Are you late again????

Were you driving too fast? Are you not organized? Are you getting stressed out? Are you walking into an important event with excuses for being late?
Well with so many tasks in hand already it is very easy to add on one more to the list. However, there are negative consequences to that when you have to attend a wedding but also finish the work at the same time. One of the most important consequences is that not only do you push your schedule back but you also push others schedule back. For example, my friend is one who attends meetings back to back every day. So for her time management is the most important factor. She always complains that the other party was late which meant that she was late for her other meetings throughout the day.  So by being pushed back she was late for her meetings making an impression of being unorganized, and disrespectful.

So as a solution I told her that you should only spend the allotted time for each event. So if she has scheduled a 30 minute meeting and the party is late by 15 minutes then the meeting would hold for only 15 minutes. This will penalize the party for coming late as well as not make you look bad for your next meeting since you would no longer be late.

 
There are many things you can do to be punctual.
1) Try to work 10 to 15 minutes in advance in general so that it becomes a routine.
2) Leave 10-15 minutes extra for traffic by blocking more time for traveling than required.
3) Make a phone call when you reach there not when you are about to leave.

 

 

Punctuality is something that needs time to develop. It is parallel to the fact that practice makes a man perfect. Being punctual adds to your professionalism and your self esteem.
Make sure you are not late again…

Mount, David. (2010, September 10). Punctuality, professionalism and time management. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Punctuality,-Professionalism-and-Time-Management&id=6195192

Myers Briggs is a personality test that is used all around the world. It consists of 100 questions that show how the person will react or feel in different situations. After tallying the score the person is classified with four letters. Extraverted or introverted (E or I), sensing or intuitive (S or N), thinking or feeling (T or F), and last but not least judging or perceiving (J or P). There are 16 different personality types that can be portrayed from this personality test. These are used at different organizations to see whether the candidate is a fit for the job.  However, should it be used?

Well this personality test has been used for the past fifty years with valid and reliable research. However, if the test is used as the deciding factor on whether the candidate is fit for the job then I would agree that it should not be used. The biggest drawback is that the test is simply black or white. By this I mean that the person is either an extrovert or an introvert, however, there might be people who are very close to being an extrovert but are not quite extrovert.  There might also be people who can be both depending on the situation. How do you measure them? Would their measurement be accurate in that sense? I think this test is a good tool for becoming self aware and helping you decide which career would be fit for you according to your personality. For example, if you are an introvert then you would not be fit for a social work job as much as your counterpart who is an extrovert. Therefore, the test should be used as a supplement to your resume and your other credentials.

It should be used after you are hired at a company, this will help the company decide what department you will fit into.  Not only will it help decide the department but will also help decide what kind of task to assign you according to your personality.  If this is used during the interview then the candidate will portray themselves as the best fit for the job. Therefore, it is no longer an accurate measure of the true personality of the candidate.  Were you required to take the Myers Briggs Type Indicator personality test by your employer? How was your reaction to it? Do you think it is fair and should be used?

Stephen, Timothy, A. (2000 ). Types of teams. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.

Team as stated by Timothy& Stephen is, “a group that interacts primarily to share information and to make decisions to help each member perform within his or her area of responsibility” (2000). In the Webster’s Dictionary it is defined as, “a joint action by a group of people, in which each person subordinates his or her individual interests and opinions to the unity and efficiency of the group.”

There are four common types of teams in an organization. These include:
Problem solving teams: this was when the concept of team just started to develop where employees from the same department started to share information with each other on how to improve the work environment
Self managed work teams: these are the teams that help with problem solving as well as implementation of solutions to problems at workplace. They select their own member and often engage themselves in managerial task thus known as self managed team.
Cross functional teams: these are teams that comprise of employees from different areas that work on a project together.  However, they are from the same hierarchical level.
Virtual teams: they are different from other teams because instead of working face to face they use technology to accomplish their task.

What does team work do?
It helps create positive synergy. It allows people to ignore their individual goal and focus on the goal of the team. In addition, it allows for accountability and commitment toward the common goal. It also encourages people to be involved in tasks and interact with their team members. It increases employee motivation as well as employee participation in organizational decisions. Despite these positive outcomes, teams are not always the best solution. What are your thoughts about team work? Are you a team player?

Stephen, Timothy, A. (2000 ). Types of teams. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.

There are three different types of people.
Passive: “acted upon by external agency, receptive to outside impressions or influences, lacking in energy or will.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Assertive: disposed to or characterized by bold or confident statements and behavior (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Aggressive: “marked by combative readiness, marked by driving forceful energy or initiative” (Merriam –Webster Dictionary)

How do these play into workplace
Passive

• does not close door because they want to appear friendly to everyone
• takes on many projects since they cannot say no
• people come to them to talk throughout the day

Assertive

• does not take on many projects since they are able to say no
•  set boundaries for the amount of work to be done
• shut the door when they need to
• ask for clarification rather than walking
• away in ambiguity
• share their successes with everyone else
• disagreeing when necessary rather than just agreeing to something even though it can be harmful

Aggressive

• does not like to work in team
• rude/bossy/bully
• does not collaborate and listen to others

Being passive and aggressive are the two extremes of the spectrum. Being passive means you are trying to please everyone. However, this is not always good because it also means that sometimes you are being fake when you agree with someone even though truly you do not agree with them. Also you could be pushed away from your own ideas since you would feel guilty about not agreeing with anyone. When someone is aggressive they would be pushing down someone else’s idea and forcing them to be a passive person even though they are not. So are you passive, assertive, or aggressive? Do you think you need to maybe improve to be more effective at your work?

http://www.keyorganization.com/blog/assertiveness-helps-with-time-management-skills

There are many cases of discrimination at workplace that take place. One of the ones that I came across is Gonzalves v. Abercrombie & Fitch. This retail clothing giant had a lawsuit against it for racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination. The case was settled in December 2005 where the Judge of the Northern District of California settled the lawsuit. The company had to pay $50 million to Latino, Asian American, African American and female applicants as well as employees who charged the company for discrimination.  Along with this the company was required to have certain policies and programs that encourage diversity and thus eliminate discrimination based on race and gender nationwide. Also there was a monitor appointed to evaluate and report the findings on the compliance of Abercrombie & Fitch to these policies on a regular basis.

Abercrombie & Fitch paid $50 million to the class for discrimination by race and gender. Does that solve everything? I think paying money does not recover for the severe influence it had on those individuals. The self esteem of these individuals would have been lowered due to this discrimination. They might have had the qualifications but just because of the color of their skin they were not hired or promoted. Is that right? United States is all about equality what happens to equality there? If people continue to make such judgments about others based on one characteristic (race or gender) they are executing the halo effect. No doubt it allows one to make a perception quickly but is it legit?

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When comparing the culture at workplace in United States to that of India it is like comparing the North Pole to the South Pole.  The working style of Indians differs completely from that of the Americans. There is lack of training programs, teleconferencing, and motivational meetings in India. Constructive criticism is not a familiar concept for many of the Indian companies. Even though many Indian companies are trying to adapt to the American style it only goes so far as to the large companies. The small companies are still left out. Time management in India is not on the top priority list whereas in America it is one of the most important factors at workplace. Usually Indians end up finding a reason for being late and thus punctuality is not treated as seriously as it is over here. Also in India they are more about gossiping rather than getting their work done. The day of an Indian does not go by until they stand near the coffee table and talk about the lives of others as well as giving advice to others. Surprised?

In India working from home is not an option where as it is over here. There it is more important that the employee is physically present in the office. Here as long as the employee gets their work they have the flexibility of working from home in a lot of events. Therefore the quality of the work in U.S is measured by how efficient you are rather the quantity of hours you spend in the office like its counterpart India.

The dress code is another major difference between the cultures at workplace in these two countries. In India dressing semi formally would be alright whereas here it would give the wrong impression. Here wearing a proper formal attire is required and fit for the culture.

ITAP International, . (2011). The culture in the workplace questionnaire™ overview . Retrieved from http://www.itapintl.com/tools/culture-in-the-workplace-questionnaire-cw/itapcwquestionnaire.html

I was talking about this with my friend and how she feels about her emotion at workplace during lunch today.  She had been working on a proposal for the past three months for the client as her boss asked her. She used to stay late in her office, wake up in the middle of the night to write down her ideas. Her boss had several options that she had planned for the proposal however she felt that hers was the best since it was the most creative and rewarding. During her meeting last week on Thursday, she presented her proposal. The meeting goes well for her despite the fact that she was so nervous that she did not have breakfast. On the same day, after the meeting she was called by her boss in the office. She was told that her proposal was good however the conservative way of the boss would work out the best for the client. She makes it in her office without bursting into tears. She was really excited and passionate about her proposal just to know that the boss did not accept it. She took it personally because she had worked really hard for the past three months on this proposal and it all went down the drain. Is this being too emotional? I believe that most of the men would feel the same way however instead of crying they would have probably used bad verbal language to take their emotions out. I do not believe she is more emotional when compared to men. It is just that the society is structured in such a way that it accepts when women cry but it does not when men cry. Men are seen as the thinkers and women are seen as feelers. Do you think what my friend did was overly emotional? Would you have reacted in the same manner or different?

  

The way leaders and managers motivate the people who follow them or work for them is the sole difference between leadership and management. They are not mutually exclusive in the sense someone who is a manager can be a leader and vice versa. According to Scott, “managers have subordinates unless their title is honorary and given as a mark of seniority, in which case the title is a misnomer and their power over others is other than formal authority.” On the other hand “leaders do not have subordinates at least not when they are leading.” (2009)

	Style	Focus	Goal
Managers	Authoritarian transactional style –Managers have authority over their subordinates. The management style is transactional in the sense that managers tell their subordinates what to do and the subordinates follow it since there is a reward they are promised.	Work – managers are subordinates themselves and they are paid by their bosses for doing what they are told. They are constrained by time and money therefore; pass on the work to their subordinates.	Comfort—The managers come from a stable and comfortable lifestyle. Since they are from such a background they try to avoid conflict and take minimal risk.
Leaders	Charismatic transformation style—Telling people to do something is not going to make them follow you. Instead leaders appeal to people by showing them that following them is the best option. The leadership style is transformational in the sense that they will not only get extrinsic benefits but also feel better about themselves. Leaders appeal to people in such a way that they start taking risk and crash into danger which they otherwise would not have.	People—Being charismatic does not always mean you have to have a loud personality. Being good with people, by giving credit to others and taking the blame on themselves is what great leaders do.	Risk—In contrast to managers, leaders seek risk, they are willing to fight battles and overcome any obstacles along their way. They would break rules to overcome the risk happily that other would avoid. Just like the lifestyle of managers reflects the way they rule, the lifestyle of leaders reflects that way they rule. For example, many leaders have gone through traumatic childhood or have had problems like dyslexia. This help them to have independent thinking and be indifferent of what the others think about them.

 “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

Gupta , Ashim. (2009, February 13). Leadership vs management. Retrieved from http://www.practical-management.com/Leadership-Development/Leadership-Vs-Management.html

Scott, A. (2006, November 21). Leadership vs. management. Retrieved from http://www.drgnyc.com/list_serve/Nov21_2006.htm

What communication style should I use to communicate with you?  What and how should I tell you?  Should I be straight to the point, should I tell stories, should I be a sympathetic listener, or should I be precise? There are four dominant styles of communication including Direct, Spirited, Considerate, and Systematic. To tell what is the dominant style of another person you can observe their qualities and see which category they fall into.

What communication style should I use to communicate with you?  What and how should I tell you?  Should I be straight to the point, should I tell stories, should I be a sympathetic listener, or should I be precise? There are four dominant styles of communication including Direct, Spirited, Considerate, and Systematic. To tell what is the dominant style of another person you can observe their qualities and see which category they fall into.

Direct	Spirited	Considerate	Systematic
Straight to the point	Tells stories	Doesn’t offer opinions	Precise
Poor listener	Doesn’t hear details	Sympathetic listener	Seeks facts
Bold	Enthusiastic	Slow	Controlled
Suggest power	Cluttered	Displays photos	organized

I will focus on the considerate communicators since I belong to that group.
People who are the most comfortable with considerate communication style generally fall under the category of being nice.
Strengths of Considerate communicators  
–  good listeners
– build strong relationships on trust
– appreciative of others
–  reliable, patient, and easy to get along with
–  strong team players
Trouble spots of Considerate communicators
– have trouble prioritizing
– have trouble making decisions
– not delegate well
– tell you what you want to hear rather than the reality
– picks up slack for everyone
– places too much emphasis on feelings

When does nice become too nice?
Considerate people are great team players. They are also known as the glue that holds the team together. However, they are not able to give accurate feedback which could keep a person under the false impression that everything they are doing is great. Also, they pick up your slack which might deprive you of an opportunity to show what you can do. Considerate people also have a hard time adapting to change. These are all qualities that hinder the considerate people as well as all of them around them.

Tips to communicate with people whose dominant style is considerate:
– have one on one conversation with them
– be cooperative
– listen to them just like they listen to you
– build a trust based relationship with them
– tell them about changes early on so that they can take their time to adapt to them

I have focused on the considerate style since that is my dominant style however, I find that I am able to adapt to other communication styles at times depending on the situation. Do you have a coworker whose dominant style of communication is considerate? How do you communicate with them? What are some things that you do differently from the tips mentioned above? Are there some things that you try but just don’t work?

Without looking at the qualities listed above can you match the image to the type of communication style it is portraying?

Employees decide whether they like their job or not however, you as a supervisor/manager are the factor that can change their attitude from not liking the job to liking the job or vice verca. When I say employee motivation I am not referring to the monetary awards I am simply referring to how you value your employees day to day. Being valued is the key to employee motivation without which individuals would not be satisfied at workplace. Being valued is placed just as high as competitive pay, opportunities, and not being left for many employees. Achieving high employee morale is challenging however it is a necessity. It can be compared metaphorically –water is to fish as motivation is to employees. This involves the investment of time on a daily basis to impact the lives of your employee thus in turn their performance. The attitude with which you arrive at the company, how your mood is when communicating with the employees, and body language play important roles. Having a smile on the face can motivate an employee positively while having a frown on your face can de-motivate employee. Greeting everyone and walking around the company as well as sharing goals for the day will start it right. Make sure you layout your expectations clearly so that it does not leave the employees confused. Be transparent as to the reasons for doing the task so that the employee does not do it just for the sake of doing it. If there are changes in the expectations, be sure to notify the employees so that everyone is on the same page.

Feedback can be a very powerful tool in employee motivation from the employees as well as the supervisor’s side. Just like a supervisor needs to know how they are performing at work the employees need the same. Therefore, as a supervisor having daily or weekly feedback for the employees would boost their morale. This helps them understand exactly where they are and it will also help you as a supervisor to tell them where you want them to be if they are not there already. Asking how to motivate employees is not the right question, asking how to create a work environment in which the employees will be self – motivated is the right question. Or is it?