Happiness Archives - Page 5 of 5

Being a boss your team wouldn’t want to let down – Leadership Matters

by sincera | Jan 5, 2017 | Career, Leadership, Management, Managing Yourself, Motivation

Now that’s a tough one, right? Not just how to be a “good” boss, but how to be a boss your team would never want to let down! Let’s state at the outset that very few bosses are able to find a place in that hall of fame. What makes it tough to be that kind of boss is maintaining very firmly, the delicate balance between being an amazing human being and a strict task master. The good news though is that it really isn’t all that tough to be that person. Thinking about it through these five key elements would probably set you off on a path to practice being that boss!

1. Lead

In one of our previous posts, we spoke about how to be a leader and not a boss. While all bosses can boss, only few bosses can lead. While a boss directs you, a leader empowers you and leads you by example. Your team sticks with you not just because they don’t have any other option, but because they like being in “your” team and they like learning with you. To be a leader to your team, is to exude a personality and a confidence which inspires and motivates your team to always go that extra mile.

2. Trust

Reposing trust in your team is a pre-requisite for your team to repose their trust in you. Trust is one of the most fundamental enablers. When you trust your team, there is an understanding that you have enough confidence in their ability to deliver. One of the most powerful methods of ensuring accountability, is in fact by investing trust in your team. This succeeds in acting as motivation for your team to take total ownership and meet your expectations.

3. Care

Why should being a boss, and in charge, pose as a conflict to your ability to be a good human being, who understands the larger dimensions of being in charge? When you are in charge of a team, you are not only in charge of ensuring the deliverables are met, but also in making sure that you help your team through the odds they may face in achieving those deliverables – which at times may even extend beyond the professional realm. At times, you may have to exercise discretion to figure how far you can really go. To care for your team is to make them feel valued, and secure – a quality that can change all that is wrong in the world of work.

4. Encourage

Not just for the sake of increasing productivity, or during appraisals – but make it a part of who you are as a person. Encouragement can be in many forms – it could be a few words, it could be a smile, it could be just an approving nod or a gesture. While it wouldn’t cost you anything, you never know how it may infuse someone with the energy he/she really needs.

5. Laugh

Be the boss who makes the work environment seem lighter. Wear a smile as often as you can, and laugh with your team as often as you can. Invest at least thirty minutes connecting with your team, sharing and laughing with them. The effect would be almost therapeutic – for you and for your team, resulting in a sense of cohesiveness which ultimately motivates your team to deliver the best.
To be a boss your team can’t let down, you’ve got to start by practicing all the qualities that you would like to see in a person you think you won’t ever be able to disappoint – and then, become that person! Let go of your need to invoke fear and hence get the work done (a tactic most commonly used by employers), and become someone who invokes the best in your team, simply by being all that you want to see in your team mates!

Five Life Skills that can Give Wings to your Career

by sincera | May 12, 2012 | Career, Life, Managing Yourself, Performance, Productivity, World of Work

“Life skills” are defined as psychosocial abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. They are loosely grouped into three broad categories of skills: cognitive skills for analyzing and using information, personal skills for developing personal ability and managing oneself, and inter-personal skills for communicating and interacting effectively with others. Mastering these life skills will not only make you successful at work and life, but more importantly will make you immeasurably happier too!

Here are the five Golden Life Skills that have made my work and life a fascinating journey:

Life Skill #1: Listening – It’s not just about your auditory senses. That of course is the first step. But what makes a difference is how much of it you absorb. When in your first job, everything is new, everything is exhilarating and everything is exhausting. The learning curve is superbly steep. Listen, Observe and Absorb- the golden rules to internalizing your work. Listen with your entire being, hang on to every word being uttered, and in no time you would have mind mapped your role. But do remember that this is an on-going process to grow!

“Every person in this life has something to teach me–and as soon as I accept that, I open myself to truly listening.”~Catherine Doucette

Life Skill #2: Initiative – Go that extra mile to try out things, even if it is something you thought you could never do. Chances are that you will be treading on ambiguity and unknown territories all the time, since it’s your first job. So it would only do truckloads of good to say Yes, more than you say No. Take the plunge! Having taken innumerable head dives myself, I can tell you that the results are immensely gratifying!

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step”~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Life Skill #3: Relationship Building– This is one of the key factors to convert your job into something that you look forward to, instead of viewing it just as work. Building personal connections with colleagues always adds that extra zing to your day and keeps the workspace stress free. And on days that are blue, these relationships help you sail through, keeping your productivity intact. They have the potential to last a life time too!

“Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.”~Emily Kimbrough

Life Skill #4: Resilience– Since we are learning perpetually and alternating between baby steps and giant leaps, we are bound to falter. But, this is the nature of the game. Take a moment, pick yourself up and get going. You’ll only get better. Be it our work or relationships, when we bounce back, it’s always with renewed vigour to prove ourselves and shine. Keep moving.

“The bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you refuse to take the turn.”~Unknown

Life Skill #5: Giving Back– It is said that the more you give, the more you get back. When you give your 100% and more to your work, what you are also doing is expanding your own horizons to grasp more and thus in return adding value to yourself and your organization. This is an iterative process. Since my first job luckily has been in the social sector, I can see the direct results of my work in the smiles of the children I work with. It is a heavenly feeling.

“You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.”~ Unknown

Today’s guest post is by Nilisha Mohapatra.

Five Mood-Killers that Stop you from being Happy in the Now

by sincera | Apr 28, 2012 | Life, Managing Yourself, Motivation

The happiness of most people is not ruined by great catastrophes or fatal errors, but by the repetition of slowly destructive little things. ~Ernest Dimnet~

More and more, I have come to realize that happiness is a choice; it lies inside us just waiting to be tapped and is not something that we will get if so-and-so happens.

So what stops up from being happy in the now? If Happiness really is a choice, what can we choose not to do so that we feel good inside all the time? I think it sums up to these five attitudes or mood-killers:

Mood-Killer #1: Comparisons (Measuring yourself by other’s standards) – Why oh why do I not have what he or she has?

Mood-Killer #2: Dissatisfaction (and not Appreciating what you have) – I wish I was a perfect…….

Mood-Killer #3: Dependence (Playing the victim) – If only he or she did or did not do this or that, I would be so much happier…

Mood-Killer #4: Boredom (Not getting a Life) – I have nothing to do, nowhere to go and the whole world is a drab, dry place…

Mood-Killer #5: Worry (the What-If game) – Oh no, the world is going to end in 2012, what if I cannot charge my cell-phone?

So, shed a few tears if you will, stop that thought process there, get into your groove and DO HAPPY!

Much has been said about this and here are a few of my favourite quotes that best describe what I have learnt:

If you are not happy here and now, you never will be ~Taisen Deshimaru

How simple it is to see that we can only be happy now, and there will never be a time when it is not now~Gerald Jampolsky

Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling ~Margaret Lee Runbeck

Happiness is an inside job ~William Arthur Ward

Five Strategies to be Happy in the Face of All Odds

by sincera | Mar 12, 2012 | Career, Life, Performance, Productivity

Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging ~ Joseph Campbell

Have you ever wondered how some people seem to sail through their lives with a smile on their lips and a song in their hearts come what may? Look around you and you will be sure to find inspiring people at work or at home who on the surface of it may have no plausible reason to be cheerful but still manage to be focused, positive and motivated (so much so that it can make you want to gnash your teeth sometimes 🙂 ). Do you think life has given you a raw deal and you cannot possibly be happy in the circumstances? Well think again, because it is all in the mind and you can actually train your mind to be happy – NO MATTER WHAT!

Research has shown that people who cultivate a positive mind-set and stay happy cope and perform better in the face of challenges in their personal and professional lives. Here are some tried and tested strategies that can lift up your mind and heart instantly even when it’s all gloom and doom around you :

Strategy #1: Keep Moving Forward – What is the worst that could happen? Confront the thought. Come to terms with the fear or anxiety that you are experiencing. Let it go and experience the power of release. Also dwelling on the “Why me” question is really pointless. Think and focus your energies instead on the “what” you need to do next to make the best out of the situation. Multiply tiny pieces of time with small steps of daily effort and watch yourself getting happier.

Strategy#2: Count your Blessings – Often, we spend so much time fretting over what has gone wrong that we forget to be grateful for our blessings and tend to take them for granted. No matter how hard the situation is, there is always a blessing or two in there somewhere, be aware and be grateful to trigger your happiness. And if you can’t think of a single good thing about the situation, remember what Helen Keller said: The struggle of life is one of our greatest blessings. It makes us patient, sensitive, and Godlike. It teaches us that although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.

Strategy#3: Share a Smile – Laughter is an instant pep-up and it becomes even more special when shared. It is hard to laugh and cry at the same time, eventually laughter takes over, sadness dissolves and cheerfulness takes its place. When you are feeling low, just reach out to people around you, and make someone happy to feel much happier yourself. Consciously avoid negativity and being in the company of people who add to your misery.

Strategy#4: Dig into your Memories – Sift through your life experiences to pull out the ones that brought you joy. Savour them again and share them with your dear ones to flood your thoughts with happy feelings. Here is one memory from the poetries of my childhood that never fails to bring a smile to my face:

“For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.”

~ William Wordsworth

Strategy#5: Celebrate the Little Victories – In the midst of pain and misery, it is important to celebrate the small victories of faith, love and effort to be happy in the now. It doesn’t take much for us to make a big deal of small upsets, why is it then so difficult for us to be happy in the little things that bring us joy ? Look for these victories every day in your life and enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes with each and every one. The more you celebrate – the more things you will find worth celebrating.

What tips and tricks have worked for you to stay happy even in difficult times? Where do you go for inspiration? It would be great to hear and learn from you and your experiences – we all need big doses of happiness in our lives.

Five Pointers on Working harder on Yourself than you do on Your Job or Business

by sincera | Dec 31, 2011 | Career, Life, Managing Yourself, Motivation, Performance, Productivity, World of Work

This year if there has been one quote or advice that has STUCK with me, PUSHED me and HELPED me in my career and life – it is this:

Work harder on yourself than you do on your job ~ Jim Rohn

This does not mean that you not give 100% to your work, it just means to focus 100% on yourself first – the value then that you bring to your job or business or family increases hundred–fold. The more you work on yourself, the better things get in every sphere of your life. I have tried and tested these results on me and many others in my extended teams this year meeting with great success. So how do you incorporate this philosophy of working harder on yourself in the daily rat-race?

Here are five pointers to help you achieve this:

Pointer #1: Self Examination – Sorry but as I said it all starts with the Self. This is not about looking in the mirror and asserting that everything is great. As someone wise said : The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement. Focus very specifically on what things you need to improve on – is it your self-confidence, your ability to plan and be organized, your writing or speaking skills? Identify the areas and drill down further to the HOW. We are lucky to have amazing resources available on the internet on any topic that you could think of and many support groups to egg you on to achievement. Try http://www.marcandangel.com/ – a personal favorite. Tap these sources well.

Pointer #2: Be a Life-Long Learner – Lifelong learners tend to love what they do, or they at least find some aspect of it to love. Learners love the challenge, if nothing else. It’s the learners who question the status quo, shake things about and are innovators. And of course getting rewarded at their jobs or business is an inevitable side benefit as learning keeps you current and relevant. There are two parts to learning – staying current and learning a new skill. Keep some time aside for reading, there is a plethora of blogs that you can subscribe to – my no.1 recommendation is Seth’s blog which certainly shakes you out of complacency. Another great resource is the HBR site – on any given day, you can definitely find an article that captures your interest or simply browse through the archives. Learning a new skill will help you expand your capabilities – enroll in an online course and make good use of your company’s training department.

Pointer #3: Be Yourself- Realize that You are in control. We all have our own standards of excellence. We also have different priorities and what motivates me to put in 100% won’t necessarily be the same for you. Whatever your own standard of excellence is in your work, whatever you feel passionately about – that’s what you should be true to. Don’t stop doing or keep doing stuff just because some of your colleagues’ standards of excellence are lower than yours or their priorities are different. Your measuring stick for your own achievement should be based on what you want to achieve, not how much or little other people are doing. What excites you most? Feed that passion and find ways to align it with your work responsibilities.

Pointer #4 : Avoid the Negative(And Reinforce the Positive) – What makes you feel tired and drained – it could be people, thoughts or activities. If you want to maintain a positive attitude, consider sharply limiting your daily exposure to such experiences. Don’t show up at the daily complaint sessions at work. If you’ve got family members who are constantly negative, tune them out. Your happiness lies within you – trite but true, practice happiness every day, make it your sacred ritual. No matter what you do for a living, the key to success is great performance, every single day. And that’s only possible if you make optimism, energy, and enthusiasm part of your daily experience.

Pointer #5: Help Others Succeed – I read a beautiful Zulu proverb recently that says it all: “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”- A human is only a human because of other humans. We’re all interconnected! Your Success is assured and becomes more meaningful when you help others succeed. Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows. The more you give of yourself in anything, the more you get in return – especially when you give with no expectation of return. Too often, we build islands of ourselves cutting ourselves off from people who we can learn from, grow with and share life’s experiences. Do what you can for other people, work hard at building relationships. It is a sure shot method to help you become a personal and professional success and live a fulfilling life.

The inspiration for this post came from my mom and a few of my favorite people at work and twitter (you know who you are) while talking about what’s worked and what has not in the past year. Let us strive to be not just good but a little better in the coming year. Do what you love and love what you do.

How do you incorporate this philosophy of working harder on yourself in the daily rat-race? Do share your experiences on what has worked for you in the last year, the one experience or learning that you are taking with you into the future.

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