Friday 28 August 2015

“Do Indians See the Glass as Half-Empty?” ―Professor M.S.Rao





“Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A world of optimism and hope. A "you can do it" when things are tough.” ―Richard M. DeVos


There is a perception that Indians constantly look for leaders to inspire them. Although it is a known fact that everyone needs someone to inspire them, it is more so in the case of Indians.  We Indians often look at leaders like Swami Vivekananda and A.PJ. Abdul Kalam for inspiration.  We want always someone to inspire us. We don’t get inspired by ourselves. Additionally, there is a perception that we Indians are cynical. We see the glass as half-empty, not as half-full. We enjoying listening negative things and talking negative things.  Last week, when the Chinese share market tumbled, Indian share market survived the onslaught. Indian economy is very strong and robust. Gone are the days when America catches cold the entire world sneezes. Entire world might sneeze, but India will not sneeze. We have strong economy which is a blend of both private and public sector. Although Indian democracy is not successful it survived many years despite several challenges. We have checks and balances that keep things moving forward successfully.

Indians have a unique mindset in the world. We Indians fight in the name of region, religion, caste, community and language which are often instigated by parochial politicians but we are still connected one emotionally. That is the beauty of India! That is the greatness of India!  We Indians are highly emotional people in the world. Conflicts arise at the drop of a hat but we forgive and forget. Forgiveness is the hallmark of Indians.  

We Indians must look at the positive side of life. We must focus on constructive activities, not destructive activities. Indian media highlights more of negative stories on the front pages, not the positive stories about India due to cutthroat competition. Indian media must play a crucial and constructive role to highlight both positive and negative stories to enable the people to enjoy the positive stories and address the negative stories to redress them.

There are many Indians doing well globally bringing laurels to our country. For instance, Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo, Sathya Nadella of Microsoft and Sunder Pichai of Google have made Indians proud globally. Why don’t Indians at home do well? It seems something is wrong somewhere.  We must set our house in order domestically. We must get out of our cynicism. We must look at the door that is opened, not the closed one. We must dream big and continue inspire ourselves to grow big globally. Jai Hind!


“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” ―Helen Keller



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Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the World in 2013
Vision 2030 Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBCO-gWmTRk
Twitter: @professormsrao  
21 Success Sutras for Leaders: Top 10 Leadership Books of the Year (San Diego University) Amazon URL: http://www.amazon.com/21-Success-Sutras-Leaders-ebook/dp/B00AK98ELI




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Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2015 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission. 

Tuesday 25 August 2015

“Connections are Everything in this World” ―Professor M.S.Rao











"We don't accomplish anything in this world alone...and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something." ―Sandra Day O'Connor


People ask me during my leadership development training programs why some people achieve amazing success while the rest remain in the same place despite having an immense potential. I share with them that connections make a huge difference. The people with great connections grow fast in their lives while the people without any connections remain in the same place.

There are many people with talents and skills in the world but they don’t know how to showcase to others and utilize them. They are the right people but in a wrong place. There must be someone who can spot and place them rightly at the right time. Hence, we need connections who talk about the talented people with others by word of mouth and social media. Presently social media is very strong and people connect with others quickly by the click of a mouse. Professional networking websites including LinkedIn help greatly to build great global connections. Some of the recruiters look at the LinkedIn profiles to recruit them employees. That is the power of social media presently! The social media also helps you build your global brand quickly.

I was invited to be a keynote speaker for ‘Visionary Leadership 2015’ Malaysia  URL: http://www.visionaryleadership2015.asia/speakers.html. Senior leaders participated in this event and internationally renowned thought leaders delivered their talks. During the tea break, people interacted and networked with others. They exchanged their business cards and enhanced their connections. Hence, attending such events helps understand the power of connections and builds new connections globally. They increase your visibility, credibility and popularity globally.

It is rightly remarked, “It's not what you know but who you know that makes the difference.”  Connections are crucial to success in this world. If a water drop falls into an ocean, it loses its significance. If the same drop falls into a shell, it becomes a pearl. The timing and placing plays a crucial role. Once Abraham Lincoln was delivering a speech, a Republican candidate spotted him and saw his speaking abilities. Subsequently Lincoln was asked to contest presidential elections. He won the elections and became the first Republican and the 16th president of America.


How to Build Your Connections?

Make yourself visible in conferences, events or other public forums. Open a blog and start posting your ideas and insights in your area of interest. Be active on social media including LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. Once you are on search engines, you will be under observation. People will approach you with offers. You will be able to leverage them.

If you have an elite friend circle, they will help you grow in all aspects of your life. Similarly, when you are in a sound position, you will be able to help your friends. The advantage of studying in prestigious educational institutions is an opportunity to network apart from acquiring knowledge from others. Here is a caution - you must extend your hands to others when required. There must be a give and take in relationships. Remember, relationships are based on reciprocal response.


Conclusion

To conclude, connections are the key to achieve success in the world. Talent is available everywhere and nobody knows how to spot the talent. With connections, people will be able to spot your talent and you will be able to grow rapidly in your life.


“It's all about people. It's about networking and being nice to people and not burning any bridges.” ―Mike Davidson




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Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the World in 2013
Vision 2030 Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBCO-gWmTRk
Twitter: @professormsrao  
21 Success Sutras for Leaders: Top 10 Leadership Books of the Year (San Diego University) Amazon URL: http://www.amazon.com/21-Success-Sutras-Leaders-ebook/dp/B00AK98ELI




Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2015 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.

Sunday 23 August 2015

“Do You Have a Fixed or Growth Mindset?” ―Professor M.S.Rao











“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” ―Benjamin Franklin


During my leadership development programs, people often question why only a few succeed while the majority remains as ordinary or failures. There are many responses to this question. One of the responses is about understanding the difference between fixed mindset and growth mindset. People who succeed are the ones with a growth mindset while the people who remain ordinary are the ones with a fixed mindset and the people who fail are the ones with a declined mindset.  

Fixed mindset is about people thinking what they can do. They often think that they cannot grow beyond that. They get complacent with their success. They also remain happy when people around them praise about their success. In contrast, people with growth mindset, they learn, unlearn and relearn. They continuously learn and grow. They are undeterred by failures. They explore and experiment constantly by taking risks. They regularly take feedback to grow. Feedback is food for them.


Elephant and Mental Limitations ― A Short Story

 Here goes the story of an elephant. A baby elephant was tied with a metal chain. It tried many times to unchain but failed miserably. After repeated unsuccessful endeavors, it came to conclusion that it was not capable of breaking the chains. Later the baby elephant was tied with a thin rope where it can easily unchain with little effort. The baby elephant did not attempt to break the rope because it felt that it was beyond its capacity. It grew old but never attempted to break the rope. These are all mental limitations people have. When people fail repeatedly they develop mental limitations and conclude that they will not be able to achieve success in life. The message from this story is people with a fixed mindset have mental limitations while the people with a growth mindset attempt new things and explore new areas repeatedly to grow in their lives.


Grit Paves the way for a Growth Mindset

People with growth mindset possess grit. Grit is stamina. It is to work with passion and perseverance to strive for long-term goals. It is the ability to see the silver lining over the dark cloud. It is no way connected with talent. It varies with age, experience and observation. It is culture specific. It depends on personality, attitude and behavior of the people. Research shows that people succeed despite not being good at intelligence quotient and emotional quotient because they possess grit quotient. People with grit are undeterred by failures and setbacks. Hence, grit paves the way for cultivating growth mindset. To conclude, cultivate growth mindset to unlock your potential to become an extraordinary achiever.


"Ever since I was a child I have had this instinctive urge for expansion and growth. To me, the function and duty of a quality human being is the sincere and honest development of one's potential." ―Bruce Lee



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Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the World in 2013
Vision 2030 Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBCO-gWmTRk
Twitter: @professormsrao  
21 Success Sutras for Leaders: Top 10 Leadership Books of the Year (San Diego University) Amazon URL: http://www.amazon.com/21-Success-Sutras-Leaders-ebook/dp/B00AK98ELI




Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2015 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.

Saturday 22 August 2015

“Grit to Great” ―Professor M.S.Rao





“All your dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.” ―Walt Disney


You must have read the bestselling book ‘Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't’ authored by Jim Collins. Here is another message ‘Grit to Great’. It means if you have grit you can become great in the world. You can achieve anything and everything in the world. By the way what do you mean by grit?


What is Grit?

Grit is a passion. It is a fire that moves people forward. It makes them go to any extent to achieve what they want. It is an extra inner spark that will make people to stand out from others. It involves a growth mindset unlike the fixed mindset.  It makes people to think about future and makes them get up early morning to execute tasks effectively. It is a kind of passion, power and perseverance. It is the ability to achieve goals despite odds stacked against them. It is an indomitable spirit to take on the challenges head-on with confidence and mettle.  It is a marathon, not a sprint. It grows them as leaders and makes them stand out from others. It is more important than intelligence quotient and emotional quotient.

Grit is a gut feeling to make decisions despite not equipped with adequate information. It helps to a great extent to make decisions quickly to enhance leadership effectiveness. It is more than technical and business acumen.

Grit is a blend of passion, perseverance and resilience.  It is the ability to explore other options when failed. It is the ability to experiment new areas. It is the ability to create stability by overcoming crises. It is the tenacity and resilience to bounce back from failures to look at the problems from different perspectives to resolve them. With grit, you can accomplish your goals quickly. Hence, develop your grit quotient.


Grow Your Grit

Grit is an unwavering faith in yourself. It is to encounter the challenges squarely without any fear. It is to believe in your convictions. People with grit don’t complain, condemn and criticize. They don’t blame circumstances. They look for opportunities. They convert threats into opportunities. They convert their scars into stars. Precisely, grit converts an ordinary person into an extraordinary person.

Grit can be developed by experience, observation, and learning continuously from failures. To grow grit, you must invest your efforts consistently. You must work hard, smart and wise to build your grit. Educators and parents must foster grit in their students and children respectively. They must inspire with striking stories of leaders who led with their grit to achieve greater success in life. Educational institutions emphasize on academic excellence. They must also encourage grit to help students overcome challenges effectively.  Extracurricular activities help students develop grit quotient. Therefore, educational institutions must lay equal emphasis on curricular and extracurricular activities.


Conclusion

Parents often pamper their children. They want their children to play safe to be comfortable. In fact, what parents must teach them is to risk and explore. We have only one life. Therefore, whatever we want to do, we must do in this life only. There is a slogan You Only Live Once (YOLO). So, do remember this slogan! Inculcating grit in children helps them build confidence and face challenges squarely in life. Lao Tzu quoted, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Following this quote, parents must not pamper their children. In contrast, they must push their children out of their comfort zone to enable the latter to unlock their potential to grow as leaders.  To conclude, grit is a gift parents must give to their children. It is more than giving money. It is more than giving them with education and character. When children possess grit they can acquire everything including education, character and amazing success.


“Everyone has a talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark places where it leads.” ―Erica Jong




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Life is great!

Professor M.S.Rao, India
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants India
Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the World in 2013
Vision 2030 Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBCO-gWmTRk
Twitter: @professormsrao  
21 Success Sutras for Leaders: Top 10 Leadership Books of the Year (San Diego University) Amazon URL: http://www.amazon.com/21-Success-Sutras-Leaders-ebook/dp/B00AK98ELI




Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2015 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S.Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.in.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.