The MANAGER Magazine - Issue 1

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    The First Electronic Magazine Dedicated T o Managerial Skills

    Issue 1 - August 2009 Price: $ 5.99

    ii n t e l l i g e n c e

    e

    mo t i o n a lThe

    hidden driver

    To

    GreaT

    Performance

    Much More inside

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    A w o r d f r o m t h e e d i t o r

    Welcometo THE MANAGER magazine; thefrst electronic magaine devoted to the devel-

    opment o Managerial Skills.

    Here at THE MANAGER Magaine we believethat the keyword is change, whether it is thechanging business environment we live in, thetechnology we use, or even the new businesstheories. Everything is changing, and standing stillwill cause you to be let behind or even worse,

    out o business.We took the frst step in order to help you tocope with the change around you; by providingyou with all the tools necessary to develop yourmanagerial skills, to be a better perormer andeven to become a better person, but remains the

    most important step to be taken by you. it is thewill to change that has to come rom inside, asyou accept the journey o change, and committo it. So in pursuit o this goal we designed THE

    MANAGER Magaine or your maximum ben-eft; we designed the magaine to ft any kind o

    managers apart rom their feld o work, and anylevel o experience whether frst time managersor executive level. We designed the articles tointegrate each other and continue talking aboutthe important topics in various issues as long ait takes to give you the whole picture rom allsides, as we believe we are not here to entertainbut we are here to develop and train.

    We believe that THE MANAGER Magaine willprovide you with much more than the monetaryvalue you are paying. We welcome any sug-gestions and comments rom you our belovedreader.

    Editor in chieAlaa Ayoub

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    Contents :Del wt dffcult

    Emplyee:

    Te ctcl pelty

    M veu Led

    For FirsT TiME ManagErs:

    Te c fuct f

    Memet

    rdlc te wy

    t vt

    Emtl itellece,

    Te dde dve

    t et pefmce

    WhaT iT TakEs To bE a

    LEaDEr: Cue

    4

    8

    12

    22

    27

    33

    Cover

    story

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    As a manger you have to deal with difcult people ona daily basis, some o them under your supervisionlike your employees and some are not like your colleaguesand even your boss.Difcult people eat up your time, slow down work, anderode productivity. But perhaps as important, they createhuge amounts o stress or you and other people in work-place.

    Mostly, they arent bad people. In act, they are probably more

    similar to you than you might imagine; they are people withtroubles in some areas in their lives (mostly in their up growingand childhood) as we all are but the difcult ones are those withproblems that oat on the surace requently and more o-

    daling with ifficultemploys:

    Th critical prsonality

    ten than others, their problems pop up with many people

    and in many situations.Its easy to become a victim o difcult people, and even tobecome difcult yoursel as a result, but you can do some-thing. You can keep your sanity and increase productivityby managing difcult people so the damage they cause isreduced.And i you are lucky, you may even be able to turn theirnegative behavior into constructive, useul behavior.

    There are many types and orms o difcult people that willbe discussed in our coming issues, so let us look at one othe most popular and most annoying personalities.

    The critical personality

    Deinition: who

    You defnitely know this kind o people; they have imposedthemselves as a world observers and judges, they criticieother peoples decisions and, are proud to pick mistakes in

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    others actions and maybe personalities too, their tone ovoice conveys rustration because o unwise ambitions oothers.

    They can easily destroy your bestidea and make it useless,They think they have a great plan oryour lie, all you have to do is to askor just listen and they will tell you allabout it.

    You might think that things are alrightbut the critics tend to fnd some-thing wrong as they always look atthe empty hal o the cup and seethings negatively. Also they tend tobe perectionist, reckless, judgmen-tal, arrogant, pretending to know itall, like to be in control, and hunting or aults.

    The Reason: WhyThe critics believe that their criticism is helpul and by ex-

    posing others aults, they are helping them- even withoutbeing asked to do so. What they donot know is by doing so, usually theopposite happens because peoplenaturally get deensive when acedby critics. Accordingly true changeis not achieved by criticism butrather achieved in an environment

    o acceptance, love, and patiencerom someone who truly cares.

    Critics are moved by the desire tofx problems; they see somethingwrong and recklessly push their so-

    lution that is painted by criticism more than true desire tobring help to the picture.

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    Limit your criticismSome criticism could be destructive so make sure you ac-

    cept only those ones and which are politely phrased androm those who really want your best interest and shut therest.

    Tame the beast insideWe all vulnerable in some areas inside us, when touched,the beast inside us wakes up and we get deensive and ag-gressive. As a matter o act,occasionally the critics are right

    but we are touchy.

    Make a hearing sessionDevote sometime i complaining and criticism are re-peated. Speciy a time or the critics to hear them, andduring this time only they are allowed to discuss theirpoints o view. Usually this routine works very well andcritics accept this solution as they guarantee a specifc

    time to be heard. In that session, ask them to write downall they want to say, then ask them to try to categoriethe points into groups, fnally, no interruption is allowed,everybody waits or his turn.

    Beware of triangularcritics

    Some critics do not reveal theiropinions to you directly but in-stead they start complaining toa third person, creating a trian-gle and repeating the processuntil it turns to gossip. You candiscern them by seeing them talking about a third personwho is not present. Those people make you eel like their

    best riend however beware, you are like everybody else,and when you are not there they will criticie you as well.

    Keep your dreams aliveDo not allow poisonous critics to shatter your dreams away.Protect and surround yoursel with supportive and caringpeople and keep your ambitions glowing.

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    Leading

    Managing

    Are you a leader or a manager?Yes there is a dierence and it is a big one. The whole big corporate world is ull omanagers o all kinds, but lacks out leaders, as they are ew. As the world boundaries aredisappearing and globaliation and mass communication combine the individual econo-mies o the countries into one big worldwide economy, it is now easier or competitionto enter the markets and oer variety o similar products that drive sales away rom the

    original producers and manuacturers. For these reasons and more, the need or leadersis growing; leaders who can motivate employees to achieve superior economic peror-mance and make the appropriate and tough decisions at the right time, those who are notreluctant at taking risks and in constant search or opportunities, and those who have an-

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    swers or critical and difcult questionsthat we ace each and every day.

    Great leaders are born

    like that, it is in their

    Genes!!!

    This is one o the biggest myth o lead-ership and used by people to avoidthe eort and hardiness o chang-ing onesel into a leader. Yes some

    people can become leaders easierthan some others; maybe they arenot araid o change, or maybe theyhave many o the qualities o a leader(will be discussed it the ollowing ar-ticle) inherited in their personality. Yesthis maybe true but anyone by hon-est hard work, practice, willing to

    change and dedication can becomea great leader no matter how arhe is right now rom being a leader.

    So what is Leadership ?

    There is not one single defnition o

    leadership. Understanding this con-cept is the frst step towards be-coming an eective leader. Somecommon defnitions or belies aboutleadership include the ollowing:

    - One o them, as mentioned by JohnC. Maxwell, the leadership guru, lead-

    ership is inuence which matches theterm lead, To lead, means that youhave to have some ollowers; to makethem ollow you, you have to inu-ence them.

    - Another defnition is getting peopleto do things, which they have neverthought they can ever do. In that def-nition come the terms enablement,and empowerment.

    But in organiational context, leader-ship could be defned as getting peo-ple to commit and provide their besttowards the organiations goals.

    Not one o the preceding defnitionsis more correct than any o the oth-ers. All o the defnitions, however,agree on one common act: leader-ship involves more than one person.

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    Lede

    stve f ce.Wy ut wt t de yet.

    ipe peple t w d d

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    cetvty d ltel t.

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    Cdte efft.

    The difference between leaders and managers:

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    Leaders and relationships:

    As opposed to managers; relations with others play a signif-cant role in inuencing and hence leading people.A leader considers his team members or congregation as part-ners with him in pursuit o organiational goals and superiorperormance. Accordingly, he listens to their views with greatrespect and allows or disagreement to take place some-times. Although, he provides visions and directions, he sharesresponsibility with others and creates a sense o belongingand signifcance in people around him; they eel valuable, im-portant and productive as individuals and as a team.

    leaders are Good, manaGers are bad!!Although, leaders are important and provide the backbone osurvival in a world o constant change, an organiation cannot exist without managers who plan, organie, direct andcontrol. A leader that can motivate people and inspire visionand perormance, but does not have managerial skills, is likebuilding a skyscraper without building stairs and elevators.Managers are good, but leaders who can manage are muchbetter.

    Roles of the leader

    Model the Way1. Clariy values by detailed explanation, building upon inputsrom others and afrming shared ideals.2. Align actions with shared values.

    Inspire a Shared Vision3. Explore the uture by generating exciting possibilities andhunting or opportunities.4. Generate buy-ins into vision by combining shared aspirationsto ft into one common goal.Challenge and change5. Take initiative by looking outward or innovative ways to im-prove.

    6. Experiment and take risks by trial and error and shared learn-ing o ailure and mistakesEmpower Others7. Promote group eorts and teamwork by building trust, acili-tating relationships and open honest communications8. Strengthen others by developing sel-esteem,sel-determina-tion, discipline and competence.Encourage the Heart

    9. Recognie contributions by showing appreciation or individu-al excellence.10. Celebrate the values and accomplishments by creating aspirit o unity.

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    ROLE ONE - PLANNINGRunning an organiation is like taking a trip with your car; to

    get where you want to go, youve got to have a plan (a map)that tells you where yourdestination is, and howyou can get there. Its thejob o every manager todevelop the plans whichaccomplish the organia-tions goals in pursuit: the

    products and services itwill provide, how it willmanuacture and deliverthem, to whom, and atwhat price. These plansinclude creating an orga-niational vision and mis-sion in addition to specifc

    tactics or achieving theorganiations goals.

    The basic planning con-cept answers our ques-tions:1-What do we want todo?2- Where are we in relation to that goal?3- Which actors will help or hinder us rom reaching thegoal?4- What alternatives are available to us to reach the goaland which one is the best?

    Planning achieves these ends by:1-Strength o mindo what resourceswill be required.2-Recognition ofthe number andtypes o personnel

    (technical, supervi-sory, or managerial)the organiationwill necessitate.

    Vision statementCorporate vision is a short, brief, and inspiring statement of

    what the organizaon intends to develop into and achieve at

    some point in the future, oen stated in compeve terms.

    Vision refers to the category of intenons that are broad, all-

    embracing and forward thinking. It is the reecon that a busi-

    ness must have of its goals before it sets out to reach them.

    It describes aspiraons for the future, without indicang the

    ways that will be used to achieve those desired ends.

    Vision should be a grand, and noble vision, which elevates the

    energy, enthusiasm and self-esteem of everyone in the com-

    pany while ensuring that everybody visualize a benet in the

    vision. The most valuable visions are those that inspire employ-

    ees and ask for their best.

    Examples:

    - At General Electric (GE) the corporate vision is We bring good

    things to life.

    - The Ford Motor Company vision is to become the worlds

    leading consumer company for automove products and ser-

    vices.

    Tips:

    -Communicate it constantly.

    -Keep relang the events of today to your vision, underscoring

    the relaonship between the two.

    Mission StatementA mission statement is an organizaons vision translated into

    wrien form. It shows the leaders view of the direcon and

    purpose of the organizaon. It portrays why your organizaon

    exists, what business it is in, and who it serves.

    For many corporate leaders it is a vital element in any aempt

    to movate employees and to give them a sense of priories.

    A mission statement should be a short and concise statementof goals and priories

    Goals and objecvesThe major outcome of strategic planning, aer gathering all

    necessary informaon, is the seng goals for the organizaon

    based on its vision and mission statement. A goal is a long-

    range aim for a specic period. It must be specic and realisc.

    Long-range goals set through strategic planning are translated

    into acvies that will ensure reaching the goal through opera-

    onal planning.

    Goals are specic objecves that relate to specic me peri-

    ods and are stated in terms of facts. The primary goal of any

    business is to increase stakeholders value. The most important

    stakeholders are those who own the business, employees who

    work for the business and, clients or customers who purchase

    products and/or services from the business.

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    3-Determination o standards against which the move-ment toward objectives can be measured, so that adjust-ments can take place i compulsory.

    Planning can be classifed, on the basis o scope or breadth,into three separate categories:

    Strategic planning: is concerned withthe overall actions o the entire organi-ation. It is initiated and guided by top-level management, but all levels o man-agement must participate in it to work.

    The purposes o strategic planning are:1- To have the entire organiation planlong-range paths and dedications.2- To endow with multilevel contribu-tion in the planning progression.3- To develop an organiation in whichthe plans o the sub-units are melodi-ous with each other.

    Tactical planning: ocuses on accomplishment o activi-ties specifed by the strategic plans. These plans are con-

    cerned with what the subordinate level units within eachdivision required to do, how they should do it, and whowill be in charge o doing it. Tactics is the channel neededto achieve a strategy. This step tends to be shorter-term

    than strategic planning, and ocus-es more on current and approach-ing activities required to executeoverall strategies.

    Operational Planning:An oper-ating plan is one that a manager

    applies to accomplish his or her jobtasks. It may be either a single-useplan or an on-going plan. Single-use plans are applied to activitiesthat do not recur or repeat. Exam-ples o single-use plans include aprogram and a budget. Exampleso on-going plans include policies

    and procedures.

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    ROLE TWO - ORGANIzING

    Subsequent to developing their plans, managers have to

    put up a business that can situate these plans into endproduct/service. Normally, they do this by designing orga-niational structures to execute their plans (oten buildingdetailed organiational charts that divide an organiationinto divisions, departments, and other parts and designatethe people who occupy each position), and by develop-ing systems and processes to direct the allocation o hu-man, fnancial, and other resources.

    There are our distinctive activities o the organiing unc-tion:1-To determine what tasks should be done to accomplishorganiational objectives.2- To classiy the type o work needed and ensure work-ing o groups into manageable units.3- To assign the work to individuals and delegate the ap-propriate authority.

    4-To design a hierarchy o decision-making relationships.

    The end result o the organiing process is an organia-

    tion -- a whole, consisting o unifed parts (a system) act-ing in harmony to execute tasks in order to achieve goals,both eectively and efciently.

    In addition, it should also provide the ollowing benefts:1-A Clarifed Work Environment.Everyone should know what to do. The tasks and respon-

    sibilities o all individuals, departments, and major organi-ation divisions should have been clarifed, and, the typeand limits o authority will have been determined.

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    2-A Coordinated Environment.Conusion should be minimied and hindrances to peror-mance are removed. The interrelationship o the various

    work divisions will have been developed. Guiding principleor interaction among personnel will have been defned.

    3-A Formal Decision-Making Structure.Through the organiation chart, the ormal superior-subor-dinate relationships have been developed. This allows thesystematic succession up through the chain o commandor decision making and decision-making communications.

    ROLE THREE - STAFFINGPeople are the most essential o all your organiations re-sources. Those human resources are acquired by and orthe organiation through the stafng role o management.In stafng, the organiation attempts to recognie, attract,

    and maintain skilled personnel to occupy its available posi-tionThe stafng role can be observed as an eight-step course

    o action intended to endow the organiation with theright people in the right positions.

    The Eight-Steps Staing Process1Human Resource PlanningThe purpose o human resource planning is to make cer-tain that the personnel requirements o the organiationwill be assembled. This is done in part by analying theplans o the organiation to determine what skills will beneeded in the uture. There are three elements to the hu -

    man resource planning process:(A) Forecasting the personnel requirements.(B) Comparing the requirements to the actual sta withinthe organiation.(C) Developing precise plans or how many people to re-cruit (rom outside) or whom to train (rom inside).

    2 Recruitment

    In this step, management will attempt to identiy and at-tract candidates to convene the requirements o antici-pated or actual vacancies. Two devices used during thisphase are the job description and the job requirements,

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    both o which are developed as a result o job analysis.The actual recruitment o prospective employees is usuallydone through newspaper and proessional journal adver-tisements, employment agencies, and other internal (and/or external) sources o the organiation. More recently,job posting and recruitment is being handled via the Inter-net, as well, on job posting websites.

    3 SelectionFollowing recruitment, those candidates who have ap-plied or the position(s) published must be evaluated and

    one o them is chosen, whose qualifcations match jobrequirements. The steps in the selection process may in-clude completing an application orm, interviews, reer-ence checks, and physical examination.

    4 Introduction and OrientationOnce selected, the new employee must be incorporatedinto the organiation through introduction o the new em-ployee to the work group and acquainting him with theorganiations policies and rules.

    5 Training and DevelopmentThrough training and development, the organiation at-tempts to improve the employees capabilities to add tothe organiations eectiveness. Training is concernedwith enhancement o the employees skills. Developmentconcerns the preparation o the employee or additionalresponsibility and advancement.

    6 Perormance AppraisalA system intended to evaluate the actual job perormanceo an employee compared to perormance standards.

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    7 Employment DecisionsEmployment decisions in the areas o monetary rewards,transers, promotions, and demotions wil l be based on the

    outcome o the perormance appraisal.

    8 SeparationsVoluntary turnover, retirements, layos, and terminationsmust also be a concern o management.

    ROLE FOUR - LEADING

    Managers are expected to lead their employees, that is, toinspire them to attain the organiations goals, rapidly andcompetently.

    Leadership is considered by many the most vital com-ponent o a managers success. Great leaders can make

    great things happen, motivating their employees to do ex-traordinary tasks and achieve extraordinary goals.

    Simply stated, leadership is the process o impacting anddirecting people towards the accomplishment o a goalor objective.

    The major concern or the manager here should be torecognie and acquire as many traits o eective leader-

    ship as possible, and learn to identiy the dierent stylesand how and when to apply them (situational leadership).

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    Leadership Traits:

    There are various traits that have been identifed by clinical

    and organiational psychologist to be characteristic o e-ective leadership. Some o the most important are listedbelow and briey defned:Sense o mission: trust in ones ability to lead and love orthe work o leadership itsel.Integrity: Commitment to the highest personal and proes-

    sional standards.High character: Ability to ace hard acts and unpleasantsituations with courage.

    Loyalty: Faithulness to superiors, peers, subordinates, am-ily and organiations.

    Job competence: The oundation or ollower ship, expertpower, and mentoring.

    Commitment: Devotion to job, career, and amily.

    Good judgment: Common sense, diplomacy, prudence,distinguish what is important and what is not.

    Energy: Eagerness, passion, aspiration to take the initiative.

    Decisiveness: Confdence in making appropriate decisions;a willingness to act.Selessness: Sacrifcing sel (personal needs) or a greater

    cause.While this list is by no means all-inclusive, it represents someo the more outstanding traits or characteristics o a high-quality leader

    Some Functions O The Leader:

    Set the example or others to ollow. Determine goals o organiation. Functions as the resident expert.

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    Facilitates open communication. Provides counseling and guidance. Enorces policies and regulations. Motivates employees toward goals Establishes perormance standards.

    ROLE FIVE - CONTROLLING

    To achieve their goals and the targets o the organiation,managers must set up perormance standards based on

    the organiations goals and objectives, measure and re-port actual perormance, compare the two, and take cor-rective or precautionary action i required.

    The Four-Steps Controlling Process

    The controlling unction is strongly related to planning. In-deed, the undamental principle o controlling is to con-

    clude how successul the planning unction has been. Thisprocess can be summaried to our basic steps relevantto any individual, item, or process being controlled. Theour basic steps are:

    1Establish Perormance StandardsA standard is a measuring device, quantitative or qualita-tive, that is intended to assist monitoring the perormance

    o people, capital goods, or processes. Standards are usedto determine progress, or lack o progress, towards goals.The precise nature o the stan-dards to be used relies on whatis being monitored. Whatever thestandards, however, they all can beallocated to one o two groups:managerial standards or technical

    standards. Following is a descrip-tion o each type.A.Managerial Standards -incorporate such things as reports,regulations, and perormanceevaluations. All should ocus ononly the key areas and the kindo perormance required to reachspecifc goals. Managerial standards state who, when, andwhy o the business.

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    B.Technical Standards - state the what and how o thebusiness. They apply to production methods and process-es, materials, machinery, saety equipment, parts, and sup-pliers. Technical standards can come rom internal andexternal sources.

    2Monitor Actual PerormanceThis step is incorporated purely as a preventive measure.

    3Measure PerormanceIn this step, managers evaluate perormance and deter-

    mine its adherence to the set standards. I the comparisonyields results, or measurements are acceptable - withinthe prescribed limits - no action needs to be taken. I theresults show deviation rom the acceptable, or prove theunacceptable, action may be called or.

    4Correct Deviations rom StandardsDetermining the precise action to be taken will depend

    on three things: the standard; the accuracy o measure-ments that perceive deviations; and the diagnosis o theperson or device investigating the cause or the deviation.Keep in mind that standards can be too loose or too strict.

    Measurements may be inaccurate because o poor use omeasuring devices or deects in the devices themselves.And, fnally, people can use poor judgment in determiningthe corrective actions to be taken.

    While these typical unctions are still valid, they do not tellthe entire story. Managers and workers are entering into anew kind o afliation that is structuring the base o a newreality in the workplace.

    At present, managers are realiing that they are unable tocommand an employees best work; they can, however,create an atmosphere that supports employees to givetheir best eorts. And employees are realiing that, i theyexpect to survive the invariable eects o change sweep-ing across businesses o all types, they have to discoverways to contribute to their organiations in ways that theyhave never beore been called on to do.

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    Today we are gathered to cel-

    ebrate the launch o our new line

    o production, and the one without

    his brilliant idea; non would hap-

    pen, cheers or (put your name)

    Being creative makes all thedierence; ater all, whatmatters the most, are ideas. Theidea o having your own busi-

    ness, the idea o introducingthat special product, the idea o thisbrand, the idea o marketing that way,the idea o this invention, and so on .One idea could save your com-pany rom going out o busi-ness; one idea could position yourcompany into a market leader.

    And as a creative person that couldmake all the preceding happen; you areo an enormous value to your company,

    your opinions are heard verycareully, you are better in-ormed about what is hap-pening in your company,and you get big bonuses!!!Who would reuse such adeal!!!

    Being creative does not happenby accident, there are manyroadblocks and barriers to cre-

    ativity due to our behaviors andour mode o thinking that we broughtup using them, like always knowing theright answers, depending on our previ-ous experiences, and trying harder us-ing the same methods to solve dier-ent problems.

    So let us have a look at the psycho-logical barriers you might fnd in yourway to innovation.

    Roadblocksi

    T wayt

    innovation

    Psychological

    barriers to

    innovation

    and how to

    step over them

    8

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    Not asking questions

    Accepting things as they are and taking things or grantedis a killer.First: Question everything; rules,procedures, actions, patterns, plans,processes and assumptions. Beginyour question with the magicalWHY; then question the answerwith another why and another and

    another. Surprisingly you will think about things you havenever thought about beore and will go to territories youhave not visited beore. New directions and alternativeswill keep coming as you keep wondering.

    Second: use your imagination in WHAT IF scenarios.Look at your issue or problem rom dierent angels anduse what i or every angel and build upon parts rom di-

    erent scenarios. You might be surprised to fnd a wholenew one that can help you.

    Third: use open ended and impulsive questions, you do nothave to answer every one o them, but it might lead youto another direction while trying to answer it.

    Having a rigid point of view

    Being inexible in your thinking narrows your vision andlets you see only hal o the acts. Use others perspectivesand try to put yoursel in their shoes, people like your em-ployees, clients, vendors, distributors, suppliers and evencompetition see things dierently and these dierent views

    can help expand you possibilities.

    Depending on your memory

    The human mind is on duty all the time and you might besurprised i you counted the ideas that went through yourmind in only one minute. Many good ideas come and go

    unnoticed and orgotten, because we do not take thetime to express them; write them down and give themsome thought.

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    2

    3

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    Record all the ideas; the good and the bad, the more ideasyou have, the better opportunities you get and what is notgood or valid now , can be good and applicable sometime in the uture. Ideas are like chain reaction, one leadsto another and a bad one leads to a good one, then thespark happens and a new product is born or a solution isound.So do not lose your ideas; writethem down in a notebook or alog or even record then in au-dio and when you need some

    creativity, review them frst, givethem a second thought, noticethe change in assumptions and circumstances since then,who knows you might get lucky and save a lot o time.

    I have always done it this way

    Being accustomed to specifc way o thinking or doing

    things, relying on past experiences and successes mayprevent you rom being creative, so look or new ways. Iyou usually write pros and cons, try not to do it, -think di -

    erently- you may try to visualie the problem or the issueat hand by drawing a chart or diagram and analye thesteps involved, or try to visualie the problem into a pictureor drawings and question the similarities between them.For example, i you visualie your problem like a brokencar and want to examine it, you can ask these questions:

    What is wrong with this car??!!Why it is not working??

    Start by analying the cause o the problem:

    Is it accident?? Is my driving style the reason?? Do I missthe warning signs on my way?? (These questions concernmy way o doing things).Second, analye the problem itsel:Is it the engine?? (This could represent the main strategyor top management), or is it the uel??(Could represent thepower that keeps the company running like motivation, in-centives, passion, lack o alignment between actions and

    mission ..and so on), is the engine so hot and coolinguid is not working (could mean hat the company is goingso ast and employees can not catch their breath).

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    Third, ater you understand what caused the problem andwhat is the consequences o it, analye the alternative so-lutions and choose the best one:Can I fx it or should I go to mechanics?? (Do I need a pro-essional expert or trainer to fx the problem?)

    This is a small example o doing logical thinking in an in-novative way that brings into picture many variables thatwere not considered.Visualiation is also useul in generating ideas, putting thingsanother way brings in more alternatives.

    Fear of looking stupid

    Sel image and how people look at us plays an importantrole in our behavior, and sometimesear o generating ideas that maynot get a good reaction, disapprov-al or even mocking rom others,

    the ear o being judged, o lookingstupid, and o being wrong, hold usback rom participating in the pro-

    cess. Fear is paralying and when you allow your personalears to control your actions, ear will control you more,and will be nurtured by your unwillingness to ace them oreven to name them.Begin with admitting the act that you have personal earsand name them, then list all the actions that you wouldtake i you did not have those ears.Last: make an action plan to do all these actions, stick toit and bring someone you trust to be accountable to inimplementing your plan.

    Being logicalSometimes having a logical, rational and easy to imple-ment idea is not the best idea; yes it works but there is nospark; people do not get excited when they hear it.Be patient to fgure out how to make the sparkling ideasdoable. Use a lot o what-i scenarios without dismissinganything as impossible.

    Hold on to those ideas that spark a reaction, even i its notimmediately clear how they can be put into practice.

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    It is important, work harder and

    be serious

    Working on a problem or an issue too long and or intensetime burns creativity. Being more serious, stressing yourseland everybody around you or spending more time to o-cus will not take you anywhere.Take a break ater working or ew hours, take a walk,look at a nice view or a while,change the place where you doyour work , listen to your avorite

    music, do some stretching, or dosomething light and playul; theidea is to shut down or a while,do something avorable and en-ergie your body and mind.

    Giving up so soon and too easy

    There is no person that is not creative, but there are peo-ple who would engage themselves in creative thinking andpeople who would not.

    When you start being creative, you should know the ol-lowing:- Generating ideas takes time and lots o them may end upundoable. So, do not give up too soon and say that youare not that kind o a person; practice a lot and take yourtime in warm up, make it a habit to do it daily.

    - While proposing ideas, you maybe aced by rictions andoppositions, do not be dismayed or discouraged, use it asa motive to push orward and build upon your ideas tomake them better.

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    ii n t e l l i g e n c eemo t i o n a l

    The

    hidden driver

    To

    GreaT

    Performance

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    e plce w

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    ye ee ced, d

    we ve mved fm dut-

    l t fmt e, d w

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    te wlede??? Peple

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    my pt f t mze.

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    Promotional issue

    Organiations, now, are atter than beore, where team-work and collaborative eorts are maintained by relation-ships and social skills. In response to the rapid continuingchange o doing business, people are expected to copewith these changes, be more exible and adaptive, whilein reality humans resist change and do not welcome goingout o their comort one and dealing with the unknown.So as a leader you should be able to create an environ-ment that encourages creativity and promotes securityand productivity. You should be able to change your lead-ership style according to diering actors and circum-

    stances, which includes dealing with peoples emotionsnot only their intellect. You should be able to practiceemotional intelligence, which is reerred to by EQ (Emo-tional Quotient).

    What is emotional intelligence?There are two components o Emotional Intel ligence; oneis concerned with sel-management skills and the other

    with relationship management

    self-memet ll:

    1self-wee

    It means being in touch with yoursel; knowing yourstrengths, weaknesses, hopes, ears, needs and drives.Also sel-aware people are characteried by the ollow-ing: Being realistic and honest with themselves and others. Have personal insight o their emotions and moods,

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    Frequently evaluating their emotional behavior and re-sponses by stepping out o the picture and viewingthe scene as in a movie, to fnd what went wrong andwhere they got out o control.

    Do not display unconstructive mood matching bycopying some body elses emotional state, e.g. Whensomeone is shouting you start shouting yoursel.

    Create an environment o airness and trust, which pro-motes productivity, innovation and attract talents.

    Adaptable and exible to embrace change that has be-come the only constant in business environment.

    Slow to judge and give much attention to the big pic-ture, thereore people who have mastered their eelingare wise.

    3elf-mtvt

    Sel- motivation is a unique kind o motivation that is notaected or stimulated by external actors like salary, bo-

    nus, position, power or anything else, but its source comesrom within. Sel-motivated people expectations are high-higher than anybody else and they pursue their goals or

    the sake o achievement itsel.This kind o motivation is generated by sense o missionand calling; they know what they are called to do andwhen put in their right place, they perorm extra ordinarilywell; that is why they do not need external actor or en-hancers to motivate them.

    Sel-motivated people are characteried by the ollowing: Have passion or the work itsel. Love to learn and acquire new skills. Seek new experiences and challenges to stretch them-

    selves. Come out with creative solutions. Strive or quality and doing things better; they monitor

    perormance and raise standards to achieve the bestperormance or them and the people around.

    Committed to their work and their organiations. In constant search or new and improved approaches

    to their work.

    Optimistic; because o endless energy they have, theyare optimistic even when things around them are notconveying avorable circumstances.

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    reltp Memet:

    4Empty

    Interpersonal skills are all about understanding others; theireelings, interests, ears, motives, needs and preerences;the key to this awareness o others is Empathy.There are many defnitions or empathy, but all o themshare the concept o identiying with and understandingothers eelings, thoughts and motives. It is like putting your-sel in others shoes. In a business context, it means being

    considerate to others eelings in your managing behavior.Empathy is the essence o social competencies; it maynot be agreeing with everyone or seeking approval, butshowing understanding to their eelings and needs in theprocess o management.Empathetic people are characteried by the ollowing: Can read people very well, they notice the tone o voice,

    acial expressions, and other non-verbal ways o com-munications.

    Ask questions that give people the reedom to expresstheir point o views.

    Welcome suggestions. Listen to what people has to say and paraphrase to makesure they understand what is being said.

    Place the right people in the right positions because otheir deep knowledge o others.

    Gain trust and build bridges with others without mucheort.

    Get honest and direct eedback; or nobody ears the

    boss. Get appreciated by others or being considerate to them.

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    5scl ll

    Social skills are not about riendliness, but they are the skillsthat enable you to move people in the direction you desire;it is the use o personal power to win the hearts o othersand generate buy-ins to achieve a common goal.Socially skilled people tend to fnd common ground with

    everybody aroundthem; they bondwith others be-cause they know

    that nobody canaccomplish bigthings alone.

    So at the end weare not saying thatintelligence and

    technical abilities are not important; but they are not enough

    i your goal is to achieve excellence, retain talent and builda world class organiation.

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    Yesterday I dared to struggle.Today I dare to win.

    Bernadette Devlin

    have yu ever mied a pprtuity

    becaue it lked trage r differet??

    smebdy ele tk te rik ad it became

    i big t, mre ad mre came ut f

    it.

    nw yu are pied becaue it wa rigt

    i yur ad ad yu jut let it g.oe little tep made all te differece.

    Mt prbably it wa fear tat preveted

    yu frm gig frward. Fear f te

    ukw, fear f failure, r fear f lig

    wat yu ave.

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    Living in ear is like living as prisoners o our weaknesses, as wesurrender to our weaknesses, we start building imaginary wallsaround us that limit our potentials and capabilities, lowering ourquality o lie and maybe keeping us rom living lie itsel. Fear is

    a damaging trait which causes insecure behavior to take place.It shows in many patterns like inexibility, de-ensiveness, or negativity and goes all the wayto extreme behaviors such as paranoia thatcauses very dysunctional and paralyzing be-havior.

    Leaders must be courageous. He or she is al-ways moving in new directions, and those frststeps take courage: the courage to be frst,the courage to be dierent, the courage tospeak out, the courage to act, and the cour-age to ail. In doing so successul managersstretch, and bend their minds, push their abili-ties beyond what they can imagine they can go.

    Without courage, no signifcant progress, innovation or contribu-tion is made.

    Leaders cant avoid stress, ear, pain, and pressure. The pain o

    realizing youre not in control, admitting you were wrong, lettinggo o a long, and dearly, held belie. Or the ear and stress o hav-ing to make a decision without having as much inormation asyou would like to have. Courage is not the absence o ear but

    acknowledging that you are araid, labeling it or what it is, andinstead o going back and running away, youpush through to the end.

    Creating environment

    that promotes

    courage

    To create such an environment, you should dothe ollowing: Allow ailure and consider it as a learn-ing tool not punishing reason. Construct a shared learning meetingswhere learning is extracted rom ailures,

    and shared across the organiation.

    Promote thinking and innovation. Accept suggestions and dierent points o view. Ask or eedback and listen to what people has to say. Allow others, sometimes, to do thing their way when in

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    nw

    OurBusiness

    BlOg

    Whereyou

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    -meet Other peOple

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