Loud Thinking

Archive for November, 2013

Dulla Bhatti show commences.

Umar Akmal is very selfish. He only plays for himself.

Looking for a New Leader? Share Your Company’s Story

Companies make products and provide services, but they also make meaning. A company’s story or narrative allows customers to apply that meaning to their own lives, which encourages loyalty. Preserving this core narrative should be your company’s first priority if senior leadership changes. Take time to unearth and understand the authentic story that drove the company to its current success. When looking for a replacement, credentials count, but you need someone who also understands the power of your history. How do prospective candidates respond to your organization’s narrative? Ask what first actions a prospective leader would take to support the company’s story. By recruiting a leader who is truly committed to advancing your company’s core narrative, your organization will set itself up for an easier transition and greater future success.

Adapted by HBR from “If Your Leader Departs, Preserve the Company’s Story First,” by Ty Montague.

Now in Pakistan both the PM and the COAS are SHARIF.

Why me..!

When a legendry Wimbledon tennis player named Arthur, was dying of AIDS, which he got due to infected blood, he received during a heart surgery, was asked why God choose you for such a bad disease?
Arthur replied:
Over 50 million children start playing tennis,
5 million learn to play tennis,
half million learn professional tennis,
50 thousand come to the circuit,
5 thousand reach the grand slam,
50 reach Wimbledon,
4 to semi finals,
2 to final,
only 1 wins,
I was that only ONE.
When I was holding the cup,
I never asked God:
“Why Me?”

“Work for a cause, not for applause. Live your life to express, not to impress, don’t strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt.”

— Author Unknown

“I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love.”

Mother Teresa (1910-1997);
founder of the Missionaries of Charity

Identify Your 3 Most Important Job Tasks

Passion and skills alone aren’t enough to ensure success, but periodically analyzing the key success factors of your job can help you excel. To get up to speed, start by addressing the top tasks that are most vital to your career success. Ask yourself: If you were starting the job now, what would be the three tasks most critical to superb performance? Then assess how your current skills align with those requirements. What training or skills development do you need? Focus on a plan to update your skills and spend at least 70% of your time on these responsibilities. To keep your three key tasks in focus, write them out and look at your list before agreeing to other demands on your time. Going forward, reassess your key tasks on a regular basis and update your list.

Adapted by HBR from What You’re Really Meant to Do, by Robert Steven Kaplan.

“We are not given a good life or a bad life. We are given life. And it’s up to you to make it good or bad.”

— Ward Foley

The Bonus Employees Really Want

Does giving employees extra money to spend on whatever they choose make for a happy workplace? Surprisingly, individual financial rewards can be detrimental to morale; jealousy and competition can arise, damaging team dynamics. Consider switching to a more altruistic program, in which you provide employees the same bonuses with one caveat: A portion must be spent on “prosocial” contributions that benefit others, like charities. At a company which gave employees charity vouchers, and encouraged them to contribute to a cause of their choice, people reported being more satisfied with their jobs and happier overall. Another organization asked employees to spend on each other: Some teams indulged in chocolate or wine; one team bought a piñata, which they gladly bashed together. Prosocial bonuses resulted in gifts that increased shared experiences—and teams that received them performed better than teams that received money to spend only on themselves.

Adapted by HBR from “The Bonus Employees Really Want, Even If They Don’t Know It Yet,” by Lalin Anik and Jordi Quoidbach.