Stop Hiding On LinkedIn!

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The Shoe Salesman's Secret Motivation

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You’re Never Too Old To Start A New Venture

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The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time

http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&articleID=5585681452680359957&ids=cPkNcPkOe3ATcz4TejkRczARdiMVcj8UdP4Md30Pc30PejsOejkRb3ARe3APcjoVd34OdzgNcP8VdjkIcPoVdPAVc38Vd3oUdzgVczARdiMTdjAVdjcMe3oOdjgNe3oRe3kR&aag=true&freq=weekly&trk=eml-tod2-b-ttl-0&ut=2YeKR_WT35elc1

Difference between Good, Very Good, Excellent and Outstanding

Every company has a performance appraisal system in place to measure the effectiveness of its employees.Employees are normally rated in most of the companies in the above categories. Apart from the above non performance category is also there, which is not depicted here ) . Needless to say everyone wants to be rated Outstanding.What is the yard stick and how do you measure these aspects?

Employee "A" in a company walked up to his manager and asked what my job is for the day?
The manager took "A" to the bank of a river and asked him to cross the river and reach the other side of the bank.
"A" completed this task successfully and reported back to the manager about the completion of the task assigned. The manager smiled and said "GOOD JOB"

Next day Employee "B" reported to the same manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task as above to this person also.
The Employee "B' before starting the task saw Employee "C" struggling in the river to reach the other side of the bank. He realized "C" has the same task.
Now "B" not only crossed the river but also helped "C" to cross the river.
"B" reported back to the manager and the manager smiled and said "VERY GOOD JOB"

The following day Employee "Q" reported to the same manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task again.
Employee "Q" before starting the work did some home work and realized "A", "B" & "C" all has done this task before. He met them and understood how they performed.
He realized that there is a need for a guide and training for doing this task.
He sat first and wrote down the procedure for crossing the river, he documented the common mistakes people made, and tricks to do the task efficiently and effortlessly.
Using the methodology he had written down he crossed the river and reported back to the manager along with documented procedure and training material.
The manger said "Q" you have done an "EXCELLENT JOB".

The following day Employee "O' reported to the manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task again."O" studied the procedure written down by "Q" and sat and thought about the whole task.He realized company is spending lot of money in getting this task completed. He decided not to cross the river, but sat and designed and implemented a bridge across the river and went back to his manager and said, "You no longer need to assign this task to any one".The manager smiled and said "Outstanding job 'O'. I am very proud of you."

What is the difference between A, B, Q & O????????

Many a times in life we get tasks to be done at home, at office, at play….,Most of us end up doing what is expected out of us. Do we feel happy? Most probably yes. We would be often disappointed when the recognition is not meeting our expectation.Let us compare ourselves with "B". Helping some one else the problem often improves our own skills. There is an old proverb (I do not know the author) "learn to teach and teach to learn". From a company point of view "B" has demonstrated much better skills than "A" since one more task for the company is completed. "Q" created knowledge base for the team. More often than not, we do the task assigned to us without checking history. Learning from other's mistake is the best way to improve efficiency. This knowledge creation for the team is of immense help. Re-usability reduces cost there by increases productivity of the team. "Q" demonstrated good "team-player" skills,Now to the outstanding person, "O" made the task irrelevant; he created a Permanent Asset to the team. If you notice B, Q and O all have demonstrated "team performance" over an above individual performance; also they have demonstrated a very invaluable characteristic known as "INITIATIVE".

Initiative pays of every where whether at work or at personal life. If you put initiative you will succeed. Initiative is a continual process and it never ends. This is because this year's achievement is next year's task. You cannot use the same success story every year. The story provides an instance of performance, where as measurement needs to be spread across at least 6-12 months. Consequently performance should be consistent and evenly spread. Out-of-Box thinkers are always premium and that is what every one constantly looks out for. Initiative, Out-of-Box thinking and commitment are the stepping stone to success. Initiative should be life long.

Think of out of the box.

Let us do our best.

How best to negotiate your salary

The celebratory mood in which you join a much-coveted job wanes off soon. What you see in the offer letter is not what you have got! The huge sign-on bonus, the stock option program to die for, the bonuses and the over-the-top benefits come with so many 'Ifs and Buts' and preconditions that you feel that you have been done in.

Do not blame the new company; it is their job to present their offer in the most attractive manner. It is your responsibility to decode the fine print in compensation by asking the right questions. Before you evaluate the offer, understand and monetise your current package or CTC (cost to company). List out all guaranteed elements that appear on your pay slip - the basic salary, housing, conveyance and other components.

Add up annual benefits like allowances for leave travel, education, medical treatment and car next. Then go to bonuses. Take the average of what you earned for the last two years. Last are deferred benefits like PF, gratuity and superannuation.

Then bells and whistles (Diwali gifts of silver from the chairman's office, spouse travel abroad ostensibly for team-building during conferences). You now have a complete picture of what you cost your company. Classify the components as fixed, 'Ifs and Buts' and deferred benefits. Calculate your current tax liability. Now you are ready to stack up the new offer against what you get currently.

When you get the new offer, ask questions. What are the fixed elements, perquisites, 'Ifs and Buts' and deferred benefits? Compare the guaranteed element of the current salary with that of the one offered. Is it higher? Then come to perquisites.

No point getting a petrol allowance of Rs 100,000 per year when you stay within walking distance from the office and would use only a tenth of it. Be practical with the LTA too - do you need to avail it or can you get cash value as taxable salary if not used? Clarify on medical programs and insurance covers. Is the coverage only for immediate family or for parents too?
The biggest culprits are sign-on and retention bonuses. Understand the strings attached to them. Is the sign-on bonus yours on joining or do you need to work for a defined period to get it? Ditto with the retention bonus. How does it play out? Will it be paid on a pro rata basis if you resign midway? Is the retention bonus tied to performance?

The performance bonus is the next big area. "This is a performance-driven company and bonuses are unlimited based on results" is what you hear during the interview. This is a manner of speaking and not to be taken literally. Ask how the bonus program works. Is there a cap on what you can earn? How much do 80 per cent of the employees at similar levels make?
How is performance measured? Is the bonus paid quarterly or annually? What happens if you leave mid-year? Will you be paid bonus for the period worked and results delivered?
Stock option programs can create grief if not comprehended fully. What is the basis of its allotment? Is it allotted on joining or is it linked to meeting some performance criteria? If the company is listed, check the vesting period and the percentage vesting per year. More questions if it is an MNC and the stock is listed abroad.

Pre-IPO options are the trickiest. When is it going to be listed? At what price do you get it and what is the basis for the strike price? What will be the fate of the options if the company gets acquired before the IPO, what happens if the listing is postponed?
New jobs often throw up of surprises in terms of things like role, culture and autonomy. Surprises on the compensation front can be avoided. It may be too late once you join. Too may queries on compensation immediately after joining also create a poor impression. Being forewarned is forearmed.

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originally at http://in.rediff.com/money/2008/jun/11salary.htm

Deadlock Explained ...

Boss said to secretary: For a week we will go abroad, so make arrangements.

Secretary makes call to her husband: For a week my boss and I will be going abroad, you look after yourself.

Husband makes call to his secret lover: My wife is going abroad for a week, so let’s spend the week together.

Secret lover makes call to small boy whom she is giving private tuition: I have work for a week, so you need not come for class.

Small boy makes call to his grandfather: Grandpa, for a week I don't have class 'coz my teacher is busy. Let’s spend the week together.

Grandpa (the boss) makes call to his secretary: This week I am spending my time with my grandson. We cannot attend that meeting.

Secretary makes call to her husband: This week my boss has some work, we cancelled our trip.

Husband makes call to his secret lover: We cannot spend this week together, my wife has cancelled her trip.

Secret lover makes call to small boy whom she is giving private tuition: This week we will have class as usual.

Small boy makes call to his grandfather: Grandpa, my teacher said this week I have to attend class. Sorry I can't give you company Grandpa

(Grandpa) Boss makes call to his secretary: Don't worry this week we will attend that meeting, so make arrangements

This is called deadlock :)