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I often see people becoming confused between effort and output. In most organizations, the ultimate success depends not on the effort you put in but on the output you create. So if you say to your manager that you spent 60 hours the previous week working on a project and you have no results to show for it, it clearly indicates that a) you didn’t know what you were doing or received poor direction or b) you did not have a clear sense of why you were doing it. Either way is an unhealthy way of continuing to operate. Remember, in your job don’t confuse effort with output—effort is only an indicator of where you may be at. Output is what determines success, growth opportunities...

My last couple of posts discussed being prepared for whatever life might throw your way. One key area is relationship building. The second exercise that will always be an advantage is regularly dusting off your skills. Think about skills that you might have that you have not been utilizing and see how you can apply these. Think through your resume, think through jobs you have held in the past, and you may surprise yourself by realizing that you are far more capable than you had thought. Keep honing all the skills you possess—this will both help you progress in your current occupation and help you find something new should the necessity arise. Imagine going for a job interview, being as...

In my last post I spoke about how we need to constantly prepare ourselves to cope with troubled times that might hit us, so that we are never caught napping. One “core exercise” that can help anyone cope with life is relationship building. The pace of life is so rapid nowadays that we get so caught up in our routines and we often tend to forget how our lives are entwined and interdependent with those of other people. At the basal level are your closest relationships, such as those with family and friends. These should be valued and nurtured, and relationship building should be an ongoing process in everyone’s lives. And in times when you are troubled, don’t let your p...

During a financial downturn, it is normal for people to feel a fair amount of stress. This could be due to something as basic as wondering how to stretch their paycheck to cover, say, sudden car repair bills, to something as extreme as whether they are going to be laid off from their job. The current market situation is probably as bad a situation as most of us have ever experienced, as most of us were not around during the Great Depression, and this scenario seems worse than the recession that occurred in the ‘80s. During good times, most of us tend to put off thinking about difficult times that might be around the corner. While I do not advocate pessimism, a certain level of prepare...

In my last post I mentioned my optimism about the current economic situation. Another reason I’m feeling that way is, just as there are certain slow-action, sustained release medical drugs whose effect takes a while to kick in, most economists have shown us that it can sometimes take months, even quarters, for recovery measures to take effect. Despite all the talk about bailout packages and cuts in interest rates, the impact of these has not yet been felt—these measures that were put into action around early October will not take full effect before the end of the first quarter of 2009 or later. Even though the media make this situation sound like the end of the world, in reality ...

It’s been a while since I’ve written a post and I thought now is as good a time as any to resume writing, with some thoughts on the current state of the business world. I have, in the very recent past, had numerous conversations on the present situation with various people—investors, clients, and employees—and my answer to the inevitable question about my take on the future is that I’m bullish. Let me explain why. There is a common misconception that humans fight or flee at the time of crisis. I certainly believe that in a majority of situations they tend to freeze—and some fairly recent research substantiates that belief. What we have been seeing at the ...