How do you deal with ungrateful people?

Asked by Dr. Earl R. Smith II

Earl,

The great Epic Bhagwat Gita, states, "Do good to people but do not expect results. Do your duty and leave the rest unto God. Do not expect anything in return. That is the theory of Karma". When you expect results, and it is not favorable, then it just hurts you. Moreover, I believe we do something good for other, since we want to do good and not to gain popularity. I can share the beautiful poem by Mother Teresa, which seems to be very apt here:

"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, at it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've anyway.

You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway"

Best Regards,
Sujatha Das

Does anyone know how to lead an icebreaker for a meeting where people make the different rhythmic sounds of a rainstorm?

Asked by Dr. Shaun Jamison

Dr. Shaun,

I have not done this myself anywhere, but remember reading it somewhere. Not sure where I read it, but had written down on my notes on Ice Breakers. "Follow these actions (when put together, they sound like a rainstorm): Rub hands together, snap fingers, clap hands, slap thighs, stomp feet, slap thighs, clap hands, snap fingers, rub hands, rest hands on lap." Not sure whether this is exactly what you are looking for, but thought it may help.

Best Regards,
Sujatha Das

What do you do to get unstuck?

Asked by Dr. Shaun Jamison

Dr. Shaun,

These are some of the things I practice, when I get stuck: a) Take a short break and do not think of it. May be have a cup of coffee and then return with a clear mind, sometimes it helps. b) Talk to a friend who may be an expert. c) Research on the Internet or Consult some books, which may spark and idea.

Regards,
Sujatha Das

What will make you feel Successful? If you aim to be as great as I do everyone will know you either by name or the work you have done. Do you agree wi

Asked by C J Deguara

Good Day!

I think if I am able to help someone or provide support mentally or at work or in some way make a person happy, I would truly feel satisfied. Recognition need not come from others. If one feels within oneself, that " I have done something good today or achieved something today", that in itself is a biggest achievement. The self-confidence, the positive energies to do more good, and the drive to be more happier comes from within.

Regards,
Sujatha

Which "secret" lesson has had the greatest impact on your life?

Asked by Terry Bean

Terry,

"Think positive and do good, God will take care of the rest" - this has been the secret lesson taught to me while I was young and it has helped me all though!

Regards,
Sujatha

Competency model: how does it work in your organization?

Asked by Sergey Karandin

Sergey,

To answer your queries by points:

1. Organizations may choose to derive from various Competency Models that may be in the Industry.
   The best way to go about will be (a) to identify the different roles within the organization and the possible career paths (eg., defining of a Competency Landscape for units). (b) Then draw up a Competency Matrix (details on the role, responsibilities - Primary / Secondary, The Skills and Knowledge Required, be it Domain, Technical, Behavioral, Management, the Qualifications, Experience and a Competency Rating that the organization would deem fit. This should also cover details such as Basic, Advanced, Expert or Role Model for instance within the Skills and Knowledge for addressing various Levels within a role.
2. After developing the Competency Matrix, Validation can be done based on the existing information being filled in by employees and identifying the gaps to enable training or performance enhancements.
3. It is a good practice to perform informal appraisals every quarter (to enable the monitoring and growth of an individual based on Goals defined) and conducting a formal appraisal at the end of the year. I hope this helps.

Regards,
Sujatha Das

What are (or have been) the biggest obstacles for change initiatives in your organization and why?

Asked by Eric Knauf

Eric,

The major challenges I personally feel from my past experience are:
a) Support & Commitment from the Senior Management
b) Tools, Infrastructure and Resource Constraints
c) Communication For any change initiative, it is of prime importance to have pro-activeness, commitment and a drive from all towards achieving the goals.

When a change is proposed, if the buy-in and commitment is set in, a lot can be achieved in terms of constraints. Once the commitment is there, the next thing is Resources and Tools, which enable in supporting the change initiative. But most importantly, Communication if not done well, makes the worst impact. The best of communicators can also be misunderstood and this is the key factor to be addressed in the right manner. Hope this helps.

Regards,
Sujatha