A Great Management lesson

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops – a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well.

At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight,built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!” and sat down at the back.

Did I mention that the driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek? Well, he was. Naturally, he didn’t argue with Big John, but he wasn’t happy about it. The next day the same thing happened – Big John got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. And the next day, and the next.

This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of him. Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff.

By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; what’s more, he felt really good about himself. So on the next Monday, when Big John once again got on the bus and said, “Big John doesn’t pay!”

The driver stood up, glared back at the passenger, and screamed, “And why not?” With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, “Big John has a bus pass. ”Management Lesson: “Be sure there is a problem in the first place before working hard to solve one.”

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-management-lesson-soniya-manjani

Importance of documentation and work experience of HR professionals.

Once a HR was travelling in a train in A/c class.

He was alone in the coach. After some time, a lady came and sit in front of him. After that she went to him and told to give her money,mobile everything , Otherwise she will shout and tell everybody that he is harassing and misbehaving with me.

The HR took out a paper and a pen from his bag and wrote that he can not hear or speak. You write on this paper whatever you want to say.. That lady wrote everything what she said earlier and gave it to that man. Then he told her now you can shout..and do whatever you want. I have got documentary proof.

That's the importance of documentation and work experience of HR professionals.

Source:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-documentation-work-experience-hr-soniya-manjani?trk=prof-post

Importance of Goal

On the best sunny day, A man was traveling and stopped at an intersection. He asked an elderly man, "Where does this road take me?" The elderly person asked, "Where do you want to go?" The man replied, "I don't know." The elderly person said, "Then take any road. What difference does it make?"

How true. When we don't know where we are going, any road will take us there.

Suppose you have all the football eleven players, enthusiastically ready to play the game, all charged up, and then someone took the goal post away. What would happen to the game? There is nothing left. How do you keep score? How do you know you have arrived?

Enthusiasm without direction is like wildfire and leads to frustration. Goals give a sense of direction. Would you sit in a train or a plane without knowing where it was going? The obvious answer is no. Then why do people go through life without having any goals?

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-goals-important-soniya-manjani?trk=hb_ntf_MEGAPHONE_ARTICLE_POST

What are a few things that very successful people never do?

1. Never miss a chance to ask good questions. That is the best way to learn at minimum cost.
2. Never miss a good read. No matter how costly.
3. Never ask their team to do stuff they'd not be willing to do themselves.
4. Never pull others down. You only gain infamy, not future connections.
5. Never waste a crisis. Put it to the best use - redesign, re imagine, recreate.
6. Never trust people at face value. Google. Reference check. Ask around.
7. Never underestimate the enemy.
8. Never insult those who look, speak, work, talk differently.
9. Never invite death home. Stay as discreet as possible.
10. Never miss a chance to be with family and enjoy to the fullest. What are 1 to 9 for, otherwise!

Source:https://www.quora.com/profile/Sandeep-Manudhane

What are some good habits to follow?

Small things ultimately make up the big ones. Here are some good habits for daily use :

1. Thank the almighty for giving you another day to live your dreams. If you are an atheist, thank destiny. Just thank someone!
2. Smile and laugh at every possible opportunity, every day. By being serious and morose always, nothing worthwhile can be achieved.
3. Read something new each day. Try developing your mind by irrigating it with new ideas and thoughts.
4. Write down something new each day. It will give you a lot of confidence and will make you a better communicator.
5. Save some money, howsoever small or big the amount may be. It will make you a cautious spender.
6. Do one good deed for the day. Find something that is beyond your immediate commercial or academic interest. Do it.
7. Keep your home and workplace clean. Take pride in organising and cleaning up your place regularly. Cleanliness truly is Godliness.

And if you are not the disciplined type who can follow a daily regimen of to-do things, let your mind roam freely and set a long-term goal of achieving something really outstanding.

All the best!

Source:https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-good-habits-to-follow/answer/Sandeep-Manudhane

What is the difference between Prime Minister, President and Foreign Minister visiting different countries?

In the case of India -

1. The Prime Minister is the daddy (Head of Govt). She/He runs the government as the CEO and is authorized to take calls of any magnitude. No one can question him/her except the Parliament (later, when in session, in case a particular call taken was too stark or unconventional). So, any country that wants actual action will invite the PM over, and then the topmost decision-maker will make himself available.
2. The President is the Head of State, ceremonially. She/He cannot take any major strategic call unless explicitly authorized by the Cabinet headed by the PM. So, it's more of a courtesy or filling in the gap when the PM can't go or is someplace else. So, when a ceremonial presence is required but no real decision-making, the President may be invited.
3. The Foreign Minister works under the PM's direct control and exercises her/his discretion and competency to offer solutions. But final call is the PM's. So, in the basic rounds of groundwork-laying, the FoM can visit.

In all cases, remember that there is a huge administrative machinery working behind the scenes doing the grunt work, supplying facts and intelligence and writing the fine print. 

In case of today's China, the President Xi Jinping has practically centralized all power in his hands (Head of State, Head of Military Commission, Chief of Communist Party, Key decision-maker on economy, etc.) and everyone else seems sidelined.

In the USA, it's the President's writ that runs through and through, subject to constitutional checks.

Source:https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-Prime-Minister-President-and-Foreign-Minister-visiting-different-countries/answer/Sandeep-Manudhane

What are the best and simple advice's for an UPSC aspirant?

The question demands a concise and precise answer. Will try!

If you have been a top academic performer throughout, then

1. Set tough daily study goals
2. Find the best mentors
3. Raise the bar constantly. Challenge yourself
4. Stay in positive company always
5. Set weekly, fortnightly and monthly revision targets
6. Read, read, read; Write, write, write; Think, think, think
7. Take an off regularly. Allow the mind to collate stuff.

If you have been a moderate academic performer throughout, then

1. Start early. Give yourself more time
2. Set moderate daily study goals - you won't break down
3. Form a group of at least 3 friends with same goals. Motivate each other
4. Stay in positive company ALWAYS
5. Set fortnightly and monthly revision targets
6. Read, read, read; Write, write, write; Think, think, think
7. Take an off regularly. Allow the mind to collate stuff.

If you have not been an academic performer throughout, then

1. Start very early. Give yourself a lot of preparation time
2. Set easy daily study goals - raise the bar on a monthly basis
3. Find one good friend who understands you, and can motivate you
4. Stay in positive company ALWAYS. Ask parents for daily motivation
5. Set monthly revision targets
6. Read, read, read; Write, write, write; Think, think, think
7. Take an off regularly. Allow the mind to collate stuff.

All the best! 
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Source: https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-and-simple-advices-for-an-UPSC-aspirant/answer/Sandeep-Manudhane

What are the five most important things for a man to learn in life?

1. The greatest legacy you can leave your kids is confidence to tackle any adversity with a smile. Make them realize it regularly.
2. The girl has left her family to be your wife and your kids’ mother. Never forget that. Remember that especially when the flame seems dimmed.
3. It’s not necessary to be a big shot to earn respect. Doing regular things with passion and love is usually more than enough. Be it family, or company, or whatever.
4. For your kids, you will be the role model even if you are a gangster. So, never cursethem for becoming one.
5. When you and family cannot afford an expensive desire, laugh it away, and relish whatever alternative you can. Togetherness will be the ladder to cross every insurmountable hurdle of life.

Go ahead. Be a man!

Source:https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-five-most-important-things-for-a-man-to-learn-in-life/answer/Sandeep-Manudhane

What are the top 10 most profitable businesses in India?

Despite being a huge economy that ranks at number 3 in the GDP (PPP) league globally, India is a nation where the agriculture and unorganized sectors dominate employment generation. Contrary to what a lot of people may believe, we do not have a majority of our workforce employed by the organized sector.

The Indian workforce can be categorized by a simple and approximate formula – 65-35-15-85. Of the entire workforce, around 65% are engaged directly or indirectly in Agriculture, a massive number. This number will include farmers, farm labourers, transport workers, mandi workers, marketing people, rural business persons of all types etc. That leaves around 35% of Indian workforce, which we can call non-farm workforce. Of this 35%, not more than 15% are employed by the organized sector. They are paid salaries on fixed dates (almost), enjoy statutory benefits and can associate their work with some brandname of some credible size. The remaining 85% (of this 35%) are engaged in unorganized sector, that does not enjoy any of these characteristics. Are these not shocking statistics, for India, after nearly seven decades of economic independence? By the way, I have not counted homemakers and housewives, whose contribution anyway does not get counted in the GDP calculations.

We are a nation of 1.3 billion people (that’s 130,00,00,000 people). So  it is clear there is abundance of labour available in India, that is untrained, unskilled (or at best partially skilled) and has a poor chance of making it in the formal organized sector. What do these people do? Well, they create small businesses of their own, and get on with their lives quietly. 

Mainstream academia and media often speak disparagingly of these millions as “Mom-and-Pop” shops, because the comparison yardstick is the West, where most of retail is organized. But if these millions were to give up their businesses, and start pestering the governments of India (central and state) for Sarkari jobs, the whole system will crumble and break down in no time. We should be very thankful to these entrepreneurs who quietly create opportunities for themselves, and even employ many more.

I assume by small, the question means really small, even micro. And “top 10” must be the range and spread. The ones I am listing below, are usually proprietorships of the most unstructured format. I am intentionally not counting the Small-scale enterprises in the manufacturing sector. I am also leaving out individual contractors that use the internet economy to work from home, on projects anywhere in the world (these are educated and very capable people). 

In my opinion, ten of the smallest of businesses (not counting agriculture related work) that are widespread across India, totally taken for granted, and where literally crores of Indians (1 crore = 10 million) are self-employed, can be listed as:

1. Small retail shops – Millions of them spread across the length and breadth of India. They are usually owned by a single family, and entire work is done by two or three members of the same family. They do not formally book every transaction, and issue no receipts. Hence, they generally pay no taxes at all. In fact, if they are forcibly dragged in the tax net, many of them will simply become unviable! So what will happen? Right now we have around 1 million young people entering the workforceeach month. Or 1.2 crore each year. We will substantially increase the number if these shops collapse.
2. Paan ki dukaan – Indians love their paan, supari, cigarettes, tobacco, and gutkha! And this gives birth to the legion of Paan Shops we see everywhere. They form a key part of the marketing plans of consumer goods giants like Unilever etc. As they say, the Ps of marketing are Product-Price-Promotion-Place-and-Paan shops.
3. Readymade Garment shops – Thousands of these small shops cater to the needs of the local communities they serve. While all conceivable brands are available in big malls, the small shops cater at an atomic level to their customers’ needs. And they are busy all year round. One can be often surprised at the economical rates these offer.
4. Tea stalls – Popularly called chai-ki-tapri, these are hangout places (for a few minutes) for the local small office-goers, daily wage labourers, and anybody passing by. Usually run by a single entrepreneur, they employ chhotus, young boys barely 8 or 10 years of age. It can be seen everywhere in India. They serve tea (of coffee), some basic snacks like pakoras, etc. Wholesomely unhealthy if taken on a daily basis.
5. Auto Repair shops – If you do not wish to spend a lot of money to get your vehicle (2 wheeler or 4 wheeler) repaired at the branded sales outlet or service centre, then the roadside repair shop is always at your disposal. Business is always brisk, and the technicians working can be amazingly skilled.
6. Mobile repair / accessories shops – The past few years have seen employment generation through this route. Tiny shops that are run by just one or two people can cater to a vast range of your repair / recharging needs. Found almost everywhere.
7. Grocery & Daily need shops – A type of the small retail shops. Some of them are organizedkirana stores, others much smaller but equally useful. They develop customer relationships through home delivery, some credit, and informal support for a range of needs. Usually have dedicated and loyal clienteles. The arrival of organized retail has, so far, not affected them much.
8. Small restaurants / coffee shops – Lots of them dot the highways as dhabas, or all commercial roads in cities of all sizes. They are usually much cheaper compared to branded cafes. I remember enjoying a hearty meal (for a family of four) for Rs 36 when  we hungrily went to a very small “south Indian” restaurant on a mountain side in Munnar, Kerala. What a meal it was! And what a rush the restaurant was handling. Such experiences make you want to become a food entrepreneur (the yummy margins!).
9. Seasonal shops – Every festival in India brings unique buying needs, and that leads to sprouting of such shops in specific areas of all towns and cities. So, during the Ganesh Chaturthi festivals, shops spring up overnight selling pooja samagri (material for religious prayers) and idols. Similarly, Deepawalisees fire-cracker shops andHolibrings with it gorgeously colourful temporary shops. All dealings are naturally in pure cash!
10. Hawkers of all types – Not to be outdone by the above, we have a whole range of hawkers who shout themselves hoarse strutting their stuff door-to-door, all day long. They do this on bicycles, or thelas, and it must be very exhausting work.

I personally feel that society ought to respect these individuals much more that it currently does. They are the most basic building blocks of our goods and services markets. The entrepreneurial streak of these unsung heroes can be very motivating if we see the sheer struggle their daily lives entail.

As India moves forward, while our economy will get more structured, the simultaneous growth of our population is going to make formal employment generation a huge challenge. Interesting times ahead!

Source:https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-top-10-most-profitable-businesses-in-India/answer/Sandeep-Manudhane

Why are so many people content with just earning a salary and working 9-6 their entire adult life?

I could think of 5 reasons.

1. Happy and contented : I know of many people who are very happy just being, and have no special drive or goals to achieve. They live life one day at a time mostly, and are at peace with themselves. This definitely works out very well for their families, as they give adequate time to them, and everyone generally seems happy. To be honest, at times I envy such people!
2. Have realised the truth : Some people are of a philosophical bent of mind, maybe even spiritual, and realise that no matter what an individual tries to achieve here on Earth, on a cosmic scale it means literally nothing. There is no permanence attached to anything. So why even bother. A lot of such people may indulge in day-to-day religious rituals, or philosophical thinking, or travelling.
3. Tried and gave up : On certain commonly accepted parameters of social upwardly-mobile behaviour, a lot of people do try during the school and college days. But if things do not materially work out, many just resign and give up all chase. They choose a lower normal (a very subjective term) for themselves, and are either very sad doing so, or as mentioned in point 1 above.
4. Personal, family or health issues : There may be severely restricting personal health issues that can force a person to slow down. Similarly, at least as I have seen in India, senior family members may require a lot of attention (as sending them off to an old-age home is still not the norm) and the younger ones may be required to make certain compromises (especially if it's not a moneyed family).

In general, in today's materially comforting world, where a lot of enjoyment can be had at little expense, a lot of people may simply prefer chasing daily happiness in consumption and life, rather than corporate or business goals that require huge commitments of energy, time and personal presence.

I feel that due to the relative nature of truth, it is wrong in the first place to judge others on this. A person happy with his/her life and routine with no major drive may consider the driven totally mad!

Source: http://sandeepmanudhane.org/Topicwise/default.aspx

Why Good Employees Quit?

“People work for people – they do not work for businesses”   – Donn Carr

This has been my mantra for as along as I can remember. The message is so simple, full of truth and direction, yet it is consistently ignored by human resource departments, managers and owners alike and they wonder why their turnover is so high or they are always having to look for new people. The problem is with the managers – and seldom the employee or the quality of the workforce. This has been proven and well documented by study after study.

I don’t think this happens on purpose, most managers I meet have never been taught the art of developing people. Many rose to the rank of managers simply because they outlasted the last one and this lack of people training leaves the new manager with the only experience they know – to mimic the old boss.

This does make perfect sense when you think about it. All I should have to do is mimic the actions of the outgoing boss or the one above them. It should not come as a surprise when we see our managers yell or threaten their employees, make promises they won’t keep, or lead by the old adage “Do what I say and not what I do” failing to set the example or even clearly give expectations. After all, that is what the old boss did.

If you or your organization is experiencing high turnover or even more turnover than you would like, start with examining yourself and how you interact with your team. Here are nine proven reasons guaranteed to cause good employees to quit. Any one of them alone starts the process - if you find three or more you have some serious work ahead of you to correct. 

1. The Employees are Over Worked. In start-ups this happens all of the time and the managers simply do not see the handwriting on the wall. Talented employees love to contribute and will produce more, however if you plan on having them do more you best be prepared to increase their status as well. Talented team members will not stay if their job suffocates them in the process.

2. Employee’s Contributions Are Not Recognized or Good Work Rewarded.  I cannot emphasize this one enough. Never underestimate the power of a pat on the back, a thank you, or a “great job” comment. This is especially true with your top performers who are self motivated. It is much too easy to take their drive for granted – don’t.

3. The Wrong People Are Hired or Promoted. Good, hard working employees want to work with like-minded professionals at all levels. Promoting the wrong person is one of the worse mistakes that can be made. When employees work their tail’s off only to get passed over by someone who glad-handed their way to the top, it is a massive insult to the good employees. 

4. Employers Who Don’t Care About Their Employees. More than half of people who leave their jobs do so because of their relationship with their boss. Bosses who fail to really care will always have high turnover rates.

5. Employer Fail to Develop Their People. When managers are lucky enough to have talented employees it is up to the manager to keep finding areas in which they can improve and expand their skill set. This is a managerial sin of the most grievous kind. This developmental process does not belong with the human resource department;it falls squarely on your shoulders as the manager. You have a responsibility to continually challenge and grow that person. Failure to do so and your once talented employee will become bored and grow complacent.

This leads me to the next reasons good employees leave that are too often over looked:

6. Employees Creativity is Not Engaged. Talented employees seek to improve just about everything they touch. They take pride in what they create. The moment their ability to change and improve things is removed they begin to hate their jobs. You are caging up this innate desire to create and contribute. This limitation not only limits the employees – it limits managers and companies as well.

7. Employers Are Not Challenging People Intellectually. A great boss will challenge their employees to accomplish things that may at first seem inconceivable. Rather than setting mundane, incremental goals, the great manager will set lofty goals that will push people out of their comfort zones.

… And now the two final managerial sins guaranteed to run off good employees:

8. Employers Don’t Honor Their Commitments. Integrity and honesty are two traits that every employee will expect  of their managers. If you say you will do something – do it.  Keeping your word and your commitments tells the employee everything they need to know about you and the type of person you are and if they can trust you.

9. They Don’t Let People Pursue Their Passions. Of all of these, this is the most simple and can mean the most, but it does require that you listen to your employees and observe. Talented employees are passionate. Find out what those passions are and work towards giving them challenges that fill their passionate needs. It just may surprise you what they can do when you let them out of that little box you have kept them in.

If all else fails, simply remember this: 

“People work for people – they do not work for businesses” – Donn Carr

Source:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-good-employees-quit-donn-carr?trk=hp-feed-article-title-comment