Surya...Thirst For More...Always...

Resting phase..

2009-11-22T22:08:00.002+11:00

From today the resting phase of my 90 day journey begins. Resting does not mean that I will be going on a holiday and doing nothing but laying down on a hammock. I will be doing various workouts such as Kenpo, yoga, stretch, cardio etc. I would not be doing weight training for a week. Today I did yoga and felt very relaxed and good after it. Tomorrow I will be doing some core workouts with specific focus on the abs.

Challenges in Identifying Potential Leadership by Dan MacDonald

2009-11-21T19:22:00.001+11:00

When leaders are chosen, the decision can at times be based on the wrong criteria. Many look to people with strong, charismatic personalities or passion for personal achievement. They look to people who are commanding or who manage the efforts of others well. Some people even look to physical attributes as an indication of leadership ability.

The misconceptions of what makes a person a good leader are not limited to these factors. They also include our choices of personality characteristics. Some see great leaders as people who can mesmerize a crowd with their stage performance, who can make those around them relax with their confidence, or who can think circles around other senior people in the organization.

In reality, these traits and characteristics are not indicators of great leaders. Rather, great leaders are characterized by their focus on integrity over stage performance; passion for what is best for the company over self-importance; humility and passing forward credit over ego; and empowering their people to make decisions on their behalf. There have been numerous books written, research conducted and data compiled that point to these findings; however, even extraordinary companies with insightful, intelligent and experienced boards of directors and senior executives have erroneously chosen leaders based on their perception of leadership capabilities.

Leaders can either drive organizations to market capitalization of hundreds of millions of dollars or to losses equally as great. It is hard to dispute that leadership plays a vital role in the success of a company, yet many organizations do not have systems in place to identify and develop potential future leaders.

Few people can pick great leaders, so the question remains: How do organizations create a system for identifying great leaders in the early stages of their development? Do they use psychometrics profiles to identify the leaders with the best traits and fast track them on a path to more senior roles? Do they let the people inside or outside the organization decide who will be the next leader? Many decisions must be made, but before making these decisions, organizations must be aware of their faults in choosing leaders.

Organizations need new ways of deciding who will be a leader, as leadership impacts the organization as a whole. Hard-working employees rely on their leaders to make the right choices for the company and ensure the employees have a future with the organization.

It's difficult to know the right answers, but it's clear that investing in the development of potential future leaders will provide a company with advantages over organizations that hire people from outside to fill internal leadership roles. As a result, companies are turning to post-secondary institutions to assist them in developing their leaders from within. Forward-thinking companies are already realizing the benefits that can be achieved by investing in their people and consequently the future of their organization.

Learning From Social Networks by Ed Cohen

2009-11-19T20:53:00.000+11:00

To date, social networking has applied mainly to life outside the workplace. However, given its collaborative nature, social networking is becoming increasingly attractive for organizations looking to improve communications and interactions with, between and among employees. As organizations look to translate social networking's benefits into business value and competitive advantage, however, they are struggling to govern this communication and behavior in the workplace.

Governance Models in Learning 2.0

Because social networking is defined as open, informal communication, the technology seems to contradict the very idea of a governance model. From a learning or talent management perspective, social networking appears to be unstructured, immeasurable and often unmanaged. Since the purpose of implementing a learning governance model is to identify people and develop a plan to execute a corporate learning and development strategy, the question becomes: How do these new technologies impact a learning governance model? Do they play a role in internal learning and development at all?

In its most basic form, a governance model is a way to bring structure to the learning and development process within a company. Often this includes distributing information as well as being a source or library for information. Depending on the industry, this process can be as simple as bringing representatives from different departments together to share information on a regular basis, or as complex as assigning a formal board within a company to discuss and plan the specific talent structure of the business. Governance could include developing the learning strategy, defining technical and learning-specific standards, designing appropriate learning programs, overseeing the development and delivery of learning content, managing the technology infrastructure that supports the learning initiatives, and aligning employees with the learning strategy to ensure a high rate of user adoption and adherence to learning goals.

Typically, one level up from the learning governance group is the overall talent management strategy. Once again, depending on the industry and company, the talent management process can either be "stove-piped" within a department or follow the latest industry trends and be managed more globally. Although it may not be immediately obvious, the link between the learning governance group and the overall talent management process is crucial for the enterprise.

One simple example of this can be found in succession planning. Deciding whether a company should increase the number of succession candidates through recruitment or internal talent development can influence the need for specific training, which the learning governance body would ultimately be responsible for developing. The learning department also can influence the talent management process by identifying the types of training an outstanding employee received during his or her employment to better define future candidates for a specific job position.

Regardless of the talent management and organizational structure, the goal is the same within the learning governance group: to define a measurable set of learning and development goals that align with the company's overall corporate direction. This is crucial to maximize the effectiveness of learning and talent development within a company. In general, the more participation talent managers from across the company have in the governance process, the more aligned efforts will be with corporate goals. Further, the stronger the alignment, the more effective and efficient learning and development efforts will be.

Social networking applications, such as wikis, blogs, Twitter and Facebook, are all different forms of communication that allow one individual or group to share information with another. Unlike traditional learning and development technologies, however, social platform responsibilities are not usually assigned to individuals, nor are the benefits or results they generate measurable in any traditional way. To date, the learning and talent management industry doesn't really have a best practice for implementing these technologies. When it comes to any type of governance, companies often take one or a combination of the following three approaches: they implement company-specific tools such as SharePoint, which presents a different set of governance issues; they take a wait-and-see approach, managing and governing social networking on a case-by-case basis, which is subjective, time consuming and doesn't scale; or they disallow the use of social networking tools altogether, which limits an organization's ability to keep pace with its competition, workforce and new technology.

Blending Social Networking and Learning

Aside from social networking, few if any recent technologies have been as hyped or have benefitted from as many unsubstantiated claims around how they would change learning and development. Perhaps the main reason for this misunderstanding is that people think of social networking in the wrong context. Social networking is an activity that revolves around open communication, and nothing more.

In fact, the role of social networking in employee learning is analogous to playground time for children. When kids engage in unstructured play, they learn and exchange ideas with other kids in an informal way. Similarly, when adults participate in social networking activities, they experience many of the same benefits as kids playing on the playground - the main difference being that they are not engaging face to face. In almost every case, the pros and cons that apply to children on the playground also apply to adults and social networking.

For example:

1. The information is only as good as the source. In both cases, the recipient must know the source of information so he or she can make a judgment about the accuracy and validity of the information being presented.

2. If a teacher monitors the conversation, the participants will have a different discussion than if the conversation is open. The same is true for social networking within a corporation.

3. If everyone is forced to participate, the results will be diluted. When a child who doesn't like softball is forced to play, he or she won't put forth the same effort as a child who does. The same holds true for an adult commenting on a co-worker's question online.

4. No matter how much a child learns on the playground, it is not a substitute for classroom instruction. The same is true for social networking applications. While social networking can and should be used to enhance the learning experience - by facilitating collaboration and employee interaction or by fostering knowledge sharing and extending informal learning initiatives - it is not designed as a replacement for formal, classroom-based learning programs.

While similar there are two important aspects of social networking that distinguish it from playground time for adults at work. First, social networking is somewhat corporate culture-sensitive. Second, social networking can be an incredibly effective communication tool within an organization if used properly. In both cases, the way a company applies, manages and enforces learning governance models can make all the difference.

Making social networking part of the corporate culture and effectively governing its use can present significant challenges for many organizations. For those with a Lotus Notes culture, incorporating social networking software is probably easy and fairly seamless. Lotus Notes, arguably one of the first social networking tools on the market, allowed employees primarily in large organizations to create peer discussion threads that could be saved, commented on and searched by other employees. Lotus Notes also was used to help individuals identify other employees who might have the answer to or knowledge about a specific question or topic. On the other hand, for organizations with a "stovepipe" culture, where holding the most information is seen as a competitive advantage and as providing job security, a distinctly different approach toward implementing any type of social networking would be required.

The learning governance body, meaning the people within the organization who develop the model, needs to look closely at all forms of communication that occur and exist within the business. Unfortunately, communication types are rarely consistent across the entire business, so it's important to understand which groups of people communicate what type of information and what media they use. Then, the learning governance body must determine if social networking will help move those discussions in a positive direction. For example, members of a sales team might be reluctant to share information about how to close a deal simply because they are competing with each other. A maintenance crew, on the other hand, might be willing to share information with other crews if it minimizes the amount of future work, but crew members might not be as comfortable using social networking technology to do so.

In both cases, the governance body needs to look at the types of individuals involved and their motivation for sharing any information. Individuals have to believe that by sharing information, they are benefiting from the process.

While there is no single approach that works for every company, if the governance body can identify groups of individuals who are part of a process where all benefit from one another, there is a potential fit. Ironically, implementing some of these technologies within the governance body itself may be an ideal place to start. Learning governance bodies are typically composed of individuals from different parts of the organization who share a common goal but may not be able to meet on a regular basis. Social networking technology can be used to keep members informed about what their groups are doing and how it will impact the governance model. By implementing this technology within the governance body first, organizations can gain a sense of how the technology fits within the corporate culture and how the rest of the company might adopt it

Australian Migration Tribunal

2009-11-19T20:42:00.000+11:00

I am sure that my application is legitimate and my claims too are legitimate. The decision regarding the visa renewal has still not come. I will wait till Monday, If the decision does not come till then, I will take the legal route. What do you think is the best way to approach immigration disputes. Is approaching the Australian Migration tribunal OK?

Heart rate...

2009-11-17T16:14:00.001+11:00

Today a strange thing happened when I was on the treadmill. I was at level 8 for 5 minutes, at about 2 minutes my heart rate went up to about 180 then at 3 minutes the heart rate decreased to 140 and then 130. I was taking in deep breaths all the time…I am not sure whether this is a good sign…all I know I was able to do the treadmill for 5 mins and at the end my heart rate was within the fat burning zone.

This treadmill was done after 8 sets of chest + shoulders + arms with heavy weight.

then again after the treadmill + rower + X trainer

I did 4 sets of back +legs with heavy weight.

then again some treadmill +rower + X trainer

Cool down + Stretch

Is facebook a time waster....

2009-11-16T14:08:00.001+11:00

If we look with a systems perspective the processes and the data flow between the processes should be very important.
In this case we do not know much about the processes in the system so it is very difficult to answer such questions (they may be biased).
The effect of facebook will be different for different types of organizations as most of the organizations have different processes.

If we take an example of a recruitment company which headhunts candidates and places them in different organizations. Then the boundaries and environment are more clear.

do you think that facebook is a waste of time for employees?
It would be a great tool for finding prospective candidates, there would be a lot of false profiles , but screening is the job of the recruitment consultant (interviews, questionnaires etc). We can take the example of many credit companies, In Australia organizations are hiring people to go through facebook and other social networking profiles to find out the bad creditors who have gone hiding. Even police are using facebook for finding out more about criminals.

What are the benefits the company gets?
Again, this depends on the processes of the company. In the recruitment consultant scenario the benefit would be more prospective candidates.

What are the benefits the employees gets?
Facebook will make the employees more motivated. If we take into account the Maslows need hierarchy the social needs of an individual are quite important, hence it is important for the employess.

In conclusion , facebook would be great if used in a proper way to attain the goals of organization. Facebook makes it very easy to detour but it is the job of a good employee to be in line and on goal.
The onus remains on the HR department of the organization to select and retain a perfect employee for the organizations need.

follow up post from 13th about Australian immigration..

2009-11-16T09:28:00.001+11:00

The delay caused me to do a complete critical analysis of the visa process followed by the immigration.this will help in making better conclusions

The stakeholders
1) Australian nation (general public)
2) Immigration department
3) The person applying for visa
4) Case officer
5) Political parties
6) The consulate of the person applying for visa
7 ) Migration agents
8) Australian Education industry

If we do a complete cause and effect analysis of the whole system, We can find out many probable causes of the issue, but the most likely cause is that the Australian Education Industry would be loosing money so they want the students to enroll in further courses.
The education industry and the immigration department is closely tied, there is very little transparency of the process, PRISM is for the exclusive use of the immigration department and the education industry. They feel that it is not necessary to let others know what is happening in PRISM. This is just an instance of the great farce. There would be many more.

this process makes me laugh :grin: and think why is the system is in shambles when they employ so many great systems analysts who are paid $$$ from the taxpayers money.

Behavioral Differences in Different Cultures by Dave Millner

2009-11-14T00:25:00.000+11:00

Some acceptable -- and desired -- behaviors in American organizations would be considered rude or could hinder smooth operations in some countries.

People can always have different perceptions about the behavior of other people that they work with and what they actually mean when they say or do something. When you take into account different cultures, this brings even more complexity into the equation in terms of what people may or may not mean by their actions.

Let's look at some examples. I have outlined some key behaviors that are commonly assessed and regarded as being important behaviors within Western-style organizations. Some considerations, however, need to be taken into account that could lead to some changes in the way the behavior is described.

Key Behavior:

Conveys views to others in a direct and open way to arrive at a mutually acceptable result.

Consideration:

In the Gulf and Middle East region, being up-front and direct about something could be considered rude and impolite. The revised behavior could be: Shares own thoughts and views in an effort to arrive at a mutually acceptable result.

Key Behavior:

Seeks feedback from others about own performance.

Consideration:

In some cultures, this could be seen as a possible weakness insofar as good performers wouldn't admit to not being good at something. The revised behavior could be: Listens to others' views about areas of performance improvement and takes action accordingly.

Key Behavior:

Builds a climate of trust by being continually open and honest about own feelings.

Consideration:

The Japanese, for example, are extremely sensitive to what others might think of them (or worse - what people are saying behind their backs) and can be hesitant to do something new, different or independent such as this. The revised behavior could be: Shares thoughts, feelings and rationale so that others understand personal positions.

Key Behavior:

Proactively takes the lead and identifies solutions to problems.

Consideration:

In India, there is a "high power" and authoritarian culture. This means that leadership-type behavior is only expected from people with formal authority or status in the organization. Hence, leading-type of behavior may not be considered appropriate and hence, is rarely demonstrated by individuals in non-leadership roles. The revised behavior could be: Looks to find better ways of doing things.

Key Behavior:

Takes decisive action to overcome current issues, problems, obstacles and barriers to success.

Consideration:

In Saudi Arabia, for example, decisions are made slowly as the society, and their way of operating is extremely bureaucratic. Most decisions require several layers of approval with, on occasion, the ultimate decision being made by the highest ranking person. The revised behavior could be: Formulates clear decision criteria and initiates action within a reasonable timeframe.

Key Behavior:

Enthuses, motivates and generates commitment from others through style of communication.

Consideration:

In China, relationships are very important and relevant in business. Someone is considered most effective in this area if they are able to put key messages across but still maintain harmony and cordial relationships with others. Aggressive or overly forceful behavior, particularly those that threaten team cohesion, is frowned upon. The revised behavior could be: Communicates in a clear, concise and understandable way, while relating to the needs and interests of others.

The issue of sensitivity across cultural boundaries is becoming even more prevalent, especially with global organizations where collaborative cross-functional working is becoming a way of life to deliver new or revised customer-based solutions.

In these situations, some organizations have started to develop a specific competency that outlines what their expectations are of people in their organizations.

Some sample behaviors relating to cross-cultural awareness could include the following:

a) Shows sensitivity to the perspectives and interests of people of different cultures or functions.

b) Shows respect for decisions and actions that take into account different cultural concerns and expectations.

c) Demonstrates inclusive behavior by establishing relationships and learning more about people of other cultures and backgrounds.

13th day of P90X...

2009-11-13T17:40:00.003+11:00

Today was a very exciting day...I started the day with KenpoX. It relived lot of anxiety in me and I punched out the stress. After doing KenpoX I was feeling a lot better, I started to write in my blog again. I had not written in my blog from the past year. I will be sharing my thoughts through the blog as I go through my day to day activities.
KenpoX really brought out the sweat in me. I thought kenpoX would be easy for me as I am quite used to the boxing moves, but it took. I bet this is visible....:-)

Why dosent the Australian immigration department acknowledge????

2009-11-13T17:38:00.000+11:00

I have been waiting for visa renewal/extension form 20 July and still the visa has not been approved.
When I applied for the visa then my semester was just starting, now my exams are over and I am expecting results on 30th November.....but still the visa has not been granted:grin: and there has been no acknowledgment from the immigration department, leaving my in dark (thinking about what I should not think).
If some documents are wrong or not appropriate, then at least they should inform me or they should make a decision that visa is rejected. Then at least there would be less anxiety waiting for the decision, however the stress caused by anxiety is less for me as my course has finished and I know even if they reject my visa, I would go home with my degree.
I know that immigration measures are be toughened, but at least they should acknowledge that. I called the general number of immigration department and they said that visa extension/ renewal process takes at least 8 weeks and my application is pending from over 8 weeks:grin:. I also called the case officer and he says that all the documents are received and he is checking them. I do not understand why the procedure of checking documents takes so long (even after it is certified by police) :grin: .
This leaves a very bad impression of Australian immigration in my mind and would never advise anyone to come to Australia. Makes me laugh at the procedure of Australian immigration department :grin:.
I had an option of going to Singapore and working there (that was an option if I did not get PR here). Now I think that will be a better option.

Results of Semester 1 in Master of business in information technology

2008-07-14T08:53:00.002+10:00

The results for the 1st semester in Master of business in information technology are as follows...
Globalization and business IT = 66/100 (CR)
Business Intelligence= 68/100 (CR)
e-business models and issues= 69/100 (CR)
IT Project management= 58/100 (PA)

in second semester I have chosen the subjects
Information security systems
IT industry
Management of networked enterprise
Enterprise systems.

I am very happy with the results and looking forward for the IInd semester which starts on 21st july.

Casts.....enjoy

2008-05-23T19:02:00.003+10:00

I was surfing the vast web and found some interesting stuff which will be useful. They are podcasts from Wharton, Stanford etc which discuss about various issues
1. http://www.gartner.com/it/products/podcasting/asset_137461_2616.jsp (Gartner)
2. http://edcorner.stanford.edu/podcasts.html (Stanford)
3. http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/gbs/bus/html/bcs_whatwethink_podcast.html (IBM)
4. http://www.manager-tools.com/
5. http://www.venturevoice.com/
6. http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/podcast_archive.cfm?CFID=67402056&CFTOKEN=10293668&jsessionid=9a307e0868984e64693f
(Wharton on India)
7. http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast_archive.cfm (Wharton)

I am sure this will be a very good and fruitful experience so delve into it.....

Institute 4 corporate productivity

2008-04-01T08:19:00.001+11:00

I4CP gives members a community to share new ideas and prevent “reinventing the wheel”, research, tools and technology. (www.i4cp.com)

Project Management Review

2008-03-30T10:16:00.000+11:00

15/3/2008
project management is compleation of projects on time , on budget and to specification.

for a project to be successful
- well defined scope
- sponsor - authority and power
- budget
- will to suceed
- approval

9 PMbok areas
1 scope
2. time
3. cost
4. quality
5. Human Resources
6. Communications
7. Risk
8. Procurement

21/3/2008

project management and project delivery

project delivery: actual execution of the project, entire team works

Initiating: is the project a valid project?
Project plan : work breakdown, project schedule, project budjet
executing the project: project delivery, focussed on monitoring and control, analysis , design , development , implementation.
closing: gaining final approval of the project.

process groups (project life cycle}
-initating
- planning
- executing
- monitoring and controlling
- closing

29/3/2008

Project organizational structure

- Framework : What is the projects orgnization chart, who has the power & authority, how are employees treated (human resource), what is the work ethich in the organization, internall and external politics, who supplies the leadership, political environment, what environment the orgnization works in.
- structure: is the orgnization a functional one (traditional organizational structure)
- culture : What is the corporate identity, leader, follower,risk tolerance, focus.

Project Scope management

Scope planning:
understand the level of detail.
how successful has you organization been in this project envronment.
define the process to be used, scope management plan
Scope definition: what is included in the project, what is not included, what are the deliveribles, defining usage, final products. Critical to project success because until you define you cannot manage. Create the acceptance criteria, which deliverable, how do they measure, is it ok to have errors in final product.
scope statement includes
- objectives
- Requirements
- boundries
- deliverables
- acceptance criteria
- assumptional constraints
Create WBS: define the specific work required, it should be deliverables based, Decomposition to work required
Scope verification by senior management
Scope control

Downtime Management

2008-03-26T20:50:00.000+11:00

Downtime Management: Surfing May Not Be Slacking

by Kellye Whitney

We've all seen it: Employees yacking on personal calls, engaging in protracted personal e-mail sessions or indulging in a string of instant messaging. All of which seem to shout: Slacker! But these seemingly non-work related activities may be an important piece of a productive employee's workday.

The speed and scope of modern business have made issues such as cognitive health and stress management necessary topics for talent managers. New conditions such as Blackberry thumb, attention deficit trait and worries over energy depletion also are making the rounds as research surfaces to indicate downtime and play actually have value to adults - they promote high performance and stimulate brain power and creativity.

Still, it's natural for the average talent manager to raise an eyebrow when an employee is giving rapt attention to streaming online video or music downloads instead of assigned work tasks. But that may be an outdated view. As long as the employee consistently performs well, meets deadlines and adheres to the melange of other criteria that mark a high performer as such, the occasional break might be needed stress relief to ensure said high performer continues to produce at expected levels.

Present vs. Engaged, Activity vs. Accomplishment

Managing employee downtime may not require much physical work. Instead, talent managers may want to adapt their attitudes about non-work related activity to suit the changing nature of work and the modern business environment. The first step is to determine how to treat certain behaviors and decide what exactly productive and unproductive downtime are. For example, in some organizations, such as those with significant research and development functions, what looks like goofing off actually may be thinking or incubating. This may occur in organizations where lab work is common.

It's also important to consider that more and more employees today are connected 24x7, particularly if they work on a global team. High-performing employees likely know when they're most productive, and if they can be encouraged or enabled to decide how and when to work, they are generally more effective.

"If you've got a call at 6 in the morning and another one at 11 at night, in order to maintain some balance, there is a need to take some time during the day to take care of personal matters," said Jodi Starkman, COO of global consulting for ORC Worldwide. "We have a client who talked recently about how he hired this exceptionally brilliant young marketing guy, and he said, 'The guy likes to work at some place like Starbucks on an Apple computer, even though the company uses IBM. He has his own way of doing things.' He said at first he had to deal with the fact that he had preconceived notions about the way people should work, which is not necessarily sitting in the office from 9 to 5."

Flexibility and setting performance expectations are especially important when considering a formal or informal stance on non-work related activities. Talent managers must establish clear goals regarding deliverables and deadlines, be less rigid about enforcing a specific work structure and avoid watching to see who's sitting in his or her seat looking or behaving a certain way.

Communication and feedback also are important as talent managers begin to move from a more traditional management style.

"Coaching for high performance, how to enable people to work more productively is not necessarily about providing more structure," Starkman explained. "Seeing people looking busy is not necessarily seeing people accomplishing anything: The outcomes are more important."

The most important thing is that employees meet their objectives, said Laura Reeves, chief talent officer at the American Cancer Society.

"We need to be able to allow people in this technology age to think a little bit creatively - it's empowering people to get the work done in the way they need to get it done. The way that people do work has changed with all of the tools that we have. It's important to be flexible and provide an environment where people are empowered to get the work done in a way that's best for them. That does enhance productivity."

Aside from technology, some of the impetus for the shift in work taking place is due to the influx of the Net Generation and the Millennials, who prefer to work in a different way, said David Smith, managing director of human performance for North America at Accenture.

"The past clock in, clock out, eight hours on the job is an old metaphor," he said. "Now they work in spurts. They do a lot of work, then research, then take some time to do something different, listen to music, explore, surf the net, Facebook collaborate, something. Then they'll do (more) work. Their dimension of time is vastly different and the winners are being forced to adapt to this new way of work, but do high-performing talent managers understand that output is the key? Obviously, output has constraints to it, but if you shift your measurement system to output and don't try to control different factors like the exact time of day one is doing the job, you can begin to drive the levels of productivity you want."

Build Awareness

In order to incent and promote the level of performance necessary to compete and win in today's global marketplace, Smith said talent managers must be self-reflective in their own behaviors. This may require an organizational cultural change, but as long as the output is there, downtime is not a bad word.

"Employers haven't really done a good job to date preparing talent managers," Smith said. "If you think about it, talent managers probably are from a different generation. They could be Gen Xers or boomers. This cross-generational issue, and how organizations are preparing their cross-generational employees to understand and deal with some of these issues, is a growing trend."

Many organizations are preparing talent managers for this work shift with development activity such as coaching and reverse mentoring. Smith said some of Accenture's new-generation workers have real power to teach older workers about tools available in the organization that can help them be more effective.

"Reverse mentoring is a role that hits right at the heart of this issue. Managers don't have to feel they need to be 24x7 or eight straight hours on one thing. It's OK for managers to deal with some of this in a different way," he said.

Create a "Smoking Room"

Fact: Employees are going to engage in non-work related activities on the job. The new school of thought suggests talent managers should adapt to the flexibility of younger employees entering the workforce because imposing potentially outdated and unnecessary structure in the name of increased productivity may create the opposite effect. Therefore, talent managers must decide how to create an environment that will give workers what they need and simultaneously promote the high performance the company requires. Some companies are creating special renewal rooms where employees can go to relax and refresh, but there are simpler solutions that don't take up real estate.

"High-performing cultures offer things for the employee that go outside business," said Michael Rosenberg, principal at OYG Consulting Inc. "They give people flex time and ways to work because they recognize very clearly that you can't function at a high level if you're burned out. Within any workplace, you need a certain amount of flexibility and chaos, some unstructured things."

Rosenberg illustrated his point with the following story of one Canadian client who, when the city of Ontario enacted laws making it illegal to smoke inside any public building or place, transitioned employees into the new regime by setting up smoking rooms.

"I was talking to the HR director at Atomic Energy Canada Ltd., and the biggest regret he had was that they got rid of those smoking rooms." Rosenberg said. "He told me the senior vice president said he'd had great feedback on issues they were looking at from this guy he talked to in the smoking room. He said, 'Who is this guy? What is he a manager of?' The HR director looked him up on the employee list and found out he was on the custodial staff. He was the janitor, but they were just talking as addicts, not as labels, and they were able to implement a lot of ideas because of the unofficial, unstructured communication going on in the smoking room. The idea of where performance lies is, 'How do we create the smoking room without the smoke?'"

One way to build this metaphoric smoking room is to create and promote off-site events that build engagement and bring together disparate employee populations outside of work. Rosenberg said this not only allows employees to engage with one another in different ways, it can build loyalty - but only if the culture will accept and sustain this type of attitude and activity.

"SAS is a good example of a company that really creates a culture that does this. When Jim Goodnight started SAS on Wednesdays, they'd bring in M&M's for everybody. When people start eating the M&M's, they start talking," Rosenberg said. "On-site day care works, too, because people have kids in common, and that creates dialogue. Many friends are friends because their kids are friends. The day care becomes the smoking room and gives people the space to talk as friends, not just in a strictly professional atmosphere. This impacts performance because it builds trust."

The point to any adaptation of the traditional work value system is to ensure employee productivity and creativity are not stunted. Talent managers want to create a culture in which the final measure of performance is how employees perform against established objectives and competencies to provide value for the organization.

"Are you doing what needs to be done? That's the bottom line to me," Reeves said. "If you can accomplish things, there's a level of reasonableness about chatting on cell phones during the day. I've worked places where they shut off Internet access because they didn't want people surfing the Web, and that doesn't do anything to enhance employee morale. As long as there's honesty, openness, sort of a transparency and people aren't hiding in corners talking on cell phones and running downstairs to an Internet service to check their home e-mail, I think it's just a reality of the way we live."

[About the Author: Kellye Whitney is managing editor for Talent Management magazine.]

Why Executives Fail & Why It's Important to Know

2008-03-25T21:23:00.000+11:00

Why Executives Fail & Why It's Important to Know

- By Dan Coughlin

The Four Root Causes for Executive Failure

1. Poor Confidence

Joe had no confidence in himself. Technically he was brilliant in finance, but he didn't see the value that he brought to the organization. Whenever his boss said, "Jump," Joe said, "How high?" He ran reports six different ways just to please the people around him. His self–esteem was really label esteem. He told me that if he lost his title of VP of Finance his career would be over. He had no idea that he was the reason he had been successful up to this point and that he had the talent to rebuild his career if it came to that. When the company went through reorganization, Joe had to interview for a position, and he did a terrible job of explaining what he would bring to the future of the organization. He was let go.

2. Poor Communications

Beth was rude. She was the VP of Operations and probably knew more about operations than anyone else in the organization. That was the upside. The downside was every time someone gave her a suggestion related to operations she rolled her eyes and threw her glasses on the table. She cut people off in mid–sentence, and told them what to do and when to do it. Even though she had been handpicked by the president for this key position, she was demoted based purely on her inability to communicate effectively.

3. Poor Judgment

Paul didn't believe in alignment. He was the regional vice–president in charge of one of the most important regions in a national company. The entire organization had decided to focus on improving operations and the guest experience. Paul was focused on short–term financials.

He decided he would do whatever it took to increase sales. So instead of concentrating on improving operations, he created one discount program after another. Every week he would change the program so that he was offering a different product at an unbelievably low price. Customers kept coming back just to see what surprise awaited them.

For three years his region led the company in year–end comparable sales compared to the year before. However, he created three long–term problems: customers kept expecting lower and lower prices, his fellow regional VPs were torn over whether to focus on discounting or operational improvements. So they did neither very well, and customers became confused when they went to other parts of the country and didn't get the same deals as in Paul's region. Despite great numbers, Paul was removed from the position.

4. Poor Direction

Carol was an idea machine with no clear strategy. As the organization's president, she saw ways to grow the business and talked about them at every meeting. And every day she had a different idea. Because of her title, the employees tried to implement every single idea she threw out there. Some worked very well, but over the course of four years her machine–gun approach to strategy backfired. Fewer and fewer customers were coming back each year until Carol was finally let go.

Why are these stories of value to you?

Regardless of your current title, if you understand the root causes of executive failure and identify any of them within yourself, you can dig those roots right out of the ground and replace them with healthier alternatives for the future.

Joe, Beth, Paul, and Carol were bright, competent individuals who failed. What could have gone differently for them and what can you do about it for yourself?

Strengthen Confidence

Abraham Maslow used to say that true self–confidence is based on a feeling of personal dignity, the feeling that you are in control of your decisions and your destiny. (Resource: Maslow on Management by Abraham Maslow.) If you change your decision every time you get confronted with an opposing point of view, you will continually erode your self–confidence.

Take out a sheet of paper and write down your answers to these questions:

What are my values, the beliefs that determine my behaviors?
What are my strengths, the things that I do well?
What are my passions, the things that I get the most excited doing?

Then when you are doing an activity, ask yourself, "How can I do this in a way that fits with my values and leverages my strengths and passions?" In this way, you will be contributing your greatest value to a project rather than being a corporate change artist. Over time, people will realize that you are not their puppet, but rather an intelligent person who focuses on delivering true value.

Improve Communications

Effective communications are based on three prerequisites: honesty, clarity, and respect. If you want to do a self–test on your communications, ask yourself these three questions:

Was I honest with the other person?
Does he or she understand the message?
Did I say it in a way that demonstrated respect for the other person?

If you can answer yes to those three questions, then you were effective as a communicator. This doesn't mean that people will be happy with your decision. It doesn't mean that you won't have to discuss it further. It doesn't mean you won't change your mind later. But it does mean that in that moment you were an effective communicator.

Use Wise Judgment

Using wise judgment is the process of finding and selecting the best decision to achieve sustainable improvements in results. While there are a lot of factors involved in making a wise decision, here are three that I suggest you consider:

Does it fit with my personal values?
Does it fit with our organization's values, strengths, and passions?
Will it potentially have a positive, lasting impact on our organization's most important desired outcomes?

One of the organizational values that Paul ignored was teamwork. He went on his own to generate great short–term results and left everyone else to look foolish.

Clarify Strategy

A strategy is a story that tells what an organization wants to achieve and what it intends to do to achieve it. If you're the top executive for the group, then you need to work with other key executives to finalize the storyline: the plot, the main characters, the roles they perform, etc. You have to decide if your company is product–centric, customer–centric, technology–centric, distribution–centric, sales method–centric, or profit–centric. You have to decide on the quality of the product, service, and customer relationships that your organization is going to provide. You have to decide on the value your organization is going to put into the marketplace.

And then you need to stick to your story.

If you change the plot everyday, the story gains no traction. Employees and customers get confused, and very soon you have a literary, and business, mess.

[About the Author: Dan Coughlin is a business keynote speaker, management consultant, and author of Accelerate: 20 Practical Lessons to Boost Business Momentum. He has been quoted in USA Today, the New York Times, and Investor's Business Daily. Dan's clients include Coca–Cola, Toyota, Boeing, Marriott, McDonald's, AT&T, American Bar Association, and the St. Louis Cardinals. He speaks on entrepreneurial habits, quality, leadership, branding, sales, and innovation.]

The Paradoxically Gifted

2008-03-24T14:59:00.000+11:00

The Paradoxically Gifted

by Harold D. Stolovitch, Ph.D.

One might assume those with remarkable talents, once secured and well remunerated, would require minimal support and direction to perform compared to others with less lofty abilities. Dangerous assumption!

While research on those identified as gifted contains abundant contradictions, several relatively stable findings provide us with useful information to help them perform in ways they and their organizations value. Foremost, gifted individuals often require more careful guidance and support - especially upon entry to a job - than their colleagues. That's because, while they have the same basic needs as the rest, gifted employees can sometimes be vulnerable in ways that decrease accomplishments. For example, their ability to perceive a vast array of possibilities in novel circumstances can lead to distraction. Confusion and anxiety about which path to follow can result. Findings from a number of studies on the gifted include:

1. Uneven development. While strong in talent areas, they may be underdeveloped in social skills or time management.

2. Self-criticism. They create idealistic, inflated images of what their jobs require and then internally punish themselves for not meeting self-imposed expectations.

3. Perfectionism. They set such high standards of performance they may expend enormous energy to achieve perfection, neglecting other important tasks, taking too much time to perform or becoming discouraged or paralyzed by imperfect results.

4. Risk avoidance. Foreseeing many potential obstacles, they might hesitate to take on initiatives for fear of underachievement or failure.

5. Multi-potentiality. If they possess several powerful talents, they may wrestle with competing alternatives on where to focus and how to coordinate diverse visions and actions.

One study synthesized the paradox of the gifted as follows:

a) Quick learner: Impatient with others, bored by explanations.

b) Highly inquisitive: Endlessly probing, can divert attention or embarrass authority.

c) Internally motivated and

d) Driven: Strong-willed, resists external directions.

e) Creative problem solver: Resists grounded precedents.

f) Strong conceptualizer: Rejects or is intolerant of unclear, illogical situations that nevertheless exist.

g) High self expectations: Intolerant of self and/or others.

h) Focus on successful accomplishment: Neglectful of people and feelings.

i) Independent: Rejects authority.

Drawing gifted talent into an organization is a desirable action; it's also a challenge to prepare both the gifted individuals and their environment to obtain hoped-for performance.

In 1985, Pauline Clance came out with an insightful book: The Imposter Phenomenon: Overcoming the Fear That Haunts Your Success. In it she documented how highly successful academics, businesspeople and even those in not necessarily exalted positions were often unable to internalize their successful accomplishments, despite the fact they were truly merited. The greater the ability and success, the more they suffered from an incapacity to accept their achievements were not "fraudulent." She and others found this to be particularly prevalent among the most talented and successful.

Additionally, in 2003, Dr. Martin Voracek from the University of Vienna Medical School released a study of 85 countries in which he demonstrated a significant, positive correlation between high intelligence and suicide rates. This aligns with the Terman study of genius that tracked more than 1,500 gifted Californian children born between 1920-21 to find their suicide rate is three times higher than the U.S. national average.

Giftedness, as defined by the U.S. Department of Education, is the possession of outstanding abilities and great potential for high performance. In the world of work, the capacity for innovation and superior performance is a strongly sought-after commodity. Yet the buyer should beware. Once acquired, the talents of the gifted must be carefully supported and managed. Only by monitoring and attending to the vulnerabilities and paradoxes of these extraordinary individuals can organizations transform what might be great potential into remarkable performance.

[About the Author: Harold D. Stolovitch, Ph.D., CPT is a principal of HSA Learning & Performance Solutions LLC and is emeritus professor of instructional and performance technology at the Universite de Montreal.]

New Study Finds Lack of Business Acumen Among Organizational Leaders

2008-03-24T14:44:00.000+11:00

New Study Finds Lack of Business Acumen Among Organizational Leaders

by Agatha Gilmore

Can you imagine an organization - in any industry - where the leadership and management teams don't know the business through and through? It sounds unlikely, but according to a new survey by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), it's more common than you think.

In a poll of nearly 400 nationwide respondents, i4cp found four out of five people think there is a moderate to very high level of deficiency in business acumen within their organizations. "People learn about their own business processes within their departments or functions, and their main goal is to master those processes and all the details that go with [them]," said Mark Vickers, vice president of research for i4cp. "They aren't really thinking about the company as a whole. I think there's some silo mentality going on."

The study, conducted in January, did not define the term "business acumen" but rather left it up to respondents to explain what they meant via write-ins. Several common threads emerged, Vickers said.

"One [definition] was understanding the company's business model, in essence, How does the company make money?" he said. "Other respondents focused on some of the more technical aspects of business acumen, like knowledge of accounting and finance, marketing, sales and interpreting financials. Another type was [understanding] company-specific processes and product offerings."

The study also found the consequences of a lack of business acumen are significant. Sixty-seven percent of respondents thought the knowledge deficiency among organizational leaders had a high to very high negative impact on their organizations, while an additional 25 percent found the impact to be moderate. This is a precarious situation, Vickers said.

"[At the management level], decision-making ability is much greater, they have much more power, and therefore their ability to make mistakes is much greater," he said. "It's like a lifeguard going in and trying to save someone, but being pulled under because they really don't know how to swim very well themselves. They're not just hurting themselves, they're hurting the people that they're trying to save."

It's curious that so many executives and upper-level leaders may get into their positions without requisite industry knowledge in the first place, but Vickers said, in some cases, people have been promoted based on their technical skills and for doing their jobs well, not for their business sawy.

"So they're making decisions based on their technical expertise, which is good, but sometimes they're doing it without the context of the business," he said. "Maybe they're buying an application that works really well for what they want to do, but perhaps it doesn't integrate well or it's going to be very expensive to integrate or it doesn't hook up very well with customer data or market data. Therefore, it ends up being the wrong decision from a bigger point of view."

In other cases, people have been promoted quickly to fill vacancies, and they are so busy learning the ins and outs of their new jobs, acquiring business acumen isn't at the top of their to-do lists, Vickers said.

Whatever the reason for the knowledge deficiency, the solution appears to be proper training, Vickers said.

"The survey came out suggesting that training is a big part of this," he said. "I think the organization as a whole has an obligation to make sure that [leaders are] trained well."

After all, he said, "the more business context you have around what you're doing, the better decisions you're going to make."

[About the Author: Agatha Gilmore is an associate editor for Talent Management magazine.]

Save An Hour Each Day... Get Organized!!!

2008-03-23T18:18:00.000+11:00

Save An Hour Each Day... Get Organized!!!
by Jeffrey J. Mayer (Author of “Success is a Journey” and “Time Management for Dummies” books)

What does your desk look like? * A toxic waste dump? * A bomb exploded? * Burglars had ransacked your office?

In corporate America, most business people associate a messy, dis-organized desk/office with being productive, effective and efficient.

Are you a member of this club?

Did you know that most people are “wasting” an hour each day looking for “STUFF” that’s lost on their desk? How about you? (Do you wish it was “only” an hour?)

And it always happens at the most inopportune time. How many times last week did you call someone up, ask them a question, and they responded, “Hold on a second and let me find the letter/file/

proposal. I know it’s here... somewhere.”

And five minutes later they come back and sheepishly said: “I can’t find it, let me call you back later.” Thus beginning another round of telephone tag, stretching a quick five-minute conversation into a five-day odyssey.

If you want to get ahead in life, make more money, and even get home for dinner every once in a while, follow these 6 steps and you’ll be organized. (This complete procedure is explained both in my best-selling “Success is a Journey” and “Time Management for Dummies” books.)

Step #1. Schedule An Appointment With Yourself
For most people, it takes about 2 hours to get organized. Write it on your calendar, and KEEP THE APPOINTMENT!!!

Step #2. No Interruptions
Turn off the telephone, close the door (or put up a Do Not Disturb sign across the entrance to your work space), and allow NO INTERRUPTIONS!
Think of this session as a meeting with your boss or most important client.

Step #3. Bring A Dumpster
Sixty percent of the stuff on most peoples desk can be tossed. That includes you!!!
So keep the papers, documents, and files you need, and throw the rest away.
Remember: Don’t succumb to Cleaner’s Remorse. (Going thru the trash and pulling out the stuff you just threw away because you think you may “Need It Again.”

Step #4. Pickup A Piece Of Paper
Now that you’ve closed the door and turned off the phone, pick up a piece of paper - any one will do - and ask yourself 3 questions

What is it?
Why do I have it?
What am I going to do with it?
If you can’t come up with a good answer, THROW IT AWAY!!!

Step #5. File Your Papers
If you need to keep a piece of paper, (file or proposal), put it in a properly labeled file folder. If one doesn’t exist, create one on the spot.

Step #6. Record Your To-dos On A Master List
If there’s work to do, note it on your Master List, which is a to-do list written on a big piece of paper - like a legal tablet.

You can also record your tasks inside your contact manager - like ACT!, or your PIM - like Outlook, or your PalmPilot.

Before you know it, your desk will look like the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, and your garbage can will be filled to the brim, overflowing, and spilling onto the floor.

You’ll be organized, efficient and productive. You’ll spend your time doing things that make you successful.

The Importance of KSA’s

2008-03-16T12:41:00.001+11:00

KSAs...Knowledge, Skills and Abilities...a list of special qualifications and personal attributes that you need to have for a particular job. These are the unique requirements that the hiring agency wants to find in the person selected to fill a particular job. A primary purpose of KSAs is to measure those qualities that will set one candidate apart from the others. In federal personnel guidance, KSAs are defined as the factors that identify the better candidates from a group of persons basically qualified for a position. How well an applicant can show that he or she matches the position’s defined KSAs determines whether that person will be seriously considered for the job.
Knowledge statements refer to an organized body of information usually of a factual or procedural nature which, if applied, makes adequate performance on the job possible. A body of information applied directly to the performance of a function.
Skill statements refer to the proficient manual, verbal or mental manipulation of data or things. Skills can be readily measured by a performance test where quantity and quality of performance are tested, usually within an established time limit. Examples of proficient manipulation of things are skill in typing or skill in operating a vehicle. Examples of proficient manipulation of data are skill in computation using decimals; skill in editing for transposed numbers, etc.
Ability statements refer to the power to perform an observable activity at the present time. This means that abilities have been evidenced through activities or behaviors that are similar to those required on the job, e.g., ability to plan and organize work. Abilities are different from aptitudes. Aptitudes are only the potential for performing the activity.
KSAs..........Why You Can’t Ignore Them.....
Some job applicants, especially those looking for their first federal position, are not sure whether the KSA requirements apply to them or where a response is optional. There’s an easy way to decide when to pay attention to KSAs. In a word, ALWAYS.
Agencies may emphasize the most important aspects of a job by assigning relative weights to each KSA. Others will designate particular KSAs as being Mandatory (M) or Desirable (D). Obviously the job applicant will want to focus the most effort on responding to the more heavily weighted KSAs or the mandatory ones, but it is important to remember that you need to address every one on the list. If a vacancy announcement makes no distinction among the position’s KSA, the applicant should assume that all KSAs are equally important.
A key point to remember about all KSAs is that they must be job-related. An agency cannot ask for anything in a KSA that is not in the job’s position description.
The Writing Part....
Do not assume that reviewers will pull the information out of your application package and pick up the salient points. They will not. Even if there were time for such insight, reviewers/ evaluators are not allowed to infer anything.
Hints to follow when developing your KSAs:

* Read the vacancy announcement carefully
* Gather the information needed to begin writing
* Be specific
* Be precise
* Get to the point
* Do not ramble
* Use lots of examples
* State specifically what you have done
* Do not use acronyms
* Present yourself in “clear and plain” language
* Do not borrow language from the position description

Unlock Employee Motivation Through Personality Testing

2008-03-16T12:38:00.001+11:00

Unlock Employee Motivation Through Personality Testing

by Ken Lahti, Ph.D.

Remember that really smart co-worker, the one who had so many answers he could run the company, but who put in minimal effort and seemed unconcerned with promotions? Or your boss who had brilliant ideas for product improvements, but couldn't motivate direct reports to get anything done? Personality testing might have unearthed the key to unlock their motivation and prompt the performance you knew they were capable of.

We have all seen people who know could be wildly successful, if they just tried harder or were better fit for their roles. Or people whose inability to maintain positive working relationships undermined their other contributions. What explains these strange gaps in performance? Can we know in advance who will best "fit" the job at hand and what motivates them to succeed?

Actually, yes. Decades of research shows a lot of what motivates people is inside them. While money, opportunities for growth and good leadership all matter for employee motivation, a big piece of motivation is based on a person's character or personality. For better or for worse, we are who we are, and our personality tends to be stable over time and across situations. This consistency in people creates an opportunity for organizations. By assessing personality characteristics in job candidates, employers can predict their motivation and make better informed hiring decisions.

Sounds good in theory, but does it really work? PreVisor's 2007 Business Outcomes Report indicates pre-employment personality tests, when implemented and used effectively, predict key performance outcomes and improve organizational effectiveness. For example, when Starwood Hotels redesigned its hiring solution to include personality testing for the right attitude, it saw a two and a half times increase in performance for one customer facing role. A nationwide auto-parts distributor showed retention improved more than 80 percent for high-scoring candidates. Among warehouse associates taking a customized job-fit test, 43 percent of those who scored high remained on the job after 90 days, whereas only 23 percent of those who scored low on the assessment were retained. Higher retention leads to reduced costs, higher productivity and better organizational performance.

What is Motivation, Anyway?

We hear about motivation all of the time - in school, at work, in sports, in the context of motivational speaking. However, it is curiously difficult to pin down exactly what motivation is and how it works. While it has many definitions among scientists, motivation boils down to wanting something to be different.

Motivation is an energizing, mobilizing force related to striving toward goals and satisfying needs - everything from food to sex to self-esteem. From an employee perspective, this means work is the environment where they strive toward and achieve many of life's goals. Motivation can lead people to work hard and manage their interactions with others. On the other hand, a lack of motivation can lead to carelessness and callousness at work. A recent CareerBuilder survey found 32 percent of workers called in sick with fake excuses in the past 12 months, which is hardly a ringing endorsement of strong work ethic or job satisfaction.

From the employer's perspective, employee motivation impacts performance. Scientists describe performance as a function of a person's ability and motivation:

a) Ability or "can-do" is based largely on general cognitive ability or intelligence. Cognitive ability contributes to acquisition of job skills and knowledge through experience. Tests of these areas predict job performance.

b) Motivation or "will-do" is driven mainly by personality. Personality describes a person's disposition, interests and recurring behavior patterns.

Both ability and motivation are necessary for successful performance. By testing for personality, we can measure an important determinant of talent and success, one that is often overlooked in hiring processes that emphasize only technical skills, learning ability or past achievements.

As a key predictor of success in many people-facing roles, personality is particularly important in management and senior leadership positions, where one individual can have a strong impact on the whole organization.

PreVisor's 2007 Business Outcomes Report showed senior leaders who scored high on director/senior manager assessment - which assesses both ability and motivation factors - were promoted at a 30 percent faster rate than those who scored poorly.

The Maze of Employment Testing

Employment testing combines the power of science and technology to help organizations make better informed hiring decisions. Professionally developed tests are routinely used during the hiring process to measure candidates' job skills, technical knowledge, learning ability and motivation. The value proposition underlying scientific hiring practices is: Individual performance drives organizational performance.

"It is important to remember that job success almost always depends on several different kinds of performance," said Dr. Charles Handler, founder and president of Rocket-Hire, a consultancy specializing in online screening and assessments. "For example, an employee who is very good at customer service will be of little value if her or she frequently misses work. You can measure these traits by combining assessment tools that predict different types of job performance. For instance, combining a personality test with an ability test can increase the overall predictive ability of your selection system by a significant amount."

Personality Testing: Science or Alchemy?

Personality testing is a decades-old application of behavioral science undergoing a renaissance among both employers and researchers due to improvements in technology and a deeper understanding of its potential value. At its best, personality testing reliably predicts on-the-job performance. At its worst, companies may use poorly researched but well-marketed personality testing tools or use good tools (e.g., designed for team building) for the wrong thing (e.g., hiring). Only by carefully aligning testing programs with hiring needs will employers maximize prediction and ROI.

Scientists have known or suspected for some 30 years there are just five major dimensions of personality, called the Big 5 factors of personality.

a) Openness: Appreciation for creativity, adventure, unusual ideas and variety of experience.

b) Conscientiousness: A tendency to plan rather than be spontaneous, to show self- discipline, caution and to seek achievement.

c) Extraversion: The tendency to seek stimulation and the company of others, energy, positive emotions.

d) Agreeableness: A tendency to be pleasant and accommodating in social situations.

e) Neuroticism: The ongoing tendency to experience negative emotional states.

Within these broad factors, additional characteristics can be tested, such as dependability, a part of conscientiousness, and stress tolerance, a part of neuroticism.

The effective use of personality testing in the hiring process can lead to a workforce that is more motivated, more disciplined and better with customers.

For example, a major high-end retailer needed help hiring managers and staff whose personal motivation was to sell, not steal. Sales locations staffed with associates who scored high on a conscientiousness assessment experienced less shrinkage - almost $50,000 less per year - than other locations. Across the chain's 1,500-plus stores nationwide, this translated into nearly a $78 million difference in annual shrinkage.

"It is important to choose assessment tools that predict the various kinds of performance that are most critical to the job," Dr. Handler said. "As a general rule, it is good to focus on having assessment tools that predict both what candidates 'can do' and what they 'will do.' This usually means having a mix of assessment tools that measure hard skills, such as knowledge and problem-solving ability, as well as soft skills, such as reliability and customer service."

Uncovering the Research

Research clearly indicates personality testing in the hiring process works best and is most predictive when job requirements are well understood and characteristics most valuable to performance are assessed. How do we know which combination of characteristics will be most useful?

In a 2007 "Aha! Report," Dr. Wendell Williams wrote, "There are hosts of personality tests on the market, all claiming to be helpful in making hiring decisions. But before hiring and recruiting professionals commit to using personality tests, they need to understand the difference between causation and correlation. In other words, does a good personality score really indicate good performance?"

Causation means one thing causes another to happen. Throw chalk at the class bully, and you can expect to be punished. The stimulus causes the punishment.

Correlation means two things tend to occur at the same time, but one does not cause the other. Pocket protectors and mathematical ability are correlated or co-related, but having a pocket protector does not cause someone to be a math whiz. This is very important to know when using a personality test to hire someone.

In the real world, this translates into organizations finding people who not only have the necessary skills or abilities to do the job, but who really want to do the job under required conditions. Imagine two equally experienced sales manager candidates - same number of years in the field, same ability to create pricing models or presentations - but one of them scores high in agreeableness, while the other is Attila the Hun. Because of the criticality of people skills in this role, this difference in personalities likely would impact the performance of the sales organization. One manager may motivate the sales team and negotiate successfully with clients, while the other may terrorize everyone into submission or quitting.

If you are looking for the magic formula for hiring success, look to the science of assessment to help uncover the personalities of your future workforce. It will not only give you insight into their motivation, you also will be able to measure the dollar impact of better performance on your company's bottom line.

[About the Author: Ken Lahti Ph.D., is director of client solutions for PreVisor.]

Second lecture of project management

2008-03-14T11:46:00.000+11:00

in the project management lecture. we formed groups for the assessment , I am in group 401. We have a multicultural group 2 Indians, one Chinese, one Thi, one Singaporean. I learnt about the PMBOK . we had a discussion about the various approaches used for project management.
-business led
-method driven
-administrative
-technological
-organizational

e-business models and issues

2008-03-13T22:48:00.003+11:00

Today in the second class of ebusiness models and issues, Mohini introduced us to the different e-business models and then in the seminar we had a discussion about facebook Vs Myspace. We also formed groups for the assignment. I activated the commonwealth bank account , I transferred the travellers cheques to the account.

Queen Victoria Market

2008-03-09T22:07:00.001+11:00

Today I went to queen victoria market, anything can be found there if you search for it. Even the rare of the rarest things can be found there.

The first class of Project Management

2008-03-07T21:00:00.003+11:00

In the workshop we were introduced to the online materials which are available for reference and how to search them through the online library of the RMIT.

In the first Lecture of PM we had a presentation by Trevor of AIPM, he told about the benefits of AIPM and how to become an member. Ian introduced us to the technique of brainstorming. I introduced myself to the person sitting beside me, and got some information about the person.
We discussed about the essential chareteristics of the project
- particular purpose
- limited period
- resources
- has a sponser and stakeholders
- involves uncertianity
We discussed about the differences between IS management and PM.

The first lectures at RMIT

2008-03-06T09:36:00.000+11:00

I attended classes for Globlization and business IT, Project management, e-business models and issues. In EBMI Paul asked me to do and assignment on ICT landscape in india in 2008. In project management we were introduced to the PMBOK and the AIPM. I have a long weekend ahead of me, planning to brush up a few topics before going to classes again.....

reached melbourne on 29/2/2006

2008-02-29T20:52:00.001+11:00

I reached melbourne via sing-perth-melbourne on 29/2/2008

Travelling to b'lore and vizag.....

2008-02-22T14:47:00.001+11:00

Goin' to b'lore today from there I'll go to Vizag and stay with parents before taking off from india. Almost all the packing is done but still I have to buy formal shoes.

7 Decisions that will change our Lives !

2008-02-22T01:03:00.000+11:00

Seven Decisions that will Change Your Life There are at least seven decisions that every manager must potentially make every day. Each of these decisions can make or break a company every day. To achieve management leadership excellence every manager should be ready to make these seven decisions at any time - every minute of the day: 1. No matter how tough the situation, decide, "The buck stops here." Never let your history control your destiny. You are where you are right now in life because of the decisions you've made thus far. The first step is to take responsibility for where you are-mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially-and realize that your thoughts dedicate your circumstances. 2. When considering what to change and what to give in the way of service decide -- "I will seek wisdom." By seeking out wisdom-choosing friends and mentors carefully and becoming a servant to others-you can transform your life experience. 3. No matter how normal or extraordinary the situation may be decide, "I am a person of action." Becoming a person of action-someone who makes decisions and acts on them quickly-will multiply your efforts a hundred fold. With courage and boundless energy, you can transform into an inspiring leader. 4. No matter how people around you are uncertain, even when mutiny is afoot, stand your ground and declare, "I have a decided heart." A wise man once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Knowing this to be true, you can take the first step today. With a decided heart, your course is charted and your destiny is assured.5. No matter how daunting the odds and dismal the situation may be decide, "Today I will choose to be happy." Happiness is a choice. Few people grasp the truth of the physical law that enables one to live happily every day-happiness is not an emotional phantom floating in and out of life, but rather, the end result of certain thoughts and activities, which actually bring about a chemical reaction in the body. 6. No matter what people have done in the past, no matter how horrible the pain may have been inflicted decide, "I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit." The secret to dissipating anger and resentment is through forgiveness-to even those who do not ask for it. By the simple act of granting forgiveness, you release the demons of the past about which you can do nothing and create a new heart, a new beginning. 7. No matter what missed opportunities happen each day decide, "I will persist without exception." The greatest power ever bestowed upon mankind is the power of choice. Choose to persist without exception. Hold fast to your dreams and stay the course, even in the face of exhaustion, rejection, and uncertainty. It's easy to read these decisions. The challenge is in living them daily. A person who positively impacts the world has mastered these simple decisions in everyday life. We each possess this God-given ability.

The Coming Knowledge Drain

2008-02-22T00:53:00.000+11:00

Offering flexibility may help persuade workers to stay on longer, but some firms might have to revamp the way they do business in order to cope with the exodus. By Patrick J. KigerImagine having to deal with this nightmare scenario: One-fifth of the executives, managers and workers with critical skills that your company needs to survive have walked out the door.Unfortunately, that’s the real-life predicament that companies could face as soon as 2008 because of the aging of the baby boom generation, according to Mary Sue Rogers, global leader of IBM Business Consulting Services’ Human Capital Management group."It’s like the Y2K problem," she says. "If you don’t start early enough in preparing for it, you’ll reach a point where no matter how much money you throw at the problem, it won’t be enough."Rogers says that over the next decade, mature companies in the U.S., Europe and Japan will be hit by a double whammy--difficulty in retaining aging workers, and possible shortages of workers in certain key job categories and skill sets. That’s why IBM is unveiling a package of consulting services that will help companies figure out how to cope with the coming crisis.Rogers says there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. Some companies may need to redesign the work culture and/or financial and benefits incentives to lure older employees into staying, while for others the answer will be to recruit replacement workers and train them to fill critical jobs that will become vacant in a few years. For other companies, she says, the answer may be to alter their business strategy to reduce the importance of the jobs held by retiring workers.Dimensions of the dilemma Rogers isn’t the only one predicting a dilemma because of graying boomers. "A lot of companies will be struggling just to sustain, much less improve, their workforce capabilities in the next five to 10 years," says Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab researcher David DeLong, author of the book Lost Knowledge: Confronting the Threat of an Aging Workforce. "They’ll be losing so much talent due to the aging workforce."According to a recent study by the Conference Board, by 2010 about 64 million workers--40 percent of the nation’s workforce--will be poised for retirement, though not all will choose to leave. The number of people ages 35 to 44 in the nation’s workforce actually will decline by 10 percent, while the number of workers 45 to 54 will grow by 21 percent, and the number of 55- to 64-year-olds will grow by 52 percent.DeLong says the crisis will hit some sectors--government agencies, utilities, the oil and gas industry, chemical companies and aerospace--particularly hard. "They’re all dependent upon experienced workers who’ve been in jobs for a long time," he says. And within organizations, the graying wave will hurt some departments and skill categories more than others."You may see a peculiar situation in which companies are laying off employees in one department and struggling to retain them in another," DeLong says.A January 2005 study by Input, an information technology consulting firm in Reston, Virginia, projected that by 2008, 45 percent of the federal government’s information technology workers would be 50 years of age or older, setting up a potentially huge loss of institutional knowledge when those workers eventually retire. In a government increasingly dependent upon computers and the Internet to carry out many of its basic functions, it’s not hard to imagine IT talent losses creating chaos.In the Conference Board study, half of companies surveyed believe that the departing workers will cause "potential knowledge vulnerabilities"--i.e., the loss of crucial experience and skills. But only a third of the companies in the survey had studied their workforce and identified areas where they may lose workers with important knowledge.Worse yet, IBM’s 2005 Global Human Capital Survey, a study of more than 300 companies, found that 60 percent of human resources executives at mature organizations had trouble even identifying what skills and experience were crucial to the company’s mission."If you don’t start early enough in preparing for it, you’ll reach a point where no matter how much money you throw at the problem, it won’t be enough." --Mary Sue Rogers, IBM"Companies’ first response is, ‘Here are my top talents. If they walk out the door, I’m in trouble,’ " Rogers says. "Our brains tend to go in that direction in the knowledge economy. But those may not be the most difficult people to replace. Sometimes, the vulnerability is in a job that’s hard and not very glamorous, where young talent isn’t attracted to it."In the oil industry, for example, think of guys working out on oil rigs, maintenance guys. It’s not a particularly enjoyable environment to work in, and you may have to be out there for six months at a time, away from your family. That’s where the maturing population will hit first. If oil companies don’t think about how to make it a more attractive job or to retain those guys longer, they’re going to have valuable knowledge walk out the door."No uniform solution In helping companies cope with the gray wave, Rogers can call upon an IBM team that includes not only conventional business consultants but social scientists and cultural anthropologists as well. The first step, she explains, is intensive number crunching, with IBM utilizing its own sophisticated analytical software to look more closely at the data that a company already has collected. Sometimes the picture that emerges is a daunting one."We have one client in a mature industry where the effects of the aging workforce will be prevalent sooner," Rogers says. "They already knew that 15 percent of their workforce would leave in 2008. Ten to 15 percent attrition is something most organizations can deal with, so they weren’t worried. Once we started looking at their data, we discovered that throughout most of the company, they actually were only losing 10 percent."But there was one critical area of the company where they were going to lose 30 percent of a key competency, one that was of make-or-break importance in terms of their business."In many cases, Rogers says, the best solution for a company is to entice aging workers to remain on the job, rather than retiring. That might not be as difficult as it once was. A 2005 study by the Harvard School of Public Health and the MetLife Foundation found that the trend toward earlier and earlier retirement peaked in the mid-1980s, and that many workers are staying on the job longer, often out of financial necessity.Slightly more than half of older employees surveyed by the Conference Board said they were not planning to retire as soon as they became eligible because they found their jobs interesting.Rogers says that companies can alter their work culture to make jobs more attractive to potential retirees. Again, one size doesn’t necessarily fit all. "If my desire is to retire so I can play more golf," Rogers says, "you need to redesign the job so I can do that while I’m still working."Flexible working hours and telecommuting are two options that companies can use to that end. In addition, the working environment itself can be redesigned to make it more ergonomically comfortable for older workers, through the use of easier-to-read computer fonts and other tools.For other companies, the best answer may be to groom new talent to replace retiring workers. As IBM’s Global Human Capital Survey discovered, companies in the U.S. and Canada tend to do little succession planning beyond their top executives."Companies need to develop extended supply chains of people," she says. "You have to create a pool that you can train and develop so that they’re ready to move up three years from now." That planning should be accompanied by an effort to capture and pass along the soon-to-be departing workers’ knowledge, through mentoring programs or better documentation.In other instances, the best way to cope with a graying workforce may be to alter the corporate business strategy and reduce the importance of the positions and skills of retiring workers. Some companies may decide to outsource the jobs or revamp their way of doing business.Rogers cites the example of an IBM client, a European postal delivery service. "About 80 percent of their delivery people will retire in the next five years," she says. "Do they really want to hire more delivery people to take their place? Or do they want to transform themselves, and come up with a better way to deliver the mail?"

eMail Dynamics @ Work

2008-02-20T19:14:00.000+11:00

eMail Dynamics @ WorkSaurabh N. SaklaniOnly three things seem certain in the lives of executives—death, taxes, and e-mails. Yes, e-mail is a recent addition in the exalted list of life's certainties thanks to its enormous prominence in our lives today. We often take its use for granted, which is where many of us may be missing a trick or two. Effective e-mailing is a powerful skill and needs a high level of fine-tuning. Unlike a conversation, in this case the reader relies only on your choice of words, format, timing and flow (and even smiley faces) to understand the theme, signal and sense that you want to communicate. Needless to say, this creates a lot of room for misinterpretation, mistakes or miscommunication. Te growing volume of e-mails that we juggle in our lives dictates that we spend some time figuring out the art and science behind a successful system of handling e-mails. The more gifted among us can (and perhaps already do) use e-mail as an art form by sometimes using the written word better than even the spoken word to communicate, motivate and inform. Many of them add an unprecedented level of efficiency to their communication process by acquiring expertise in email mechanics (such as ease in composing and replying); management (ease of storage, collaboration and sharing ideas with groups); and value addition (the ability to offer well formatted documents as attachments to the e-mail). Fortunately, e-mailing can be learnt and mastered in no time and mostly requires only minor tweaking in our personal style to raise effectiveness.Following are some simple elements to watch out for when assessing and enhancing your effectiveness as a prodigious e-mailer: 1. Speed Need not Compromise Quality:No doubt that J versus “I am joking” may often be a fun time saving tactic with friends, but substituting “ ur ” for “your” and more sinfully for “you're” is unforgivable, particularly in more formal e-mails at work. Composers (yes, we all are!) of e-mail need to understand which keyboard minimising battles they want to win and which ones they'd rather not fight. The litmus test for acceptable e-mail lingo is whether it makes or mars the flow and format of the content and emotion that is being communicated. Pay attention to how important the e-mail is: is it formal or informal; is it addressed to new employees or board members; is it being sent to your customer or your boss? That determination alone will dictate the level of flexibility you have in choosing your words (or lack thereof). Also off-putting is the lack of attention paid to the ‘ subject ' field. We must understand that it is there for a reason. Seeing an array of ‘Fwd: Fwd: Fwd:' is unnerving as is reading ‘Re: Re: Re:' while barely glimpsing the rest of the subject (which, by the way, may have ceased to be the subject of that particular e-mail anyways) in the limited prime real estate on your monitor. Use the ‘subject' line with some thought as it also helps your readers assess the importance and category of that e-mail in their already stressful lives. Remember, “Lunch at 2pm?” in the subject line is more effective than sending a “Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: How Cows lost their horns” message embedding the actual content below reams and reams of addresses of friends in an e-mail. Pay attention to the ‘subject' line and change it based on the content you wish to share.Finally, other simple actions such as running spell-check , using short sentences , and removing irrelevant threads (attached below the email) are little things that have a big impact on improving the quality of your e-mail. All these requirements hardly take any time and are well worth the attention.2. Enhance Readability with Flow and Format:Despite various technological breakthroughs and the very nature of our new and competitive world, some pure old fashioned values still hold sway. Sir Winston Churchill once famously remarked “the length of this document defends it well against the risk of its being read.” To a that fate and keeping other potential pitfalls in mind, important e-mail messages at work may be assessed around “3 Principles of Readability” (adapted from What Teens Need But Can't Quite Say , Saurabh Saklani, Rupa Books 2005):(i) Simplicity: Effective e-mails explore and focus on a few key points and remain concise and sharp. If your e-mail starts resembling passages from Hamlet then it is a good sign that a phone call or a meeting may be more appropriate to handle that particular subject matter. One important thing to note is that the more complex an e-mail, the more room for doubt and misunderstanding. (ii) Actionability: Effective e-mails use supporting documents that are concise, easy to read and can accept collaboration features such as adding comments and sending RSVP to attend meetings in a seamless way. They also contain links to only those relevant resources on the web that actually work! (iii) Interactivity: Effective e-mails encourage readers to respond with questions. Also, they utilise easily available work-flow software to make collaborating with colleagues easy and efficient. For example, features such as automatic reminders for meetings and ongoing updates on the progress of a project are some such features of work-flow software that foster interactivity.The following tips on e-mail etiquette suggests some fairly intuitive ways to maintain a higher level of readability ( 8 e-mail mistakes that make you look bad , Kim Komando Microsoft.com, July 2006)“After facing this tidal wave of electronic words for several years, as well as owning my own business, I've developed some strong opinions about e-mail and correspondents. Here are some easily a able mistakes you should know about to keep your image and inbox in tip-top shape:• Don't write when you're angry. Wait 24 hours. Calm down. Be reasonable. Have someone else edit your e-mail. • Don't use sarcasm. You may think you're clever, but the recipient will be put off. • DON'T USE ALL UPPERCASE! That's the e-mail equivalent of yelling. Your recipient won't be appreciative. Go easy on the exclamation marks, too. Overuse dulls their effectiveness. • Unless the recipient has previously agreed, don't forward poems, jokes, virus warnings and other things. You're just wasting valuable time and bandwidth.”3. Just One Final Look:There are a few non-life threatening yet a able errors we are guilty of carrying in our e-mails from time to time. The good news is that all of them are redeemable with a simple to follow rule—take one final look at your message before sending it to the recipient(s).The above thumb rule will allow you to a things like forgetting to attach the file that you have promised and referred to in your message; sending the e-mail to unwanted recipients by making the cardinal sin of clicking ‘ reply-to-all' ; and forwarding an e-mail with embedded content you do not wish to share (often causing undue embarrassment or heartache to three entities, namely you the sender, the receiver, and the object of your mutual affection or contempt!).And make sure that you are not sending viruses to others—a sure shot way to lose friends and offend colleagues. An internet aficionado rightly remarked that “in God we trust, all others we virus scan.”--------The author is the founder of Good Knowledge Consultants that specialises in entrepreneurship, leadership and organisational development. Prior to receiving an MBA from INSEAD, he founded a software consulting company in Silicon Valley and also helped implement a successful mentoring programme for young entrepreneurs at The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). He is the author of 'What Teens Need But Can't Quite Say' (Rupa). Saurabh plays competitive squash and enjoys golf and yoga.

Success is all in a Days Work !

2008-02-20T19:13:00.000+11:00

Hello Everyone,I was browsing the net and found this article very relevant. Do successful people take rest at all ? The answer is rarely. It is the people who relentlessly keep doing what they like - makes them more successful.For instance this is no doubt a great end to the year, but do you think we should be wasting 8-10 days doing nothing but partying ?? Think again.Excerpts from the article - Success Is All in a Day’s Workby Ben SteinA Wasted WeekendAnyway, I don't want to talk about stocks right now. For most of us, our primary source of income is our own livelihood. I think I have something more useful to say about that.Today, a Sunday, I had a long phone conversation with a young man who lives in Washington, D.C., my ancestral home. He's 30 years old and a highly talented writer. He aspires to be famous, although right now he's a humble writer for as newsletter about environmental protection legal issues. He calls me many times each day and tells me how eager he is to be famous and much better-paid.When this man, whom I'll call Chuck, called me on my car phone, I asked him what he'd done with his weekend. "I played tennis," he said. "Then I swam, then I hung out at a bar in Georgetown. That was on Saturday. Today, I played tennis and swam, then watched the football game, and now I'm about to go to a movie."He asked me what I did with my weekend. "Well, you're 30 and I'm 62," I replied. "So on Saturday I researched some issues about hedge funds. Then I studied the performance of some of my investments. Then, today, I worked very hard on a research paper on basic economic issues of hedge funds, and then I did some investigation into the performance of defunct auto parts companies.""Wow, he said. "I wish I could have done that."The Truth HurtsBy then I was out of patience. "Look," I said, "you want to be a writer. No one knows who you are now outside a tiny circle. But you're a good writer. Why don't you write a short freelance article every day? Just on whatever comes into your mind. Then try to get them published. Throw them against the wall. If one in three gets published, in a year you'll be really well-known and in five years you'll be a household name.""But I don't have that many ideas," he said."Well, beginning writers are required to have an unlimited stock of ideas. So either get the ideas or get out of the business.""I don't want to just write garbage," he said."Then don't write garbage.""I don't want to just have frivolous articles," Chuck added.I paused a while and broke the news to him. "You're not really cut out for fame and success You're making excuses instead of working. You're hanging out at bars instead of writing."I continued, "The people who make it in this field work all of the time. They work weekends. They work nights. They work holidays. They're hungry and they work like demons.""You don't like me," Chuck said. "I don't feel well. I have to go now."Effort Equals SuccessHe hung up, but as I drove along, I had a sudden realization. I know a lot of really successful people -- in finance, in government, in politics, in Hollywood, in journalism, in literature.Their common denominator is a modicum of talent and a capacity and an eagerness -- not just a willingness, but an eagerness -- to work like Trojans to get ahead. I don't know of one really successful, famous man or woman who didn't work insanely hard to get there and to stay there. (I don't count heirs and heiresses as successful.)Please don't get me wrong. Fame and money don't guarantee happiness. It's perfectly possible to be famous and unhappy, just as it's perfectly possible to be happy and obscure. Most of all, I assure you that while money is fabulous stuff, it by no means assures happiness or peace of mind.But for those who want to be rich and famous (or rich or famous), there's no way to do it without daily, unremitting work. It's best if the seeker loves his work so much that he or she doesn't even consider it a burden, but rather a joyful, fulfilling, highly organizing principle of life.As for little old me, who makes no claims to anything like being a great example, I would go crazy in about a week without having work to do. I would have little sense of worth or even of who I was without work.Get to Work (Tomorrow)If you feel differently and get your sense of joy or purpose from going to movies or playing pool and hoisting a few beers with your pals, more power to you. But don't expect to be famous or rich.There's nothing wrong with seeing your life as something divorced from your work. There's not a thing amiss in not caring if you ever get to be in the headlines or on TV. But if that's what you desire, you have to get to work.Don't make excuses. Don't shirk. Just get to work and stay there until it's not work any more, but your life. That's success in and of itself.Today, however, I give you my happy permission to avoid your work. In fact, your work today is to love the people close to you, and then to go to bed with a smile on your face.Then, tomorrow, get up and go to work. Fate will accept no substitutes.

2008-02-18T07:56:00.002+11:00

Jenn introduced me to Claire and Jenna, these blokes are going to be my housemates in Melbourne. I am looking to do a bit of travelling before I leave India........:-)

2008-02-15T23:43:00.002+11:00

Almost finished the shopping .... have to confirm the dates of flight.... Blocked the tickets using two agents (Thomas Cook and CRM Swarnas). Looking to board on 28th, before that I'll go to B'lore and then to Vizag.

2008-02-13T22:29:00.001+11:00

I Got my visa approved today , So today I will go to spencers and check out some shoes and do other shopping. I have not yet deceided the date on which to fly.

2008-01-13T00:29:00.000+11:00

today I informed all my colleagues that I was moving to Australia so I have to resign the job.

Replacement

2008-01-10T02:22:00.000+11:00

Today I called the person who will be a replacement for me. He will be available only after 4 Pm so will call him tomorrow and fix an Interview with him.

Came back from Mysore....

2008-01-07T18:27:00.000+11:00

We came back from Mysore after two complete days of fun and frolic at 8:30 AM . I enjoyed the trip a lot, It was very well planned and executed with perfection. I directly came to office as I had parked my Motorbike in the office. Guna asked me to search for a replacement for me as I was not going to be around in Celestix for long.

Trip to Mysore....

2008-01-04T06:25:00.000+11:00

Today we are going to Mysore for a leisure trip (office). I will pack and take the luggage to the office and then from the office I will catch a train and go to the station from where I can get the train. I will enjoy the trip a lot.......

Moving On......

2008-01-03T00:52:00.000+11:00

Put the resignation papers and moving on.... to Australia. Will be in the company till the new person joins.

2007-07-21T14:00:00.000+10:00

One of my seniors in MBA is starting a new comapny in Vizag and has asked me to join along with him as an technical head, I told that right now I am not in a position to join him.

July 4th

2007-07-08T04:05:00.000+10:00

Enjoyed the day as if it is the best day in my life.... hopefull that better things that will be coming in my life.

New website

2007-06-21T00:53:00.000+10:00

today I found a very good website from where we can download various study materials. The site is www.knowfree.net. Surf the site and enjoy...................

Training

2007-06-15T19:31:00.000+10:00

Our CEO just came back from his trip to Singapore, he said that we would be going to singapore next month for training on professional services and technical.

celestix

2007-06-07T17:38:00.000+10:00

setteling in the new company...... now planning to upgrade to MCSE 2003 and be proficient at ISA server.

2007-04-06T16:47:00.000+10:00

Today my roommate told that his parents are coming, 7 people are coming to the house so I will have to vacate the house. I told him that I will vacate the house on 8th of this month.

changing ground

2007-04-03T21:13:00.000+10:00

I am going to change the place where I live , I have to move before april 14.

Handy videos to learn linux

2007-03-15T01:12:00.000+11:00

[Cd 1] http://rapidshare.com/files/18217253/CBT_Nuggets_-_Linux_Basic_Introductory_Level_Linux_Video_Training_CD1.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/18222096/CBT_Nuggets_-_Linux_Basic_Introductory_Level_Linux_Video_Training_CD1.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/18212869/CBT_Nuggets_-_Linux_Basic_Introductory_Level_Linux_Video_Training_CD1.part3.rar
[Cd 2] http://rapidshare.com/files/18289716/CBT_Nuggets_-_Linux_Basic_Introductory_Level_Linux_Video_Training_CD2.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/18289411/CBT_Nuggets_-_Linux_Basic_Introductory_Level_Linux_Video_Training_CD2.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/18277840/CBT_Nuggets_-_Linux_Basic_Introductory_Level_Linux_Video_Training_CD2.part3.rar

Windows Vista Official Courseware

2007-03-10T04:14:00.000+11:00

The microsoft official curriculum for windows vista

First link is 5115a : http://www.MegaShare.com/121926
Second link is 5118a: http://www.MegaShare.com/121933

Target ONT

2007-02-09T15:28:00.000+11:00

I am preparing for ONT and hope to write it in april 1st week. ONT has VOIP , QoS and wireless in it.

cleared ICSW

2007-02-03T22:21:00.000+11:00

Today I cleared ICSW , the third paper for CCNP . One more to go that is ONT (i'm preparing for it ) I will write the test anywhare near the end of next month. Soon I'll become a CCNP. 943/1000

Target ICSW (3 Feb)

2007-01-31T22:47:00.000+11:00

I will write the ICSW exam on 3rd of feb, almost completed preperation for it . Everyday I am writing a few tests for the ICSW and hope to score more than 900 in the test.
I'll soon become CCNP.......

for CCIE routing & switching

2007-01-31T01:12:00.000+11:00

Cisco CCIE Certification Package

1)http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SI46GH8M
2)http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RUYQ11GF
3)http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4Y9OF5HJ
4)http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CKFWF188
5)http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZJ7IHHB2
6)http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AIDZZ983
7)http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PSRLM0PK
8)http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PEZBO8GL

PMP (project management professional)

2007-01-26T21:24:00.000+11:00

I downloaded some videos on PMP . I am planning to write the PMP examination but I do not have the requsite experience so I am going to study the videos and understand the concepts and go for the examination after 4-5 years. Till then I hope to acheive CCNP , CCSP and CCIE security. I have completed 2 exams in CCNP and 2 are left.

CCNA aspirants

2007-01-19T04:45:00.000+11:00

Dear CCNA Candidate,
The hardest thing about going after your CCNA is choosing which of the many study guides and practice exams to use. Throw in a "router simulator", an expensive piece of software pretending to be a router, and you're looking at hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.Worse, many of the study guides available today are either incomplete, hard to read, or both! There are study guides that ignore NAT, don't go into hub-and-spoke OSPF configurations, and just touch on other topics - and I can tell you you've got to know the details of these protocols to pass the exam.You also need someone you can trust for a fast answer to your CCNA questions, as well as someone to show you the right way to study for the exam and to give a little encouragement when you need it! (And we all need a little encouragement from time to time!)As a CCIE, I know what it takes to pass Cisco exams. I know the amount of detail you've got to know to pass this difficult exam - and I know that most of the study guides, practice exams, and "router simulators" don't give you the information you need to pass the exam.Now there is a single CCNA Study Package that gives you everything you need to pass the exam with one purchase!Just A Few Of The Benefits You Get With My Ultimate Study Package:* You no longer have to worry about incomplete, hard-to-read, or out-of-date study guides.* You save hundreds of dollars, since you don't have to buy overpriced router simulators and one practice exam after another.* You save valuable time looking for the best study guides, the best practice exam, etc. - everything you need to pass is right here, waiting for you !You’re going to save time, money, AND pass the CCNA exam! You’ll learn to avoid the mistakes and disastrous situations that exam candidates find themselves in when they work with incomplete and incomprehensible study guides and practice exams.The Secrets To Passing The CCNA ExamI'm about to tell you exactly what you need to know to pass the CCNA. Ready ?You must....* Be aware of the many details of routing and switching with Cisco devices that most study guides leave out - details you must know to earn your CCNA.* Master binary math and subnetting by using the same method that has allowed thousands of exam candidates around the world to earn their certification. No tricks, no charts - you'll know how to solve Cisco's subnetting questions.* Gain important knowledge of exam topics by working with real Cisco routers and switches, along with my Ultimate CCNA Lab Workbook that will walk you through every protocol and service you'll see on the exam.* Use a practice exam that truly tests your readiness for the exam, and that gives you valuable exam tips and points out important details and common misconceptions that can cause you to fail the exam.* Work with special reports written especially for you that have the potential to add 200+ points to your test score.* Receive personal mentoring for your CCNA studies from a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert. If you have a question about a CCNA topic, or just need a little encouragement, you've got to have someone to help you out.. and now that help is here! This includes access to a private Q&A forum where you can post questions and have them answered by the author!This combination of clearly-explained theory, hands-on practice, special reports packed with vital test details, access to a CCIE to answer your questions, and an original 550-question practice exam was impossible to put together, and it would cost you hundreds of dollars to even try.Until today. You can now get all of that easily, for one low price, in The Ultimate CCNA Study Package.I have created the Ultimate CCNA Study Package just for you!. You no longer have to overspend and take chances with your exam and your career.The Ultimate Study Package won't empty your wallet, but it will prepare you for the CCNA exam from every angle - study guides, special reports, hands-on experience, my exclusive practice exam, and more.

http://rapidshare.de/files/23726907/baucsp.rar
Password: baucsp

ICSW (target 26 jan 2006)

2007-01-18T13:49:00.000+11:00

CBT NUGGETS ISCW 642-825
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=19AS025N

PASS4SURE 642-845 v.2.73 / PASS4SURE 642-845 v.2.73 / PASS4SURE 642-901 v.2.73
http://rapidshare.com/files/7320150/Pass4sure_642-825_845_901.rar.html

TESTKING 642-825 ISCW v.2.0
http://rapidshare.com/files/9701506/Testking_Cisco_642-825_ISCW.pdf.html

NEW CCNP PPT SLIDES
http://rapidshare.com/files/9904729/BCMSN30PPTs.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/9909492/BSCI30PPTs.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/9911654/ISCW10_PPT.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/9914487/ONT10_PPTs.rar

Qos

2007-01-18T13:48:00.000+11:00

Global Knowledge Cisco Qos Plus V2005
http://rapidshare.de/files/34817837/cqbor.rar

Cbt Nuggets Cisco Ccvp 642-642 Qos
http://rapidshare.de/files/35055145/cqnbfo.rar

CCIE certification Videos

2007-01-18T13:42:00.000+11:00

Cbt Nuggets Ccie Certification Package With Ipv6 http://rapidshare.com/files/6391949/cl.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/6395321/cl.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/6401969/cl.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/6403402/cl.part4.rar

http://rapidshare.de/files/32010832/cl.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.de/files/32009531/cl.part2.rar

VOIP not working (h.323)

2007-01-18T13:36:00.000+11:00

Surya 1/17/2007
issue : H.323 (voip ) traffic is not passed
steps: - https://*.*.*.*:8080 admin: password
- The cust says all traffic is passing but H.323 (VOIP) traffic is not passing.
- took the remote access of the router
- told that that new firmware will be sent to him .
- sent the email to him
- will call back to know the status

vpn from a gateway - gateway

2007-01-17T11:49:00.000+11:00

Surya 1/17/2007

issue: cannot connect box to box

Network info: box to box from Fvs114 to Fvg318

steps: - https://*.*.*.* admin: password Fvg318
- http://*.*.*.*:8080 admin: password
- tried to log into the fvg318 some computer is managing the device
- reboot the computer and the router
- created the policies
- connected the vpn
- able to ping the remote end
- vpn connection successfull

VOIP phones

2007-01-17T11:41:00.000+11:00

Today I spoke with a director of an IT company he was having trouble with his VOIP phones which were disconnecting every 10 minutes. The Phones were connected to a netgear FVS124G (firewall router with 4 gigabit ports and lot of good features like loadbalancing , two wan ports, customizable port speed, NAT, IPsec VPN etc) router. For product details log in to http://www.netgear.com/I logged into the routers CLI (took the remote deskto i.e he was on a differnt desktop with a different session to the CLI and also I had a session to the CLI) we reset the default tcptimervalue to 1800 sec and I told him to mail us back with the feedback of what were the results he told that he would mail the feed back.It was very difficult to operate in the CLI as we did not know the commands , but together we "shot an arrow in the dark and it hit the bulls eye " and we were able to reset the tcp timers.This whole experience was very satisfing.

Jan 16
Called back the cust to find out weather the issue has been resolved and the cust told that the issue had been resolved. So closing the case.