communication Archives - Page 4 of 11

Working with a Difficult Coworker

by sincera | Nov 16, 2017 | Communication, Managing Yourself, World of Work

How we all wish that we only got to work with people we get along with like a house on fire (how much sense does that metaphor make, really?). Unfortunately, no matter how hard we wish this will never be the case. The world of work is a diverse, ever dynamic space. And very much a part of the tough, real world which teaches us very many lessons about life. One being, regardless of whether you like it or not, there will be times when you have to work with a difficult coworker or two. Maybe even coworkers you say you ‘hate’. Now, while hate is a very strong four lettered word (which is also injurious to health), we do understand the strong sentiments at play there.

While you cannot avoid these situations where you will be needed to work with coworkers you don’t exactly get along with, here are some tips that will probably lessen the suffering.

Stop. And Breathe.

It is strange how much we underestimate the value of this critical life function. Breathing is the only thing that separates life from death. ‘Take a deep breath’, is the most under rated thing. Every time you feel overcome with anxiety and pressure because you are unable to cope with a difficult coworker, breathe. Just remind yourself to breathe. You will be surprised how effective this technique is. Try this zen technique called STOP: S- Step back. T – Take a breath. O- Observe. P- Proceed.
Take it as a challenge

This situation won’t last forever. But while it lasts, how about you make the best of it? If nothing else, let it teach you how to function in what you may call, adverse situations. Does it feel like if you survive this, you can survive anything? Well then, you’ve got to get through it. Anything that makes you feel invincible is worth it. Find a way of making this seem like a challenge, and then take on it. By the end of it, you will feel proud of yourself.
Play by the rules

In case the lack of harmony between you and the other party concerned stems from mostly difference in opinion regarding the work you are doing, play by the rules. That way, you cannot get into any trouble and any cause of discontent regarding the rules is not your problem. You did not come up with them, you are simply following them. Every time you need to remind your co-worker about the same, do so gently. And do let them know that they have the option of taking it up with the management.
Don’t make the mistake of trying to change them, change yourself

When we are sure that we are right, we bend over backwards to ‘prove’ to the other person that we are right. What we do not understand is, that the person at the other end perhaps also has his/ her very strong reasons in believing they are right. Which they are hell-bent on proving. Getting into a tussle of this sort in a professional space can be extremely draining, not to mention a serious deterrent to your productivity. So instead of trying to change the other person involved, change your approach. You can have absolutely no control over anything which is beyond yourself. The sooner you realize this, the more time and energy you will save. And by no means will you be conceding defeat in any way by doing this.
Be professional – No matter how angry you are

Dislike for a difficult coworker is no reason to display unprofessional behavior. Remember that by doing so you will be harming no one but yourself. No matter how angry you are, handle the situation professionally and in a respectful manner. When you feel that the situation is getting out of hand, reach out to the management for a conflict resolution intervention. Take care for the situation to not turn into a judgment call on your reputation or professionalism.

While it can’t be easy to deal with a situation like this, it surely isn’t impossible. And like they say, it is the worst situations that bring out the best in you! What is the worst quality of a someone you would call a difficult coworker? Comment below and we will include your take on that, in our next blog!

What Makes a Dream Team?

by sincera | Nov 1, 2017 | Leadership, Recruitment, World of Work

Dream teams are what come together to create magic. It always seems like a great team fits together like perfect pieces of jigsaw made to fit together. However, that is seldom the case. There is no magic unless you create it. Likewise, a dream team is the result of careful, effective and applied leadership and thought. To make a dream team takes a certain amount of acumen. But making what you call, ‘a dream team’, what do you look for? Here are the five most important (magic) ingredients, that come together to make the secret (not so secret anymore) magic sauce of a dream team! Read on to know.

What to look for, to make a ‘dream team’

Look for, Emotional Intelligence

One of the most important characteristics of a great team is for team members to have not just the needed technical skills, but more importantly to possess emotional intelligence. Being aware of what is happening around them, and having the capacity to respond accordingly is a very important quality to seek, while looking to build a team. Social sensitivity and awareness goes a longer way than technical skills. And we are not just saying that, research says so too.

“A study carried by Anita Woolley from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and her colleagues, measured group intelligence and how each individual influences it. Woolley placed 699 people in teams of two to five and got them to carry out a series of tasks, such as solving puzzles, brainstorming, typing and negotiating. The groups were then evaluated on their performance, and given a group intelligence score.As it turns out, neither the intelligence of the smartest member, nor the average intelligence of the group, influenced the overall group intelligence. Instead, social sensitivity—the ability to understand the feelings and thoughts of others—was the most important factor that influenced the overall group intelligence.” [source]

Look for, Diversity

Very often one tends to think that like-minded people coming together make for a great team. Frankly, it is diversity in thought and personality that make for a great team. Quirks are important and quirks of different people are important. It is this difference that outlines the overall personality of your team as a whole. A healthy diversity also means paying attention to being inclusive. It is the diversity of a team that makes way for great stimulating discussions, which are the genesis of amazing ideas. Besides, with a diverse team, things never get boring and you always have each other to learn from and grow with!

Look for, Proactive Communicators

Before you begin your hunt for proactive communicators, it is first essential to understand what proactive communication is. Communicating proactively means to think a step ahead. To anticipate and to act on it. A proactive communicator will go the extra mile, and very often it is not even out-of-the-way, but only a sensitive gesture. Emotional intelligence and proactive communication are in a way interdependent.

Examples of proactive communication?

“Team members provide information before being asked.
Provide support and assistance before being asked.
They take team initiative by providing guidance and making suggestions to other team members.
They provide updates, creating situational awareness for other team members. [source]“

Look for, a Leader

At the center of a great team, is a good leader. But who is a good leader? Someone who can guide, motivate and just ‘be there’ for the team. A good leader is like-able, and at the same time formidable – a weird combination? But its true. Like John C.Maxwell once very rightly said, “You know you are a good leader when your team does not hesitate to approach you, but never wants to let you down. If you are a leader, you should never forget that everyone needs encouragement. And everyone who receives it – young or old, successful or less-than-successful, unknown or famous – is changed by it.”

Most importantly, a leader recognizes the value of leadership skills in every member of the team. And that is what makes a great team.

Look for, Fun!

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, yes sir. A team that has fun together, stays together. When looking to create a dream team, never miss out on looking for fun. It is indeed one of the most important secret ingredients for an indivisible team. To have a team which knows how to have fun, and work hard makes the journey so much more enjoyable. You live your work – and that is a blessed feeling. To have a team which knows how to have fun, is one of the finest ways to be happy in the now!

Like everything else, building a team is a process which requires patience and skill. It does not happen over night, but when it does, it is indeed the stuff of dreams!

What is your notion of a “dream team”?

Aligning Personal and Professional Goals

by sincera | Oct 4, 2017 | Performance, World of Work

Aligning your personal goals, with your professional goals is a remarkable way of achieving more in everything you do. Introducing this into your mode of working brings about not only professional satisfaction, but also a genuine sense of productivity in your day-to-day life. You realize that you are doing not just what you are ‘supposed’ to do, but also what you ‘want’ to do.

At times our personal and professional goals may be compatible, however, at time they may be extremely diverse by themselves. Regardless, it is possible to achieve the balance, and here is how –

1.Having a clear idea of your organisational goals

The first thing to do, before you can achieve a parallel between the organisational and personal goals, is knowing with utmost clarity what the organisational goals are. To set your own goal framework, you need to have a sound knowledge of what the larger organisational objectives are. In order to do this, you can revisit the definition of your role and the expectations from the same. It is also important to pay due attention to this fundamental step because unless your professional goals are met, it will be difficult for you to balance your personal goals.

2. Knowing what you want from the organisation

Besides having a clear idea of the organisational goals, and what the organisation expects from you, it is equally important to have your set of expectations from the organisation. Having this parameter in place is a crucial way to check the growth you envisioned for yourself, versus the actual growth you experience. This gives you a reality check every time you need it. As is only fair, you must keep reminding yourself of your objectives and reasons when you joined this organisation. This reminder serves as a way to map your path for the present and the future.

3. Building Focus

Focus is the one thing that is in extremely short supply in the present times, thanks to the myriad distractions all around us. To be able to maximize our potential in whatever we choose to do, we need to sustain our focus on one thing at a time. Building focus comes only with practice. Mostly by building an awareness of when your focus drifts, and bringing it back to where it should be.

4. Prioritizing

Not all things that are there on your to-do lists demand the same amount of priority. Understanding your priorities and building a habit of delivering accordingly is a prerequisite towards achieving compatibility between your personal and professional goals. At times your personal goals may be the priority and it is important to recognize this and act upon it. A lack of prioritization leads to an imbalance which will affect both your personal and professional growth.

5. Being Decisive

While being able to align personal and professional goals is indeed an achievement, it does not come easy. To be able to achieve this, you may have to make some tough, but important decisions along the way. Recognizing the need for this and acting upon it is not easy, but essential. Goals are dynamic, they keep changing as you grow and with the varied work-life experiences you have. Recognizing the need for change, and acting on bringing it about by being decisive is a very important factor for growth.

Aligning your personal goals with professional goals provide you direction and you begin to understand what your work is worth, and how your performance affects the organisation. This gives you a benchmark to reach the optimal level of satisfaction when it comes to achieving your goals. One of the most important advantages of aligning these goals with each other, is making your expectations from yourself (and the organization’s expectations from you) visible.

Ever tried aligning your personal and professional goals? Tell us what worked and what didn’t, right here! Wish you happy productivity, and happy in the now!

Amplifying Reach of Your Posts – The Blogging Fundamentals

by sincera | Sep 26, 2017 | Blogging, Communication, Content Writing, Writing

If you can create good content and have mastered the blogging fundamentals, you have a skill that is highly prized (not to mention lucrative) in the market today. Whether as a job opportunity, or simply because one is passionate about writing, blogging is one of the most popular mediums of expression in the present times. We only need to look toward the various forms of social media we use on an everyday basis, to realize that a good 40% of what we see in our ‘feed’ is in the form of blogs.

What sets apart good content from not so good content? Originality, grammar, accuracy and engagement are some of the crucial factors for what qualifies as ‘good content’. To know more, read our post on “what qualifies as good content?”

One of the most commonly used platforms for blogging is WordPress which has a simple interface, and also guides you towards making your posts more readable, and optimizing it for the search engines. In this post, we introduce you to certain techniques of blogging fundamentals that will help you gain more engagement and traffic on your content – the lifeblood for your blogs.

Blogging Fundamentals – The Title of the Post

It is very important to put thought into what the title of the post should be, because your title should be a 5 second takeaway which convinces the reader to click on the link and proceed to read the post.

Ideally, your title should:

convey the essence of the post, i.e., give the reader an idea about what to expect from the post.
not be very lengthy – a title between 5 to 9 words is great.
contain the focus keyword: Say you are searching for something particular on the web, you would enter one word, or a phrase which will then link you to search results containing the word or the phrase. A focus keyword is nothing but the main topic or issue being spoken about in your post. For example: ‘personal branding.’ For your content to be visible and picked up by search engines, it is crucial for the keyword of your post to appear in the Title/ Headline, and at least 4-5 times throughout your post.

Blogging Fundamentals – The Post

(a) Making your post ‘readable’

How your post fares on the internet is largely defined by how the post scores in two categories – No.1- If it is readable, and No.2 – If it is Search Engine Optimized (SEO).

When we speak about readability in the context of web metrics, it does not just mean how effective the substance of the post is. It is also about how it is laid out for the reader in terms of how easy to read it is. Here are a few pointers to help make your post more readable –

Keeping your sentences short – Anything more than 20 words is a long sentence. Keeping your sentences short also helps the reader retain his focus on the piece, and makes your post more understandable on the whole.
Sub Headings – Wherever, and if possible, including sub headings lends to the readability of a post. While desirable, this isn’t a pre-requisite as you may or may not choose to write a post in a way that accommodates sub headings.
Paragraphs – Split your post into paragraphs to increase legibility. The size of one paragraph should ideally not be more than 150 words.
Use Focus Keywords – The more you use your focus keyword in the post, the more ‘visible’ on the web it becomes. Using it between 4-5 times throughout your post is a great number to ensure visibility.
Google picks up on these focus keywords and points the readers towards what they are looking for, when they search for a particular topic. For example, if your focus keyword is ‘Personal Branding’, using it in your post a couple of times makes your post visible enough for Google to pick it up. And then it directs a reader who may have searched for ‘Personal Branding’ on Google, towards your post.

Include Links – Including links to the research that you may have done for your post is a great way to help increase traction for the post you are putting out. This is also a great way to share more knowledge with the reader, and a good practice to help gain visibility for good content – even if you may not have created it. Remember, what goes around, comes around. 🙂

(b) Search Engine Optimization or SEO

Simply put, SEO, as its name suggests, is a way of ‘optimizing’ the reach of your post on the web to make it more ‘visible’.
Writing a ‘Meta Description’ for your post –A meta-description is nothing but an abstract of your post in not more than 156 characters. This meta-description is what appears under the title of your post when posted on social media sites. What you write in these 156 characters to describe your post, helps the reader decide whether or not he clicks on it and reads it.
Remember to include your focus keyword in the meta–description – This is a huge plus in increasing the visibility of your post.

Blogging Fundamentals – Image for the Post

The image you choose for your post is very important because in this case, it is especially true that ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’. If there were 3 things that added up to determine whether or not a viewer will click on your post, they would be the following –

The title of your post
The meta-description of your post
The picture along with your post

Choose an apt picture to go along with your post, and as the writer, you would be in the best position to relate a picture to your post, so it is worth spending a few minutes on.

Remember to give credits to whosoever the picture belongs to. Google penalizes the web pages which use pictures which are not open source (free for all), without attributing credits to the same.

Besides the techniques of blogging fundamentals elaborated above, which will help your content gain more visibility, to help you make your content more robust, there are certain common errors you should avoid. These are what we call ‘the 5 cardinal sins for a content writer – content writing mistakes’.

Not knowing your audience –
versus knowing your audience can do a world of difference to the quality of content you put out + enhance engagement.
Errors –
of any kind. Grammatical, punctuation, plagiarism, irresponsible articulation of your thoughts (i.e., misuse of your freedom to express) – all of these contribute to making your content a recipe for disaster.
Writing without a synopsis or summary –
stick to a summary of what you are writing and exactly how you are going to tackle it – point by point. Make a short synopsis before you get started and try not to deviate. This synopsis should be drawn up at the research phase itself.
Being verbose –
It may be tempting to use big words and fancy phrases, but what use if they are lost on your readers and scare them away? This connects to what we said earlier about knowing your audience. Have a thorough sense of “who” you are writing for, and write in a simple, effective language that will put your point across. Besides, what makes a piece of writing very attractive is how simply, yet effectively it has been articulated.
Not making enough use of your creative talents –
Sky is the limit when it comes to experimenting with your creativity through the content you create. Feeling like writing a food blog post on healthy summer eating? Google fruits and find out what citrus based recipes could trickle into a post on light-hearted salads and smoothies. Use analogies and make your piece truly shine, truly come alive. Try adding texture where none is possible – yes, even in that straitjacket report on the financial outcome of the latest IPO to have come to Wall Street. Make it resonate and let your words really talk.

Creating good content online is both an art and a technique. While the content you write may be absolutely great, without a basic knowledge of blogging fundamentals, you may be stumped as to why your ‘great content’ isn’t receiving any engagement. Investing time in learning about certain basic skills and techniques about web metrics, and incorporating them into your work is a certain way of gaining success in the world of content creation. Have you tried out these great tools for content writing? Give it a go! Wondering what a career in content writing would entail? Read our short guide to a content writing career, here.

Personal Branding – Why it Matters and How you Can Get There

by sincera | Sep 13, 2017 | Communication, Communication Skills, Managing Yourself, Personal Branding, World of Work

Today, personal branding matters more than it ever did not only because of the significant market value it carries with it, but also because of the opportunities it offers. Personal branding done right can open more doors for you than you ever imagined.

The business dictionary defines branding as: “The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumers’ mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme.”

And for a long time, that’s exactly what branding entailed. However, with the advent of social media, branding has become everybody’s business. Today, we’re all acting as our own ambassadors. Whether you are an entrepreneur, an artist, a social worker, a writer, or even a job seeker, paying attention to and working on your own personal brand can be rewarding in multiple ways.

In the age of social media, it matters to be visible. Whether it is you, or your homegrown business, without visibility it is impossible to gain traction. Personal branding is a method of making yourself visible. Of putting out there your unique, authentic self through the work you do. It is true that the stiff competition might act as a deterrent, but your mode of personal branding should be aligned with your personality and belief – and that is how competition will not really matter in the long run.

Personal branding is nothing but using the forms of social media (which you already use) with the specific purpose of promoting your interests and outlook. If you are doing it for your homegrown business/ initiative you would have a very clear purpose. Similarly, in case you are doing it only for yourself and not a specific initiative, it would be more of your views and ideologies about things you believe in. For example, if your personal branding is for a small organic pickle business, your marketing strategies and ‘posts’ would have to include how and why you believe that these small businesses are important. You could speak about how this generates employment for women from several villages who would otherwise be unemployed. Or how it brings back the focus to local, hand-made produce. It could even be simply about the difference in the taste of something packaged with love rather than in a factory.

How would your personal branding strategy differ if you were doing it just for yourself? And not for any entrepreneurial purposes? Not very different. Except in this case, your personal branding is for “you”. Which means, in this case things like your ideologies, your views, what you associate yourself with, who you associate yourself with – all of this becomes central to your personal branding. In which case, LinkedIn is a great platform for you.

How are we able to distinguish between most famous personalities we may be aware of, without ever having met them? Because of their personal branding. Because we are constantly reading about them. Today though, one doesn’t need a PR person to fix this for them. All you need is a platform, and a voice – both of which you have free access to. Like all opportunities, this is one that gives you a lot of power, and along with it a lot of responsibility. How you choose to use it is up to your discretion.

The 5 Golden Rules for Personal Branding

1. Remember it is not about the product, it is about you

Or rather, not just about the product. Above, we gave examples of two kinds of personal branding – one for specific initiatives and the second for yourself. However, even if it is the first kind of personal branding you are aiming for, remember what you are marketing should be seen as an extension of you. And that itself becomes the unique selling point (USP) for the service or product you are putting out. Your branding strategy should have a voice, which should be no one else’s but yours. It should speak about what you believe in, and what you don’t believe in. And how these ideologies connect with whatever you are trying to sell. Sounds like a challenge? Well, nothing comes easy!

2. Be responsible

Your constitution entitles you to a number of rights which includes freedom to speech. Being able to use your own, authentic voice which promotes the ideas and ideologies you harbor is a benefit of that right. Being responsible about what you speak and choose to put out is a ground rule for not just personal branding, but any form of social media interaction (and otherwise!). Remember that when you put out or say certain things on interactive platforms, people listen to it and engage with it in a conscious as well as subconscious manner. That is the power of personal branding and social media. In the recent times however, we know of way too many examples where these liberties have been abused. With power comes responsibility – it serves well to always remember this!

3. Social media is everything for you

Personal branding demands a judicious use of any and all resources that are available for free or minimum cost. The most powerful resource at your disposal is social media. Teach yourself as much as you can about all forms of social media, and mark the differences between each. How would your interaction/ voice vary on Facebook from LinkedIn? Understand the kind of audience that uses specific platforms, and mould your strategies accordingly. You can’t ever learn enough about the ever evolving forms of social media. Being in ‘sync’ and ‘updated’ (pun intended!) about how each form of social media works is a huge advantage for personal branding. Find out how stories make a difference to your brand on Instagram, how you can use Facebook live, and what’s new on Twitter. Learning and evolving with the market is a strategy that will always come in handy.

4. Network

Always a big bonus. Reach out and network with others who are doing personal branding. Take note of what works and doesn’t work with these brands. Learn from their mistakes and their success stories. Even short collaborations where there is a match of sensibilities is a fantastic way to go about personal branding. Networking allows you to step beyond narrow frameworks and visions and brings you a far greater reach and exposure. Being active on platforms such as LinkedIn, and creating valuable content is a great way to go about networking. Organizing, or being a part of meetups which discuss the concept and forms of personal branding is also a dependable way for meeting like minded people and making connections.

5. Invest

Wherever there is a need for growth, there needs to be investment. In the case of personal branding, even though you may have a very limited budget, make space for investments. Take up courses on specific marketing strategies that might add to your knowledge pool. Maybe one on understanding the forms and functions of social media better? Here is a great course on Coursera to help you get started with – “Introduction to Personal Branding”. If you have a small team, consider investing in sessions for them on how they can adopt and adapt to the vision for your brand better. Most importantly, invest “time”, into understanding how you envision your brand to grow, and what you see it standing for. Focusing on change helps you keep away the fear of being stagnant. And being stagnant in any business or career – big, or small, is toxic.

Creating and nurturing a personal brand for yourself can be truly empowering. Besides all the factors we have mentioned above, consistency is also a keyword for personal brand. Your efforts and your vision need to be consistent, which in turn reflects in your strategies. One way of making sure of this is always reminding yourself to keep in mind who your audience is.

All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.

Tom Peters, Fast Company

Have a personal brand and want to share the ups and downs of working on it? We are all ears!

« Older Entries

Next Entries »