Tips to get smarter, better at work

Here are some simple and effective tips that could enhance your career to a greater extent.

1. Effective communication forms the foundation for a positive work alliance. You need to be able to tell your potential ally what you need and listen deeply to what they need.

2. Treat your allies as equals. No matter their position within your organization, all people are equal; they just have different jobs. Believe this.

3. Exhibit total professionalism. Never participate in gossip or in discussing the business of coworkers behind their backs.

4. Make sure you are not forming an exclusive club that the rest of your organization will fear and resent. But, you must take the time to develop strong relationships with your allies.

5. When working on a project together, always put forth your best efforts. Be the person who is willing to do extra to strengthen the collaboration and the outcome or product.

6. Keep your promises. If you say you will do something, do it. People need to depend upon you and the deadlines to which you commit.

7. Resolve any conflicts or disputes at your earliest opportunity. Unresolved conflict festers just under the surface in organizations.

8. Be an ally. Support your colleague’s ability to accomplish his or her mission, too. Give credit for ideas and solutions.

9. Effective managers delegate and don’t micromanage. Prioritize your tasks to focus on the important ones.

10. Your workspace should keep you motivated, not provide hot spots for daydreaming. Dress up your desk with items that keep you focused.

11. Too much to do at work? Add another task to your list: take a vacation and relax. People can’t operate at full throttle on the job day after day.

12. It’s a fact that taking breaks will increase productivity. It’s been proven in studies. If you need to, find someone to help ensure you take a morning and afternoon break.

13. Establish a routine of planning your week and your day. This will allow you to have your most productive week all the time.

14. Delegate or delete the non-essential items from your to-do list. The best way to do this is to always do your most important things first.

15. Make sure you plan in enough time between activities and appointments, and find ways to fail proof being on time.

16. Choose to enjoy your time at work. Find others who are like this and spread good cheer. It’s contagious and it grows.

17. Deadlines, tough bosses, rude clients, slow computers. Don’t make them into large dramas. Don’t lament the challenges of the world.

18. Try doing something different. If you always go on a trip, try taking a more local vacation, and really get some good rest time.

19. When you complain or fight on everything, then your power to ask for things is diminished. Save it up for when you really need it.

20. Don’t wait for your company to tell you what to do. Think creatively about how you can work with others to generate a greater result than if you had each worked on this alone.

21. If you are asked a question that stumps you or surprises you, never feel like you have to answer it right away. Seek more time to think about or research your answer.

22. Don’t immediately reject critiques from others, even if you don’t like or respect them. Sometimes people you don’t like may be giving you more honest feedback.

23. Be open to change. Give it a chance. Adapt to new things while using your experience to guide you, and you will have great success.

24. Always be on the lookout for opportunities to learn and improve your skills. Look for good seminars and training.

25. Set up a routine for “busy days” - perhaps you work 2-4 extra hours, and stick to that schedule, working nothing beyond it.

26. Schedule things like “break”, “coffee”, or even “video games” into your calendar just like you would a conference call.

27. There is a time and a place for perfectionism - when things are busy, consciously choose the areas in which you are willing to slack.

28. Whether it be business or personal support, busy times call for a morale boost on a regular basis. Hire a temp virtual assistant or call a good friend.

29. Everyone has a few things that are guaranteed to bring your stress level down to normal. Know your ‘relax buttons’ and get them on your schedule now.

30. For many people, a computer is the central tool at work. Optimizing the energy settings for computers and other devices can be more than a modest energy saver.

How Money flows ( Cash flow ) ?

Cash flow statements throw light on the cash generating ability of a company.

Besides the balance-sheet and profit and loss account, the statement of cash flows is also a key disclosure forming part of a company’s annual report. It is a summary of receipts and payments disclosing the movement of cash during the period under consideration.

The CFS assumes significance as it reflects the liquidity and solvency position of a company. It throws light on the ability of the company to generate cash from its core operations, and where from it sources funds for expansion. Also, unlike the profit and loss account, which is based on the accrual method of accounting, the CFS discloses the actual movement of cash. Hence, it is also a useful tool to gauge a company’s ability to effectively manage cash. For example, while profit figures by itself may not help the company plan for repayment of debt and replacement of assets, an analysis of the cash flows will provide information on the funds available for the same.

Operating activities

Cash flows are classified under three heads — operating, investing and financing activities. Operating activities are defined as ‘the principal revenue-producing activities of an enterprise’. Cash sales, receipts from debtors, payment to suppliers, payment of salaries, selling and distribution of expenses, all fall under this head.

Actual cash flows differ from profits. A company may be low on cash but reported good earnings and vice-versa. The CFS explains the reason for this divergence. Consider this case. A company that has sold its goods on credit (captured as debtors) may take time or have trouble realising the cash. This may elongate the company’s working capital cycle and force it to resort to other funding options to keep the production cycle moving. Similarly, a company may have produced goods but piled them up as inventory without quickly converting them into revenues.

Here again the cost of holding such inventory instead of converting it into cash would affect operations. Both these may also be indicators of a slowing demand (in case of inventory build up) or higher risk of debtors becoming bad. Thus, a study of operating cash flows may be a key indicator of a company’s health or provide cues for any impending trouble in its business or financial position.

Investing and financing

While purchase and sale of fixed assets, investments, interest income/dividend received are examples of cash flows from investing activities, receipts from the issue of shares and debentures, repayment of loans, payment of dividends fall under financial activities. These are disclosed under separate heads in the CFS. Investing activities indicate the extent to which a company has spent on resources that generate future income and cash flows. Flows from financing activities indicate the various avenues from which a company’s funds are sourced and the debt servicing and repayments made to such sources.

Negative cash flows

Theoretically, positive operating cash flows are considered an indicator of efficiency. But does that mean that operating cash flows should not be negative? Take the case of GMR infrastructure: In its annual report for 2007-08, the company reports a negative cash flow of about Rs 56.5 crore in its stand alone operations. At the same time, cash inflow from financing activities was a whopping Rs 4,095 crore as the company raisedfunds through issue of shares.This is typical of companies in the growth phase which raise money to expand operations and generate future cash flows (after a lag) whether directly or through subsidiaries.

Negative cash flow in one year should not be immediately misconstrued for trouble. An analysis of cash flows from one period to another may provide a better indicator of performance.

Negative cash flows from investing could suggest that the company is incurring capital expenditure, which would generate income in future. When a company is repaying debt or buying back shares or paying dividends, cash from financing operations tends to be negative. However, in this case, there is often sufficient cash generated from operations to make the above-stated payments.

Cash-rich companies

Sometimes, we read about companies sitting on several crores of surplus cash. This may be used for investing in new assets, expanding capacities, repaying debt or pay hefty dividends. It may also be used to fund inorganic growth plans (acquisitions). Some cash-rich companies also actively scout for short term investing opportunities and generate substantial treasury income.

Judging a stock’s value

A look at valuation metrics.

The thought of buying stocks may seem daunting, especially if you have read through textbooks that say that stocks should be bought when they trade below their intrinsic value. But how can you arrive at this intrinsic value? Well, that’s where valuation metrics come in. Read on to learn about some of these metrics and the stories they tell.

Price-earnings (PE) ratio: A key value indicator, the PE ratio measures the price that the stock market is willing to pay for every rupee of net profits (earnings) generated by the company per share.

When the ratio is on the high side, it means that investors are willing to pay more for that stock, because they expect its earnings to grow at a faster rate than its peers. Normally, a stock with a low PE ratio is cheap, if that isn’t reflecting high growth expectations. For example, a good part of last year saw real estate stocks command quite a premium over other sectors.

Price-to-book value: This is another ratio used to value stocks. It is arrived at by dividing the market price per share by the book value of each share. But what, in the first place, is book value? In essence, it is the assets of the company (such as land, plant and machinery etc) after deducting liabilities. In other words, it shows how much would be left for shareholders if the company folded immediately.

Dividend yield: This ratio is a measure of the dividend paid out by the company relative to its share price. If, as an investor, you give higher weightage to earning steady cash flows rather than capital gains, stocks with high dividend yields may be what you should look at.

Market capitalization: Simply put the price per share multiplied by the total number of outstanding shares. The market capitalization is often used to gauge what the market is willing to pay for an entire company. Apart from being used in takeover situations, ratios such as market cap-to-sales are used to value companies, especially so when they are yet to generate book profits.

A more evolved metric is the enterprise value (EV) or the sum of the market cap and debt of the company reduced by its cash balance. The EV reflects the market value of the company or the amount you might have to pay if you bought out the company. EV is used in relation to parameters such as sales. This metric is often used when analyzing cement companies.

A stock is said to be overvalued, if it enjoys a higher PE ratio or a higher price-to-book value relative to its peers in the sector or its growth prospects. Undervalued stocks are those that trade at low ratios, but have strong prospects which have been overlooked by investors.

What to apply

Ratios such as price-to-earnings or price-to-book can be calculated on a historic basis (past earnings) or expected future earnings (estimated). However, price and earnings ratios may be used only where the company has been around for some time and has logged revenues and profits.

For loss-making companies, ratios based on market capitalization to sales or enterprise value may provide a better assessment of their businesses’ worth. While the ratios discussed above are universally used, some may be more suitable to a specific sector than others.

For example, when looking at banking stocks, book value shows a better picture of assets and liabilities (since they indicate future earning capacity) than a simple earnings ratio.

Source: Hindu

Puttari namme (Huttari festival) - Coorg

"Wish you all a Happy Puttari Namme"

Today we celebrate Puttari at Coorg (Kodagu).

Puttari ( Huttari ) is the traditional harvest festival known for a variety of folk songs and dances being displayed. It is observed in November / December. Each village presents it own set of discipline and dances during the annual fairs at its temple, which is the main center of cultural activities.

When the Paddy crop is ready for harvest, the villagers chant "Poli Poli Deva" and a little crop is cut, bound in small bunches and is handed out to all those present during the occasion. The bunch of Paddy crop will be taken home by the folks and is preserved as a sign of prosperity.

More about "Puttari"

Puttari means new rice, and is the rice harvest festival (also called huttari in adjacent Kannada-speaking country). This takes place in late November or early December. Celebrations and preparations for this festival start a week in advance.

On the Puttari day, the whole family assemble in their ain mane (the common family house) which is decorated with flowers and green mango and banana leaves. Specific foods are prepared: thambuttu, puttari, kari, and poli poli. Then the eldest member of the family hands a sickle to the head of the family, and one of the women leads a procession to the paddy fields, with a lit lamp in her hands. The path leading to the field is decorated. A gunshot is fired to mark the beginning of the harvest, with chanting of "Poli Poli Deva" (prosperity) by all the people present there. Then the symbolic harvesting of the crop begins. The rice is cut and stacked and tied in odd numbers, and is then carried home, to be offered to the gods there.

The younger people then burst firecrackers and revel, symbolizing prosperity. Groups of youngsters then visit the neighboring houses and show off their dancing skills, and are given monetary gifts. A week later, this money is pooled and a community dinner of the entire village) is celebrated. All the family members gather for this meal. Dinner normally consists of meat dishes such as pork and fish curry. Alcoholic drinks are also served at such feasts.

A Good Leader knows the Team's Colors

Leadership can be a very challenging task.

As leaders we don't always get to choose who is on our team. In fact very often a leader inherits a team, of which most of the members have been there far longer than the leader, and may even know more about the work than the leader. Whatever the situation, one of the responsibilities of a leader is to motivate the team to all work together towards the common goal. This can be a daunting challenge. So often the team is comprised of very diverse members, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and work styles. The team dynamics are also often complicated by internal disagreements and personal conflicts. The leader, not only has work with this group of people, but also needs to achieve the results expected by their superiors.

Leaders can great benefit by being able to identify the types of personality characteristics of team members.

By understanding the basic personality types, the leader can use individual strengths of members for the good of the team, as well as assign tasks that individual team members naturally excel in. A leader can also learn to communicate in a way that is motivating, by taking into account the needs, values and working preferences of different team members. A good leader will see the greatest results by working and utilizing the strengths and working style characteristics of the personalities on the team. By correctly positioning the individual member strengths and compensating for weaknesses, the leader can bring the team into a productive balance and harmony.

A brief overview of the different values and working styles of the four main personality types demonstrates the importance of this knowledge being part of the successful leadership toolbox. The four types of personality will be described using the colours Gold, Blue, Green and Orange .

The strong Gold employee takes work and responsibility very seriously. Gold personalities want to contribute, be part of the team, and to be successful and productive. They respond well to recognition, rewards and incentives. However Gold team members need well defined responsibilities and structure, firm expectations and timelines as well as being reassured from authority that they are on the right track.

The strong Blue personality needs an open, social atmosphere to be able work well. Relationships are very important for them, and they need the freedom to be able to nurture relationships with coworkers, customers and employers.. Conflict and intense competition are painful for a strong Blue, but they will thrive in a positive, creative, service orientated atmosphere.

A strong Green personality is more noted for expertise rather than people skills. They are excellent working with facts, data, research and analytical projects. Greens shine in their ability for designing, understanding complex systems and strategy. Facts are of utmost importance for the Green, but they have a weakness for routine follow through and are somewhat insensitive in social interactions.

Orange team members are noticeable by their energy, skill and creativity. A key factor for an Orange is the freedom to be able to use their skills and abilities. If there is too much structure, or their boss is very authoritarian, the orange personality feels blocked and does not function well. Orange personalities like people and work well in a spirit of teamwork, competition and camaraderie. They are action orientated, though and become impatient with prolonged talking and detailed administrative tasks.

A leader, by knowing the colors of his team, can use this knowledge to blend the team members into a unified, well coordinated picture poised for success. By facilitating each team member to function in their areas of natural strength and motivating them by communicating in a way that inspires harmony and team work, the leader is well on the way to achieving extraordinary results.

Website of Kodava Student Association of Mangalore

Check the new website of Kodava Student Association of Mangalore.

http://www.kodavastudentsmlr.co.in/

Rally De Coorg

Vikram Mathias and Murthy of Bangalore won first place in the Rally de Coorg.

Rally the Coorg was organised by Tata Coffee Ltd and Motors Sports amidts coffee estates. The duo covered 110 km in 1 hour 41 minutes 41 seconds.

Chikmagalur’s Girija Shankar Joshi-Prajwal Pai won second place (1:48:10), Sujay-Bharath (III, 1:51:03) , Den Thimmaiah -M S Ravindra of Kodagu (IV, 1:51:39) and Majda -Vinayak (V). In gypsy category, Agarwal-Iliaz (I), Aravind-Arun (II), Venkatesh Babu -Lakshmikanth (III). In 1600 CC category Girija Shankar Joshi -Prjwal Pai (I); 1,400 CC category Sujay-Bharath (I), Majda -Vinayak (II) and Manju -Jeeva (III). In Rally start cup category Den Thimmaiah - M S Ravindra (I), Shefeeq-George (II), Raghuram-Balram (III), Jairam-Anjay (IV) and Hari-Ashwin (V). As many as 25 competitors had taken part in the rally. The rally passed through Palibetta, Emmegundi, Hosalli. The sixth stage rally will be held in Nasik on January 20.