Business Awareness

Question	Answer
Name the Chief Executive of UBS Ag Bank who resigned in the wake of an unauthorised trading scandal that surfaced in September 2011	Oswald Grubel
Who has launched "Brio" - a low price compact car in September 2011	Honda

Reverse Brain Drain

Saw this advertisement in today's Mint. This talks about a job fair in US for Indian jobs.. This is called changing times.

Are we really so busy to be aware about happenings of our environment

I was talking to my friend, who is AVP in one of the leading KPOs, and I just told him about google buying out Motorola's phone division. I was surprised that he didn't know about it. He told me that he is too busy to check on news....

I faced this problem with students of MBA students, who were so much ignorant about current happenings, but i realised that same goes with experienced professionals as well, who are so ignorant about various happenings in our environment. Hence i decided to update the news updates on my blogs...


Hope, my blog readers get the value addition through these news updates.

Regards,

Kyunki har ek friend zaroori hota hai

We have seen it, hymn it, we have exchanged different texts based on this advertisement. We all, OK.. almost all have identified with this ad.. and now there is some more details about how this campaign was created.

Today, Indian advertising is getting creative again, there are so many new advertisements being launched and all are very interesting. As of now, here is the link to a news article about two campaigns, Airtel, " har ek friend zaroori hota hai" and " Hum mein hain Hero" of Hero Moto Corp.

Click here to read the complete article about these two campaigns.

Life is here... NOW...

“For just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is. Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there’s nothing else. It’s here, and you’d better decide to enjoy it or you’re going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever.”

— David Foster Wallace

Dont stuck with Perseverance... Also Let Go...

A very nice article in today's Times of India, speaking tree section, written by Mr. P.V.Vaidyanathan. If you want, you can write him to his mail ID, vaidyanathan.pv@gmail.com

He talks about two major qualities of any human being "perseverance" and "letting go". A lot of times, because we are so attached to the subject, that its difficult for us to let go. We do not understand the importance of letting go. Also a lot of times, we do not understand the meaning of letting go. In this article, he has tried to make us realised that perseverance and letting go are not two different sides of the coin, but they both are required to succeed in life.

This article says that we need to follow perseverance for sure, but finally we don't need to stuck to that idea, if its not working. And this happens lots of time , life is a hit and trial. Unfortunately, GPS was not discovered before life... :) Hence we need to do our best, and after that just leave it to that higher one, universal power, who is there to steer our life. Though we can push the car of our life to our best, still once it starts, our driver ( that universal power) knows where it has to go.

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Perseverance and letting go are both positive qualities that we all possess. However, despite their being life-enhancing qualities, these are often complementary and even antagonistic to each other, and need to be employed in sequence, and at the right time, rather than in isolation for us to achieve success, peace and harmony.

‘Try, try till you succeed’ is something we’ve all been taught in school. Success is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration, we’re told, to highlight the importance of hard work. And work we must, for that is the very nature of life. Karma Yoga, as outlined in the Bhagavad Gita by Krishna speaks highly of work as a form of worship. Swami Vivekananda persuaded his followers to work ceaselessly till the goal is reached.

Success is determined by a combination of factors. Hard work is only one of them. Besides hard work, we also need talent, inspiration, creativity, luck and destiny. While most of us work hard, true success and joy come only to some, while most others have to remain content with whatever they get.

This brings us to the relationship between perseverance and letting go. Perseverance is the quality of sticking to one’s job and to one’s goals, come what may. Letting go, on the other hand, is exactly the opposite. It consists of putting one’s faith and trust in a higher power, whether we call it God or destiny, waiting patiently for results. While these two qualities may seem to be opposites they are, in fact, not so; they are complementary to each other.

Every venture, dream and project needs divine grace for its successful completion. Those who decline to believe in the power of the unknown are likely to continue struggling and will have to depend solely on their own efforts. They could meet with limited success, often hitting roadblocks which seem insurmountable or which drain away tremendous amounts of time, energy and money. The human mind and the ego are such that giving credit does not come easily. This is not only true where other people are concerned, but our mind and ego often do not even want to acknowledge the Power that runs the universe, day in and day out, without exception. Not wanting to give credit to God, destiny or fate, and wanting to corner all the praise is one reason why people find it difficult to let go and trust.

Hard work and perseverance are absolutely necessary, doubtless. But somewhere along the course, after having exhausted all human possibilities, one must learn to sit back, be detached from the outcome of our efforts, and hand over our endeavours to a higher power. How and when to do this is purely an intuitive or instinctive phenomenon. When we sincerely let go, not out of laziness, complacency and lethargy but after having done our very best, it is then that the process of life shifts to another plane, with the unseen hand coming into play. And the power or destiny works in myriad ways. A chance meeting, something overheard or read in the newspapers, the stirring of a memory, a different thought process, sudden release of funds that had dried up – something is likely to happen, which would put our work and project back on track.

When success becomes palpable, it is important to remember and acknowledge and give thanks to existence, without proudly proclaiming that everything was achieved only by our own perseverance.

source: timesofindia, dated, 19th May 2011
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/To-Persevere-And-Let-Go/articleshow/8419976.cms

Jumping Juhi is insecure from her own assistant

Have you forgotten Juhi..

How can you?

She is the one and only HR DON.. Yes, HR don, because she feels that its only her.. and her that all should look upon when need arises. Though she doesn't know much about HR, but she got promoted to this position only because of her tenure and contacts within the organisation. GOD SAVE THE ORGANISATION.. & GOD SAVE JAGAN...

Jagan - Juhi's assistant.. From some time, Juhi is feeling that Jagan is getting more prominence in the organisation. And why not, its only Jagan who empathize with employees, its him who provide employee friendly solutions. He doesn't keep things lingering. He closes all issues on time. And thats why, most of the employees feel more comfortable with him. Anyways, Jagan is only an assistant manager - HR, and Juhi is Head HR.. Still she is getting insecure. Now thats really absurd. Isn't it.

But believe me, this is reality of many organisations, where people feel insecure of their subordinates and create blockages so the subordinate doesn't grow within the organisation. Unfortunately, they forget that one can hide a rose, but can not hide fragrance of a rose.

Jumping Juhi is an imaginary character. All her similarities to people around us is coincidental. Jumping Juhi is a light hearted series to portray work related scenarios in a fiction mode. The intention is not to malign anyone's image or to make fun of anybody.

Log on to Facebook or Twitter... Next HR interventions would be online

Yes... its increasing. What else we would have expected. I believe every month, we get one or the other news report stating the future of recruitment in the industry. Trend of hiring through social networking is increasing.

Facebook and Twitter are going to become next naukri or monster ? Its too early to say, but not impossible.

But is the industry ready for it? I am not sure. How many corporates have their pages on Facebook? How many HR fraternity members are really active on Twitter? We should be ready for the next wave of hiring. We should understand, that it takes time to build one's credibility on social networking sites as well. You just can not create your account on day one , and expect hoards of people flocking to your account by next day. It works differently. And HR fraternity needs to understand this and be prepared for the change.

How many companies provide access to social networking sites like facebook and twitter? Very few. Because of company policies, we can not afford to miss the bus. We, HR people need to make our management understand the importance of social networking sites. Its simple marketing. If my target audience is online, then why i should not be. I as a HR person, is selling my company's brand.. and i should do it where my target market is.

Ok.. If you say that you are a HR professional who is not into recruitments, and hencec these online trends doesn't bother you. Think twice... Online employee engagement may not be a well heard term as of now, but pretty soon it would be. In today's time, we talk about work life balance. We know that if a person is not leading a happy personal life, he would not be able to contribute to professional life. We also talk about engaging not just employees but also families.

All these and other initiatives can be supported with facebook or twitter. For any HR intervention to be successful, there needs to be buy in of the employees. Fortunately facebook and twitter are tools, which already have buyin of employees.. We just need to go online, and start engaging these guys.. Share latest happenings of your company.. Share birthday wishes.. Celebrate family occassions online.. I am sure, it would not only make your employee feel proud when on his facebook wall, he has birthday wishes from his company. But it would also help company creating better brand. Its improving your EVP(employee value proposition). Its creating your employer brand.

Ok ... so here is a mean tip... for all those mean HR guys.. Its also easy to keep a tab on the happenings of employees' life outside office... (dont take it too seriously..if your employees get to know of your mean intentions... your initiatives would back fire).

You can also read the article published in Economic Times today which talks about the hiring trends through facebook and twitter.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/facebook-twitter-are-new-hiring-hotspots/articleshow/8382598.cms

Life Skills.. Whats It?

Skills means, ability to do something well; an expertise...

Life Skills means, ability to live well... That's what we need to learn in today's world. In today's competitive world, its not just the classroom teaching which would help us in achieving our dreams and goals. Its something extra, and that extra is provided by the life skills training.

Life skills, can be a very subjective topic. It can be pretty vague, with everyone defining it as per his or her own convenience. To avoid such ambiguity, we can refer to skills defined by UNICEF as life skills.

Relevance of life skills training is for all sections of society and for all age groups. Special emphasize is being given on life skills training of students, starting from school till the higher or professional education level.

Life Skills are also been seen as "Employability Skills". And the education sector as well as industry has realized the importance of life skills or employability skills for their employees.

I believe, in coming recent years, life skills or employability skills is one sector, which is of great importance to all of us, and thats why I am trying to contribute in this field.... lets explore life skills together... lets learn to live well...

Career mistakes to avoid

One wrong step at the workplace can put a brake on your ambitions. Here’s how to avert professional disasters. Whether you've snagged your first job or shifted to a new one recently, you need to follow work etiquette. For, a wrong word or a shoddy presentation may be akin to committing a career hara-kiri. Here are the habits and attitudes that are a strict no-no.

1 I don’t need to be punctual: Timing is essential. You're a professional now and a 'sorry, my brother spilt milk over my homework' excuse isn't going to work. Your assignment should be finished before the deadline, with enough time to spare, so that you can polish it. Unlike college, a 'C' grade-even once-does matter. If you disappoint your seniors, getting another chance is tough. If your office doesn't run on a 9-to-5 schedule, ensure that you have a fixed time for coming in and leaving, so you can be available during those hours.

2 I want everything, now: Instant gratification may be your buzzword, but it's not going to work at office. You cannot accumulate five years worth of experience in one year, nor can you get the hefty salaries your senior colleagues do. You will only get what your employers believe you're worth. "In the initial stages, don't mix career and money. Your priority should be the job profile based on your capabilities, which will help you hone your skills and grow. Once you're established, the money will come," says Nidhi Gaur, head, HR, Wiley India. Just putting in your best may not be enough. Your efforts will also have to be fruitful. "If you expect more compensation, the worth of the individual should increase along with the cost," says Sunil Goel, CEO, GlobalHunt, an HR firm.

3 This is all I’m going to do: If you stick rigidly to your job description, you may miss out on opportunities to be noticed. Take up tasks beyond the routine ones, especially those that can demonstrate your untapped talents. This also proves that you're willing to take initiative. If you are new, you may get saddled with jobs that others don't want or hours nobody else is willing to put in. If you grumble at being given extra work, it may put off your superiors.

4 I’m the only one who made it a success: No man is an island, especially not in crowded cubicles. In an office, you need to work as a team. If you do well, give credit where it's due, especially to your juniors. Even if you don't get along with someone, be polite. There's no place for anger or tantrums at the workplace. Remember, your electronic mails are being sent through your employer's server, so badmouthing someone on mail or chats in the office could lead to an embarrassing fiasco.

5 What’s a network? Even a genius could hit a roadblock. This is when your network of peers will come to your rescue as you can take their advice. It also helps you stay abreast of the latest issues in your field. Keep in touch with college mates, mingle during conferences and functions, and join a professional networking site.

6 I know everything there is to know: No job is secure forever. The business landscape is changing constantly and if you don't want to be a dinosaur, you'll have to upgrade your skills regularly. You need to stay on a par with colleagues and others vying for your job. Don't expect past accomplishments to suffice. Learn constantly, especially from your mistakes. If a senior corrects you, don't sulk or complain. You'll not only exasperate your boss, but end up repeating your mistake.

7 I’m irreplaceable, I deserve that promotion: If you believe you are the only one who can do the job right, back your conviction with accomplishments. Before you jump at the chance to be promoted, ask yourself: am I prepared for it? A promotion not only means more professional responsibilities, but also changes in personal life. Make sure you are ready to shoulder these. If you aren't, the step may backfire and destroy chances of future promotions. Don't promise to get something done without ensuring that it is achievable.

News Article in Times of India, on 11th April 2011 by Namrata Dadwal