Five ways to make the boss listen to you

14 DEC, 2012, The Economic times


Despite consistent performance, the boss often does not listen to the subordinate, whatever the issue. ET suggests ways to deal with this.

Don't confront publicly

Never confront the boss in public, especially in his or her boss's presence. "In front of anyone else, you should look as a team," says K Sudarshan, managing partner, India and regional VP - Asia, EMA Partners International.

Build a good rapport

To exist in a team and perform smoothly, we need to have a good relationship with the boss. "Not all bosses take the initiative of reaching out, so the onus lies on the subordinate," says Kamal Karanth MD, Kelly Services India.

State your challenges

Often bosses ignore the challenges their subordinate face as the sole objective is to get the task done. Subordinates too don't bring up issues in fear. "People shouldn't wait for a crisis to communicate," adds Karanth.

Make boss look good

Whenever there is a chance, try to make your boss look good. "For instance, try helping with a presentation but praise your boss for it when you are lauded," says E Balaji, MD & CEO, Randstad India.

Disarm the boss

If you want to talk to your boss about his or her lack of 'patient hearing', try disarming him or her. "Do it tactfully, in a friendly way, so the person understands your point of view," says Karanth.

Tools for windows

From Digitalinspiration.com

Here are some of the most useful software utilities that you wish were part of standard Windows. These tools are free, light-weight and can be installed on all versions of Windows including the newer Window 8.

1. Eraser – When you delete a file in Windows, the contents of the file can still be recovered using other utilities. Eraser lets you permanently delete a file making recovery nearly impossible.
2. Unlocker – If you are trying to delete a file (or folder) but unable to do so because the “file is in use” by another program, just use Unlocker to end all the locking processes.
3. ShellExView – As you install new programs, the contextual menu gets cluttered and confusing. With ShellExView, you can clean up the right-click menu and remove all the useless entries.
4. Everything – Windows includes powerful desktop search capabilities but Everything goes one step further. It looks for files and folders irrespective of their location  (including temporary files and system folders) and you can also use regular expressions in your search queries.
5. Always on Top – This tiny utility lets you easily keep any window on top of all other windows on your desktop. For instance, you can answer your emails, work on an Excel sheet while a YouTube video plays in the foreground.
6. SyncToy – One of the most useful software utilities from Microsoft that lets you keep different folders in sync with each other. You can configure it with Windows Task Manager to run file synchronization jobs automatically at custom intervals.
7. WinDirStat – Running out of space on Windows? WinDirStat helps you reclaim disk space by creating a visual treemap of your entire hard disk where the area of the colored rectangles is proportional to the size of the underlying folders.
8. Double Killer – This is the only tool you need to get rid of all duplicate files on your computer including images and music files. It compares the file hash to identify duplicate files.
9. TCPView – It will list all the software programs (or processes) on your computer that are accessing the Internet including the IP addresses that they are connecting to. Ignore all the columns except Process, Remote Address and State.
10. Droplr – This is the easiest way to upload your desktop files onto the web. Droplr adds a new option to your Windows “Send to” menu and also places a drop zone on the desktop. Any files that you place in the drop zone are instantly upload and the public link is copied to the clipboard automatically.
11. TinyGrab – Press a hotkey to grab a quick screenshot of anything that’s on your desktop screen and TinyGrab will put it online in a snap. The screen captures will stay online forever until you remove them.
12. Mouse Borders – Another useful utility from Microsoft that lets you control multiple computers from the same keyboard and mouse. A better alternative to Synergy.
13. KatMouse - You can scroll not-in-focus windows with the mouse wheel without selecting the window. Originally written for Windows 2000 but works in Windows 8 as well.
14. Mouse Jiggler – You computer screen may enter the “sleep” mode if the mouse or the keyboard is not used for a certain period of time. Mouse Jiggler keeps your computer awake by “faking” mouse input thus letting you watch that entire movie from a distance.
15. AltDrag - It lets you move and resize windows without reaching the borders of a window. Simply hold down the Alt key and then left-click to  drag the window or use right-click to resize the window.
16. ClipX – When you copy anything to your Windows Clipboard, all the previous content is overridden. ClipX preserves the clipboard history and lets you access your previously copied items from the system tray.
17. RBTray – Sometimes you want to hide windows instead of minimizing them to the Windows task bar. RBTray lets you minimize any window to the system tray by right clicking its minimize button.
18. MiniBin - This puts the Recycle Bin right into your system tray so you don’t have to minimize all your desktop windows to access the Bin icon. You can also also empty the bin from the system tray.
19. GearMage – Running out of space in your web inbox. Use the Gearmage utility to find and download email attachments that meet your search criteria to the local drive.
20. MailStore – If you want offline access to your emails, use MailStore as it helps you download all your emails  on the computer or even a USB drive.
21. MediaInfo - If an audio or video file refuses to play on your computer, chances are that the required codecs are missing on your system. MediaInfo will let you know what codecs are required to play the media file.
22. DropIt – It is like an advanced file sorting utility that will help you automatically copy or move files into relevant folders based on their extensions, date and other criteria. In the case of music files, you may even sort them by artists or album names.
23. Teracopy – It takes forever to copy or move files from one folder to another and if the operation is interrupted, you have to start from scratch. Teracopy improves the file copying speed and offers a detailed report in case of any errors.
24. Soluto – It helps improve the boot-up time of your Windows PC by removing unnecessary programs from the start-up routine and also delaying the launch of certain programs.
25. Sizer – It let you resize program windows to any fixed, predefined size. Quite handy when you are capturing screenshots for documentation and also for screencasting.
26. Background Switcher – It pull pictures from your Facebook, Instagram, RSS Feeds, Picasa, Google Images and uses them as rotating wallpaper backgrounds for your desktop.
27. f.lux – It adjusts the color temperature of your display based on your local time (warm at night and bright during the day). It does this by calculating the sunrise and sunset times of your location.
28. ZoomIt - It turns your desktop into a virtual whiteboard allowing your to draw /annotate anywhere on the screen using colored pens. An essential tool for presenters.
29. LockBox – Put all your confidential files into a folder and then use the LockBox utility to completely hide that folder inside Windows Explorer.
30. Safehouse Explorer – It is easy to misplace USB drives. Safehouse lets you quickly encrypt and password-protect data inside USB drives so others won’t be able to view your files and folders.

Excel Short cut tips

Courtesy: http://chandoo.org/wp/2011/08/08/must-have-excel-keyboard-shortcuts/

I am a regular subscriber of Chandoo.org...and this a great excel website....

1. CTRL+1 – Format

2. CTRL+SHIFT+L – Turn on/ off filters

3. CTRL+Arrow keys – Navigate around the workbook

4. ALT+ES – Paste Special > Values

ALT+ES (press E then leave the key and press S) to paste special.

5. F4 – Change cell reference style while editing formulas

6. F2 – Edit a cell

7. F3 – Show Names

8. CTRL+K – Add Hyperlink

9. CTRL+T – Insert Table

10. CTRL+S – Save

Emotional Gym

WORKOUTS IN THE EMOTIONAL GYM 

Times of India - 29th July 2012

·         Start with 10 minutes of mental jogging. Let all thoughts crowd your mind.

·         Slow down. Indulge in positive emotional visualisation.

·          Laugh, relax and meditate

·         Breathe in and breathe out for 15 minutes every day

·         Do not allow your mind to get trapped in re-running past events or worrying about the future

·         Try some controlled day dreaming

·         Experiment with creative problem solving exercises for confidence

·         Take time out each day to notice and appreciate what you have and the beauty around you

·         Be an optimist — always focus on what you can do and expect positive outcomes 

PRESSURES THAT BOG YOU DOWN 

·        Negative self-talk

·        Unrealistic expectations from self and others

·        Excessively demanding jobs, workaholism, lack of social support

·        Lack of time management

·        Substance abuse 

CAN YOUR MONEY PERSONALITY BE A PROBLEM?

CAN YOUR MONEY PERSONALITY BE A PROBLEM? Economic Times - 16th July 2012. When it comes to spending and saving, find out if your feral instincts can pose a problem for you. Also learn what you can do to improve your financial behaviour. TIGER: Aggressive Endowed with daring and passion, you bring these traits into your monetary dealings. So, be it spending or investing, you have a high risk appetite and go overboard, oblivious of your financial status or consequences. Armed with credit cards, you indulge in buying sprees, and invest in risky stocks. What should you do?  • At the beginning of the month, keep aside a certain sum for saving. • Limit your credit cards to one or two. Go shopping with a list, and stick to it. • Think long term. Consider your need for an item before you buy, and your goals and returns before you invest. SQUIRREL: Conservative In tandem with the furry creature’s traits, you squirrel away funds. Intent on saving and don’t spend out of line, but most of your money is either at home or in a savings bank account. You don’t invest in the right avenues to make your money grow. So, while you may have the money to meet some of your minor, short-term goals, you may not be able to rake in enough for longterm needs, or fend off inflation. What should you do?  • Keep six months’ expenses for emergencies and invest the remaining amount. • Start by opening a recurring deposit. If equity scares you, pick mutual funds, which hedge the risk, but let your money grow. CAT: Fickle Your inconsistency can be your undoing. You do not know which instrument is good for you and, frankly, couldn’t be bothered. You can’t stick to a plan, or stay with an investment for long. So, you invest in a Ulip without considering its utility and surrender it before its lock-in period to pick an endowment plan. You shift your savings account to another bank to notch the extra 1% interest. You lose money all the time. What should you do?  • Make a list of your financial goals and if you’re tempted to try a new investment, think if it will get you the money you need. • Calculate the money you lose in a year to skittishness. It can be a big deterrent. SLOTH BEAR: Sluggish This category is a magnet for most people. You are informed enough about financial instruments, but do little to invest. You realise your insurance premium is due, but don’t bother to check or pay on time. You know you should invest the money in your savings account, but don’t. You procrastinate and are lazy about your finances. What should you do?  • Keep separate files for all your financial transactions—bank accounts, insurance plans, mutual funds. Spare one day at the start of a month to update these. • Link your premium payments with ECS, so that they are deducted automatically. • Pay bills, etc, through Net banking

Happy Life....tips from 90 year young :)

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .

Mail from : Vaishnavi Ramesh 

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

25. Always choose life.

26. Forgive everyone everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does

31. Believe in miracles.

32. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

33. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

34. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

35. Your children get only one childhood.

36. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

37. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

38. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

39. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

40. The best is yet to come...

41. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

42. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Hav A Nice Day!!

Great Tips from Robin Sharma....

Great Tips for Robin Sharma....

http://www.robinsharma.com/blog/01/35-fast-tips-to-make-this-your-best-year-yet/

I’m sitting on an airplane thinking about what the best performers and most successful people do to continually outperform everyone around them.

As we enter what I hope will be the single best year of your life yet, I’ve come up with 35 Tips that I invite you to concentrate on. Share these tips, reflect on then, post them where you can see them – and allow them to infuse your mindset:

1. Remember that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts.
2. Keep the promises you make to others – and to yourself.
3. The project that most scares you is the project you need to do first.
4. Small daily improvements are the key to staggering long-term results.
5. Stop being busy being busy. This New Year, clean out the distractions from your work+life and devote to a monomaniacal focus on the few things that matter.
6. Read “The War of Art”.
7. Watch “The Fighter”.
8. In a world where technology is causing some of us to forget how to act human, become the politest person you know.
9. Remember that all great ideas were first ridiculed.
10. Remember that critics are dreamers gone scared.
11. Be “Apple-Like” in your obsession with getting the details right.
12. Take 60 minutes every weekend to craft a blueprint for the coming seven days. As Saul Bellow once said: “A plan relieves you of the torment of choice.”
13. Release your need to be liked this New Year. You can’t be a visionary if you long to be liked.
14. Disrupt or be disrupted.
15. Hire a personal trainer to get you into the best shape of your life. Superstars focus on the value they receive versus the cost of the service.
16. Give your teammates, customers and family one of the greatest gifts of all: the gift of your attention (and presence).
17. Every morning ask yourself: “How may I best serve the most people?”
18. Every night ask yourself: “What 5 good things happened to me this day?”
19. Don’t waste your most valuable hours (the morning) doing low value work.
20. Leave every project you touch at work better than you found it.
21. Your job is not just to work. Your job is to leave a trail of leaders behind you.
22. A job is not “just a job”. Every job is a gorgeous vehicle to express your gifts and talents – and to model exceptionalism for all around you.
23. Fears unfaced become your limits.
24. Get up at 5 am and take 60 minutes to prepare your mind, body, emotions and spirit to be remarkable during the hours that follow. Being a superstar is not the domain of the gifted but the prepared.
25. Write love letters to your family.
26. Smile at strangers.
27. Drink more water.
28. Keep a journal. Your life’s story is worth recording.
29. Do more than you’re paid to do and do work that leaves your teammates breathless.
30. Leave your ego at the door every morning.
31. Set 5 daily goals every morning. These small wins will lead to nearly 2000 little victories by the end of the year.
32. Say “please” and “thank you”.
33. Remember the secret to happiness is doing work that matters and being an instrument of service.
34. Don’t be the richest person in the graveyard. Health is wealth.
35. Life’s short. The greatest risk is risk-less living. And settling for average.

I genuinely wish you the best year of your life.

Stay Great