Business Mentoring

MENTORING BOOSTS RESULTS

 Well educated people develop lot of inner fears and phobias about the real world and are unable to launch their own ventures.

They are surrounded by the people who have failed in ventures and lives. The weak talks and detailed losers’ experiences impact the minds of the well educated and experienced people that these brilliant brains are unable to take bold steps and contribute to the society. Their intellect remains caged due to these imaginary fears and phobia. Once these mental hurdles are overcome with the help of a good mentor, the same person, same circumstances, same education and skills turn into great successes.

 Here below is a case of grand success by  a young boy aged 35 years mentored by me.

1. In July, 2012 I guess, a young bachelor aged about 35 connected me on Linkedin.
2. His qualification is MBA, M.Com., PGDHR, PGDCA, LLB.
3. He had worked as Advocate in a High Court, Lecturer to MBA.
4. He was working in July 2012 as Vice President to a company.
5. Linkedin connection turned into personal relationship and mobile phones were exchanged.
6. Then one day, he told me that another company is offering double the pay.
7. My quick reply was : Why don’t you start your own venture? You are so much qualified.
8. He expressed lots of limitations and weaknesses and major weakness was finance.
9. I assured him that when you have the skill finance cannot be a limitation. Just start. It took many rounds of discussion to convince him “YOU CAN DO”.
10. He started: Education, Training, Placement and Consultancy.
11. In between he came to meet me in person. His cousin was with me.
12. I told him that you are a great mind. Don’t waste your mind by working as salaried person. Use your creative mind for your own venture.
13. When he returned to his place, he told me over telephone that all the relatives and family members now recognize me as intelligent person. It is only due to your few words and appreciation sir. They never recognized my qualification and intelligent. I thank you from the core of my heart. He had come to attend marriage.
14. I told him: I am a mentor and to speak positive words  is my first dharma (religious duty). To make the young people realize their potential through my words is my skill and personal duty too.
15. Yesterday, I received an email from this mentored bachelor which says: Started with 30k a year back, the organization has turnover of 5000 k with about 20 direct and indirect employees. Thank you for your identifying my potential, sir. I really thank you. I may become a millionaire or billionaire but I will never forget you.
16. Then he spoke to me on phone and I just blessed him and wished him to work more and more and get married too. He laughed a lot.
17. I am going to be 56 and have recently completed my MBA and am going to join Ph.D in January 2015 in Strategic Management.
18. I was thinking just 20 calls and many emails made this venture and person successful, happy and self-fulfilling. Qualification is a small car stuck in a quagmire and mentoring is like a big trucker that can pull that car out of the mud. Once the car is out of the mud, the car owner thanks the trucker driver for the help and car runs, runs and runs for many years without any hurdle.
19. He is progressing. Now nothing can stop him.
20. I am feeling happy that I have been able to make a person realize his dreams.
21. In my entire life, if I am able to mentor 100 young men and they employ 100 people each and mentor other 100 people each it will be 10000 people earning bread and 10000 people mentored by them starting their own ventures. In case they employ at least 20 people (directly or indirectly) which is easy in India total 200 k people will become respectful bread earners. If those 200 k people each had 5 people in their families 1000 k will be enjoying. What a great contribution to the society! Support my vision. This is possible.
22. More the ventures, better the economy. My life will be become worth. I will be happy without money.  It is better not to give fish but to train the person "how to fish." The person will never demand fish from you. Both will become independent and support each other. 

MENTORING

I can help you by mentoring you anywhere in the world.
Be free to contact me on email: mympi98@gmail.com
I am an International Trainer and motivator. It is FREE. Help to me comes from unknown quarters. So, this is to help you.

MENTORING FUTURE LEADERS

                                      By Preetinder Kaur*

Companies are waking up to the importance of succession management strategy and are liberally offering mid-management professionals opportunities to enter the next phase of their careers.

When a marketing manager at Proctor and Gamble  was enrolled in the company’s first middle-management training programme last year, she didn’t reckon that she would soon become adept at walking the tight rope fit for a higher functional-role.

The manager was in her 30s and had joined P and G seven –eight years back. The big win was how the programme allowed functional managers like her to step into the shoes of a general manager.

Professional companies are increasingly adopting succession management to retain the talent and also to fill the top slots when vacancy arises. Middle management across organizations aspire for higher posts and even leadership roles. But, what confuses them is whether they would be capable of handling the challenges that come along. To deal with such issues many companies like P& G have initiated a middle management training programmes to ‘ build our future’ (BOF), which develops and trains the mid career professionals for their next big career leap. P and G is not the only one. To address the complex issue of leadership building and even succession planning, several others such as HUL and Godrej are also adopting programmes to add on an edge to their talent pipeline.

Building leaders

The emphasis on middle management is a thought that even management experts now propagate vigorously. They believe that a one shot approach to educating managers is going to be inadequate. A process of refreshing, unlearning and re-learning at regular intervals is what they recommend for the corporate world to target the issue of leadership building. One of the biggest bottlenecks in India’s growth is the availability of high quality human capital at all skill levels. Indian companies have to take proactive steps before this becomes a hindrance.

Different takes

P and India’s human resources head feels that most companies don’t focus on it. At P and G

they are built from within and realize the importance of developing the leadership pipeline not just at the senior level but at the middle management level as well.

The company designed the BOF programme around 4-5 unique capabilities for its entire middle management, which consisted of 150 people.  It involved a week long process where people included were not only from within the organization in India but also included those based abroad.

To bring in thought leadership, some of the best minds within the P&G world also have a session with the employees.

It is an intensive training programme which ends with an experiential one-day session for business simulation where managers get to understand what business can look like. It is a case study but on a much larger life scale.

P and G realized that since the organization was growing at a fast pace (the business has grown 10 times over the past eight years) it needed to keep the talent pipeline running. With an attrition of five per cent and other P and G regions looking at India for souring talent, BOF gave P and G a much broader pool to choose from to meet any future requirement.

Arch rival Hindustan Unilever (HUL), however, does it differently. The FMCG major, with a 900-strong middle management pool, has a mentoring programme called alchemy, for all high potential middle management employees wherein they are assigned a senior manager who guides and supports them through their leadership journey in the organization.

“Middle management talent serves as a robust talent pipeline for senior leadership. We strongly believe in leadership development and in the philosophy of leaders developing leaders. In a market of acute talent shortage it is important to nurture and develop home grown leaders”, says HUL’s HR head.

HUL, however, prefers to have learning intervention at all levels. It follows the 70:20:10 under which 70 per cent  of learning is expected to come from experience in the current job and business projects, 20 per cent from relationships and 10 percent through formal programmes like classroom training and e-learning. It also measures the effectiveness and business returns from such programmes.

Similarly, Godrej Industries has also put in place a leadership development programe for select middle management employees based on their performance and potential. They select 25 per cent of middle management employees and invest disproportionately on their learning so as to help them become successful future leaders.

So, with more and more organizations beginning to recognize the value of mid-career development and training these managers are on the threshold to take up senior leadership roles.

-         The writer is Project Coordinatore at IIT, Ropar (Punjab- India)

Source: Jobs & Careers, The Tribune, December 21, 2011.

  

Work and Life Balance

Subodh was married to a beautiful dame from the countryside. His dame needed more time than he could devote. His performance and productivity as well as quality of decisions at work was going down and down. His partner was whining all the time for Subodh’s declining level of concentration at work. Neither wife nor partner was happy or satisfied. Subodh was at wits’ end.


All this was telling upon his health. Wife always found that Subodh remained busy in his work and not attention was paid to maintain relatives. Relatives too complained and remarked bitingly “All marry but they don’t ignore the relatives.” Wife wished that all family functions and marriages in the relations must be attended. She also wished that Subodh should sit and talk with her for hours. Subodh should have time to go to Cinema. All these were not being handled by Subodh comfortably. His health deteriorated and his behaviour became irritable.

For wife, it was another problem. Every body in the family was worried. Parents thought some super natural problem was there. They secretly started consulting “Babas” for finding a remedy to Subhodh’s problem. They were of the opinion some “bad soul” has affected their son. But wife was educated and did not believe much in this kind of “faith” or “faith healing”. Out of respect for elders, she used to company her parents-in-law. Many efforts by these “Babas” failed to bring Subodh to his normal behaviour.

As the time passed, the problem persisted and mental peace of the family members also flew. All – Subodh’s parents’-in-law, parents, brother and sister-in-law all were worried. Worry could be judged by just looking at their faces and their reactions to the situations in daily life.

Time passed and Subodh was blessed with a son. Another bond. Subodh was overburden.
He was unable to meet the continuous nagging by his wife for lack of time for her and her son. Subodh was finding himself torn in performing 3 dutites – one at work, 2nd handling wife and third keeping pace with time demands by elderly parents.

One day, he came across a business mentor. After attending the seminar, when he was having a cup of tea with the mentor, he reluctantly opened his heart to the mentor. Her eyes full of tears were telling more than words. Mentor, seasoned and matured person, advised: keep 11 months for work and full one month for home.

Subodh came home and asked his wife to come and sit with him. After settling down properly and making the wife ready to listen, he disclosed in a very polite way. “Today I met a very intelligent, mature and saint like person who had come to give a talk in the seminar.” Wife was listening with an awe. “I told him my problem of time. I told him that I wish to devote time to my family, but my work engagements do not allow me to do so. If I devote time to family, then work suffers and if I devote my time to work, then family suffers. What should I do sir?” Further Subodh confessed, “Very politely that gentleman told me. Your problem is a problem of life and work balancing. This problem is not only with you but with most of the people. You are over stressed between two lives. When you are in the office, you think about the family and when you are at home, you think about your work. Isn’t it?” “Yes, yes, sir” I answered to the mentor. “Sir how can I over come this situation?”

“Very simple.” 1. Be proactive. Using “Things To Do sheet” and planning for the next day at last night i.e. before the working day, you will become proactive.”
2. Work for 11 months and enjoy full 1 month.

“So, my dear, lovely wife, let’s decide from today that for 11 months you will not ask me anything and I will work only. And on 12th month, I will not ask and not go to work and will enjoy fully with you and son and family. No questions. Agree.”

After sometime, the wife nodded affirmatively i.e. yes. Now everyday nagging by wife was replaced with a smile in the hope that my husband will be free in 12th month of the year.

Every family function was attended with great fervour. No regrets, no complain. Always enthusiast wife, ready son and happy parents went and enjoyed the functions in the family circle.

11 months went by. 12th month came. Without anybody’s asking, a week prior to starting of 12 month, Subodh planned for family’s outing on a hill station. For a week, they stayed at the hill station, did hiking, tracking, enjoyed boating and river rafting. After a week when they came back, he had another plan. He and his wife joined a one week dancing classes. They learnt dancing together. Another plan, music and singing plus painting classes. All this made wife so happy that she does not speak a single word and waits patiently for this 12 months.
During the past 4 years, they have visited many hill stations and have known new people and new culture.

His wife one day came and told that she is planning to start Free classes for slum dwellers in teaching dancing and painting. Life is now has a purpose and meaning for the grumbling couple. Their son likes to live with grandparents. Grand parents for him are God. They love, laugh and always take care of him. Grandfather is always seen walking with the grandson. Grandson holding his grandfather’s finger feels as if he is fully safe and secure and nothing can happen to him.

Everyday, while praying to God for grace, Subhod thanks his mentor who with his guidance changed his dull life into really meaningful one.


Image Courtesy: wolfspace.com

Father Taught Financial Management

I have a good, intelligent, enterprising friend who is an entrepreneur and is P.G in Technology i.e. M.Tech. He mentored his son studying in 6th standard for business. His wife a P.G in Dietetics used to be busy in the morning to shout at the son for getting up early in the morning and be ready for school. Mr. Jassar who is resident of Canada and running business in India was all surprised by the time his wife wasted in the morning to wake up their then only son.

Morning scene:
Son in the bed, hiding his face with the pillow and half-in-sleep:
Mom to son,
“ Get up my son, it is morning, you need to go to school. In case you will be late it will reflect a poor grade on your report card in “responsibility” column."
Son murmurs back,
“ A few moments more mom. Please allow me to sleep.”

Mom (busy in the kitchen) will sometimes shout from the kitchen,
“Get up or I will pull you out of the bed holding you from your ears.”

We are Punjabis and in Punjabi words the phrase is:
“Kan phar ke bahar sutna hai. Phir changa rahenga.”

It was a daily routine and Mr. Jassar’s tolerance level went on depleting to the level of annoyance and one day he sat with his wife, discussed and consulted with her the issue of the behaviour of their son over the cup of tea. At that time, they had a son only. But now they have two kids son and a lovely daughter. The complete home they have. A home without a daughter is like a hostel.

Mr. Jassar proposed to his wife:
“ My dear why can’t we work out a solution that makes our son more responsible. If the son does not get up let him sleep as long as he wishes. How long will you trouble yourself to keep him waking up? At least, one day he will have to get himself up without your assistance.”
“But he will be late for school,” humbly his wife a nice responsible caring mom replied.
“Let him own his own responsibility right from today,” Mr. Jassar politely answered.

“This is not possible and is a mere dream. I bet.” Wife contested.
“Let me handle the child. Don’t wake him up right from tomorrow.” Mr. Jassar advised and instructed. Mr. Jassar though said politely but firmly.

Next day, wife did not wake up the child.

Child got late for the school. When he got up, he asked his mother un hn hn,
“Why you did not wake me up. I am late for the school.” The child complained to his mother.
The complaint had no effect either on mom or dad.

Before the mother could reply, father replied:
“We have decided, right from today, we shall not wake you up. You have to own your own responsibility of going to school. You have to learn and be wise.”

Child was surprised at this stark and stout unexpected answer. He was never expecting that the day will come when he will have to leave the ‘comfort zone’ and ‘helping hand” will be withdrawn.
He felt as if he has woken up from a deep sleep and dreaming state.
He surrendered and politely enquired from his father,
“What should I do dad? I don’t want to lose my classes.”

“Use a wake up ringing clock.” Dad said.
“Where can I get this clock?” the child asked in a low tone. The tone reflected the child needs guidance and solution for the problem.

“From the market.”

Dad & son went to the market and bought one ringing clock.
Dad also made a list of the activities needed to be done by his son once he was awake and up . Dad pinned up the list on son’s notice board in the room. The looked at the list and frowned. But he could not contest with his dad.

Next morning:

Clock gave 1st, 2nd and 3rd ring. On the 3rd ring the boy bounced out of the bed and started brushing his teeth, went to toilet and by the time his mother was ready with breakfast, the child was on the breakfast table.

Mother was feeling relieved today. She offered the breakfast with love, affection and relaxed mind. Child enjoyed the breakfast. Child felt the breakefast was more tasty than other days.

Wished the parents “Sat Shri Akal” and sought their blessings and went to attend the school. Son used to get ride to school and Dad had to pay $ 4 every day to one of his neighbours for this service.
Days went by. The child one day asked Mr. Jassar,

“ Dad I need a bi-cycle. How much does it cost?”
“About Cn.$200.”
“I wish to buy one.”
"OK. Go ahead” , Dad replied appreciatingly.
“But I don’t have any money on me.”

Mother went on listening, silently but attentively.
Dad said," look, my dear son we have started all afresh by immigrating to Canada. So we as a family don’t have enough funds for all this."

“How can I have money then?”
“Earn it.”
“How can I earn it?”
“Let me think for a day I will be back on this”, dad said.

Next weekend
“I have an idea.” Dad started the talk with his son.
“Tell me.”
“ In my office, lot of papers need to be arranged. You may come to my office on weekly off-days and holidays. I will pay you Cn.$100 per month.”
“One more idea, it costs to take a ride for going to school.”
“It can save you $ 80 if you go and come back on foot from school which is less than a km from our home.”

Idea struck to the mind of the child and child agreed to attend the office on off-days and holidays and even became ready to go to school on foot as he wanted the bi-cycle desperately.

The child started attending the office of the dad and arranging his papers and doing his odd jobs in the office.
Mother started to enjoy more life at home in the absence of child and his dad.
After 3 months, Mr. Jassar asked his son, “Why don’t you buy the bi-cycle?”
“Dad I have only 120 dollars. 100 earned plus 20 saved. I have 80 dollars short.”
Mr. Jassar offered, “Now I can lend you 80 dollars but I will charge interest.”

“What is interest Dad?”

“If you borrow money from others or banks, you use them. For that use you need to pay a small amount as percentage. That is called interest.”
“Right! I will pay,” agreed the child.
Mr. Jassar as promised loaned the child sum of 80 dollars.

The child bought the bi-cycle and was happy that he has bought the bi-cycle with his own money.

Another day, when the son was coming on foot from his school, the neighbour of Mr. Jassar who was bringing his child from the school, offered lift in car to the son of Mr. Jassar.

The child replied, “Thanks uncle. I will go home on foot I have a promise with my dad

The neighbour was surprised to hear these words from the 6th grade student.

Now after a period of about 4/5 weeks, the child finds that bi-cycle is well enjoyed and is needed no more.

He asked his father, “Dad, I wish to sell off my cycle. How can I do that?”
“Go to the internet and ask for bids on the internet.”

These days, the child, checks the bid everyday on the internet. Price offered for old cycle is 100 dollars, but the child is not mentally ready to sell. He wishes better price.

What the big business schools cannot teach the students in many years’ teaching that a dad taught within a month or two to a child of 12 /13 years – the financial management.


Image courtesy: alexelba.blogspot.com
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