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.
Welcome to Mind Spa by San Kom. As we embark on another series of topics that border around the career development topic, we thank you for your patronage and support since 2020.
The first topic in this series focusses upon Longevity, and the need to reinvent yourself. Many of us wish to stay in a job for a prolonged period, but seldom get the chance to challenge ourselves after a few years. One of the major reasons we get bored is due to the redundancy of the job. Another typical reason is due to the lack of continuous growth opportunities.
I usually tell the following to anyone who newly joins our team, “Make sure you have your fundamental blocks solid, so that your foundation is rock-solid. Everything that you wish to build on top of it will only be as good as the foundation. Do not forget or be afraid to make mistakes and learn new things. You learn quicker by making mistakes than from reading or word of the mouth. But make sure you share your learnings or approaches with everyone so that everyone can learn.”
Keeping an open mind to new avenues is always a critical part of working in a modern-day organization. When you start, everything that you do is new to you, and your contributions are also unique and new to everyone who is affected by them. As you stay longer in an organization, people get used to your style of working, and with the outputs you are going to deliver. And along with this comes increased expectation from you to do something new. When you start to earn more, whether you like it or not, the organization expects you to deliver more and more. Although the essence of ulterior living and the superior human being is based on living without expectations, the eco-system of businesses are built on exactly the opposite.
So, what can you do to stay relevant?
The least that you can do is to stay open to learning new things. By staying open-minded, you allow for passive learning to be part of your career, and time within an organization. The second initiative that is required from you is to take active learning up. By active learning, you look for learning opportunities that align with your interests and complement your skills. Ideally, these learning opportunities must aid you in your everyday work and help you in reaching the next level at the workplace. Opportunities may not necessarily arise within your working time, and at first, you might have to make the extra work, outside of work. I should say that the difference between those who grow sustainably and in spurts is mostly in the area of self-initiative. Take help in identifying these areas along with your mentor or team leader. Ideally, one should be able to identify these from the feedback sessions. Do revisit our Feedback series for more on this.
Once you start to learn new concepts, and come across new ideas, identify areas to put them into everyday use. A ship that stays in the shipyard can never become the queen of the seas. Only when you put the skills you learnt into practice, will you learn how you need to adapt them to suit a practical situation. Believe it or not, most ideas and concepts that look good on paper, do not work as they are scripted. They are similar to a puzzle that can be solved several ways depending on where you start to how you go on with the pieces. Devise a tailor-made solution for your situation based on your style. Otherwise, it seldom works.
Once you start combining active and passive learning in amicable quantities throughout every year consistently, then the longevity key is automatically activated, and one can start noticing the benefits of staying in a renewed zone that triggers growth. Although I should warn, do not expect overnight changes in perceptions and reactions. Everything takes time, persistence, and most importantly patience. Reinvention, and longevity is about a marathon, and not a bunch of 100m sprints put together. Keep reinventing yourself in small steps and keep the entertainment alive, whilst reaping rewards. And on that note, thank you for reading through. Please leave your feedback in the comments section. Stay healthy, safe, and motivated.
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:
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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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!
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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.
Myth#1: Leadership is about holding hands & showing the way till the finish line
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.
Myth#2: To be a leader, team must win/succeed every single time
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.
Myth#3: Leader must always stay back and provide exposure for team
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
Myth#4: Employee growth is not responsibility of a leader
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.
Myth#5: Leadership requires a title
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.
Myth#6: Employee growth jeopardises our role as a leader and will threaten our position
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.
Myth#7: Leading a young, inexperienced team is difficult
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.
Breaking these Myths
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:
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:
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.
What is an expectation?
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.
Over the last few articles, we have looked into several topics that are associated with anyone growing up from being a young kid to a young adult about to step into the bigger shoes, and start to travel on their own. For some, the journey to travel alone might have started earlier, and the learning phase would be exponentially different compared to those that start with the phase after entering their first professional job or venture. Yes, in the modern age it is very much possible that a venture right after or even during the student phase is possible through various means and methods.
When a person graduates out of university after gaining a bachelors degree or a masters degree, the next logical step is to find a way to appease the knowledge buds that have been accumulating knowledge since the age of three, by providing the leeway to exhibit them. Over time, it will be clear that success is not a one time occurrence, and with adequate skill can be recreated in several fashions. One such instance would be the interviews for a professional job. At the start everything looks gloomy, and probably the size of Mount Everest and a bit more.
As with any aspect of life, looking at a difficult aspect from a bird’s eye view without knowing what is the reality, and trying to fully understand the requirements is impossible. Over time, adopting a Yo-Yo approach where alternating between being close to the action and staying farther away to consolidate the observations help. The duration of time spent near the action has to be modulated depending on the person’s capability to consolidate situations and interpret them. Over the course of time, the ability will improve. So, trust the process. Nobody can understand the complete story in one sitting and devise a perfect plan. Believe in the fact that a trial and error methodology will go a long way in defining one’s own character and allows for us to adapt our skillset.
Focus during the interviews:
Some of the major focus areas before and during an interview to be mindful of are:
Be Authentic
Be Yourself. One of the best pieces of advices I have received when trying to gather feedback from my seniors and team leaders whom I worked with was, never try to be someone you are not. Believe that you are good for what you are aspiring for, and work towards it. When you try to pose as someone you are not, either situations directly during the interview or immediately after will catch you off guard. And as the famous saying goes, “A lie, however good and however well thought of, never stops at just one.” Trying to be someone else is something you should avoid at all costs.
Practice
Practice is never sufficient just in the mind, and thoughts. Prepare yourself to handle difficult situations by making the most of mock interviews among peers. Assume roles on the other side of the table to frame questions you think you might be asked. And when you do it as a group of five or ten, make sure all of you are present during all the questions. You will be amazed at the pool of questions and possible thought processes into answering that you can observe. Again, remember the previous point, and stay authentic during this phase. The best answer is always what would you do in that situation, and not what someone else would do.
Stay Confident
Confidence is the fuel that will keep you running in this race, and successfully complete it. Everyone who finishes the race is a winner. Technically there is no pole position and last place on the grid. Everyone who does due diligence, and competes with the best of their abilities is a winner. During the process, you will for sure face some obstacles, some disappointments (results that do not match your expectations, or even wishes), and some difficult moments. Stay confident during such situations, and keep in close touch with your mentor. The process cannot be completed without a confident approach. Confidence.
Believe
Money vs Passion
Many young students lose track of their aspirations due to the longing desire and need to earn more money with their first jobs. In the process of setting the goal of earning a certain salary with their first salaries (baseline created based on friend’s circle, or relatives or neighbours or advertisements) one can easily lose touch with what one really wants to do. The purpose of acquiring the job must be set very firmly. If it is set for earning money right from Day 1, you are doing the process that will not suit the methods defined on any of our pages. The sole purpose of starting in a job must be to satisfy a passion, a means to learn new concepts, new ways to address a requirement. With time, one gets to increase the brand value of oneself, with which more money can be earned. But to start establishing the brand on a big scale, it requires a strong foundation, one that can be built with values gathered in university, and the initial years of professional life. Stay true to your beliefs and core values. Do not compromise on those for the sake of earning more money. You might fall into a soft-sand pit.
Professional life:
Upon completion of a successful of the interviews, and getting into a job of your choice, the doors to a completely new universe opens. One that has weak connections with the bonds you created during your university life, but with strong connections with the values and knowledge you built over the last 10-15 years of your life. When you enter this realm, just like the one after your first transition phase, you might have none of your school or university based connections in the same organisation, and in the same team as you do. However, do not lose connections that have been established over time due to being employed in a different organisation. Remember the following golden rules when navigating communications with your friends, family, and any relative/stranger who wants to know things about the organisation you work for, and the job you do:
Integrity
Over time, you will find a lot of forums and places where you will hear this term. Do not confuse this with your relationship with a person and what you share with them. Doing right when everyone watching is one thing, but doing the right thing irrespective of who is watching is what defines integrity. Staying true to your values, the values of the organisation, and staying true to all the regulations that bind your actions is of utmost importance. Any loose ends on this front will definitely not end in a happy storyline.
Confidentiality Data Protection
Another topic least considered in close circle conversations is data confidentiality. By data it does not include just numbers and figures, but any processed information about the organisation not available on the public domain (could be upcoming products, design considerations, methodologies, any special processes defined inside the organisation, etc). For sure, there is always a very inquisitive friend or uncle or relative who seems to know a lot about what you do, and can make it seem like a normal conversation. But, know these boundaries on what you can speak w.r.t. your job outside of your work place, and not. Every organisation offers a variety of trainings on the Integrity and Data Protection topics for the benefit of their employees. DO make sure that these are the first two trainings you undertake in your new job.
Respect
While staying true to your integrity, situations might arise where there are difficult confrontations with your immediate superiors or your peers. Confront these situations with a generous dollop of respect. Stay calm, and assert your position in a respectful manner. If your voice is not heard the first time, do voicing it unless there has been a view/confirmation that says otherwise. Just like the other two topics on the list so far, the lack of attention to this topic could also lead to falling off the cliff quite soon, and the world is too small to perform a Houdini act (no matter how well the MCU feels out of this world, it all falls inside the imaginative part of the world we all live in, and before you blink an eye, you will be back in your own chairs).
Passion
Demonstrate passion in your job through your actions. Various ways of doing this are definitely not by staying back after the usual work times every day, and by coming in on weekends to be ahead of the curve. 😋😄😄 However, this can be demonstrated by showing adroitness in learning new concepts, ability to deconstruct complex problems into small achievable problems that have solutions, and attacking the low hanging fruits. For sure, on Day 1, Rome cannot be conquered and Caesar cannot be defeated, but you can make progress slowly towards achieving your goals. Focus of areas where improvement is required, show willingness to receive feedback, and also eagerness to work on the improvement points identified from these feedbacks. A feedback need not come from just your supervisor, but from your contact partners.
Networking
The true strength of a professional isn’t only about their technical skills or team leadership abilities, but also their networking ability. In your first few years of work, you’ll have plenty of time and meet lots of people. This period is less stressful than the coming years. Use this time wisely to show your passion, trustworthiness, and integrity. This way, people will see you as a respectful and reliable person. The network you build during this phase will help you tackle several difficult situations that might arise in the future. In a way, they will form to become your Doc analogy as Marty had in Back to the Future.
Ignore Politics
Ignore the political hinderances you face. Take note, and just do not respond to the political incidents with any comment. Stay aloof. Getting involved in politics in the office space will only hinder your progress both as a person and as a professional.
That said and done, the journey inside a professional setup is a truly thrilling one. The journey might look challenging from outside, but the journey holds infinite outcomes with infinite possibilities to enjoy oneself. A plethora of paths can be undertaken after spending time in one of the areas inside the organisation. Do choose your first organisation and job wisely, and the first choice will always help you create a truly fulfilling experience that you will never regret 40 years from now. Stay Confident.
And on that note,
Stay Healthy, Stay Confident, Stay Safe, Stay Motivated, and let us keep the world moving….
Let’s Play…….
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One has come a long way since walking into a school environment for the first time by the moment one realizes we are quite a way into the University/College phase. The mental fluctuations one has gone through in making choices until now seem to have paid off, stability starts to appear, new avenues start to open up, confidence starts to grow with every passing moment, anger and angst seem to be unnecessary most of the time, appreciation of our actions seem to reach us effortlessly, and yet the human satiation for more drives us towards greed. Certain relationships formed for no reason during our early school life seem to hold more value now, and certain relationships that have been resurfacing seem to be more necessary than ever before to tread on. Building up of a support system is the most important aspect of this phase. “Why?”, one might ask. Simple answer: The most pressure free time after Primary school is available, and resources are lying around to be discovered and explored.
After we are through the thrills of entering university in the Transition phase, a comparatively sedate time lay ahead of one. That said, obstacles will come without warning and leave little time for a preparation, and sometimes could demand immediate actions. Redundancy planning is necessary to ensure fallbacks exist. Focus must be more towards the floor below us rather than the open skies above us.
School is often the golden age of any person’s student life. A lot can be taken out from the Middle School & High School phases of schooling, sometimes more than what can transpire over all other phases of life combined. The two phases are where we gather ourselves irrespective of results, learn to stand up for others in dire situations (differentiating between right or wrong reasons comes later parts of life). As one draws to the end of school life, the certainties that once were guaranteed no longer seem existent and feel to be only present in the fiction novels. The cloak of invincibility that seemed to be always wrapped around you has gone missing. One suddenly notices as lot more people fighting for the same thing/aspect/aspiration you wish for. The switch from being a minor, dependent on all elders for everything starting from opening a bank account to taking a ride now changes. With turning 18, and becoming a young, budding adult, many of these decisions can be made more independently and without seeking approval of as many people as earlier. However, just like some typical areas to focus on exist in Middle School and in High School, they are ever more crucial in this phase.
How is someone influenced to act in a particular way?
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.
Antiques
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.
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.
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