advance that the termination is coming. When others know, you often lose control of a situation that you may never have felt comfortable with in the first place.

When you are ready to terminate, it is best to do it prior to a company meeting, if you have them regularly. This is so after the dismissal you can inform your staff of the change and that you are there to continue leading them. Never knock the person you have just terminated. Never discuss the details of their termination with other staff members. Once the announcement is made, move onto more positive business to get their focus back on today's business and their part in it.
Always terminate with their file in front of you. Refer to everything you've done for them (or the company has done). If at all possible, bring them to the point of admitting that they haven't fulfilled the goals. They haven't internalized the training. Or, that they haven't met the standards they were given. Don't let this go on and on. Simply tell them of the decision to make the change. Wish them the best of success with their “employment change” and get the necessary paperwork completed. Allow them to save face by leaving the premises at a somewhat normal time—at the mid-day lunch time or just before closing time. Terminations are never enjoyable and lengthy discussions aren't necessary when handling a termination. Develop your own style, but keep in mind that they should be handled quickly and professionally.

Think carefully about the words you choose to use in discussing the termination. Here are just a few to consider as replacements for firing and termination : make a career adjustment, seek employment elsewhere, move on to another employment situation outside of our company, or no longer work for our company. These phrases are kinder and gentler, yet convey the message clearly. We've found their use to decrease the number of defensive confrontations encountered by employers who must end someone's involvement with their company.

Consider making the study of the words you use in your everyday communications your hobby, even for a day. You'll be amazed at how different things could turn out with just a few minor changes.

On a lighter note....world is full of exotic cuisines.............why eat your own words !!!!

Is Your Vocabulary Costing You Money?

This one is for all you sales people out there !!!!

When we give a presentation to a future client not only do our appearance, visual aids, and body language relay a message, but the words we use create pictures in their minds. When we hear a word, we often picture a symbol of what that word represents. We may even attach emotions to some of these words. For example, let's consider the words, SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN, WINTER. Depending on your particular experience, each of those words can generate positive or negative emotions in you, right?

The same applies to the words you use in your contacts with customers. You don't know in advance which words will generate positive feelings in your clients about you, your product and your company. That's why people in selling must become extra sensitive to the use of words if they want to have successful careers or businesses.

One of the most commonly used words in sales is the term "contract." What type of mental image does that term bring to your mind especially when you picture yourself as a consumer? For most of us, it's negative. We have an image of fine print, legalities and being locked into something that requires legal action to get out of. For this reason, I recommend that salespeople stop using that term, unless your particular line of business requires it. Instead, use the terms paperwork, agreement or form. Think about each of those terms for a moment. Do they bring to mind threatening images? If they do, I'll bet those images are a lot less threatening than those created by the term contract. Do yourself a favor and eliminate that term from your vocabulary. Use paperwork, agreement or form instead.

What about the words "cost" and "price?" What pictures do they bring to your mind? If you're like me, I see my hard-earned cash leaving my pocket. Substitute the terms investment or amount in place of cost or price. When most people hear investment, they envision getting a return on their money which is something positive. Now, there are products for which the term investment would not be appropriate so let's use the term amount for them. That word has been proven to be less threatening to most consumers than the terms cost and price.

The same idea goes for the next terms, "down payment" and "monthly payment." Most people envision down payments as large deposits that lock them into many smaller monthly payments for a considerable time period. They may see themselves receiving bills and writing checks every month. Not too positive a picture, is it? Replace those phrases with these: initial investment or initial amount and monthly investment or monthly amount.

The next terms I'd recommend you change are "sell" and "sold." Many salespeople will tell prospective customers about how many units of their product they have sold. Or, they'll brag about having sold the same product to another customer. What are the mental images here? No one likes the idea of or the feeling derived from being sold anything. It sounds as if the customer didn't really have much say in the matter. Replace sell or sold with helped them acquire or got them involved.

Another term I feel is over-used by salespeople is the term "deal." What does this bring to mind? Something we've always wanted, but never found. Top salespeople never offer deals to their clients. They offer opportunities or get them involved in transactions.

The last, but definitely not the least important term I recommend you change is "sign". Never again ask a customer to sign your agreement, form or paperwork. We've all had it drilled into us from early childhood never to sign anything without careful consideration, haven't we? So, why would you want to create that emotion in anyone you were trying to get happily involved in your product or service? Instead of asking them to sign, ask them to approve, authorize, endorse or OK your paperwork, agreement or form.