Life is a biggest teacher!

“Life is like a great teacher …. she will repeat the lesson until you learn”, Ricky Martin

On Teacher’s Day today, I would like to thank all my teachers in school, college, etc. for providing me the knowledge and wisdom and making me what I am today. It is only because of them today to be what I am today. Today, I also would like to thank my parents who have me as the biggest teachers on this earth and I would especially like to mention my father. I know he would have been really proud today as I have always considered my role model. 

In addition, I would like to thank my friends who have also been my biggest teachers because as it has been said, “A friend can be a good teacher too”. I would also like to thank my son who has been a teacher too. Yes, my son because sometimes children can teach you what even the expert teachers can’t do it. And, finally, I would like to thank this life and most importantly, “God” for being my biggest teacher. As, indeed, life is the biggest teacher because you get to learn various lessons in every phase of life. Wherever you go or whatever you do, there is no better teacher than life. Whether you fail or succeed, it will be an experience for you and will remain with you forever. 

As Bruce Lee rightly said, “Life itself is your teacher and you are in a state of constant learning”. Most of the greatest learning that happens in our life is when we either fail to do something or when we succeed in a task or an assignment. In addition, life is the only teacher who tests you first and then gives you a lesson—that will remain with you throughout until you reach your last. Experts believe that life is the biggest school, God is the best teacher, problem is the best assignment, and failure is the best revision. Life is full of experiences, and those can be either good or bad or they can be also enjoyable or painful. Let’s say you fail in a certain task, it will be valued more as it will give you the experience to make you stronger and give a chance to give you learning so that you do not repeat your mistakes. It is even believed that bad experiences are actually the face of God as they come especially to teach you a lesson but it is absolutely up to you how you perceive it. Life is a teacher that gives you an opportunity to learn so that you can do better later.

5 tips on using social media in a responsible manner

Few weeks back, a post got viral on Facebook where a woman posted a picture of man and accused him of eve teasing. There was a lot of hue and cry in the social media, where everyone was posting their comments or tweeting their reaction and were trying to defame the man. No one for once tried to think if the post that was posted by the woman was indeed true. They just followed their own instinct and even gave a judgement, and few even called the man as a “pervert”. And, then we come to know from the same social media that woman was indeed lying. So, was it really necessary? Who are we to provide a judgement? There is a court of law to decide whether the man is a culprit and no one is bigger the law. So, who has given us the right to defame anyone even if he / she may have committed a shameful crime? This gives me a point to think that whether we are using social media in a responsible and sensible manner. So, what do we do? Do we just comment on any post that we see on Facebook or tweet about anything? Isn’t it really necessary to think before we start to comment on Facebook or tweeting on twitter?

Here are some tips on how we can be sensible enough while using social media:

1. Be attentive while responding in social media: We often receive links or posts from several people who have shared without actually reading them. More often, people comment on posts after they have only scanned them. One of the greatest gift that we give anyone is our attention on social media. We should always ensure to respond thoughtfully to any comment on a post or a tweet to indeed make a difference.
2. Be active and not reactive: “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” If you are a science student then you should indeed remember this Newton’s third law of motion. But, this doesn’t hold true for social media. It is indeed important to be active on social media but it is not necessary to react to each and every comment or a tweet. We should always think before responding to any update on social media. We must first think before joining the crowd to react on any post or a tweet. We must ask ourselves that whether is it really true or is it necessary or is it indeed kind enough. Before you react on social media, always ask yourself that if it indeed is helpful and will not harm anyone. 
3. Recognize your purpose: It is very important to be mindful before you start to post anything on social media or tweet anything. We must ask ourselves that whether I will be seen or will be need to be validated. In addition, we also must ask ourselves that whether we post anything is constructive enough or is it destructive. Doug Firebaugh of SocialMediaBlogster.com has identified seven psychological needs we may be looking to meet while using social media: acknowledgment, attention, approval, appreciation, acclaim, assurance, and inclusion. 
4. Follow the “Let it go!” syndrome: As a good citizen, it is good to voice your opinion on social media but it is not always necessary to react to each and every post or tweet on twitter. Rather, we should follow the “Let it go” syndrome though it may seem unkind to disregard any update on social media but you must follow you own instincts. 
5. Finally, have fun with social media: Social media have become an important part of our daily life and it has also become a platform to communicate and collaborate with various people. It has given an opportunity to be social so we must use social media to stay connected in order to build relationships.

So, while it is utmost necessary to voice your opinion but it is also important to be responsible while using social media. However, at the same time, have fun and enjoy the time over social media as this is a wonderful gift that we have today. 

Social media today has taken the online world by storm so we just need to be a little mindful while using social media.

Top 5 qualities of a team leader

“So, you are now a team lead. You must be excited. Isn’t it?”, asked Sam who was a mentor.

“Yeah! I am on top of the world. Can’t you see?” he replied sarcastically

Sam looked at him in suspicion and then asked again, “You don’t sound too good. Tell me, what happened?”

“Well, Sam, Though I have been promoted as a team lead in my team and I should be happy but somewhere I feel I am not doing right”, he replied

Sam then said, “As a team lead, you need to get the best from yourself and others as well. At a technical level, you may be very good but you need few skills to master the role of a team leader”.

 “Hmmm.” He replied (sounding confused)

Same sensed his confusion and then replied again, “Ok, let me ask you a question. To begin with, are you clear about the ultimate goal? If not, then you must find out or decide what the goal is as that is first skill of a team leader. 

“Yes, Definitely. I am clear of what our goal is”, he replied with confidence.

“That’s good. So, you know what the goal is and that will give you some direction.” Sam replied giving a thumbs up signal. “As a team leader, you must be leading the team somewhere. If you do not know what your goal is then it becomes utmost necessary to find out what it is and decide what the purpose of the team. In addition, you also need to ensure that everything you do in the team is governed by that purpose”, Sam replied again.

“Ok. So, that is it”, he replied.

“No, that’s not all. This is just a beginning. As a team leader, you then need to communicate clearly with your team. Communication plays a very important role for a team lead as you always work surrounded by other people and it also requires you to gain cooperative assistance to achieve the goals.” Sam replied.

“Incase, I am unable to communicate well then is there a scope of improving my communication skills?”, he asked.

“Yes, indeed there is. If you are unable to communicate well with your team then you will not be able to achieve your goal. As a team lead, you need to improve upon various aspects in order to improve you communication skills to gain cooperative assistance such as language usage, appearance, listening skills, memory skills, and ability to write clearly” Sam replied.

“It is not necessary that you need to master all of these but even if you improve 2-3 of them then you would notice an improvement in your leadership skills. However, if you are able master all of them then you can conquer the whole world”, Sam replied again with smile on his face.

“Hmm. Sounds good”, he replied.

“So, now you know what the goal is and you are able to communicate well. What do you think your next task will be? “, Sam asked.

“Plan, ofcourse. Isn’t it?” he inquired with confidence.

“Yes, you are absolutely correct”, Sam replied. “A plan is the method by the virtue of which you will achieve the goal that you have set for your team. As a team lead, it is very necessary for you to come up with a plan to organize the resources in a manner where we get maximum progress, in the minimum time, money and effort.  But, that is not an easy task to do and requires deep thought process”. Sam replied again.

“Hmm. Ok. So, let me just summarize what you just mentioned above. First, we set a goal or purpose of the team, secondly, we communicate clearly about the goal to the team, and then thirdly, we create a plan”, he replied.

“You nailed it right”, Sam said and then gave pat on his back.

“But, Sam, what do we do if we find some people in the team who disagrees with the plan or anything we have created or does not comply with it”, he asked.

“So, here, you have a conflict”, Sam replied to him. “As a team leader, you always need to be prepared of such situation as you will always have to deal with difficult people who do not agree with you and who do not do things that you want them to do. You need to be very careful while handling such people in the team, and you need a way to handle them, “Sam replied again.

“But, how do we do this?”, he asked.

“Well, let us understand the ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ of how you should handle such people”, Sam replied. “First, the Don’ts: As a team lead, you must not get angry, or verbally aggressive, or even upset of any situation. Now, the dos: you must be respectful at all times with your team members, and offer corrective actions. In addition, it is also necessary that you make reference of the facts instead of any feelings”, Sam replied. “Do not ever let your feelings come in your way when you try to deal with the difficult people”, Sam said while pointing a finger. “Remember, you must keep that person on your side as you do not want to divide the team into several parts or create any warring camps. Also, remember, it is always necessary to maintain a professional environment when working with the team”, Sam said.

“So, as a team leader, I need to play my cards in a logical manner and not get emotional at all. Correct”, he asked.

“Absolutely! You are bang on”, Sam replied.

“But, with all the conflict and other pressures, it becomes really difficult to motivate ourselves and may also have a draining effect on our mind”, he said.

Sam replied, “Yes, you are right. But, you will need to manage your emotions and then self-manage your emotional state. Remember, you must need to control the contents of your mind as you feel whatever you think about. As a team leader, you must control and direct your thoughts in your mind away from the disastrous or bad future, failures in the past, or any success that happened in the past. You must focus your mind on the goals, plan, and how best you can help your team members in order for them to help you. And, most importantly, you must focus your mind on how great the future will be for you and your family”.

“Hmm. So all this will keep me motivated and enthusiastic, and will also make me and my family happy. Isn’t it?”, he replied.

“Indeed!”, Sam sighed.

“But, how do we motivate our team?”, he asked.

Sam replied, “Lets say you have clear goals and able to communicate well with the team. Also, you have a strong plan, are able to manage difficult team members, and feel strong and motivated. So, just look around you. Can you see the similar thing happening to others also?

“Hmm. Yes”, he replied.

Sam then asked him, “Then, you filter the same skills to others, and ask yourself that have the team members become more goal focused, communicative, and organized”.

“Oh, Sounds so simple, isn’t it?”, he sighed with a relief. “So, let me just summarize what we just discussed so far. As a team leader, I would:

1. Set and define goals for the team
2. Communicate well with the team members
3. Create a strong plan
4. Manage the difficult team members
5. Controlling and directing my thoughts, and focusing my mind on the task in hand.
6. Stay focused and motivated myself and then only can inspire and keep others motivated

That’s it, right!”

“Yes, you nailed it, right”, Sam replied with a smile. Now, I know you can become an effective team leader.