SIHM Indore (State Institute of Hotel Management, Indore, Madhya Pradesh)

06/06/2014

Power of Positive Talk

A man was lost while driving through the countryside. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn't injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud.

So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.
"Warwick can get you out of that ditch," said the farmer,

pointing to a Person standing in a field. The man looked at the Person and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating,

"Yep, old Warwick can do the job." The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and the Person made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the Person to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted,

"Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!" Go ahead.

And the Person pulled that car right out of the ditch. The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked,

"Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?"

The farmer grinned and said,

"Old Warwick is blind. As long as he believes he's part of a team,he doesn't mind pulling."

You see all it matters is encouragement and a sense of care to say "You can do it". If so, you would witness incredible job
Photo: Power of Positive Talk

A man was lost while driving through the countryside. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn't injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud.

So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.
"Warwick can get you out of that ditch," said the farmer,

pointing to a Person standing in a field. The man looked at the Person and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating,

"Yep, old Warwick can do the job." The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and the Person made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the Person to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted,

"Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!" Go ahead.

And the Person pulled that car right out of the ditch. The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked,

"Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?"

The farmer grinned and said,

"Old Warwick is blind. As long as he believes he's part of a team,he doesn't mind pulling."

You see all it matters is encouragement and a sense of care to say "You can do it". If so, you would witness incredible job

26/12/2013

26/12/2013

5 Weird Ways To Improve Your Work Performance

Feel like you need a little boost at work? Here are five weird ways to improve your work performance:

1. Looking At Kittens

Puppies really do make everything better! According to this article in Business Insider, looking at cute pictures of baby animals can actually make you work harder. (Now you have an excuse for being on Pinterest at work!)

2. Wearing Lipstick

Need a little confidence boost for that presentation? Smear on your favorite shade of lipstick! According to a L’Oréal survey, 75% of women believe lipstick makes them more confident. So, always be sure to have a tube of lip color in your bag for those days when you need a dash of confidence!

3. Watching SNL

Stressed out at work? Take a time out and watch a funny clip of your favorite comedy! Not only does laughter reduce stress levels, but it increases your productivity. Therefore, you should take a few minutes to watch Celebrity Jeopardy (we won’t tell!).

4. Drinking Coffee

Wait, what? This isn’t groundbreaking news! Coffee helps millions of people get through their workday. But did you know that drinking caffeine before a negotiation can actually help you stand your ground in an argument? Turns out caffeine can give you the edge you need to not back down. So, before you approach your boss about a promotion, drink a cup of Joe first!

5. Smelling Peppermint

Did you know that the scent of peppermint actually stimulates your brain? Studies show the refreshing, minty smell increases a person’s alertness, motivation, and performance. Not only that, but it helps you both to fight fatigue and focus better. Keep some of these peppermint candies in your drawer when you need a boost at work!

26/12/2013

Today’s Leadership Styles: Which One’s Yours?

The world is a different place. Business motivations, trends, and economic models have shifted since the digital boom of the 1980s. With that shift came a different perspective on how companies did business, from the products they produced and marketed to the internal management systems in place.

Where management used to be hierarchical, dictatorial reality predicated on tenure and sometimes nepotism, now managing people requires a different approach to be effective. The distinction is clear: managers have subordinates whereas leaders, typically those with organizational leadership degrees, have followers. That difference is intrinsically felt in the work environment and impacts the productivity of businesses as a whole.

Leadership styles have opened themselves to three different types:

Authoritarian Leadership

The traditional autocratic leader is still in place and the practice is indeed useful in some situations. These leaders tell their staff what they expect of them, how to complete a task, and when they want the task finalized. The employees don’t have any input in the decision making process. The result of this management style is that employees are not as creative in problem solving and innovation. When only one person sets the course and/or makes decisions, the same line of thought is evident throughout. Managers who utilize this style must be careful; it is common for them to be considered controlling.

Participative Leadership

Leaders who practice this leadership style allow for a collaborative approach to business solutions. Employees are motivated to work on projects because they feel their contribution matters. Maintaining the final say in the business decision, managers who employ this leadership style find their employees function as a cohesive unit, playing off each other’s ideas and innovating new through tracks. The manager actively participates as well, offering ideas and guidance along the way. This allows for a natural camaraderie that doesn’t exist with the other leadership styles. This is an effective style because of the creativity team members are able to exhibit.

Delegation Leadership

Leaders who delegate leave decision making entirely up to the employees offering little guidance concerning the project at hand. Employees may view this hands-off style as disconcerting, especially when they are not subject matter experts. Alienation and feelings of distrust can form in work environments led in this manner if sufficient guidance is not offered.

The marketplace continues to flourish with new products and innovations. Managers are increasingly challenged with new obstacles, such as managing virtual teams and leveraging multiple platforms for marketing, advertising, research, and internal communications. Working with personnel with these variables in mind comes with its unique attributes, requiring managers to be versatile jacks-of-all-trades to remain relevant.

Study in the field of management is imperative in today’s business climate. It isn’t enough to know the industry within which you are employed. The days of working your way up the ladder to manage effectively without formal training are quickly falling by the wayside. Academic paths such as Organizational Leadership prepare candidates for upward mobility in their field of choice. Allowing the student time to hone an individual style without managing staff at the same time is an invaluable opportunity.

Leadership is different now than it was before. And that can be a good thing for everyone involved.

26/12/2013

How To Become A Leader At Work
1. Take Responsibility

You want to be a leader at work, learn to take responsibility for anything that has your fingerprint on it. That means, as long as you participate in the project, you have a hand at the failure of the project.

Learn to take responsibility for not just the good things, but even bad ones. Admit to your mistakes - it’s okay to be wrong. You cannot learn if you have not made any mistakes.

2. Believe In Win-Win

A rising tide lifts all boats – always think win-win. It exists. Just because the world thinks the business world is nasty, and that you need to be manipulative and maneuvering to win, you need not participate in it.

In fact, make it your contribution not to be nasty and bullying in your ways. You want to be a leader at work, believe in your hands as leader to change the world.

The power of positive influence you have on the people around you and the power to inspire people to greater heights is in front of you.

3. Push The Envelope

Try new things. Take some risk. Make yourself uncomfortable. Do the things that may risk making you look foolish – what do you have to lose? Leaders take risks. They are not afraid of doing what they believe.

What do you believe in that you are willing to take some risk? To be a leader at work, you need to take even simple risks like taking on the project no one wants.

4. Do It, Write It

I have often said this. This world is full of people who talk too much and don’t do enough. If you want to be a leader at work, act upon something. Work that plan.

If you have any ideas that are simmering in your mind, write it down. It doesn’t matter if it’s not a plan yet, just write it down.

If you don’t write it down, there is no one to present to and there is no record of the idea. How can it count? If you want to be a leader at work, you have practice writing down everything.

5. See Opportunities Everywhere

There is no need to create opportunities for yourself to lead. The opportunities to lead are everywhere. You need to be mindful of these opportunities.

I have just mentioned one earlier. Are there any opportunities to take on the project no one wants? If you don’t see opportunities everywhere, you are missing the point.

6. Be Open

Be open to criticism, otherwise you are just living off yourself. What does it mean? When you are open to feedback, you are being fed ideas from others that are free. Often times, these ideas come from people smarter than you. They will give you tips on how to improve and how to be better.

That’s what a leader needs - constant feedback. You need feedback to be a leader at work, otherwise you are “feed-own” (I just created that word to mean feeding yourself) and you will go hungry soon. With no new ideas, a leader dries up.

7. Give, Give, Give

That’s how you open up. Pour out all you got from inside you. Give all you have ideas, thoughts, plans. Feel the vulnerability and learn to like it. When you pour all your ideas out you will need new ones. Where do new ideas come from? From critics who want to tear you down, from well-meaning supporters and from people you least expect.

Want to be a leader but not sure how to assert yourself in the workplace? It's time to assert yourself! Here's how to become a leader at work.

19/12/2013

Jeff Haden’s recent article on Linkedin summarizes the value of having a daily to-do list beautifully: You don’t wait to do the work until you get the dream job - you do the work in order to get the dream job.

I’ve never shared this list with anyone until now.

It’s the list of ten things I try to do every workday. Yes, there are days when I don’t get them all done, but I do my best to deliver. It has proven very effective for me. They are:

1.Read something related to my industry.
2.Read something related to business development.
3.Send two emails to touch base with old colleagues.
4.Empty my private client inbox by responding to all career coaching questions within one business day.
5.Check in with each team member on their progress.
6.Have a short non-work related conversation with every employee.
7.Review my top three goals for my company that are focused on its growth.
8.Identify and execute one task to support each of my top three goals.
9.Post five valuable pieces of content on all my major social media accounts.
10.Take a full minute to appreciate what I have and how far I’ve come.

This list could be longer. BUT...

If it was longer, I wouldn’t be as good at getting them all done. This list is manageable to me. Of course, I do more than these ten things every day. But, these are the ten I choose to do with consistency. Why? Over the years, they’ve proven the best way for me to grow my career and my business. The collective results have made completing these tasks consistently; even when I don’t feel like it, well worth it.

01/09/2013

Dudhiya, Indore, 24 Aug, 2013

27/02/2013

SIHM, Indore Team Enlighting Students at SIHM Stall from their presence & different Courses....