Three monks

Three monks is chinese animated movie, made by Shangai animation film studios. This movie has won awards during film festivals. Its tells about conflicts that usually any organisation face, and how a better job design, job rotation, clear goals can resolve conflicts.

Problem with the monks was that all want to have the water but none them want to work. Everyone thinks that is someone else job. All three was refraining themselves from getting the water until mouse made them realise about water necessity. In the end part of movie we can see during fire fighting everyone was working in harmony to extinguish the fire.
  Same thing happens in every organisation, teams wait to see the emergency then only they performing. With proper skill set, proper understanding of everyone's requirement, with defined roles and with brainstorming ideas organisations can achieve any goal, without creating any conflicts.

Learnings from this short film:
1. Resolving conflicts: It is highly advised to resolve conflicts on priority, rather than waiting and keeping grudges about other team members. If not resolved disasters can happen in any organisation.
2. Roles and responsibilities: Each team member should be given equal roles and responsibilities to play as per their skill set. Roles should not be generalized but specific.
3. Job redesign: Job redesign is required to provide better working condition.
4. Aim for goal: Make sure with team conflicts do not hamper with team objectives. Like it happened in this film, their objective was to fetch water, but in case of fire they were running for water.

The Mynah and The Elephant

Once there were two friends, a manyah and an elephant. One day the elephant said to the mynah: "You know, I envy you .All my life I wanted to fly I dreamt of what fun it would be to fly over the village, the mountains, the seas, and to glide over the river and the jungle. I wish I could fly."

"No problem," said the mynah and reaching back with his beak he pulled out a feather from his tail. That is what you must do here, take this feather and hold it firmly in your trunk. Then flap your ears as hard as you can, and you will fly."
The elephant did as he was told. He held the feather firmly in his trunk flapped his ears as hard as he could, and lo and behold, he began to fly. Holding on to the feather tightly, he flew over the river and the vast jungle. After a long time, he glided back to earth and ran to meet the mynah, guarding the feather carefully in his trunk.
"You changed my whole life", he told the mynah, "I cannot thank you enough for this feather." "That feather" said the mynah,"oh you didn't need that .It was just one of my old ones. I just gave you something to BELIEVE in. It was flapping of your ears that did it, not the feather in your trunk!"


Learning: We can achieve impossible, if we have Vision (dream), Conviction (symbolically represented by the feather) and Effort (flapping of ears) Success in any facet of endeavor, is more deeply rooted in attitudes than aptitudes!..
The employer is seeking the passion to do impossible and the burning desire to fulfill the dreams thereby meeting the targets .The budding incumbents should have learning attitude and a burning aspiration to accomplish. They should tend to love the deadlines and the targets given to them. They should also be able to flap their ears in order to achieve their goals. Yes, its true that the employer looks for the elephant with flapping ears, i.e. who has got the dying drive and burning desire to accomplish his targets or goals.

MAHAMANDI 2014- Memorable experience

My story of experiments in MAHAMANDI:

 MAHAMANDI 2014, wow what an experience I had. Never thought it could be this much fun and full of energy. When we got down in the market of Andheri, we were ready with our products worth Rs.3350/- total 21 items, we had no idea how to start, where to start and most importantly what to start. Plan was to go to Hiranandani but we reached Andheri ;-).

1. Fun part started, we decided to go to Bandra at carter road as we had thought of targeting posh areas. But after getting into autorickshaw we changed plan and reached Lokhandwala, Andheri(west).  On the move we saw other teams approaching customers and selling products, and I was thinking we have not reached the location yet and others have started already. Teams in white were easy to locate, and we located one more, outside Infinity mall in Lokhandwala. Other team surprised us with the statement that “They are not allowing us to sell inside”.
2. We had no choice so we started selling outside the Mall.  We first approached a lady with a kid, but as we started she refused to listen. It was kind an embarrassing, happened never before. But we did not give up there, we approached a family with a kid, and started with introduction of NITIE, MAHAMANDI, cause behind this event and how these toys are different than normal toys, and within few minutes we sold our first product “Balancing Scale”. Feeling was awesome, because it was first time I sold something, I never thought I could do this.
3. One family were reluctant to buy product, I guess there were in hurry while going inside the mall. But when they came out from mall they bought three products from us. We felt like we won a lottery.
4. Outside the Mall when I was looking for potential customer, I saw a couple watching towards me. They approached to me and started asking about what we are doing. Then I started telling them about event and products and with much effort I sold Jodo Gyan, but I did not have receipt to give them so I request them to wait for few seconds, and out of my surprise they did not refuse. In meanwhile I told them about leopard story of NITIE.
5. Tried many more families, then we realized that families going inside the Mall are not even giving us chance to explain as they were busy with their schedule. So started targeting families and couples coming from the Mall. Then we started using simple strategies like we asked kids to play with “Balancing scale” and show us addition, multiplication. And sold few more products. With every product sold our confidence level increased, within few ours we sold our whole inventory.

 Mandi Poster, Mandi Pics and Mandi Toys:


Mandi Poster

Mandi Pics

Me before and after maha mandi

Being of student of Dr.Mandi Sir, I already knew many things about MAHAMANDI, but I did not know everything. Sitting in class and thinking about mandi, I never thought selling can be this much fun and challenging. I don’t speak much, at least continuously I don’t speak much, but when I was on street I was unstoppable. I am shy in class and but in mandi I was shameless to approach any type of customer, unbothered with their responses. Before Mandi I was scared to participate and now I want more of it. Before mandi I was scared of mandi and now I love mandi. Jai Mandi.

MAHAMANDI experience:

Suggestions / advice to students like you who wants to do Mandi..

• Don't make presumptions, notions, and strategies for avoiding thing marvelous event. Just be part of this, nobody is accessing you. Just be yourself and sell in your unique way. 
• Being a seller you should know very well about product and event.  Demonstrate the product and involve the customer by asking them to use and let them have the feel of the product.
• It’s very important that you approach customer in a professional way and don't make them uncomfortable. Workshops can be conducted for all sections students to give demo to approach customers.
• Most of teams has finished their inventory in few hours only. If some sort of buffer is created in areas where most of teams are targeting, teams can come back and collect some more inventory to sell.
• Target the customers in teams rather than alone.  And when pitching your product be clear in your words, let each team member say about it. Look very confident and always have smile on face.

           

Leadership....

Purpose of this article is to give insight of charismatic and transformational leadership

Charismatic leadership:

Followers gets attracted towards leaders because of their charm and personality, there is no external power and authority involved. Charismatic leaders who are building a group, whether it is a political party, or business team, will often focus strongly on making the group very clear and distinct. They will make image of team in followers mind in a way that they will consider it as superior to all others.
     Leaders deliberately show charisma in theatrical sense to make desired effects. They also make effective use of storytelling, metaphors and symbolism. Best example is Adolf Hitler. More is explained with below video:

Transformational Leadership:

Working for a Transformational leader can be a wonderful and uplifting experience. They put passion and energy into everything. They care about followers and want them to succeed. It starts with a vision, and a future that will excite and create potential followers.
The next step is to constantly sell the vision. This takes energy and commitment as few people will immediately buy into radical vision, some will join the league much more slowly than others. Leaders takes every opportunity to convince followers. In order to create followers, the Transformational leader has to be very careful in creating trust, and their personal integrity. They sell themselves as well as the vision.
They remain upfront and central during the action. Transformational leaders are always visible and will stand in front of the team. They set standards for the team to follow. They also make continuous efforts to motivate their followers. With the below video it is explained, how a coach being a leader motivating its team.

Another video:

Team work: Valley crossing

Team work: Valley crossing 

Lesson taught by Mr.Mandi on teamwork by valley crossing exercise. In this case three friends have to cross 2 step wide valley with wooden log on shoulders. The task demanded good conceptual knowledge at hand and effective strategy to implement the same and use of resource( wooden log). Smart goals were set by team members and task was broke into 9 simple steps. 

Key ingredient to success was coordination among team members and execution of strategy. Using the same strategy task was performed by our classmates.

Learnings from this task:

• Communication: Effective communication is very important while performing the task, improper communication can lead to fall of team member in the valley. Team member should communicate their issues and ideas among peers and with supervisor. All the team members should be clear about the strategy.
• Resolve conflicts: Team should brainstorm all the possible strategies and resolve the doubts and issues. In case of conflicts of ideas, feasible solution should be drawn.
• Clear goals: Each member should be clear about his/her goals. Goals should not be ambiguous in nature, member should be aware of consequences in case he/she fail to achieve the set goal.
• Motivated and Committed: Motivation leads to better ideas, strategies and effective use of resources. Each member should be committed and motivated for his/her goals, this leads to teamwork.

Motivation theories- Theory X and Theory Y

What motivates us to go for work every morning. for some of us working is a passion and give them pride and for some of us it is a burden and a need of survival.

Many have studied this area and given management theories about it. One of the theory was given by Douglas Mcgregor in 1960s on human motivation and management: Theory X and Theory Y.

The theories look at how a manager's perceptions of what motivates his or her team members affects the way he or she behaves. By understanding how your assumptions about employees motivation can influence your management style, you can adapt your approach appropriately, and so manage people more effectively.

Your management style is influenced by your beliefs and assumptions about your team. If you think your team members are lazy and reluctant towards work you will tend to adopt authoritative management style but it team members are energetic and self motivated you will adopt cooperative management style.

Theory X:

Theory X assumes that workers are unmotivated and dislike working, in this situation management will be authoritative and will intervene to get things done. Management will have following assumptions about workers:

• Workers are lazy
• Avoid responsibility and needs to be directed
• Have to controlled, forced and threatened to get things done.
• Needs to be supervised and each step
• Needs to be motivated to produce results; otherwise they will have no ambition and incentive

X type organizations tend to be top heavy and supervision is required at each step.Workers are in fact usually the minority but large in numbers, such as large scale production organizations. Theory X may be required and unavoidable.

Theory Y:

Theory Y supports a participative style of management, and believes that workers are happy to work, creative, self-motivated and takes responsibility. Management will have following assumptions about workers:

• Take responsibility and motivated for the work given.
• seek and accept responsibility and don't need direction.
• Consider work as part of life and solve work problems imaginatively.

People involved at lower levels are more involved in decision making and have more responsibility.

Although theory X has accepted as inferior by many but it has large place in production, manufacturing and operation industries, where unskilled manforce is involved.  Many of the principles of theory Y is adopted by many organizations as it encourages employees participation. It is suited to knowledge work and professional services. These kind of organizations will naturally involve theory Y practices by the nature of their work. Even highly structured organizations like call center can be benefited with theory Y practices to encourage knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.