3 Simple Ways to Make People Happy at Work

Most CEOs know that, if their workers are happy, they're also more productive. But how to make them happy is the challenge. Many take the goal too personally and try to build staff contentment through personal relationships. They get exhausted and find the strategy simply won't scale.

So what can you realistically pull off to make people happy at work?

Professional growth
People want to stretch, to develop their natural talents, feel their life has a narrative and is going somewhere. When they feel that they are growing, they may be exhausted but they're also inspired, energetic, and willing to take on a great deal. (That's one reason why investing in people can deliver a higher return that investing in new technology.) Anyone who reports to you (and anyone who reports to them) should have a professional development plan. That will keep everybody engaged, busy, and--eventually--happy.

Strong community
Everybody wants to be proud of where they work, to feel that they are investing the most precious thing they have--time--in something that matters. For some companies, the mission or the products are enough. If you make things that cure disease, create cleaner air, save carbon emissions, or improve life in any way, your business has an intrinsic sense of purpose which is probably what drew people to it in the first place. If you make ball bearings, knowledge-management software, light switches, or other kinds of widgets, you may find it tougher to demonstrate how you make the world a better place. Superficial social-responsibility projects won't fill this gap for you. You need to create direct links between the success of the business and the community you serve. These need to involve the entire work force and should be active, public, visible, and long lasting. Many companies get their staff to choose the causes or charities they support. The more they're engaged in these commitments, the more meaningful they will be to them--and your company community.

Fair treatment
"Everybody here is somebody." That's how one call-center rep once explained to me why he loved the company where he worked. The job wasn't thrilling, the pay wasn't great, but every single person was treated with love and respect. Just walking through the door, he said, made you glad to come to work. When people got sick, co-workers worried. When someone was due to retire, she most likely came back to work part time, just for the camaraderie. Sooner or later, everyone in a company like this talks about it as being like "family." The CEO knows everyone's name--even the names of everyone's kids and pets. This kind of fair--and kind--treatment also means startlingly low turnover rates, which also saves money. But it's not really about the money.

The very best companies I've studied and written about honor these principles and enact them lavishly. They don't pay lip service, and they don't do the bare minimum; they go overboard. Their CEOs do so because they know the secret of leadership: Look after the people, and the people look after the business.

Author: Margaret Heffernan, she is an entrepreneur and author. I got the opportunity to interact with her through a webinar session.

How to Ace The Panel Interview

Had a call for a panel or group interview recently? While you might be thrilled to make it to this stage of the hiring process, the mere thought of fielding not one, but a whole team of interviewers can be enough to put your stomach in knots.

However, the reason most employers conduct panel interviews isn’t to intimidate you; rather, it’s a time-saving way to meet with people that will likely interact with you in the new job, and gather their impressions all at once.

So, when you stride into that group interview, remember that the team is there to learn about you and your value-add, NOT to interrogate you or make you uncomfortable.

These 5 tips can help you feel more in control of the process while facing a group of interviewers—with a professional, enthusiastic demeanor that helps win the job:

1 – Direct your attention to each person on the panel.

Upon starting the interview, get each person’s name (and ask for their business card or jot down the name), and then look at each person as you introduce yourself. This will help to break the ice and establish a connection to all of your interviewers.

While fielding questions, avoid staring at a single person (nothing makes you look more “frozen” than doing this!). Instead, make it a point to relax, smile, and open your gaze to the others in the room.

Even if a single member of the group asks you a particular question, look around at the others while you answer it. Doing so will help you project a confident image and build rapport with the entire panel.

2 – Expect to repeat yourself.

While one of your interviewers might take your answer the first time, you can almost expect someone else to either ask for clarification—or ask it again, later in the interview.

Why? Because, just like our verbal abilities, many of us have different listening styles. What is clear to one panel participant may need further explanation for another person.

In addition, each panelist comes to a group interview with a different agenda. You can expect a prospective peer to be interested in your technical or analytical skills, for example, while the boss might be more curious about why your last job was so short in length.

You may also find yourself repeating information from earlier interviews. This is perfectly normal in the context of a multi-interview hiring process, so avoid coming across as impatient or noting that you’ve answered this query before.

3 – Find out who you’ll need to impress the most.

Within most panel interviews, it becomes obvious very quickly who’s on “your side,” and who still hasn’t made up her or her mind.

While it may be comforting to direct your answers and gaze toward the interviewer who seems more open to your responses, you’re better off tackling the naysayer first.

Why? Because winning over the person most likely to reject you shows that you have the ability to read the audience, as well as problem-solve on your feet.

Most employers are looking for leaders that will challenge issues head-on, ask numerous questions, and hone in on the thorniest problems first. If you respond well to someone that throws challenges your way, you’ll come across as an unflappable professional ready to take on the demands of the job.

In addition, most panel interviewers convene after a group interview to discuss the candidate and their impressions. If you’ve won over the toughest member of the group, the others may likely throw their support behind him or her.

4 – Be prepared for at least one zinger question.

Interviewers, like anyone else, tend to feel more comfortable (and perhaps bold) in a group. Therefore, you can almost count on being asked a question that might not be posed to you in a one-on-one situation.

Of course, you’ll want to prepare for your interview by pulling out 3-5 “power stories” that demonstrate your abilities to perform the job. Arming yourself with these anecdotes will give you the ability to answer numerous behavioral-style questions common to both single- and multi-interviewer situations.

But if there’s any question or situation that you would feel awkward explaining, prepare and practice a set of answers to it prior to your panel interview!

This way, you won’t feel a sense of dread when the question finally comes up, and you’ll be better able to handle any curveballs thrown your way.

5 – Thank all participants promptly.

At the conclusion of your group interview, thank everyone personally, and gather business cards if you didn’t already do so.

Then, as you’re sitting in your car post-interview, write thank-you notes immediately and bring them back in for drop-off to the receptionist.

You’ll gain the advantage of having the interview fresh in your mind, and will score points for your promptness and attention to professional courtesy.

In summary, a panel interview is nothing to dread, especially since it offers an opportunity to establish rapport with your potential new co-workers and bosses. Arm yourself with a stack of success stories, answers to tough questions, thank-you notes, and a smile, and you’ll be on your way to a faster job offer.

Writer: Laura Smith-Proulx (She serves as a media source to Wall Street Journal FINS, CIO.com, AOLJobs.com, LocalJobNetwork.com, and other outlets.).

The Makeup of Goldman

Call it "Extreme Makeover: Banking Edition," and get a look at the latest contestant.

Goldman Sachs is changing both inside and out. First, the company is building a private bank that will lend to wealthy individuals and companies. The move is designed to generate revenue and fees at a time when its other businesses, like investment banking, are hurting. Goldman plans to grow the business further outside the U.S. in places like Asia.

"That's been a strategic focus of ours for awhile and continues to be," Chief Financial Officer David Viniar said on a call with analysts yesterday to discuss second quarter earnings.

The firm met its cost-cutting targets for this year and has lumped on an additional plan to save $500 million, said Viniar. It cut 100 jobs last quarter and put aside nearly 10% less compensation last quarter than it did a year earlier.

Despite the cuts, Goldman expects to have higher head count by the end of the year. Here's the catch: The level of the employees, on average, will skew more junior, less senior, Viniar said. Campus hiring will boost head count, he added.

So, to recap: Senior bankers have been leaving the bank in droves, and Goldman is gearing up to hire less expensive, more-bang-for-their-buck junior people. It's a whole new 200 West.

Stepping Down (DealBook)

Whoa, whoa, whoa. This scandal is far more suited to a Jason Bourne film than a Senate hearing. The top compliance officer at HSBC is resigning because the bank served as a conduit for drug dealers and terrorists. We want the movie rights.

Expanding in China (Bloomberg)

Foreign banks have their eye on the promised land: China. HSBC and Citigroup are two of the 41 banks that want to grow staff by 56% by 2015.

Now and Then (Dealbreaker)

A quarter of Harvard Business School's class of 1986 own a boat. A QUARTER. Get thee to Harvard, stat.

More Women, More Money (The Times of India)

Firms like Deutsche Bank are paying headhunters more money to bring them qualified female candidates.

Musical Chairs (Harvard Business Review)

Top young managers in their late 20s and early 30s aren't staying at their jobs for very long. The top reason: Inadequate training.

What to Say (Business Insider)

Here are 16 Wall Street terms that theoretically may make you sound much more intriguing to the person you just bought a drink.

Buzz Around the Office

Catch Me if You Can (Yahoo)

A 59-year-old Utah man died last week, leaving behind a rather revealing obituary that included his admitting that he never actually earned his Ph.D., a diploma that launched his engineering career. In fact, he never graduated from college.

List of the Day: Getting Promoted

It will be easier if you keep these things in mind.

1. Don't lump your problems onto your boss's lap. You're there to make his or her life easier.

2. Be honest about mistakes and what you're doing to fix them.

3. Don't walk around with an air of entitlement.

(Source: The Daily Muse)

7 Marketing Tips for Personal Branding Success

I recently revisited Jim Horan’s  highly successful One-Page Business Plan site, analyzing it from the personal branding point of view.
It’s an excellent site to explore, because it’s a prime example of leveraging a successfully published book into multiple streams of income. The site is an inspiring example of how much success can follow from a single, well-positioned, well-written book…based on the principles shared in over dozens of previous Authors Corner posts.
Here are some of my takeaways from the site:
1.Universal. Jim Horan’s One-Page Business Plan targets an endless market, the universal need for business plans at every level, from small business startups to huge corporate conglomerates. The market for business plans is not away. It’s an evergreen market because when times are good, business plans are needed for planning expansions. When times are bad, business plans are needed for rationalizing costs and consolidation. Search for “business plan books” on Amazon.com and over 30,000 titles show up.
2.Positioned. Although there’s a lot of competition in the field, few books stand out and are clearly positioned. The One-Page Business Plan is one of them because it promises simplicity and ease–but without the connotations of Business Plans for Dummies.  The enduring power of the One-Page approach is that the title explains how the system operates. So, in just 5 words (including The), the title emphasizes both the benefit and how the benefit is achieved.
3.Memorable. After scrolling through a few pages of business plan titles, most of the titles blend together. However, the One-Page Business Plan sticks because it engages on multiple levels, it not only sounds good as a title, but creates a visual that clarifies and reinforces the title.
4.Targeted. The One-Page Business Plan does not, of course, depend on a single book. The firm’s success reinforced by targeting different versions of the book to different market segments. This niche marketing strategy permits the company to gain total market share by deeply penetrating specific market segments within the “business plan” sector. These markets include creative entrepreneurs, busy executives, non-profits, professional consultants, financial service professionals, and women in business.
5.Design. A lot of branding takes place in the initial seconds of visiting a website’s home page, and the clarity, organization, and colors used to communicate the brand’s message. Things to notice on the One-Page Company website include the clarity and “above the fold” conciseness of the home page, the more detailed explanations on the pages targeting different market segments like Sales Executives, and the consistent branding of the different titles within the series that target different market segments.
6.Credible. Third-party testimonials play a major role in building trust whenever spending money is concerned. On the Store page, for example, note the caliber of the testimonials adjacent to the titles, i.e., management guru Tom Peters, and the quote from one of the editors at Oprah! magazine.
7.Personal. What really put the site over the top for me, however, was a single sentence that projected a note of personal concern on the Join Us page. The text in the left-hand column describes teleseminars held at the same time each Wednesday. However, there’s a name and a phone number to call if you’re unable to attend at that time. What a master stroke in terms of projecting a positive image as well as engaging prospects who might, otherwise, be lost!
What’s your impression of the One-Page Business Plan site? What are your takeaways? Are there any lessons here you’re considering adding to your site? Share your comments and impressions as comments, below. And, please feel free to suggest other sites you’ve found that are equally filled with strong marketing tips for personal branding success. Happy branding!

Author:
Roger C. Parker is a multi-title author, book coach, and consultant.

Workshop on How to analyze Annual Report & How to infer a Business News Paper

We are glad to inform you about another workshop on  "How to analyze Annual Report & How to infer a Business News Paper" in New Delhi on July 28, 2012 (Saturday)

A majority of people in India do not invest in Equity Markets due to perception of it being a risky investment. Insecurity shuns the investors from the market. However its proved that a long term investment in stock market has given superior returns than debt market investments. Investment, a channel for achieving financial goals requires such inflation beating instruments to meet life goals on time. Understanding equity selection requires knowledge on its company, its corporate affairs, its annual report etc. Here our  Equity Expert will lead you through the factors and strategies to analyze and review one's own stock selection.

The workshop will also unveil Business News Papers. It is been observed that most of us do not know to read the Business News Paper in correct manner. Reading a News Paper sounds easy but reading the Business News Paper also requires skill. The workshop shall help you to identify the News Papers and pick out the news you want easily and accurately.

Who should attend?

Entrepreneurs: This workshop is suitable for entrepreneurs who are running their Financial Advisory/Planning firm and suggesting investment options for their clients.

Corporate:  Corporate working in Wealth Management/Portfolio Management/Financial Planning Division and doing financial planning for the customers.

Professionals: AFP Certificants, CFPCM Practioners, CFAs, CAs, MBA- Finance, IFAs, Financial Planner aspirants. Individuals: Individuals who want to learn, invest and grow in equities on personal basis.

Learning Objectives

Understanding of Stock Market  & Equity selection in simple terms. Understanding a company's business and future prospects. Learning the art of reading Business Newspapers in easiest way.

Pedagogy of the Program

Annual report Analysis :

·        Equity as an asset class for Long Term. What are the uses of Annual Reports? Contents of Annual Report. Important Ratio Analysis. Company Analysis. Importance of corporate actions

·         Equities shall be explained with the help of live examples. Speaker will share his opinion about various companies enabling a layman to understand about companies.

How to read a Business News Paper:

·         Why we have 4 Business News Paper? How to read a Specific Page of the News Paper? How to infer & extract the Data/ News from the News Paper? Fresh Business Newspapers shall be taken as live example.

Program Schedule

9.30am to10.00am Registration and Breakfast

10.0 am to1.00pm Session I

1.00pm to 1.45pm Networking Lunch

1.45pm to 4.00pm  Session II

4.00pm to 4.15pm Tea

4.45pm to 5.00pm Session III

5.00pm Close of Sessions

Speakers Profile –

CA Ashok Sehgal

He is a Post Graduate from Delhi University and a practicing fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India for last 25 years. He is a renowned faculty in Tax and Estate Planning and has been associated with various Business Schools and Financial Planning Education providers for more than 8 years. He has also been a Financial Consultant to various business houses , HNIs , Stock Brokerage houses and Charitable Trusts.

Date & Venue

July 28th, 2012, The Connaught Hotel 37, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg, Next to Shivaji Stadium, New Delhi-110001

Timings: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm, Registration begins at 9:00 am

Registration Procedure: (GROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE)

· Fees: INR 2500 + 12.36%  Service Tax. · Please write to swati@fpsbindia.org / Call: 9582523737 /9999765963

· Mention the name of participant, mobile no. & email id. · Demand Draft / Cheque favoring FPCIL payable at Mumbai.

· Fees include: Morning Tea-Breakfast, Lunch, Evening Tea, Stationery & a copy of Financial Planning Journal.

Note: 5 CE points shall be granted to CFP^CM Certificants attending this workshop,

Do you have any weaknesses?

Should you talk about your weaknesses in interview?

I know I am going against popular opinion when I say this, but my view is yes.  So if you are looking  here for an easy answer on how to answer the weakness question in interview, then look somewhere else. There are plenty of other sites where you can find a prescribed script.

Most intelligent interviewers want to get a sense of the real you. OK, they know that you are not going to reveal your worst character flaw. But they do want to get a sense that they are talking to a real person, not an automation who cannot talk about anything other than their strengths. Nor do they really want to employ someone who dodges the question with a cliché answer.

All of the employers we interviewed for our book “What do employers really want” lamented the lack of self awareness among their teams and among people they interviewed. They simply wanted people to be themselves in interview.

Here’s what one employer said: (She’s a senior executive in the world’s biggest supplier of information.)

“A turn off in interview is when people are constantly in “sell” mode. Sometimes it’s nervousness, so I allow time for an applicant to get through that. Then there are people who use ‘sell’ as a barrier. They are the more difficult ones to deal with, because they will not let the barrier down. I’m not really getting to know them, so why would I want to employ them. I would rather someone say. ‘Look I have no experience in that area, but I think my skills would work really well, here.’”

Another employer, a senior HR Manager, said:

“What turns me off is desperation from a candidate, where people try to oversell themselves, who have given you a 50 page CV and over-emphasized their qualifications. There’s a level of over-kill that some people tend to go past…”

Think about it this way. You are in an interview because the strengths you have, lend themselves to that profession. A weakness you may have, may not actually be a deal breaker. We all know accountants or engineers who are not people people. They are not being hired for that, they are being hired for their technical skills.

The bottom line on talking weaknesses is to be genuine. Have a real conversation. If you can show that you understand what you are good at, what you are not good at, then talk about what you are doing about it, then you are coming closer to a real conversation about whether the role is right for you, and whether you are right for the role.

That’s kind of the point of an interview, isn’t it?

PS: Please don’t ask me if you should say that your weakness is that you care too much about the job. I get kind of cranky!

Five Ways To Position Yourself As An Expert when you are a Trainer or Coach

It’s vitally important to specialize rather than generalize when it comes to positioning yourself as an expert trainer or coach. In doing so, you become known for one thing and people will go to you for that particular expertise.

So here’s five ways that you can position yourself as an expert:

1. Networking – attending events and talking with others. Or getting others talking about you even when you’re not there.

2. Public speaking or talks – offer to talk to groups in your area on a subject that you know well and that will be of benefit to them.

3. Articles – writing and submitting interesting articles and adding to a blog or other peoples blogs.

4. Write – a book. Many people use a book as a calling card as it’s a great way of sharing your expertise and gaining huge credibility.

5. Joint ventures – are a great way to get connected to others already where you want to be. Setting up a joint venture can be a way of elevating yourself quickly onto a much greater stage.

There are many other ways to establish yourself as an expert but using the above five will take you a long way. The most important thing is that you make sure that your aim is to become a specialist in your particular field.

SBI chairman’s 48-hour deadline works for ‘unhappy’ customers

The country’s largest lender, which has been slow to respond to customer complaints till recently, has adopted a distinctly fresh approach to resolve such issues.
The elephant appears keen to acquire a nimble image. The 48-hour deadline set by the State Bank of India (SBI) chairman for action on customer complaints has hit home hard.
India’s largest bank is evolving a distinctly new customer-friendly face, since its chairman OP Bhatt sought fast and prompt action on all complaints filed by the bank’s customers in a directive issued earlier last year. The internal communication from a deputy general manager outlined: “Please note that our Chairman desires that all the email complaints forwarded from the Corporate Centre have to be replied to the department within 48 hours.”
Here is some impressive evidence of SBI’s brand new face. During the last financial year (2009-2010), SBI received 31,862 complaints and was able to resolve 30,588 within an average resolution time of nine days. Thus, SBI was able to achieve 96% success in complaint resolution in the year. (The bank now says it is striving to achieve an average resolution time of less than five days).
Over the past few months, there is a noticeable difference in the manner in which complaints are being handled at the bank. The customer services department has exhibited surprising alacrity in resolving grievances. In fact, over the past six months, Moneylife has noticed a tangible difference in the lender’s approach towards complaints.
Moneylife regularly receives complaints on various matters from readers, and forwards these to the respective authorities. As far as SBI is concerned, we are now receiving prompt responses on these complaints.
This is quite a turnaround from the time when complaints would pour in thick and fast into the customer services department of the public sector bank, but the resolution of these complaints took a while. However, that may be a thing of the past, now that the bank has distinctly altered its approach to deal with complaints.
Commenting on the change in attitude towards customer complaints, an SBI official explained, “SBI is making a conscious effort to ensure quick and quality resolution of customer grievances in a customer-friendly manner. The root cause of customer dissatisfaction is the general attitude of resistance to customer complaints. With this realisation, the bank has been working to bring about a turnaround in attitude towards customer dissatisfaction that is reflected in these complaints. Customer complaints are our guiding light towards better customer service. We, in SBI, are targeting to provide more than what the customer expects, as it results in customer delight and is the only way to win and retain a customer.”
The bank recently launched an additional channel for customer grievance redressal, called ‘SMS Unhappy Service’. This is a dual mobile and web-based system, under which SBI head offices have ‘Happy Rooms’ which deal with customer grievances. Any customer wanting to lodge a complaint, sends an SMS “UNHAPPY” to a specified number (             8008202020       ). The Happy Room responds to the SMS by calling back the customer on the mobile number and records the details of the complaint. The complaint is then forwarded to the respective branches through a dedicated website, and they are required to advise a resolution within 48 hours.

This is conveyed immediately to the complainant on the mobile. The system affords the advantage to redress simple complaints in the shortest possible time. It also gives the customer the flexibility to approach his or her banker from anywhere.
The system is unique, in that the bank takes proactive action by calling the customer. SMS Unhappy has helped SBI to make an ABC analysis of customer complaints. The managers found that a majority of customer complaints relate to the lack of response to customer queries. Such complaints are readily resolved by the proactive expert team that handles the service. The bank claims that easy accessibility from anywhere in the country through this channel, and quick redressal of complaints have made customers happy.
The bank explains that a lot of groundwork has gone into changing the attitude of the employees through various programmes such as ‘Parivartan’, ‘SBI Citizen’, ‘Udan’ and ‘Jagruti’. All employees, from the messengers and security staff right up to the senior management, were put through an instruction to better understand interpersonal relationships, relating mainly to customers.
The initiative has marked a welcome shift in SBI’s approach towards its customers. No doubt there remain several unresolved complaints that the departments still have to look into. But with the top bosses taking a keen interest in the effective resolution of complaints, customers can hope to get these matters sorted out sooner than later.
Source : Moneylife

10 sure-shot give away’s you’re not sleeping enough

If you think you may not getting enough sleep, but are not entirely sure, here are the 10 signs you should be looking for.

Our fast paced lives are full of work and stress. Our metaphorical plates are overflowing with more things to do than we can imagine and then there's the internet as an add-on (like the whipped cream on the coffee) that keeps people way longer than they should.

So are you sure you are getting enough rest to be a fresh new person every day? Read on to know if you need to grab the blanket, switch the lights off and get some dream-time.

So you get up in the middle of the night and check your phone. You see so many notifications that your eyes are wide open and you go online and start replying to mails, tweeting, updating statuses or pinning at odd hours. These are all good indications that you are losing your sleep.

You can't tolerate people, you shout at them. You are stressed and you have no idea when was the last time you felt happy. Maybe all you need is a nap.

You keep on forgetting things. You walk into the same room thrice and go out without taking what you really wanted. Birthdays are forgotten. You are late for meetings and gosh, you don't even remember what exactly you were doing!

You go crazy with the food. Either you keep on eating or you don't feel like eating at all. You don't understand when you are hungry and your relationship status with food is strictly complicated.

You are gaining pounds and that muffin top is turning into a big wedding cake. It is shouting 'sleep deprivation alert'. Listen to it, won't you?

You are sick of being sick. The door is wide open and infections are walking in one after the other. You are even out of sick leave at work! What you need is not another tablet; but regular sleep.

'Tea or coffee', 'now or later', 'this or that'; these are the common question you keep asking yourself. You have lost your super powers of decision making and all these decisions, from tiny to the massive, have become a task.

You keep on repeating your actions without realizing. You don't understand what exactly you are doing and life is playing in a loop. Break this loop with a little sleep.

The world looks photoshopped. It seems that the blur effect has been used at its best. Your eyes look devilishly red and people seem to be afraid of you.

Yes, your love life is not going well. You are having mood swings you cannot explain. Nothing is going right; every act has taken a left diversion.

If you are feeling these things, it is about time to switch your system off and hit the bed. You'll probably wake up to find the world a much better place!

Source: www.mdhil.com

Plus:

Health benefits of sleep
Are you feeling tired all the time?
Obesity linked to sleep loss and food choices