15/10/2024
"STOP LETTING JOBS BOSS YOU AROUND – HERE’S HOW TO FLIP THE SCRIPT"
"When the situation defines your character, you feel helpless; but when you define the situation through your character, you become fearless."
During a recent training session with a group of job seekers preparing for placements, I asked them a simple but revealing question: What kind of job do you want?
As expected, I got the standard replies:
1. "A good job, sir."
2. "A job with a nice salary."
3. "Any job, sir."
4. "A job in an MNC."
5. "A job I like."
Anticipating these answers, I followed up with more probing questions: What do you mean by a good job? What’s a nice salary? Can you define 'a job' or 'an MNC job'?
There was a prolonged silence, with a few murmurs. One brave young man finally spoke up, saying,
"Sir, this is what we’ve been hearing from our seniors for years."
I smiled and replied, "You’re absolutely right. These answers reflect situations that have defined your character. But let me teach you a different approach.
You’re familiar with SMART goal setting, correct?" They all nodded, but when I asked how many of them follow it, silence filled the room again.
I told them to start today—right now. Let your character define your situation.
Be SPECIFIC about the kind of job you want: identify the industry, the job description (JD), and how your qualifications align with it. RESEARCH your worth and industry and job specific offers, define a MEASURABLE compensation, and don’t compromise on your value. Remember, you can achieve success in a startup and face failure in an MNC—everything depends on your attitude."
I encouraged them to accept jobs that have ACHIEVABLE targets and to remain conscious of TIME. Once they internalized this mindset, they began networking and putting in the necessary work.
We all face crossroads at some point in our lives. The key is to start early, move carefully, and reach your destination safely.
What about you? Do you believe your situation should define your character, or should your character define your situation?
14/10/2024
"Reviving Gurukula: RIPE’s Approach to Transformative Learning"
"आचार्याद् पादमादत्ते पादं शिष्यः स्वमेधया। पादं सब्रह्मचारिभ्यः पादं कालक्रमेण च।"
"A student learns a quarter from his teacher, a quarter from his intelligence, a quarter from his peers, and a quarter through time."
The ancient Gurukula system was not just about acquiring knowledge but embracing life as a whole. As someone deeply inspired by this tradition, I’ve done extensive research and applied these timeless principles to the outbound training programs we conduct at RIPE. The essence of Gurukula learning lies in holistic development—academic, moral, physical, emotional, and spiritual. In our programs, if participants reflect and conduct self-analysis after the session, I believe the objective is achieved.
The Gurukula system focused on nurturing essential life skills such as discipline, humility, kindness, and compassion. Likewise, the games and activities in our outbound training sessions are thoroughly researched and customized to promote such values. We emphasize small groups where participants receive personalized attention—just like in the ancient Gurukulas. Teams are divided with captains, mirroring the individualized guidance given by a guru to ensure that learning strategies are effective.
A key aspect of the Gurukula was the bond between the teacher and student, built on mutual respect and trust. Our trainers remain with the team throughout the session, offering mentorship that encourages personal growth and lasting respect for the learning process. Just as students in Gurukulas were immersed in their learning environment, our outbound training is designed to be immersive, encouraging participants to learn not only from tasks but through experience, observation, and interaction.
PS: It’s amusing when participants start to realize the deeper strategies behind the games, but as a mentor, I often find their smiles contagious. At that point, it’s hard to resist sharing the secrets behind their learning journey.
We are just one touch away from transforming your team:: [email protected] www.vasriram.in
Do you believe the ancient Gurukula approach, which focuses on holistic and immersive learning, is still the most effective way to impart knowledge today? I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences
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07/10/2024
Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth
I’ve been through it all—fumbling, practicing, performing, and finally publishing. Now, it’s time to learn the techniques to achieve your dream goals.
With Navaratri celebrations, the IAF Airshow in Chennai, my training and coaching programs, book writing, reading, self-upgradation courses, fitness routine, spiritual practices, daily tasks, and “me time,” this month, usually filled with festivity, has been packed with priority tasks. As I reflected on this, I realized it’s been a while since I interacted with all of you on LinkedIn, and I’m glad I stumbled upon a technique I follow to prioritize tasks effectively.
Have you heard of the Forgetting Curve? It’s a mathematical formula introduced by the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885. The curve shows how quickly we forget information if we don’t make an effort to retain it. Research suggests that humans forget about 50% of new information within an hour and up to 70% within 24 hours unless it's consciously reviewed. Sounds familiar, right? We’ve all been there, trying to recall things we learned recently but somehow can’t remember. The same logic holds good for the goals and task. Taking clue from the above. I’ve discovered a way to overcome this challenge, and I’d like to share it with you: RIPE’s Goal Book Method.
At the beginning of each month, I write a detailed description of my goals, what I call my "Goal Synopsis" for the month. I then break those goals down into weekly tasks, creating a "Weekly Task Prescription." From there, I divide them further into daily tasks, maintaining a Goal Book (I’ve shared a sample page of my goal book). At the end of each day, I mark completed tasks in green. Unfinished tasks, depending on their priority, get pushed to the next day with a dedicated time slot.
Many friends, participants, and colleagues ask me how I manage to juggle so many tasks, all with high priority. Well, here’s the secret: the goal book method. My goals are refreshed on the first day of each month, synced after one week, synced again after two weeks, and finally analysed at the end of the month. Believe it or not, I manage to achieve 80% of the tasks I plan.
The three key factors that make this method successful are:
1. Prioritization
2. Time Allocation
3. Goal Integration
Don’t worry—it takes a few months of practice to master, but it’s definitely worth the effort. If you’re finding it challenging at any stage, feel free to message me. I’m more than happy to help.
Your first step? Read this article. If you find it interesting, like, share, and comment to show you're serious about implementing the Goal Book Method.
Follow me on insta and my profile www.vasriram.in. To know more about interesting techniques and tips
02/10/2024
“The Power Play to Create Power Pros”
RIPE’s 300+ Outbound Training Sessions Transformed Teams and Leaders
Outbound training is not just an experiential learning journey for participants; it's an experiential exploration for the trainers as well. Having spent close to 20 years conducting game-based learning programs, I’ve always believed that this format is the best way to help participants unleash their true potential. After conducting more than 300 outbound training sessions for a wide range of learners, I’ve come to appreciate the profound learning participants experience when they engage in games or activities.
At RIPE, we ensure that all games and activities are customized based on client requirements, and we have consistently emerged as innovative leaders in game-based learning facilitation. Our Two Balls game, which illustrates the concept of "opportunity cost is opportunity lost," Bridge Building to demonstrate how design thinking applies to real-world business challenges, Enter the Dragon to highlight how resource and time constraints create unique leaders, and Sorting the Beads for strategic thinking, have always been crowd favorites.
What sets our training apart is the debriefing session I lead after the program. During this session, I relate the activities to participants' corporate challenges, helping them derive actionable strategies to address these obstacles. Every time my team and I prepare for a session, we’re excited to see how participants decode the games and activities facilitated by RIPE.
We are now gearing up for a massive outbound training event for a leading IT products and services organization, covering 200 sales team members. The focus will be on rejuvenating them, teaching strategies for team building, customer communication, and developing a growth mindset.
Do let me know your thoughts on outbound training as a participant/trainer or decision makers
PS: I always ensure that the time, team size, debriefing, and objectives are aligned. As a team, we play through each game before the event, recording insights and challenges to deliver a fun and highly challenging learning experience for the participants.
15/09/2024
"If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry."
It's an absolute moment of fulfillment to receive The 21st Century Emily Dickinson Award from Book Leaf Publishing for my work “Artful Approach”—the first of its kind in HR, where management concepts meet the beauty of poetry. Deep in my heart, I always wondered if art could become a platform for brand-building in management. That thought evolved into this work, which creatively embraces 21 HR concepts wrapped in colorful poetry.
As Artful Approach completes 100 days of its publishing journey, I take this moment of pride to reflect on the award and share my gratitude with you all. Special thanks to the Bookleaf Team, my well-wishers, and a heartfelt shoutout to Deepa Balachandran, Vijayabharathi, Sathiamoorthy Narayanan, Saravanan Palanivelu, Dr. Lakshmi, and Ambal Saravanan for their unwavering support.
What’s in store for readers? 21 HR concepts transformed into poetic reflections:
1. Artistic Application
2. Induction Catalyst
3. Professional Wedding
4. Respectex
5. Mission Marvel
6. Dhoni Army
7. Bloodless Fight
8. Mind Guard
9. Homework
10. LINKINSTA
11. Chronicles of Yes or No
12. EXEN
13. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
14. Review Rhythm
15. Skill Peak
16. Think to Ink
17. Communication Marathon
18. Engage to Enlighten
19. Lead through Action
20. Just for Laughs
21. Competence Map to Technological Triumph
If you haven't grabbed a copy yet, here's your chance:
Hard Copy: Amazon: https://amzn.in/d/eh3nV7C Flipkart: https://www.flipkart.com/artful-approach/p/itma9137b3c27fb9 Abebooks: https://www.abebooks.com/9789360947811/Artful-Approach-Sriram-Vijay-Anand-9360947814/plp
Takelot: https://www.takealot.com/artful-approach/PLID95752016
Soft Copy:
https://ebooks.bookleafpub.com/product-page/artful-approach
With Love,
Dr. V. Vijay Anand Sriram
Author