Developing Effective Communication Skills

By Bhudeb Chakrabarti

If any men were to ask me what I would suppose to be a perfect language , I would answer that in which a man speaking to five hundred people of all common and various capacities should be understood by them all in the same sense which the speaker intended to be understood   ~ Robinson Crusoe

 

Essence of Communication

Conveying effectively what you intend to convey, without leaving it subject to interpretation, is the essence of communication.

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How to trump the Curse of Success

By Somali K Chakrabarti

Overcoming challenges brings success, success brings its own challenges.

Success has its own attractions, but it also has the side effects.

The Initial stages of the Journey To Success 

When you start something new as a professional or as an entrepreneur, or in sports or in a creative field, you generally start with a high risk appetite.

You are enthused and you put in your best efforts and toil for your success.

You make mistakes, learn from them and grow on your experiences. Any positive feedback you get adds to your levels of motivation and bolsters the hope of further positive outcome.

When success finally knocks the door, you’re excited; you get adulation from all quarters and you cherish the attention.

A Mission in Mizoram

By Bhudeb Chakrabarti

The monsoon set in quite early this time in the high hills of Mizoram. It was raining incessantly throughout the day and night in the middle of July 1986. Zemabawk, on the outskirt of Aizawl, was the location of CRPF headquarters. I was posted as DIG CRPF, responsible for overseeing the operations of all CRPF battalions deployed in Mizoram.

 

The Mission

On 30 June, 1986, the Govt of India had signed a “Peace Accord” with the Mizo National Front (MNF) ending the two-decade old insurgency in the ”Land of the Highlanders”.

CRPF was assigned the mission to receive MNF cadres at designated places and take over their arms and ammunitions for handing over to the Army. Subsequently the MNF cadres were to be escorted to a Peace Camp “Remna Run” on a high ridge near Tui- Vamit-Tlang, a windy village, at one extreme end of Aizawl.

Parva and Marpara were the two earmarked places through which the MNF returnees were to enter Mizoram from Bangladesh and lay down their arms and ammunitions.

 

The Terrain

Aizawl, set on the ridges of steep hills is flanked by the lofty peaks of the beautiful Durtlang Hills.

Durtalang Hills , Mizoram | Image Source : misual.com

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10 Quotes on Nurturing Talent

 By Somali K Chakrabarti

How many times while reading a gripping book, or while seeing an awesome movie, or while watching an interesting game have you been completed fascinated by the performance of the artists, singer, writer or player and wondered at what makes them so amazingly talented.

Blessed are the people who are born with unique talents and are more gifted than others. When talent is honed and nurtured with rigor and discipline, and presented with the right opportunities, it leads to extraordinary results.

Talent is the multiplier. The more energy and attention you invest in it, the greater the yield. The time you spend with your best is, quite simply, your most productive time. ― Marcus Buckingham

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5 Lessons in Teamwork from Shamitabh

By Somali K Chakrabarti


Shamitabh – the movie with an unusual name formed by merging the names of the characters Daanish (played by Dhanush) and Amitabh (Bachchan), is a movie with an unusual theme.

Now before you think that this post is a review of the movie, I need to tell you it is not. This post is about the compelling thoughts conveyed beautifully through the story of Shamitabh.

A mute lad Daanish, who is obsessed with movies since he was a child, harbours the dream of becoming a film star. Akshara (played by Haasan), an assistant director, helps him to overcome his handicap and communicate through a borrowed voice with the use of technology. Amitabh Sinha, a cynical drunkard and a failed actor, with a baritone voice, who lives in a graveyard, becomes the voice of Daanish. The duo turn out to be a winning combination and Daanish, renamed as Shamitabh, becomes a superstar. 

Lessons from Shamitabh

Whole is greater than the sum of the parts

Success is usually brought about by a combination of several factors. For a team that becomes successful, it is very difficult to isolate the factor to which, or single out a person to whom, the entire success can be credited.

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8 Theories of Motivation that underscore the drivers of behaviour

By Bhudeb Chakrabarti

Good leadership consists of motivating people to the highest levels by   offering them opportunities, not obligations.  ~ Lao Tzu 

Nature of Motivation

Motives are expressions of a person’s needs and personality.

Even though you may find it comforting to believe that all your actions are a result of conscious deliberation, but at times, unconscious motivations may lead to actions without your complete awareness or understanding. Your behaviour is controlled on many occasions by external forces, though on many other occasions you may do things based on your discretion, for their intrinsic value.

Motivations are not static in nature. A person may be motivated for one job but when he or she is put for some other job, the same person may not feel motivated. The levels of motivation also vary from person to person.

A leader must understand what gives people the impetus to act in a particular manner to achieve alignment of their goals with his/her own goals.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams

Different theories help us to understand better the concept of motivation:

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4 Lessons from the Life of Louis Zamperini

By Somali K Chakrabarti

 Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.

- Bern William

The life of Louis Zamperini, is a tale of unbroken human spirit.

Louis Zamperini, a US Olympic runner, who became a fighter in the World War II, was marooned in the Pacific ocean for 46 days, survived the ordeal of a Prisoner Of War (POW) in Japanese camps, and later turned into an inspirational speaker, exemplifies resilience.

A wayward child, Louis had taken to smoking and drinking, early on in life, and was often picked up by the local police for getting into brawls. His parents were first generation Italian immigrants who had moved to Torrance, California, in 1919. Their repeated efforts to discipline Louis were discounted by the defiant kid; but the constant encouragement of his brother Pete, influenced Louis and he started taking an interest in sports.

His racing abilities soon came to be noticed, as he started improving and winning races, including the national high school race, in which he broke the record set during World War I.

Louis Zamperini   Image Source : veteransadvantage.com

Louis went on to participate in the 5000 metres race in 1936 Olympics, where he finished the final lap so fast (in 56 seconds beating the previous Olympic record of 69.2 seconds) that it caught the eye of Adolf Hitler, who personally came up to Zamperini and shook his hand.

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Dare to be different to create your own space

 By Somali K Chakrabarti

 If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete.            -Jack Welch

In a tough market crowded with multiple sellers, only those with a distinct competitive advantage can survive. This holds good not only for businesses, but also for individuals. What renders you a competitive advantage is your ability to be different than others in a way that you stand out of the crowd.

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6 Leadership Theories to define Effectiveness of Leaders

By Bhudeb Chakrabarti

Leadership is the projection of personality; It is combination of persuasion, compulsion and example that makes other people to do what the leader wants them to do.
~ Field-Marshal Sir William Slim, outstanding British and Allied commanders of World War II.

What is Leadership?

Leading is the art of influencing and motivating people to perform in a manner to achieve a common goal. The sum total of a leader’s roles, tasks and responsibilities and interpersonal influences constitutes leadership.

A leader should not only be intelligent (with general problem-solving capacity), but should also possess high integrity and character, equally concerned with ends (doing the right thing) and means (doing rightly).

Effective leaders have to work ceaselessly, and communicate with the people to motivate them in an efficient manner.

What makes a Leader Effective?

Numerous studies have been conducted and considerable amount of research has been done to find out how a leader becomes effective. Various theories have been postulated from time to time to zero in on the factors that influence the effectiveness of leaders.

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10 Quotes on how Nature inspires Creativity

 By Somali K Chakrabarti

Nature is the best designer

.

Nature has been a perennial source of inspiration for many! Artists, architects, designers imitate the design patterns of nature; poets describe its beauty and scientists try to unravel the mysteries of nature. A deep look into nature unlocks imagination, and inspires creativity.

Nature paints the most wonderful pictures that can take your breath away and engulf you in their majestic beauty.

One can not stop marveling at the designs of nature. The spiral of sea- shells, the swirl of rose petals, and the arrangement of sunflower seeds, air vortex created by the flapping of wings of insects, the galaxy spirals and even the eye of a hurricane follow a geometrical pattern that is represented by the Fibonacci series.

Here is a collection of quotes that highlight the connection between nature and creativity and the creative inspiration that you can draw from Nature.

What is Art, monsieur, but Nature concentrated? ~ Honore de Balzac

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10 Quotes that teach us how to deal with Anger

By Somali K Chakrabarti

Anger is that powerful internal force that blows out the light of reason. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Anger, we know, is a powerful emotion that is difficult to repress and finds expression in the most destructive ways.

At some point or the other in your life, you would have witnessed rampant incidences of violence on the street, in the neighborhood, at office, or maybe even at home. There could be occasions when you would have reverted to aggressive behavior, wanting to teach someone a lesson, or to show that who is the boss.

All such incidents are a direct consequence of our unbridled expression of anger in a destructive manner.

However, when channelized in a constructive manner, anger can produce incredible results. Many mass movements, freedom struggles, civil rights movements etc. were founded on anger against injustice.

Here are some quotes that urge us not to be destructive in the expression of our anger.

 Anyone can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person at the right time, and for the right purpose and in the right way - that is not within everyone's power and that is not easy. ~ Aristotle

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Break the Worry before it breaks you

By Somali K Chakrabarti

The largest part of what we call 'personality' is determined by how we've opted to defend ourselves against anxiety and sadness.  ~ Alain de Botton

We know that some people have a naturally strong mental built, and there are others who are inclined to worry more.

While each individual, in any capacity, needs to cope with anxiety, but the ability to overcome anxiety is absolutely essential for any leadership role. During prolonged  periods of uncertainty, leaders must manage their own anxiety as well as the anxiety of their team.

Anxiety may be due to various reasons ranging from environmental factors, to medical condition, to genetic conditions or substance abuse or due to a combination of these factors.

Each of us would have experienced those moments, when we felt our palpitation going up, a strange churning in the stomach, or sweat on the brow just before an important meeting, or an exam, or before getting a medical report, or on any other occasion.

Whatever be the reason for anxiety, it depletes a person of his/her strength.

• Continued anxiety causes excessive worry.
• You suffer from a victim mentality and believe that nothing ever works for you;
• You are restless most of the time, feel irritable at the slightest provocation.
• Your concentration suffers and sleep is disturbed and as a result you tire yourself out very easily.

Those with an anxious disposition, can blame it on their mental constitution, their genes, their fate or can work upon it.

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How to be tactful in dealing with people

By Somali K Chakrabarti

Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip. ~ Winston Churchill

As easy as it is to speak your mind out, doing so tactfully requires that a person acquire some distinctive skills. Tact is the talent that allows you to gracefully convey what you stand for and make your point without ruffling feathers.

Tact or diplomacy is needed for managing a vast gamut of relations - ranging from personal relations, to relations with co-workers, to business relations, to national and international relations. Parents need tact to deal with their children, as much as teachers need tact to deal with their students. You need to act with tact while dealing with your boss, your partner, your spouse, and even your friends.

Your ability to get along with people, while maintaining your individuality plays an important role in determining your success path.

In business, tact is absolutely essential when it comes to managing diverse group of people. Leaders, with the use of tact and conviction can get people to willingly do what they want them to do, in a manner so convincing that they relate to the leaders’ idea as their own and feel motivated to work towards it. With the increasing degree of complexity and stakeholders, leaders need to act tactfully at each and every stage to influence, persuade and align people with their objectives.

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Why do we procrastinate and how to stop procrastinating

By Somali K Chakrabarti

Procrastination is like a credit card: it's a lot of fun until you get the bill.  ~ Christopher Parker

Procrastination is too familiar a tendency that we all give in to at some point or the other. If you think of those several occasions when you waited till the last moment to do your work, it won't take much for you to realize that procrastination is more of a behavioral problem than a time management issue. There would be instances when:

• You managed to complete your assignment just at the nick of time.
• You were so lost in surfing the net that you ended up doing a report past its deadline.
• You did not pay up the bill till the last moment and then paid the fine for it.
• You did not leave on time and turned up 15 minutes late for the urgent meeting.

Mostly you would be aware of what you should be doing and when, and yet you simply can’t get yourself to do certain tasks. As you postpone your work and leave it for the last second, many things that were not so pressing before, suddenly become urgent and call for your attention.

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What makes PM Modi’s speech stand out

 By Somali K Chakrabarti

Nobody can question the talent of our people...especially after yesterday 
said PM Narendra Modi in his speech, at the launch of Make in India campaign.

What could have been a better timing to kick start the Make In India campaign, than the day after India got a big shot in the arm, with the success of ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), as Mangalyan entered the Mars orbit on 24rth Oct!

The PM’s speech at Make In India campaign was certainly much more than a business pitch, with all ingredients of a powerful speech made by a leader aiming for holistic development.

A general observation is that mostly in all his speeches, PM Modi manages to get the attention of the listeners, to get his message across. Here are some elements that make his speech stand out:

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8 Powerful Ways To Build Resilience

By Somali K Chakrabarti

At an altitude of 5,000 metres in the Siachen Glacier, the levels of oxygen in the blood of a healthy solider is similar to that of a patient with severe lung disorder at sea level. Prolonged stay at these high altitudes presents a completely different set of medical challenges.

In addition to the constant threat of enemy action, life in the glacier is all about combating long periods of isolation, making do with tinned food, struggling for clean drinking water, living in cramped temporary shelters without electricity and the absence of a host of things taken for granted by civilized society.

—Beyond NJ 9842: The Siachen Saga |The book captures stories of stories of courage and resilience of Indian soldiers posted at Siachen Glacier, the Highest Battlefield on Earth

 

Resilience is not a one off event

 

Resilience is your ability to sustain under difficult circumstances for prolonged periods of time, while maintaining your resolute, energy, hope and self belief.

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Understanding the Power of Emotions on Decisions

By Somali K Chakrabarti

Emotions exert an alluring power over us!

More often than not, our emotions drive our thoughts and behavior, and come into play when we make decisions. While most of us love to believe that we work on reason and deliberation, the truth is that our behavior is highly influenced by sentiments, intuitions and emotions.

A person who is inspired or motivated by a purpose can do things beyond the ordinary. On the other hand, a person who finds himself in a hopeless situation, may dive into the depths of despair.

Recognizing the power of emotions is of paramount importance for perceiving the implications of emotions on your behavior and for developing the ability to make Emotionally Intelligent decisions.

'When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.' - Dale Carnegie

Image source : gettyimages.com

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8 Inspirational Quotes on Teachers

By Somali K Chakrabarti

If it is true that the future of a country lies in the hands of its youth, then it is equally true that the future of the youth is shaped by their teachers.

5^th September is the day dedicated to the teachers.

A great teacher is like a great artist, who ignites the minds, makes a subject interesting and engrossing, and inspires students to explore the subject and its application in greater details.

Like a potter shapes the clay, good teachers have the ability to mould students and shape up their personality by influencing their thinking.

Here are 8 inspirational quotes on teachers.

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. ~ Albert Einstein

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How setting cross cultural ties can help improve business relations

 By Somali K Chakrabarti

Globalization means we have to re-examine some of our ideas, and look at ideas from other countries, from other cultures, and open ourselves to them. And that's not comfortable for the average person. ~ Herbie Hancock

Culture, invariably, has an immense influence on the global business environment.

Customs, values, attitude towards work and what people consider as ethical in business vary from country to country. Besides the differences in policy or regulatory environment, differences that stem from different cultural backgrounds have often been known to create hurdles in the international business. Cultural barriers can stymie or delay business deals. On a number of occasions, business negotiations between multinationals have failed due to cultural differences.

So, it makes a lot of sense to set the cultural context for minimizing or dissolving the cultural barriers before talking business.

"Cultural barriers can be overcome relatively swiftly where there is the political will to do so.”

~ Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

This is primarily what India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has established during his trip to Japan, thus setting a brilliant example of how political leaders can create the required cultural context to pave the way for commerce to follow.

Four aspects that PM Modi put emphasis on for creating the cultural milieu for strengthening bilateral relations between India and Japan are:

1. Stressing on commonalities between the two cultures

Stressing on cultural commonality can create acceptance, breed tolerance towards cultural differences and accelerate the discovery of complementarities.

If you take mythologies from different cultures, the names may change and the story lines may vary but there is always something in common. ~Maynard James Keenan

The past cultural connection between India and Japan has provided a basis for commonality

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Why People Criticize Others and The Downsides

'The purpose of opposition is to oppose everything and propose nothing',  tweeted Dr Debroy.

Indeed, I thought, how easy it is to notice the frailties, foibles, and follies of others while ignoring those of your own!

We all indulge in criticizing others sometime or the other. It comes almost as easily as breathing to most of us. There have been times when I have felt the urge to criticize surging in my heart and given a piece of mind to someone or expressed my displeasure of a person behind his back.

An odd question popped up in my mind.

Why do we like to criticize others?

 

I tossed this question to my buddies, sought their views, organized my thoughts around it, and jotted them down. Here is what it shaped it like.

It is a matter of fact that to be critical of others is built into the human nature. All human beings are prone to form their judgment and opinion about what is ‘desirable’ or ‘undesirable’, ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘proper’ or ‘improper’ behavior. Any action of others’ that does not match the expectations, values or judgment of another becomes a potent subject for criticism.

Someone rightly said

Criticism is the disapproval of people not for having faults, but for having faults different from your own.

 

 

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