In a previous post on taking initiatives to advance your career, I had discussed about handling peers when you take initiatives because they may cause your initiatives to fail. Here I want to talk about another phenomenon that one needs to be aware of. Here is the term I use to describe it: self-fulfilling prophecy. … Continue reading Change Initiatives – Managing self-fulfilling prophecy
Category: Working Professionals
Posts that are more useful to working professionals
How do you evaluate your performance?
Everyone I have met at workplace wants to make sure they are being evaluated fairly and are given right indications about the result of their evaluations. Most of the time, they rely on the process of evaluation that organization has put in place: manager feedback, acceptance and respect among peers, performance evaluation process, etc. The … Continue reading How do you evaluate your performance?
Managing conflict at workplace – II
In the previous post, I described the scenario of two smart people in conflict in an organization and why they need to engage in a deep conversation. Here are some of the aspects of such a conversation that A and B need to keep in mind: Create shared goals: Without such a goal, no conversation … Continue reading Managing conflict at workplace – II
Managing conflict at workplace – I
I would like to talk about one of the topics about work relationships that come up very often (and came up again very recently). Scenario A is a smart guy, well-established and on track to be promoted to next level. He is admired by others in his group and he is proud of himself. B … Continue reading Managing conflict at workplace – I
Comparing management experiences in US, China, and India
I have been working in China for last 18 months or so, with one of the largest software MNC here. During this period, I have (very briefly, 3 months) been an individual contributor and rest of time I have been a people manager. Having been a people manager in India and US in the … Continue reading Comparing management experiences in US, China, and India
Personality Style or Weakness – you are the judge
One of the persons reporting to me mentioned he has bad memory and so he cannot quickly respond to out-of-context questions. He further inferred from this that this weakness will stop him from doing his job effectively. After more discussion, it was clear to me (though I leave this decision to the person himself) that … Continue reading Personality Style or Weakness – you are the judge
Developing career by taking initiatives – Handling peer pressure
Taking initiatives and proposing ideas are some of the best ways of boosting your career. However, be careful when taking initiatives, your peers may not like it. Here are some of the reasons why: They may lose the limelight they are used to It may put them in bad light It may mean more work … Continue reading Developing career by taking initiatives – Handling peer pressure
Do relationships matter in a successful career?
Whenever you meet a hotshot with a bad temper or big ego who doesn't extend basic courtesy, you inevitably ask this question because relationships don't seem to mean a thing for such a person. However, for every brash but successful career you see and meet, there are thousands of brash and unsuccessful careers that you … Continue reading Do relationships matter in a successful career?
Change Agents – can they handle change?
As a manager, I have had my fair share of changes imposed on me (and my team) because of an incoming exec, and I have done my bit in bringing in change to the organizations I have gone to. If you have been in any of these situations, you will realize that change of any … Continue reading Change Agents – can they handle change?
Performance Review – Weaving personal goals into organizational ones
Often times, setting goals for next year's performance review takes into account only organizational goals set by the manager for the employee. This misses an opportunity to set the goals in a way that could benefit the employee's career growth plan in the most direct way. As an employee, you should look at goals set … Continue reading Performance Review – Weaving personal goals into organizational ones
