8. Do you act like a CEO of your own Life

Do you act like a CEO of your own Life

– Gursharan Singh

Many who work in a business organization have a dream to become the CEO of the organization. Very few actually achieve such a dream.  Fact is that anyone who is really committed, persistently work towards such a dream, can make this a reality.

 

CEO is the one who is responsible for the profitable & sustainable growth of the business.

 

In this weekly article I would like you become a CEO right now.

 

Yes, CEO of your own personal life. It is a great place to start with. It is my firm belief that nothing is more important than managing your own life. You are 100% responsible for managing your own life & if you act like a CEO act for a business organization , you will really manage your life very well.

 

From this week onward I will really like that  you act like a CEO of your life.

 

A competent & effective CEO helps the business to grow through his/her focused efforts. Same way, as a CEO of your life , you should help your life to grow to great heights . How can you achieve this great goal?

 

Every CEO is very clear about the purpose of the business & he spends his time, money & energy to move towards that purpose.

 

 As a CEO of your life you must be very clear about the purpose of your life. Without going in to a long philosophical debate about what is the purpose of life , in its most basic form , the purpose of the  life is to help large number of people improve their quality of life by serving them in the best possible manner. How do you achieve such a fulfilling , worthwhile and great purpose?

 

You have a body which is like a production unit. You have a marvelous brain which is like a most sophisticated technological support system available anywhere in the world. You have a rare ability to speak in any manner you wish to speak, which is like a corporate communication. Who have highly powerful resources like time , energy & thoughts whose proper usage will lead to achievement of your life purpose.

 

Throughout this week, consciously think about what you need to do as a CEO of your life? How can you help your life to grow further , in the same manner a CEO ensures growth of a business.

 

  • Every day use your time, energy & mind carefully as a CEO uses them for the business. Work on your most important goals with these resources.
  • Every day take business like steps to fully use your vast potential.
  • Every day take care of your health which is your highly important asset
  • Everyday take steps to improve your relations & periodically develop new ones.
  • Everyday communicate in a most effective manner as a CEO communicates for the development of the business

 

 

Wish you a CEO kind of  responsible , fulfilling & worthwhile life !!!

6. Align Activity with the Purpose

Align Activity with the Purpose

– Gursharan Singh

Human beings are quite different than the rest of the creatures.

As a human being we are gifted with rare power on inner consciousness. We can analyze our thoughts, feeling & actions.

In this short article, I would love that during this week by use this power to review how you are doing the things in your life.

Simple framework for review is indicated hereunder:

Ask yourself what this activity will lead?  Will it move me towards intended purpose or not.

Few examples how to use this powerful technique: What I am eating? Will it lead to greater health & energy? What is the better alternate ?

The way I am communicating, will it lead to better relationship ? Can I make it better?

The work I am doing at the moment will it leads to the desired result? Do I need something more important than this activity?

You may develop few important questions to help you become more internally conscious & to check whether or not the activities you are performing, leads to desired results.

 Wishing you a Wonderful & Purposeful Week !!!

5. Eight M’s to Lead a Memorable Life

Eight M's to Lead a Memorable Life

– Gursharan Singh

Human beings are the best creation of the Great Creator. The kind of gifts the creator has specially given only to the human beings, are supposed to help us lead a really Memorable Life, in this beautiful world.

In this Weekly Wisdom series we will specially focus on 8 things, which can help any individual,  who is interested to lead a Memorable Life.

These 8 things are “Non Negotiable “ & must be done.

With above indicated powers virtually we can have anything that we really wish to have. Each human being is born with these powers. So in a way, we all human being has same great  powers, which can help  us to excel in our life.

Meaningful Purpose:The starting point of a memorable life is to define your Own Purpose. What would you really like to do in your life & dedicate every day to that purpose? This has to be something though which you can serve the society. We have covered this aspect in one of earlier weekly articles.

Meditation or Mindfulness:Since Mind plays a biggest part in our success therefore start your day with any kind Meditation which helps you calm your mind & bring it in more order.

Movement: We are all living in this crazy busy world & it is must that we take at least 30-40 minutes to exercise our body at least 5 days in a week.  Move of body not only gives energy for the day but it also improves our emotions.

Mental Proteins: To read /view/listen to something which inspires, motivates or guide you towards your purpose is again a very important ritual which sets you up for the day. Articles like this can act as mental proteins.  All great successful people are very good readers. Books related to your purpose are more beneficial. Reading a religious scripture you deeply believe in , is also helpful.

Minerals: After air & water , minerals play most important part in our health. Make sure to eat a highly nutritious breakfast at least 5 days a week.

Must do today: Block time in your daily schedule for the most important activities related to your purpose lest urgent & unplanned things eating your precious time.

Measure Progress: On a regular basis check the regularity & progress in each of the above listed success routines of your life

Meet Progressive People: Consciously choose to meet / be in touch with the people who are better than you & still better meet those who have achieved what you want to achieve or can help you in achieving what you want to achieve.

Exercise for this week: Check yourself in which of the above listed “Ms” , you will like to better in your life. Please write down in your personal journal, what would you do & how would you do , to improve these Ms.

 

Wishing you a Memorable Week  !!!

3. Potential to Prosperity

Potential to Prosperity

(How to turn your Gifts in to Greatness)
– Gursharan Singh

 Potential is what we have.

Prosperity is what kind of Dream life we desire to live.

The clear understanding of what do we have & what we want to have, will help us to achieve our goals. You know that everyone wants to lead a great life but only few really achieve this objective. Why?

The first great challenge of the life is to understand our own Potential, who exactly we are & what do we already have.

The second great challenge is to have clarity about what do we really want to happen in life. What do we want to become, what is that we want to achieve & how to achieve the same?

Let us discuss these two challenges one by one.

1. First Great Challenge

Understanding our own Potential  

As a human being we are the best form of life. We are gifted with very powerful abilities which none of other species have. There are 2 interrelated layers of our great potential as indicated hereunder & both must be understood clearly.

  1. Our Generic Potential as a human being :

         We are gifted with following 4 powers which if understood, developed & used , can help us achieve anything we desire to achieve in life.

Power of Consciousness We have the power to be aware that we are aware.
Power of Thinking At any time & at any place, we can think about anything.
Power of Imagination We can virtually create any image in our mind which than can be converted in to reality by working on that image. This is really magical for creating our great future.
Power of Choice We have the power to choose what we want to become, have & do. We must remain conscious in order to use this power.

With above indicated powers virtually we can have anything that we really wish to have. Each human being is born with these powers. So in a way, we all human being has same great  powers, which can help  us to excel in our life.

       2. Our Unique Potential as an individual:

Second part of our potential is our uniqueness. While we have same great powers like any other human beings still we are also unique in some way. Understanding our unique potential is a very critical piece of information for the overall success in life.

Our unique potential arises out of the following:

Our Genetic Coding– At the time of our birth, our miraculous mind is pre programmed uniquely due to our unique DNA. We draw some of the qualities & likings from our parents & their parents & so on. We come wired with certain preferences & physical appearance. This makes us look & behave so different than anyone else.

Our Environmental Coding : Starting from the time of birth all that we see, hear & experiment , creates imprints on our mind giving rise to set of beliefs & behaviors which shape our overall personality & we act accordingly.   

Our Unique Personality & Our Unique Talents:

Our genetic coding & our environmental coding put together, create unique operating system of our mind. There are certain things which we can do easily & better than others. These are also generally referred to as natural talents & special gifts.  These are gifts which we must identify & use it regularly to turn these gifts in to  our strength.

These talents/gifts are of the three types, as briefly indicated hereunder:

Physical Having preference /talent/ aptitude for physical activities/ work say athletics, acting, agriculture, driving, diving, dancing , housekeeping , modeling, sports etc.
Mental Having preference /talent/ aptitude for mental activities/ work say writing, coding, accounting, research, teaching, coaching etc.
Social Having preference /talent/ aptitude for social activities/ work say traveling, event management, politics, social work, selling etc.

All of us do some of the activities in all the three areas but on a closer examination & understanding, you will be skewed more towards one & two of the areas. There will be activities that you do better than many & you love to do. These will be activities in which you do not lose interest over a period of time. You will normally excel in these activities right from your early age.

A proper self examination over a period of time will help you to understand your own unique potential. Understanding of own unique potential is critical for overall success & happiness.

You may have examine your whole life to understand this.   Say for example right from my childhood I have been interested in reading things of my choice, writing down what appeals to me & I love speaking on the stage. I am never bored with these activities. All these activities are predominately mental in nature. After discovering these talents, I made a conscious decision to pursue my professional career in training & coaching which is aligned these gifts.

2. Second Great Challenge

How to turn Potential in to Prosperity?

Once you understand your unique potential next step is to utilize your own potential for attaining all that you want in your life.

To make great progress is your birth right.

"You have the power to convert you dreams in to Reality"

When you think about your dream life you are likely to wish for Prosperity as well as peace of mind. Prosperity broadly will mean you are progressively taking care of all your needs & living comfortably. You will also like to pursue all your hobbies, taking care of loved ones, serving community and making charitable contributions etc.

How can you achieve all this?

Path forward :

Let me share a important hint which can hasten the process of your decision making about what should you do , using your talents & how to move forward .

It is quite likely that you like & admire the work of some people & they are like role models to you. You like what they do , you like their life styles and you want to really do the same or similar  thing. You will achieve what they have achieved.

To be like your role models, let me suggest that you do your bit of study as under, about your business role models, to find which Products & Services you should provide & how can you develop those product & services.

Find what kind of clients they are serving?

What products & services they are offering?

What problems & challenges are mitigated by their products?

How are they developing their products & services?

How they are offering their products & services?

Based on your own understanding of the above indicated aspect, proceed as under:

Which of these efforts, products & services of your role models are aligned to your own strengths & experience?

Which is one product or service you will like to  offer over a period of time which should be as good as theirs or better than theirs?

Make a self commitment that you will work with 100% belief that you are going to develop & offer product & services, as chosen by you & you would not stop till you deliver your first product or service.

Immediately take first baby step in the direction of creating the intended product or service. 

Start right now by writing what product or service you wish to provide, which is already being bought/sought by some customers. Than think about how can you develop a better product?

Experiment & learn from initial failures & improve till you taste first success & keep improving thereafter to further develop your talent, products & services which for sure , over a period of time , will lead to your prosperity & your ideal life style.

4. Six Major Challenges while Growing your Organization

Six Major Challenges while Growing
Your Organization

Gursharan Singh

To improve the quality of life, society needs growing organizations, who continuously supply better products & better services. At the same time, growing an organization is a rewarding work but it is not an easy.

 

Following six challenges are encountered by all the organizations, which decide to pursue the path of growth:

1 Building an Effective Team
2 Establishing Effective Communication Process
3 Implementing Effective Accountability System
4 Continuously taking significant steps towards the growth
5 Ensuring Cash flow ,for the growing needs
6 To preserve the positive work culture
  1. Building an effective team :First challenge a growing organization faces is to build an effective team. It is the teams, which build & run the organization. Selecting & hiring the right team members, is an important task & lot of effort must be made for the same.

Organization needs to hire top performers who are a great fit for the organizational needs & values and who will be really enthusiastic about the project, product & services.

In the pursuit of growth, the organization needs a very effective team for ensuring the following:

– Selecting the Project

– Planning & executing the project

– Overcoming the teething problems

– Establishing the initial systems

– Effectively running the new set up

– Monitoring & achieving the project goals

  1. Establishing Effective Communication process :Effective communication is a very important need but ensuring the same is a great challenge in a growing organization. Three types of communications are very important:

– To enthusiastically & clearly communicate the Purpose & importance of the project to the key team members; so that there is a strong buy in for the project and they are excited about the project.

– To clearly explain the key team members about the working philosophy of the organization. They need to be clearly told about what values they should adhere while working and taking key decisions. They also need to be told about, for what the organization has the “Zero Tolerance”

– To establish clear communication channels and methodology for communication, for “top down communication” & “bottom up communication” 

  1. Implementing effective accountability system :Implementing effective accountability is the key to the successful growth of the organization since it becomes the base of effective review mechanism. Every functional head must be clearly accountable for achieving specific outcomes which are directly linked to the organizational results. This will cover specific performance indices such as timelines, cost, savings, productivity, uptime & utilization of facilities, inventory, quality standards, safety standards, environmental standards & housekeeping standards etc.
  2. Continuously taking Significant Steps towards growth :In this ever changing & growing global economy, change & growth are two inter related, most important priorities for any organization.  Focus on these two priorities need to be on an ongoing basis beside taking care of day to day affairs ( It is the leadership team  which is responsible for developing & implementing the change & growth strategy . You may read the article which I have sent last week, for the three roles in the organization).One or two most significant steps for the growth must be pursued on an ongoing basis. It may be developing segment leading strategy for the next 2 years, finalizing a major project for expansion, timely completion of the project, developing a particular market etc.
  3. Ensuring cash flow for the growing needs :A growing organization needs more money than before. Ensuring adequate funds for the ongoing growth is a challenge. Since due to implementation of projects, the overall cash flow cycle is affected, therefore cash flow & needs of funds for the ongoing projects; needs to be closely monitored.
  4. To preserve the positive working culture :Since growing organization hires new people therefore preserving the positive culture during change & growth is a great challenge. The new team members particularly at senior level can adversely affect the culture unless & until they the top management pay special attention to this important area. While the people hired for the senior position needs to give freedom to implement their new ideas, which invariably comes because of their earlier experience but at the same time, working philosophy aligned to core organizational values.

Wishing you a magical new week, dedicated to the growth of your organization!!!

2. Three Major Activities that must be balanced

Three Major Activities
that must be balanced

– Gursharan Singh

Three Major Activities
that must be balanced

In this weekly article let us examine what kind of activities we perform, they lead to what kind of results and what activities need to be performed for getting better results.

There is a direct linkage between the Activities you perform & the Results you get.  Activities you perform will lead to the corresponding results in your life. For getting better results you must undertake better activities.

If you want to lead a better life you must establish some Progressive Goals (Higher/Different than that we have achieved in the past). However we you will achieve these  goals only if you perform goal directed activities.

Three categories of activities that you perform & they must be balanced are:

  1. Routine Activities
  2. Important Non Regular Activities
  3. Most Important Development Oriented Activities

Emergency Activities are excluded in the above list. Other than natural calamities & unforeseen circumstances, most of the emergency Activities generally arise because of ignoring Routine, Non Regular & Development Activities

Please carefully understand this , that:

  • Routine Activities are leading to your Present Results.
  • Important Non Regular Activities will help you to carry out your routine activities without interruption
  • Only Most Important Development Oriented Activities will lead to your greater progress & better results.

 

As you also know that different set of activities & they need different kind of preparation. Without good preparation important activities cannot be performed very well.

For Routine, Non regular & Development oriented activities,   some prior preparation is required whereas any emergency needs to be attended as & when it occurs. Preparations for the emergency activities are done there & then. However if we perform three major activities with more effectiveness, it will reduce the number of emergency activities. For example if you maintain your car very well, get it serviced on a regular basis , fill petrol & air on as & when required,  change the tires when they are due for change, you can avoid sudden failure of the vehicle  leading to emergency.

For the 3 major activities you will need to carry out 3 kinds of preparations:

  • Physical Preparation ( For Physical Work involving Body & things)
  • Mental Preparation ( Mental Work involving Mind & Systems)
  • Social Preparation ( Social Work involving Mind & Others)
  1. Routine Activities & Preparation for the Routine Activities:

These activities will consume most of your time & they need least preparation. Since they are performed on the daily basis, preparation required is also of routine nature. Once you develop a good discipline you can quite easily perform the routine activities.

Developing schedules, checklists & daily disciplines help in the smooth performance of daily routines. It is a great idea to define major daily routines & develop great discipline around those routines. For example, when to sleep, when to get up, when to work , when to eat , when to exercise and when to meditate etc.

For performing Routine Activities major part of the preparation is physical plus some mental and sometime a bit of social preparation. Preparations for the routine activities are done only hours before the intended activity. Say for example if as a routine you go for a walk at 5.30 am in the morning, you will keep the sox, shoes and cloths ready the night before.  Since in a routine you are going for a walk you need not even plan timing for the same. However if a close friend who came last evening from a other city to meet you, you may tell your  friend that tomorrow morning I would be going for a walk would you like to come along?

  1. Important Non Regular Activities & Preparation for the Non Regular Activities:

Non Regular periodic activities are periodical but generally non routine in nature. For example weekly/ monthly shopping of grocery, Quarterly medical checkup, periodic service of the car, Payment of Insurance Premium, Half Yearly family Trip, savings for Income Tax purpose, Quarterly  performance review meeting with the senior, admission of child in a new school etc.

For performing Important Non Regular Activities, major part of the preparation is Mental in nature. This need to done many days in advance. You need to keep track of important non regular activities by noting them down in your Diary/ Reminders/ Due date check list etc. It starts more as a mental activity & much before the actual activity is to happen.

Most important preparation for these activities is keeping track of due dates & connecting with concerned individual with whom these will be performed. If you do not track & plan for these activities, one day suddenly one of these activities will appear as an Emergency Activity.

  1. Most Important Development Oriented Activities & Preparation for the Development Oriented Activities:

These activities are the cornerstone of a successful & meaningful life. Since these activities are neither routine nor emergency related if you do not consciously pay attention to the need for carrying out these activities, they will always impact overall quality of our life. THESE ACTIVITIES ARE MOST IMPORTANT FOR A BETTER FUTURE AND THEY NEED LOT OF MENTAL & SOCIAL PREPRATION. THEY CAN NOT BE IGNORED.

Since routine activities & urgent activities consume most of your time & energy; until & unless you very consciously plan clearly much in advance, these development activities will never get the priority that they richly deserve.

Say for example if you are planning to buy a new house, start a new business, develop a new skill for the next level of professional responsibility, planning to develop your team for the new project which has to come after 18 months, analyzing the impact of new technology on the career &  to carry out needful  changes in  self accordingly, planning to improve communication at home for more healthy relations ,  developing progressive relationship with others for working on your progressive goals etc.

For performing Development Oriented Activities major part of the preparation is Mental & Social.

Preparation for the Development oriented activities starts months before they are to actually take place. That is the reason due to procrastination you may tend to postpone them.

Development activities will need chunk of your quality time out of your busy schedule. Tremendous amount of personal consciousness & emotional commitment can only ensure prioritization of development oriented activities & regular action.

Development activities will mean you need to change self by developing better mind set, better routine & perform better activities.

To act on these activities you will invariably need the help & guidance of those who have performed such activities & have achieved the results you want to achieve. This will also needs some mentor/coach who will monitor your progress.

Exercise for the week:

  • Please read the three articles sent in the last three weeks
  • Based on today’s article , please write down briefly how would you improve planning of your Routines, Important Non Regular Activities & Most Important Development oriented activities, so as to bring balance & harmony in your life?

Wish you a week with a great commitment for giving at least 10% of your wake up time to development oriented activities!!!

2. Second Great Challenge

How to turn Potential in to Prosperity?

Once you understand your unique potential next step is to utilize your own potential for attaining all that you want in your life.

To make great progress is your birth right.

“You have the power to convert you dreams in to Reality”

When you think about your dream life you are likely to wish for Prosperity as well as peace of mind. Prosperity broadly will mean you are progressively taking care of all your needs & living comfortably. You will also like to pursue all your hobbies, taking care of loved ones, serving community and making charitable contributions etc.

How can you achieve all this?

Path forward :

Let me share a important hint which can hasten the process of your decision making about what should you do , using your talents & how to move forward .

It is quite likely that you like & admire the work of some people & they are like role models to you. You like what they do , you like their life styles and you want to really do the same or similar  thing. You will achieve what they have achieved.

To be like your role models, let me suggest that you do your bit of study as under, about your business role models, to find which Products & Services you should provide & how can you develop those product & services.

Find what kind of clients they are serving?

What products & services they are offering?

What problems & challenges are mitigated by their products?

How are they developing their products & services?

How they are offering their products & services?

Based on your own understanding of the above indicated aspect, proceed as under:

Which of these efforts, products & services of your role models are aligned to your own strengths & experience?

Which is one product or service you will like to  offer over a period of time which should be as good as theirs or better than theirs?

Make a self commitment that you will work with 100% belief that you are going to develop & offer product & services, as chosen by you & you would not stop till you deliver your first product or service.

Immediately take first baby step in the direction of creating the intended product or service. 

Start right now by writing what product or service you wish to provide, which is already being bought/sought by some customers. Than think about how can you develop a better product?

Experiment & learn from initial failures & improve till you taste first success & keep improving thereafter to further develop your talent, products & services which for sure , over a period of time , will lead to your prosperity & your ideal life style.

1. The Art of Giving Feedback

The Art of Giving Feedback

Gursharan Singh

Purpose of Feedback: To Improve ( Product/ Process/ Person / Performance )

Process of feedback: It is a 3 step process

  1. Preparation for giving a feedback
  2. Giving Affective Feedback
  3. Checking the impact of feedback                                                                      

Preparation for giving a feedback

  1. First & foremost Become aware of significance of Product/Process/Person / Performance about which you want to give feedback. Say for example you will like to give feedback to the Product Development in charge , about  the delay in if forwarding a sample to a new client , for the first large order. So it is significant that the approval of this sample will lead to a big order & getting a new big client.
  2. Gather all the relevant objective data about the Product /Process/ Person / Performance for which you want to give feedback . Say for example what, when & to whom the details were given for the sample development as mentioned above. Also gather the progress as of now , based on review of actual data points & present status.
  3. Note some positive information about the Product /Process/ Person / Performance for which you want to give feedback. Say for example you may have noted that work on the sample development started within 2 hours of the relevant information received by the Product Development Department. The first sample produced within 4 days against the normal sample development time of 6 days. However due to lack of coordination & communication gap between Product Development Team & the marketing department,  the developed sample was still not sent to the client for review & approval.  Form your investigation you have found that the Developer did the job and submitted the sample to Product Development In charge . However the In charge  who normally had been working very effectively ,  was involved in the preparation of Monthly Progress Report & in this case  was sitting on the sample for two days. On the other hand since normally sample development takes 6-7 days for the development, the concerned marketing executives also made no follow up about the sample development.
  4. Decide very carefully what, how & to whom you will give the feedback so as to ensure that Product /Process/ Person / Performance improves. In the example we are discussing your intention is ensure timely development of a sample matching the need of the customer.

Giving the effective feedback

After preparing as indicated above, proceed further.

  1. Start the feedback on a positive note
  2. Highlight the significance of Product /Process/ Person / Performance
  3. Start with some appreciative aspect of Product /Process/ Person / Performance
  4. Give direct, honest & specific feedback about – what & why need to be improved –  by whom, how & by when.

Say in the example that we are discussing you will give your feedback to Development Supervisor as under:

“ As you know we are developing a very important sample for a very large client for our first large order & it is utmost important to get  approval of this sample , at the earliest. It is very rare that things get delayed in your department. It is very appreciative that the first  sample development by your Product Development Executive was made on 17th Nov , in just four days , which normally takes 6 days.  However the sample  got stuck at your desk as  you said that you were occupied with preparation of monthly progress report which was to be submitted on 18th Nov. As an In charge you must balance between different priorities which will ask for our attention. I will like you to review the whole process & share with me in next 2 days what steps you would take so that  there are no delays in the entire process, unlike the present case”

Checking the impact of feedback

If the feedback has resulted in improvement of Product/Process/Person / Performance; the feedback was effective. If no improvement was observed, further fine tune your feedback, as explained in this article.

 

Exercise for this week

Based on what is written in this article,  think about :
  • At present, how do you give feedback about Product/Process/Performance/People ?
  • How would you like to improve your feedback giving mechanism?                                                           
Wishing you a Great Week  !!!