Greetings from Mind Spa by SanKom.
Have a great start to the working week.
As we head into our second episode of the career development topic which focusses on High Performing individuals, we try to take a balanced view from both the individual as well as the onlooker.
Regards,
SanKom
Greetings.
As part of the goal setting environment, feedback becomes paramount and integral part of the system! In this video we take a look at the third question : When can one give feedback? Is Open Feedback simple & straightforward as it sounds?
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Greetings.
Mind Spa by SanKom tries to decode the best practices while doing a goal setting! We try to provide an unbiased opinion on how to go about this critical activity in a professional environment and a professional manner!
In this video we focus on the Team Leader’s point of view!
Goal Setting : Best Practices for a Team Leader
Regards,
SanKom
Greetings.
Mind Spa by SanKom tries to decode the best practices while doing a goal setting! We try to provide an unbiased opinion on how to go about this critical activity in a professional environment and a professional manner!
Goal setting – Best Practices for an Employee/Team Member
Regards,
Mind Spa by SanKom
SanKom Mind Spa looks to answer one of the topics raised from the Breaking Leadership Myths series: Are bad leaders born or made?
We try to answer the topic as best we can!
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Are bad leaders born or made?
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Leadership comes associated and loaded with multiple thought processes, and along with come free of charge, a lot of myths. We try to focus on the seven most relevant, and perhaps predominantly seen/experienced. You can also alternatively, watch these seven myths through the playlist available on our YouTube Channel.
The first and most important myth perhaps of them all – The necessity to hold hands and always show the entire way!
Probably we all grew up thinking as a leader (in former times manager), had to guide our young team members through every situation fully. Yes, probably in the past it was also not the case. However with the ever changing world scenario, the emphasis to break this myth becomes even more important today. Yes, it is important to guide a young team member. But, it can be done also by pushing them in the swimming pool with a float and ask them to swim. This way, they learn a lot more perhaps and in their own unique way. What must you do as a leader then? Sit down and assure them that you are always available as a lifeguard (just as you see on the beaches and the big swimming pools), ready to jump in when the situation gets out of hand. With this assurance, you can lead more effectively, and also instill leadership qualities in your team members.
Many of us think that leadership always requires a title, a position close to the CEO of an organisation. How wrong we all are, regarding this thought. Leadership does not require a title. On the contrary, the great leaders are those who do not demand for a title. To be leader, you need to exhibit consistently a few characteristics without any inhibition or a second thought. You need to inspire while innovating with wisdom, have a vision which encapsulates passion, and commitment, while exhibiting compassion, and staying vigilant. You can only inspire when you have the endurance and stamina to run the marathon. Leadership is not a short 100m sprint, or even a 42km marathon, it is much longer and goes much deeper. So, if a title is what is stopping you from displaying leadership at the work place, stop what you are doing right now, and go lead.
Another myth associated with leadership that can damage morale of the team more than any other myth associated with leadership. A popular myth is that a leader must always stay back and provide exposure to the team. Unfortunately, many weak leaders interpret this in the wrong way. Yes, leaders must stay back, and allow for the team to be noticed. However, when facing dire situations where a stressful project or situation is faced, the main role of a leader is to stand in front of the team, and to protect them. A leader is the first line of defence and the last line of attack. When you fail to protect the team in such situations and allow them to take the blame, you damage their morale completely. The willingness to take a risk the next time completely diminishes, and their output is never going to be 110% when situation demands. Next time, you suspect that they will face heat from the management, stand in front of them and take the fire. This does no harm, and as a leader, this is part of your responsibility, and you set a great example for your team members on how to lead a team.
A leader is the first line of defence and the last line of attack.
Sanjeev Bhushan
An area that is very important to your team: Growth of employees. One popular myth is that as a leader, you are not responsible for the growth of your employee, and that the employee must take responsibility to chart their own careers. Wrong! As a leader, one your primary missions is to identify the capabilities of your employees, their strengths, and their areas of interest, and then discuss with them on their career path. As a leader, you must remain in constant dialogue with your employee to understand their wishes, their goals, and be an enabler to their growth. As with breaking Myth#1, you do not have to stand next to them every single time through their development, but it does not mean you are not responsible. Also provide time for discussions not only for technical topics, but also for personal development topics. And be an enabler.
One of the myths surrounding recognition is also associated with leadership. Many of us think that leadership always requires a title, a position close to the CEO of an organisation. How wrong we all are, regarding this thought. Leadership does not require a title. On the contrary, the great leaders are those who do not demand for a title. To be leader, you need to exhibit consistently a few characteristics without any inhibition or a second thought. You need to inspire while innovating with wisdom, have a vision which encapsulates passion, and commitment, while exhibiting compassion, and staying vigilant. You can only inspire when you have the endurance and stamina to run the marathon. Leadership is not a short 100m sprint, or even a 42km marathon, it is much longer and goes much deeper. So, if a title is what is stopping you from displaying leadership at the work place, stop what you are doing right now, and go lead.
One of the most dangerous risks and egoistic myths: Many weak leaders believe that when their team members grow, and start getting recognised, this will jeopardise their position. The myth might sound very funny at first for most, however, believe me, such leaders exist. Unfortunate as it might sound, such a leader is the most dangerous component in a team, and the organisation.
While depriving his team members of actual growth, they might even start demotivating by stating how hard their job is. In reality, being a leader is a privilege. A privilege where one can influence the entire careers of other professionals, young and old alike.
This myth destroys the root of what leadership is about: enabling others to grow and exhibit leadership traits. An employee growing faster than their leader is to be appreciated and motivated to strive for more. Next time, you come across such leaders who believe in this myth, remind them of their primary responsibility of fostering growth and a positive environment for all.
As we grow older, we tend to see a lot more young professionals coming into the team. A myth associated with this hiring process is that leading such a young and inexperienced team is difficult. In fact, leading a young team is a blessing, and gives one a lot more freedom to operate. The young minds provide a new dimension to the thought process, your brainstorming sessions will throw out ideas you would have otherwise not had. A young mind, a fresh mind is uncorrupted by corporate practices and unsaid rules. When you give these minds space to express themselves, they can produce the most radical ideas and probably innovative solutions to problems.
Executing such dynamic ideas will inject much needed enthusiasm and dynamic thinking process into the team. Existing team members who have experience will also be motivated to think innovatively.
Every team needs a fresh injection of thoughts every now and then, don’t we. In the end, just as in The Three Musketeers, remember, All for one, One for all. Stand behind the team, support diversity, inclusivity, and fairness.
On our journey to being better leaders, and hungry leaders who lead change, we must strive to break stereotypes, break myths, and create an environment for everyone to thrive. As a leader or an aspiring leader, our only goal and purpose is to foster a environment conducive to learning, leading change, and constantly evolving. And, as we evolve, we become better, together.
And on that note,
Stay healthy, stay safe, stay motivated, and let us keep the world moving.
In case you were able to relate to the post & it helped you improve, it is a token of happiness for us. Do go through our other articles which might help you further:
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Breaking Leadership Myths in 2 mins
Myth#7 / 7: Leading a young, inexperienced team is difficult
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Good Morning.
Breaking Leadership Myths in 2 mins!
Myth#6: Employee growth jeopardises leader’s growth #leadership
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Breaking Leadership Myths in 2 mins! Myth#5: Leadership requires a title #Leadership #Myths
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Breaking Leadership Myths
Myth#3 : Leader as frontline/stand back every time
Breaking Leadership Myth#1 – Handheld guidance!
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As we head out to finish the first day of the new year 2024. As 2023 wound down, the final hours of what have been probably the first complete year since 2019 to be devoid of any restrictions for people movement, or interaction, it is time to step into a new year with time to pause, reflect and realise. Pause is a powerful tool and contains keys to secret chambers which you never knew existed, but always wished they had. SanKom Mind Spa wishes you and your families a very happy, and healthy start to 2024.
As per Oxford Dictionary, it is defined as “a belief that something will happen because it is likely” or “a hope that something good will happen”. Whenever we place a hope or belief that something will happen (irrespective of whether it is good or bad) without any influence of the probability of it happening. More often than not, as Oxford Dictionary captures it, we tend towards the likelihood of it happening than not. The human mind has the power to think with a higher level of positively when the outcome benefits self. However, some of us prefer to keep our hopes low- in scenarios with the belief that we do not deserve the best outcome. This is also in a way, an expectation. When someone is performing a task that has one or more outcomes that influences the activities we will take up, the human mind also interprets the situation, and predicts outcomes to prepare for. This is also a form of expectation.
Continue reading “Satisfied vs Hungry – Great Expectations”
Middle school, as we saw in the previous section is always a very interesting phase of everyone’s life. A phase that has no clear influence on the heading, but definitely paves some way into basic skills and character traits that form one’s foundations for later phases of life. You can read more about that through the link: Middle School
When a student passes out of middle school and is about to enter High-school, the nerves are slightly tickled for a couple of reasons at the least. Firstly, a growing sense of finally being a senior at school, and no longer take instructions from other students. Secondly, the overwhelming nature of the responsibilities the society puts on every individual’s performance in high-school. We often hear people saying that high-school marks will define how good a college life one can get. Enough of a rosy picture for every student to fall for. However, I think the age of elders fooling a young student in school with this quip has long passed by, and the ball is now in their court, thanks to the advancements in WWW (almost no longer www but www3 😯), and advent of Social Media in day to day lives. Not every student though is oblivious to social pressure, which is why great care must be taken to isolate the kid from any such pressure. Parents trying to isolate kids often fall into this trap themselves thanks to incentives for good performance of kids in their organisations, and events to award stand-out performances in front of other colleagues – A so called Status Symbol within the organisation.
After a long hiatus, and a while since we heard anything on the radio or television about CoVid, the world finally does seem to be returning to normal, bar the war in Ukraine, and the riots in France.
SanKom Mind Spa hopes that all our readers are healthy, safe, and back to leading fully normal lives, socialising in a pre-2020 manner. Thank You for supporting us through CoVid and the post-CoVid recovery phase.
Today, we look at a topic that relates closely to an article we had posted a few months ago: Looking Up, Looking Foward
In many people’s minds, arises a question when the phrase, “….please, think forward.” Is uttered. The phrase is very common in all walks of life, especially when there are struggles in succeeding in a particular endeavour, and also in successful attempts. However, the difference between the situations lies in the source of the words. One might be in a position to hear the phrase or utter the phrase.
Questions, a quintessential part of every living organism’s everyday survival routine. Over time, especially when one’s actions become repetetive and redundant, one tends towards searching for a new adventure. Carnivores start exploring new methods for capturing prey, prey try to outrun in new ways to avoid being captured, herbivores explore new territory across all seasons to stay in the optimal environment, and we human beings start to question to trigger the learning part of our brains.
When we are small kids, questions form an integral part of our everyday lives, as we come across a new phenomena, a new character, a new action, a new object, a new procedure, a new new almost with every interaction. As we grow older, due to societal obligations, and due to our own interpretation of the societal obligations, we tend towards questioning less and accepting things as they are. When we start closing our inquisitive character, we narrow the opening to learning new things, and are content with content that is already inside our brains. Over time, the world evolves around us, rendering us to become antiques that have huge value, but of little use in the current day and age.
An antique, however unique and valuable the antique might be, the usability quotient is still from the age of the antique. Some might argue that the chalices from the age of Napoleon Bonaparte or Akbar would still function the same way. Yes, sure, they would be helpful to serve a portion of wine or a herbal concoction to guests in a royal way. However, in today’s world, whilst looking for sophistication, we have done away with most of the older ways of keeping the vessels fresh. We now depend on a variety of dishwashing methods to rejuvenate our everyday vessels. A chalice from the Napoleon or Akbar era would not stand a chance going through the modern dishwashing methods that are automated. When we try to wash them manually, we still must take enough care and extreme caution so as to not damage the chalice, as there is not much chance that we can land a replacement in case of damage. Also, when we hold such a unique chalice, higher chances are that we hold the chalice because of the high monetary and high historic value of the chalice than due to its use in our world.
To stay relevant, adapting our methods to the modern day routines definitely helps us stay relevant. However, to stay relevant also in our own individual worlds that we built up over time (the close circle bubble that we have concocted carefully by adding ingredients [relatives, friends, associates, colleagues, supporters, followers]) we also need to adapt and ask questions. Questions about how to adapt the particular change in a way that it causes minimal disruption to our immediate environment. When we get inspired by someone’s success or by some particular idealogy, it does not necessarily fit directly into our highly indigineous, individualised sub-worlds. Inspirations no matter how good they seem to be need adaptations. Questions and answers gathered over time for these essential questions will determine how well WE adapt into the new version of the world we have envisioned based on inspirations.
As Charles Darwin wrote, “One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.“
Human belief is that, when sharing that they have been inspired, the magitude of their achievements deteriorate. Due to this ignorance, we often fail to be grateful to those that have inspired. Also, while being in a position of inspiring others, we tend towards looking for appreciation. The law of Karma, and law of recirpricity states clearly, “What you give, You will receive.”
Every human being upon deeper cognizance can recognise that everyone can be present in all three phases of history, current affairs and the future by doing the following:
Be Impartially gratefully inspired.
Inspire respectfully.
Be indefinitely unconditionally inspiring.
Inspire.
Sanjeev Bhushan
And on that note,
Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Motivated, Keep Inspiring, and Let us keep the world moving.
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In case you were able to relate to the post & it helped you improve, it is a token of happiness for us. Do go through our other articles which might help you further:
Mind Spa by SanKom has been on a long hiatus thanks to a period of self-reflection that included lot of inputs for self-improvement, and a journey towards being better than yesterday. Upon staying away for a long period, clearly, there is only one conclusion, everyone who has a everyday routine must take a break, detach from the routine, introspect for avenues to improve, and then rejoin the journey with a vision to keep improving. A monotonous routine never made anyone better.
Hope that everyone has stayed healthy in the time that SanKom has been away. If you are reading this on LinkedIn Newsletter, this would be the first article posted through the Newsletter. Please feel free to visit my LinkedIn profile page to read previous articles posted between March 2020 and August 2021 or visit our blog to read articles posted since August 2021. Do subscribe to the LinkedIn Newsletter or the Blog depending on your preferred mode of reading.
Trust that you and your loved ones are doing well, healthy.
Often, the phrase, “New is always better”, is used when we look for a change.
The phrase mentioned on the title might be familiar to those of you associated/familiar with following cinema/films/movies. There is always a sequence followed before enacting a scene of a film/drama captured on video. Even in a live play, the sequence is quite similar along with the lifting of the curtains.
You might already be wondering, why we are talking about acting & drama, & what relevance it holds with respect to our everyday activities/work.
In reality, many aspects apply from the silver screen into real life.
Mind Spa by SanKom - Life lessons for a lifetime 
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