Category: People & Relationships

In this article, I shall describe the most important attributes and activities to ensure success. I define success as being popular, powerful, rich, free and happy. A series of disciplines can show you the path but only you can tread it.
“I can provide the recipes but you must do the cooking.”
We all want to be popular. Every human being longs to be loved. Some deny that they feel this way. They really need help because they are denying a basic requirement of life. There is nothing wrong with seeking popularity but it must be sought in moderation. The desire becomes dangerous when it becomes more important than everything else. Most people go through short phases of desperately needing to be popular. That’s all right as long as the need doesn’t last. A normal wish to be liked by our friends and family is healthy. Indeed, if families devoted more effort to being nice to each other much pain and suffering would be spared.
Think about the people you like. Do they talk about themselves all the time? Of course not. If they did you wouldn’t like them. So to be popular you must think of the other person. Most of us are wrapped up in ourselves a lot of the time. At its worst it is called selfishness and it is a serious problem. If you think it is someone else’s problem, you are probably wrong; it is more likely a problem for you.
Interesting people are nearly always popular. An interesting person is one who asks you a lot of questions about yourself, your life, your work, your play, your ambitions, your fears. They show a genuine interest in your views. They want your opinions. They may themselves have many excellent stories to tell; they may be wise beyond their years. If they are clever they will work their stories and wisdom into the way they generate your interest – through the questions they ask you. Success or failure for them is the response you give. It is rare indeed for someone not to respond when the subject being discussed is the most interesting in the world – the person themselves.
Interesting people are generally popular, but not always. They need to be nice as well. That means dealing decently with people, showing concern and care, helping when a hand is needed. That help must consist of two quite distinct elements.
One is demeanour – how you appear to others. In a nutshell, smile. People who smile genuinely generate warmth and a special, non-threatening intimacy. There’s another aspect to being nice, being polite. The encyclopaedia says that the purpose of politeness is to make all of the parties to an exchange relaxed and comfortable with one another. Think of politeness as giving face to the other person. We do it to those we meet socially and don’t know very well. Do we do it to our loved ones, within the family, to our colleagues at work? We should. The rude person, however loved, is never popular.
The other way to help I call ‘sleeves’ – roll them up and get on with it. Some people are better at one, some at the other. If you can do both you will be truly popular.
Will being popular make you successful? By itself, no, but it is a prerequisite to the other four forms of success. Without it, don’t bother going any further.

BusinessKnowHow: Networking is about creating an extended family. It’s about developing connections, caring about people, increasing the size of your “tribe.” Most of all, networking is not the awkward social ritual many of us think it is–networking is actually FUN!
Practice “Palm Up” Networking. When you network, are you giving, or grasping? Palm up networking embodies the spirit of service, of giving and wanting nothing in return. The universe has a perfect accounting system. Give to others, it’ll all come back to you in time.
Do Daily Appreciation. Appreciate at least one person daily. Sometimes I do this via e-mail so I can be thorough. Simply tell someone how much you appreciate who they are, what they do, whatever about them moves you. They’ll be flattered and you’ll feel great.
Equalize Yourself with Others. We’re all equal. Practice equalizing yourself with others–this will enable you to more comfortably interact with others, and to reach out to people of all walks of life.
Rolodex Dip. Flip through your contact database and pick a name. Then think of all the things you like about them. Now call them up to see how they are doing. They’ll be surprised and delighted.
Pick a “Sensei of the Day”: Your sensei can be a person, a pet, a plant, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is to acknowledge that there is much to learn and you are being offered valuable lessons constantly.
Six Essentials for Networking [BusinessKnowHow]

Rajesh Shakya: There are numerous ways to fail as a project manager. Many Project Managers just live with their job as project manager and don’t actually manage the projects. Many Project Managers simply don’t get time to get updated with latest technology tools and best practices. Let’s take a look at some of the ways in particular that project managers can succeed.
Use project management tools effectively– Just to name a few for enterprise project management to personal project management- Microsoft Project, QualBridge Enterprise.
Manage your time well– Speaking of time, first of all you personally should be organized and achieve the desired outcome on time and on budget, then your project team will follow you.
Conduct meetings effectively– Meetings are necessary in completing projects – project planning meeting, stakeholder meetings, project team meeting, weekly briefing, daily scrum and so on.
Maintain a sense of humor– Activities in a project may go wrong. But you have to maintain a sense of humor so that you don’t do damage to your health, to your team, to your organization, and to the project itself.
Give and receive criticism– Learning the emotions of each of the team members is very important. Similarly, the ability to receive criticism is crucial for project managers.
Improve decision-making skills– You should be quick to give decisions and the decisions should be right, because your team members look to you for some approvals, choices from many options and prioritize activities.
Be adaptive– Accept any good suggestions if adaptable with project time, budget and resources.
Trust yourself– Trusting yourself and also team members is a vital component to effective project management.
Success Tips to Project Managers [Rajesh Shakya]

Inc: Most working professionals think it’s important to have a sense of humor around the office, a recent survey found.
Among nearly 500 full and part-time office workers surveyed, 97 percent said they preferred workplace managers who could make them laugh, while 87 percent said their bosses were pretty funny, according to Robert Half International, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based staffing services firm.
“Managers who can laugh at themselves or difficult situations are often seen as more approachable and in touch with the challenges their teams face,” Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. He said a good sense of humor helped build rapport among staff and eased otherwise stressful situations.
Workers Prefer Funny Bosses [Inc]

Entrepreneurs: I’ve worked with entrepreneurs for more than 25 years, and most of the successful ones have created and developed their products on their own and love being independent. “Being my own boss” is the answer I usually get when I ask them what they like best about being an entrepreneur.
But in fact, successful entrepreneurs are not Lone Rangers — which, for inexperienced entrepreneurs, should be regarded as a good thing. I’ve talked to more than 100 successful entrepreneurs over the past 10 years, and they frequently don’t have a lot of business management experience, don’t have any more money than the average person and typically have never tried to introduce a product before.
The key moment in their entrepreneurial process has been when they recognized their shortcomings and sought help from other people. That help is exactly what they need to succeed, and it can come in hundreds of forms, such as these:
A manufacturer willing to extend dating on orders
An industry connection who helps you fund your initial production run
A retailer who heavily promotes your product at its expense
You should think about the kind of help you will need right at the start, before you even begin to introduce a product to market. If you can prototype and make your product at home, you can probably survive on your own until you’re ready to sell. But most entrepreneurs have products that require a little more investment upfront, and they could go broke if they wait too long to get experienced advice. Not only that, but getting help early will prevent a lot of mistakes in creating your product, and this will help you save money for the crucial tasks that lie ahead.
Teaming Up for Success [Entrepreneurs]