Hello Friends, Thanks everyone for the Positive response – had an amazing 79 hits/ Views in the past 7 days, since first post on 22/5/08. Was truly motivating and encouraging….So here comes the Next edition. Read it & Enjoy it….Pass on your feedback/ Suggestions/ Ideas to balajineela@gmail.com
There were requests from some people on how they can contribute / share interesting articles...jus mail them to Balajineela@gmail.com
Contents:
1. It's all about YOU
2. Health(y) tips
3. Awe-Inspiring...web BF V Radhakrishnan
4. Cool Joke
5. Safety
6. Thought for the Week BF Ramalingam
7. Management Thirukkurals
8. Management Fundas…The 10 Minute difference
9. Trivia BF Dev
10. Tip for this week BF R Balaji
11. Closing thoughts
1. It's all about YOU Simple Attitude Adjustments to Make Your Life Happier
There are plenty of things you can do to influence how you feel each day, but your thoughts, choices, and actions still determine how Happy YOU are. Here's a list of 3 Simple things to practice to give your happiness attitude a makeover
1. Do what you love: If you Love your work, you'll spend the majority of your days feeling Happy and Pleasant. You probably already know what you enjoy doing -- find a way to make a living at it.
2. Make time for family & friends: Spending time with people you love & enjoy has a relaxing and soothingeffect. You'll feel wanted, respected and loved -- critical emotional experiences for good living.
3. Challenge yourself: A challenge makes us alert and self aware, which has an energizing effect mentally and physically
2. Health(Y) Tips SLEEP: Restorative of Tired Body and Mind
Sleep is one of nature’s greatest inventions and blessings of life. It is a periodic rest of the body which is absolutely essential for its efficient functioning. It has been called "most cheering restorative of tired bodies. "
Sleep is the indispensable condition to the recuperation of energy. We go to bed fatigued and get up refreshed. Sleep repairs the wear and tear of the body and mind incurred during waking hours. Nothing is so restorative to the nerves as sound and uninterrupted sleep. Sleep is thus a vital element in a total way of life.
It is a basic need in man’s mental as well as physical life. During sleep most of the functions of the body are carried on at the lowest level possible in health. Heat production is from 10 to 15 per cent below the basal level. The rate of the heart is reduced by 10 to 30 beats per minute and a decline in blood pressure of about 20 mm occurs in quiet restful sleep. The urine volume is considerably reduced, but its concentration in solids is increased.
Sleep versus Rest
For correct living, it is essential to differential between sleep and rest. At rest the body is disturbed by all exterior noises; but in sleep it is screened from them by partial loss of consciousness and also by what is called "dream protection. " One useful purpose of the dream is to convert outside noises that might awake the sleeping person, into fantasies that do not disturb him.
During rest the limbs are normal, but in sleep they swell. Blood flows from the brain, distends the arteries, and makes the limbs bigger. IN sleep more muscles are relaxed than in rest, though the sleeping person changes his position about 35 times in one night, without knowing it. Many organs which work during rest suspend their activities in sleep. Thus the recouping value of sleep is much more than that of rest or simple lying down
3. Inspiring Article on the Web Awe-inspiring: The waiter who will be an IAS officer…K Jayaganesh
Read to believe this Self made man and his zeal to achieve his goal. Click on the link below to read more
http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2008/may/27ias.htm
4. Jokes corner
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson go on a camping trip. After a good dinner and a bottle of wine, they retire for the night, and go to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”
“I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes” replies Watson. “And what do you deduce from that?”
Watson ponders for a minute. “Well,
Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets.
Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo.
Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three.
Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow.
Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe.
But what does it tell you, Holmes?” Holmes is silent for a moment.
“Watson, you idiot!” he says. “Someone has stolen our tent!”
5. Safety Papa – Please don’t smoke..YOU are puffing away my health
People who smoke expose multiple future generations to serious health concerns because toxins in nicotine can cause change in DNA passed on through sperms. So even if a smokers child never takes a puff, they might still carry the associated risks. For Example, smoking is related to Birth defects such as Spina bifida and Cleft Palate
6. Thought for the Week
"Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it -- but sail we must and not drift, nor lie at anchor.” Oliver Wendell Holmes
7. Management Thirukkurals Quick tips
(i) Fix the problem, not the blame : It is far more productive, and less expensive, to figure out what to do to fix a problem that has come up, than it is to waste time trying to decide whose fault it was.
(ii) Lead by example : If you ask your employees to work overtime, be there too. Be a leader - it's tougher than being a manager, but it's worth it.
(iii) Be on time for ALL your appointments: If you schedule a meeting, set a time for customer meetings, or tell a friend you'll meet them for a working lunch. You have to be there at the time you set or you will lose their respect. It's just common courtesy, but it will really help your relationship.
8. The 10-Minute difference
Employees are basically honest and they are almost always at work on time. However, for most Employees, the last few steps/ yards to get to work are pretty hectic. There is the mad rush to the building, the swipe in, the dash for a quick break, and the preparation for work. Typically, work day starts 5-10 minutes after the official start time. Typically, Employees who are supposed to work until end of Shift time, usually do exactly that. However, about ten minutes before end, they begin to clear off their desks & start to wind up. If we had video cameras in place, we would be able to see these people in the three-point sprinter's stance, ready to make a mad exit when the shift ends. We would see them rush to the van / Shuttles, complaining about the dangers of the traffic/ traffic jams, late night hops. This approach creates unnecessary stress, reduces productivity, and shortens our life span.Alternative: Get to work ten minutes early and get that cup of coffee. Go to your desk & casually prepare your work station. By starting time you can be in full production. At the end of the day, work until your shift end time. Then pack up and head for home. It will be quieter and safer and you will feel more relaxed. The benefits to this approach are many. First, you'll feel better about yourself because you'll know you've put in a full day's work. Second, you'll be more relaxed and able to accomplish a great deal more. Third, you will impress your employers. Over time, when promotions or incentives are handed out, the employer will invariably promote the employee who gives the ten-minute difference. Give it a try and I' am sure you will take the faster ladder to the success!!!
9. Trivia Amazing facts about the F1 Race car
-> F1 car is made up of 80,000 components, if it were assembled 99.9% correctly, it would still start the race with 80 things wrong! -> When an F1 driver hits the brakes on his car he experiences retardation or deceleration comparable to a regular car driving through a BRICK wall at 300kmph!!! -> F1 car can go from 0 to 160 kph AND back to 0 in FOUR seconds!!!!!!! -> F1 car engines last only for about 2 hours of racing mostly before blowing up on the other hand we expect our engines to last us for a decent 20yrs on an average and they quite faithfully DO....that's the extent to which the engines r pushed to perform... -> An average F1 driver looses about 4kgs of weight after just one race due to the prolonged exposure to high G forces and temperatures for little over an hour (Yeah that's right!!!) -> At 550kg a F1 car is less than half the weight of a Mini. -> To give you an idea of just how important aerodynamic design and added down force can be, small planes can take off at slower speeds than F1 cars travel on the track. And that's not Magic.... It's only the Power of Human Imagination....
10. Tip for the Week – Effective Meetings
In Our day to day Office life, we attend so many meetings…How effective are these meetings…here are some tips to make this more effective…General guidelines are listed below - but let us see Two Specific aspects in more detail (the most important, but forgotten part)
It is very important that the PARTICIPANTS ( Not ATTENDEES – Note the difference between Participants, who Participate and Attendees) are very much involved in the Meeting to have an effective outcome.
Guidelines for conducting effective meetings:
1) Prepare For The Meeting
2) Prepare To Attend a Meeting (for all participants)
3) Set Up The Meeting Place
4) Assign A Note Taker (minutes)
5) Start The Meeting
6) Keep The Meeting Focused And Moving
7) Closing
8) Follow Up (Action Items)
Closing
Ø Help the group decide on next steps.
Ø Review assigned next steps. Ensure each person knows their duties to perform.
Make sure everyone goes from "meeting" to "doing."
Ø Conclude by summarizing the group's accomplishments.
Ø Thank group members sincerely for their participation and contributions.
Follow Up (Action Items)
Ø Evaluate the meeting. What worked? What needs improvement?
Ø Using the minutes and your impressions, create a document that clearly describes the meeting. Use comments, questions, criticisms, and insights to enhance the quality of the document.
Ø Distribute the document to all participants and other key players within the organization.
Ø Monitor progress on next steps.
11. Closing thoughts
This blog was inspired by the Book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. It's a study about why some companies make the leap to greatness and why others don't. Simple, yet powerful thoughts from the book
(i) First Who...then what - Get the right people on the bus, get the wrong people off the bus and then figure out where to drive it. People are not your most important asset. The RIGHT people are!
(ii) The flywheel concept - Imagine pushing a large boulder. Getting the boulder first rolling is very difficult, but once you get it rolling, the inertia from the rock makes it easier and easier to roll. Getting the right people and the right processes generate momentum a lot easier.
Please do read this book when time permits.
