People.Inc

Onychophagia- what's that?

2008-11-24T19:16:00.009+05:30

Fancy term for nail biting!!

Since childhood, parents forbid children from biting their nails - this is not just a dirty habit but as you grow older, it reflects largely on your personality as well.

Often, people - academically brilliant, intelligent bite their nails oblivious to the disapproving glances of those around. ..

This habit in a corporate set up reflects :
1. an extremely insecure, pensive and confused state of mind
2. stress
3. emotional problems
4. anxiety and nervousness

Here are some tips on how to stop biting nails.

Perceptions at play

2008-10-12T23:22:00.006+05:30

'All that glitters is not gold; all those who wander are not lost' said Tolkien- however, in the corporate world, if you give the impression of wandering, you are bound to lose your job!!

A lot is said about perceptions - how they can make or shake (not break :)) careers. While it is important to have the grey matter, it is equally or more important to showcase what you are capable of. Of course, the true test of one's capabilities lies in execution.

It's difficult but not impossible to change wrong perceptions of oneself- the question is, how time consuming is it to try to change these perceptions and is it worth all the effort in the first place?

Here is an interesting article on how to change perceptions...

Becoming a victim by being good?

2008-10-09T21:53:00.000+05:30

Does your team come to you with requests like 'Oops so sorry, I forgot! Could you please do this for me ...' or ' I just can't get this right, please do this for me' or ' you are soooo good at this, will be better if you do it' etc etc

When freqeunt requests like this come in, its time to up your antennae...you may be subject to what's called 'upward delegation'. Though it starts with simple requests, it can give rise to bigger issues like complete shirking of responsibilities by the team.

So, are you a victim of upward delegation?

If your answer is Yes to most questions below:
1. You basically go all out to "fix it" when there is a problem
2. You think its your duty as a 'leader' to rescue those in trouble
3. You have the strong urge to protect your teammates

But BEWARE, by this good samaritanism

1. you will end up doing someone else's job
2. you will become responsible for someone else's deliverables
3. your priorities will take a hit
4. your team will neither develop nor learn to be accountable

And before you know it, you 'the manager' will end up giving daily status updates to the team !!!