Saturday, January 30, 2016

Leadership

 

In 1982, Jan Carlson had just been named the CEO of Scandinavian Airlines. His company was in trouble. They had just been ranked by a consumer poll as the worst airline in the world. Last in service, last in dependability, and last in profits as a percentage of sales. Yet one year later, in the same poll, they were ranked number one in all three categories. What happened?

 

Carlson had decided to focus on what he thought was the most critical issue...serving the customer. He wanted to keep it simple:
Identify every contact between the customer and the employee, and treat that contact as..."a moment of truth."

 

He set out to let his people know the importance of that moment...the captain, the ticket agent, the baggage handler, the flight attendant.

 

"Every moment, every contact," he said, "must be as pleasant, and as memorable as possible."

 

He figured that he had approximately ten million customers each year, and on average each customer made contact with five of his people for approximately fifteen seconds apiece. Therefore, in his mind, these fifty million contacts, fifteen seconds at a time, would determine the fate of his company.

 

He set out to share his vision with his twenty thousand employees. He knew the key was to empower the front line. Let them make the decision and take action, because they were Scandinavian Airlines during those fifteen seconds. He now had twenty thousand people who were energized and ready to go because they were focused on one very important thing...making every moment count.

 

"A leader's job is to look into the future and see the organization,not as it is, but as it should be."



NANDAN does not accept liability for the integrity of this message or for any changes, which may occur in transmission due to network, machine or software failure or manufacture or operator error. Although this communication and any files transmitted with it are believed to be free of any virus or any other defect which might affect any computer or IT system into which they are received and opened, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus free and no responsibility will be accepted by NANDAN for any loss or damage arising in any way from receipt or use thereof.

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Friday, January 29, 2016

London to New York in 11 minutes - The Times of India on Mobile

http://m.timesofindia.com/home/science/London-to-New-York-in-11-minutes/articleshow/50766355.cms

regards
Raghunandan JAGDISH
+91-9322692934
Nandan GSE Pvt Ltd
CEO and Director
raghu@nandan.co.in
www.Nandan.co.in

forgive brevity..composed on handphone.. better to write fewer words but in time and that which makes sense :)


NANDAN does not accept liability for the integrity of this message or for any changes, which may occur in transmission due to network, machine or software failure or manufacture or operator error. Although this communication and any files transmitted with it are believed to be free of any virus or any other defect which might affect any computer or IT system into which they are received and opened, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus free and no responsibility will be accepted by NANDAN for any loss or damage arising in any way from receipt or use thereof.

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Wednesday, January 20, 2016

How to say sorry at work


how to say sorry

So, you messed up. Maybe you missed a deadline, made an glaring error, or had a tense miscommunication with a coworker. It happens. There are endless ways to mess up at work. But luckily, there are almost just as many ways you can make things right.

We all know that apologizing is a crucial social skill, but what's the best way to say sorry in the workplace?

There's more to it than shrugging and saying, "I'm sorry." An effective apology is one that acknowledges a situation and ultimately makes things better. It's a learned skill, and not one that comes naturally. If you take some time to be thoughtful, you can learn some techniques to make your apologies as smooth as they can be. Once you have that down, you can make all the mistakes you want. (I'm kidding. Don't do that.)

Why apologize?

Saying sorry is something that comes naturally to most people—andsometimes too naturally. But some people don't stop to think about it at all. In general, most apologies serve two major purposes:

  1. It demonstrates remorse for your actions.
  2. It acknowledges the feelings of other people affected by your actions.

At work this is particularly important: apologizing opens up a dialog with your coworkers and can serve to re-establish trust or repair relationships. It's also a way to demonstrate your sense of accountability.

While an apology might seem trivial or unnecessary in some situations, owning your mistake and suggesting a solution can go a long way. Admitting fault might seem like a failure, but it's not. Taking responsibility for a mistake shows integrity, courage, and empathy—valuable traits in the workplace.

And always remember that an apology isn't for your benefit. A true apology is for the person on the other side, so always put them first.

8 steps to apologizing at work

Saying sorry in the workplace is delicate. Depending on the severity of your mistake (especially if there are legal or PR repercussions), finding the courage to apologize can be hard. But not apologizing can make things worse. So let's get into it. Consider these eight steps before attempting to smooth things over.

Start from sincerity

There's no point in apologizing if you don't mean it. This is a basic tenet of apologies, one that we've all learned as children. People can tell when you're not sincere, and an insincere apology is more than worthless: it's disrespectful.

If you don't feel like what you did or said was wrong, than consider the effect it had and the way it affected other people on your team. Can you admit that their their feelings are worth addressing? Or even acknowledge that a mistake simply made other people's lives just a little bit harder. Always start from a sincere place.

Empathize with enthusiasm

Really put yourself in another person's shoes. What would you want to hear if the situation were reversed? Talk yourself through the steps to truly understand where they are coming from and how they are feeling. Do they feel betrayed? Frustrated? Embarrassed? Understanding the emotions involved makes the rest of your apology much easier.

Take true responsibility

Understand how you messed up, and own it. For me, this is usually the hardest part. My instinct is to be defensive. I hate being wrong! But owning a mistake conveys to the other person that you're sincere and empathize with how they feel. It's the part of saying sorry that some people skip, but it demonstrates courage and confidence.

Validate the other person's feelings

We aren't robots. Humans are emotional creatures that need to be acknowledged and to have others know that our feelings are legitimate. Take into account—and communicate that you understand—specifically how your actions affected others. It goes a long way in repairing the damage.

It can help to articulate those feelings out loud:

  • "I can see how this made you feel left out"
  • "I don't want to undermine your authority"
  • "I should be more respectful of your privacy"

You're letting the other person know that you understand how they feels and that you want to make amends.

Don't make excuses, but provide a rationale

This is tricky ground that we've all tried to walk at some point. It's a fine line between an excuse and a reason. Saying "My dog ate my homework is an excuse" (and probably a lie!), but saying "I had trouble understanding the homework," offers a rationale and explanation for why it wasn't handed in.

While not a justification, it can be helpful to explain yourself. But if you can't tell whether you're making an excuse or providing a reason, it's better not to say anything.

Embrace the awkward

Let's face it: apologizing can be super awkward. There's really no way to avoid it. I sometimes want to make a joke to lighten the situation, but it usually doesn't go over well. The time you should wait before making a joke is correlated to how big that mistake is. In other words: patience before punchlines.

Instead, be upfront to address the elephant in the room: "This is awkward, but I need to apologize." Being candid can help deflate some of the tension.

Suggest ways to make up for your mistake

Researchers at the University of Miami found that "the extent to which a transgressor offered conciliatory gestures to their victims was directly proportional to the extent to which those victims forgave over time."

I always offer a solution for a mistake, or suggest ways to prevent it from happening in the future. If you're making promises about the future, be realistic. Messing up once is OK, and people are generally understanding. But if you can't follow through, it's not going to reflect well on you. For me, it's easy to want to over-promise. Resist the urge! It won't help you in the long run.

Learn from it

We all screw up, it's a part of life. All we can do is to extract a lesson and move on. And in this case, you can learn from your mistake and your apology.

I start by thinking how I can avoid this mistake in the future, or maybe navigate that situation better in the future. Was my apology well received? How could it have been better? Depending on what I did, it might take a few tries to actually stop making that mistake, but at the very least I try to take a nugget of wisdom from the situation.

Moving on

Eventually, you'll find yourself having to apologize at work. Nobody's perfect. But by owning your mistake, recognizing how your actions affected other people, and learning how to make things better, your next apology will hopefully be a bit easier.

Apologies are kind of uncomfortable, and that's a good thing. It's a reminder that we should consider other people's feelings before acting, and a powerful disincentive for selfish behavior. In the end, saying sorry can only make you a better person.


NANDAN does not accept liability for the integrity of this message or for any changes, which may occur in transmission due to network, machine or software failure or manufacture or operator error. Although this communication and any files transmitted with it are believed to be free of any virus or any other defect which might affect any computer or IT system into which they are received and opened, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus free and no responsibility will be accepted by NANDAN for any loss or damage arising in any way from receipt or use thereof.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Why planning, not ambition, is the true driver of success


goals

As industry jargon goes, "eating your own dogfood" does little for the appetite, but it's impossible to deny our devotion to it. Every day we use Asana to track the work that goes into designing our product, keeping our employees happy, and sharing our story with the world. Asana runs on Asana.

For the Workstyle team, all this dogfooding means we're thinking about self-improvement and process all year long. And our continuous research about the culture and future of work makes us introspective about Asana's mission and how we can achieve it.

The mission to the moon

Which brings us to January, when water cooler talk is heavy with intentions for 2016. If you're like us, you're energized by this kind of thinking. But this year, we want to talk about something slightly different. As interested as we are about goals and resolutions, we're just as excited to talk about the work you do along the way.

A favorite metaphor of ours is the mission to the moon: a project that's laudable, challenging, and ambitious. But for us a goal isn't the end, it's the beginning. Working backward from spongy lunar footsteps, one encounters teams of people embroiled in careful planning, strenuous training, meticulous calculations, and continual testing—and that is the true story of the work. The path that connects you from your goals to results, however distant that destination may be.

Why your path matters

It's more than a platitude (or an Aerosmith lyric) that "life's a journey, not a destination." In work planning, there is often so much focus on the finish line, that you may forget about the thousand steps in between. And scientific research suggests that too much farsightedness can have negative consequences.

In a 2009 study, 163 people were asked to write down a personal goal. Half announced their commitment publicly, and the other half did not. They were given 45 minutes of work that would directly help them achieve their goal, but told they could stop at any time. Derek Sivers shares what happened in a TED Talk:

"Those who kept their mouths shut worked the entire 45 minutes on average, and when asked afterward, said that they felt that they had a long way to go still to achieve their goal. But those who had announced it quit after only 33 minutes, on average, and when asked afterward, said that they felt much closer to achieving their goal."

When you articulate your ambitions in public, it can create a social reality where you feel a premature sense of accomplishment. Neurologist Gabriele Oettingen echoes similar findings from her own research, in the New York Times: "Fantasizing about happy outcomes—about smoothly attaining your wishes—didn't help. Indeed, it hindered people from realizing their dreams." Rather than motivate you, thinking about the destination can actually make you work less hard to get there.

The balance between dreams and drudgery

The new year isn't a major milestone at Asana. This one happened halfway through an episode (we don't use quarters), so most of us have already established the objectives we are working toward. That doesn't mean goal-setting is a waste of time. It's useful to make resolutions at work. But it's important give weight to both your vision and the road you'll take to get there. Dr. Oettingen suggests a hybrid approach that combines positive thinking with realism':

"Here's how it works. Think of a wish. For a few minutes, imagine the wish coming true, letting your mind wander and drift where it will. Then shift gears. Spend a few more minutes imagining the obstacles that stand in the way of realizing your wish."

Much of the communication at Asana consists of assigning tasks to one another. Talk is tethered to something actionable, like a task or project. Starting something new is ultimately an exercise in making obstacles explicit and assigning responsibility for work. We don't make resolutions in a vacuum, so goal-setting and plan-making are synonymous. When we create objectives, they're as much map as they are destination: We dive into the details and consider every step along the way.

The road to liftoff

Which brings us back to January. The energy derived from purposeful conversations is valuable, but also take a moment to ask: "How are we going to get there?"

Asana's ongoing mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling all teams to work together effortlessly. It's not conveniently nestled in a single task or project. On the contrary, it represents an ever-increasing number of projects, happening now, in parallel and serial—and we've got a long way to go.

So we must take our mission and divide it into smaller elements that we can take action on. We have to assign these tasks to one (and only one) person, and give each task a deadline. We need to communicate frequently to move work forward, and continually review our progress to ensure we're headed the right way.

This is the process of tracking our work—and we can't imagine achieving our mission without it.

We want to help you discover the most direct path connecting your goals to the results that are important to you. For our metaphorical astronauts destined for the moon, that path is somewhere between a hopeful wish directed at the skies, and a mountain of unordered and unassigned to-dos.

As we set off this year, we know our work will involve as much looking down at schematics as looking up at the big prize. And when we approach our goal, it is hoped that the path we blaze through the sky is the one of least resistance. The one that makes teamwork as effortless as footsteps on the moon.


NANDAN does not accept liability for the integrity of this message or for any changes, which may occur in transmission due to network, machine or software failure or manufacture or operator error. Although this communication and any files transmitted with it are believed to be free of any virus or any other defect which might affect any computer or IT system into which they are received and opened, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus free and no responsibility will be accepted by NANDAN for any loss or damage arising in any way from receipt or use thereof.

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