Push Boundaries, legally, ethically

We are bound by rules/regulations, norms (explicit or otherwise) and other external boundaries in all activities we undertake. In sensitive areas like defense, government, banking, security, etc., it is very important to stick to the same, in letter & spirit. 

Very often we try to restrict ourselves to the comfort zone, citing the rules. We rarely pause to think or question or challenge, the right way. We don't realize we are conveniently operating within the 'constraints', thus depriving ourselves to test barriers/ourselves and experience 'aha' or 'freedom'. Often these are self-imposed!!

As such, wherever it is allowed/possible/not violating/low risk, we should break barrier and test ourselves outside the boundary ('lakshman rekha'). 

Others may not understand. That is no excuse for pushing ourselves.

The other side of the boundary could be big opportunity and freedom from fear. It is thus an opportunity and responsibility... to realize the fuller potential within ourselves...

Ten ways coaching can help your organization

Glad to share this article on 'How Coaching can help your organization'.  
Goal Alignment - In a typical top-down business approach, lack of goal clarity can hamper the achievement. Often, the numbers are achieved, but not the ideal way ( 'The path or the process is as important as reaching the goal'). If we are able to create the passion, 'enchantment' guaranteed for the employees and thus, customers and all stakeholders.

The moment the team, at all levels, is passionate about the goal and the process, creativity and innovation is a natural phenomenon. And, innovation need not be a big one, but an incremental improvement may be as valuable for achieving the goal, with 'enchantment'.

Today many of us blame our organisations for lack of work-life balance. But coaching gives a holistic perspective to life and the employees will see the need for balance in a new light & more importantly, start taking responsibility for same.

A natural boost to productivity and effectiveness: Acc to ICF  Study "70% of clients reported a positive improvement in work performance".

Regal Unlimited :  'The RoI of Enchantment"

Courtesy:
ICF - Ten Ways Coaching Can Help Your Organization

What makes a good bank? | Guardian Sustainable Business | Guardian Professional

This interesting write up starts off... "After all that has happened over the past few years......". I would say, 'still very much happening', sadly.  

While symptoms appear in different 'formats', at the core of it all, the problems remain. The latest blatant violation on AML-front is one such symptoms.  

Too much focus on something less important, such as bonus cap, is a good example how a typical 'scratching' on the surface is the natural reaction.

• It is wrong to say working extra-long hours is linked to bonus.  Working smartly can still enable a banker to reach levels they call 'exceeding expectations' on his/her score card, which is anyways ridiculed as totally 'un'balanced and subjective. 
• Working late: The health cost and the intangible impact on community is beyond our wildest dreams. It is sad though banks have strict working hours for their customers, they are not so strict when it comes to their own 'working hours' !
• The author goes on to remind us (esp bankers/ex-bankers and others related to 'manage' banks, such as regulatory/govt/admin/audit,etc), it is 'one of most loathed & least trusted professions'. One of the pillars on which a banking institution stood, used to be TRUST!  

A 'boring bank' may not be a good bank, as we observed recently, in the AML controversy. One of the banks, known for its consistent  quarter-on-quarter performance over  decade, has been termed as 'boringly predictably'. But their name came up in AML too.

• Sustainable banks exist, says author. Do we really have ? 

'Can bankers be sustainability leaders of the future?' asks the author...

• At the macro level, all talk about financial inclusion. But at the ground level the focus is on something else, quarterly performance to risk management, with financial inclusion looked at as more of a compliance requirement.

Banks and regulators need to look at ways and means to instil sustainability as one of the core-values at all levels. Not impossible, but not easy...  

That would be holistic banking or karma yoga in Banking. 

What makes a good bank? | Guardian Sustainable Business | Guardian Professional

Confessions of a Bank Customer

I am 'fortunate' to be client of two of the leading pvt banks in India.
"Why not just one", you may ask- good question !
"Neither of these two big brands are able to give me minimum service expected"

I am their cross-sell customer too - Xsell Victim, would be more appropriate!
Over the last few months I have shifted my home and status. But these folks find it difficult to handle a gypsy!!

I just wrote a mail to one of their group 'securities' company (all pretensions of their ALM securities have failed, as per the recent reports! They failed, as it was just pretension !)

I got this reply from them.
-----------------
Dear Investor,
Thank you very much for writing to us .
This is an auto-response by the Client Services Team just to let you know
that we are in receipt of your e-mail on the captioned subject. It will be
our best endeavour to revert to you in the earliest possible time. For
standard queries / requirements like statement of account etc, we would
respond within 2 business days, or certainly earlier, where possible.
Should you need to contact any of our Investor Service Centres (ISCs), you
may get in touch with us between 9.30 a.m. and  5.30 p.m., Monday through
Friday on all business days, and we shall be glad to assist. Our contact
numbers are: #### (Toll-free) or  ### (Do not prefix STD code)
Assuring you of our best services.
Sincerely,
--------------
In the first place, why an automatic reply at all. At best it can be a one-liner acknowledging receipt. Or, just fix it and write back. Something a more customer-friendly company such as Amazon does. ( numbers changed to ####)

Miles to go.... for customer enchantment

Honey Bees - RIP

Back from a refreshing short break.

It is great to just step out of the urban jungle and be closer to nature.  Increasingly tempted to get-away from P-T-P's, pollution (all kinds, incl noise), trash & plastic !! But then there is no escape from P-T-P's, anywhere in India.
Maha Sivaratri night was also noisy, instead of silent contemplation of Lord. A group was playing volleyball during night, to stay awake ! It was surely better than playing cards, and gossiping. But, we are a bit low on empathy when it comes to the impact of noise pollution we create and its impact on people and animals/birds around.

Mom showed with joy formation of a honey-bee-comb on our balcony. The last time, a huge one, was taken off during our absence - for a few ML of honey? If as the residents we had no problem to co-existence with the bees, what problem should others have ?!

Resumed my morning walks, 'break-ke-baad'!
But was shocked to find many honey-bees lying dead in our complex. Few were fighting death. Perhaps the impact of efforts to keep the area mosquito-free. It seem to be killing more honey-bees, rather than mosquitoes. A toddler, waiting for school bus with his mom, was surprised.
Wonder, what lessons we are imparting to the kids? It is one matter to kill mosquitoes and other harmful insects (prevention still better), but something else to kill harmless honey-bees, so critical to our environment.

Pls check out why they are important:

1. http://www.organic-food-for-everyone.com/missing-bees.html
2. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071005142530AAIabeh

Master's Voice : WHO AM I?

The greatest defect today is the absence of Self-Inquiry (Aathma Vichara), which is the root cause of all restlessness. If you are eager to know the truth about yourself, then you will never go astray. All pots are made of mud, all ornaments of gold, and all clothes are of yarn. Here, even though you see so much diversity, there is a unity. The basic substance of everyone is the Supreme Self (Brahman). It is your basis too!

Sports Coach Vs Life Coach

Came across this interesting news item, though I must admit the first reaction was, 'a mild shock'.

Two reasons,

• 'They were axed for failing to obey team management orders'. That is not even like 'corporate', though quite possible with few bosses, but more like armed services."...for failing to make a presentation on how to improve their personal as well as the team's performance", on three areas - 'technical, mental & team'
• Shane Watson is one of the best players and is capable of arresting the slide of his team over the last few weeks in India. (down 0-2 in test series)

My first thought was, "a presentation" !! Imagine asking Sehwag, Bajji or Sachin Tendulkar to make a presentation on these lines. Whenever I made power point presentations at work, I used to think how lucky these players, musicians, artists were, they don't need to make PPT's !!
( Greg Chappel, who was Indian coach during Saurav Ganguly's time, looks saintly!)

Jokes apart, I find the whole things typical corporate 'knee-jerk reaction' to a crisis. How many times we would have seen/done that in our job-situations. Of course, at times, outside work too. True leadership is when we handle such crisis situations and come out with minimum damage. The focus should be on process and Australians are the best-equipped when it comes to their systems & processes.

Most importantly, a life coach ( executive or transformational coah) would have handled this very differently. Also he would trust his process.  Though the professional coaching practice borrows best practices and theories from diverse disciplines such as sports, psychology to spirituality, we would not borrow something like this, for sure!

For the details, check out:
India vs Australia: Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja, others axed from team - Indian Express

Banker to Car Mechanic

Met a former banker. 

• It is great to meet 'former' bankers :) I feel very connected with them.
• Glad to note there are many more like me who left bank-jobs .... to pursue dreams!
• Though my 'dream' was centered around "making a difference to the lives of people", he chose a more realistic dream to "make a difference to cars". 
• Now for us, passionate car-lovers, our own cars are like our own children.( attachment?!)
• While we all prefer to head to our authorised dealers for the regular check up and servicing, he takes care of the car,  externally. Not just cosmetic, but protection, from our heat, dust, rains, et al. 
• Great vision and intense passion...He has best of products at his workshop. (The prices just went up, thanks to the Union Budget!)
• Wish we could get similar confidence at authorised car-dealers & their own workshops. 
• I will also know if my car-cleaner has been using the special-cloth I had provided him for cleaning.(low of trust !)
• I had no qualms about leaving my 'baby' with his team. (The other 'baby', pet-dog, was groomed yesterday at the vet! The car badly needed a cleaning, not only external, but also internal!)
• I am no car expert, he would have easily observed. He took pains to share the nuances of car-care he provides. 
• He even dropped me back, in his well-maintained, car. (#Customer Delight - when people go the extra mile)

We need such entrepreneurs in India. Who offer great quality, excellent customer service, knowledgeable and very passionate.  Customer Delight Guaranteed!

PS: I would still stick to my original proposition, "to make difference to people's lives" thru Transformational Coaching !

Your Elevator Pitch Stinks. Here's How to Fix It | Inc.com

Some valuable insights:

• An elevator speech is a pre-planned 30-second-to-two-minute response to the question "so what do you do?"
• Cliff Suttle, author of The Anti-Elevator Speech (someone has actually written a book on ele. pitch?!) 
• What is the objective?"The goal of networking is not to gather sales leads, but to start business relationships and that begins with a conversation, not a sales pitch," says Suttle. 
• will have people clamoring to speak with you - Wow, that is the dream-level !

Four tips : 

1. Hook: a short statement, designed to usurp their attention - even a bit 'confusing' ok ! 
2. Silence : Silence is the ultimate tool - the pause! Just wait for the person to get curious/confused and seek clarification - 'hook is useless without the silence thereafter' 
3. Reel them in : slowly, keep the suspense 
4. Serve, Don't sell: We should never, ever sell... only 'serve' . 
   

Inspired by :
Your Elevator Pitch Stinks. Here's How to Fix It | Inc.com

Use Questions to Build Your Case - Management Tip of the Day - March 01, 2013 - Harvard Business Review

Got this gem y'day:

'Powerful Questions & Active Listening are like Yin & Yang of coaching practice'

The key is to handle questions with care! Open/Closed, Challenging/non-challenging are the options. But never to make a coachee go on the defensive.

'Powerful' at a holistic level...non-judgemental, compassionate, empathetic.

Use Questions to Build Your Case - Management Tip of the Day - March 01, 2013 - Harvard Business Review

What have we done to our environment ?

Tried a new 'route', outside the concrete area within our compound, for a morning walk. Had heard about this stretch from others, hence had planned to try...

Just 'five minutes' away (here we measure distance based on commuting time!), civilisation ends! Till then, it was a combination of habitation and potential habitation, with a few complexes under construction. The construction workers indeed start the day very early... Along the short stretch, there was garbage, and lot of plastics. Some trash were burnt off, again not a healthy way to dispose plastic & garbage. We need to urgently #Deplastify our environment. We should have a rule to segregation & safe-disposal of trash. The new rape law should include the environment also. 

Once out of the clutter and pollution, I thought the stretch would be clear, clean & green. Saw a few people already walking. My expectation only went up, as a stretch which is preferred by morning-walkers will be a very 'healthy' environment. But I was shocked to find, pockets of unauthorised garbage disposals, loads of construction waste and massive de-forestation!

Saw two majestic trees. Felt glad there at least few huge, majestic trees, with eagles and other birds. As I moved closer, I saw they were right in the middle of a grave-yard. The grave-yard seem to be greener. The rest of the area were proving to be 'grave yard for the trees & plants'!! Construction debris were littered around the graveyard too! Real estate boom is killing our environment.

As I headed home, Sun rose with all splendor and light. Offered a silent salutation. We were part of a culture which worshipped nature. Now we are doing the opposite to Nature :(

 

I got home, not refreshed from a morning walk. Washed face. Then had quick shower. Did my meditation. But the mind is still agitated.... What have we done to our environment!!

A World Without Work - NYTimes.com and Times of India

  Came across this catchy head-line, even though a long one, with a good accompanying image:'People are dropping out of work & finding ways to live without a permanent job'!

A well-written article. The story is in the American context. But relevant to India too, I felt. There is a trend where more people want to get out of their jobs and start something. The difference is to get out of the comfort zone and be your own boss. One of the key reasons to get out of a stifling corporate life can be the (Big) boss! Pun intended!

  

Recently Axis bank carried an ad where the protagonist evolves from a dedicated corporate resource to a successful entrepreneur. Same is applicable to a PSBank. The “H_AR_I S-A-D-O_O” tvc was very popular.

This is not being perceived as a progress, but ‘apocalyptic in the case of blue collar work and govt dependency is killing the American work ethic’. This is a trend I observe in the Indian context too. Over the last six to seven months, I am yet to come across a customer who is happy with his bank – let alone Customer Delight or Enchantment, we are not even expecting those. This is as chronic in the blue-collar jobs, where it is common to over-commit and under-perform. The gap is in quality of work, deadlines, basic discipline/work ethic. And where the Government programs are a back-up, the work force are a bit more lethargic. Heard some horror stories in Kerala recently, where the blue collar are very happy to work 2 days a week and be ‘blissful’! See similar trends in other parts of country and shared by others.

This is visible in other areas too, where admissions for professional education is through a hefty capitation fee/”other’ considerations, and not on merit, for example. It is not only affecting the work-ethic, but also leading to further slide in #Morality in Society.

‘The right to not have a boss is actually the hardest won of modern freedoms’, I thought was a bit too powerful. I still fully endorse the view the most important reason why people leave jobs are their (big) bosses. The bosses drive the ‘good-to-great’ mantra, not looking at things holistically. Still I was not sure if not to have a boss was actually a huge freedom!!

I was thinking on this, when I got a call from a good friend & former colleague. He spent more of the time sharing the horror at his new job. The case, of organization, culture, processes, etc., can be a good international case study. I tried to pep him up and discussing how to avoid the negativity impact on him. But after the conversation I wondered, more often we lag behind in our man-management skills. There are pockets of excellence/exceptions. But very few of them. Why are they not in majority ?!! It perhaps boils down to leadership.

Good that such issues are written about, but more in foreign press and not in Indian press. (We spent just too much time on unimportant and non-urgent issues and lot of blame rests with media, as well as followers of the media!) These are the issues that will have far-reaching impact. These are the areas corporate can not afford to miss.

A World Without Work - NYTimes.com

Hate valets? Not to worry, help is at hand - The Times of India

Valet parking is the fear of every car-owner, wealthy or not. ( 'Being Wealthy' - is it not just a state of mind? )
I have always felt a bit worried, 'how would he handle my car?', even though on most occasions, he would be a far better driver than me. But then, the worry is reg how would he handle it :)

It is another matter, a fancy-automated parking, may be for the super-rich, who don't want to sign autographs:)

Hate valets? Not to worry, help is at hand - The Times of India