The Business of Good People

Dr. Raghu Korrapati, Dr. Balaji Kannan

• Publisher: Diamond Books
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN:
  9798128819482
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Personal Success

What is civilization if not a vast and interlinked network of human relationships? With 'The Business of People', Dr Raghu sets out to teach the reader how to make these relationships healthy and mutually beneficial. The book manages to do that with a lot of flair. It also abounds in anecdotes that will often put a smile on the reader's face as he/she simultaneously marvels at the extraordinary mind of the author. Dr. Raghu discusses certain characteristics that we all understand but fail to recognise their importance like punctuality, humility, politeness, rationality, prudence, self-supervision, persistence, apologising, assertiveness, taking the initiative, and sense of humour among others. The points discussed by Dr. Korrapati are in tune with the National Skill Development Board, an initiative of the Prime Minister to improve employable skills among Indian youth.

Section I: The 50 Mantras

This section brings to light the 50 mantras that are thought jewels that we have plucked from the wisdom of years of research on human relations and people skills. These, when applied by people, employers, managers, leaders in all walks of life, have helped in increasing their effectiveness in dealing with people.

Some of these are recommended soft skills that have been tested over ages and proven for a lasting efficacy in the field of personal and professional human relations. They will enable individuals to strengthen themselves to achieve excellence in their performance and succeed in their chosen field of work.

They are needed not just for taking advantage of a situation but to empower one to build a much needed human behavioral dexterity. Identifying which skill is important for what situation is also an art but can be mastered with practice.

These concepts will help you become a people-smart executive, a people smart supervisor and a people smart leader.

So continue to read…

1. Identify stakeholders and accountabilities clearly and maintain positive relationship | ONE

This undoubtedly has to be the first mantra to succeed in the world of human relationships. People who fail in this aspect end up doing the right things with the wrong people, just because they did not clearly understand the key stakeholders. “Stakeholders” is used to describe everybody who has an interest in or a part to play or is impacted by whatever you do. These include colleagues, family, neighbors, superiors, customers and so on. Making them “happy” can be a real challenge and completing an activity with “happy” stakeholders is arguably one measure of success.

• Lord Jesus Christ had said, ‘Render unto Ceasar the things which are Ceasar’s and unto God the things that are God’s’. Never take on decisions that were never yours to make as you may have to live with the consequences, which you did not expect.
• Every situation in this world has stakeholders. Identify the key stakeholders and never make the mistake of ignoring them
• Employees, customers, stockholders, vendors, government, competitors, specialized communities, financial institutions and the general public are the key stakeholders in any socio economic environment.
• Understand each stakeholder’s influence on the other and how each governs the chances of the success of your aspirations and endeavor.
• Employees are not mere tools of your business. They are key stakeholders. As someone has said, ‘Take great care of your people, they will take great care of your customers and your customers will come back, again and again’.
• People tend to compare their jobs. For many journalists working in different newspapers across India, a job in The Hindu is a sinecure. I asked a journalist why? “Because they give you free tea and coffee throughout the day. They give you clothes along with the annual bonus. They take good care of your health.”
  That is why the rate of staff attrition at The Hindu is minimal as a majority of those who enter service choose to work with the organization till their retirement.
• Ensure the availability of timely, credible and comprehensive information of the capabilities and the options open to each stakeholder. This will show them that you value them and their opinion.
• Determine how key stakeholders’ strategies might affect current project interests.
• Identify influencers and decision makers, and learn to strike a positive relationship with them.

A situation where all the stakeholders were not properly identified occurred in a small factory making domestic radiators in a remote corner of Donegal, Ireland. In those days, the roads were very bad and the product got damaged in transit. Clients were furious. The delivery lorry driver became a stakeholder when he was blamed for not driving carefully enough. Product designers, engineers and manufacturing experts were all called in for advice but could not find the problem. Nobody, however, thought to talk to the stakeholder closest to the situation: the lorry driver. He knew that the roads were bad and that better packaging was the clear solution.

2. First impressions are important | TWO

In the world of personal and professional relationships, this can be a make or break factor for whatever you are trying to accomplish.

According to communications professor Michael Sunnafrank, people tend to draw conclusions about someone within as little as three minutes of having met them.

In the field of social and professional encounters, the first impression is the last impression. But without a doubt, the first impression is a long-lasting impression. And it may need a long ime and consistent effort to change that. So why not make an effort to be great in the first chance that is provided to us.

• Opinion is created on the basis of your appearance, your hand shake, your body language and how you are dressed.
• None of the traits are cosmetic. You can almost modify all these traits in a manner to get a favorable response from the event
• However, remember, sometimes how things look on the outside depends on how things are on the inside. Therefore, it may not always be possible to present a pleasant outward appearance while the inward realities are to the contrary.
• A person’s handshake and body language will not ooze the confidence that is not there in his personality.
• Those who deceive others through feigned soft skills will soon fall from grace as they cannot pretend for long that which is not in them.

Things to be sure of in the first meeting

• - Punctuality
• - Be yourself
• - Dress to the occasion
• - Smile
• - Be confident, not overconfident
• - Learn to break the ice
• - Be courteous and attentive

On his first day as Secretary of Defense (USA), Dick Cheney got lost in the Pentagon. He was nowhere to be found for over an hour after entering the building. When the news spread, people were quick to question if he is the right guy to be put in charge of US safety. Luckily, he was quick to prove his critics wrong with his excellent work, but he had to work hard to wipe off the first impression from their minds.

According to experts, when you meet someone for the first time, it takes just about three seconds for the other person to evaluate and form an opinion about you. And researchers at Carleton University suggest that it takes as little as 1/20th of a second for people to register likes and dislikes about another person. That’s fast.

3. Punctuality: BE ON TIME. Work Schedule, meetings, everything. | THREE

If one is punctual, you clearly pass on a subtle message to all that you do not deviate from set standards or rules. By being punctual, you convey that:

• You are serious about the project/event.
• You respect others who are a part of the project/event.
• You are confident and prepared for the work/event.
• You are looking forward to this project/event.
• You are in absolute control of yourself.
• You abide by the standard value for excellence.

In several countries including Russia, Germany, France, and Japan, punctuality is always appreciated in business meetings. A fantastic business proposition can be ruined by just being late for the engagement.

In 2004, the citizens of Ecuador did something they’d never dreamed possible: they synchronized their watches. In doing so, they embarked on a Campaña Contra la Impuntualidad, a national crusade against lateness [the cost of which, according to one study, amounts to more than 10% of gross domestic product]. A group called Participacíon Ciudadana had orchestrated the initiative in order to combat Ecuadorans’ notoriously cavalier attitude toward time. The group enlisted the country’s only Olympic gold medallist, the race-walker Jefferson Pérez, as a spokesman, plastered cities and villages with posters (‘Inject yourself each morning with a dose of responsibility, respect, and discipline’), and persuaded companies to bar tardy workers from meetings.

Can we do the same in our personal and professional lives?

A person is nothing more than a collection of habits. And if you are a BRAND then ‘Your habit is your BRAND’; be careful while picking your BRAND

4. KNOW your boundaries. Talk with your superviser about where you should be investing your time | FOUR

Benjamin Tregoe, co-founder of the Kepner-Tregoe consulting firm and author of The Rational Manager, once said, “The very worst use of time is to do very well what need not be done at all.” Still, it is amazing to discover in our everyday lives that many people are working hard on tasks that are of little or no value to themselves, their bosses or organizations.

Whether it is relationships that are of a personal nature or a professional nature, you need to know your boundaries to ensure that you are able to retain them with success. Also, be it friends, family, co-workers, bosses or while you are innovating, researching, spending, lending or helping, everything has boundaries and a single casual act of crossing over can put you into a lot of trouble.

• Having boundaries does not mean constricting yourself within the boundaries of imaginary walls but channelizing your limited efforts onto things that are of most value to those around you.
• Always remember that if you are a Brand, your boss is the co-author of the brand. Both of you need to work together on it. Discuss and set expectations frequently.
• A lot of business failures occur when people take the onus of doing things and making decisions that were never theirs to make.
• Boundaries help set right accountabilities and ownerships. Clear boundaries will save you stress and time. We know of several innovative people who create great things that are not required by their work. As a result they are never acknowledged and rewarded.
• Learn from Man’s relationship with Fire. You need to be at the right place. Too near and you will burn. Too far and you will freeze.

“Reflection must be institutionalized as a business process.”
Michael Hammer, co-author of Reengineering the Corporation

5. Preserve knowledge. Take notes in meetings. You will be surprised what you forget | FIVE

A scientific study done in the USA has revealed the following rates of forgetting what was heard and read.

Duration Loss

20 minutes	47% forgotten
1 day	62% forgotten
2 days	69% forgotten
75 days	75% forgotten
78 days	78% forgotten

Note taking is a three-step process

Step 1: When a person takes notes he attends to what is said and done;

Step 2: The person analyzes and thinks rapidly about what he sees and hears;

Step 3: Finally the person records his observations.

• The best and most successful professionals always take the best notes! The forms can vary from text notes to mind maps to audio notes.
• Notes make learning active and, most importantly, make for effective recollections in the time of need. Some of the best prodigies gain the affection of their mentors by repeating verbatim some of their sayings several years after they were spoken.
• Always review and edit your notes after you have taken them. Do that religiously. What you wrote under stressed time crunched situations may seem missing the context when reviewed under a very relaxed mood. So review and edit periodically.
• Smart people preserve potentially useful information they find during their normal personal professional lives and tuck it neatly in their treasure for that rainy day, when they would have only 60 seconds to solve a problem and they know that this piece of information they saved a few years ago will help them achieve that today.
• Develop Serendipity. Serendipity is the propensity for making fortuitous discoveries while looking for something unrelated. This happens with people in all walks of life. Successful people develop a habit of cataloging these discoveries for good use in time of need.

‘60% of all management problems are the result of faulty communications.’-Peter Drucker.

6. Create your own style. | SIX

• Observe others. Take what you like of their style or habits to help refine your own style or habits. Learn from what you don’t like about their style and avoid those traits in yourself
• Remember, a talented, hardworking person won’t become as successful in life as well as a well-branded, talented, hardworking person.

Below are a few traits for creating your own style

Creating your own Style

1. Celebrate yourself and your uniqueness:
   Do a self-brand audit.
2. Keep tabs on the big picture, always:
   Do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis.
3. Don’t avoid the competition, embrace it:
   Go to school on your competition.
4. Find the sweet spot:
   Focus on the right strategy for achieving your goals.
5. Harness the power of self-presentation:
   Learn the principles of visual identity.
6. Tap into the power of words:
   Learn the principles of verbal identity.
7. Think in terms of markets:
   Engage in and respond t...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Dedication
• Preface
• Foreword
• Contents
• The Foundation: Human Skills
• Section I: The 50 Mantras
• Section II: Human Engineering for Corporations
• Section III: 108 People Skills for Every Person