Life Skills Lessons from Lord Krishna

Lord Krishna: The Apostle of Life Skills
By Challa S.S.J.Ram Phani

Lord Krishna is one of the greatest Management Gurus, whom we can emulate without second thought. He is the Mentor of Mentors, Coach of Coaches and Guru of all Motivational Gurus. He is the greatest life skills expert and demonstrated every skill in the court of Dhritharashtra during his diplomatic tour to Hasthinapuri (now Delhi), which was taken up only to avoid war between Kauravas and Pandavas.

His communication skills are evident in every word expressed in the Court of Kauravas. Lord Krishna during his Negotiations, to avoid war between Kauravas and Pandavas demonstrated perfect communication skills. As he doesn’t want to avoid war between them, he manipulated his words with diplomatic jargon and tried to instigate fear motivation in Duryodhana by way of illustrating the greatness of Pandavas on and off the field of war.

Life-skills have been defined by the World Health Organisation as 'abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life' (WHO 1993). We can see this ability abundant to face challenges of everyday life in Lord Krishna and this article is intended to analyse the same.

Happiness is the aim and ambition of any individual in this world. Whatever a person takes up in his life, it is to attain one and only objective – Happiness; says Sigmund Freud, the Father of Psychology. All religions and philosophies aim is to achieve happiness for mankind. Character only can give that kind of total happiness for mankind. Lord Krishna proved this in his life by becoming ideal personality. The preacher of Gita, Lord Krishna’s life is an example, which reflected the power of character.

Lord Krishna is God for faithful devotees. He is a magician for non-believers. He is a romantic Hero for some and a great manipulator for many. He is the greatest Philosopher who has given Gita to the mankind. For some, he is just a character in the Mahabharat of Sage Vyasa. Irrespective of any kind of faith and devotion, He is the Great Guru for Psychoanalysts and Psychologists. He is the first counseling psychologist.

He is a complete man. If we observe his life critically from all angles, we can have glimpses of this kind of characteristics in the life of Lord Krishna.

Lord Krishna is not so taller and handsome like Lord Rama. He is not having beautiful, expressive eyes. He is black in complexion. He faced many problems during his life. He never felt depressed. He has never given up. He always faced problems and got them solved. He faced problems with cheerful attitude. He stood beside his people like rock. Reason – His total personality.

Some may argue that Sri Krishna is just another character in the epic Mahabharat, written by Sage Vyasa. Then, why this balanced approach towards life is not seen in the avatars of Rama, Parasurama and Vamana. Why Sage Vyasa didn’t create the characters of Brahma and Siva also in this mould? There may not be answer for this kind of questions. We may get the answer by thinking that every character will have its own characteristics. Whether Lord Krishna is there or not in the history of mankind, or he is just a character in Mahabharat, certainly he is the example of a complete man.

A true disciple to a great Guru!

Lord Krishna is the disciple of Sage Sandipani. After the completion of his education, he came to know that the young son of his Guru Sandipani has met with an untimely death. Lord Krishna fought with Yama, the God of Death and brought back life to his Guru’s son and presented him as Guru Dakshina. How many disciples of this age are paying just fees for the survival of their Guru’s family? These are the days where people expect freebies even in education!


Eight wives and infinite problems

Many feel that Lord Krishna means eight wives and his romance with them. He mesmerized people with his cheerful presence and playful attitude. His life started with problems. He was born in the prison. He was separated from his mother immediately after his birth. He suffered with ‘separation anxiety’ since his birth. He has spent his life in Brindavan with cowherds’ families, instead of enjoying pampered life in Madhura on the lap of his grand father Ugrasena. He never had great education also. His uncle Kamsa hatched many plans to kill Krishna in his childhood. Kamsa has sent demons every year to kill Krishna. Krishna, the kid could over come all these troubles with his determination. Due to deadly problems arising every moment, his friends also might have faced traumatic stress disorders. Many parents might have stopped their kids playing with Krishna, as it is dangerous. Krishna never bothered with this kind of problems. He has learnt many lessons of life playing on the shores of river Kalindi along with his friends. He has spent his childhood playing divine flute and doing mischief with his friends.

A friend in need

Lord Krishna is a friend for needy indeed. He has helped his friend Kuchela (Sudama) to overcome his penury. He also helped Draupadi, the wife of Pandavas, who has immense faith in Krishna.


A politician par excellence but compassionate

Krishna fought with his uncle Kamsa and crowned his grand father as King. He got his parents released from prison and fulfilled his responsibility as Son. Though he has able army, he never tried to invade other kingdoms. But he never showed any compassion towards Kings like Jarasandha who declared war against him. He fled from the war field to avoid unnecessary loss of lives, and killed enemy without loss of single life.

Personified love

Love is natural at a particular age. Many may dare to do anything to achieve their love. Krishna resorted to fight battle, to achieve his love Rukmini and became ideal for the world of lovers. Though there are legends that Lord Krishna has 16,000 Gopikas, he never tried to woo a single woman. He attracted them with his talkative talent. Nobody ever branded him as womanizer. He was always regarded as personification of love and affection.

Emotionally intelligent

He was not at all an arrogant and adamant husband. He was having highly adaptable and adjusting nature. Though Satyabhama kicked him with her leg, Krishna never got angry
with her. Moreover, he took her feet in his hands and mellowed her down by saying whether hitting him injured her feet. He always stood as ideal husband and tried to balance his family life.

A real leader

Great physique is not the real asset for anybody. Character is the true asset for any individual. Krishna’s kingdom is very small in size and so his army. But King Duryodhana came down to ask for his help in the royal battle of Kurukshetra. Though Krishna said that the whole army is one side, and I will be helping one side, Arjuna selected Krishna, only because of his character. A leader is not the one who walks, but the one who leads walking ahead of others.

A great warrior

He never fought. He is not having any powerful position. Even then everybody knows that Krishna lead the army of Pandavas. Just by having army, no one can win the battle. One needs to have war strategies and intelligence to assess the power of enemy. A leader of army has to plan ahead of others and win battle with minimum loss of human life. Krishna succeeded in fulfilling this responsibility with all the ability it demands. That’s why he is the real and great leader.


A great communicator

When Krishna went to Hasthinapuri as an ambassador of Pandavas to express their piece of mind to King Dhritarashtra, his communication skills reached pinnacle as an avoider of war but not as an instigator of destruction. He pursued Kauravas to avoid war with Pandavas and urged them to do so by just giving them five towns to rule. When Kauravas refused to do so, he has analysed the strengths, opportunities of Pandavas, weaknesses and threats for Kauravas if they didn’t avoid war in the first place. Krishna always took responsibility for his acts, and helped Pandavas to overcome their problems and ultimately to win the war of Kurukshetra.

Small vices in great characters

It is natural that great characters will always flourish with small vices. Even Krishna is also not an exception to this rule. Krishna thrown bait to Karna to join Pandavas and marry Draupadi. He only knows on why he did like this. Karna refused politely to budge at the behest of Krishna. Even then, Krishna may have tried to expose the greatness of Karna to the world.

When Arjuna was jumping with joy after killing Karna, Krishna warned him on behaving in such a manner. This shows his respect towards a great warrior and ideal friend like Karna. If Karna is personified charity, though he is with his enemy, Krishna realized the greatness of Karna, and treated him with high regard. That is the greatness of Krishna and this reflects his unique character.

Nobody is perfect, even Lord Krishna. He also acted like human being in many situations. To help and uplift mankind without any selfish motive, one can lie here and there and can manipulate if the situation demands. Krishna took some decisions only to prove this point. That is why Lord Krishna is complete man and an apostle of life skills.

To succeed in professional or personal life, one has to learn and try to emulate Lord Krishna to become complete man.

Communication Skills - Lessons from Hanumanji

Hanuman – The Communicator Par Excellence
By Challa S.S.J.Ram Phani

Post Globalisation, the word ‘Management’ is heard every where and its demand is growing in leaps and bounds. Communication skill i.e. ‘the power of talk’ is essential to succeed in any function of ‘Management’.


Communication – the divine weapon

Long ago, Mahakavi Kalidasa wrote in ‘Raghu Vamsa’, a great play: ‘Vaagartha Viva Sampruktau; Vaagartha Pratipattaye; Jagatah Pitarau Vande; Parvati Parameswarau’ ‘I salute Parvati and Parameswara, Parents of the Unvierse, To bless me with Expression and Meaning, For they are so united.’ Thus, Kalidasa knew that in communication, word and meaning should be closely blended. It is necessary to say or write what exactly we mean. Expression of feelings is the only differentiator, which separates human beings from other living beings. Communication is like divine weapon. If you misuse, it may become destructive weapon in the hands of a fool. There are people who enjoy felicitations with the power of their ‘speech’! There are people who invite wars due to lack of proper communication! You can take back the slip of your leg and can get healed, but you can not reverse the slip of a tongue!

Hanuman – the expert in communication!

The importance of the power of communication is illustrated in the Valmiki’s epic Ramayana. General public always feel that Human is just a person always chanting Ram bhajan. He is the expert in Vedas, expert in all sciences, a man of action, a noble minister, an efficient ambassador, an eminent leader and an obedient servant. What ever position he held, he always followed his dharma as an ideal idol to others.

How is this possible?

His expertise in communication enabled him to dawn various roles efficiently and effectively. The new age managers can learn many things and take tips from Hanuman, the expert in communication, as hailed by Lord Rama himself.

How to communicate?

Hanuman is expert in scientific communication, i.e. he always speaks the way it should be. How Hanuman speaks is analyzed by Rama in Kishkindha Kaanda as told by Valmiki. When Hanuman meets Rama for the first time on the outskirts of Kishkindha as Sugreeva’s messenger, Rama was charmed by Hanuman’s communication style and art of speaking. He tells his brother Lakshmana: ‘see how excellently Hanuman has spoken. He did not utter a single word without relevance and significance. He has not wasted a single word. Nor did he omit an appropriate word. He has not taken more time than it was strictly necessary to express what he wanted to say. Every word that he spoke can never be forgotten. Such a voice promotes general welfare and remains forever in the hearts and minds of generations to come’. Isn’t it a brief statement of the fundamentals and essentials of how speech should be?

Again when Hanuman sees Sita in the Ashoka Grove in Lanka of Ravana, the Demon King, he exclaims, ‘to find Sita here is just like listening to a person who is lacking in word culture – who tries to say some thing but actually says something else!’ A mismatch between what one says and what one means.

According to Francis T.Bergin, A well-known expert in communication, the seven C’s are the essentials of communication. It should be ‘correct’, ‘clear’, ‘complete’, ‘concise’, ‘concrete’, candid’ and ‘courteous’. Don’t these tally with the advice of Valmiki who wrote centuries ago in his timeless epic?

Hanuman on how to speak!

Clarity in content, No negative words should be used.There should not be any mistakes in the sentences. No grammatical errors in the sentences

Body language must be perfect. There should not be any ill feelings expressed on face, eyes, forehead and eye brows. Proper Body language is the sign of effective communication.

One should not speak, which is not related to the subject

There should not be any ambiguity in communication

Clarity in communication must be always given top priority.

There should not be many pauses

Communication must appeal to heart and mind.

One must speak in middle octave

Words must be mesmerizing to the listeners. Even the hardest enemy must become silent with folded hands.

Anybody, who can practice like Hanuman can achieve success in any of his or her chosen field.

To quote one more instance from Ramayana, which illustrates the effective communication skills of Hanuman, let us follow this scene. Hanuman, having found Sita in the Asoka Garden of Ravana, returned to his fellow monkeys, who are waiting anxiously to know the news. On seeing their anxious faces, in the presence of Rama, Hanuman cried ‘Drushta Sita’ and this released not only the tension of Rama but of all the monkeys also.

‘Seen Sita!’ – What an apt communication in the given context! Had Hanuman started his communication about finding Sita with anything other than ‘Drushta’, say with a pronouncement such as Sita, it could have only aroused the monkeys’ as well as Rama’s anxieties to further heights, by raising innumerable questions such as – ‘Sita, what happened to her?’ ‘Is she alive?’ ‘Could Hanuman see her?’ etc., even before Hanuman could complete the rest of his statement. And here lies the greatness of Valmiki in making Hanuman pay attention to the state of mind of his fellow monkeys and Rama and convey exactly what they were anxiously waiting to hear.

How and how much to speak?

This is one of the dilemmas, which we all face, in day-to-day life. Moral values, rules and regulations will not go deep into heart, if one just say with lose words. To understand the importance of the message, one should illustrate it with a small story or an interesting anecdote. Hanuman demonstrated in Ramayana on many an occasion about how and how much to speak.

As an Emissary and Representative

How to speak while chatting with family? How to speak when you are discharging your professional duties? How to speak when you are in business? How to speak when you are solving a problem? How to speak when you are trying to build relations? How to speak when you are a middleman or representative?

Hanuman observed Sita while she was trying to commit suicide. He has to stop her from committing that grave mistake. He has to inform her about the arrival of Rama. First, he has to win her trust that he is the Emissary of Rama. To make his task successful, he thought carefully and uttered only one sentence ‘Dasaratha is the King of Ayodhya’. Then he started narrating the story sitting on the branches of the tree. Sita stopped her efforts of strangling herself to death after listening to the word ‘Dasaratha’ in Lanka, where Rama is only familiar with the demon population. She felt that her close aides have come to Lanka. Then, Hanuman appeared in front of Sita and explained all the happenings of happiness that Rama is coming to Lanka to release her from the clutches of Ravana to console and to give courage. He didn’t utter a single word about his adventures while crossing the sea.

Sita has to live till Rama reaches Lanka. What to do to achieve this objective? By just informing her about the arrival of Rama, He can stop Sita from sacrificing her life. There is no need to narrate his adventures on sea and boasting about his greatness. That’s why Hanuman always speaks what is necessary according to the situation.

How to communicate with friends?

Hanuman, after meeting Sita, burnt Lanka, cautioned Ravana and came backcrossing the sea to meet his anxiously awaiting monkey army on the other shore. He informed about Sita’s welfare and consoled them. After hearing this good news from Hanuman, they started asking him about his adventures on sea. How you could cross the hundreds of miles sea? How you could enter the incredibly guarded Lanka? How you could find Sita in that huge City Lanka? We wish to hear all about your victorious journey to Lanka? The monkey army has posed Hanuman with all enthusiasm and anxiety. Hanuman explained all his trials and turbulences during his journey to Lanka and enthralled them with his experiences on the sea. They are his friends and moreover eager to listen his adventures. He narrated his entire journey to Lanka like travelogue. He told them all about his adventures, but didn’t tell them the two words told by Sita to Rama. Those details are for Rama only. They should not be informed to his friends. Those words are for Rama. Friends are Friends and Boss is Boss. Personal messages are to be delivered to particular person only.

How to communicate with Boss and the King ?

After coming back to Kishkindha, the whole monkey army dancing with joy that they have seen Sita. Rama asked those to come forward who has seen Sita, till then Hanuman was standing back humbly. After due request from Rama, Hanuman explained the sad plight of Sita in Lanka. He told the two words to Rama as said by Sita. Hanuman handed over the ornament given by Sita to Rama. That’s all! He didn’t utter a single word about his adventures, trials and tribulations during the journey to Lanka.

Rama is the King. Hanuman is Servant. One has to obey his Boss and complete the task efficiently. That’s all!

One has to emulate the task-oriented behaviour, proactive nature and power of speech of Hanuman to succeed in any of their chosen field. Ramayana and Mahabharata must be read not in the last phase of life (Old age), but in the first two phases. One has to read the epics during childhood and follow them during their youth to become pride for parents and proud sons of the soil.


References:

1. Ushasri, Hanumantudu, Publisher Unknown.

2. I.V.Chalapati Rao, Culture Capsules – Art of Living, Sri Yabaluri Raghavaiah Memorial Trust, Hyderabad (India), December, 2002

3. GRK Murty, Soft Skills for Success, ICFAI BOOKS, THE ICFAI UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2004

Leadership Lessons from Lord Buddha

Lord Buddha- Leadership Lessons

Author - Ven. Sobhita Theroï - Advisor of Bodhiraja Buddhist Society

The Buddha has often been described as one of the greatest leaders of all time. But just what characterizes a good leader? What are the duties and qualities of good leadership? And what can we learn from the Buddha as a leader that we can apply to our chaotic world?

The Leader as Visionary

Like the captain of a ship, a leader must have a definite goal; only then can he chart his course and steer his ship in the right direction. Having given up his royal rights, wealth and family, Prince Siddhartha had one goal - to find the cause of suffering and a way out of suffering. Despite much hardship and setback, he never veered from his course but persevered till he gained Enlightenment.

But the Buddha did not stop there. He made it his mission to lead all sentient beings out of the samsaric cycle of suffering. It is this vision which defined his forty-five years of teaching and shaped his role as leader of an order(sangha) and a following that is still growing strong today.

Guided by this vision, the Buddha's mission was an all-embracing one. It is a mission founded on compassion and love for all sentient beings, regardless of race, creed or status quo. Addressing his first group of disciples, the Buddha instructed them to go forth and spread the teachings for the good and happiness of the many. In this respect, the Buddha was revolutionary, displaying extreme courage in his advocacy for the emancipation of the persons belonging to all the four castes, in his dismissal of the Brahmin as the supreme authority and in his admission of women to the sangha.

The Leader as Role Model

A leader must be an exemplary figure, someone we can respect and emulate. The Buddha, having purified himself through many lifetimes, embodied all the Perfections (paramita). He was extraordinary, virtuous and righteous in every thought, word and deed. He says as he does and does as he says. Such integrity and consistency won him the trust of his followers.

As a leader, the Buddha led by example. His simple and humble lifestyle is a reflection of his teachings. In his daily routine, the Buddha wasted no time on idleness and frivolity. For forty-five years, he devoted his time and effort for the good of others, starting his day before dawn and working till midnight.

Compare this with many world leaders who live in the laps of luxury while half of the world's population suffer from poverty and hunger, and we can understand why many people lament the lack of good leaders in our times. In his advice to the rulers of his time, the Buddha emphasized the importance of leadership according to the Dharma.

A ruler must first establish himself in piety and righteousness, and avoid all the vices. Sovereignty and the rule of power are subjected to the rule of righteousness, not the rule of force. Here is the ideal model of a value-based leadership. The Buddha highlighted ten principles which a ruler ought to be possess:

1. Dana - alms-giving
2. Sila - morality
3. Parricaga - unselfishness
4. Ajjava - integrity
5. Maddava - gentleness
6. Tapo - self-restraint
7. Akkhoda - non-anger
8. Avihimsa - non-violence
9. Khanti - patience
10. Avirodhana - agreeability

The Leader as Mediator

As a leader, the Buddha demonstrated both skills in mediation and impartiality in judgment. In the Ummagga Jataka, as Prince Mahausadha, the Bodhisattva (the Buddha in a previous birth) showed his ability to resolve problems and arguments. As advisor to the King, he displayed wit and intelligence in the protection of his people.

The Buddha displayed his skills at resolving conflicts between opposing parties on several occasions. Once a dispute broke out between the Sakyans, to which the Buddha belonged, and the Koliyas, to which his mother, Queen Maya, belonged. Unable to arrive at an agreement over the distribution of the waters of the river Rohini, the two parties were on the verge of war. The Buddha settled the dispute by asking:"What do you consider as more valuable - water or human
lives?"

The Leader as Manager

The Buddha was a great human resource manager. With an acute knowledge of human beings, he knew the strengths and weaknesses of those around him. Based on their dominant traits, the Buddha categorised people into six groups:

1. those lustful and passionate
2. those with hatred and anger
3. those with delusion
4. those with faith and confidence
5. those with wisdom and intelligence
6. those with hesitation and doubt

He delegated duties to his followers in accordance with their abilities and temperament. In addition, he showed his appreciation by conferring upon them due respect and recognition. Trainers of managerial leadership could learn much from the Buddha in this respect to develop an effective workforce.

The Leader as Protector

The Jataka stories, which tell of the previous births of the Buddha, abound with numerous examples of the Bodhisattva' s courage and self-sacrificial spirit to safeguard the interests of his group. In the Mahakapi Jataka, the Bodhisattva in a previous birth was the leader of a troop of monkeys living in the Himalayas.

One day, the king of the state saw that the forest was abundant with mango trees, set his men upon the monkeys. To flee from the king's men, the Bodhisattva used some bamboo vines to build a bridge so that the monkeys could cross over to the other river bank. Unfortunately the bamboo vines were too short.

To bridge the gap, the Bodhisattva stretched himself out, clinging on to one side with his hands and the other with his tail so that the monkeys could cross over on his back. Among the monkeys was Devadatta, his arch-enemy. Seeing his opponent in a disadvantaged position, he stamped hard on his back as he made his way across.

The Bodhisattva was in immense pain but remained clinging on to the bamboo vines till the last monkey was safely across. The king, upon witnessing such a courageous and selfless act by such a monkey, ordered his men to bring himdown from the trees and tried to save him. Asked why he endangered his life to save his subjects the Bodhisattva replied:"O King! Verily my body is broken. But my mind is still sound; I uplifted only those over whom I exercised my royal powers for so long.?

After the Bodhisattva' s death, the king in honour his self-sacrificing spirit, erected a shrine and ordered that daily offerings be made.

Another aspect in which the Buddha exercised his role as a protector is in teachings of the Buddha was open to all, in the Buddha's four-fold party of monks, nuns, lay men and lay women followers, admission was not so liberal.

While this may invite criticisms that the Buddha was prejudicial, it is necessary not for his personal interests but to protect the Buddhist community from corruptive and evil forces and to ensure its long-term survival. The Buddha also set out criteria and rules and regulations, especially the vinaya code, to protect the well-being and order of his community.

The Leader Shows the Way

During his 45 years of missionary work, many followers became enlightened after listening to his teachings. 2500 years later, the Buddha continues to inspire millions of people around the world to follow his path. This, above all else, is the most important role of the Buddha as a leader - one who is able to inspire others to bring out the best in themselves, to develop their full potential and gain the ultimate goal of Nirvana.

Management Mantra from the Epic

LAKSHMI follows SARASWATI

In both the great Epics of India, Ramayana and Mahabharata, war ends not with celebration of victory but with transmission of knowledge. In the Ramayan, Ravan lies mortally wounded on the battlefield and the monkeys are celebrating their victory, when Ram turns to his brother, Lakshman, and says, 'While Ravan was a brute, he was also a great scholar. Go to him quickly and request him to share whatever knowledge he can.'

The obedient Lakshman rushes to Ravan's side and whispers in his ears, ' Demon King, all your life you have taken, not given. Now the noble Ram gives you an opportunity to mend your ways. Share your vast wisdom. Do not let it die with you. For that you will surely be blessed '.

Ravan responds by simply turning away. An angry Lakshman goes back to Ram and says: ' He is as arrogant as he always was, too proud to share anything.' Ram looks at his brother and asks him softly, ' Where did you stand while asking him for knowledge?' 'Next to his head so that I hear what he had to say clearly.' Ram smiles, places his bow on the ground and walks to where Ravan lies. Lakshman watches in astonishment as his brother kneels at Ravan's feet.

With palms joined, with extreme humility, Ram says, ' Lord of Lanka, you abducted my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to punish you. Now, you are no more my enemy. I see you now as you are known across the world, as the wise son of Rishi Vishrava. I bow to you and request you to share your wisdom with me. Please do that for, if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be lost forever to the world'.

To Lakshman's surprise, Ravan opens his eyes and raises his arms to salute Ram, 'If only I had more time as your teacher than as your enemy ! Standing at my feet as a student should, unlike your rude younger brother, you are a worthy recipient of my knowledge. I have very little time, so I cannot share much. But let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my life. Things that are bad for you, seduce you easily; you run towards them impatiently. But things that are actually good for you fail to attract you; you shun them creatively, finding powerful excuses to justify your procrastination. That is why I was impatient to abduct Sita, but avoided meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, Ram. My last words. I give it to you.' With these words, Ravan dies.

There Is similar knowledge transmission after the Mahabharat war is over and the Kauravas are all dead. As the victorious Pandavas are about to assume control of Hastinapur, Krishna advises them to talk to Bhishma, their grand uncle, who lies mortally wounded on the battlefield. As a result of a blessing, death would elude him for some time. 'Make him talk until his last breath. Ask him questions. He has a lot to tell,' says Krishna.

Sure enough, when prompted, the dying Bhishma spends hours discussing various topics: history, geography, politics, economics, management, war, ethics, morality, sex, astronomy, metaphysics and spirituality. Bhishma's discourse is captured in the Shanti Parva (discussions of peace) and Anushasan Parva (discussions on discipline) that makes up a quarter of the Mahabharata. After listening to their grandsire, the Pandavas have a better understanding of the world, and this makes them better kings.

Both these stories draw attention to the value of knowledge. In triumph, it is easy to claim material possessions of the defeated, but it is not easy to claim their knowledge. Knowledge does not outlive death.

Long has this knowledge drain been recognised. Over the past decade, a whole new business process known as knowledge management has evolved that seeks to harness, store, transmit this knowledge. Every CEO agrees that it is a valuable business process, that investment in it is critical. Policies have been made, people have been hired and systems have been deployed.

Unfortunately, for all the initial enthusiasm, implementation has been lacking. Unlike retrieving cash, retrieving knowledge from employees, both current and future, is not easy. Often because they are like Sahadeva. Sahadeva was the youngest Pandava and, in the South Indian Mahabharata, he is described as an expert in many predictive sciences such as astrology, palmistry and face reading. But he is cursed : if he ever gave any information voluntarily, his head will split into a thousand pieces. That is why he is silent throughout the epic.

He knows every fortune and misfortune that his family will go through, but he can never use his knowledge to forewarn anyone. When Yudhishtira finally learns of his brother's prowess he is furious. 'Why did you not tell me all that you knew?' All he gets in response is Sahadeva's silence.

Most employees in an organisation are Sahadevas. Sahadevas are of two types : either they are unwilling to share their knowledge or they don't have the means to do so. The former category knows that knowledge is power and will not give it away under any circumstances. The latter category is willing to share knowledge but either no one asks them for it or there is no system where they can make it available for others.

Knowledge Management is leadership driven. Only a Ram, not a Laskhman can do it. He must first believe in it. He must respect the fact that everyone in his organisation, even those who he does not particularly like, are repositories of great wisdom, not only knowledge of things that work, but also knowledge of things that do not work. He must make conscious efforts to capture as much of it as possible.

The simplest method is talking to people, while they are on the job, and especially when they are leaving the organisation. An exit interview must never be a ritual. Neither must it be an exercise to just get the venom out, nor an exercise to expose the underbelly that has prompted the resignation. It must be a concerted effort to gather what was the knowledge acquired between joining and leaving the organization.

Interviews work if the organisation is small. As the organisation grows in size one needs a more formal system, at the very least a simple archival system managed by a clerk or secretary but on a larger scale, a sophisticated knowledge repository, a kind of electronic cupboard where at least the final version of presentations, documents and spreadsheets of key business events can be stored.

This sounds very logical, but most organisations do not do this. The effort involved is huge and the rewards are neither immediate nor tangible. A brand manager joining a reputed FMCG company, for example, once discovered that they did not have the brand deck (plans, tools, research, messages) of the past five years of a key product. What the organisation did have was the financial numbers, but not a clear history of marketing messages it had put out before the consumer. Previous brand managers had handed over all documents to someone and it was kept somewhere.

But no one knew who that someone was and what that somewhere was. In the absence of a simple archiving system, the new brand manager had to collate all brand related background information from scratch so that he could define the future brand positioning. A fully avoidable waste of energy and resources.

Every organisation has a very powerful Finance Department that works round the clock to keep an eye on money flowing in and out of the organisation. Internal and external auditors, controllers and accountants keep a hawk's eye on every bill and purchase order. But not even a fraction of that energy is used by companies to manage their knowledge.

This indicates that most organisations do not believe that Lakshmi follows Saraswati : they do not believe that existence of knowledge systems improve efficiency and effectiveness and can provide raw materials to provoke new ideas or prevent old mistakes. Unless a leader believes that Saraswati is critical, he will end up with an organisation of Sahadevas.

Take a step back. Check if you are creatively shunning this rather tedious matter of knowledge management. If you are, then remember the wise words of Ravan : it must be actually good for you !


RamA Shanker

Be Simple & Humble

Visiting that Ragavendra temple in Bangalore is almost more than a routine for her. She has not seen him ever before in the temple.

He was sitting on the floor with his closed eyes, folded legs and locked fingers in 'Gnana Mudra'. He looked strange and different with a turban on his head and the very long flowing beard. Some thing was there in his face that attracted her. She could not understand what that was.

She finished her 'darshan' and came out; she saw the man was walking in the corridor. Again something was happening in her, she could not understand what was that. She was telling herself, "a poor old man. I have to help him". She ran to him, gave rupees ten in his hand and forced him to accept. He smiled, expressed a reverence like a 'prasadam' by keeping it in the forehead and thanked her by keeping the hand in prayer position ('Namasthey').

As she came out, she saw the man was getting into his Mercedes Benz, she was perplexed, shivered and ran to him and said, "Sir (Ayya!), Please forgive me, I did not do this to insult you. By seeing your dress and appearance, I thought you are struggling in life and offered you the money. It is a blunder. I am sorry. Please forgive me. Please give me back that money. I am sorry".

The man with the fake beard and turban laughed and replied her politely, "Ammaa.. There is no mistake of yours. It is the other way. The creator is again and again reminding me through some body, "You are nothing. You are not special. Everybody is equal in front of me". He keeps on sending this message again and again and today you happened to be a medium. That's it. Thanks a ton". His hand again went to prayer position, expressed gratitude to the lady and he went into his car.

When the lady realized the man was none other than Super star Rajini Kanth - Asia's number one paid actor, he has left the place.

She did not know what to do. With tears in her eyes, she was starring at the direction that the car went.

- From Dr. Gayathri Sreekanth's "The Name Is Rajini Kanth – A biography"

Asthavakra's Wisdom

Dear friends,

Sage Ashtavakra's wisdom and the description of the True "Self" from the perspective of Advaita school of Vedanta is below:

Sri Krishna also says the following:-

vidyA-vinaya-sampanne brAhmane gavi hastini
suni caiva sva-pAke ca panditAh sama-darsinah

"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater."(Bhagavad Gita, V-18)

Regards

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Asthavakra's Wisdom

There is a story about a great Sage called Ashtavakra. In Samskrit, 'ashta vakra" means eight bends. He was given this name beacuse his body was crooked in eight places. Despite his deformed body, Ashtavakra became a great scholar at a young age. His father was also a great scholar. One day, the king invited all the best scholars of the land to come to the palace and debate the scriptures. Whoever won the debate would win 1,000 cows with gold-plated, jewel encrusted horns.

The debate began in the morning and lasted all day. As night was falling, Ashtavakra received a message that his father had defeated nearly all the competing scholars, but now he was on the verge of losing the debate. When the 12 year old Ashtavakra heard this news, he straightaway went to the court to see if he could be any assistance to his father.

Ashtavakra entered the king's court as the debate was reaching climax. By then his father's defeat seemed almost assured. When the scholars and the king saw Ashtavakra enter the court, all save his father burst into laughter seeing his deformed body and the cumbersome way Ashtavakra walked. Ashtavakra also began laughing uproariously. Everyone in the court was suprised, including the king. The king asked, "My dear boy, why are you laughing, when everyone else is laughing at you?"

"I am laughing because the Truth is being debated by this conference of shoemakers," Asthavakra calmly replied.

Knowing he had assembled the most highly reputed scholars in the land, the king asked, "What do you mean?"

Ashtavakra explained, "Seeing my deformed body, they laugh. They do not see me; they are judging me only by my skin. Therefore, I can only assume they are leather workers and shoemakers. My body is deformed, but I am not. Look beneath the surface. My True Self is unbending; it is straight and pure."

The whole court was stunned to hear Ashtavakra's reply. The king knew Ashtavakra was right - the debate had been a farce. Those debating the Truth could not see the Truth. He felt guilty that he had also laughed at Ashtavakra's appearance. He awarded the prize to the boy Ashtavakra, and the court was adjourned.

That night the king laid awake pondering Ashtavakra's statement.

In the morning, king's chariot passed Ashtavakra on the road. The king immediately got down and fell at Ashtavakra's feet, asking Ashtavakra to guide him on a spiritual enlightenment. That night before, the king had addressed Ashtavakra as a boy. The next day, understanding Ashtavakra's greatness, he addressed him as his Guru.

The King realised that even though his court had full of scholars, they could see only the relative truth = they could see only Ahtavakra's body whereas the Sage Ashtavakra could see within each of them the Supreme Self, which is the Absolute Truth.

The record of the dialogue that ensued between the King (Janaka) and Ashtavakra is called the Ashtavakra Gita. In it, the Master Ashtavakra says--

sukhe duhkhe narE naryAm sampatsu ca vipatsu
cavisEsO naiva dhIrasya sarvatra samadarsinah

"For the wise person who looks on everything as equal, there is no distinction between pleasure and pain, man and woman, success and failure" (17.15)

If we know gold, we can recognize all gold ornaments as different forms of gold. In the same way, if we know our True Self, we will see everything in creation forms of our Self.

The problem with us is that we are trying to understand everything BUT our True Self

Source: Swami Ramakrishnananda Puri, Ultimate Success

Seven Attributes of a Good Leader

BERNAMA 2008/01/13

Snipped ............The former Prime Minister said anyone wanting to be a leader could try to acquire the right qualities but hemay not succeed.

"How he handles his failure will demonstrate whetherhe really has the qualities," he told an undergraduateconference here today.

Dr Mahathir said: "There are perhaps a 1,000 people inMalaysia with good leadership qualities but they arenever going to make it simply because thecircumstances are not propitious for them, he said.

On the other hand, he said, there may be people withpoor leadership qualities but they may become leadersbecause leadership appears to be thrust upon them.

Dr Mahathir outlined seven attributes of a goodleader.

They are:

i. A good leader may not be humble but at least heshould not be boastful.

ii. He must be prepared to accept responsibilities butshould not be too pushy and insistent on taking thelead.

iii. He should not seek to blame others for failuresbut to admit his own culpability. He should not pointfingers or seek scapegoats.

iv. He should be modest and not seek praise and glory.

v. He should know how to handle his followers as muchas his superiors. He must be sensitive to thesensitivities of others.

vi. He should be willing to do what he expects othersto do. He should uphold the slogan of leadership byexample.

vii. He should be learned and more intelligent at least by comparison of the people he leads.

Dr Mahathir said a leader must have ideas, ideas onthe direction he leads, ideas on the things that he and his followers must do or achieve and ideas on the improvements of their well-being and their surroundings.

Equally important he must know how to make his ideas become realities, he said. He said a leader must be aware of the needs and desires of his people, to evaluate them, to direct them in the proper direction and to plan and execute together with his followers the objectives successfully.

"Good leadership is obviously very important. Wecannot always identify the good leaders early enoughso that we choose the right one. The German people who chose HItler did not know what kind of leader hewould turn out to be.

"On the other hand, leaders who turned out to be good had great difficulty in winning the support of people initially. Even the Prophet of Islam was stoned by the people of Taif when he started preaching the religion of Islam," he said. He said the rise and fall of great nations and almostinvariably the rise was due to good leadership.

"When the leaders are incompetent, the countries wouldfall. The people may be the same, the background and the wealth and resources may be the same, but when leaders are incompetent or just plain bad, then greatnations, even great empires can fall," said DrMahathir who was prime minister for 22 years.

Dr Mahathir said no matter how people try to show the qualities and characters of a good leader, it would still not guarantee that they would not make mistakes.

"And similarly, no matter how much we learn about thequalities which make a good leader, it is still possible for us to choose the wrong one," he added.

Top 10 Traits of Good Employers

Here's a Top 10 list outlining the elements for an attractive work environment found in many successful companies:

1. A sense of teamwork. Employers & employees benefit from an atmosphere that encourages cooperation & builds loyalty.

2. Proper training. Teaching employees how to do their jobs demonstrates to them how much they're valued. Giving them tools to do the job well.

Teach the function of the job, the "how" & also explain the subjective side. Things like smile, personality, positive attitude, communication skills & sales training.

3. Opportunity for development. Even top employees will seek jobs elsewhere if they see no room for advancement. Reward excellent behavior. Promote from within. Adopt policies that encourage people to be achievers.

4. A genuine caring attitude. Getting to know employees. Learning their needs, goals & concerns. If someone is having a problem on the job, management must be willing to help. Family unity.

5. Performance feedback. Good employees need strokes; borderline workers need to know where & how they must improve to meet standards. Balance feedback, plus & minus.

6. Open, informal communication. Create two-way lines of dialogue. Solicit employee feedback all areas. Communicate clearly in writing, verbally.


7. Tailored benefits & incentives. Design incentive programs based on specific sales goals & guest satisfaction.

"Designer" benefit packages & incentive-based compensation are increasingly well received by employees today. Offering bonuses for superior performance is on the increase.

8. Honesty & integrity. These qualities are especially essential when dealing with staff. People want the true facts, not gossip. They want to be treated fairly.

9. Well-conceived systems. Workers feel their job is easier when they get support from well thought out & planned systems. Qualities that contribute to a more pleasant working environment & help to attract as well as keep employees.

10. A defined mission. People need to know that they're contributing to something meaningful. Good companies possess a strong sense of what they're all about & communicate that purpose to employees.

It's no coincidence that many of the elements for an attractive work environment also describe some of the most-admired companies.

When employees are happy, love their work, they create a positive effect on business.... ... & turnover is reduced.


Megan Rowe

Biggest Weakness Can Become Your Biggest Strength

Sometimes your biggest weakness can become your biggest strength.

Take, for example, the story of one 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.

The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move.

"Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"

"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the Sensei replied.

Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.

Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match.

Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the Sensei intervened.

"No," the Sensei insisted, "Let him continue.

"Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: He dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.

On the way home, the boy and Sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind.

"Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?""You won for two reasons," the Sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm".

The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength.

Organizational Culture

A basic article on organizational culture for STRATEGIC HRians.

Culture involves PEOPLE. Your organizational culture is important because it can make or break your organization. Organizations with an adaptive culture, which is aligned to their strategic goals are more successful.

Regards

***********************

Culture: Your Environment for People at Work
by Susan M. Heathfield
[About Human Resources: Vol. 9 No. 48 - ISSN: 1533-3698 April 20, 2008]

What Is Organizational Culture?

People in every workplace talk about organizational culture, that mysterious word that characterizes a work environment. One of the key questions and assessments, when employers interview a prospective employee, explores whether the candidate is a good "cultural fit." Culture is difficult to define, but you generally know when you have found an employee who appears to fit your culture. He just "feels" right.

Culture is the environment that surrounds you at work all of the time. Culture is a powerful element that shapes your work enjoyment, your work relationships, and your work processes. But, culture is something that you cannot actually see, except through its physical manifestations in your work place.

In many ways, culture is like personality. In a person, the personality is made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, interests, experiences, upbringing, and habits that create a person's behavior.Culture is made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, attitudes, and behaviors shared by a group of people. Culture is the behavior that results when a group arrives at a set of - generally unspoken and unwritten - rules for working together.An organization' s culture is made up of all of the life experiences each employee brings to the organization. Culture is especially influenced by the organization' s founder, executives, and other managerial staff because of their role in decision making and strategic direction.

Culture is represented in a group's:
a) language,
b) decision making,
c) symbols,
d) stories and legends, and
e) daily work practices.

Something as simple as the objects chosen to grace a desk tell you a lot about how employees view and participate in your organization' s culture. Your bulletin board content, the company newsletter, the interaction of employees in meetings, and the way in which people collaborate, speak volumes about your organizational culture.

Central Concepts about Culture

Professors Ken Thompson (DePaul University) and Fred Luthans (University of Nebraska) highlight the following seven characteristics of culture through my interpretive lens.

1. Culture = Behavior. Culture is a word used to describe the behaviors that represent the general operating norms in your environment. Culture is not usually defined as good or bad, although aspects of your culture likely support your progress and success and other aspects impede your progress.A norm of accountability will help make your organization successful. A norm of spectacular customer service will sell your products and engage your employees. Tolerating poor performance or exhibiting a lack of discipline to maintain established processes and systems will impede your success.

2. Culture is Learned. People learn to perform certain behaviors through either the rewards or negative consequences that follow their behavior. When a behavior is rewarded, it is repeated and the association eventually becomes part of the culture. A simple thank you from an executive for work performed in a particular manner, molds the culture.

3. Culture is Learned Through Interaction. Employees learn culture by interacting with other employees. Most behaviors and rewards in organizations involve other employees. An applicant experiences a sense of your culture, and his or her fit within your culture, during the interview process. An initial opinion of your culture can be formed as early as the first phone call from the Human Resources department.

4. Sub-cultures Form Through Rewards. Employees have many different wants and needs. Sometimes employees value rewards that are not associated with the behaviors desired by managers for the overall company. This is often how subcultures are formed, as people get social rewards from coworkers or have their most important needs met in their departments or project teams.

5. People Shape the Culture. Personalities and experiences of employees create the culture of an organization. For example, if most of the people in an organization are very outgoing, the culture is likely to be open and sociable. If many artifacts depicting the company's history and values are in evidence throughout the company, people value their history and culture. If doors are open, and few closed door meetings are held, the culture is unguarded. If negativity about supervision and the company is widespread and complained about by employees, a culture of negativity, that is different to overcome, will take hold.

6. Culture is Negotiated. One person cannot create a culture alone. Employees must try to change the direction, the work environment, the way work is performed, or the manner in which decisions are made within the general norms of the workplace. Culture change is a process of give and take by all members of an organization. Formalizing strategic direction, systems development, and establishing measurements must be owned by the group responsible for them. Otherwise, employees will not own them.

7. Culture is Difficult to Change. Culture change requires people to change their behaviors. It is often difficult for people to unlearn their old way of doing things, and to start performing the new behaviors consistently. Persistence, discipline, employee involvement, kindness and understanding, organization development work, and training can assist you to change a culture.

More Charateristics of Culture

Your work culture is often interpreted differently by diverse employees. Other events in people's lives affect how they act and interact at work too. Although an organization has a common culture, each person may see that culture from a different perspective. Additionally, your employees' individual work experiences, departments, and teams may view the culture differently.Your culture may be strong or weak. When your work culture is strong, most people in the group agree on the culture. When your work culture is weak, people do not agree on the culture. Sometimes a weak organizational culture can be the result of many subcultures, or the shared values, assumptions, and behaviors of a subset of the organization.For example, the culture of your company as a whole might be weak and very difficult to characterize because there are so many subcultures. Each department or work cell may have its own culture. Within departments, the staff and managers may each have their own culture.Ideally, organizational culture supports a positive, productive, environment. Happy employees are not necessarily productive employees. Productive employees are not necessarily happy employees. It is important to find aspects of the culture that will support each of these qualities for your employees.Now that you are familiar with this visualization of organizational culture, you will want to explore additional aspects of organizational culture and cultural change. In this way, the concept of culture will become useful to the success and profitability of your organization.

Source: Harvinder
http://harvinderjit.multiply.com/

Brain Drain - The Lost of Human Capital

This is just another case of brain drain in Malaysia.

The nation is facing a severe brain drain in its workforce, especially in the area of skilled labour and professionals. If nothing is done, Malayisa will continue to lag behind in terms of talent attraction, development and retention; the essential ingredients for the growth and the progress of the nation.

**********************************

Grads prefer to stay on overseas


The Star
Sunday April 13, 2008
By SIM LEOI LEOI
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PUTRAJAYA: More and more medical students sent abroad to study on government scholarships, many costing more than a million ringgit each, are breaking their 10-year bond by refusing to return and serve in public hospitals.

“This is a sore point with us. In 2006, 21 medical students in Britain did not return. Last year, the number was 63. For those studying in Ireland, three students did not come back in 2006 while last year, 27 did not return,” said Human Capital Development division director Datin Madinah Mohamad.

She said these students cost the Government up to RM1.1mil each in funding for the five-year course.

“The number has been steadily increasing each year since 2003. The excuse these undergraduates often give is that they want to do their two-year housemanship over there and continue with sub-specialisation courses.

“But when they do so, they may then get employed and become eligible for registration in Britain. With the pay they are getting there, it’s highly unlikely they will come back and serve here,” she said in an interview here yesterday.

Since 2003, 145 students from Britain and 85 from Ireland have not come back. However, only three from Russia, two from Jordan and one from Japan failed to return.

Another reason many students chose to stay back could have been due to PSD’s perceived lenient treatment of such students in the past and a paltry penalty of RM160,000 each before 2003, she said.

“It encouraged undergraduates, who have seen many of their seniors being let off, to follow suit,” she said.

Although the department had officers in Britain and Ireland to track down errant medical students, some in the last year of studies ignored notices and others did not bother to show up when called for interviews.

She said tougher measures were needed to make them come back and serve or pay their bond. The department was now seriously considering suggestions to make errant students repay twice or thrice the sum of their scholarships as punishment.

“We need to study this recommendation,” she said, adding the department had also handed 30 such cases since 1989 to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for legal action and had even declared one former student bankrupt.

But legal action was slow and guarantors would be taken to court only as the last resort, she said. Since PSD’s Overseas Scholarship Programme started in 2000, RM2.15bil in scholarships had been given to 10,485 students up to the end of last year.

Human Capital Challenges - How to Manage a Deadbeat Employee?

How to Manage a Deadbeat Employee
by Susan M. Heathfield
[About Human Resources: Vol. 9 No. 8 - ISSN: 1533-3698 January 18, 2008]

A deadbeat employee is an employer's nightmare. You know the occasional employee I am talking about. He doesn't show up for work, calls in sick, and milks the time off policy, always walking on the edge, but neverfalling off. He walks the edge of the work policiesand processes, too.

He does just enough to stay employed but doesn't grow professionally nor contribute like your other employees. He sometimes reaches his goals but exhibits a general lack of enthusiasm. The hallmark of thedeadbeat employee is that he is always walking on theedge between succeeding and failing.

Some deadbeat employees actively criticize the company and its policies, not through suggested routes, but in email, at the water cooler, and in the employee lunchroom. Others are constantly unhappy with whatever policy or direction the company sets. Their unhappiness runs all over their coworkers as they complain, gossip, and criticize. Whatever form of behavior your deadbeat employee exhibits, it won't go away without your intervention. Bad habits, like good habits, become ingrained in workplace behavior.

The Impact of the Deadbeat Employee

The deadbeat employee impacts your workplace and employees negatively, constantly, and insidiously. Smart employees shun the deadbeat employee, realizing the impact he has on their positive workplace morale and productivity. But employees who feel a bit like he does about a change, the workplace in general, or their jobs, are quick to echo the deadbeat's point of view. This further poisons your workplace morale and productivity.

If you let the deadbeat employee get away with this behavior, you train him or her that the behavior is acceptable. The person's coworkers, who are probably picking up the slack, become demoralized because they work hard and contribute and see that the deadbeat employee does not. Additionally, they lose respect for your management, and possibly their faith in the company, because you fail to deal with a problem that everyone in your workplace sees.

Your Responsibility to Deal With the Deadbeat Employee

The deadbeat employee's coworkers depend on you to deal with the problem. They may make cutting remarks, shun the non-performer, or talk quietly among themselves, but they don't feel enabled or equipped to deal with the borderline performer. They just feel his impact on their work and workplace. And, they're right.

Coworkers can do their little bits to encourage the deadbeat employee to contribute. They can make norms for their team, give coworker feedback, and express unhappiness, but the deadbeat employee has no obligation to change or improve. The behavior of the deadbeat employee is ultimately the manager's responsibility to address.

How to Approach the Deadbeat Employee

Your first step with a deadbeat employee is to figureout what went wrong. Something did go wrong. This will give you insight into what caused the behavior that is troubling your workplace. Most employees start out enthusiastic and excited about their new job. They find their enthusiasm punctured somewhere along the way. Or, they puncture their own enthusiasm; it works both ways in the workplace. Figuring out what happened is key if you are committed to help the deadbeat employee become, not a deadbeat employee, but a contributing member of your work community.

It's a rare employee who wakes up in the morning and decides to have a miserable day at work. It's a rare employee who wants to feel failure as he leaves the workplace daily. Yes, a rare employee, but they do exist and I guarantee, the employee believes it's no this fault, it's yours. You are the problem or his workplace is the problem.

Once you've worked with the employee to discover the source of his unhappiness and low morale, you can assist the employee to do something about it. With a deadbeat employee, this is the tough step. First, he has to own the responsibility for his subsequent actions and reactions to workplace happenings that may have occurred years ago.

This is a tough step for you, too. You may decide his concerns and unhappiness are legitimate. If so, asincere apology is in order, even if you had nothingto do with the occurrences that generated the problem. At the very least, an acknowledgement that you believe that some of his low morale is legitimate may be inorder. It also makes sense to ask what about the work system is causing the employee to fail.

You may also decide he brought his lousy attitude to your workplace and your company did an inadequate job of screening out a potentially poorly performing employee. Regardless of the details, on some level, the employee must own that his reaction to the circumstances belongs to him. He must own his chosen reaction. Indeed, our reactions to the changing circumstances around us may be the only factor that isalways under our control in most situations.

Next Steps in Dealing With the Deadbeat Employee

Whatever you decide about why your deadbeat employee is a deadbeat employee, these are actions you can try.

a) Help the deadbeat employee see what's in it for him to succeed and improve. Both personal and professional gains result from improved performance and a commitment to success.

b) Assure the employee that you have faith in her ability to succeed. Sometimes supportive words from asupervisor or manager are the first she's received inyears.

c) Help the employee set several short-term, achievable goals. These should be time based and have clear outcomes about which you agree. Some of these goals can address employee "attitude" in behavioral terms. By this I mean that it is not possible for you and the employee to share a clear picture of "bad attitude." But, you can share a picture about the behaviors the employee exhibits that make you think"bad attitude." Then, monitor progress.

d) Make sure the employee has something to do that he likes every day.

e) These additional ideas will help you assist the deadbeat employee. This information will help you with employee performance coaching.

These ideas should help you deal with your deadbeat employee. But, if you've done your best, and the employee isn't changing, you can responsibly, ethically, and legally help the employee move on to his next employment opportunity.

Story - Walking Your Talk

A Lesson for LEADERS

A woman approached Gandhi and said: ‘Master, tell my boy to stop eating sugar.’ Gandhi looked at the portly six year old and replied: ‘Bring him to me again in four weeks’ time.’ The woman was surprised but did as she was told. Four weeks later, she brought the boy back again. Gandhi looked at him forcefully and said: ‘Stop eating sugar.’ ‘Why didn’t you tell him that a month ago?’ the woman asked. ‘Because four weeks ago I myself was eating sugar,’ said Gandhi.

The above story provides an important lessons for LEADERS to set good example. Leadership is all about the ability to influence, inspire, motivate and stimulate people to achieve their potential. "Walking the talk" is one of the key requirements for effective leadership, as it is often said that a man who is full of words but not deeds is like a garden full of weeds.

Leadership is not taken, but given. People choose to follow those they trust, with integrity and whose behaviour and actions are totally consistent. If you do not ‘walk your talk’ and act yourself on what you say, people are unlikely to perceive you as a LEADER.

As the sayings in Gita, "whatever the LEADER does, the followers will follow and whatever standards or example the LEADER sets people in general will follow" - yad yad Acarati sresthas tat tad evetaro janah; sa yat pramAnam kurute lokas tad anuvartate (Gita 3.21)

Eight Reasons To Invest In Human Capital

Dr Wilson Tay

CEO, MIM

Source: The Edge
Date: 26 March 2007

Management Insight #1: Human capital and talent management is a high level strategic function.


Enlightened managers understand that to compete in the global economy, significant amount of organisational resources must be spent on the critical success factor of their organisations - the training and development of their employees. As the CEO of a training provider, I find that managers have yet to discard the old `que sera sera' (tidak apa) mindset to start focusing on HRM or human capital management (HCM) as a high level strategic function. To compete successfully, companies now need to recognise their key capability and adopt the 4 B's - Build, Buy, Beg, and Borrow - of strategically building people competencies and talents to drive organisational capability for long term business sustainability and success.


Management Insight #2: People investment in training and management development does really pay.


"It is clear that companies that invest in human capital, work to develop and retain valued employees, and measure and hold people accountable for the investment, have a powerful competitive advantage," said Randy MacDonald and Mary Sue Rogers, Senior VP for Human Resources, IBM Corporation and Global & EMEA Human Capital Management Leader, IBM Business Consulting Services, respectively. In their survey of 300 organisations and interviews with 100 Chief Human Resource Officers for the IBM Global Human Capital Study 2005, they found that organisations having over 80% of their middle management attending management development programmes enjoyed three times the profitability of companies with below 60% of managers on development programmes.


Management Insight #3: People leave their jobs because they are not growing, learning and kept engaged.


A study published in October last year by HR consultants Mercer reports that 66% of workers in Europe enjoy job satisfaction when there is good opportunity for continuous learning. Where employees report lack of opportunities for continuous learning, only 17% are satisfied with their job. Personal development empowers employees to comprehend, appreciate and be part of your business plan. Acknowledging your people's achievements promotes higher employee engagement and morale, leading to improved retention rates, reduced absenteeism, greater willingness to accept change, and a stronger sense of identification with your organisation. The simple management notion is to keep your people continuously learning, stretched and positively engaged, and you will get to keep your talented, high performing employees.


Management Insight #4: Training and development is part of everyone's daily work.


It is a fallacy that training is only for companies with deep pockets and enough employees to allow time off to attend training courses. Training need not be an expensive affair or a strain on daily operations. Furthermore, there is never a good time for training - it must be integrated with the organisational work culture as a necessary part of work. Any regular impromptu lesson or personal on-the-job coaching is already a good step towards training and developing your employees. A sound training needs (TNA) analysis will help you identify areas of training to focus on and "sweet spot" your ROI on training. However, any lack of any formal efforts to train employees can bring adverse consequences to the organisation regardless of its size, experience or history. Your high- potential, talented employees are continually finding opportunities for personal development, so if you don't address these needs, your brightest and most ambitious will leave for competitors who can offer them what you cannot.


Management Insight #5: Your organisation is as strong as your weakest people link.


Constant turnover of high performing, high potential employees is costly for the organisation due to constant loss of intellectual capital, loss of institutional memory, loss of bench strength for future succession and loss of business continuity because of the need to always hire and train new staff. Even worse, when there are no training and development programmes in your organisation, it will eventually become devoid of highly motivated, high performing and high potential staff, leaving you stuck with weak and incompetent staff who are disinterested in their own development and have nowhere else to go. Don't let this situation develop in your organisation!


Management Insight #6: You need to have an integrated and systemic HCM and talent management programme - the 4 B's (Build, Beg, Buy, Borrow) of building talents and capability.


In a global war for talent, the approach for quickly building talent and organisational capability is through an integrated HCM programme to internally build your own talent bench strength. This takes longer but you would be able to develop people to be well versed and adapted to your organisation culture. Alternatively, you could scout for talents abroad and persuade or beg them to join your organisations. Or if the talent pool is needed quickly, you could buy readymade talent and expertise from competitors or other markets. Finally, if the above are unavailable, you could borrow or source for talent from external consultants or contractors until such time when in-house capability and competences can be built up.


Management Insight #7: In a global economy, there is now a war for talent; hence, grow and protect your talents.


"The appears to be a gap between the expressed belief - that people are extremely important - and the way in which this area is being managed and measured, particularly when compared to other business indicators," the IBM Report cites MacDonald and Rogers. Sadly, you often see much rhetoric in this area. Always remember talents are very mobile, so keep close to them.


Management Insight #8: Make it happen and build real value in your organisation through human capital.


Identify the people who will stand in your frontline five to 10 years from now. Then train, develop and engage them as they will lead and grow your company. These talents are your real intangible capital. Understand that the essence of effective strategy for business growth and competitiveness is to focus on HCM as a strategic capability; therefore quickly transform your HR functions from transactional to transformational capability to support your strategic business plan. Human capital development in training and talent management are no longer a nice-to-do HR support function, but a strategic initiative and a critical success factor. So, make it happen if you want to stay ahead of the game and win the talent war.

Human Capital Management

What is Human Capital Management?

Nowadays there is a progressive movement to transform the HR function and establish a Human Capital Management (HCM) environment which gives strong emphasis on the workforce as a competitive weapon. Organizations leading the way in HR transformation are focusing less on administrative aspects and more on strategic issues of Human Capital (HC). HCM tops the list as a strategy for radically improving workforce productivity to drive higher value for the organization.

Many organizational leaders must be bewildered that, despite investing in new building, the latest equipment and technology and paying very competitive wages, their organisations still fail to achieve the impressive results enjoyed by their more successful counterparts. Equally bewildering is the difficulty leaders find in attracting and retaining the best talent for their organisations. This is of course a critical issue in HCM faced by many organizations.

There are numerous definitions for HC. Basically, HC is defined as the time, personal skills, capabilities, experiences, and knowledge of the individual. Human capital is obtained through a variety of means - formal education, job training, on-the-job learning, and life experiences. Employees bring their HC to the job, and in return, the job rewards the HC investment though pay, benefits, intrinsic job satisfaction, recognition for good performance, and opportunities to learn and advance in the organization.

HCM is about effective and efficient people management to achieve organisational goals. In management language, effective means "doing the right things", while efficiency means "doing things right". The key HCM activities are attraction, development, remuneration and retention of human talent in organizations. Today, HC is recognised as the source of competitive advantage for organizations, as it is the people who make the difference between successful and unsuccessful organizations. Effective HCM is crucial as people can make or even break an organisation. The rapid organisational change today and a new competitive environment are forcing many organizations to search for new ways of managing and maximizing their people potential. As a result we can notice the changing which are taking place in HCM. The approach in HCM is getting strategic and is a important part of organizational strategic management.

Some of these changes are based on the shift from Personnel Departments to Human Resources Departments to strategic HCM. HC functions and responsibilities are changing and intensifying at a faster pace, and to a greater degree, than many other areas of the organization. Once relegated to the back office and concerned mainly or even exclusively with transactional processes and functions, HCM in organizations are taking a greater role in strategic business activities.

This indicates the importance of HC as the key factor in the generation of sustainable competitive advantages for organizations. In order to maximize return on investment (ROI) in HCM, smart organizations are begining to integrate what have traditionally been separate HRM initiatives into a cohesive "attract and retain" HCM strategy. Developed to integrate all the tools and processes associated with people and performance, the HCM approach aligns the goals of employees and the strategic goals of the organizations to meet specific, measurable, and realistic business objectives. To deliver results, strategic decision-makers in the HCM must integrate actionable, objective, and relevant information about employee skills and capabilities to drive performance. They must put that information to work from organizational design and workforce planning to recruitment, employee development and performance management.

As the processes associated with HCM are diverse, the skills component that drives many of those processes can be managed effectively and efficiently through continous training and learning of managers. Good HCM strategies will therefore enable organizations and individuals to improve performance, unlock human potential, increase effectiveness and generate measurable and sustainable results. Remember that people or HC should also be seen as the central resource of an organization because it is not the great product or services which makes great organization but great people.