Talentalk by Xpheno

Increment How Much

Who do you think cares the most for your hikes? Did you say the competitor or some other employer? Maybe you're probably right during the current facts. But is it always that way? I'm sure in a computer gives you your best hike, some of your own bosses, they give you the same hike and keep you, don't they? So that's one way of getting it. So you can say that maybe your current employer also cares for your hike now. But I want to ask you something different today.

 

How many of you have experienced your supervisor to have asked you what's the increment you want or have you asked your sport ever? What is that increment they expecting from you? Do you think it's a trick question? It sounds like it doesn't do when I tried it, it sort of went both ways.

 

But I heard people asking me 50% 75% kind of fight and fight in the regions. And there are some gracious ones who said, I don't deserve a hi. And I realized that over a period of time it's safe not to ask that question because you really don't have a power in a large organization to give what people are expecting from you.

 

At best, you can react to when people blackmail that they got another offer and say, look, we need to match it. But then I stopped asking that because I felt I was powerless to even concede what people were asking. But then, you know, it's, it's just a trick question because if somebody asks you and you give a number and they're unable to meet it, then what happens either? They have to tell you that they recommend it, but the management never gave it to them. Two, let's say you ask the next number and you get the next number.

 

What happens? Maybe the manager will come and say about man from a meia, right? But is that how it is supposed to be or we'll have managers who stand up and say, look, this is the increment organization J and I stand by, this is an enterprise increment, not whether I endorse it, don't endorse it. I stand by. Do you think you can be brave like that? Saying this is what you deserve and this is what you get versus saying management gave it hr didn't approve. How does that sound when I was a manager?

 

I always like to put it on the templates framework of the organization budget to the organization and say this is why you got what you got when I was an entrepreneur, I was expecting the supervisor to have more stomach and say this is the hike you deserve and this is what you got. That's double standards, isn't it? So be today's question to you is have you ever asked your reporting? What is the increment they're expecting? Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-foundr of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

How to get things done from your boss

In your day to day working relationships. Is there a kind of a hack or a tool or let's say style that you use more often to get things done? I'm sure we talk about our managers about this all the time or this guy, he always threatens to get things done or this guy, he's charming. He's influencing. He speaks so well that I feel like doing. And in the famous at age of China, they said that he talked about sang and be, you know, and if you look at that, we talk about our managers using that one way or the other.

But today I want to talk about completely opposite to that. We also do the same thing when we want to get things done, don't we? For example, if we had to use the same, you know, at the age of SD be we do that with our managers too. So for example, we'll talk to them very charmingly inspiring about why we want to do this job, how we want to contribute to the team and the organization. So that's some for you sometimes, you know, we also do something called as putting up the price, the day

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But when we say that, look by doing so, I'm doing this for the reward that I'm going to get or I expect this reward for doing this job. You know, somewhere telling the boss that what inspires me in a certain way sometimes then if you don't like to do the job, you know, we suck at work, you know, we are sloppy.

We do it so badly that, you know, somewhere we feel it sort of affects our manager. You know, we do that knowingly unknowingly by inflicting some pains on our bosses. And that's why we actually get things done from him or her.And the most important thing is about ba you know, we always talk to our managers about how the world out there is much better.

The peers are getting better rewards and recognition, you know, the market out there pays more. So in our life, there is something of the other we use with our managers to get things done. We either, you know, influence them, charm them, you know, motivate them by saying this is what we want to do or we say that, you know, this is the price for doing it or we just suck at it or maybe quit one day. And most importantly, we compare the world to them and say how the world is better than them.

So it's not just the managers who use, you know, some than, than we also do that to them. Let me know what's your famous hack or tool you use to get things done with your boss or if you are a manager, which one actually works for you.
And with that, I'll leave you today. Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-foundr of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

What’s your favorite expression at work

Which is your favorite expression at work.  Mine is smile and applause though. I don't smile at people readily. That's a disclaimer. But I would like others to smile at me. How about that? Applause? Because all of us feel good. Somebody clapping for you. Think about the last time and somebody clap for you other than your birthday, how good that feels. Think about the expressions now, which are not something that we are proud of or we don't want to see it at work from anger.I don't even have to say what they mean to us right today.

But I want to talk about an important expression which I think harms our nations is silence is silence because many times just by not telling something, we create a different kind of a dynamic at work. I'm sure I shared this before with you when I was a young manager that I used to go quiet when people used to come for pre agreed meetings late, almost two hours. I won't talk to the person and that I thought was my sophisticated way of not showing the anger, but it's still hard. People came and told me later that.

That is no way. Right. And I tried to correct it later. I mentioned that. So when are the, you know, times when we go silent, think about it. Somebody new joins and we do the thumbs up, do the welcome mail, but we don't walk into the person and say welcome to the organization. We don't do that to somebody is leaving. We can do the thumbs up and, you know, sending mails to people privately. But if you don't go shake hands and say, buddy, all the best to your next venture, can we do that?

That is also something that we avoid silence again. So there are many instances that I'm sure that is coming to my mind as I'm speaking about how we create silence. how should we call it apathy? I'll share you this. you know, instance, once one of my colleagues wrote to me about an advice that he or she wanted, I took that and send it to a bunch of people saying I want to respond to this person. Can you respond to me? Give me your opinions.

Nobody wrote to me. Nobody wrote to me. I, when finally I had to write to the person, I felt bad and I didn't, you know, sort of address this with the people who didn't respond. But at the end of the day, I said, what the heck? And I wrote each one of them individually as to why they did not respond back to me. That was my way of calling it out saying this is not acceptable and they could have written to me, all they had to do was write an opinion.

 

But they thought that doesn't matter. They were actually creating a culture of apathy if I want to use that word. So silence is nothing but apathy that we are being insensitive to a situation.

Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-foundr of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

Who is your boss’s favorite

This is my favorite topic.In fact, I like to talk about who's my boss's favorite all the time.And I did most of my life and I'm sure you do that too.But if you ask any of the people who are reading a T as to who is the favorite reporting, do you think they'll say that on your face that so and so is my favorite.

 

They possibly may not because it's not politically correct to say that But we see that all the time.You know, we know who's favorite and you know, why, why ? Because, you know, he or she worked together in the previous company or he or she, you know, were from the same institute or they both speak the same mother tongue or we see them having a smoke or a drink or a lunch, you know, frequently, how do we qualify that?

 

Maybe by some, one of instances, you know, in a, in a public platform, maybe when all of us were present, they spoke their mother tongue or we, we caught them once, you know, having lunch and then we say every time we see them having lunch together once, actually, I saw my boss going for a holiday, in fact, overseas holiday with one of my peers from that day, it started playing in my mind that, you know, she must be her favorite.So they go out for even holidays together.

 

And most important part is when performance reviews happen.And let's say the favorite is sort of under performing and how the boss goes a little soft on them that I think is very glaring, isn't it?But for me, the personal time a boss gives is, is a kind of a parameter that I hold against.I believe that all of us want most of her boss's time and somebody else gets the time.I think we all get jealous and that's how we label them.Oh, you know, he or she sucks up to the boss and that's the reason, you know, he or she is the favorite for me.

One thing which I look forward to is when the boss speaks about the favorite.What is the facial expression?You can't miss that glow when they talk about their favorite.Next time you just observe for that factor today, I want to ask you one thing. How do you measure that? Somebody is your boss's favorite?

In fact, what are the parameters that you consider when labeling somebody as your boss's favorite before you do that?Reflect on this.If at all you were ever a favorite of somebody ask yourself why it is somebody else's favorite and maybe the real answers will stem from that.

Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-foundr of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

Are you Before time On time Late

Yesterday, I had an interesting meeting. I reached the customer's place half an hour early, 15 minutes before the meeting, I called up the customer and said, I'm here about 15 minutes later and almost actually 34 minutes later than that, the customer turned up and said, let's go.

 

And until we went to the meeting room, he kept on apologizing saying, sorry guys, I was late, I was late and when he stepped out to get the coffee for us, I asked my colleagues, what's wrong with him? Why is he apologizing? It's only four minutes, right? But it's not that we've always been early like this for meetings many times. I turned up late.I remember once, just drinking from the receptionist. So the customer said you guys are five minutes late and you know, refused a meeting for me and my boss.

On another occasion, we were doing a huge pitch with a retailer setting shop in India. My delivery manager turned a plate and the customer did not use the business and gave it to a commentator saying that if you can't turn up for meetings in time during the pitch, I don't know what you would do after signing up. And the most important lesson that I ever learned in terms of turning upon time was from one of our global CEO si used to meet him, by the way, once a year to catch up on what used to happen in our country.

 

The first time I met him, I was about 23 minutes early and I saw him there standing holding his coffee and, you know, with a warm welcome. you know, we spent time, we had coffee and chit chat and then of the meeting started the next time I met him a year later, I said, no, this time I have to be early and I was about five minutes early and I saw him there browsing through a magazine sitting there and he stood up and said, ok, come on, let's do the coffee. And again, the meeting started, that is the next time an hour, I'm going to meet him. I'm gonna be really early.

 

I went 15 minutes early and that was about six months later. And I saw him there, you know, smiling, standing there waiting for me. And he said, hey, how are you doing? And he said, let's have coffee and that I couldn't resist. I asked him, hey, how do you do this? You know, what do you do? You know, waiting for me, 15 minutes isn't a waste of your own time. You're a global CEO he said, look I keep over half an hour gap between every meeting. So, for me, you know, especially when I'm meeting people like you, whom I get to meet once a year. I think a lot of things to catch up, isn't it?

 

You know, what's happening in your personal life? Mind, weather, traffic, so many things and of course, a cup of coffee that we always share all and we have to go to the machine and get that coffee, all these things, take time. And by the time we do this chit chat warm up, I'm sure 15, 20 minutes ago. And if we are going to spend time, especially on things which are relevant to you where I can value that we need that quality time. You know, we all have almost ever an hour, isn't it?

 

So my philosophy is that, you know, always come before time and, you know, that gives us quality time for the entire conversation. So he said come, you weren't late, you know, you're on time all the time. But my philosophy is before time. So that day he taught me about before time on time and late. So I try to practice that not all the time, but most of the times I think it's between before time and on time today. I want to ask you whether it's you or your boss, you are the before time, people on time or late.

Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-foundr of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

Breakdowns at Workplace

I'm sure you have heard of people quitting in a fit of rage or just one sentence or a communication which you know, sort of angered them. We've heard many such instances where people getting into a fight because something was said a single trigger which caused that anger and a fight. I always wonder whether it is just a single instance or something was always brewing.

According to me, something is always simmering which one find it takes off and that is a culmination of all the things of the past, all the baggages which comes on and causes that outage or breakdown.

A couple of instances. I want to share up my own book. There was this global meeting that we were having in Singapore once where directors of many countries were assembled. And after a break, we saw a super boss locking out two of her colleagues who were late for the meeting and we thought it was crazy. We came thousands of miles to attend this meeting and people were a couple of minutes late.

What the heck? But that wasn't the case. He was observing that over a period of time, few of us were coming late, you know, after each break and he wanted to make an example of it. So it was not just a one off, he was observing that there was, you know, a disease of coming late to the meetings. So there's something happening all the time and it was not a one off.

 

Then this fight between two colleagues where, you know, in a fit of rage, you know, in a meeting suddenly they took off and we were wondering what happened, you know, what was that one sentence which caused them?

 

We were actually qualifying was a sentence really that anger causing said no, both of them were having a lot of these, you know, small instances which were irritating and one finding they just lost, you know, their cool, you know, my own colleague who once quit over one single episode with her boss, I asked what happened. He said the CEO you know, shouted at me. I said that's, it said, no, this is not the first time. Every time there's an escalation, he picks up the phone and yells at me.

 

I thought I'm going to end this from my side. So when you look at the series of instances that I quoted, you realize that it is not one instance or one sentence which causes an outage or a breakdown, which makes us take a call. There is always something simmering something which is, you know, sort of breaking us down on a day to day basis and all it requires is one last trigger to cause it outage or a breakdown, which sort of tells us this is a necessary ending.
Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-foundr of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

Appreciating colleagues difficult

Appreciating colleagues. I wish I had a better way of appreciating my colleague whenever I see my wife having a dinner with me, the first thing she does is put the food in and say, wow, everyone looks at me. So it prompts me to sort of say, oh yeah, it's good, you know, and that's typically how I am. You know, I take the time for me to appreciate people recently when we were in a room of you know, a team of people, we asked ourselves, you know, how we appreciate each other.

 

And when we went around the room, we realized that each one of us found instances where we felt we could have appreciated somebody else better and found in many instances, we did not appreciate each other at all. But what prompted this one of our employees who left us recently said I left because I felt I wasn't appreciated enough.And I asked, wait a minute, you not appreciate it.

He said, yeah, you know, when I signed this deal, you know, you didn't say good job. I said, hey, I thought I passed you the lead. He said, still I close the lead.Another sales guy said, I wish when I asked you that, is this the first time, you know, we signed a deal like this, you said, yeah, but he said again, I asked now before you said yes, but I never went on to say, hey, good job that.

So why is it so difficult to appreciate our colleagues? Maybe, you know, human nature where we came from?I really don't know.Each one of us may have our own ways of or other reasons to say why we don't appreciate our colleagues enough.I'm sure, you know, as parents or you know, as individuals in our personal life, we do appreciate people.In fact, it's the world of likes, isn't it?You know.Yeah, I like to say we got so many likes, you know, we got so many comments.so many thumbs ups of all the emotions which actually are there in the social media doesn't come to the real world when we meet people.

It's ironical, but it's true, isn't it?You know?So all the time when we are with colleagues, I only wish that, you know, we could appreciate a little more, definitely my weakness area so much so that one of my teachers in the past actually had set out a thank you where each one of us are forced to write a thank you message and give it to people who we think we should appreciate.So, but so far, you know, socializing you know, appreciation.

So I have to ask you today if you are a person who appreciates better, I don't if you do, which are locations you think deserve appreciation, what are the forms of appreciation you think are the best suited?what should the operations do to make it a way of life where appreciation comes naturally than just the whatsapps and the emojis that we put out on social media?And let me know if this conversation changes the way you look at people.

Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-foundr of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.

Who is your boss’s favorite

This is my favorite topic. In fact, I like to talk about who's my boss's favorite all the time. And I did most of my life and I'm sure you do that too. But if you ask any of the people who are reading a T as to who is the favorite reporting, do you think they'll say that on your face that so and so is my favorite. They possibly may not because it's not politically correct to say that.

 

But we see that all the time. You know, we know who's favorite and you know, why, why? Because, you know, he or she worked together in the previous company or he or she, you know, were from the same institute or they both speak the same mother tongue or we see them having a smoke or a drink or a lunch, you know, frequently, how do we qualify that?

 

Maybe by some, one of instances, you know, in a, in a public platform, maybe when all of us were present, they spoke their mother tongue or we, we caught them once, you know, having lunch and then we say every time we see them having lunch together once, actually, I saw my boss going for a holiday, in fact, overseas holiday with one of my peers from that day, it started playing in my mind that, you know, she must be her favorite. So they go out for even holidays together. And most important part is when performance reviews happen.

 

And let's say the favorite is sort of under performing and how the boss goes a little soft on them that I think is very glaring, isn't it? But for me, the personal time a boss gives is, is a kind of a parameter that I hold against. I believe that all of us want most of her boss's time and somebody else gets the time.

I think we all get jealous and that's how we label them. Oh, you know, he or she sucks up to the boss and that's the reason, you know, he or she is the favorite for me. One thing which I look forward to is when the boss speaks about the favorite. What is the facial expression? You can't miss that glow when they talk about their favorite. Next time you just observe for that factor today, I want to ask you one thing.

 

How do you measure that? Somebody is your boss's favorite? In fact, what are the parameters that you consider when labeling somebody as your boss's favorite before you do that? Reflect on this.If at all you were ever a favorite of somebody ask yourself why it is somebody else's favorite and maybe the real answers will stem from that.

Tune in to hear more from Kamal Karanth, co-foundr of Xpheno, a specialist staffing firm.