Today's Motivational Thought

One rule of action more important than all others is consists in never doing anything that someone else can do for you.

Branding and Corporate Identity

In marketing terms, a brand is the symbolic embodiment of all the information connected with a product or service. A brand typically includes a name, logo design, and other visual elements such as images or symbols. It also encompasses the set of expectations associated with a product or service which typically arise in the minds of people. Such people include employees of the brand owner, people involved with distribution, sale or supply of the product or service, and ultimate consumers.

It is the proprietary visual, emotional, rational, and cultural image associated with a company or a product. The purpose of having people remember the brand name and have positive associations with that brand is to make their product selection easier and enhance the value and satisfaction they get from the product.

Branding is the traditional advertising method used to create an acquired response from a target audience based on cumulative impressions and positive reinforcement. These ads are not purchased for the sole purpose generating a click or visitor. They are geared towards increased product or company name awareness and lifelong customers.

A corporate identity is the physical manifestation of the brand. In general, this amounts to a logo (logotype and/or logogram) and supporting devices commonly assembled within a set of guidelines. These guidelines govern how the identity is applied and confirm approved color palettes, typefaces, page layouts and other such methods of maintaining visual continuity and brand recognition across all physical manifestations of the brand.

A corporate identity ensures that an organization is instantly recognized from its vehicles, offices, letters and literature, staff uniforms or advertising. The creation of a corporate identity involves selecting uniform colors, logo, typefaces and strap lines and applying these in a consistent manner in every medium.

Today's Motivational Thought

Rely on your own strength of body and soul. Take for your star self-reliance, faith, honesty and industry. Don't take too much advice — keep at the helm and steer your own ship, and remember that the great art of commanding is to take a fair share of the work. Fire above the mark you intend to hit. Energy, invincible determination with the right motive, are the levers that move the world.

The One That Satisfies

‘Human Resources’- the magic words are murmured by everyone in one context or the other. All businesses around the world are continuously looking for better ways to recruit smart brains. Much has been said and written about the factors behind the HR factors. Many companies are considering some innovative ways to impart skills, train, re-train and motivate employees as they are the key issues. Why then in a country like India, recruitment melas are looked at as prestigious events while turnovers are more for every quarter in companies engaged in IT /ITES, Construction, Engineering, Manufacturing and the like. ‘The right man for the right job’ may be the HR mantra. On the lines of this saying, candidates are interviewed; the good or better among the brain pool is offered the letter. All is good for the first few months and slowly from somewhere a pungent smell of dissatisfaction spreads across the corporate floor. Where do the innings start? The functioning style of management,
the way projects are planned, in the impressive art of delegation of work, the manner in which constructive utility of manpower is exercised and the sense of job satisfaction blended with job security are the dependable factors for a lasting cordial relationship with the employer. The distaste initially starts with absenteeism, staying away from work without permission and the final renunciation of the bondage with one’s company result in an unhappy note. The recruitment team that relaxed for a while suddenly gets into feverish action and the team members stop not till the goal is achieved. On an average, an employee with rich experience in India or abroad also shows low enthusiasm and the heat is on the down beat. As India
is emerging successful in the global arena, it has been an improvement on the economical status of an individual – billing wise or growth wise. Many strategies were evolved over a period of 8 – 10 years but it has been not easy to analyze the psychological changes and attitude of an employee on the long run. We could call this run to span a few months as is the trend. A serious look has to be given to leverage the human capital and support them more effectively. Bucket with a hole or filling the overhead tank with taps open is not a healthy trend. This effect will drastically lead to saturation level of enthusiasm in Recruiters as well. How good is our Indian HR system? It is high time that the delivery model needs a revamp.
Ninety percent of the HR activities end up in the routine chores of paper, interviews, reference checks, hiring, payroll and firing letters. As this swallows the maximum time, HR professionals have little or no time to concentrate on other strategies or find time to keep abreast of the latest trends in HR. Hence soon they get stamped as ‘obsolete’. ‘On-line integrated management’ is a better remedy as it involves transparency, cost effective and paperless atmosphere. If this system which is in operation in some corporates is put to use in all the organizations in India, a quicker coordination would be achieved between employees, heads, departments and organizations. Through online integrated management and clear coordination
between HR and other divisions much of unsaid troubles could be mitigated. Now our HR professionals can foresee a progressive future in redefining HR intelligence. Here lay the analysis to identify explorable skills in existing employees and to deploy them in the appropriate positions for which they have been hired. This is the prescription for cost cuts, to boost performers, motivate and retain them. Whatever be the advancement, the so called human factors still remain a mystery and cannot be gauged through any profiling tests. The ‘sukshuma’ behind the understanding of the human psychology is still a puzzle. The HR professionals also fall in this category without exemption. They travel miles to set the ball rolling as long as they find it interesting. The mentality of the quitting employees happens to be contagious that they (HR) themselves are caught in the quick sand but appreciably resist from falling sick and emerge like a ‘phoenix’. Recruiters can only supply manpower and the satisfaction that a new employee derives in his work purely rests in the hands of his or her Group mentor. In every company HR builds up a healthy atmosphere but cannot always detect and eradicate the latent politics which are the ubiquitous characteristics of human beings. Are we heading in the right way? Being proactive in salary and compensation alone is not the solution to employee turnover but there is something else beyond. What is there behind the industry trends of boom – bubble –crash – survival –recovery – growth map? Perhaps it is the human satisfaction that matters.
“When I stand before thee at the day\'s end, thou shalt see my scars and know that I had my wounds and also my healing – Rabindranath Tagore” -

Today's Motivational Thought

The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence, the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice, the fifth teaching others.

Meet with the antagonists Together

Meet with the antagonists together. Let each briefly summarize their point of view, without comment or interruption by the other party. This should be a short discussion so that all parties are clear about the disagreement and conflicting views. Intervene if either employee attacks the other employee. This is not acceptable.

Ask each participant to describe specific actions they’d like to see the other party take that would resolve the differences. Three or four suggestions work well. An example is, “I’d like Mary to send the report to me by Thursday at 1 p.m. so I can complete my assignment by my due date of Friday at noon.” A second example is, “I would like to have responsibility for all of the business development and follow-up with that client. 

If the situation needs further exploration, use a process I’ve adapted from Stephen Covey in which you ask each participant to additionally identify what the other employee can do more of, less of, stop and start.

All participants discuss and commit to making the changes necessary to resolve the conflict. Commit to noticing that the other person has made a change, no matter how small. Commit to treating each other with dignity and respect. It is okay to have reasonable disagreements over issues and plans; it is never okay to have personality conflicts that affect the workplace.

Let the antagonists know that you will not choose sides, that it is impossible for a person external to the conflict to know the truth of the matter. You expect the individuals to resolve the conflicts proactively as adults. If they are unwilling to do so, you will be forced to take disciplinary action that can lead to dismissal for both parties.

Finally, assure both parties that you have every faith in their ability to resolve their differences and get on with their successful contributions within your shared organization. Set a time to review progress.

Actions to Avoid in Conflict Resolution

Do not avoid the conflict, hoping it will go away. Trust me. It won't. Even if the conflict appears to have been superficially put to rest, it will rear its ugly head whenever stress increases or a new disagreement occurs. An unresolved conflict or interpersonal disagreement festers just under the surface in your work environment.

Do not meet separately with people in conflict. If you allow each individual to tell their story to you, you risk polarizing their positions. The person in conflict has a vested interest in making himself or herself “right” if you place yourself in the position of judge and jury. The sole goal of the employee, in this situation, is to convince you of the merits of their case.

Do not believe, for even a moment, the only people who are affected by the conflict are the participants. Everyone in your office and every employee with whom the conflicting employees interact, is affected by the stress. People feel as if they are walking on egg shells in the presence of the antagonists. This contributes to the creation of a hostile work environment for other employees. In worst case scenarios, your organization members take sides and your organization is divided.

Today's Motivational Thought

If we do not plant knowledge when young, it will give us no shade when we are old.

How do successful business executives stay on top of the game in an ever-changing global market place

How do successful business executives stay on top of the game in an ever-changing global marketplace? By being prepared for the unexpected. When senior management and executives are up-to-date on industry movement, they are better prepared to know when to act and when to wait. Just as investors must understand and learn when to act in the stock market, so too do executives need to understand which industry changes necessitate action.

Successful corporate leaders are not necessarily those who are able to motivate the troops to excel, but rather, those who are able to anticipate and react to change. This executive understands the current business climate, and has a thorough understanding of the management team's capabilities. Signs may point in a clear direction for an industry to head, but is this the best direction for a particular business? This is a fine line to walk, and executives who are skilled in researching industry trends, keeping up with all types of technologies, and are able to handle the unexpected will be the ones who can lead a company into the next phase.

1. Ensure Senior Management and Executives Keep Their Fingers on the Pulse of Their Industry

While it seems like common sense, the simple act of keeping up on industry trends is too often overlooked. Those in executive careers are overworked, over-focused, and too busy developing the next big thing of their own. But what is going on in the industry while your company is buried in its own projects? The perceptive executive knows that it is essential to keep a finger on the pulse of the industry. This includes current trends,projected directions, and of course, what the competition is doing.

Successful businesses are often those who develop a niche and do this best, whether it is develop a product, provide a service, or a combination.However, these companies also seem to know when it is appropriate to expand. What about less successful companies? How often have start-ups gotten off to a great start, only to fizzle out a few months later?

The difference is finding the balance between the core products or services and the new options that show real--not simply hyped--potential. The only way this can be determined with some degree of accuracy is to keep watch over the industry on a regular basis, from observing historical trends to watching which of the latest developments show potential. Many executives get themselves and their companies into trouble by trying to do too much. It is not possible to "hit" every trend that comes your way, no matter how tempting or how big the financial payoff appears to be.

2. Don't Overlook the Short- and Long-term Benefits of Technology

Technology affects all aspects of your business, regardless of whether or not you are in a technical business or not. Corporations of all size rely on a wide range of technologies on a daily basis; a simple breakdown in one area can hold up the rest of the company in very short order. Just as the breakdown of a single machine on a manufacturing line can put a halt to production, so too can a breakdown of the simplest technology create costly difficulties.

Just as the corporate executive needs to have a solid grasp on the direction of his or her industry, so too does this person need to have an understanding of both short- and long-term benefits of technology. Knowing when to act can save or cost the company millions of dollars.

Those with executive jobs need to understand the benefits of a technology in order to make a wise decision on its use. Many current technologies are enticing, promising quick results for a fraction of the cost. Nevertheless, will these technologies be around for the next few years? In many ways, there is no excuse for an executive not to know whether a new development is worth the investment. Information on new technology is everywhere, in many forms, such as online, in books, magazines, presentations, and word of mouth, just to name a few.

Today's Motivational Thought

If we would see the color of our future, we must look for it in our present; if we would gaze on the star of our destiny, we must look for it in our hearts. 

HOW TO ADAPT TO CHANGE SUCCESSFULLY

Change is the only constant in life. Once you believe in this fact and learn to accept it, you can be on the fast track to adapting to change successfully and thus, making your life much more simple and flexible.

Here are some tips for accepting and acknowledging change -

·         Learn from your Experiences : Every minute that goes by brings about something different in life and hence, change is inevitable. Accept it!

·         Trust Yourself and Know Your Capabilities as well as limiting factors. Make yourself more dependable and try to trust others as well.

·         Be Positive : A positive outlook towards life can help you to confidently face any challenging situation that life throws at you.

·         Learn to function in a team : If you are a good team players, others in your team will trust your judgment and work with you well in any kind of volatile or changing circumstances.

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