Saturday 2 November 2013

[www.keralites.net] Quality of Work and The Quality of Worker

 

My kids wanted me to buy some toys so I took them to a nearby toy store yesterday. This is quite large store with more than 5000 square meters of area having thousands of toys. The toys were nicely placed on shelves. A lot of packed toys were also placed on the floor in nice patterns so as to give the customers more choices of toys to chose from. While kids and parents were enjoying exploring the shop, all of a sudden everyone heard a considerable loud burst noise. Upon my inquiry, one of the staff members told that the main water supply pipe has busted on the first floor of the store having their warehouse too. Within no time everyone noticed that water has started leaking from one corner of the store and moving in all directions feet by feet. Now the challenge was to remove all the toys from the floor so as to avoid them from getting damaged. This was the time ofmanagingthe mess but unfortunately the staff was not much efficient on doing so. They were running here and there with no clear plan about handling this situation; eventually they were efforts were seem to be least efficient. Noticing this, some of the customers ran and brought big shopping trolleys and started putting all the cartoons before it peeped in to the nicely packed toys and cause big damage. Within two minutes most of the toys were moved to trolleys though several toys got damaged.

 
Observations:
1-The water pipe may not have been inspected frequently so it busted all of a sudden.
2-The employees were not properly trained to evacuate the store in emergency conditions.
3-The employees were not trained enough to manage the toys, packing and other cartoons for such urgent conditions fire/water issues.
4-Most of the shoppers were only watching this and only 3-4 people took the initiative to help store guys and saved thousands of dollars.
 
Comments:
Considering the big picture the lesson here is thatthe quality of workand quality of workerare directly proportional. No matter how strong policies you put in place, there is a chance of error if the workers are not quality thinkers. So equal importance must be given in selecting the quality resources and then polishing their skills over the course of time. So basically, right selection of resources with right trainings will develop the courage and confidence in them to manage emergency situations like the one in this story.
If you are a manager,leaderor a business man, do you have suchpolicies and proceduresin place for corrective and preventive situations?

www.keralites.net

__._,_.___
Recent Activity:
KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...

To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.

To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Homepage: http://www.keralites.net
.

__,_._,___

[www.keralites.net] 8 Steps to Ask People for Things Via Email

 

One of the golden rules of writing is: Respect the readers intelligence. This rule gets magnified by a factor of 10 when it comes to composing unsolicited emails.


Most people who receive any significant quantity of email in a day havedeveloped extremely refined bullshit detectors. They can identify an impersonal templated email in 0.5 seconds, and they can spot a time-wasting lets explore the possibilities ask from a mile off.

In short, getting someone that you dont know to pay attention to youand respondis a delicate art. One that requires craftsmanship, charm, concision, and a lot of self-editing.

Based on years of drafting, redrafting, observation, and misfires, here are a few pointers to keep in mind when composing an email ask:

Step 1: Make it easy to say, Yes.

When it comes to giving good email, making it easy to say Yes! is objective number one. Sadly, its also where most people fall down on the job.

I frequently receive emails from people who are interested in some sort of knowledge exchange but never clarify how they would like for me to take action. Do they want to have a coffee? Do they want to do a phone call? Its unclear, which means that instead of saying, Yes! I have to respond by asking them what theyre asking me for in the first place. Or, not respond at all.

If you are asking someone to take the time to answer you, it should be very clear what you are asking for. Look at your email and ask yourself: Can the recipient say Yes without further discussion? If the answer is yes, youre doing well. If not, you need to redraft.

Step 2: Write an intriguing subject line.

Composing a good email subject line is akin to writing a great headline. If youre cold-emailing someone youve never met, its important to strike a balance between being direct and being interesting.

If I were asking someone to speakat our annual 99U Conference, for instance, I might use a subject like: Jessica + Behances 99U Conference? (Analysis: Using someones name feels personal; mentioning Behance in addition to 99U gives more chance of name recognition; and the question mark gives a sense of possibility/ creates curiosity.)

Keep in mind that while its always good to be clear, you also dont want to give anyone a reason to dismiss your email before reading it. For that reason, youll want to avoid stock or cookie-cutter phrases that might get your email lumped in (and glossed over) with others.

For instance, for a speaker ask for the 99U Conference, I typically avoid run-of-the-mill phrases like speaking opportunity or speaking invitation, because they can turn people off before theyve really assessed my particular opportunity.

Step 3: Establish your credibility.

Why should I care? is the tacit question hovering in most peoples minds every time they open an email from someone they dont know. This is why establishing your credibility is crucial. Tell your reader why you are different, why you are accomplished, and why they should pay attention to you.

If Im contacting someone about contributing to 99u.com, I might share stats on our monthly pageviews and social media reach to do this. If the ask is related to one of our events, I would share audience size, years sold out, and a power-list of past speakers.

If you dont have data points to share, you can also establish credibility by being a keen observer of the person you are contacting; you could tell them how long youve followed their work, how you enjoyed the last blog post they wrote, etc. As long as its not fawning, most people appreciate being noticed.

Why should I care? is the tacit question hovering in most peoples minds every time they open an email from someone they dont know.

Step 4: Be concise get to the point.

Never assume that someone is going to read your entire email. You should make it clear from the get-go exactly what you are asking for. That means clarifying why youre reaching out in the first sentence or two, and no later.

However, sometimes everything you need to say cant be explained in 1-3 sentences. If this is the case for your ask, go ahead and say your piece (as concisely as you can) but assume your reader will be skimming it. This means using bolding, bullet pointing, and so forth as much as possible.

If its necessary to give some backstory prior to the ask, I like to just go ahead and break out the ask in paragraph two with a bolded preface that reads, The Ask: If youre asking for something, theres no point in beating around the bush. Make your objective clear.

Step 5: Give a deadline if you can.

People are often shy about including deadlines in emails, especially when cold-emailing. While its never a good idea to come off as presumptuous, deadlines do have great utility. In fact, most busy people like them. Bear in mind when you are emailing someone thatsurprise!they are probably also getting tons of emails from other people.

Most of those emails fall into one of two categories: 1) Things they have to do, and 2) Random requests for things that they might like to do, time permitting. Chances are, your email falls into group two. Which means its really important to knowwhensomething needs a response by. In other words, do whatever you can to help the receiver put the requested task on a timeline and prioritize it.

Step 6: Be interesting and interested.

At the most basic level, this means do not ever send anyone a templated email. If you are asking someone to take the time and energy to reply to you, make it clear that you actually know who they are.

That doesnt mean being obsequious and singing their praises, it does mean talking to them like you are one human talking to another human. Its nice to articulate why youre interested in them. Its also nice to articulate why they should be interested in you. Try to have a voice and say something funny, meaningful, or thoughtfulpreferably all three!

Step 7: Never ever ever use the word synergy.

No single word lights up the experienced emailers bullshit detector like the word synergy. No one worth their salt wants to spend their time talking about exploring synergies. Emails with this language typically mean that the person asking for something hasnt really thought through their ask enough to offer any specificity. If you want someone to take a chance on you, show them respect by thinking through what you are asking for and being up front about it. Otherwise, youre just wasting your time and theirs.

No one worth their salt wants to spend their time talking about exploring synergies.

Step 8: Preview your email on a phone.

You probably write most of your ask emails on a desktop computer. Bear in mind that your recipient will be receiving and reading your email on their mobile phone in almost all instances. And what looks digestible on a desktop computer looks like an epic poem on a mobile phone.

As per point 4, you may think you have already confirmed that your email is concise. But is it still concise on an iPhone? Once you check, you will probably realize there are a few more things you can remove. Edit your email again, and then send.

Whats your take?

What have you learned about crafting a great ask email? Any additional tips to share?

Junaid Tahir
 

 
Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Blogger Blog RSS Google Plus Page
www.keralites.net

__._,_.___
Recent Activity:
KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...

To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.

To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Homepage: http://www.keralites.net
.

__,_._,___

[www.keralites.net] Fwd: Why Believe in God? [1 Attachment]

 
[Attachment(s) from Murli dhar Gupta included below]

 
October 28, 2013
Why believe that there isnt God? You can pray, have faith, meditate, love, and just live a healthy, happy life inspite of all beliefs, and whether you do or not believe! God is a utilitarian word in the English speaking language to give the masses hope in something they can relate to. To the more discerning, questioning, and open, they understand that the word cannot be defined, but that there is instead an invisible matrix or divineness, for lack of better identifications, that are part of life, and always available to enhance it.

God is undefinable and unfathomable, and doesnt believe in you...of course! Belief always means there is doubt. What the word god stands for certainly would always leave judgments up to you, and would just love unconditionally - why not!? There is no beginning or end, at least that you have any possibility of knowing about, so why concern yourself with that mind game? Life is always transforming whether you understand it or not, and again its futile thinking. This belief is a mind game out of fear, ignorance and conformity to the masses idea of youre suppose to.

Claiming things that happened positively for you because of Jesus, Muhammad, or a God that you really are just imagining, is a fraudulent validation of a source beyond you imagining it. Miracles happen to all people - some more than others regardless of beliefs. I had a preacher tell me the other day about how his belief in Jesus brings miracles to his life. I replied thats great, but know that I have constant miracles happening in my positive life. After 10 minutes of talk, two miracles happened before our eyes to me. I suspect he walked away puzzled, but of course non changing.

Believing in love is fine, but knowing and living its depths is a whole different dimension. Its kind of strange to believe youre in love except at the beginning of a relationship. Its rather odd to say you believe in love. Whats the point? Same with God, and it cant even be measured while the depth or lack of love can be measured (I do a love measurement analysis). There are people who when confronted with your belief in god also means you doubt otherwise why believe? Often they will answer back that they know there is a god. Odd again - no one says they know there is life or love. Its accepted as is the air! No proselytization necessary if one isnt the unconscious victim of someone putting you in mind control until you no longer question it. To be free to the insights and blessings of life and love, just live in your heart with awareness and discernment.
 

www.keralites.net

__._,_.___

Attachment(s) from Murli dhar Gupta

1 of 1 File(s)

Recent Activity:
KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...

To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.

To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Homepage: http://www.keralites.net
.

__,_._,___

[www.keralites.net] MOTHER'S LOVE

 
__._,_.___
Recent Activity:
KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...

To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.

To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Homepage: http://www.keralites.net
.

__,_._,___