Nothing is as frustrating as arguing with someone who knows what he's talking about - Sam Ewing

Today is the first day of the rest of your life
                                                          --- Rahul Durge

Top 10 Ways To Increase Your IQ

A long day at work, responsibilities at home, a girlfriend or wife to appease, the horrendous traffic nightmare, endless meetings—give your brain a break!

Leave it to the experts to figure out if your IQ can actually be improved or not. The fact is, you could score much better in an IQ test on some days than on others, simply because you are much more alert.

Breathe Deep

When you breathe deep and maintain the right posture, your blood starts pushing in more oxygen into your brain and tense muscles easing up. To check if it works, try slouching at a meeting and then try sitting up straight and breathing deeply through your nose. You’ll find that almost at once, your mind starts ticking faster, making you much more alert, confident and conscious of your surroundings. Every time you find your energy levels dipping and your mind straying off the work at hand, take off a few minutes to follow this simple remedy. Make it a self-conscious regime that you follow at short breaks during the day.

Physical Activity

A brisk twenty-minute walk in the morning can keep you mentally and physically fit. As will one of those dancing classes, where you can meet interesting people and stay fit in the bargain. Short exercise breaks during office hours are also a great idea if you want to remain alert through the day.

Physical activity increases the blood flowing to your brain, keeping you more pepped up and active. In office, of course, you do not really have to sweat it out. You may just want to “wake up” your brain and get rid of lethargy. So, before you have to sit in on another of those never-ending meetings, try a stroll around the office.

Avoid too Much Sugar

Forget the popular myth that sugar can give you a high. Actually, sugar or for that matter, any simple carbohydrates taken in large quantities can lull your brain into sweet lethargy. Eating sugar before an all-important event causes insulin to get dumped into your veins, bringing mental activity to an almost grinding halt.

Think Deep

Meditation at its most basic level is watching and being aware of your breathing. Take deep breaths and concentrate on the inhalation and exhalation process. Not only will this pump in more oxygen into your brain, but it’ll also help you collect your wandering thoughts and keep your mind focused.

The Caffeine Kick

Now this is a double-edged remedy and it certainly would not have found its way here, except that everybody knows desperate situations call for desperate measures. Everything from test scores to chess games can improve with a long, good sip of coffee, tea or any other caffeine-rich drink.

Indulge Your Creative Ego

Paint, draw, scribble or buy one of those do-it-yourself craft kits. Or simply log on to the www and blog! Blogging is a great outlet to get rid of negative emotions, connect with like-minded people and discover the sound of your ‘voice’. Don’t be silenced by the popular media image that creative writing is for women. Some of the most famous Indian bloggers are men.

Solve a Puzzle

Puzzle-solving can not only make you more mentally active, but actually improve your IQ in the long term. Experts recommend the Rubik cube as a great way to push your brain to work out of the box! Mentally stimulating, this brain bender can actually improve your brain’s capacity to solve problems creatively. Yet another puzzle you may want to tackle is the Sudoku. Log on to any number of sites or subscribe to a newspaper with Sudoku puzzles. Or, if you’re like my friend in the next cubicle, you may want to stock up on jigsaw puzzles.

 

Speed Reading

Fast readers not only increase their knowledge by getting to read more material in less time, they actually get to retain more. It’s all about the training. When you spend a few minutes everyday, probably while you’re reading your newspapers in the morning, you’re actually coaching your mind to think and comprehend fast. This quickness thankfully transmutes to real life situations, helping you make logical decisions.

Get Your Life in Order

Just getting your stuff in order can remove all the clutter in your brain and make space for more effective thinking. The 5s technique, touted by many management gurus these days is an interesting and effectual Japanese concept. The 5s’s—sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain—when boiled down to the bare facts, simply means that you need to keep your surroundings spruced up. Make sure that everything is in its own place, get rid of the stuff you don’t need, keep the stuff cluttering your vision to the minimal, maintain some sort of self-discipline.

Gingko Biloba

If you are a believer in herbal remedies, this one could emerge the hands-down winner. Research shows that gingko leaves increase blood flow to the brain, improving memory and concentration. What’s more, this natural medication doesn’t have any harmful side-effects and the magic doesn’t wear off with regular use. Gingko capsules are available in any local pharmacy, and the supermarket across the street could well be stocking some delicious herbal teas with Gingko.

Speaking Up Takes Confidence, Candor, and Courage- Ron Ashkenas

Have you ever wondered whether your work efforts were really creating value? From what I have seen in organizations, many people have that experience. The problem is that many times they do not do anything about it.

Not long ago I spoke at a company meeting about the challenges of complexity in organizations. At one point, I asked the audience members to identify and discuss simplification opportunities in their areas. During the report-outs, one woman described how she and her co-workers spent hours each week on the cosmetics of a particular report to make sure that it looked good when it went to senior management. She went on to say that this focus on style rather than substance was a waste of time. When I asked why she continued to do this, she quickly said that her boss expected it. Her boss was also in the room, and when asked about the report said, "I don't care what it looks like, as long as it has the right information."

This kind of disconnect is not unusual. One of the main reasons that employees knowingly continue valueless activities is the lack of candid dialogue between people at different organizational levels. For example, many times I have heard people say that their manager is "unapproachable" or "too busy" to talk about changing the way things are done. Moreover, while that observation is certainly true in many cases, it is often code for: "I'm afraid of my manager's reaction." On the other hand, many senior leaders wonder why their people do not raise issues more proactively. As one senior person said to me, out of frustration, "I don't know how many more times I can tell them that they are empowered!"

So what does it take to break this logjam so that dialogue flows more freely and spontaneously? Let me suggest two steps:

Take responsibility for the truncated dialogue. In addition, that means everyone — managers and subordinates alike. While it is easy to blame others, the reality is that it takes two parties to short-circuit a relationship. For the most part, this happens unintentionally. We usually make assumptions about what we can talk to our manager about or not, or what the boss expects — and then we act on these assumptions without testing them. We also may fear that the manager will think poorly about us if we bring up something that she does not agree with, so it is easier to say nothing. Managers, however, do the same thing — they assume that their people feel comfortable enough to initiate conversations, or send subtle signals to subordinates that they really do not want to approach with new ideas.

Do something about it. Jack Welch used to say that self-confident people are one of the key characteristics of a high-performing organization — because they will not be afraid to speak up. However, nobody becomes self-confident just because Jack Welch (or some blogger) says that it is the right thing to do. Instead, you have to gain that confidence by pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone a little at a time. For example, if you realize that you are wasting resources on an activity that does not add value, but are hesitant to approach your boss, start by talking with other colleagues about it. See if others feel the same way. If they agree, develop a joint proposal for not only stop the unproductive work, but also for reallocating time to higher payoff areas. Then go to the boss as a team, not only to talk about this idea but also to test his openness to these kinds of initiatives in general.

If you are a manager, you can foster self-confidence by creating "safe space" forums where anyone can raise issues without consequences. You can also encourage your people to get together, identify non-value added work, and present it as a team. Alternatively, you can initiate a more formal process, like Workout or process mapping to surface the ideas.

Whether you are a subordinate or a manager, the key is to take some sort of action to increase the candor and flow of dialogue in your organization. If you do nothing you are just reinforcing unproductive patterns. However, if you do something, you can trigger a cycle of increasing self-confidence and higher performance — and create a much more pleasant place to work.

What is your experience with opening up a dialogue about unproductive work?

The Art of Asking Questions - Ron Ashkenas

How well do you ask questions? Most managers do not think about this issue. After all, you do not usually find "the ability to ask questions" on any list of managerial competencies; nor is it an explicit part of the curriculum of business schools or executive education programs. However, asking questions effectively is a major underlying part of a manager's job —, which suggests that it might be worth giving this skill a little more focus.

We have all experienced times when we've failed at being good questioners, perhaps without realizing it. For example, not long ago I sat in on a meeting where a project team was reviewing its progress with a senior executive sponsor. During the presentation, it was clear from his body language that the executive was uncomfortable with the direction that the team was taking. As a result, without any real questioning of the team, he deferred approval of the next steps until he could have a further discussion with the team leader. When he met with the team leader later, he ripped into him for allowing the team to go off-course. Eventually the team leader was able to explain the thinking behind the plan, convinced the executive that they would indeed achieve their objectives, and was given the go-ahead to proceed. In the meantime the team had lost its momentum (and a week of productivity), and began to focus more on pleasing the sponsor rather than doing the project in the best way.

This is not an isolated incident. Many managers do not know how to probe the thought process of their subordinates, colleagues, and bosses — and instead make assumptions about the basis of their actions. Moreover, when those assumptions are wrong, all sorts of dysfunctional patterns can be created. In a financial services firm, for example, a major product upgrade was delayed by months because the product and IT managers had different assumptions about what was to be delivered by when, and kept blaming each other for delays. When a third party finally helped them to ask the right questions, they were able to come up with a plan that satisfied both, and quickly produced incremental revenue for the product.

There are three areas where improved "questioning" can strengthen managerial effectiveness; and it might be worth considering how you can improve your skills in each one.

First is the ability to ask questions about yourself. All of us fall into unproductive habits, sometimes unconsciously. Good managers therefore are always asking themselves and others about what they could do better or differently. Finding the right time and approach for asking these questions in a way that invites constructive and candid responses is critical.

Second is the ability to ask questions about plans and projects. The examples mentioned above both fall into this category. The challenge with questioning projects is to do so in a way that not only advances the work, but that also builds relationships and helps the people involved to learn and develop. This does not mean that your questions can't be tough and direct, but the probing needs to be in the spirit of accelerating progress, illuminating unconscious assumptions and solving problems. This is in contrast to some managers who (perhaps out of their own insecurity) ask review questions either to prove that they are the smartest one in the room, or to make someone squirm. On the other hand, many of the best managers I've seen have an uncanny ability to engage in Socratic dialogue that helps people reach their own conclusions about what can be done to improve a plan or project, which of course leads to much more ownership and learning.

Finally, practice asking questions about the organization. Although usually unspoken, managers have an obligation to always look for ways that the organization as a whole can function more effectively. To do this, they need to ask questions about practices, processes, and structures: Why do we do things this way? Is there a better approach? Asking these questions in a way that does not trigger defensiveness and that is seen as constructive is an important skill for managers.

Most of us never think about how to frame our questions. Giving this process some explicit thought however might not only make you a better manager; it might also help others improve their inquiry skills as well.

Last but not the least-- Have you seen good and bad examples of how to ask questions? What is your own self-assessment? Are you asking yourself the right questions?

The Unknown Rules of Business

Rules are basic instructions that are followed in any field. Be it office, be it sports or be it business. Everything is defined by set rules. Violating or breaking those rules would end up in a strict punishment. However, how many of us know that there are some unwritten rules of business that needs to be follow

Here are some of the unknown rules of business: 

     

    1.    Always follow a two-way Mentorship: Mentoring is very important in the field of business. A mentor supports you with motivation, source of ideas, counsels you and guides you through the toughest situations. They pass on valuable information. But you cannot be a bandit who takes it all and gives nothing. You can pass on that knowledge to someone below you who in turn gets mentored by you. You need to always remember that, as you aspire for someone's position, there is another individual who is looking up to your position. The chain of mentoring should go on. It is simple, if you want a great mentor; you need to be one first.

     2. Never leave out or ignore the negatives: Everything has a positive and negative aspect of it. It is not wise to concentrate on the positive points and ignore the negative points. There should be always a balance that needs to be maintained. The good news can be interesting, but the bad news could be critical. Positives are easy to deal with; negatives can make or break a business if the right people are not aware.

     3. Never talk when you have nothing to say: Some people have the habit of making every conversation as their last say. Just to show that you involved with the rest of the group in the meeting, it is not necessary that you have to say something which makes no sense to the rest of them and does not make any relevance with what was discussed. 

     4.  Never borrow someone's idea:  Ideas are the result of creative thinking of an individual. Even if you borrow a junior's idea, make sure that you give all the due credits. Steal an idea and the victim never forgets. And don't fall back on the old, "Well, they work for me, and we're a team" so I was just raising the idea on behalf of the team." No one goes for that excuse but you.