You Are a Cheat

You are a cheat and a fraud if you say that you are not afraid of the uncertainties of life. You are deceiving yourself if you keep making such a statement. Do you want to know why I am saying this? Please read the post fully to know.

A few years back, I attended a seminar in which a few experts delivered lectures on management topics. One of the experts remarked, "Entrepreneurship is more about eliminating risks than about taking them." I wanted to shout at the top of my voice that he was talking nonsense. But I refrained from doing it because decency demanded that I should not behave like that in public. But his statement triggered a few thoughts in my mind forcing me to delve more into the topic. I found a few interesting things when I dug deep into it. 

A question that may haunt the minds of people and more particularly, entrepreneurs.

"What will happen if we face failure in this?" Almost all the people will have this question in their minds before they take up a new task. Let me take the example of entrepreneurs because in general, it is they who invest hugely in whatever they do. Almost all the entrepreneurs, while launching a new product or service, or while making a big announcement about their new venture, are likely to have the above question in their minds. Of course, they may have done their research before coming out with their new ideas and plans. But the initial exhilaration and euphoria are heady drugs the stimulating effects of which do not last long. So, after some time, apprehensions start creeping into their minds. These doubts become more insistent and pronounced in due course of time. That is the reason weak-minded entrepreneurs develop cold feet and stop going ahead with their plans.

Even if you are a strong-willed entrepreneur, the uncertainty may make you wonder if the future will be as you have thought it to be or if it would be otherwise. You may also wonder if the risks are worth taking. Not just you, even the so-called geniuses in the entrepreneurial world will admit that they have faced similar situations and have been afraid of uncertainties before a new launch, be it a product or service or a new line of business. According to them, there is no fool-proof system to know if a new launch will be a success or not.

As Gary John Bishop, a famous author puts it, “Success is never certain. It never comes without risk. Even if you’re the smartest or the hardest working, there’s no guarantee of anything. The people who go on to do great things in their lives know this. They also embrace it......They didn’t succeed because they were certain they were going to succeed; they succeeded because they didn’t let uncertainty stop them.”

Precisely put, successful people are aware that they have to take uncertainty in their stride and embrace it as they do with innovations. They even go a step further and call uncertainty "the evil twin-sibling" of any new idea. But they look for every way to derive optimal benefits out of the uncertain situation. 

Leveraging the uncertainty is the only way.

Day in and day out, changes in the technological sphere have been happening at an unimaginable speed and so, it is not a surprise that business models suddenly vanish into oblivion. This means entrepreneurs have to learn how they can leverage the changes and the uncertainties that accompany them and unlock their benefits, whatever may be the odds or risks that are a part of those uncertainties.

What is the major difference between uncertainty and risk?

In uncertainty, there is not even a shade of certainty. This does not mean that you will certainly fail. On the contrary, in risks, you can use the Theory of Probability and know the chances of success or failure. Frank Knight, a popular economist, who authored the book "Risk, Uncertainty, and Profit," corroborates this fact also. For example, when you pick out a card from a deck, you will not be able to rightly predict which card will come to your hand. But Probability Theory will help you in knowing the chances.

The truth is without embracing uncertainty, you cannot accomplish anything. You will not realize your potential at all. Jonathan Fields, who authored the book, "Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance," also says, “If everything is known and certain, that means it’s all been done before. And creation isn’t about repetition.”

Uncertainty provides a large scope for failure and obscurity. So, you will be confronting the challenge of using your innovative ability to come out with great ideas that can eliminate the chances of failure. This means you should develop your resilience to adapt like a chameleon because circumstances can change so drastically and at a great speed. Only then, you can withstand the impact of Tsunami-like waves of changes. How can you reach the top if you wilt under the impact of such changes?.

Of course, this can be both bewildering and overwhelming. That is why not many have the courage or the mental strength to take risks. Though a few experts opine that you have to minimize risks, the problem with this suggestion is that by doing so, you will miss several great opportunities. So, instead of trying to minimize risks, you should learn to identify and foresee them to manage them and derive their best benefits.

Thanks to the major advancements in the technological realm, you now have several tools using which you can smartly foresee risks. Ironically, the same technological advancements have made risks difficult to identify. It is in this context Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning can help businesses. These hybrid techniques will help in sifting large amounts of data and analyzing them. So, the decision-making process in your business will improve by leaps and bounds. 

Of course, the future will see several new developments and changes that may make the magnitude of uncertainty stronger. But ML can develop, update, and improve according to the developments and changes. At the same time, experts warn that ML is not a silver bullet and humans can never be replaced.

In a nutshell, if you learn to be resilient and leverage uncertainty, it will be easy for you to shape your success. As they say, there is always thrill in not knowing the future.

How to Beat the Competition on the Career Front

If you think that experts are exaggerating the competition on the career front, you are fooling yourself. In fact, they are passing on a blunt message and nothing can be more true than it. Due to such competition, every job aspirant or every employee who wishes to grow in his or her career is facing uncertain times. So, if job aspirants and those who aspire to grow in their career take inadequate steps, they may have to endure long waits. Let us now look at some of the steps these folks have to take to beat the prevailing competition.

1. Never stop taking action.

Just because there is acute competition, some people may become victims of "the devil of inertia," the hyperbolic name experts have given to inaction. But by not taking any purposeful action, these job aspirants or employees will become their own enemies. They will ultimately remain in the same spot where they have begun. 

The points that are being emphasized here are underestimating the competition is an unwise mistake and allowing "action paralysis" to creep in is a greater blunder. The main result of these mistakes is they will rob their courage. So, these folks should keep focusing on those things they can control. They must not waste their energy and time on things that are not under their control. Their focus should only be on finding the right resources that will strengthen their position. 

At the same time, they should be flexible enough in their pursuit as well. By this, it is meant that in the tough times that are prevalent now, these folks cannot dictate terms. They should grab opportunities that come their way. Once they land jobs, they can relentlessly push themselves forward for improving themselves and climbing the career ladder.

2. Have an “Opti-Realistic” attitude. 

If you are a job aspirant or an employee who wishes for speedy career growth, there is no doubt that you should be optimistic. But at the same time, you should be realistic as well. The prevailing competition may be hitting you hard. You should, therefore, NOT ignore the competition that is threatening you. The foremost step you should take is to double your preparations. Look for resources that will improve your knowledge and creativity and use them to the optimum. 

3. Study, study, study and keep studying.

Keep studying on a continuous basis and improving your skills. Such skills will help you land jobs or grow in your career. Such skills will help you also in adding value to the organization that has hired you. Never forget the fact that the management has a thousand eyes and ears. Hence, the top managers will certainly come to know your skills very soon.

4. Keep expanding your network. 

You should aggressively keep expanding your network. Your network will help you a lot because you can tap influential people in the network for landing jobs. Ensure to stay connected with them in the right manner. At the same time, do not be selfish. Try to offer whatever little help you can to everyone in your network. Even a sincere compliment or a word of praise to their actions will go a long way in helping you land a suitable job.

Are You Popular In Your Workplace?

You may be wondering how some of your co-workers are highly popular and some are not. You may also wonder how you can become one among the former group because those who belong to this group may get better opportunities as well as more recognition. You may justifiably think that you can also get such opportunities if you make efforts and become popular in your workplace. But what are the steps you should take for achieving this aim?

Make an honest assessment of yourself

Spend some time and make an honest assessment of yourself. This is for finding if you are putting enough thought or making adequate efforts for developing a strong rapport with everyone in your company. If you develop a good relationship with those around you including the other members of your team, those in the other departments and even seniors, this will culminate into mutual liking, trust and mutual respect. So, those people will not hesitate to share information with you. If you develop the same type of relationship with the clients or customers of your company, they are more likely to place orders for the products you offer or the services you render. They may even do 'word-of-mouth' publicity for your company thus helping even in the brand-building efforts of the organization. 

Develop interpersonal skills

If you do not focus on this aspect, it may pull you down in the organization at both professional and personal levels. The most important step you must take for developing your interpersonal skills is to stop being mean. It is a known fact that people do not like mean folks because they consider them as nasty. 

Secondly, understand that everyone deserves respect, regardless of their position in the organization. So, show respect in whatever dealings you have with others. If you are courteous to your co-workers, subordinates, service providers and customers or clients, they will start liking your welcoming demeanour. This also means that you will remain approachable as well as beckoning. According to experts, this type of behavior will never go out of fashion.

Know where your territory ends

Being friendly with everyone doesn't mean that you will intrude into their privacy or allow them to use all your space. There is nothing wrong in being assertive about this aspect. Know where your territory ends and make sure that others understand where your boundaries begin. This will help in having a durable and sustainable relationship.

Humour and its efficacy

If you are able to make others laugh, you can win their hearts. But refrain from being offensive or sadistic. You can build strong relations only with light-hearted humour that can tickle the funny bones of people.

Allow people to talk about themselves

There are a number of people who have the habit of always talking about themselves, their accomplishments and achievements, the problems they face and so on. The only way to develop a good rapport with these people is to allow them to talk. But you should be sincere in listening to them lest should you be found soon.

Pay attention when people talk

If you do not pay attention when people talk, you can never succeed in developing good relations with them. You may have noticed that good listeners are more liked than chatty individuals. 

Smile, smile, smile

Flash your smile at every opportunity. Some people may think that they do not look good when they smile or laugh. But experts are of the strong opinion that you should smile or laugh whatever your looks may be or however ugly you think you are. After all, smiling and laughing belong to the heart whereas beauty and appearance are only skin deep. Remember, no one will like to keep company with negative, sulking and whiny folks. On the other hand, if you smile or laugh, you will transform the whole ambiance because the mood is contagious. 

Be sincere while giving compliments

People like to be complimented but when you do so, you should be sincere because they may soon find out that you are faking. 

Find out the commonalities between you and others and work on them

There may be commonalities like beliefs, interests or hobbies between you and others. You should find them out and work on them to develop relations with them.

Never succumb to the temptation of gossip-mongering

Speaking behind people is a dangerous habit and it will soon turn even friends into foes. Apart from showing you in negative light, this habit will never take you towards your aim of establishing a strong connect with people.

Accept people as they are

Everyone has both positive and negative traits. Some people may have eccentricities also. In fact, everyone of us exhibit our eccentric side some time or the other. You should accept people as they are. Never force your habits, thoughts or ideas on to others. If you stop judging people with the parameters you have defined or set on your own, you will find it comfortable to connect with everyone. In turn, they will also feel comfortable in your presence.

This Advice Can Help You In Advancing In Your Career

If you think that having a mentor is enough for advancing in your career, you may be terribly wrong. It is true that having a mentor is a wonderful thing because he or she may help you gain some of the critical skills that are required for your job. Your mentor may also help you navigate the challenges you may face at your workplace. You can use your mentor also as a sounding board when you are staring at a crossroad-like situation in the career you have chosen. But in the present-day environment when a highly competitive climate is prevailing in every field, you can not climb your career ladder without the help of a sponsor.

Jenna Goudreau who has authored an article entitled “Why You Need a Sponsor—Not a Mentor—to Fast-Track Your Career,” says that recent studies categorically establish that sponsorship, and not mentorship, can trigger power transfers in a workplace. Even many other management experts admit that sponsors can wield their internal social and political power as well as capital in helping their candidates move their career forward. This means they will be willing to argue the cases of their favorite candidates with the top management, of course, in camera. In other words, sponsors are spokespersons who can influence the top management by putting forth arguments in favor of your capabilities. The main difference between mentors and sponsors is that mentors will talk with the candidates but sponsors will talk about their candidates. Mentors give perspectives but sponsors provide their candidates with opportunities.

Another explanation can be mentors may help you in your efforts to “skill up” while sponsors will hep you in your upward movement in your career ladder. If you acquire the support of a good sponsor, you can rest assured that you are protected by a safety net so you can take risks confidently. You can demand for a stretch in your assignment and you can even ask for a promotion. Your sponsor will act as what experts call as "the protective bubble" and will shield you from drastic organizational changes such as layoffs, reorganizations, etc. On the positive side, when high-level talent and development discussions take place in camera, they will not forget to talk about you. Conversely, if you are moving up in your career ladder faster than others, you can assume that a sponsor has pulled strings for you.

How to choose a sponsor?

This is a wrong question because you never have an option to choose your sponsor. The fact is that it is a sponsor who chooses you. But if you possess certain behaviors, you will certainly attract the attention of even high-level sponsors. The good news is that you can tilt the scales in your favor and increase the chances of such high-level sponsors advocating for you by acquiring these behaviors.

1. Performance

No other behavior can attract a sponsor better than a great performance. Sponsors may hate to advocate the cases of incompetent people. Therefore, you must make all possible efforts to enhance your performance levels. For example, if you perform beyond the role that has been assigned to you, you are more likely to attract the attention of a high-level sponsor.

2. Get to know who high-level sponsors are

Identifying such sponsors may be a tricky task. But you can easily find the talent scouts or talent developers in your company. Do a little more research about them so you can identify a high level sponsor. Leaders or managers in the top hierarchy of your company who do not hesitate to praise their subordinates publicly and to back them even when contentious issues crop up can be good sponsors. Likewise, high-level sponsors are those who never hesitate to offer huge and challenging assignments to subordinates who are enthusiastic, who are upcoming but who are yet to prove themselves.

3. Be ready to grab Exposure Opportunities

A sponsor may hesitate to advocate your case if he or she does not have the opportunity to know your competence or the quality of your skills. So, when a project that gives an opportunity to work under such a sponsor comes up, you must not hesitate to grab it. In fact, you must be proactive and find such a project. You can even join a task force or a committee that is specially formed by such a sponsor so he or she can directly see your enthusiasm, your activities and the quality of your competence.

4. Your values must be 'visible'

Your achievements and your values must be visible to everyone and more particularly, to such high-level sponsors of your company. Never think that your values, skills or competence should be kept a secret. When you get a chance to meet potential sponsors either in the elevator or in the office canteen, you must not hesitate to share a sound-bite that describes your accomplishments.

5. Have Clearly Defined Career Goals

Unless you have clearly defined career goals, your sponsor may not know the right opportunities that match with them. After all, you can not expect your sponsor to know them when you yourself do not know what you want to achieve.

6. Sharing Your Career Goals With Potential Sponsors Is Not A Mistake

You must share your career goals with your mentor, the managers of the company and more importantly, potential sponsors so they will remember them at the right moments. In short, sharing your career goals will always keep you ‘sponsor-ready.’