Reaching out...

I was at the salon yesterday to rearrange my hair :-). Had to wait for some time, so I picked up the magazine of U.S. News & Reports. While flipping through the pages, I came across an article on the California wildfires. It talked about the measures taken by the Governor of California to reach out to people. The Governor was talking about the importance of "hands on" approach in an emergency situation. He wanted to be there in the time of need, he wanted to reach out and people that he understands the pain.
If I can take this a step further, I would say that "reaching out" should be a constant act. It should be a process. "Prevention is better than cure". Cure is always expensive and a bitter pill to swallow. The same holds true in our work environment too. A good leader should be in constant touch with this people. If there is a good vibe between the leader and his colleagues, a problem can be spotted even before it appears and measures can be taken to extinguish it.

Letting it go.

I wanted to post my thoughts on this for quite some time. Just couldn't muster enough energy to pen it down. Most of us are possessive in a way. I am possessive. I like to hold on to things I like. Things as inconsequential as my pen, my pillow etc. I just wouldn't share them with anyone. Mind you, I'm not talking about possessiveness in a negative sense here. It's just the feeling you have towards things you like.
One fine day I realized, what am I going to take when I leave this material world. None!!! Not even the dress that I wear will accompany me. I felt bad about it. We work hard and save money. But we do not enjoy the simple pleasures of life. These pleasures may be as simple as making a person happy or helping someone in need. Inspite of knowing this, why wouldn't we let it go.
I always believe in helping people. Help them to help themselves is my mantra. Hence I wanted to give the gift of education to someone in need. I found that there are organizations such as "Ashanet", who help people to achieve their goals through education. All they needed was people who can donate money which in turn can be used to provide education to children. It could be as low as $20 a month. I wanted to do it, but here I am, yet to get started. This is what I meant by letting it go.
I have some money today, but I need to share it with people who can't even think about having half a meal tomorrow. I need to adjust my mindset to tell myself to share what I have with other people in need. It is difficult, but not impossible.
You don't own yourself, what else can you own in this world.

Something about love...

When I think about Love, the first question that pops up in my head, "Does true love exist?". My guess is that it partially is and partially isn't. Why do I think so? True love does exist in a few hearts. The hearts are those of our parents. Especially our moms. From the moment a child is born, the child is the sole object of concern to a mom. Everything else is secondary. So true is the love, it alone can nourish you all your life. By no means do I say that fathers love their children less. But the love of a mother cannot be expressed in words, even by herself.
Then there is love between a man and a woman. A very complex feeling to describe. No one ever knows what transpires between a man and a woman to bring them close enough to love each other. One of the reason could be attraction. Most of the time people get attracted to each other because of curiosity. When you don't know or understand something, you want to have it even more. That's human nature. But once curiosity wades, neglect creeps in. This is what I find really strange.
For instance, people fall in love for reasons best known to them. Initially they talk a lot and then they lose interest in each other when they know all about them. Not a good sign for the future. The reason that this happens is because there is a lack of understanding about each other. Always the positive side is shown and once the negative aspects are revealed, they distance themselves.
So for love to succeed, there needs to be understanding at many different levels before committing to a relationship. You should be able to forgive each other. You should be able to look at the other persons face and still see the same joy ten years from now. Ask yourself this question. "Will I be able to look at his/her eyes and say, I love you, for as long as he/she lives?. If so, then you are on the right track.

The art of interviewing people

I long had a dream of becoming a good interviewer. Not sure whether I have become one. But I have understood the nuances of interviewing people. Below are a few do's and dont's an interviewer could observe when conducting the interview. This list has been compiled based on my personal experience.

Prerequisites to conducting a professional interview:
1. The person(s) who is(are) supposed to conduct the interview should be well dressed.

• This gives the impression that you are interested in the candidate. The negative effect of not being in proper attire is that the interviewee will believe that you either are not interested in him/her or you don't know what you are talking about.

2. The place where the interview takes place should be well lit.

• This makes the candidate feel comfortable and he might be able to perform better.

3. Review the resume in advance.

• It is of utmost importance that you review the candidate's resume well in advance. Generally it takes time to understand and comprehend the information provided in a resume. You must peruse the resume diligently and understand what the candidate has done and will he/she be a best fit for your organization. You might get pre-screened resumes all the time, but that shouldn't stop you from reading the resume thoroughly.

DO:

1. Welcome the candidate.

• Greet the person whom you are going to interview. Tell them your name and request them to be seated. I mentioned the word request here, because the candidate is like a guest and we need to treat them well.

2. Make eye contact

• You can judge the person by making an eye contact. If the candidate is shy or non-committal, you will know it immediately.

3. Give them time to talk

• You should ask the candidate to tell about themselves. They can talk about anything they want the interviewer to know. This will help you guage their communication skills.

4. Ask them about their experience

• Ask them questions regarding their current and previous jobs. This will ascertain whether they faked something in their resume.

5. Make the candidate feel comfortable

• It is the interviewers responsibility to make the candidate feel at home. You should speak softly initially, so as to make the candidate feel welcome to the organization.

6. Ask the candidate what they know

• It is possible sometimes that the candidate misquoted something in the resume. Always ask them, if they know about a topic and then raise a question. If they are unable to answer that question, then move on. Don't harp on the same topic.

7. Body language

• Your body language should suggest that you are an enthusiastic person. You should be able to communicate better with the candidate

8. Proper feedback

• It is imperative that you write your feedback immediately after the interview is over. Never postpone doing it as you might forget some of the facts you had in your mind.

DONT:

1. Don't threaten the candidate

• When asking questions, speak to them in a mild voice. We are trying to evaluate the candidate, not to deride them.

2. Its not interviewer Vs candidate

• I've often seen the interviewer getting into an argument with the candidate. Never do that. The interviewer is not there to prove he is better than the person sitting on the other side of the table.

3. Do not read the resume in front of the candidate

• It goes without saying. If you start reading the resume in front of the candidate and then ask questions, then you are telling the candidate that you came to the interview unprepared.

4. Don't take notes

• It is not good to take notes about the candidate in front of him/her. Make an entry in your memory and write it down in your feedback.

5. Do not take back to back interviews

• The interviewer needs some rest to recharge his batteries. It is good to have atleast a half hour gap between interviews. Do not do too many interviews in a day. You will feel sick of it the next day.

Physics & Philosophy

Physics is called the science of approximation and Philosophy according to me, is a measure of approximation. Philosophy puts things to perspective. So I felt it might be interesting to find out the correlation in them. Let's find out whether I got it right.

Newtons First law of motion:
Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.
- Let's replace "object" with "person", "uniform motion" with "comfort" and "external force" with "inspiration".
Every person in a state of comfort tends to remain in that state of comfort unless inspired to do something different.
Isn't it true. This is the difference between achievers and others. People who desire greatness inspire and motivate themselves. Others don't. Even though I write such wonderful things, I am still searching for something inspirational, to do the one thing I want to do in my life. What a waste!!!

Newtons second law of motion:
The relationship between an object's mass, it's acceleration, and the applied force is Force = mass times acceleration.
F = M * A
The force can be taken as a burning desire to achieve a goal. The mass is the realization of the goal and the acceleration is the persistant concentration of one's thoughts towards the achievement of that goal.
(Above is a comment from a very good friend of mine. I couldn't have worded it better. Hence I put in her statement. Thanks Niti).

Newtons third law of motion:
Every action has an equal an opposite reaction.
Every good deed is rewarded. Knowledge shared is knowledge gained. The more you let it go, the more it comes to you. The more you think good, the more you look good. Each of these phrases has something given and returned.

Just a thought...

I was given this book called "Creative Visualization" by a friend to read. I just went through a couple pages and I was impressed. Impressed with the way the author stated a few things.
1. Though she wrote the book, she calls herself not an expert rather a student, who is still honing her skills. That is humility for you.
2. She has a burning desire within, which led her to share the knowledge. It says that knowledge should be shared which leads to better understanding.
3. She also mentions the fact that you need to take things slowly. It takes time for things to sink in. In this world where things happen fast and furious, this is a massive thought.
4. She wrote the book, because she wanted to share what she learn't, which helped her live better. Such a noble thought.This is the most important point to me.
Once a colleague of mine saw a book on my desk and asked me what can I get from reading that book. He was of the opinion that books don't do much and its a waste of time and money. I didn't know whether he meant what he said, but the first question that came to my mind was, "How the heck did you even get out of school?". If those authors decided not to share their knowledge, you wouldn't be where you are. Knowledge should be shared.You will gain more when you share.

Team...Team...Team...

Watching India win the cricket series in England was heartening. It's been a long time since India won a series there and it was an incredible feeling to see them do it. Amidst all the joy and happiness that has gripped the people back home and the viewing public in England, I was wondering how did India manage to win without a coach? It is a general feeling that every team (be it cricket or any other sport), needs a coach. But India proved that theory, wrong. How did they do it?
I believe that the Indian cricket team believed in themselves. They believed that each one of them could assist or help each other and each one of them could contribute meaningfully. It is the attitude that shapes you. They had the right mindset to upset the favorites there and that is what they did. Congratulations to the Indian cricket team and their support staff.
The point to drive home is about being part of a team and team effort. Many of us are brilliant when we work alone. But when we are thrust into a team, we fail, miserably. Sometimes it's the attitude, sometimes it's ego etc. If we are able to overcome these deficiencies, then we are on track to achieve what the Indian cricket team did today. Do not rest on your laurels, because human memory is volatile!!!
Rise above thyself, for then shall you see GOD...