DENNIS INSPIRATION: 19. ASK WHEN YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND

Asking when you don't understand will benefit you.  Pretending to understand can lead to poor decision making.

If you don't understand the instructions, ask questions.  If you find something is too complex for you to understand, don’t be embarrassed to admit and demand someone explain it.  Many leaders assume that complexity is part of life and accept it all too easily.  There’s a possibility that if you can’t quite understand a business unit’s strategy, there are chances that the people who have to carry it out may don’t understand either.

If you can't explain it simply,

you don't understand it well enough.

(Albert Einstein)

There are at least three possible reasons why people don't ask questions:

• understands everything that questions aren't necessary
• so utterly lost and don't where to start asking questions
• don't want to be embarrass with your questions

Some advantages of asking questions:

• learn something and look at things in a different light
• might benefit others
•  

Whatever it is, be careful not to say or ask the wrong thing to your boss because it can really damage your career:

• "I can't work with Joe."  Refusing to work with a colleague may mark you as difficult instead.

Some people see things that are and ask, Why?

Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not?

Some people have to go to work and don't have time for all that.

(George Carlin)

 

Successful people ask better questions,

and as a result, they get better answers.

(Tony Robbins)

PRESSURED TO GET MARRIED…..

 

If someone is above 30 and still single, the perception is that they may be physically crippled, mentally or emotionally disabled.  Some people will look with pity, some will sneer, and there are some who would cluck like chickens.  The pressure to get married doesn’t end once you got married.  People around you will then start up a new pressure that is the joyful pressure to have children.

Marriage is not a one day affair; it is supposed to be a lifelong arrangement between two people who are willing to look after each other until their golden years.  Marriage comes with tremendous responsibilities into which one should not push another into it if the other is not ready.

Resisting the pressure of marriage can be a helluva task for most single women today.  The pressure to get married is mainly because of certain societal norms that are still prevalent within our families.

Inspired from:

RUSHED INTO MARRIAGE

BY DANIEL CHANDRANAYAGAM

TheSun Monday, 23 August 2013

DENNIS INSPIRATION: 18. HELP OTHERS IN NEED

Every business leader is responsible to helping others.  Unfortunately it is not as easy.  Sometimes the leaders are often too caught up in operations or their own problems to give others the needed help.  There are a few ways you can help others:

• The easiest ways to help others is by sharing knowledge.
• Find out what’s actually valuable to someone and make an effort to ask them where they need help.
• Once you see an opportunity, think about who could benefit from knowing about it.
• Take time out of your day to help a friend, they are sure to remember it.
• People tend to remember who helped them when they were in need.

While it can sometime be inconvenient, helping others has a few humble advantages:

• makes you feel better about yourself
• connects you with another person
• improves the life of another
• makes the world a better place
• help you feel needed and effective
• make you feel generous
• add a sense of purpose and meaning to your life
• take your mind off your own worries for a while

Research has indicate that those who consistently help other people will experience less depression, greater calm, fewer pains, better health and may even live longer.

DENNIS INSPIRATION: 17. PLEASANT VS GROUCHY EMPLOYEE

An attitude is defined as a state of mind about a person, thing, or situation.  These attitudes or thoughts are displayed through action, body language, facial expressions, and voice.  Positive attitude create experiences that are good, whereas negative attitudes can because it create things that are bad.

Extremely pleasant employees are being well liked by customers.  An employee’s attitude is important to your employer, coworkers and customers.  Employers will want to hire and keep people who help the company, the coworkers, and the customers.  People who have pleasant facial expressions, good posture, and a pleasing voice are considered as assets to the business.

Flipping the other side of the coin, according to researchers from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University in Houston, Texas, grumpy employees are the most creative problem-solvers.  Author Jing Zhou, most happy, cheerful employees often doesn’t see problems until there is a crisis; the grouches are more aware of pitfalls.  Zhou's theory is based on a survey of 161 employees and their supervisors at a large oil-field services company where the workers were asked to assess their own mood at work, while the supervisors were told to rank the creativity of their employees.  She found that people who were in periodic bad moods tended to be the most detail-oriented and analytical, and challenging the status quo; these are the three essential ingredients to creative problem-solving.

Zhou is not focusing on those sour grapes that are in a foul mood every day.  She’s talking about the occasional grump.  This kind of person needs a special manager who creates a climate that gives such employees the elbow room they need to best operate.  They are usually motivated enough to get out of it and solving a problem often does the trick.

So, think again.  It has been found that people who come to work in a good mood will play well with others and make the office a pleasant place to work, but those who come to work in a bad mood are able to use that contrary attitude to solve problems creatively.

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

Abraham Lincoln

 

You may love your job but you might not appreciate the behavior of some of your co-workers or employees.  In any working environment, there exist a person who complains about everything and a person who has little tolerance or patience.  When faced with grouchy or grumpy worker, make sure they don’t drag you into their negative web.

Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.

Albert Einstein

A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.

Benjamin Franklin

Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.

Benjamin Franklin

 

DENNIS INSPIRATION: 16. TO BE LIKED…OR…TO BE RESPECTED

You have to determine whether you want to be liked or respected for your work.  Most people want both; to be liked and also to be respected.  But when a choice has to be made, it is better to have the respect rather than liked because:

1. Nice is not enough where being too agreeable, passive and overly compassionate may have negative impact on how you are being judge or assessed for promotion or for working on prime assignments.
2. Professional respect will evoke a positive feeling of esteem.  This will create an image of professional persona where you will be perceived as indispensable at work and be the subject matter expert.  Professional respect will distinguish you from your peers.
3. Trumped on relationships you build or break, on friends or enemies.  The whole objectives is to make few enemies as possible even tough there’ll be a moment in time when you’ll not be represented by the quality of your work but rather by the relationship you have.  Remember that most of the time; the person with very good relationship is going to be the one who gets to be recognized.  In the ever connected world of today, every person counts.  He or she may be your boss today, but tomorrow or in the future, he or she may become your customer.  Thus, respect is the most important key in maintaining the required professional relationships.
4. Earn more respect from people by training them so they treat you with respect and dignity.  Take the responsibility to shape other’s behavior and teach them how you wish to be treated.  Being too nice is not enough to command the respect of others.
5. Self-confidence is empowering but remember not to be aggressive.  Your persona of respect can cause a positive ripple effect in your organization.

When a person is being respected at work, people will enjoy being around that person.  Thus, professional relationship will be foster and at the same time keeping the need to be liked.

Respect not only others, but respect also yourself.  Respect is usually accorded to those who conduct themselves with dignity.  A few steps to earn respect:

1. Presenting yourself well including good grooming and dress neatly.  Clothes need not be expensive.  This also includes taking care of health and personal hygiene.
2. Greeting people in proper and friendly manner.  Positive and happy greeting makes every person feel wonderful.  It shows personalize attention and makes them feel special.

To earn respect, you must also respect yourself by:

1. Having confidence
2. Trying to be optimistic and overcome your obstacle.  Then you’ll be able to lead a happier live and be an encouragement to others.
3. Respecting yourself and others around you by keeping your surrounding clean.
4. Stating your boundaries.

Some basic common courtesy are:

1. Use clean and respectable language.  Always say positive things about others.
2. Never bully or take advantage of other people’s weaknesses.
3. Give chance to everybody and don’t prejudice people even if you know that someone is a jerk.
4. Keep your promises and try not to make promises you can’t keep.
5. Try to see other people’s side of the story and keep your cool.
6. Do not act like a know-it-all.  Remember that the wisest people in the world are those who acknowledge how little they do know, for there is so much yet to be discovered.
7. Be a good role model.
8. Be yourself.
9. Do not be overly materialistic.
10. Do not procrastinate because people respect action.