A Little Something to Help you Through the Week

A Little Something to Help you Through the Week

by | Motivation, Productivity, World of Work

It’s only Tuesday today, and the weekend couldn’t seem farther. No long weekends until Christmas which is more than a month away. Oh gosh, was Diwali that long ago? Oh well, it is not as bad as we world of workers seem to make it, with a bit of inspiration. Feeling productive comes closest to feeling invincible, this is something we believe firmly at OBOlinx. To help you Through the Week, we’ve put together this 2 minute read which hopefully will leave you feeling inspired, motivated and ready to take on the world! A compilation of the best quotes on productivity, for you. Your dose of Tuesday inspiration!

Enough of “doing” is what leads to actualization of outcomes

You don’t actually do a project; you can only do action steps related to it. When enough of the right action steps have been taken, some situation will have been created that matches your initial picture of the outcome closely enough that you can call it “done.” – David Allen

Never wait. Get up and hustle.

Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work. Stephen King

There is a difference between being busy and being productive. The real question is, what are you busy with?

Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing. Thomas A. Edison

Whatever your passion is. Find it, and let it consume you.

In trying to find who you are, be less destructive and more constructive. Look at art or whatever your passion is and be productive. Nirrimi Joy Hakanson

Do what you love. Love what you do.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. Steve Jobs

Go that extra mile to plan. Go further to execute that plan.

Plans are nothing; planning is everything. Dwight D. Eisenhower

Because today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. So make your “now” count, and look forward to tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday. John Wayne

Over thinking is the death of productivity.

If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done. Bruce Lee

Oops. A bit audacious but true. Patience is the key and all great things take time.

 No matter how great the talent or efforts, some things just take time. You can’t produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant. Warren Buffett

Nothing is more precious than being happy in the now. The true elixir of productivity. The end.

I enjoy writing, I enjoy my house, my family and, more than anything I enjoy the feeling of seeing each day used to the full to actually produce something. The end.  Michael Palin

Enjoyed reading our post? Tell us about your favorite productivity quote!

What they Say about Personal Branding – 10 Best Quotes

What they Say about Personal Branding – 10 Best Quotes

by | Motivation, Personal Branding, World of Work

This week, we have introduced to you our series of posts on Personal Branding. If you haven’t already read our introductory post, which also serves as a crash course on personal branding, you can read it here – Personal Branding: Why it Matters and How you Can Get There. While our previous post was more on the fundamental and technical know hows of personal branding, today’s is to fetch you some inspiration. Wondering if other people felt the same things you may have felt at different points in time, regarding personal branding? Only one way to find out! Here are the 10 best Quotes on Personal Branding by some very successful personalities.

1. Because you represent brand ‘You’.

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 in Fast Company

2. Whether it’s a blind date, or a job interview, remember you live in the Age of Google.

Personal branding is about managing your name—even if you don’t own a business—in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records. Going on a date? Chances are that your “blind” date has Googled your name. Going to a job interview? Ditto.– Tim Ferriss

3. One of the golden rules for personal branding is getting to know your audience.

Focus on identifying your target audience, communicating an authentic message that they want and need and project yourself as an “expert” within your niche.– Kim Garst

4. The basics of starting well, when it comes to personal branding.

Start by knowing what you want and who you are, build credibility around it and deliver it online in a compelling way. – Krista Neher

5. The greatest promise you can ever make to yourself is to work hard, and work true – for the brand called ‘You’.

Your brand is a gateway to your true work. You know you are here to do something—to create something or help others in some way. The question is, how can you set up your life and work so that you can do it? The answer lies in your brand. When you create a compelling brand you attract people who want the promise of your brand – which you deliver.– Dave Buck

6. …And the greatest promise to your clients is your Brand!

Your personal brand is a promise to your clients… a promise of quality, consistency, competency, and reliability.– Jason Hartman

7. All good things take time. Including establishing solid foundations for your personal brand.

Building a profitable personal brand online is not a sprint, and something that happens over night. Don’t aim for perfection early on. Instead allow your brand to evolve naturally over time and focus on providing massive value and over deliver to your target audience. Then you will get more clear over your message and brand as well. Always remember that!– Navid Moazzez

8. Regardless of what background you come from, and where you aim on going, your personal branding matters!

Even individuals need to develop a brand for themselves …. Whatever your area of expertise, you can take steps to make people think of YOU when they think of your field.– Accelepoint Webzine

9. Maintaining transparency about your brand is what contributes to the reputation of your brand.

It’s important to build a personal brand because it’s the only thing you’re going to have.Your reputation online, and in the new business world is pretty much the game, so you’ve got to be a good person. You can’t hide anything, and more importantly, you’ve got to be out there at some level.– Gary Vaynerchuk

10. And our favorite from the literary genius. This one goes out to every body out there regardless of whether or not you are interested in personal branding!

Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken. – Oscar Wilde

Have some favorite personal branding quotes? Bring them up here!

The World of Work and the Game of Thrones Season Finale – A Takeaway

The World of Work and the Game of Thrones Season Finale – A Takeaway

by | Career, Management, Motivation, World of Work

Season 7 of the series that broke the internet, Game of Thrones concluded recently. But here we are, thirsting for more and contemplating about what’s really going to happen. Who is finally going to lay claim to the Iron Throne and rule the seven kingdoms? Cersei? Jon Snow? Daenyrys? Or in a surprise twist, Tyrion? The White Walkers just might consume them all – this possibility cannot be ruled out either. Well, to find out about that we’ll really have to keep at making fan fiction while waiting for the final season of Game of Thrones to air next year. We love drawing parallels between stuff that causes a storm in popular media and the world of work. This post is one of those.

The Game of Thrones Season 7 finale had five specific instances we felt were very similar to situations in the world of work, and here they are.

When Jon Snow Said “…the same thing is coming for all of us.”, while appealing for a truce

What Jon Snow has been lobbying for, ever since he saw the wight walkers is for all the kingdoms to come together and fight the real enemy. Throughout this season, he has been seeing going against popular reasoning of his countrymen and making tough decisions – something that a leader would have to do from time to time. It brings to mind the role of a true leader in the world of work. One of the most important responsibilities of a leader is to bring together his entire team to unite them for a common cause – and at times, the team might very well consist of warring factions!

“…the more immediate problem is that we are f***ed” – Tyrion

Priorities, priorities, priorities. This one thing that Tyrion says, spells out the importance of priorities. True that at any given point of time there will be a hundred things to take care of. However, not knowing how to prioritize those tasks might just push you into a downward spiral. Or in the case of GOT, the Wight Walker’s swords.

Addressing what needs to be addressed immediately, and proceeding according to priorities is what makes things at work infinitely smoother.

“Together they would be difficult to defeat.” , Little Finger referring to Daenyrys and Jon Snow

Formidable partnerships bring forth magic. The fans are waiting with bated breath to know how the partnership of Daenyrys and Jon Snow is going to turn things around. Leaving the fact aside that the partnership is an incestuous one (in their defense, they don’t know yet! or do they?), it cannot be denied that it is a formidable one!

It is no different in the world of work. A good team or a good partnership can truly create magic and set a strong example. Because, together, they would be difficult to defeat.

“You don’t have to choose, you are a Greyjoy and you are a Stark.”, Jon Snow to Theon

‘You are who you are.’ Jon Snow couldn’t have resolved Theon’s existential angst in a better way. At times we are conflicted with ourselves, for whatever reason, but it also affects our productivity in the world of work. Embracing whoever we are, flaws and all, is what helps us get closer to being a true person. None of us are perfect, and no matter how hard we try, we cannot be perfect. Because we aren’t meant to be. Bringing who we are, bring our own selves to whatever we do helps us be a little better than who we were yesterday. Which is better than being perfect!

“I’m a slow learner. It’s true. But I learn.” Sansa, before Little Finger’s execution

Better late than never. Up until now, fans had been wondering how on earth could Sansa have been so stupid? But she has proven all of us wrong. There’s a lesson for all of us inhabitants of the world of work in there – to never underestimate anyone, no matter how stupid they may seem. What Sansa said is also personal motivation for all os us. We all may have our individual paces of learning, but what’s more important is to never give up. To learn slowly, but surely!

We hope you enjoyed reading our special feature on the Game of Thrones Season 7 finale as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Have you read what we previously wrote on what five things characters from the Game of Thrones series teach us about the world of work? Do spare it a read!

Tell us what you though of it in your comments below, and if you have some takeaways of your own! We always love engaging with our readers!

5 Skills For Managers that Will Always be Relevant

5 Skills For Managers that Will Always be Relevant

by | Leadership, Management

The learning never ends. No matter what level you are at in your profession, there will always be a skill that will help you do what you do better. To be able to continually better oneself, by working on your skill set and garnering skills is the secret to feeling truly accomplished and satisfied. Even when you are higher up in the hierarchy and are completely confident about your abilities , there are certain essential skills for managers that will always be indispensable for you. Have a look at what these forever relevant skills for managers are!

Skills for Managers – Communication

 The art of communication is the language of leadership. James Humes.

This quote summarizes in just a short sentence how important communication as a skill truly is, for effective management and leadership. More than just a skill, communication is an art that one can never learn enough about. As a manager, your success is not to be gauged by your individual progress. It is determined by the success of your team as a whole, with you at the helm. Your communication with your team, and how well you are able to get through to them, is one of the prime factors responsible for determining the success of the team. As a manager, your communication skills should set the example for the rest of the team to learn from!

Skills for Managers – Motivation

The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things. Ronald Reagan.

Being a manager and a leader has got everything to do with being able to motivate your team. Possessing motivational skills enables you to be able to maximize the potential of your team by make them believe they can. Even the under-performers can surprise you with great results, just with a bit of motivation. A good manager always believes in the true potential of his/her team. If the team isn’t performing well, the manager understands that the team as a whole, or individual players might need that extra push, namely Motivation.

Skills for Managers – Delegation

If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate. John C. Maxwell.

Delegation is one of the most important skills necessary for a successful manager and employer. Learning to delegate well is a skill, which if done wisely not only saves you time, but comes in handy in helping you build a very strong team. Delegation as a skill is not just a technique to free some of your time, it is much more than that. It is about learning how not to micromanage, and trust your people that they will deliver the tasks entrusted to them. Learning how to delegate effectively and efficiently is a continuous process and much about this skill is learnt via trial and error, and on the go. Two things though that form the cornerstone of this skill is attaching the elements of specificity and measurability to the tasks you delegate.

Skills for Managers – Diplomacy and Tact

Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip. Winston Churchill.

As a manager and a team leader, you will be faced with delicate situations almost on a daily basis. As you would already have learnt from your experiences, many of them will have the potential of eliciting your worst.  How do you put across your point and ensure you are heard, even in the most frustrating situations? Literally, when all you want to do is ask the other person to go to hell, but you cannot. And if you do, it can’t be good for you in any way.

This is where the skill of being diplomatic and tactful comes handy. This skill is not one that can be acquired easily, and takes years of practice and most of all, patience. But once you start putting it into practice you realize how indispensable it truly is. There will be difficult situations where you might feel like you are caught between the devil and the deep sea. And that is where the skills of diplomacy and tact act as your savior.

Skills for Managers – Balance

More than half of people who leave their jobs do so because of their relationship with their boss. Smart companies make certain their managers know how to balance being professional with being human. These are the bosses who celebrate an employee’s success, empathize with those going through hard times, and challenge people even when it hurts. Travis Bradberry.

Being able to maintain balance is a skill that takes years of focus and mindfulness. Reactions are the easiest way to emote. Balance and calm are the toughest to put into practice. Balance between what? Between being a manager and a human being. Very often, we seem to be caught up in the misconception that being kind and being professional can never go hand in hand. This quote by Travis Bradberry sums up beautifully how and why that is not a fact. Exceptional managers can be distinguished from ordinary managers on the basis of how they put into practice this skill. Because that’s when you stop becoming just a manager, and are also a leader.

Happy life-long learning, today and forever!

Bringing in the Mindfulness – Top 5 Quotes

Bringing in the Mindfulness – Top 5 Quotes

by | Managing Yourself, Motivation, Productivity, World of Work

A while ago, we wrote about Practicing the Miracle of Mindfulness at Work. In it, we spoke about how to incorporate the practice of mindfulness into your every day routine of work. While mindfulness, in its essence really means to “be”, different people have different ways of saying it. There is nothing more inspiring than reading how other people have experienced mindfulnes, and what they understand the concept of mindfulness as. Here is a selection of the five best ones!

  1. Like we said, the shortest definition of mindfulness is really to just “be”.

“In today’s rush, we all think too much — seek too much — want too much — and forget about the joy of just being.” Eckhart Tolle

2. To be present is probably the key to achieving mindfulness, and therefore, could be the hardest thing to achieve. To be present means to be nowhere else, to do nothing else but what the present moment asks of you. Being present means to give your entire being to accomplishing the current task at hand with all your attention, love and care.

“Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t).” ~James Baraz

3. Turn away from focusing on what you ‘don’t’ have. Make a list of things you are grateful for, and you’ll realize that the list is ever expansive.

“There’s only one reason why you’re not experiencing bliss at this present moment, and it’s because you’re thinking or focusing on what you don’t have…. But, right now you have everything you need to be in bliss.” ~Anthony de Mello

4. Mindfulness is the coming together of the conscious and the subconscious, in a way more powerful than you ever imagined. Being mindful is a means and an end at the same time. To practice being mindful means to channelize the highest levels of energy within yourself towards a purpose you have chosen for yourself.

The practice of mindfulness begins in the small, remote cave of your unconscious mind and blossoms with the sunlight of your conscious life, reaching far beyond the people and places you can see.” ~Earon Davis

5. Yes, he couldn’t be more accurate. Your entire life revolves around how you savor or rush through your cup of tea. It is only when we are able to truly appreciate what we are gifted with, that we begin to invoke more blessings. “Live the actual moment”. Is mindfulness your cup of tea?

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future; live the actual moment. Only this moment is life.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh”

The practice of mindfulness has the potential to rejuvenate and restore us as individuals. Gratitude and being aware of everything, and everyone, is the key to being mindful. Or like we say, to be mindful is to be happy in the now!