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6 Free Courses that will Add Value to your CV

6 Free Courses that will Add Value to your CV

by | Apr 26, 2017 | Career, Communication Skills, Resume, Skills

2017 has just begun, and you still have a lot of time to accomplish everything and more you imagine ticking off that checklist. We are taking for granted that one of them is learning new skills, and doing what you do better. To help you pursue this goal here is a list of free courses that would probably help you, regardless of what your job is. Well, if not all of them, one of them for sure. And even completing one of these courses would not only help you become a better version of you, it will add actual value to your CV.

1. Introduction to Graphic Design, Udemy

This introductory course on graphic designing speaks about elementary things such as what sets apart appealing visual material from not so appealing visual material. And thus, what are some basic principles and elements of design that will help you be more knowledgeable about how design works.

2. Adobe Photoshop CS6 Essential Tools, ALISON

Photoshopping seems to have become an almost “must have” skill, especially if you are in the media/ management sector. Even if your profile may not require you to engage extensively with how photoshopping works, this is a great starter kit for you to pick up the basics for editing and enhancing photographs. Have a look at the free course here.

3. Diploma in Social Media Marketing, ALISON

How do you enhance customer interaction through your social media pages? Why aren’t you get enough hits, likes and shares when you’re doing everything and more? This basic course will help you decode the fundamentals on how “traffic” in social media works. Having this on your CV will make you a favored candidate for more opportunities than you can imagine.
The course has a total of lessons, and each lesson is for hours. Have a look at more details on the free course here.

4. Introduction to Public Speaking, edX

Whoever said public speaking is only for politicians and leaders? In the World of Work, acquiring the art of public speaking is just as important a skill. Be it a farewell speech, an award acceptance speech or speaking at a board meeting or an international conference. In all these areas, your public speaking skills will be put to test. If that scares you to death, well you are not alone. Fear of public speaking is a widespread phenomenon – the average person ranks it even above fear of death. There is even a word for it – Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking or of speaking in general. [Read more – here].

This course is your quick fix (just 10 weeks!) to overcoming glossophobia! Designed by the University of Washington the course grooms you into becoming the public speaker you wish you were!

5. Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills, Coursera

The name of the course in itself is a skill you need to have to survive the highly competitive world of work. Well, this courses teaches you not just how to survive, but also how to thrive! With expertise from University of Michigan and the easy interface of Coursera, in 6 lessons you will have learnt the essentials of effective negotiation!

6. Secret Sauce of Great Writing, Udemy

Hang on before you jump to conclusions. This isn’t a creative writing course, far from it. This immensely popular course teaches you how to write business emails, cover letters, press notes, and also how to write effective business blogs. By the end of it, you’ll know all that there is to know about how to draft a perfect professional email, what mistakes you should be careful about, cover letter basics – and so much more!

Excited to get started? That’s great! But do remember to take on these courses when you can devote the required time. It may seem like very little effort, and compared to university it surely is. However, you still need to be in a space where you can dedicate the required discipline and attention to the course. That’s the only way you’ll finish it feeling like you’ve actually accomplished something. And that sure is a great feeling!

How to Survive the Devious Divide and Rule Management Strategy

How to Survive the Devious Divide and Rule Management Strategy

by | Apr 20, 2017 | Leadership, Management, Managing Yourself, Office Etiquette, World of Work

In our previous post, we spoke about what the  divide and rule management strategy is, how it works and why it is anything but cool, or acceptable. But what do you do when you are at the receiving end of this strategy? It can be extremely stressful and limiting to work in an environment where you are being subjected to demeaning strategies of management such as this. But, know that this is not uncommon at all in the world of work.

Divide and Conquer – As long as some people have commanded the work of others, this has been management’s basic principle.
Peter Rachleff

In this post, we discuss the various survival techniques, or a list of options that you may think of using, depending on how dire the situation is, in order to overcome or survive a manager who chooses to divide and conquer.

1. Try not leaving any scope for complaints

Even though it doesn’t always work like that, the only way your boss or manager will try to play this card with you is when probably there are some concerns relating to the deliverables. At times though, you might be at the receiving end of this (the divide and rule management strategy) behavior when your boss has something personal against you – which needless to say is extremely unprofessional. Try and do your best in meeting your targets and goals, and leave little or no scope for complaints. It might be a little hard (even for the worst bosses) to nitpick when you are a good performer.

2. Learn the art of diplomacy

You don’t have to be extremely chummy with your colleagues; even then, with a bit of diplomacy and tact you should be able to find out if they are being subject to the same kind of treatment. If they are, well, your doubts will be confirmed and probably you will know what kind of action the situation warrants.

3. Patience and acceptance

At times, even all the knowledge and facts in the world won’t help a situation like this. In which case, you have to accept it for what it is. In the meanwhile, be patient and do your work the best you can, hoping for the situation to get better. Confrontation in cases like this can backfire harshly, which can’t be too good for you, especially if it’s a job you really love.

4. Seek out/ get in touch with a mentor

This can truly be therapy for you. If you don’t already have a mentor, seek one out. Speaking to your mentor about this can give you some clarity about how to tackle the situation. In all probability, they’ve been there, dealt with that. Who can be a mentor? Anyone you trust, and feel might have some guidance that will help you. Could be a senior at work (be careful though), or a friend, or a relative whose professional guidance you are likely to value.

5. You always have the option to quit, take a call

As a last resort, and if it really gets that far, understand that this isn’t the last job for you in the world. Don’t jump the gun just yet. But start looking out for, and applying to other jobs. If you wake up dreading going to office everyday, maybe it is time for a pleasant change. Accepting this might be a bit unsettling, so take your time to think it through. However, do be sure of your skills and the fact that with a bit of effort you can find a job which would be way more satisfying than your current one.

Working in an environment of divide and rule management can evoke the worst from you. And that is not what you want your manager to succeed in doing – he/she probably wants to push you to that extent so that they finally have an official reason to fire you. The moment you feel matters are heading that way, take a call and make a graceful exit while you have the option of doing so.

One of your other options could be to take this up with the HR, but you would need very substantial and tangible proof to support your claim. In the case of divide and rule strategies, it can be especially hard to garner that proof, so be extremely sure of what you’re saying if and when you do decide to take it to the HR.

Survived the divide and rule management strategy? Tell us how!

Divide and Conquer in the World of Work – What How and Why

Divide and Conquer in the World of Work – What How and Why

by | Apr 18, 2017 | Management, Performance, World of Work

So what is the Divide and Conquer style of management ?

It makes for an interesting case, to delve a little deeper into the history or origins of this strategy – Divide and Conquer (derived from Latin: divide et impera). Niccolo Machiavelli, the 16th Century Italian diplomat and political theorist could be said to be the discoverer of this devious technique – which has been used to rule nations, let alone organizations. He wrote about this technique, in his political treatise, “The Prince”, which was a discourse addressed to rulers. In it, he breaks down power into its simple, implementable units, and guides rulers with advice about how to be powerful and rule successfully, or rather, formidably. Not very long ago, the colonizers of India used the very same tactic, of ‘divide and rule’ to conquer and suppress. While civilizations have evolved, and we call ourselves citizens of a globalized world, we still haven’t left behind these draconian practices. They seem to be all-pervasive – the world of work being a fine example to cite for the same.

How does the ‘Divide and Conquer’ style of management work?

It is a strategy of gaining and maintaining power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy. Simply put, it works when the manager creates “intentional disharmony”. However, the most basic thing that managers usually do to put this method into practice is pressure individual employees by creating a sense of fear that their team is unhappy with them.

In this case, insecurity rules, the leader/manager’s own insecurity makes him/her intentionally create disharmony, goes about collecting information (the water-coolers sessions equivalent) from team about team-mates, discusses and is dismissive about subordinates in front of their peers and actually pits one against the other. When this happens, the subordinates would obviously not come together as a team and be a threat to his/her security. [Read more about the Five Management or Leadership Styles that should be Banned from the Work Place – Here]

One way that it works is when the manager collects information, and uses it to pit the other team members against each other. While that in turn might be completely false, and quite possibly the manager might have said the exact same thing to several other team members, if it is a favored approach for him/her. In this process – threats – veiled and unveiled are by no means uncommon. These threats will, as the bottom line communicate this (or something to the effect of this) to the employee – “I have been hearing that you have been under performing. If this is something that is out of your league, maybe it’s time to take a call about it.”

Here, the manager hopes to have succeeded in his ultimate goal of getting the work done “his” (/ her) way in either of these two ways –
• The employee is jolted, and shocked and starts overcompensating. Hence making the manager feel like his approach was successful.
• The employee feels like the pressure is too much for him/ her to take and resigns. Thus enabling the manager to sign someone new up for the job – who he feels is more eligible. Thus, re-affirming his belief that his approach was successful.

But is the ‘divide and conquer’ method really successful/ ethical or even required?

Out of all the methods and tactics a manager could use to amplify the productivity of a team, this for sure shouldn’t be amongst them. Have a look at the reasons why –

1. United we stand, divided we fall –

so goes the age old saying, and there is indeed a sea of wisdom behind this proverbial saying. There is no merit in splitting up a team from within. If anything, it hampers the productivity of the team with the unnecessary chaos and disharmony created intentionally. Instead of learning from, and with, one another, the team drifts apart and there is a lack of communication, and coordination.

2. What is there to gain anyway?

What can one expect to gain in terms of results and productivity with this method of management? Yes that is a metaphorical question with the answer being – absolutely nothing. This form of management is an example of failed management. And probably one of the best examples when your manager is a boss, and not a leader. A manager would take to this form of management when he/ she is insecure, and is inefficient and incapable of taking ownership, or responsibility for his work, and his team’s work.

Ever been at the receiving end of this divide and conquer style of management? Tell us how you figured what was happening. It helps to learn through experiences!

5 Common Mistakes to avoid if you are a First Time Manager

5 Common Mistakes to avoid if you are a First Time Manager

by | Mar 28, 2017 | Career, Leadership, Management

Along with all the excitement and progress the role of a manager offers, it comes with its own share of hurdles – much like anything new one might take on. An obvious part of any new journey entails learning through mistakes we make. Another part of the journey is to learn from the experiences of others who have walked the path that you are now on. If you are a first time manager, here are some mistakes you should definitely be wary of.

First Time Manager Mistake #1: Not establishing communication structures

The first thing that you must sort in your capacity as a manager is defining and maintaining the communication structure you expect to have with your team. Lay down the guidelines for the structure of the overall reporting and communication system. This will help you with a number of key issues such as accountability, time management and delegation.

First Time Manager Mistake #2: Not breaking the ice

Not making an effort to get to know your team is probably one of the worst mistakes managers could make. Building a rapport with your team makes a world of sense since a lot about how team progresses is now your responsibility. The first chance you get after stepping into the shoes of your new role, organize an informal team meeting where you all get a chance to know each other. During this meeting, emphasize on your expectations from the team and how you plan on helping them work towards them. Make it a dialogue and ask your team about what they expect from you, make a note of them for sure!

First Time Manager Mistake #3: Holding back/ delaying feedback

Let your team know what’s working, and what’s not! One of the common mistakes most first time managers make is delaying feedback. Feedback is probably the singular most essential thing to help your team grow. Along with assigning tasks, and following up on them, offering feedback once the task has been completed forms an integral part of the entire goal setting – achieving process. When your team has done a good job, applaud them. When there is something they could do better, let them know in a suitable way.

First Time Manager Mistake #4: Improper Time Management

Now that you are a manager, you are responsible for your entire team besides being responsible for your own work progress. In order to maximize your potential (and hence, in a way your team’s potential) you need to put in some extra planning into figuring out how you are going to be managing your time. Putting things down on paper is great way to visualize what your goals are, by when you plan on achieving them, and the going on to create a road map for the same.

First Time Manager Mistake#5: Being the boss instead of a leader

Just because you are the manager doesn’t necessarily mean you have to create a sense of fear for your team to do their work. Neither do you have to be excessively chummy. Keep reminding yourself that your real role as a manager is to lead your team and help them achieve their goals, and not to be the quintessential tyrannical boss. If you have to be a boss, be one who inspires, motivates and leads by example.
Been there, done that? Tell us about some common errors you’ve made in your journey as a first time manager.

7 Tips for First Time Managers

7 Tips for First Time Managers

by | Mar 22, 2017 | Career, Communication, Management, Motivation

This is a shout out to all you first time managers out there! You are bound to be attacked by butterflies in your tummy, and the symptoms of having cold feet whenever you set out to do something you’ve never done before. While these voyages might appear terrifying, they are a sure sign of the fact that you are growing – in your experiences, and hence as an individual. Applying this general strand of thought to the topic at hand today, this post is dedicated to all you folks out there in the world of work, ready to take on the brand new role of being a manager – for the first time ever.
Before you begin reading this though, we’d like to emphasize that this in no way is a “tutorial”. A change in perspective before you begin to read this will help you understand your new role better. Know that you have risen up in the corporate ladder to be a manager solely because you have it in you to lead, manage and have teams deliver. That said, there are things one knows about, and there are always things one can do better. This post is simply an effort to bolster the latter. Happy reading!

1. Wrap your head around your role and responsibilities

The only way you’ll be able to lead and manage a team well is if you know your own role and responsibilities well enough. Work on yourself before you begin to work on / with your team. Do you own research to have a very thorough sense of the goals you are going to be working on. Ask yourself how you imagine yourself achieving them. Then ask yourself if that process can be applied to the rest of your team as well. While your approach will, of course, depend on the specific situation you might be dealing with at the given moment, having a general sense of direction is a great way to begin this new role.

2. Be Decisive

Making decisions, when you are aware that they no longer affect only yourself, can be tough in the stead of your new role. That however, shouldn’t stop you from making them altogether. Well, you definitely cannot “stop”, making decisions, but as a result of being indecisive you may end up delaying those decisions which will hamper the progress of your entire team. This will not only put the objectives and goals at stake, it will also be a reflection on you as a leader, and manager. The fact is, one can’t ever be sure enough about the consequences of any decision – which is what lies at the root of indecisiveness. All you can do is, weigh the pros and cons to the best of your knowledge and ability, and go ahead and implement the decision you make.

3. Delegate

One of the vices most managers contract is fear of delegation, stemming from the fear that things may not be done as “perfectly” as you imagine yourself doing them. Apart from being immensely time-consuming, this fear is going to unsettle the team dynamics. Understand that you are no longer an employee, working more or less in isolation responsible for delegating that tasks assigned to you. Your role has now expanded to that of a manager, which entails you assigning goals and tasks to the team as a whole, and helping them achieve these goals.
If you do feel like you can relate to being a manager who find it hard to delegate, odds are you also find it hard to not micromanage, once you do succeed in delegating. That too, can be detrimental to the progress (and spirit) of your team. Give your team the credit they deserve, and once you have delegated the task, give them the independence (and assistance) they need to be able to accomplish it.

4. Invest time “in” your team

Time management would probably figure as the prime skill for managers. And while you’re teaching yourself how to manage time, ensure that you figure out time slots for one to one interaction with your team members on a fortnightly/ monthly basis. Even if it is a fifteen / twenty-minute long interaction, it is enough for you to take stalk about progress and challenges with regard to individual team members. This helps not only you in solving problems more efficiently, it also makes your employees feel valued, and importantly, anchored. Being a manager and being a mentor should ideally go hand in hand.

Apart from individual meetings, hosting team lunches, dinners once every two or three months just to build team cohesiveness is not a bad idea either.

5. Work on your interpersonal and communication skills

How you communicate, and put your thoughts across as a manager is pivotal to how much work you are able to motivate your team to do. “Interpersonal skills and communication skills lie at the center of human-based managerial considerations. Good managers understand not only what they are trying to say but also the broader context and implications of saying it. Empathy, self-reflection, situational awareness, and charisma all play integral roles in communicating effectively and positively.”
[Source: Boundless. “Interpersonal Skills of Successful Managers.” ]

While you will most certainly have to make unpopular choices as well, you don’t necessarily have to end up being disliked by team for having implemented these tough choices. What is tougher than making those choices is communicating them ‘effectively’, and ‘positively’, as the excerpt above puts it.

6. Find yourself a mentor

Irrespective of what stage you are in your career, you will always need a mentor. More so when you find yourself stepping into the shoes of a role that needs you to do a lot of mentoring. Odds are, you already do have a mentor, if you don’t, now is the perfect time to find yourself one. When we say “find yourself one”, we do not mean it in the casual language that it implies.

A mentor needn’t necessarily be very hard to find. Think of all the people whose advice and support has helped you grow in your career. It could be one of them, or a few of them you look towards as your mentors. It need not be a very formal process, but resuming communication with them (if you’ve fallen out of touch), and keeping at it, so that you may reach out to them when you need help with tricky situations. You know that in all probability they’ve been there before you, and would know intuitively the dynamics of most situations you might find yourself in.

7. Lead by example

Be a leader, not a boss. Being a boss and being a leader could mean two wholly different things. The plan is, to show your team that you are very much a part of the team and at the helm of affairs. The best way to manage your people and motivate them to be their best is by being more of a leader and less of a boss. No to imposing yourself, stating through overt and covert ways, “who the boss is”, yes to communication, negotiation, trust and motivation. If you’ve ever been bossed by your boss, you know exactly what not to do. But, even the best of us need to be reminded at times.
The best way to get the best out of your team is to lead by example. Inspire your team by being everything you expect from them!

Don’t be too hard on yourself and try not to self-impose any pressure. Like everything else, this too is a learning process and you will learn as you grow in your new role. Don’t forget to remind yourself you’ve been chosen for this role because you CAN do it!
Have tips for the first time managers who might be reading this? Let us know!