Sunday, April 10, 2011

Yahoo! India

Yahoo! India

Tips to Improve Self Confidence

Tips to Improve Self Confidence


Here are some quick tips to improve your Self Confidence. If we are committed to have a healthy self confidence there are many things you can do every day to boost your self confidence, each small steps that will help you to reach your goal. The good news is that self-esteem is not fixed and can be improved, try some of the steps below to boost your confidence and self-esteem.

1) Identify your successes. Everyone is good at something, so discover the things at which you excel, then focus on your talents. Give yourself permission to take pride in them. Give yourself credit for your successes. Inferiority is a state of mind in which you've declared yourself a victim. Do not allow yourself to be victimized.



2) Look in the mirror and smile. Studies surrounding what's called the "facial feedback theory" suggest that the expressions on your face can actually encourage your brain to register certain emotions. So by looking in the mirror and smiling every day, you might feel happier with yourself and more confident in the long run.



3) Exercise and eat healthy. Exercise raises adrenaline and makes one feel happier and healthier. It is certainly an easy and effective way to boost your self-confidence.


4) Turn feelings of envy or jealousy into a desire to achieve. Stop wanting what others have just because they have it; seek things simply because you want them, whether anybody else has them or not.


5) When you're feeling superbly insecure, write down a list of things that are good about you. Then read the list back. You'd be surprised at what you can come up with.

6) Don't be afraid to push yourself a bit - a little bit of pressure can actually show just how good you are!

7) You can try taking a martial arts or fitness class/course (or both). This will help build confidence and strength.

Invest in some new clothing and donate some of your old clothing to send a message to yourself that you both look sharp and feel sharp.

9) Try to make yourself talk positively at all times. When you hear yourself saying you can't do something, stop and say you can. Unless you try, you will never know whether you are able to or not.

10) Don't get wrapped up in your mistakes and dwell on bad points; they can contrast your good points or even give you something to improve. There's no feeling like being good at something you were really bad at.

11) Don't confuse what you have with who you are. People degrade their self worth when comparing possessions.

12) Surround yourself with nurturing friends, not overly critical individuals who make you feel inadequate or insecure. This could do great harm and damage to your self confidence.

Always remember "There is hair line crack between success and failure" Be sure to push your self a bit, who knows that bit may lead you to success

Monday, March 21, 2011

Why Employer Brand is Critical to Retention and Engagement

Why Employer Brand is Critical to Retention and Engagement
by Julie Norquist Roy

Trends related to talent shortages, globalization and offshoring, not to mention the economic slowdown, have ensured that talent managers are focused on engaging and retaining their current talent pools. To ensure top talent stays where it should - within your organization - talent managers must consider how to create a positive employee experience as a piece of an employer's overall brand.

The Importance of the Employee Experience

The bigger the consumer brand, the more likely it is that an organization will attract top candidates, at least in the initial recruiting stages. However, your company brand is only as good as the employee's experience of that brand promise. If the consumer brand is strong but the employer brand is weak, an employee may feel deceived or undervalued and think, "This company is not what they portray to the public," or "they are not committed to their people." Neither is a good message to send to potential or existing talent.

The employee experience starts with an employee's first interaction with an organization. That first impression may extend far beyond company offerings in position, salary and benefits. Today's workforce is equally concerned with opportunities for career advancement, rewards and recognition, management style and company culture. Together these blend to make up the employer value proposition and employer brand, that impact the employee experience and, ultimately, the hire's decision to join and remain with an organization.

"Early-stage companies must put their best foot forward to attract top talent, as they don't necessarily have a visible consumer brand," said Blake Wolff, COO of Astadia Inc., a management consulting and on-demand technology solutions company. "Once new hires have joined the organization, the employer should reinforce the brand promise with an environment of open, honest communication and a well-developed career development program."

Connect Employer and Company Brand

One leading high technology organization has a mission to foster highly customer-centric employees. Its mission to deliver superior customer service and satisfaction is reinforced throughout the recruiting process. This mission drives the branding and messaging for all its online recruiting campaigns. Resulting candidates are deemed a good fit for a position if they demonstrate proven customer-centric knowledge and skills. By ensuring their new hires' skills and prior experience match core company culture, the organization is setting a strong framework for success.

But the importance of brand doesn't stop at the recruiting process. Financial services firms are known to support formal career tracks for their talent in order to create the right kind of employee experience. Many have received the "Best Company to Work For" label that aids brand building because employees like to know that an organization is committed to employees' long-term growth and development. Companies that incorporate this commitment into their employer brand and message will have an advantage because the employer brand validates why top candidates came to the organization in the first place.

"A thoughtful employer brand can be just as valuable as a well-executed consumer brand," said Gordon Rudow, CEO of San Francisco-based Bonfire Communications, an agency that specializes in building company brands. "Just as a good consumer brand inspires trust and loyalty, so does a strong employer brand help attract, engage and retain the best people and harness their performance."

Many talent managers partner with the marketing department to help build an effective employer brand. It makes sense to leverage the expertise of marketers that spend their days building brands and running programs to attract and retain customers. They know a customer today is not necessarily a customer tomorrow, and HR and business leaders can apply marketing concepts to their recruiting and branding efforts to build a competitive edge.

Employer Brand, On-Boarding and Company Performance

On the first day of work, an employee is exposed to a company's values, mission, culture and attitudes. This usually happens during the employee on-boarding process. The new employee soaks in the company atmosphere via provided materials, messages from colleagues and communications from HR and business leaders.

Imagine an employee who has a negative first impression because the company mission is unclear, on-boarding instructions or product materials are inconsistent or colleagues are complaining. Given those mixed messages, that person may wonder about the viability of the company and may not commit fully to the organization or his or her new role.

Then imagine an employee arrives for the first day of employment and finds a solid company message on the organizational culture and mission. Colleagues are upbeat, and company product and service information is clearly and consistently presented. This employee likely would be more excited to be part of that team than the former. Further, the employee presented with positive, consistent employer brand message is more likely to refer a skilled peer to the organization.

"A new hire's on-boarding is only the beginning of the overall employee experience," Rudow said. "That initial interaction is reinforced by a series of touch points around the company's mission, vision and values, learned through the attitudes and behaviors of colleagues and executives. Those touch points become the foundation of an employer brand."

On-boarding programs are a perfect opportunity to reinforce the employer brand and generate a positive employee experience. For example, a leading media organization has a comprehensive way to help new hires get acclimated quickly and get them excited about the company and its brand. Each employee goes through a formal online on-boarding program in which they hear the company mission from the CEO, learn about the company culture and history, and learn about its core products and value propositions. They receive buddies or mentors to guide them on their career paths.

The company's focus on the employee experience via a formal on-boarding program has had a high impact on engagement and performance. Employees know how to do their jobs, are clear on company values and messaging, and feel part of a greater purpose. Activities and messages are delivered through a Web-based on-boarding application that standardizes how the information is delivered and also manages activities such as shadowing a manager or attending a specific course or seminar to help them grow in their roles.

On-boarding programs also are an opportunity to set expectations around performance and establish employee guidelines for a successful working relationship with the organization. Astadia connects company strategic objectives to employee actions immediately. During the first day of employee orientation, an Astadia executive reviews the company's strategic objectives and outlines the importance of aligning them with individual objectives and tasks. Then the annual employee review process measures individual objectives success and how that success impacts the company's strategic objectives.

A company's strategic objectives and mission should be clearly communicated early and on a continual basis throughout the employee life cycle because they make up the core components that drive the employer brand.

Happy Employees Can Be Great Brand Ambassadors

Imagine a happy new hire has been working for the organization for a couple of months. Now imagine this employee in front of a potential customer, partner or other influencer. If this individual shares the vision, mission and can clearly articulate the value of the organization's products or services, he or she is a strong ambassador for the company brand.

"All too often, companies overlook the role their people can play as frontline champions of their brand," Rudow said. "But the more these companies develop their external brand, the more they realize the value of starting from the inside out."

Companies need to continually align employee knowledge, the corporate mission and brand messaging. If an organization is launching a new product or service, make sure employees are appropriately trained to speak about that product or service.

"Our client's perception of our brand is based on the actions, statements and successes of our team," Wolff said. "With consultants deployed globally, we work constantly to increase the consistency and impact of our internal messaging to drive positive external branding. Mentoring during an employee's first few months at Astadia has not only positively affected performance, but also has significantly helped in getting employee buy-in and engagement in regards to employer brand."

Solicit employee input regularly to see if the organization fulfills the employee brand promise. This can be done through annual employee engagement surveys, or through more frequent, informal surveys. Feedback received will help the company ensure it is investing in the programs that matter most to its talent.

Further, company brand and experience can and should extend out to an organization's network of partners, resellers and distributors. Just as internal employees are brand and company advocates, a company's trusted network of indirect sales channels should be, too. Many organizations use extended enterprise training solutions to share best practices, vision, mission and brand with their partners.

For remote partners, Web-based systems can facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration of brand and related materials. Many organizations also request partners be certified on their ability to deliver consistent brand messaging.

Beyond Employer Brand

Companies spend billions every year on their consumer brands to attract new customers and open new markets. These vast sums are meant to entice the consumer to buy and continue buying throughout the product and company life cycle.

Leading organizations may suffer if their employees don't understand or can't articulate company value to the marketplace. Formal employer brand programs will help attract, retain and motivate top talent in a market in which the talent pool is shrinking and recruiting costs are growing.

[About the Author: Julie Norquist Roy is director of marketing for Cornerstone OnDemand.]

Monday, November 3, 2008

"When a milker leaves I lose one cow"

"When a milker leaves I lose one cow"

Recruiting the right employees is easy. But the challenge is to
motivate and retain them. Retaining the right employees in the right
place is the secret of any organisation's success.

Usually the employees are loyal to their organisations. But they
become unhappy job-hoppers when they feel that they are not valued
and not given enough challenges and opportunities.

It is true that everyone is looking for better prospects and the
present organisation is often only a pole-vault to jump into better
pastures. The CEO to the frontline executive, all are waiting for
the right opportunity to migrate.

Employee turnover is costly and it makes the organisations less
efficient and productive. If we want to retain the top performers we
need to know why people leave. The reasons for leaving may be many.

1. Lack of opportunities and challenges

For many young and bright employees of today money is not a concern.
They are looking for more than compensation packages and benefits.
They want challenges and job satisfaction. If you want to retain
them, offer them not money but challenges and risks. They thrive in
challenges and love risks. They look for job satisfaction and
contentment in their work. Job satisfaction comes out of their
relationship with the management; it's the effect of good work
environment and is the fruit of their commitment to a vision.

2. Lack of management support

One of the main reasons why people quit is the lack of support from
the top management. The top management itself is often not aware of
what is going on and not sure of what decisions to be taken. The
victims of their poor communication and management are always those
at the bottom. The only thing they communicate well is to tell the
employees that they are responsible for every failure. If you want
your employees to be loyal to you, support them when they need you.
Be visibly present by their side in their struggles and appreciate
their victories.

3. Lack of monetary rewards

For many people today telling, "I don't care about money but I need
challenges" is a fashion. Most of the employees are there with you
because of the rewards you give. When they feel that they are paid
less than what they deserve, when they feel that you are not
faithful to your promise to increase their package, when they feel
that you don't reward hard work and commitment its time for them to
bid you bye. Better compensation and benefits will always keep them
by your side.

4. Lack of career development possibilities

No one likes to be in the same place for long. People long for new
experiences, changes and growth. Once they know that their present
organisation doesn't provide them opportunities for their career,
personal and professional growth they feel suffocated in that rigid
system. In such a dissatisfied atmosphere they long for liberation
and when the right opportunity comes they pack up and leave you.

5. Lack of visionary mangers

The supervisors are one main reason why many employees leave.
Supervisors and mangers are often shortsighted and fail to place the
right employee in the right place. They make a highly talented
person become a failure and the employee alone is made accountable
for the losses. The management should consist of visionary people
who are able to assess the potentials and strengths of the employees
and give them the right opportunities and right challenges where
they can excel. It must create a positive work environment where
people are rewarded and recognized, where free and open
communications exist and where people feel excited and thrilled to
work.

6. Lack of friendly atmosphere

Often our workplace is so boring with so many serious people around.
The workplace should be a home where people smile, relax and enjoy
working. Every morning the person should long to come to work.
Friendly and homely place is a must if you want to retain your
staff. The management is so much caught up in the web of profit and
revenues that it looks at people only as a means to higher profits
and forgets to look at them as persons. Listen to the employees,
respect them and make work fun for them if you want them. Provide an
employee-friendly environment where they can participate in
decisions making, execution and evaluation.

7. Lack of freedom

If the employee can't express his ideas and thoughts freely in the
organisation he won't last there. We must create an atmosphere where
people feel free to contribute their ideas, criticize the existing
systems and try out alternatives to make their work more productive
and satisfying. There should be freedom for him to use his talents
and skills. There should be freedom to make mistakes.

We need to invest in building up retention if we want our
organisations to be successful. Recently I read about a dairy
manager who said: "Every time a milker leaves I lose about one cow."

We have recruited the best talents; now it's our duty to motivate
and retain them for the health and success of our organisations.

Mantra for life

Mantra for life

When you were small, your mom & dad believed in you, they believed you were going to be the best kid in the world….this kid’s gonna be somebody, better than anybody they’ve ever known, and you grew up good, and wonderful, it was great for your mom & dad watching you everyday, it was like a privilege
When the time came for you, for you to be your man & take on the world......and you did ......
But, somewhere along the line, you changed, you stop being you, you let people stick a finger in your face and tell you, that you are no good, and when things got hard, you started looking for something you could blame...like a big shadow....
Lemme tell you something you already know,
The world ain’t all sun shines and rainbows...... its a very mean & nasty place and I don't care how tough you are, it'll beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.......You, me and nobody is gonna hit as hard as life, but it ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.... how much you can take and keep moving forward.....dat's how it is done...
If you know what you are worth then go out and get what you are worth, but you got to be willing to take the hits.......and not pointing fingers that you ain't what you wanted to be, becoz of him or her or anybody...COWARDS do that... and that ain't you...........YOU ARE BETTER THAN THAT.........
I'm alwaz gonna Love you no matter what....... No matter what happens........
You could have the best things in life.....but until you start believing in your life, you ain't gonna have a life……….

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Change For The Best : Redifine Future

“Tomorrow is a six letter word “CHANGE’’. Change is the only permanent phenomenon of life. It spurs, motivates, inspires and catalyses movement. It breaks from the shackles of mediocrity, complacence and indecision to explore a new exciting world of growth and development. It defines your future.”

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Celebrate Success

“You can’t have success without trust, without graced hands and without being outgoing. The words trust, graced hands and outgoing embodies almost everything you can strive for that will help you to succeed and be extraordinary. Tell me any human relationship that works without trust, graced hands and outgoing, whether it is a marriage or a friendship or a social interaction; in the long run, the same thing is true about relationship, human relations and business. The world is rapidly changing and big will not beat the small anymore rather it will be the fast beating the slow, the un-ambitious and the co-coned ones.” Change and act fast to scale heights. Celebrate success.