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It is July and I am back. Where have I been? Last few months have been another great chapter where I learned more about life and people.

When times are tough, people tend to lose faith and confidence in them and in people around them. Everything around you looks chaotic and there is no hope. I, on the contrary, take this as an opportunity. If I can get though this then there is lot more I can accomplish in Iife. This is the time in which I can create partnerships that would last for long time. And, if I can lead my team through this, it would make them more tenuous in the long term.

But what do you do? Where do you begin?

Do what you do best – before being creative, apply techniques that have been successful in the past. Any success with proven tactics wound only improve the morale and provide a nourishing ground for additional methods. Show progress to regain confidence.

Be bold – don’t be shy of acknowledging mistakes but be bold about the situation. Always remember, a lot worse could have happened. Use this to recharge yourself and your team. Look for the positives to rebuild momentum. This would also calm the noise around you because people know you are taking the bull by the horns!

Be compassionate – Ok, you are the bold one who figured out how to deal with a tough situation. However not everybody can. Understand the people around you and learn more about them. Give support to people who need it, don’t be a bully. Carry your team with you. As much as they need you, you need them as well.

Act wisely and timely – tough situations come with short lead times, impatient people and whole lot of negative energy. In such situations, do the due diligence to frame an action plan but once you have it, act quickly. Think of it as an action movie in which long scenes of silence would make it boring. Quick actions drive a sense of urgency.

Stick to your core values – don’t be an actor. Be what you are and let your core values guide you. It demonstrates strength in your leadership and in turn people around you will develop confidence in you. Be consistent and not a shooting star. You will have to light the night for many.

So did this make me a better person forever? Only time will tell but I do know that the storm is over for now. We all overcame it and we all are better prepared for the next one!

@saxenaas

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I am not a salesman or an executive who has to run a company (yet!) but when I see an average of 80 emails in my mailbox daily, I wonder about information clutter. So I talked to a bunch of my colleagues and found out what I am going to write here is a common phenomenon. We all suffer from the email overflow!

It begins with corporate announcements (about 10%) which I read selectively based on the subject or when someone in the cafeteria is talking about it (those I have to restore from Trash). Another 10% comes from reminders for deadlines or admin stuff which we should normally remember. This is a representation of how committed people are to their own plans. Sad but true – hence the email! 

Then there is a good 40% in which I am copied as FYI. Three words for the team – “just fix it”. So far 60% of the emails are about 25% effective but consume a good portion of my morning schedule. Now the remaining 40% are the interesting ones. This is where I have to really pay attention.

5% Emails highlighted in Blue are from the boss

3% Emails highlighted in Yellow are from his boss or higher

25% Pink emails are from my clients. Yes pink because I find pink to be a soothing color. Red was the original color of choice.

 As for the last 8% that’s mostly travel notifications. For my kind of job you need those – from one airport to another and another!

So are we email obsessed? Check this out

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2373233,00.asp

@saxenaas

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